Zhao let out a roar of frustration and tossed the folder onto the table of the SID headquarters. He shifted on the sofa and looked at his deputy. "How is it possible that after a whole week, we've still got nothing but two more corpses?"
The missing person investigation had turned to a murder case when a body was found three days later. It suddenly appeared in one of the parks, and nobody could tell when and how. Since then, two more of the Yashou tribes disappeared, only to be found dead days later. Random time, random places. There was pressure from the Xingdu Bureau, and Zhao felt growing frustration. The discovered bodies bore visible signs of torture, and he feared that whoever was doing it, hasn't said their last word.
Da Qing sat cross-legged on the table and was going for the umpteenth time through the crime photos.
"Whoever did this, they are strong. Neither the crow nor the snake tribes are weak. To catch one of their kind..."
"When did you last call Zhu Hong?" Zhao's fingers tapped the side of the couch.
"Ten minutes ago, she threatened to strangle me if I call again just to check on her. Besides, she's with Old Chu, she'll be fine."
Zhu Hong had convened an emergency gathering of the Yashou tribes. Zhao reluctantly let her go, sending Chu Shuzhi with her. Somebody was targetting Yashou. So far, the victims were two crows and one snake, and he felt protective of her subordinate. He moved a lollipop in his mouth from one side to the other and groaned.
A phone rang, and Gou Changcheng picked up the receiver. After listening to the message, he swallowed hard and ran up to the sofa. "Chief Zhao, they said that another body was found. It looks similar to the others..."
Zhao frowned. "Where?" he got up and motioned Da Qing to follow suit.
"Near that closed factory complex, south of the city."
"All right, Xiao Guo, you stay with, HEY COMPUTER MANIAC!" Zhao shouted.
"Yeah?" Lin Jing's head appeared in the doorframe.
"Xiao Guo will give you an address, see if there are any working cameras there. I want as much footage as possible." He turned to the door. "Come on, Fat Cat, time to earn the dinner."
The police tape marked off the crime scene, though, in this isolated place, there weren't any onlookers. A young policeman welcomed them and led them to the body. Zhao squatted near the victim and carefully checked the wounds. As he suspected, they were similar to the previous three cases. The victim's clothes were old and ragged, like beggar's, which would explain why he hadn't been reported missing. Da Qing was sniffing around.
"That's weird," he said. "There is a distinctive smell of mud. Like from a pond or a river. But there aren't any traces of it, and there isn't any water near this place. It's on the clothes of the victim, but also around."
"So the victim was transported here from a muddy or damp place. Or somewhere that's near water. Did you smell that on the other victims as well?"
"Um," Da Qing thought. "They were found in more humid areas. I might have... I just didn't feel it as strong as here."
"All right, that also suggests that this body was found much faster than the other victims. Who was the lucky finder?"
"A guard, patrolling the area."
"Then let's go talk to him." Zhao stood up and unwrapped a lollipop.
The guard turned out to be a man in his sixties. The event clearly shocked him, and it took them some time to get a full testimony from him. Zhao sighed, sitting at the driver's seat.
YOU ARE READING
"The Little Things"
Fanfiction*COMPLETE* Following the drama ending that we so hated, I decided to write a fix/continuation of the drama. Zhao Yunlan wakes up in his old body two years after he died. While looking for answers, he discovers that he is not the only one who's bac...
