Seeing his actions, I thought to myself that this guy's endurance was quite terrifying. He spent a full 15 minutes with the woman, using that much time, but she seemed to have no reaction at all.
Her face was ashen as she sat on the toilet. At that moment, Xiao Yuande asked, "Why is this woman so numb?"
"Because she's dead. She was brought to the bathroom by the killer after she died and was then violated."
"Is he desecrating a corpse?" Xiao Yuande said, horrified, as he uttered those words.
I remained silent. The killer seemed to have a necrophilic tendency, draining the victim's blood and taking her to another place to violate the body before leaving.
"So, the bathroom at the Four Seasons Hotel wasn't the first crime scene?" I said.
Everyone swallowed hard. When we returned to the bathroom and told Zhao Simeng what we had found, she said, "Let's go back to the station first and investigate the victim in detail. Sima Chao, this time, you need to take the autopsy seriously."
"Understood, I will." Sima Chao replied. Not long after, I realized that Zhao Simeng had managed to tame Sima Chao. His previous arrogance from studying abroad had completely disappeared.
I couldn't help but glance at Zhao Simeng and said, "Impressive."
"Likewise," she replied.
Zhao Simeng grabbed the forensic kit and prepared to leave. I quickly followed her to the police car, and the body was transferred to the coroner's van by several officers.
When we returned to the station, I learned that Forensic Specialist Huang had gone to the provincial police office, which explained why the old man hadn't shown up at the scene. He must have thought that with his apprentice handling things, there wouldn't be any problems.
If he returned and found that Sima Chao had been fully subdued by Zhao Simeng, he would probably spit out a mouthful of blood.
I won't go into further details here. Now, not just Sima Chao, even Xiao Yuande's attitude towards me had improved. Previously, he had never trusted my deductions, but after the first case was solved and seeing my performance today, he was completely convinced. He had started calling me "Captain He" in front of me.
"Captain He, what do you think made this woman offend the killer?" Xiao Yuande asked, immediately flattering me as we entered the duty room for a small meeting.
"It's not that she offended the killer. The killer targeted her as prey. Once we get the victim's information, we should have a breakthrough," I replied.
Soon, Xie De Guang from the technical department brought us the victim's data. We went straight to his office, and when he saw me, Xie De Guang said, "The victim is Du Simin, 18 years old. She worked as a hair washer at a salon, involved in unsavory activities. She's from a rural area with no education or family background."
"She's only 18 and already doing that?" Xiao Yuande exclaimed.
After I scolded him to be quiet, I carefully analyzed, "The victim was a prostitute, and very young. Is this the kind of woman the killer prefers?"
"We don't know for sure yet..." we were discussing when I suddenly noticed a photo of bruises on the victim's wrist on the evidence board. It seemed that the body had been bound. If the hotel bathroom wasn't the first crime scene, she may have been tied up somewhere else, killed, and then brought to the bathroom. But why did the killer choose to violate her at the hotel instead of earlier at another location?
Just as I was thinking about this, an officer rushed in, flustered, and said, "Captain He, it's bad. A report just came in about a dried-up female body found at an abandoned car assembly plant on the outskirts of Fuming City!"
"What?" I exclaimed, and immediately put on my police uniform. I exchanged a glance with Xiao Yuande, and we quickly got into the police car and headed straight to the crime scene.
The abandoned car assembly plant on the outskirts of Fuming City used to be called Hongde Auto Manufacturing. No one knew what happened, but the factory shut down overnight.
I had Xie De Guang investigate, and he said, "The factory closed three years ago. There was a huge fire one night, and many employees were burned to death. The factory's owner went missing, and his wife, driven mad by the incident, later jumped from the factory rooftop and committed suicide."
"Have they found the missing owner?" I asked.
"No," Xie De Guang answered.
I nodded, thinking this factory was quite eerie. We had just arrived at the scene, and the sky was already getting brighter.
I pushed through the police line and entered the factory. Officers were conducting searches nearby—some were in the workshops, others in the canteen, dormitories, and the boss's office. Even some went upstairs, but when they returned, they reported that they found nothing.
We focused on the pillar where the body was found. The female victim was lying quietly in front of it. Her body was extremely shriveled, completely devoid of any color, like a tree that had been withered for a long time.
There were two clear, deep bite marks on her neck, and her arms were raised, as if she had been tortured.
I walked over to inspect the area closely, and noticed something protruding from the pillar.
There was a nail, and if a rope was tied to it, the killer could have raised the victim's arms.
So, the killer had indeed bound the victim.
This time, the killer had left her here. Could it be that Du Simin had died here before being taken to the hotel? But why didn't he do the same this time?
It was unlikely that there were any cameras near the factory. While there had been hidden cameras at the hotel, in such a remote area, no one would have filmed anything.
Zhao Simeng arrived shortly afterward. She crouched down in front of the body, taking out a red umbrella from her forensic kit—the same one she had used by the river earlier.
Next, she took out a Yin-Yang pillow, bone listening wood, and other tools.
Under the natural light, the autopsy umbrella blocked part of the sunlight, casting a circular shadow over the body, making it look ominous.
Zhao Simeng applied rice paper and camellia oil, using the same method she had used before, and gradually handprints started to appear on the body. Several officers were taking photos nearby. I looked over and saw that the handprints were similar to those we had previously found.
The handprints were again on the back and waist, and there were also signs of binding on the wrists. On the ground, I found traces of dirt that had been kicked aside, as if someone had dragged the body across.
The sand had been well handled, but my keen eyes noticed something was wrong here!
I called Gao Qiang over to help, and he noticed the same thing—someone had dragged the body along this path. After a while, we realized we had reached the workers' dormitory in the factory.
Looking up at the low building, I imagined the kind of life the workers here must have had—it must have been extremely simple.
On the walls, there were several graffiti paintings, mostly depicting Christian themes, with one scene of Jesus's crucifixion—Jesus bound to the cross—standing out.