Death Notice 2 Destiny

Chapter 38

"Yes, otherwise you would hardly understand the significance of this performance." Huang Jieyuan's face darkened, suddenly becoming extremely serious. "The issue I'm about to discuss with you is precisely what you're all concerned about. That's why I invited you here."

Perhaps it was Huang Jieyuan's overly somber tone that created an oppressive atmosphere in the private room. Luo Fei seemed vaguely familiar with this atmosphere; he suddenly realized something and his expression changed as he asked, "Are you talking about—the 112 dismemberment case?"

Upon hearing the words "112 Dismemberment Case," Mu Jianyun shifted uncomfortably, feeling the dimly lit private room suddenly grow much colder.

Huang Jieyuan nodded, then asked in return, "How much do you know about this case now?"

"The case files are all in my office, but I haven't had time to look at them closely yet," Luo Fei replied. "Today, I've focused most of my energy on the 'April 7th Robbery Case.'"

Huang Jieyuan hummed in understanding. For Luo Fei, the most important task was to track down Eumenides, and the "47 Heist" was closely related to Eumenides' background. In comparison, the "112 Dismemberment Case" was just a turning point in Ding Ke's life, so although it was a shocking case, it didn't necessarily have much significance in the eyes of Luo Fei and others.

"Teacher Mu, you're a local. You must have heard a lot about this case, right?" Huang Jieyuan asked Mu Jianyun.

Mu Jianyun nodded with a wry smile: "The months following the incident were spent almost every day surrounded by various rumors."

"Then you tell us first, and let's see how it's spreading among the citizens." Huang Jieyuan leaned back on the sofa, then took out a cigarette and lit it.

Mu Jianyun usually hated it when people smoked, especially in such a confined space. However, seeing the smoke rising from Huang Jieyuan's mouth and nose, she felt a sense of relief. The memory that was about to be brought up was too oppressive, and if the room lacked the warmth of human interaction, it would really make one feel suffocated.

Luo Fei's gaze also focused on Mu Jianyun, his expression filled with anticipation. As a criminal investigator, his work often began with investigations in the streets and alleys. Although rumors among the public were sometimes inaccurate, because they were the freshest firsthand information, they often contained very crucial but easily overlooked clues.

Mu Jianyun held the teacup in both hands, as if trying to gain some extra warmth from it. Then she narrowed her eyes slightly, her thoughts drifting back to that winter ten years ago…

"The 112 Dismemberment Case...that date must have been January 12th, 1992, right? I was a senior in high school then, and I remember it was right before the final exams. We had to go to school for evening self-study every day. One evening, when it was time to leave, the teachers wouldn't let the girls go home. Instead, they called our parents one by one to come and pick us up. Later, my father came and took me home. I was very confused and asked him what was going on. My father told me that there were bad people in the city, and I shouldn't go out alone recently. He would pick me up and drop me off at school. When I asked for more details, he wouldn't say anything more, only telling me to focus on my studies and not to be distracted by anything else. The more he did that, the more curious I became, and of course, I also had a feeling of unease. The next day at school, all my classmates were talking about it. That's when I realized how terrifying the situation was. Even now, I regret listening to those rumors. But at the time, everyone was talking about it, so it was probably impossible for me not to hear it."

Hearing Mu Jianyun's last complaint, Luo Fei couldn't help but smile knowingly. He knew all too well how quickly citizens could spread such rumors. Back when he was working at the Nanmingshan Police Station, he had also been affected by similar gossip.

Huang Jieyuan took a deep drag on his cigarette and asked, "What are those rumors saying?"

Mu Jianyun brought the teacup to her lips, but only moistened them before putting it down again. Then she recalled, "I heard that a girl was murdered. The killer was a terrifying psychopath. He sliced all the victim's flesh into thin slices, like slices of mutton for hot pot. He ate some of it, and left the rest scattered in various corners of the city. Some people also said that the victim's head and internal organs were all cooked. It seems that the killer's purpose in killing was to enjoy a delicious human flesh feast..."

Mu Jianyun's voice grew softer and softer until she finally shook her head, seemingly unable to continue. Luo Fei understood her feelings well, because the scene she described was far too horrific. Even a seasoned criminal investigator like Luo Fei couldn't help but feel uncomfortable as he imagined the scene unfolding before his eyes.

Only Huang Jieyuan remained expressionless, for the scenes had haunted him for a full decade. No matter how bloody or terrifying, he had eventually become numb to them. What remained was the shame, a shame that only deepened with time.

