C2 Three Social Girls

"Let's see..." Xiao Chennai paused for a moment, accepted a pair of gloves from an officer behind him, and approached the driver's side of the white van, flashlight in hand.

The beam illuminated the door handle, exposing a row of faint fingerprints without a trace.

Sunn Limin and Captain Wang leaned in for a closer look.

"These fingerprints, judging by the patterns, seem to belong to the same person—and they've applied quite a bit of force," Xiao Chennai observed, shining the light on another door handle's prints before switching off the flashlight and speaking matter-of-factly.

Captain Wang clapped his hands together and nodded thoughtfully, eyeing the ground. "Well put! I get it now. Despite the passage of time and the elements, the fingerprints remain. This indicates a strong grip. And since we only find this person's prints on all four handles, it suggests a solo act."

With that, Captain Wang crouched down to examine the tire marks on the ground, adding, "There are tire tracks here, indicating movement."

The group nodded in agreement.

The forensic team began their evidence collection, with Xiao Chennai placing a single hair from each of three clumps into evidence bags and tidying up the tools scattered on a table.

Inside the makeshift murder scene, the bloodstains on the floor were spattered and dried.

Apart from the strands of hair and the blood, no body was found.

The search team combed the area for hundreds of meters but found neither suspicious individuals nor a corpse.

Xiao Chennai, notebook in hand, mingled with the onlookers, certain that a clue lay among them.

"Excuse me, sir," he inquired, "do you often run here at night? Are you familiar with this area?"

He assessed the man's attire; his build and clothing suggested he was an experienced runner.

The man chuckled in response, "I've lived here for over a decade, running daily. How could I not know the place?"

Caught off guard by the man's retort, Xiao Chennai pressed on, "On the evening of the 18th, around 11:05 PM, did you notice anything unusual or any suspicious individuals near Moresby Road?"

His inquiry prompted the crowd to gather around.

The man shook his head, and others nearby followed suit, also shaking their heads.

Xiao Chennai wasn't taken aback by the desolation of Moresby Road in the northern part of Snowbush City. It was quite remote, essentially rural, with little more than a factory and some rundown two-story buildings dotting the area, and scarcely a soul in sight.

His inquiries yielding no results, Xiao Chennai returned to Sunn Limin and Captain Wang, shaking his head in frustration, his efforts fruitless.

Gathering evidence was typically the easy part, but verification was another story. Even expedited items took at least half a day to process.

During this time, Xiao Chennai and Hua Ning reviewed the missing persons records. With over two hundred women missing in Snowbush City, it was impractical to investigate each case individually.

Knock, knock, knock!

The door to Unit 9's office echoed with raps. A girl with delicate features delivered the hair analysis report.

"It's the DNA of three individuals. Let's go!"

Xiao Chennai reviewed the report, which confirmed the hair belonged to three different people.

With no leads from the missing persons files and no reports of human injury, their only option was to proceed with DNA comparisons.

Hua Ning could see Xiao Chennai's passion for his work as a police officer; he seemed oblivious to the fact that it was well into the night.

While he could endure the long hours, Hua Ning was struggling to keep up.

After yawning, Hua Ning grabbed two cans of Red Bull from the vending machine near the entrance and brought them back to the office for Xiao Chennai, who was engrossed in matching the missing persons data.

"Don't overdo it. There's still time tomorrow," she advised him.

Hua Ning perched on the edge of the desk, watching as Xiao Chennai worked through the comparisons.

Minutes ticked by, and Hua Ning's eyelids grew heavy, her head nodding with drowsiness.

"We've got something!"

As dawn broke, Xiao Chennai finally sat up straight, his voice hushed with anticipation.

On the screen, the photographs and details of three women appeared.

"Wow, they've really gone for the big waves? Talk about a drama queen vibe!"

Hua Ning perked up, her gaze fixed on the screen.

The pictures revealed two of the women sporting voluminous wavy hair, while the third unmistakably had bangs.

All three women were employed at a modest foot bath parlor, where they did more than just massage feet – the implication of their other lucrative occupation was clear.

"Could it be related to a vendetta?" Hua Ning asked Xiao Chennai with suspicion.

Women who work in socializing have extensive networks, making it unlikely for them to be shortchanged financially. It's usually a matter of love or revenge.

Xiao Chennai shook his head: "I'm not certain. Come on, let's check out the foot bath parlor."

They took a black police SUV and arrived at an underground foot bath parlor in Snowbush at one in the morning.

All the nearby restaurants and noodle shops were closed tight, but the foot bath parlor on the lower level was still welcoming guests with its lights dimly shining.

Couples emerged from below, all beaming with joy, making it impossible to distinguish any socializing women among them.

Upon seeing a handsome couple enter, the proprietress adjusted her black chiffon coat and greeted them with a chuckle, "Oh, look who's here. What kind of room would you like?"

Hua Ning was so infuriated she felt like swearing. Just as she was about to confront the proprietress, Xiao Chennai held her back.

He pulled out his police badge and three photographs from his pocket and quietly asked the proprietress, "Could you tell me if these three individuals have been here?"

Bathed in the soft glow of the lights, the woman shuffled her feet and, with a furrowed brow, glanced at the photos before smiling coyly, "Officer, indeed, these three have been here, but..."

The proprietress hesitated, then added, "I'm not too familiar with them."

Not too familiar? Hua Ning seized the proprietress's wrist and demanded, "You recognized them instantly. How can you claim to be unfamiliar? Who are you trying to fool?"

This move clearly frightened the proprietress, who screamed and wriggled free from Hua Ning's grip, feigning sobs and complaining, "Why are the police so violent? So aggressive."

Seeing the proprietress's lack of cooperation, Xiao Chennai let out a sigh, "Let's make a deal. I believe you're not involved, and I'm not here to apprehend you. All I need is any detailed information you have on these three women."

Xiao Chennai had to resort to the interrogation tactics of the notorious 'black and white specters.' It seems that during questioning, some people will resort to emotional manipulation to conceal the truth.

The proprietress had employed her own disguise to dodge the question, prompting Hua Ning to deliberately throw a tantrum and play the heavy with her.

Now, Xiao Chennai was taking on the role of the good cop. The stark contrast in their approaches would likely endear him to the proprietress, causing her to open up and spill the beans.

This method of interrogation was a staple in police training, so their seamless cooperation came as no surprise. It was deemed a tacit understanding precisely because it was executed without any prior coordination.