[02/17, 14:23, Haijing City Bureau Forensics Department]
On the day Luo Fei regained consciousness, colleagues walking police dogs on the mountain dragged out a corpse that had been dead for several days from a dark, steep crevice on the north side of Southern Cheng’an Mountain.
The crevice was at an angle between a pair of Lover’s Peaks on the north side. The two peaks were very close together, with a height difference of several dozen meters. The taller peak was grand and majestic, while the shorter one was round and gentle. From a distance, they looked like a couple snuggling together, hence the name Lover’s Peaks.
However, up close, it was apparent that this couple was “seemingly affectionate but actually distant.” They appeared to be sweetly leaning together but were separated by a three-meter-wide gap known as “One Line of Sky.” It was dark and narrow, easily visible when climbing from the shorter peak to the taller one. But descending from the taller to the shorter, it was easy to lose footing due to the visual discrepancy, leading to accidents. Years ago, Lover’s Peaks had been a tourist spot, but as more hikers got into accidents, the tourism bureau decided to cancel the spot, leaving only the cable car route above. Lover’s Peaks became just another scenic view on the tour route.
In such a deep, narrow ravine, not only was it dark and sunless, but there was also no mobile signal. If someone fell in, they would be unreachable, possibly not being found until they had turned into a pile of bones. This time, it was by chance that a villager living nearby, carrying a bamboo basket to gather herbs at the foot of Lover’s Peaks, tossed down a steel cable and climbed down. Before reaching the bottom, their flashlight swept over something dark on a rock, looking from above like a dense, black moss covering the large stone.
The villager’s foot went down and stepped onto what he thought was moss. But wait, the texture felt wrong—it was not only soft but also elastic. Looking closer, he saw that the “moss” had hands and feet—it was a person! Frightened, he turned into Tarzan, climbing the rocks with incredible strength, and immediately called the police upon reaching the mountaintop.
Since the area was a remote mountain, the scene was well preserved. The district forensic team arrived, and preliminary autopsy revealed a gunshot wound in the abdomen. The case was quickly transferred to the city bureau. Upon seeing the deceased’s filthy, tattered military coat and oil-stained black pants, Zou Bin and Wen Huabei immediately recognized the attire as the same worn by the bandit who had injured Luo Fei.
Fingerprint comparison identified the man as Lin Erde1[二德, Er (二) means two], missing one “De” compared to the famous “San Dezi2 [三德子, San (三) means three]” from Kangxi’s era. It was no wonder such a nefarious person would do wicked deeds. He was from Linjia Village at the foot of Northern Cheng’an Mountain in Haijing City and was a subordinate of the infamous Tu Laogui. He was the one who fired the first shot, officially declaring war on the police during the hostage rescue operation.
There were two bandits at the time. Lin Erde fired the shot recklessly, while the other, more cunning, immediately grabbed the gun barrel, signaling Lin to retreat. The police weren’t pushovers; bullets whizzed past, turning the two into moving targets in the forest.
Lin Erde, despite being outnumbered, foolishly attempted to fight, getting himself injured and causing his companion to get shot in the arm. However, they had the geographical advantage, especially Lin Erde, who had been familiar with Cheng’an Mountain since childhood. He disappeared into the forest after being wounded.
Lin Heyu dispatched the second team to handle the hostages and injured colleagues, while he led the first team up the mountain to capture the bandits. The blood trail ended at a small lake near Lover’s Peak. They searched all nearby caves and crevices but found no bodies.
“You shouldn’t have retreated so soon; you should have left two people below to catch him if he fell,” said forensic expert Gu Yan.
His young assistant, Qi Wenyu, replied, “Northern Cheng’an Mountain is huge. If we didn’t find him here, we had to move quickly to search elsewhere. Waiting for someone to fall isn’t realistic.”
“Gu Sanhuo, listen, even the intern talks more sensibly than you,” said Yuan Maoqiu, mocking Gu Yan.
“I’m just speaking the truth,” Gu Yan said, putting on his mask and gloves. “I’m starting, feel free to watch.”
Lin Heyu nodded, and Yuan Maoqiu, speechless, thought Gu Yan always made autopsies sound like a meal.
After finishing the front body examination, Gu Yan and Qi Wenyu turned the body over. Gu Yan shaved the messy hair on the back of Lin Erde’s head, his expression turning puzzled and odd. He waved Lin Heyu over. “Hey, chef, come here.”
Lin Heyu walked over, and Gu Yan pointed with his mouth. “What’s this?”
On the back of Lin Erde’s neck was a circular pattern painted in blood, its edges unclear and somewhat smudged. Getting closer, Lin Heyu squinted against the overwhelming stench of decay. “…A watch?”
At his suggestion, Gu Yan took a closer look. “Impressive, you can tell. You’re more reliable than the gardener behind us.”
The “gardener” also came over, wide-eyed. “A watch? Isn’t this a totem?”
“At first, I thought it was a totem too, but now it looks more like a watch face,” Gu Yan said, stretching the skin tight. “Those two lines, one long and one short, are like the hour and minute hands, and the circle below, doesn’t it look like the number ‘6’?”
Yuan Maoqiu, stroking his chin, said, “It does seem like it, but it could also be something else.”
“Like what?”
Yuan Maoqiu fell into deep thought. While he pondered, Lin Heyu borrowed paper and pen from Qi Wenyu and traced the pattern.
The watch was clearly drawn hastily, its shape irregular, and only the number ‘6’ at the bottom was discernible. The hour and minute hands were too blurry to convey any precise time.
Who would draw such a thing on him?
