Chapter 42: Clues

"Let's go," Lin Guoliang said, putting away his phone.

"Did the young girl specify any particular location?"

"She mentioned an arc-shaped building. I assume it must be that commercial building in the northeast corner," Jiang Xiyue replied.

As a beat cop, she was quite familiar with the surrounding area. Even though it was an abandoned construction project, she knew its layout well.

Lin Guoliang walked forward, carefully observing his surroundings on both sides.

"Master, what is it?" Jiang Xiyue asked.

"If this really is a murder case, the killer might have used this path to escape. After all, this is the only exit. Keep your eyes open and see if you notice anything unusual," Lin Guoliang instructed.

Hearing this, Jiang Xiyue's eyes lit up. She immediately said, "Master, you're always so thorough. Why didn't I think of that?"

"It's just a matter of experience. In time, you'll learn to look for these things too," Lin Guoliang said nonchalantly.

Although Jiang Xiyue had studied these things at the police academy, not everyone was a born detective, nor could everyone effortlessly apply what they learned to their actual work.

The two walked along, noticing that while the path showed signs of human traffic, there was nothing particularly remarkable about it.

"Do you think, if a murder really did take place, that the little girl found it herself, or did someone else find it and send her to report it?" Lin Guoliang asked.

"I think someone else must have found it and sent her to make the report. This place is far too remote; I don't think a young girl like her would come out here on her own," Jiang Xiyue said.

"How old was the girl? What did she look like?" Lin Guoliang inquired.

"Around twelve or thirteen, looked rather delicate and frail, and was extremely defensive..."

Jiang Xiyue recalled and described Yin Xingyue's features one by one.

At that moment, the two finally arrived in front of the commercial building. Having been abandoned for too long, the interior was strewn with garbage and overgrown with weeds. With the summer heat, it emitted a foul and strange odor.

"Be careful," Lin Guoliang warned.

The two turned on their law enforcement body cameras and, remaining on high alert, began to make their way up the stairs.

"Huh?"

Just then, Lin Guoliang seemed to notice something and squatted down.

Jiang Xiyue stood guard nearby, feeling curious about what he had found.

Glancing over, she saw that it was just a few cigarette butts.

Lin Guoliang looked up at the stairs ahead for a moment, then said, "Someone sat here smoking, and it must have been within the last few days."

His reasoning was that the cigarette butts still looked quite fresh and clean.

Lin Guoliang didn't touch the butts. If a murder had indeed taken place upstairs, the forensics department would come to process the scene, and these might yield clues about the perpetrator.

He instructed Jiang Xiyue to watch her step, and the two continued upward, quickly reaching the fifth floor.

Because it was a commercial building, the entire fifth floor was exceptionally spacious.

"Master, should we split up to search?" Jiang Xiyue asked.

"Split up? I'd rather take our time than put ourselves in danger."

Lin Guoliang drew the telescopic baton from his belt, while Jiang Xiyue pulled out her tear gas spray.

Covering each other's backs, they proceeded with caution, checking every corner until they finally spotted a woman tied to a chair around a bend.

Lin Guoliang carefully stepped forward to check the woman's pulse and breath. Meeting Jiang Xiyue's inquiring gaze, he nodded grimly to confirm that the woman was dead.

Lin Guoliang put away his baton, took out his phone, and began taking detailed photos, while Jiang Xiyue stood guard, looking around curiously and apprehensively.

Just then, they suddenly heard the sound of police sirens approaching from outside.

The two hurriedly walked over to the edge of the building. Being an unfinished structure with no obstructions and standing on a high floor, everything below was in plain view.

Several police cars had pulled up to the roadside, and six or seven police officers were disembarking.

Among the crowd, Lin Guoliang caught sight of a familiar, straight-backed figure under the twilight sun.

"Looks like the Municipal Criminal Investigation Team."

"Did they receive a report too?" Jiang Xiyue asked, puzzled.

Clearly, they had come straight for this corpse, which meant someone must have notified them as well.

"Let's go down," Lin Guoliang said.

The two descended the stairs and headed out to meet the group.

Meanwhile, Xia Baokun, captain of the first detachment of the criminal police, was leading his team inward from the entrance.

When they spotted Lin Guoliang and Jiang Xiyue approaching from the opposite direction, both sides looked surprised.

Xia Baokun was surprised to see two beat cops here; obviously, someone had provided them with a tip.

Lin Guoliang, on the other hand, was surprised that they had even brought a forensic doctor along, indicating that they were certain a murder had occurred here—it wasn't just a routine response to an ordinary tip.

"Captain Xia," Lin Guoliang greeted first.

Lin Guoliang recognized Xia Baokun, but Xia Baokun didn't recognize him, though he found the face somewhat familiar.

Lin Guoliang proactively introduced himself and Jiang Xiyue: "Captain Xia, I'm Lin Guoliang from the nearby Yuxiutang Police Station, and this is Jiang Xiyue."

"Ah, your station chief is Guan Xueming," Xia Baokun vaguely recalled.

Lin Guoliang smiled and nodded. "Yes, you have a great memory, Captain Xia."

With over a hundred police stations in Binhai City, it wasn't easy for Xia Baokun to remember a station chief's name.

"What are you two doing here?" Xia Baokun asked with a smile.

Behind him, several criminal investigators remained silent, continuously eyeing the two with a trace of wariness.

Lin Guoliang then detailed their reasons for being there, explaining everything from finding the cigarette butts on the stairs to discovering the female corpse.

Because the process was straightforward, it took only a few words to recount.

Finally, he added, "Our body cameras have been running the entire time. If you need to see the footage, Captain Xia, I can send it to you when we get back."

Xia Baokun nodded, his expression turning somewhat serious.

"You said a young girl made the report? Do you remember what she looked like?" Xia Baokun asked, turning to Jiang Xiyue.

"I remember."

"Then later you can give a description, and I'll have someone sketch her likeness," Xia Baokun said.

"Actually, it's not that much trouble. I saw her standing right outside the police station entrance, and there's a security camera there. We can just check the footage back at the station," Jiang Xiyue replied.

Xia Baokun laughed softly upon hearing this. "Right, look at me, completely forgetting about that. By the way, your name is Jiang Xiyue—how are you related to Jiang Haitao?"

"He's my father," Jiang Xiyue answered.

Hearing this, Xia Baokun's gaze softened noticeably. He said gently, "You two head back first. I'll go see your station chief later."

"Alright, Captain Xia, we won't delay you any further." Lin Guoliang pulled Jiang Xiyue away in a hurry.

With the clues provided by Lin Guoliang and his partner, Xia Baokun's team moved much faster.

The cigarette butts found on the stairs were promptly collected and sent to the evidence department.

When they reached the fifth floor, they finally laid eyes on the female corpse.

The forensic team immediately stepped forward—some taking photographs, others searching for clues—and everyone sprang into action.

Xia Baokun, however, had nothing immediate to do. He walked over to a nearby window, lit a cigarette, and watched the departing figures of Lin Guoliang and Jiang Xiyue.

As he watched them leave, a contemplative look crossed his face.

The fact that they had come here today with a full deployment meant someone had provided them with reliable intelligence confirming a murder had taken place.

Furthermore, this wasn't the first case; it was the third one this month, and the perpetrator's modus operandi was nearly identical.

Yet, in this third case, the body had been discovered in advance. Was it truly just a coincidence?

One had to consider how remote this place was—even vagrants wouldn't willingly come here. How on earth had the person reporting the crime managed to find it?