Mu Jianyun took a few breaths to catch his breath, feeling better, and continued, "Later, the police came to the school with several photos for us to identify. I remember they were all items related to the case. The one that impressed me the most was a red down jacket, which must have been what the victim was wearing when she was murdered. The color was dazzlingly red, as if it had been stained with blood. I only dared to glance at it before quickly turning my head away. For several nights afterward, I had nightmares about that blood-red jacket. Soon after, new rumors spread that the perverted killer had declared that he would eat one person every month, and his targets were young girls wearing red clothes and with long hair."

Upon hearing this, Huang Jieyuan couldn't help but interrupt, "That's pure rumor."

Mu Jianyun shook his head and said, "Whether it was a rumor or not, we didn't have the ability to tell at the time. I only know that all the girls in our class cut their long hair and didn't dare to wear red clothes for half a year. It wasn't until I was admitted to the police academy and entered a relatively safe group environment that this shadow slowly dissipated."

"The extent to which rumors spread can reflect the public's sense of panic to some extent," Luo Fei interjected casually. "Therefore, we shouldn't blame those who believe and spread rumors. As police officers, we should ask ourselves, why are they so afraid? Why isn't anyone standing up to protect them?"

Huang Jieyuan was stunned, his previous resentment freezing on his face. Ten years ago, under immense pressure, he was nearly exhausted by the rampant rumors, and even now, thinking back, he couldn't help but feel indignant. But as Luo Fei said, did he really have the right to hate those people in a state of panic?

Eradicating fear and punishing evil were originally his duties. But when the city needed him, when the people needed him, what did he do?

Huang Jieyuan held a cigarette to his lips, but hadn't taken a puff in a long time. The burnt ash had accumulated to more than half an inch long, almost burning his fingers. He sat there blankly, as if he had returned to that awkward moment ten years ago.

A solemn voice faintly echoed in his ears; though distant and ethereal, it was unforgettable.

"...Since the 'January 12th Major Heinous Dismemberment Case,' the social reaction has been enormous, with widespread fear and rumors spreading, causing a significant negative impact on the city's normal production and daily life. The Municipal Public Security Bureau's Criminal Investigation Team, responsible for investigating the case, has been ineffective in its work for nearly a year, failing to make any breakthroughs. The perpetrator remains at large, leading to a loss of public safety. In this year's government work public opinion survey, the Municipal Public Security Bureau ranked last. In view of the above, after organizational deliberation, it has been decided that, effective immediately, Comrade Huang Jieyuan will be removed from his position as Captain of the Municipal Public Security Bureau's Criminal Investigation Team..."

Huang Jieyuan closed his eyes in pain, his hands trembling slightly, and the cigarette ash broke off and fell to the floor, shattering into ashes.

"Old Huang, tell me what you know—the truth." Luo Fei's voice pulled Huang Jieyuan out of his shameful memories. He took a deep breath, stubbed out his cigarette on the corner of the table, and mustered the courage to face that Waterloo of his life.

"Teacher Mu was right just now, the '112 Dismemberment Case' did happen on January 12, 1992," Huang Jieyuan said in a deep voice, and Luo Fei's thoughts returned to that winter ten years ago as he recounted the story.

"The first person to discover the case was an elderly woman who swept the streets. On her way to work early in the morning, she found a black plastic bag near a garbage dump on Dongba Road. Because it was so early, the garbage dump was almost empty, making the bag very conspicuous. Out of curiosity, the old woman opened the bag and saw a whole bag of fresh meat slices inside. Thinking it was pork, she assumed it belonged to someone who had gone to the early market and took the bag home to wash it carefully. However, during the washing process, she discovered three fingers—human fingers—in the meat slices! The old woman was terrified and ran out of the house screaming. After neighbors came to investigate, they quickly called the police. The police command center received the report at 7:23 AM on January 12th, and fifteen minutes later, I arrived at the scene with relevant technical personnel."

Although ten years had passed, Huang Jieyuan still remembered the time of the crime with remarkable accuracy, demonstrating his professional competence as a former criminal investigation captain. Luo Fei, listening intently, slightly raised his hand to interrupt him: "So you saw that bag of meat slices immediately? Can you recall the condition of that meat?"

"The meat slices were very fresh, giving the initial impression of pork just bought from the market. The entire bag of slices weighed 9.5 jin (approximately 4.25 kg) and contained 436 slices. The cuts on the slices were very smooth, and they were neatly arranged. Each slice was between 20 and 30 square centimeters in area and 2 to 3 millimeters thick. Forensic examination revealed that the meat slices all came from the leg muscles of an adult woman, and the three fingers were from the middle, index, and ring fingers of the woman's left hand."

