My First Love is a Genius Profiler - Chapter 5

In the SOI Task Force office at the Jiangcheng City Criminal Investigation Building, two women were busy working as the aroma of coffee mingled with the tense atmosphere.

“Xi Bao, how’s the investigation going on your end?” Li Siqi carefully organized the data in her hands, looking up at Chen Xi, who was engrossed in her computer.

Chen Xi’s fingers flew across the keyboard, and data streamed down the screen like a waterfall. Without lifting her head, she replied, “Bing Yu and the others gave me a virtual number to check, but these virtual numbers aren’t registered under a real name, so I can only trace the IP address of its calls.”

Li Siqi bit the cap of her pen thoughtfully, and suddenly her eyes lit up: “I found that among the three victims, Ma Ming and Yang Bifang both visited the Anorectal Department at the Sixth Hospital in the city center.”

She opened Shen Anyan’s profiling report and continued, “I remember Xiao Shen’s profile mentioned that the killer has medical or anatomical knowledge. Could it be someone from the hospital?”

Hearing this, Chen Xi stopped her work and turned to look at Li Siqi, a hint of surprise in her eyes: “You mean, the killer might be a doctor or a nurse?”

“It’s possible.” Li Siqi nodded, her eyes flashing with excitement, “We can start the investigation from this angle. The medical staff in the Anorectal Department of the Sixth Hospital, especially those on duty during that period.”

“Good idea.” Chen Xi agreed, her eyes showing approval, “I’ll contact the hospital for the personnel list right away. However, we still have to be careful, as this is just a guess.”

Li Siqi stood up and stretched, then slowly walked over to Chen Xi. She gently placed her hand on Chen Xi’s shoulder and softly asked, “Xi Bao, do you miss Sister Liang?”

A hint of sadness surfaced in her eyes, as if recalling past events.

Chen Xi slightly tilted her head back, her tired neck getting a momentary reprieve. She gently squeezed Li Siqi’s hand; her mood similarly complex. They had both been in the SOI Task Force for 7 years, experiencing too many reunions and separations. Old faces left; new ones arrived; it seemed no place remained unchanged forever.

Chen Xi sighed softly and replied, “Of course I miss her. Wang Li and Yang Fei probably do too.”

The two fell into a brief silence. Memories flooded in like a tide, and a faint air of melancholy filled the office.

Five years ago, the days when the woman named Liang Zishan led them to solve cases seemed to reappear before their eyes. Back then, the two of them were still very young. Although Liang Zishan always liked to hang around a profiler named Fang Qin, in their hearts, Liang Zishan was always the best captain of the SOI.

Chen Xi suddenly looked up, her fighting spirit seemingly rekindled, “If Sister Liang were still here, she would definitely hope we could solve this case quickly. We should be happy for her choice to go to the Netherlands with Fang Qin, as that is the life she yearned for.”

Li Siqi gave a knowing smile, her eyes sparkling with a gentle light: “Yes, you’re right. I’ll reward you with a kiss.”

The moment the words fell, she quickly and lightly pecked Chen Xi on the cheek, leaving a faint lip print.

The two smiled at each other, feeling energized again. After putting away their heavy nostalgic emotions, they continued to pore over the materials in their hands, working hard to solve the case.

Just then, the office door was suddenly pushed open with a bang. Wang Li, Yang Fei, Shen Anyan, and Hu Bingyu rushed in, their faces full of excitement and tension.

“Quick, we have a new discovery!” Wang Li said urgently, “Let’s have an emergency meeting.”

Everyone quickly gathered in the conference room. The air was thick with tension and anticipation.

Yang Fei spoke first, his voice slightly trembling: “We found a suspicious man on Li Mei’s client list—Song Zhe. He lives in the same building as the first victim, Ma Ming, and a witness saw this man loitering near the third victim’s house these past few days.”

Wang Li added, his eyes flashing with excitement: “Although we haven’t found a link between this man and the second victim yet, he is definitely our key focus. Because the first victim, Ma Ming, often yelled loudly, and the surrounding neighbors all strongly disliked him. As a neighbor, Song Zhe likely had conflicts with Ma Ming.”

“Do we have his personal file?” Shen Anyan’s voice was calm and steady. Her fingers gently tapped the table, and her gaze was fixed on Chen Xi.

Chen Xi quickly brought up Song Zhe’s profile on the computer and projected it onto the large screen. The lights in the office seemed to dim slightly, and everyone’s attention was focused on the enlarged photo, as if trying to discern clues about the killer from it.

“Song Zhe, male, 35 years old, single, nurse in the Anorectal Department of Jiangcheng City Sixth Hospital,” Chen Xi introduced concisely, a trace of almost imperceptible tension in her voice, “According to hospital records, he has been on sick leave for the past week. Interestingly, this coincides precisely with the time our cases occurred. Not only that, the second victim also had a consultation record at the Sixth Hospital, meaning this person has points of intersection with all three victims.”

Shen Anyan carefully studied Song Zhe’s photo on the screen, her brows furrowing slightly. The man had a knife scar on his face, his appearance looked unfriendly, and his physical attributes fully matched her profile. But she had a strange, indescribable feeling. During her internship at the FBI, she had seen all sorts of serial killers; their eyes and thought processes were different from normal people.