As the assistant took out a set of dissection knives, Lin Heyu folded the drawing and pocketed it, stepping back. Yuan Maoqiu was still standing dumbfounded by the autopsy table until the gleam of the knife brought chills down his spine, making him retreat to the door.
Fifteen minutes later, the mixed stench of blood and decay in the autopsy room was nauseating. Gu Yan worked with intense focus, his expression a mix of seriousness and a hint of perverse excitement. Qi Wenyu meticulously recorded and assisted. Behind them, two men stood like statues, one with a straight face, the other contorted and almost twisted into a pretzel.
“Gardener, if you’re going to puke, do it in the small room. Don’t mess with an old athlete’s vibe,” Gu Yan said, pointing to the back door with a bloody knife.
“…You think I want to?” Yuan Maoqiu said, covering his mouth, worried the smell would seep through the mask.
He couldn’t stand the sight of the knife slicing through the scalp. He rarely came to the autopsy room, and the worst he had done was piecing together dismembered limbs for fingerprint collection. Today, Lin Heyu had tricked him, promising a simple sample collection but keeping him here. Qi Wenyu kindly gave them protective suits for a close-up view of the dissection!
Lin Heyu’s gaze was deep, fixed on the autopsy table. Yuan Maoqiu clasped his hands in a gesture of plea. “Lao Lin, you trick your brother without blinking. You said it was just to collect samples!”
“The samples come after dissection,” Lin Heyu replied coldly. “Say something else offensive, and I’ll hit you.”
Yuan Maoqiu paused, not realizing his usual phrases had involved Lin Heyu’s sister, Lin Zhizhi. Lin Zhizhi was his sister, who had just graduated from graduate school. As her name suggested, she was knowledgeable and polite, highly regarded by Lin Heyu. He cherished her like a sister, and no one was allowed to say a word against her.
“That shot to the abdomen wasn’t fatal; it was the fall from a high place that caused his death. Was he trying to prevent giving someone else a chance? He was pushed from such a high place,” Gu Yan said, still in the mood to joke. “Gardener, you have a good voice, why don’t you sing him a lullaby?”
Yuan Maoqiu rolled his eyes so hard they almost turned over and pulled his mask up higher, trying to cover his eyes.
Lin Heyu crossed his left arm over his chest, with his right hand finger resting on his chin. “Lin Erde escaped with his accomplice but was soon killed. Sanhuo, do you have concrete evidence that he was pushed?”
“In cases like this, the distinction between accidental and homicidal falls is very subtle. We need to consider interpersonal relationships, the surrounding environment, and other factors together. Have you found the starting point of the fall?”
“We’ve basically determined it was at the lower peak of Lover’s Peak; we’ve collected Lin Erde’s shoe prints there.”
“The villager found him while collecting herbs, right? There were too many people coming and going to judge accurately,” Gu Yan said, lifting Lin Erde’s swollen, blackened hand. “But I lean towards homicide. Although most of the stuff under his nails is dirt, under the microscope, we can see skin tissue, possibly from the person who pushed him.”
“There was an internal conflict, huh? I guess Tu Laogui thought he was useless and just an extra mouth to feed,” Yuan Maoqiu speculated. “They were running for their lives; saving resources makes sense. It’s not like in the chaotic times of the Five Barbarians, where a wounded person could be used as bait.”
Lin Heyu glanced at him. “Talk less about relationships.”
“What?”
Gu Yan said, “The chef is just envious. Gardener, remember to share your flowers with him next time.”
“No, Lin Heyu, if you have a good idea, just say it! Why are you hiding it from me?”
Lin Heyu couldn’t be bothered to explain, giving him a cold look, letting him figure it out himself. Qi Wenyu, diligently taking notes, didn’t lift his head: “Aren’t they kidnappers? They got so much ransom; why wouldn’t they save a brother?”
“…The key point is that he’s useless!” Yuan Maoqiu emphasized.
Gu Yan couldn’t help but laugh. “Stop arguing. If you keep talking about relationships, you’ll get kicked out of the criminal investigation team.”
Lin Heyu was deep in thought. The possibility of internal conflict was high. These criminals were ruthless fugitives, and although they appeared to be brothers on the surface, in the face of practical interests, brotherhood often meant nothing. Even close relatives might betray each other. The one with the injured arm could very well have attacked Lin Erde.
However, the truth behind this wouldn’t be as simple as Yuan Maoqiu’s guess. There must be some hidden secrets.
The door to the autopsy room was knocked on, urgently and rapidly, like a drum being beaten faster and faster.
“Coming, coming! We’re not deaf!” Gu Yan opened the door. Wen Huabei wanted to step in, but upon seeing the feet on the autopsy table, he quickly retreated and reported from the doorway, “Captain Lin! You need to go. The kidnappers called Jiang Dongliang’s family about the ransom!”
Jiang Dongliang was one of the kidnapped children. His parents were among the first to cooperate with the police, but not the first. After several children had been killed, Jiang Dongliang’s parents became even more cautious. They suspected the criminals were monitoring them, so they called the police using a different phone number, afraid their communication would be intercepted. They contacted the police using newly bought SIM cards.
This morning, Father Jiang received a call: “You have two days left, five million in cash, not a penny less, and no sequential bills. If you dare call the police, I’ll blow up your whole family!”
Father Jiang was trembling, and his wife, tears streaming down her face, urged him to agree quickly. According to the kidnappers, if they followed instructions, their son would be safe. If not, they would have to prepare for a funeral.
His mind was a mess. Their child was the family’s treasure. Recently, the news was confusing—some said children returned safely after the ransom was paid, others said they lost both money and child. The parents were terrified, feeling that money might not buy safety but only a chance of survival.
Father Jiang gritted his teeth and decided to take a risk, secretly contacting the police with a new number for help.
