Before I could finish, Zhao Simeng unlocked the victim's phone and said, "Her name is Nanmen Chunrou. Someone just sent a bunch of inappropriate photos to her phone!"
I thought to myself that the reason Nanmen Chunrou was nervous earlier must have been because of the images she saw on her phone. According to Zhao Simeng, they were sent from an unknown number. I copied the number and forwarded it to the technical team, including Xie Deguang, asking them to track it.
The photos showed the deceased lying completely naked on a bed in what seemed to be a hotel suite. We couldn't tell which hotel it was, but it was likely that the perpetrator deliberately sent these photos to her.
What a twisted mind—sending someone's private photos before killing them.
I turned to the waiter and asked, "Since you've often seen her here, does she smoke a lot?"
"A lot! She's a heavy smoker and always buys the most expensive Red Tower Hill cigarettes. She smokes at least ten packs a day."
I said, "The first victim loved beauty, and the killer used botulinum toxin on her. The second victim had a chaotic private life, and the killer poisoned her through intimate contact with the rich heir. The third victim loved smoking, and the killer used nicotine. It seems like the killer is deliberately targeting their habits."
"Exactly, well analyzed. The killer seems to know the victims very well," Zhao Simeng remarked.
Under what circumstances would someone know the victims so well? They must have had frequent contact with the killer or even been friends.
As I was deep in thought, my phone rang. It was Xie Deguang calling. "We couldn't trace the number, but we found that two of the victims' phones both had the same app installed."
"What app?"
"Same-City Romance. Although some data had been deleted, I recovered it and found photos of both victims with a man named Xu Haorang. He's a physician at Zhenxi Hospital in Fuming City."
"It's him!" I exclaimed. I immediately checked Nanmen Chunrou's phone and found that she had the same app installed. That confirmed it—the killer likely met these women through this app!
Seeing how excited I was, Zhao Simeng asked, "Did you find a clue on the phone?"
"Yes, the problem lies in this app." As I searched the app, I found photos of Nanmen Chunrou with Xu Haorang, some of which were quite intimate. I turned to Zhao Simeng and Liu Keying and said, "Let's go to Zhenxi Hospital right now. We need to meet this Dr. Xu Haorang!"
"Understood, Captain He!" they both replied. We quickly took a private car to Zhenxi Hospital. When we arrived, we saw that the hospital was packed with patients, most of whom were young and beautiful women.
Hiding my identity, I asked, "Is Dr. Xu Haorang here?"
"You don't know Dr. Xu Haorang? He's one of the most famous doctors in Fuming City! Almost all the illnesses he treats are cured!" an excited female patient replied.
Another female patient chimed in, "Exactly! We all love seeing Dr. Xu Haorang. Just seeing him makes us feel better."
I had a feeling these women were here for reasons other than treatment. Just as I was about to ask more questions, I received a message from Xie Deguang: "Four years ago, Xu Haorang had an affair with the female director of Gaogang City Central Hospital. Her husband found out and had him fired. That's why he transferred from a top-tier hospital to Zhenxi Hospital."
Reading this, I finally understood why these women came here. Xu Haorang must be quite attractive, and these patients were clearly here just to see him.
Noticing me checking my phone, Liu Keying asked, "Is that a message from the tech team?"
"Yes." I showed the message to her and Zhao Simeng.
After reading it, I remarked, "These women are crazy to line up just to see Dr. Xu Haorang."
Liu Keying replied, "That can't be true. Would they really queue up just to see a handsome doctor?"
Zhao Simeng said, "Oh, it's entirely possible. I've heard of a hospital where a pretty nurse worked, and male patients would find all sorts of excuses to get admitted, some even intentionally injuring themselves. For women, the reasoning is the same."
I nodded. After all our investigation and analysis, we finally had some leads. Knowing that Xu Haorang was highly suspicious, we ignored the line and barged into the ward area.
Of course, the patients behind us complained loudly, but we ignored them. When we reached Xu Haorang's office, he looked at us curiously and asked, "Which one of you needs treatment?"
"We're not here for treatment. Are you Dr. Xu Haorang?" I asked.
"If you're not here for treatment, then why are you here?" he replied, puzzled.
"We're police officers, here to ask you a few questions."
As soon as I showed my badge, I observed Xu Haorang's reaction closely. There was no visible panic. After realizing we were officers, he adopted a calmer tone and scrutinized both Liu Keying and Zhao Simeng carefully.
"What do you need from me?" he asked.
I handed him photos of the female victims and asked, "Do you recognize these women?"
He shook his head and said he didn't know them. But in the moment he answered, I noticed his lips quiver slightly, and his facial expression tightened—a clear sign of lying.
Raising my voice, I asked, "Are you sure you don't know them?"
Before Xu could respond, Liu Keying suddenly screamed, "Ah! A ghost!"
I turned in alarm and saw a female nurse standing beside Xu. Her head was lowered, and the flesh on her forehead appeared burned and rotten, as if she had been severely injured in a fire.
"Stop making a fuss," I told Liu Keying. The nurse seemed embarrassed and said, "I have something to do. I'll be leaving now."
Just before she exited, I noticed her reaction when I asked about the three victims. Her eyes flickered, and she seemed a bit uneasy. Holding up the photos, I stopped her and asked, "Have you seen these three women before?"
"I… I haven't," she replied after glancing briefly at the photos. Her reaction was odd, but I let her leave.
Xu Haorang then said, "If you're just here to ask about them, I really can't help you. I swear I've never met these people."
"Is that so? Then how do you explain these photos?"
I pulled out the photos compiled by Xie Deguang and Li Hong, showing Xu Haorang posing with the female victims. Upon seeing them, he coughed a few times and admitted, "Alright, I do know them, but they were just my patients."