C11 Restore the Scene

Xiao Chennai nodded in agreement and proceeded to survey the crime scene.

The victim's body suggested a knife had been plunged into the stomach, resulting in excessive blood loss. Yet, as Xiao Chennai scanned the area, several inconsistencies caught his attention.

Firstly, while the rest of the kitchen utensils were orderly, why was this particular knife, once returned to its place, positioned with the blade facing upwards?

Secondly, the wound hadn't been thoroughly examined, but Xiao Chennai noticed that the incision was unusually clean. If the knife had simply fallen and impaled the victim, the cut wouldn't appear so precise.

"Let's head back for now and discuss further once we have the lab results," Hua Ning suggested. "We should let the Evidence Department handle the collection."

Even Hua Ning, usually quite laid-back, sensed something amiss. Realizing the case wouldn't be cracked on the spot, she resolved to mull it over back at the office.

Rising from the ground, Xiao Chennai nodded and, while heading out, expressed his gratitude to the Evidence Department colleagues, "Thanks for your hard work."

Meanwhile, a colleague was engaged in conversation with a chatty neighbor, a Madame who lived next to the Lian family and was never short of words.

"Poor Old Lian," she lamented, "lost his wife early, had a bit of money, and feared others might covet it or mistreat his child. He never remarried, dedicating his life to his child. But that Lian Peng... he's not very sensible..."

The colleague, smiling yet pensive, was about to delve deeper. "Madame, when you say Lian Peng is not sensible, what do you mean?"

Xiao Chennai and Hua Ning, descending from upstairs, overheard the conversation and approached with furrowed brows.

The Madame, energized by their interest, stepped closer to Xiao Chennai and continued, "Old Lian spoiled him too much. Lian Peng was a poor student from the start, bringing questionable girls home since middle school. He couldn't hold down a job, and even now, at his age, he still comes home asking Old Lian for money."

Madame was animatedly talking with her hands and feet, her words punctuated by flying spittle.

"You have no idea..."

"Thank you for the information, Madame," Xiao Chennai cut in, halting her mid-sentence. He turned to Hua Ning, "Let's go."

The aunt pursed her lips, looking somewhat unfulfilled as she watched the trio depart.

Back at the police station, Cheng Sheng arrived with the lab results. Hua Ning was surprised, "That was quick, wasn't it?"

Cheng Sheng shook his head, his face etched with disappointment, "There's nothing special about it. It's just ordinary soy sauce, probably spilled by accident."

But isn't it normal to find soy sauce, vinegar, and such on a kitchen floor?

Xiao Chennai's brow furrowed once more. The Lian family's kitchen, aside from a thin layer of dust, was actually quite clean, devoid of any grease stains or similar messes.

So, the appearance of this soy sauce puddle was rather odd.

Despite the plethora of suspicious details, no new leads emerged. Neither the Evidence Department nor the Identification Department had any fresh discoveries.

"It looks like an accident. Maybe Lian Peng wasn't looking after Lian Dongshen properly? Hungry, Lian Dongshen might have tried to cook something and accidentally caused this," Hua Ning speculated, stifling a yawn as she looked at Xiao Chennai.

Truly, work was not the same as school. She used to think school was exhausting and hoped work would be more relaxed, but it turned out to be even more draining.

She was eager for this case to wrap up quickly and for no new cases to crop up in the near future.

If the nation was at peace, she could finally take a few days off to catch up on some much-needed beauty sleep.

Recently, dark circles had taken up residence under her eyes. She took out her compact mirror and gazed at her reflection with a touch of woe.

Cheng Sheng chimed in, "Indeed, the higher-ups are pressing us. They've mentioned that the residents of Snossen Community are lodging complaints. With the area still cordoned off, word of the fatality will spread quickly, and when it does, the property values in the community are bound to plummet."

Ding Yu glanced at Xiao Chennai and ventured, "Captain Xiao, should I start drafting the closure report now?"

Xiao Chennai, with a furrowed brow, remained silent, his gaze fixed on the case files in his hands.

An awkward silence hung in the air until Xiao Chennai rose from his desk, grabbed the car keys, and announced, "Cheng, Hua Ning, let's revisit the crime scene."

A police officer's duty is to seek justice for every victim. They cannot overlook even the slightest irregularity.

Hua Ning fought back the impulse to decline and stood up with effort. Cheng, on the other hand, showed no reluctance and promptly got to his feet to follow.

Ding Yu blinked, watching Cheng's retreating figure with a touch of envy.

How wonderful it would be if he didn't have a fainting issue—he could join the fairy-like sister in fieldwork.

Meanwhile, Xiao Chennai's team quickly reached the crime scene. The area had been preserved for days, with even the Lian family head, Lian Peng, not having set foot inside since the incident, leaving everything untouched.

"I'll try to reconstruct the scene based on my hypothesis. You two observe and point out anything that seems off," Xiao Chennai instructed, shrugging off his jacket and tossing it to Hua Ning.

He stepped into the kitchen, mimicking the last actions of Lian Dongshen.

Reaching for the soy sauce bottle, he suddenly paused.

Hua Ning and Cheng exchanged puzzled glances.

"Leader, what's the matter?" asked Cheng.

Straightening up from his reenactment, Xiao Chennai replied, "The soy sauce was deliberately spilled. There's only one spot with a soy sauce stain, while the rest of the area is splattered. We can rule out the bottle simply falling over. It's not plausible for the soy sauce to have ended up here; it's too far from the stove."

Hua Ning measured the distance with her eyes and murmured, "So it was intentionally spilled. Does this suggest the incident wasn't an accident?"

Cheng, looking confused, chimed in, "But what would be the perpetrator's motive for pouring soy sauce on the floor? Could they be trying to conceal something?"

Xiao Chennai's phone rang at that moment.

"We've got the lab results, and there's a new development. Let's head back," he said after ending the call.

Members of Unit 9 convened in Director Sunn's office. "Ding Yu mentioned you've come across new findings in this case?"

"Yes, we discovered traces of soy sauce at the crime scene. Upon reconstruction, it became clear that the soy sauce was deliberately spilled by the perpetrator. Additionally, the lab report identified a particular substance."

Xiao Chennai laid the report on the desk. "We found traces of a microelement, hip2, in the victim's bloodstream."

Sunn Limin picked up the lab report and examined it intently.

"This microelement isn't naturally occurring in the human body. It's found in certain industrial products, like industrial mixers and bungee cords, for example."