"What? Secondary crime? Are there two criminals involved?!"
Even the experienced Xu Changsheng couldn't believe his ears when Su Ming reached this conclusion. In his past experiences, while secondary crimes existed, they were rare. And a secondary crime involving a body thrown into the river? He'd never seen such a case in all his years.
Anticipating Xu Changsheng's shock, Su Ming calmly pointed to the victim's wrist.
"Brother Xu, take a look at the swelling on her wrist and the two fingers that were severed. These details strongly suggest that, after the body was dumped, someone else tampered with it."
"Furthermore, the large, noticeable patches of yellow mud on the victim's jeans clearly indicate dragging, reinforcing the presence of a secondary crime."
Hearing this, Xu Changsheng immediately examined the areas Su Ming pointed out. The tied-up wrist, the strangely severed fingers, and the mud on the jeans—everything confirmed Su Ming's theory.
After a few seconds of thoughtful silence, Xu Changsheng looked at Wang Hu, who was recording evidence with a camera, and said, "Huzi, take a good look at this case and learn from it. Su Ming's deductions here are impressive."
Huzi, caught off guard, glanced at the body and tried to explain using his limited knowledge from police academy, "Uh… The victim's left hand has two fingers that were cut off with no signs of bleeding or infection, meaning this likely happened after the victim died…"
But as he spoke, Huzi found himself struggling, glancing at Su Ming with a pleading expression. Recognizing his lack of real-world experience, Huzi could barely piece together what the clues meant.
Su Ming, however, had no trouble taking over. He began explaining without hesitation, almost as if describing the criminal's actions from their perspective.
"We need to piece together these clues and analyze them in context to reach an accurate deduction," he began. "For example, the severed fingers indicate the body was retrieved from the river at some point, and damage was done deliberately.
"The indentation on her wrist suggests that an item, like a bracelet, watch, or something similar, was taken from her. When a corpse is submerged, swelling usually pushes objects off, but this item left a mark, suggesting it was removed purposefully."
Su Ming continued, "Additionally, the yellow mud on her jeans suggests she was dragged after being removed from the water. Dry jeans don't retain mud this evenly; this only happens if the jeans were already wet, meaning she was pulled up onto the bank, possibly by someone looking to steal her belongings."
After summarizing these clues, Su Ming closed his eyes briefly, then shared a profile of the secondary criminal.
"I'm a local resident, likely with a strong swimming ability, psychological resilience, and struggling financially. While wandering near the Huainan River, I spotted a female body floating. I considered calling the police but saw the watch and ring on her wrist and thought about the money I needed… So I decided to pull her from the water instead…"
As Su Ming recounted this scenario, Xu Changsheng, initially confused, found himself in awe, eyes widening in shock at Su Ming's insightful deductions.
Su Ming's analysis went beyond typical case deduction—he was putting himself in the mindset of the secondary suspect, using criminal profiling to solve the case. This kind of talent was almost unimaginable!
At this moment, Su Ming continued to narrate from the suspect's perspective.
"Under the cover of darkness, with my swimming skills and steady nerves, I jumped into the Huainan River and pulled the body to shore. But since the corpse had swollen from being in the water, I couldn't remove the rings. So I went back to get a knife, intending to cut off her fingers.
"On my way back, I worried someone might discover the body, and the police might trace it to me. So I filled a bag with construction waste to weigh her down, making sure she wouldn't float up again.
"Then, I severed two of her fingers, took the rings, and also grabbed her phone or wallet from her pocket. It was a good haul—the watch and rings looked valuable, and maybe I could even repair the phone.
"I planned to wait until things calmed down before selling the items. But then, some meddling fisherman found the body. Now, with all these police around and the body retrieved, the whole neighborhood is here watching. Should I just flee?
"But… I didn't kill her. I didn't leave any evidence last night, so I don't need to panic. I'll stay here in the crowd and see if the police figure anything out."
With that, Su Ming finished his description from the suspect's perspective. He glanced at the crowd beyond the police line, full of onlookers, and gave Xu Changsheng a confident smile.
"Brother Xu, I think the person responsible for the secondary crime is likely one of the nearby residents, possibly even here among the crowd. Given the time of death and when the body was found, the secondary crime likely took place last night. A random passerby wouldn't have the right tools.
"I suggest questioning the onlookers here, especially those who can swim and have financial difficulties. Let's see who's trying to slip under the radar!"