On the seventh day of the Lunar New Year …
Halongjiang Province, Manzhou City.
It was freezing cold, and it was snowing heavily.
On the road about 12 kilometers northwest of the city, several police cars were driving slowly on the road.
This road was a small rural road. Whenever it was winter, the road would be blocked by heavy snow, and few people would pass.
At this moment, the snowplows were clearing the road in front, so the police cars behind could pass smoothly.
"Oh, Police Officer Zhao, it's great that you can come and guide us!" A burly police officer with a beard said to Zhao Yu from the passenger seat, "It's so cold, and you're on annual leave. You must have worked hard!"
Zhao Yu was sitting in the middle of the back seat. On his left was his girlfriend, Miao Ying, and on his right was his suspected girlfriend, Xi Mengna.
Because of the urgency of the task at the Criminal Division, Zhao Yu could only take Xi Mengna to Manzhou.
"It doesn't matter," Zhao Yu said to the bearded captain. "Captain Chou, since there's an important case, there's no holiday to speak of!
At least, I can go home for the New Year. That's good enough! "
"Police Officer Zhao, you have a noble character and unquestionable integrity." Captain Chou complimented him, then said, "In fact, this case appeared as early as winter!
Before the New Year, on the day of the Lunar New Year, it appeared again. We didn't rest for a single day! "
"I thought it would be better after the New Year, but I didn't expect the murderer to do it again so soon!" Captain Chou swallowed and said worriedly, "Our area is sparsely populated. When winter comes, there will be no one in many places. I'm really worried that there are still bodies that have not been found!"
"Captain Chou," Miao Ying looked out of the window and asked, "How long will it take for us to arrive at the scene?"
"Soon, soon," Captain Chou said. "Another ten minutes or so! If you don't turn around, you'll reach Plum Bridge! "
"In that case," Miao Ying said, "Then tell us about the case!"
Although Zhao Yu and Miao Ying had already read the case report, every time they arrived at the local place, the local criminal investigation captain would give a detailed report.
"Okay, okay." Captain Chou turned around and said to the two of them, "On December 21 last year, under the Dongli Bridge in Dongli Village, Manzhou, someone found a female body hanging!"
"When it was discovered, the corpse had already been hanging there for several days. According to preliminary estimates, the time of death should be around December 16th.
"The victim's body is completely naked and has been frozen stiff …
"After investigation, the deceased is a Russian woman, her name is Eliza. She was a waitress at the Victory Hotel in Manzhou. She was only 19 years old this year.
"The woman has been in Manchuria for less than three years. She is currently in a relationship with a local man, and they are preparing to get married after the New Year …"
Listening to Captain Qiu's introduction, Zhao Yu and Miao Ying flipped through the case records. There were photos of the crime scene. Looking at the frozen female corpse in the photo, Zhao Yu couldn't help but feel a ripple in his heart.
He had seen all kinds of corpses since he started working as a criminal investigator, but this was the first time he had seen a frozen corpse.
Why would the murderer kill a foreign girl so cruelly and hang her under the bridge?
Xi Mengna was a complete amateur. After hearing Captain Chou's explanation, she revealed a strange expression, feeling both curious and shocked.
"According to the autopsy report," Captain Qiu continued, "the deceased was not hanged to death. Instead, he was strangled by the murderer and hung under the bridge!"
"Under the bridge …" Zhao Yu interrupted and asked, "There's nothing under the bridge, so how did the murderer hang her up there?"
"It's the expansion pipe," Captain Qiu said. "The murderer put two expansion pipes under the bridge, which can withstand about 150 kilograms of force …"
"Oh …" Zhao Yu nodded and muttered to himself, "To put the expansion pipe down, one would need to use an electric drill. If there's no power in the wild, one would need to use an electric drill with its own power source …"
"Is there any sign of the deceased's surname?" Miao Ying asked.
"Yes!" Captain Qiu nodded and said, "There are obvious signs of violation, but the murderer was extremely careful, not leaving behind any hair or bodily fluids.
"Also," Captain Qiu said awkwardly, "our forensic ability here is limited, so we are still unable to find out whether the deceased was violated before or after her death!"
"Mm," Miao Ying nodded. "Our forensic team is already on the way, and they will arrive before dark today."
"Then …" Zhao Yu pointed to the report and said, "Let's talk about the second case!"
"Okay," Captain Qiu said. "The second case is exactly the same as the first one, although the deceased was discovered on New Year's Eve."
"But, because the crime scene was too far from the city, and it was surrounded by the wilderness, and because of the heavy snow and the New Year's Eve, it was discovered too late."
"According to the forensic team's preliminary estimate, the deceased has been dead for nearly two weeks …"
"It's early this year," Captain Qiu said. "So, the gap between the two cases isn't very long …"
"Was the deceased also Russian?" Zhao Yu asked.
"Yes," Captain Qiu nodded and said. "Although the deceased's name was Zhang Mei, she was a Russian girl, and she hadn't changed her nationality yet!
"She was twenty-three years old this year, and she was a dancer in the Manchurian Red Star Song and Dance Troupe. She was unmarried and had no boyfriend …"
"Where was she found?" Miao Ying asked.
"Near Baiqi Town, south of the city. The bridge doesn't have a name, so we'll call it Baiqi Bridge for the time being," Captain Qiu said. "It's near the forest farm in the mountains, so it's a relatively remote location.
Especially during winter, when the entire population of Baiqi Town would move to the city for the winter, leaving only the forest rangers there. The corpse was found by the forest rangers! "
"Just like the first case, the deceased wasn't wearing any clothes. After examination, it was found that she was strangled to death, then hung under the bridge …"
"Also," Captain Qiu said. "It's close to the forest, and because the corpse wasn't hung high enough, the deceased's right foot was bitten by a wild beast, so she lost three toes …"
When Xi Mengna couldn't help but take a few glances, she suddenly retched. She quickly covered her mouth and turned her head away, not daring to look anymore. Xi Mengna couldn't help but take a few more glances.
"Police Officer Zhao," Captain Qiu swallowed and said, "This case is really serious! It's only the seventh day of the New Year, and there's already a third case!
"Look …" He looked straight ahead. "We're almost there. According to the report from the crime scene, the deceased is also a foreign woman, and the way she died was exactly the same as the previous two cases!"
"This is definitely a brutal, premeditated serial murder case!
"Let me tell you this," Captain Qiu said. "This is the first official murder case since the founding of Manchuria. I didn't expect it to be a serial murder case …"
"Also … Because this case has been spread among the people, there are now many strange rumors. I don't know if you've heard of them!"
"Um …" Zhao Yu nodded slightly. "If it weren't for this rumor, the higher-ups wouldn't have sent me here on the seventh day of the New Year!"
"Rumors? What rumors? "Xi Mengna couldn't help but ask.
"Phew …" Zhao Yu took a deep breath and said, "Since you like to speculate so much, there's no way you wouldn't know about the Hanging Bridge Female Corpse Case that happened in Eastern Europe in the 1940s, right?"
"The Hanging Bridge Female Corpse Case … Oh …" Xi Mengna's eyes suddenly widened. "This case is as famous as the London Ripper case. It's written in the world's top ten unsolved cases, but the murderer hasn't been caught yet!
"Could it be … Could it be that someone is imitating the killer of the Hanging Bridge Female Corpse Case?"
(End of Chapter)
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