Back in the police dormitory, I lay comfortably on my bed, recalling the memories of this trip. In fact, during the parachute jump, I had noticed that Kuang Junxiong was a bit strange, but I didn't know why I thought that at the time. After returning, I had He Xin investigate, and it turned out that he and Teacher Huang were lovers. If I'm not mistaken, Kuang Junxiong willingly became a scapegoat.
The following month, Zhang Keying arrived at the provincial department to start working as scheduled. She became an assistant to Xie Chuchu and me. During work, we didn't treat her with special consideration just because she was Director Zhang's daughter. After all, at the provincial department, it's all about strength, otherwise, it doesn't matter whose daughter you are.
Zhang Keying understood this very well and didn't put on airs with me. It's worth noting that in our Punishment and Crime Unit, she was still a new member.
That day, I had just finished examining a corpse with her when Liu Yuning called me urgently. She told me, "There's a new case. Come to Haoting Apartment immediately. Someone here claims to have witnessed a murder, and a couple's bodies were found downstairs."
"Alright, I'm coming right over. Keying, do you want to come and see? You haven't been to a scene since you started."
"Of course, I want to go! Sister Chuchu, let's go together!"
"Okay!" Xie Chuchu agreed and immediately left the provincial department with us.
We soon arrived at the designated location mentioned by Liu Yuning and parked downstairs in the apartment building. However, as we approached the scene, we discovered two bodies on the street with their heads smashed. The man seemed to have been killed instantly, his back of the head completely split open, and large amounts of blood gushing from the cracks in his skull. Turbid liquids resembling brain matter and some tissue fluid were visible within.
As for the female corpse, her shoulders and spine showed signs of multiple hammer blows.
The moment Xie Chuchu and I approached the bodies, Zhang Keying bravely followed with her forensic kit. It was her first time at a scene, and she had to witness such repulsive bodies, yet she didn't seem nervous at all, nor did she show any signs of wanting to vomit. On the contrary, Xie Chuchu seemed a bit uncomfortable. Even I couldn't help but cast a look of admiration at Zhang Keying.
She didn't say anything to me and quickly and skillfully took out the shadowless lamp and other tools to begin examining the bodies. After a basic examination, she said quickly, "Team Leader He, the victims' fatal injuries are all to the back of the head, suspected to be caused by blunt force trauma from a hammer-like object. Because the man died from a single blow, he must have been caught completely off guard. The woman likely witnessed the killer and tried to escape but was pursued by the killer. She was struck down first, then repeatedly hit on the body before the back of her head was attacked. The time of death is estimated to be around 12 hours ago, based on the un-fading nature of the lividity after pressure, the stiffness of the joint extremities, and the degree of pupil dilation."
I nodded in satisfaction. From a forensic perspective, this analysis was indeed accurate. I gave the two deceased a general re-examination and used the shadowless reflection tube to tap their internal organs. I found their internal organs to be intact. A detailed examination would have to be conducted back at the lab. I gave Zhang Keying some instructions, and she cooperatively stood up, signaling for the body handlers to come and assist.
I then went upstairs with Liu Yuning to question the witness.
When we found him, he was a middle-aged man with messy, unkempt hair, obvious dark circles under his eyes, and a faint smell of alcohol on him. He had likely been drinking the night before. Seeing the dirt stuck between his teeth, I said, "You're the eyewitness? What's wrong with you? Your hygiene habits seem quite poor!"
"Uh, excuse me, officers. You might laugh, but it's because of what happened yesterday that I haven't been able to do anything else. I'll go brush my teeth right away. Please don't look at me like that!" The middle-aged man grinned, revealing a mouth full of yellow teeth, which made him look even more disgusting. If he hadn't claimed to be an eyewitness, I wouldn't have wanted to say another word to him.
Liu Yuning chuckled and secretly glanced around the room. It was a place dirtier than a dog kennel.
Countless socks were strewn about like trash on the sofa, the floor, and the windowsill. There were even a few pairs of underwear on the coffee table, along with some unwashed pajamas. He claimed it was because of last night's events, but I suspected this was his usual state.
Not to mention Liu Yuning, even I didn't want to step into such a garbage dump at that moment.
After a while, the man finally came out. He carefully tidied up his room, clearing a small space, and said, "I apologize. A man's home is like this. Please come in!"
Once we were inside, the man immediately said, "Officers, you have no idea. I was terrified last night. And that guy seemed to have gone to my neighbor's place. I don't know what he did, but I heard screams coming from there. I suspect... I suspect something happened to the neighbor too..."
"Hold on. How did you see the killer before? Describe his appearance."
"I was playing a game when I suddenly heard arguing from somewhere near the stairwell. It sounded like a couple. I thought it was a bit funny, so I opened my door and went downstairs to take a look. This couple seemed to be arguing fiercely about money. I leaned against the stairs, listening with great interest. But later, later, I heard the sound of someone dragging a hammer approaching. I didn't know it was a hammer at first, but when I felt curious and peeked at the situation downstairs, I saw a man at least 1.9 meters tall, completely muscular, with skin as dark as a Black person. He was mumbling something incomprehensible and swung a heavy pile driver hammer to smash the man down. Then, the woman, terrified, turned to flee downstairs but was caught by the man. He swung the hammer a few more times, eventually hitting the back of her head. That's when the woman died. I covered my mouth and dared not make a sound. After killing the woman, the man looked back, as if he had discovered me peeking from the stairs! I was so scared that I immediately turned and ran. Fortunately, I didn't make a sound. I rushed back to my apartment, slammed the door shut, and pushed the refrigerator, coffee table, and everything else against the door, hoping to block him from coming in."
As the man spoke, I noticed distinct scratches on the floor by the door, from the bottom of furniture. Although the furniture was now back in place, the drag marks were still evident, proving that he had indeed moved these pieces of furniture last night. I observed the man's expression and felt that he wasn't lying.