Huang Jieyuan recounted the events in a detailed manner, as if he were giving a routine case briefing. Mu Jianyun, however, felt increasingly uneasy as he listened, a wave of nausea rising in his chest.

"Are you alright?" Luo Fei noticed her unusual expression and asked with concern.

"It's nothing." Mu Jianyun waved his hand, then looked at Huang Jieyuan and said, "Give me one of your cigarettes."

Huang Jieyuan pulled out a cigarette and tossed it over along with a lighter. Mu Jianyun lit a cigarette, put it in his mouth, took only a light puff, and then frowned and coughed.

"You don't smoke?" Huang Jieyuan looked both amused and exasperated. "Are you finding it hard to stand? Maybe... you should leave for a bit?"

"No need," Mu Jianyun flatly refused the other party's kindness. "You can continue. I'm not as bad as you think."

Luo Fei looked at Mu Jianyun and smiled to himself—her indomitable spirit was somewhat similar to Meng Yun's.

Huang Jieyuan wasn't one to dawdle. Seeing Mu Jianyun's reaction, he didn't say anything more and changed the subject to continue recounting the case from back then.

"After discovering this bag of meat slices, we realized that a serious crime might be brewing, and subsequent events confirmed this suspicion—" At this point, Huang Jieyuan couldn't help but sigh softly, "but at the time, we couldn't have foreseen just how heinous the nature of this case would be!"

Luo Fei knew his story was about to move on to the next key point, so he listened intently. Mu Jianyun, on the other hand, rubbed his nose, brought the lit cigarette to his lips, hesitant to inhale but also reluctant to put it down.

But then Huang Jieyuan said, "At 9:07 a.m., the command center received another report from a citizen. This time, two construction workers found an abandoned travel bag at a construction site on Shita Road. We immediately rushed to the second scene. When we arrived, the scene had already been secured by police officers from the nearby police station. There were many people watching outside the cordon, while the two workers who reported the incident looked completely distraught. I didn't even bother to take a statement; I rushed to the center of the circle and opened the travel bag. Although I had prepared myself mentally, I was still shocked by the horrific scene inside. It was the dead of winter, but I clearly remember cold sweat pouring down my body uncontrollably!"

After saying these words, Huang Jieyuan stopped, as if he also needed some time to process the horrific scene he had witnessed back then. In the silent atmosphere, the air in the private room was so heavy that it was almost impossible to breathe.

Unable to bear the silence, Mu Jianyun clenched her fists and asked, "What... exactly is in that travel bag?"

"A human head, and a complete set of internal organs," Huang Jieyuan said through gritted teeth. "And just like the rumors say, the head and the organs were... were all cooked."

Mu Jianyun's throat made a gurgling sound, and she struggled to suppress the urge to vomit.

And the horrific descriptions of that travel bag continue.

"Because it had been boiled, the head was dark red, and the skin on its face was swollen. The internal organs were then wrapped in five transparent plastic bags and stacked around the head, with the intestines neatly folded before being placed into the bags."

Even Luo Fei was taken aback. He wasn't surprised by the killer's brutality, but by the detail Huang Jieyuan had mentioned at the end. What kind of calm and leisurely mindset must the killer have had when neatly folding the victim's intestines? To commit such a horrific crime with such a mindset—that's truly the work of a cold-blooded demon unheard of!

Huang Jieyuan composed himself before continuing his recollection: "Everyone at the scene was utterly shocked. Given the gravity of the case, I immediately reported the situation to my superiors. Soon, a special task force, led by the police chief and with the city's criminal investigation team as the main force, was established, and its first working meeting was held at the construction site. At the meeting, the case was classified as the '112 Major Heinous Murder and Dismemberment Case,' and several key directions for investigation were identified: first, to conduct a city-wide search for the remaining parts of the victim's body; second, to investigate recently missing women in the city to determine the source of their bodies; and third, to strengthen patrols and security warnings to prevent the perpetrator from committing further crimes."

"Hmm." Luo Fei nodded thoughtfully. "The direction is correct. How has it progressed since then?"

"The search for the body quickly yielded new findings. Investigators first found another black plastic bag in a garbage dump on Yanling Road, containing nearly ten kilograms of human flesh and two fingers. Around noon, they discovered a package rolled up in an old bed sheet in the grass beside the East Ring Road. Inside this package was a third plastic bag containing human flesh and fingers. In addition, the package contained a complete set of women's clothing, neatly folded as well. However, after this, the police found no further remains."

