The 80s Female Detective's Guide to Self-Preservation [Criminal Investigation] - Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The scene was a bloodbath. Zhao Yuanming’s death was far more brutal than Jin Wu’s; it was clear the perpetrator harbored a much deeper hatred for him.

Wei Min, who had been hungry earlier, completely lost her appetite. The narrow cellar was slick with blood. Zhao Yuanming’s abdomen had been sliced open, his internal organs hooked with iron wires. Nearby sat a large cleaver used for chopping timber, stained with gore. There wasn’t an inch of intact skin left on his body.

Even the veteran detectives, descending with lanterns, felt bile rise in their throats. They swallowed hard, fighting the urge to vomit.

Liang Guangqi, who had been recalled from his canvas, was now wearing shoe covers and gloves, using medical tweezers to help collect organ fragments from the floor. In the dim, flickering light, he felt his tweezers grab something heavy. “Qiuyuan, shine your flashlight over here. I think I’ve got something substantial.”

“Coming.”

Xia Qiuyuan adjusted her heavy, metal-cased vintage flashlight. The piercing white beam cut through the huddle of officers and landed directly on Liang Guangqi’s tweezers.

Silence fell instantly.

A moment later, high-pitched yelps erupted simultaneously in the oxygen-deprived cellar.

“Holy mother of…! Why did I have to be the one to pick this up?!” Liang Guangqi shrieked, gripping the tweezers tight despite himself, terrified his reflex would send the evidence flying three meters away.

The young forensic assistant beside him doubled over, retching behind his mask. “How much hate do you have to have… to slice off the reproductive organs?”

And Liang Guangqi had been “lucky” enough to find them. Xia Qiuyuan took several steps back the moment she realized what it was, wanting absolutely nothing to do with Liang Guangqi at that moment.

“Aaargh—will someone please help me?! What am I supposed to do with this thing?!”

The team emerged from the cellar carrying evidence kits. Due to the extreme violence of the scene, they had to cordoned off the area to keep curious villagers from trampling the evidence.

When they arrived, there had been light; as they left, the world was pitch black, save for the natural glow of a pollution-free night sky.

Tan He was hauled into the Jeep driven by Liang Guangqi’s crew. Tan Liu was assigned to Hou Ming’s car. Despite her leg disability, her resistance was fierce, so Hou Ming didn’t dare let the two women handle her alone in the back. He nudged Xia Sui. “You drive. Xiao Qiu and I will watch her in the back.”

“I’m driving?” Xia Sui’s voice jumped an octave. She eagerly snatched the keys. She had received her learner’s permit last year but hadn’t actually been on the road yet. Her teammates had blocked her every time she eyed a government vehicle, fearing she’d wrap it around a lamp post.

“It’s either you or Xiao Qiu, and I’m not letting her drive without a license,” Hou Ming growled as he pulled the door shut.

The start was rocky. The Jeep lurched forward with a roar, forcing Hou Ming to shout for her to hit the brakes. Xia Qiuyuan gripped the safety handle and her seatbelt tight. Please don’t let me survive a crime scene only to be injured in a report titled ‘Colleague Crashed into Curb: Three Wounded.’

Under Hou Ming’s strict orders, Xia Sui kept the speed at a crawling 30 km/h. The rural roads were a mess of potholes, and the Jeep’s suspension was non-existent. Xia Qiuyuan’s head hit the window so many times she began to ache for the high-end cruisers of her future life.

In the back, Tan Liu remained gagged and silent. Xia Qiuyuan couldn’t help but feel they were inadvertently torturing the suspect with this “pirate ship” ride.

Suddenly, Xia Sui slammed on the brakes. The headlights illuminated a woman standing in the middle of the road. She was wearing a white T-shirt and long pants.

“Someone’s there,” Xia Sui pointed.

As they got closer, they realized it was Qin Yu.

“Qin Yu? Why are you still in Shangyao Village this late?” Hou Ming rolled down the window.

Qin Yu was cradling a sapling. Her white T-shirt was stained with mud, and she looked a bit disheveled. Seeing the police, she relaxed visibly and smiled. “My colleague felt unwell and drove back to the city this afternoon. I meant to leave before dark, but I found a tree species I needed in Shangyao. I hitched a ride here, but then the production team dragged me to the fields to check their summer rice…”

Hou Ming frowned. “That colleague of yours is useless. Get in; we’re heading back to the city anyway.” He looked at Xia Sui, then at Qin Yu. “Xiao Yu, can you drive?”

“Drive? Yes,” Qin Yu nodded. “I learned while working with the Agricultural Research Institute.”

“A real license? Not a learner’s?”

“A real one.”

Hou Ming immediately booted Xia Sui from the driver’s seat. “Save your pirate ship for next time. Let Xiao Yu drive. We’ll never get back at 30 km/h.”

Qin Yu was a much steadier driver—fast yet smooth. As they drove, Xia Sui cradled the sapling. “What is this thing anyway?”

“A freshly grafted yellow skin (Wampee) tree. Its mother tree has a sugar content four points higher than other varieties. I’m taking it back to be a new mother stock.”

The officers in the car processed this information and collectively decided it sounded like a foreign language.

Xia Qiuyuan, meanwhile, shrank into the corner of the back seat, trying to be invisible. She desperately wanted to avoid any connection with Qin Yu. If their fates crossing meant they both died, she was determined to steer clear. Dying once in the future was bad enough; knowing about her “death” in advance meant she had to be proactive.

Clearly, Qin Yu was the “variable” she needed to avoid.

They arrived at the station. Since Tan Liu couldn’t walk, Xia Sui and Xia Qiuyuan had to lift her. Qin Yu stepped in to hold the wheelchair steady. Once the suspect was wheeled into the interrogation room, Xia Qiuyuan felt she was about to faint from hunger.

Qin Yu turned to leave with her sapling, but Hou Ming stopped her. “Where are you going?”

“Home, Captain Hou,” Qin Yu said, confused.

“It’s nearly 10:00 PM. It’s not safe for a woman alone. If I remember correctly, you live in the Hanmo Linju complex? Wait a bit, and I’ll have Xia Sui and the others drop you off there on their way home.”

Xia Qiuyuan had been nodding in agreement—she wanted Qin Yu to be safe, just away from her. But as the name of the complex registered, her heart sank.

Wait. Hanmo Linju?

That was the same new complex where she was staying with Xia Sui.

Xia Qiuyuan: “…” If this isn’t some twisted twist of fate, I don’t know what is.