The Forensic Doctor Better Than a Detective

Chapter 460: Chapter 267: Was This the Murderer’s First Crime? (Part 2)

”Someone told us quietly that he seems to be off the right path.”

The words ”off the right path” immediately alerted Mr. Fu, as if he were a leopard sniffing out danger.

His gaze sharpened, and he thought to himself: Any suspicious individuals related to the deceased cannot be overlooked, especially those with such improper conduct.

Meanwhile, the commercial square in West Mountain District was bustling, like the tides surging.

Li Jian, the captain, came striding with two police officers.

At the entrance to the commercial square, Li Chun had been waiting for a long time.

She was slim, with a hint of cleverness in her gaze, like twinkling stars.

Seeing the police car stop, Li Chun took light steps forward quickly.

”Are you the officers that contacted me earlier?”

Li Jian smiled warmly, like a spring breeze on one’s face, reached out and enthusiastically shook Li Chun’s hand, saying, ”Hello, sorry to take up your time.”

”We’re here to learn about your classmate Yang Xiu.”

Li Jian’s gaze was gentle yet sharp, like an eagle’s eyes, not missing any subtle expression change on Li Chun’s face.

Upon hearing Yang Xiu’s name, a flash of pity appeared on Li Chun’s face.

She lightly sighed and said, ”We were classmates before, but sadly now separated by life and death.”

”If I can help, I’ll certainly reveal everything I know.”

”Alright, can we sit in your shop for a while? It’s more private for talking.”

Li Jian said this, glancing around the noisy crowd like a searchlight.

Li Chun nodded in agreement, leading them into her shop.

The shop was warmly and elegantly arranged, like a paradise, sitting around a round table, the environment instantly quieted, as if isolated from the world.

Just as they sat down, Li Chun took the initiative to speak: ”Officers, ask whatever you like.”

Seeing her so forthright, Li Jian didn’t beat around the bush and asked directly: ”I just came from the village chief’s house.”

”Previously, you mentioned Yang Xiu to the village chief; tell me more about it.”

Li Chun lightly nodded and said, ”Back then, the two were quite compatible in class, seen as an ideal couple by everyone.”

”Over these years, the village chief has always cared about her.”

”Once, during a chat, I casually mentioned Yang Xiu.”

”While living in Jiangcheng, did you know much about Yang Xiu?”

Li Chun shook her head bitterly, pursing her lips, and replied, ”Actually, not much.”

”Before she went to Jiangcheng, we were classmates and got along well, like close sisters.”

”After she left, we were initially close, but I started hearing she worked at a salon, which felt awkward, and slowly distanced myself.”

”That kind of job isn’t particularly decent; although it paid well, it was a barrier in my heart that I couldn’t get past.”

”Later, when I went out for meals and such, I rarely contacted her.”

Li Jian nodded understandingly, like a wise elder, and asked: ”Besides, at the beginning when you knew her, did you ever visit their salon?”

”I did, back then a young girl was there too, they ran the salon together.”

”As soon as I entered, I felt something was off; there was very little hair on the ground, unlike a regular salon.”

”But I didn’t say anything at the time, only later did I understand what was going on.”

Li Chun said this, frowning slightly.

”When you first got to know her, were there other people around Yang Xiu that you knew of?”

Li Chun supported her chin with her hand, like the Thinker statue.

After thinking for a moment, she said, ”I remember Yang Xiu mentioning a boyfriend.”

”But, not in Jiangcheng, they met online.”

”Later, they didn’t keep in touch, I’m not sure how things worked out for them.”

”Online dating, huh.”

Li Jian mumbled softly, as if to himself, and wrote down those words in his notebook.

In his mind, like lightning, quickly sorting through the early investigation results of the task force.

Yang Xiu’s interpersonal relationships before her death seemed simple; the task force investigated surrounding neighbors, mostly fleeting romances, like the blink of an eye, without finding any long-term stable contacts, as if searching for a needle in a haystack.

”Does this boyfriend know about her work?”

Li Chun gave a bitter smile, as if it was a helpless sigh, shrugging helplessly, and said, ”Probably not.”

”Earlier, they chatted online and hadn’t met offline yet.”