"So, in total, there are three packs of meat slices and a travel bag containing a head and internal organs?"

"Yes."

"The three packages of sliced meat weighed less than thirty pounds in total, right? That means more than half of the deceased's remains have not been found, including her main skeleton."

"Yes." Huang Jieyuan looked somewhat dejected, then he explained, "We've specifically analyzed the reasons for this: it's mostly because the perpetrators used more discreet methods to dispose of the remaining remains, such as burying, burning, or dumping them in the suburbs. Of course, there are also some unfounded rumors circulating in society..."

"Eaten?" Having heard Mu Jianyun's account before, Luo Fei immediately imagined what the rumor would be like. He shook his head almost without hesitation, saying, "That possibility is basically out of the question. If it really was a man-eating demon, it certainly wouldn't leave the bones behind but just scatter the flesh everywhere, right?"

Mu Jianyun nodded in agreement. After Luo Fei clarified the terrifying cannibalism rumors, her expression seemed to ease somewhat.

"Alright, now let's talk about how the source of the body was determined." Luo Fei's train of thought continued to advance along the lines of the case without stopping.

Huang Jieyuan lit another cigarette, took a deep drag, and said, "We first checked the recent missing persons in the city, but we didn't find the target. Helpless, we published a body identification notice in the city's largest-circulation daily newspaper, along with a photo of the deceased's clothing—a red down jacket, the one Teacher Mu saw when she was in school. Then on January 15th, several female students from the vocational college contacted the task force, saying that one of their roommates hadn't returned for several days, and the down jacket in the body identification notice looked very much like the clothes she usually wore."

The task force immediately took the girls to examine the deceased's clothing. They unanimously agreed that the clothes belonged to their missing classmate. At that point, I was ninety percent certain. The girls then asked to see the body, but I didn't want them to; it was truly horrifying. However, they insisted—they were classmates, and I guess they were worried. So I took the bravest girl to the forensic doctor. She glanced at the head and immediately declared, "It's her! It's her!" At the same time, she hunched over like a shrimp, crying and vomiting, snot, tears, and stomach acid all coming out. The deceased's identity was finally confirmed: Feng Chunling, a second-year accounting student at a local vocational university.

"A vocational college student... on what day did she go missing?"

"He went out on the morning of January 10th and hasn't returned since."

"So that's five days? Such a long time, didn't her classmates notice anything? Doesn't the school care?" Luo Fei asked, somewhat puzzled.

"It was final exam time; university courses had finished, and students were all studying for exams, so the school didn't know about Feng Chunling's disappearance. Her roommates knew about it, but didn't think much of it. The deceased had a history of not returning home at night. Besides, her hometown was only about 200 kilometers from the provincial capital; she might have gone home to study. If those girls hadn't seen the notice for identifying the body, the confirmation of the deceased's identity would probably have been delayed for several more days."

Is that so? That makes sense. However, it's clear the deceased wasn't close to her roommates; otherwise, others wouldn't have been completely unaware of her whereabouts. To verify his hypothesis, Luo Fei then asked Huang Jieyuan, "Based on your subsequent investigation, what kind of person was the deceased?"

"The deceased, Feng Chunling, was born in 1972 and was not yet twenty years old when she was murdered. According to her classmates, she was rather introverted, even somewhat withdrawn. She rarely spent time with her roommates in the dormitory, and when she was, she was mostly alone, listening to music or reading. She spent most of her free time off-campus, but few people knew exactly what she did or who her friends were."

Luo Fei hummed in agreement; this description largely matched his own assessment. Then, he clicked his tongue slightly and said, "If that's the case, it will make it quite difficult for the police to analyze the deceased's social relationships."

"That's true." Huang Jieyuan waved his cigarette, as if complaining, "If only it were now, we could go to the mobile phone store and pull up the deceased's call records, and all the contacts would be clear at a glance. But back then, there was no such contact method. The police could only rely on investigations and interviews to find out who the deceased had contacted. But because the deceased always maintained a solitary style at school, such interviews were unlikely to yield any useful information."

Analyzing the victim's social relationships is the first step in solving any murder case. However, in the "112 Dismemberment Case," this first step encountered difficulties.

However, Luo Fei was not in a hurry to develop his own ideas at the moment; he still focused on asking questions and understanding.

"So how did the police determine the direction of their investigation?"

Huang Jieyuan pursed his lips helplessly: "We can only use the most rudimentary method—finding a needle in a haystack."

Luo Fei didn't show any disdain; instead, he nodded affirmatively: "In many situations, the simplest method is also the most effective—as long as we can ensure sufficient manpower."