“What’s wrong, Anyan?” Hu Bingyu quietly came up behind Shen Anyan, placed her hand on her shoulder, and leaned down gently, “This man’s profession matches your profile. As a nurse, he possesses certain medical knowledge. I feel like this person is very likely the killer.”

“But I feel something is not right…” Shen Anyan whispered, her brows tightly knitted.

“What’s not right?” Hu Bingyu was somewhat confused.

Just then, Wang Li excitedly addressed everyone: “We will now split up. Time is life; we must seize every minute and every second. Yang Fei, we will immediately go to Song Zhe’s residence to see if we can find any clues. Hu Bingyu, you and Shen Anyan go to the hospital to understand Song Zhe’s work situation and interpersonal relationships. Talk more with his colleagues; maybe you can dig up some valuable information. Chen Xi, continue tracing the source of that virtual number to see if you can find more call records or text messages.”

Li Siqi felt a bit left out after hearing Wang Li’s arrangements, as she seemed to have been forgotten. She cleared her throat and asked with a slight grievance, “What about me, Captain Wang?”

Wang Li then realized his oversight and quickly added: “Siqi, you are responsible for organizing all the information we currently have and establishing a complete case timeline. At the same time, please closely monitor online public opinion to see if there is any suspicious information.”

Given the task, Li Siqi immediately brightened up and responded excitedly, “No problem, I’m on it!”

Everyone quickly took action, heading to their respective posts. Shen Anyan and Hu Bingyu left the office together, heading to the Sixth Hospital.

On the way, Hu Bingyu couldn’t help but ask, “Anyan, you just said you felt something wasn’t right. What exactly wasn’t right?”

Shen Anyan frowned and replied softly, “I can’t quite put my finger on it. It’s just a gut feeling. I don’t sense the aura of killing or rage in his eyes, but the big screen is just a photo. I still need to see him in person.”

“I understand what you mean. Let’s go to the hospital and investigate first. No matter what, this is a very crucial lead,” Hu Bingyu could understand Shen Anyan’s thoughts. After all, this girl had always been very cautious, even back in school.

The two arrived at the Sixth Hospital and found the head nurse of the Anorectal Department. The head nurse was a woman in her fifties who looked experienced yet somewhat tired. Years had left deep marks on her face, but her eyes were still sharp.

“Song Zhe,” the head nurse recalled, a hint of nostalgia in her voice, “He is a very quiet person, diligent and responsible in his work, never late or leaving early. However, he doesn’t seem to be very good at socializing, always keeping to himself.”

“Do you know the reason why he took leave recently?” Hu Bingyu pressed, a sharp glint in her eyes.

The head nurse shook her head, looking a little troubled: “He just said he wasn’t feeling well and needed rest. I’m not sure of the specific reason.”

Shen Anyan noticed that the head nurse’s gaze was somewhat evasive when she said this. She quietly asked, “Head Nurse, is there something else you haven’t told us?”

The head nurse was startled, then smiled bitterly and said, “Actually… Song Zhe’s state has indeed been a bit strange recently. He has become even more taciturn than before, sometimes suddenly spacing out. I once wanted to ask him if he was going through any difficulty, but he always avoided answering.”

Hu Bingyu and Shen Anyan exchanged a look, both seeing a hint of suspicion in the other’s eyes. Song Zhe’s behavior was indeed suspicious, but whether he was the killer still required more evidence. The air was tense, as if the case was developing further into the depths.

After leaving the hospital, the two decided to visit the vicinity of Song Zhe’s residence and meet up with Wang Li and the others.

They arrived at an old residential building. The air was filled with a smell of mildew and old garbage. Wang Li’s police car was parked downstairs, but they didn’t see Wang Li or Yang Fei. Just as the two were about to knock on a neighbor’s door, they suddenly heard a rush of footsteps from upstairs, as if someone was fleeing in a panic.

“Oh no!” Hu Bingyu said alertly, a flash of excitement in her eyes, “It might be Song Zhe coming back!”

The two quickly rushed up the stairs, their hearts pounding and adrenaline surging. They only saw a blurry silhouette disappear around the corner, leaving behind a series of hurried footsteps. Hu Bingyu was about to chase, but Shen Anyan stopped her.

“Wait,” Shen Anyan whispered, a look of vigilance in her eyes, “We’re not sure if that’s Song Zhe. If we chase him rashly, we might scare him off.”

Hu Bingyu nodded and asked in a low voice, “Do you have any ideas then?”

Shen Anyan pondered for a moment and said, “This place is very close to the first crime scene. Take me to see that scene; it might help me with my profile.”

So, Shen and Hu went up the stairs together and soon arrived at the floor where the victim Ma Ming lived.

From a distance, Shen Anyan could see two white police tapes isolating Ma Ming’s rented apartment from the surroundings.

A cold wind blew, and a faint smell of blood still lingered in the air, but the stench of garbage was even stronger. Even in winter, the intense sour smell was nauseating.

Holding their noses, the two lifted the police tape and walked inside. The sight inside made them gasp. Although the body had been removed, large areas of spattered blood still remained on the floor and walls.