”There were a few times when Yang Xiu came to my dorm, saying that her place was a partitioned room on the second floor, and the environment was terrible.”

”Why choose your dorm?”

Li Jian inquired further, his body slightly leaning back as if relaxing. He leaned on the chair’s backrest, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest as if playing a little tune.

”Just like I said, the environment in that partitioned room is too bad.”

”Thinking about it now, maybe those partitions on the second floor were used for that kind of stuff.”

Li Chun curled his lips, seemingly disdainful, a flash of realization in his eyes.

”How much do you know about this online friend?”

”Heard he’s from Yashi, quite attentive to Yang Xiu, buying her bags and makeup even before meeting her, and they are quite expensive.”

”A colleague at my electronics factory bought the same style before; it’s not cheap, looks high-end.”

Li Jian diligently noted this down, pondering: This clue about the online friend was surprisingly overlooked before, seems the initial investigation was still lacking in detail.

At this moment, the criminal investigation team’s office was as silent as the deep night, with only the ticking of the clock on the wall.

Jiang An, Zhang Yean, and Wan were like devoted believers, seated around a table piled with case files.

Jiang An seemed to be under an ”Immobilization Spell,” wholly absorbed in the world of case files, as if in another time and space.

He resembled a fierce deity, staring intently at the photos, the magnifying glass in his hand akin to a magical wand, continually adjusting angles.

At times, he leaned in for a closer look, like exploring a microscopic world.

Other times, he drew back for a broader view, seeming to survey the whole picture, his brows furrowed as if facing an unsolvable riddle.

He mumbled something under his breath now and then, like chanting a spell, his pen racing across his notebook.

He documented every critical point and questionable detail as if excavating a treasure, seemingly detached from everything around him, transcending the mundane.

Three hours passed in a flash, Jiang An as immobile as a stone statue.

Wan was barely holding back, like a balloon about to burst, stretching with a big yawn.

He got up and walked behind Jiang An like a ghost appearing, raised his hand and heavily patted his shoulder, his face beaming like a happy Buddha, and said: ”Jiang An bro, you’ve been sitting for three hours; even an iron body couldn’t handle that.”

”Go take a break, don’t overwork your kidneys; your body’s your asset for the revolution.”

Wan said, making a face and teasing.

Zhang Yean covered her mouth, stifling a laugh, feeling a bit embarrassed by Wan’s words.

Like a shy lady, she averted her gaze from the photos and pretended to organize the materials in her hand.

Jiang An just then awakened from his reverie, like coming out of a dream, turning to glance at Zhang Yean and Wan.

”I’m fine!”

”I can manage another three hours, no problem, this bit of hardship is nothing.”

His eyes radiated stubbornness and determination, like a flame burning, as if he wouldn’t rest until the case was solved, like a sworn hero.

Wan exclaimed dramatically, ”Oh, brother, you’re something else!”

”Next time, let’s play a game of drinking beer without bathroom breaks; the championship title is yours for sure!”

Wan laughed wildly, like a mad dancer, his eyes squinting into crescent shapes, like a crescent moon.

After a burst of laughter, Jiang An’s smile vanished like a fleeting blossom, reverting to seriousness.

His gaze was as sharp as a torch, re-focusing on the case files, like locking onto a target.

Wan also put away his smile, asking, ”Got any findings after looking so long?”

Zhang Yean quickly sat upright, like a soldier hearing a bugle, watching Jiang An with the same eager eyes as Wan.

Jiang An put down his pen and unhurriedly flipped through his notes.

The densely-packed notes on two pages emerged like a mysterious map before his eyes.

They detailed the key details of each photo, item connections, and numerous doubts, like treasure markings.

After a moment of contemplation, he said in a deep voice, ”Did you ever consider a few questions?”

”What questions?”

Zhang Yean and Wan spoke in unison.

Jiang An’s gaze deepened, slowly speaking, ”Don’t you think the murderer’s methods are quite practiced?”

”Practiced methods?”

Wan’s reaction was swift; his eyes brightening as if seizing a crucial piece of information, blurting out, ”You mean this murderer might not be a first-timer?”

With this statement, the office’s atmosphere instantly grew solemn, like clouds shadowing over.

Jiang An nodded slightly, his eyes solemn.