Huang Jieyuan chuckled and said, "Manpower isn't a problem. After the incident, due to its significant social impact, the Municipal Public Security Bureau had to publicly issue a pledge to the public: the case must be solved within the year. Subsequently, almost all the police force in the entire system was mobilized for a large-scale search throughout the provincial capital."

"A city-wide search? Haven't you identified any key targets?" Luo Fei frowned slightly. Although it's a strategy of finding a needle in a haystack, if you try to handle everything indiscriminately, even a large police force wouldn't be able to cope.

"We did have targets," Huang Jieyuan explained. "At the time, we defined a scope, two areas, and three groups of people for focused investigation."

"Oh?" Luo Fei raised an eyebrow with interest. "Tell me more about it?"

"One area of investigation was centered around the vocational university, because the deceased's activity trajectory clearly revolved around it. We surveyed almost all the faculty and students, and also visited shops, restaurants, and other public places around the school."

That's the most basic line of thought. Luo Fei then asked, "Any clues?"

"No suspects were found. The only discovery was several video and bookstores that Feng Chunling frequented—all near the school's main gate."

"She went missing on January 10th. Did she go to these places between the 10th and the time of the incident?"

Huang Jieyuan replied, "No."

In that case, this clue is of little significance. Luo Fei then continued, "How were those two areas determined?"

"The two areas were identified as the most likely crime scenes based on the locations where the bodies were dumped. Spatially, the four locations where the victim's remains were found form a '口' shape. Considering it's unlikely the perpetrator would carry four packages to dispose of the bodies, his actions must have been carried out in four separate trips. Psychologically, the perpetrator wouldn't have repeated the same route each time he disposed of the body. Following this line of reasoning, the four disposal locations should be in four different directions from the crime scene, meaning the crime scene is located inside the '口' shape. Therefore, we've also designated two densely populated residential areas within this region as key areas for investigation."

"Any clues?"

Huang Jieyuan shook his head in silence.

Luo Fei rubbed his hands together: "Hmm... let's talk about three groups of people then."

"The so-called three groups are doctors, butchers, and migrant workers," Huang Jieyuan first summarized, then began to elaborate. "Judging from the extent of the mutilation of the bodies, the murderer had extremely strong psychological resilience, and the dismemberment method was skillful and experienced. If we consider occupational characteristics, doctors and butchers are more likely to fit this pattern. In addition, migrant workers are at the bottom of society, have repressed sexual needs, act recklessly, and are prone to developing a mentality of revenge against society. Therefore, we have also identified this group as a key target for our investigation."

Such a bloody and brutal case is indeed beyond the capabilities of ordinary people, making it reasonable to include doctors and butchers as prime suspects. In contrast, the inclusion of migrant workers seems somewhat unfortunate, as police almost always focus their attention on this group after a headless murder, which is perhaps a sad aspect of social development.

"Is this investigation still yielding no clues?" Although he already knew the answer, Luo Fei still asked the question as a matter of routine.

"No." Huang Jieyuan flicked his cigarette ash, his expression a mixture of embarrassment and helplessness.

"He's definitely a formidable guy..." Luo Fei muttered to himself. To be fair, the police's identification of "one scope, two areas, and three groups of people" as key targets was quite strategic, but the painstaking investigation failed to achieve the expected results, which could only mean that the perpetrator was even more adept at evading the police's sight.

"It seems the 'needle in a haystack' approach won't work." Luo Fei pondered for a moment, then thought of some other ideas and asked, "What are the results of the investigation at the body disposal scene?"

Huang Jieyuan sighed softly, "It's quite a coincidence, really. It started snowing in the provincial capital in the early hours of January 12th, and it didn't stop until after 9 a.m. So the footprints and fingerprints left by the perpetrator when disposing of the body were all destroyed by the snow. Hey, it's like even God is deliberately making things difficult for us."

Luo Fei clenched his right fist, extended one index finger and stroked his chin, then shook his head slightly and said, "This is probably not a trick of fate; that guy just took advantage of the weather. If it hadn't snowed that day, perhaps he would have waited, or chosen other ways to destroy the traces. In short, I don't think he would have left obvious clues like footprints or fingerprints at the scene."

Huang Jieyuan paused for a moment: "Perhaps...perhaps it's true, as you said. With that guy's methods, he shouldn't make such a basic mistake."

Luo Fei reiterated his earlier thoughts more clearly: "What I mentioned about the on-site investigation was mainly to find out: could we find a breakthrough from the items containing the victim's remains?"