The vast mountain ridge was filled with greenery, and one could not see the end of it. On the mountain road, it was not as quiet as usual.
Cars with the words "XX TV Station" and "XX Newspaper" hung on them passed by one after another. There were also groups of university students who were riding or walking up the mountain. The atmosphere was noisy and tense.
Ji Bai frowned and asked, "What's going on?"
Zhao Han hung up the phone and answered, "I've found out. It was a group of students who first discovered the corpse, and the deceased was also a university student. The news had spread throughout the entire Lin City. These were volunteers from several universities who were going up the mountain to participate in the manhunt. Da Hu and the others are already trying to persuade him. "
Although the police stopped most of the people at the foot of the mountain, there were still many people who went up the mountain before the police set up the roadblock. There were several media cars on the narrow mountain road, and groups of university students could be seen everywhere.
By the time Ji Bai and the others "broke through the encirclement" and arrived at the crime scene, it was already afternoon. The reporters and students were all blocked outside the cordon, making a ruckus. When they saw Ji Bai and the others, the camera flashes kept flashing. Another student asked loudly, "When will the police catch the serial killer?"
Ji Bai kept a straight face and did not answer. Instead, he brought a few senior criminal police officers and Xu Xu to the place where the corpse was displayed.
It was a secluded cave, and the police's searchlight illuminated the inside of the cave. The body was lying in the depths of the cave, in the same posture, with the same calm expression.
Da Hu had been running around in the forest for the past few days. When he saw them, he immediately stepped forward. "The victim's name is Shen Hongmiao, a senior student at Linlin University."
Da Hu briefly explained the reason. It turned out that Shen Hongmiao was a member of the Lin Family's Outdoor Sports Club. Ten days ago, she went hiking in the mountains alone. The forest was so big that the patrolling officers didn't know where she had entered the mountain. Two days ago, after the scheduled return date, her classmates realized that they could not contact her. They spontaneously organized a search and rescue team to enter the mountain and contacted the local police. They did not expect to find her body so quickly. He didn't know which villager said that more than one person had died, so the matter became serious.
Ji Bai, Old Wu, and Xu Xu walked towards the corpse. The forensic doctor had finished the preliminary examination and said to them, "The time of death is determined to be between 8 and 10 last night. Like the previous two bodies, he died of potassium cyanide poisoning. The other injuries are basically the same."
Xu Xu asked, "Is it possible for the murderer to delay his death?"
The forensic doctor shook his head. "Impossible. Potassium cyanide was a special toxin that would cause instant death within 5-8 seconds of ingestion. Furthermore, there would be specific reactions on the skin and eyelids. These reactions will not change due to environmental factors such as temperature and humidity, so the time of death is more accurate. "
Everyone fell silent. Looking at the corpses again, they saw many messy footprints scattered in the surrounding soil. Da Hu frowned and said, "They were left behind by the students."
Ol 'Wu was an expert when it came to tracking footprints. He squatted down and carefully examined the edge of the body. After a while, he raised his flashlight and pointed at the ground beside the body. "Look, doesn't this look familiar?"
In the half-hard, half-loose mud, there was a shallow footprint. Xu Xu immediately took out the photo of the footprints next to the second corpse. Old Wu observed for a while and nodded. "The length and pattern of the footprints are exactly the same. It was left by the same person. "
Da Hu looked at Lin Qingyan. "Boss, it really isn't Lin Qingyan?"
Before Ji Bai could answer, Old Wu stood up and said, "That's not necessarily true. There are currently two possibilities. First, Lin Qingyan is indeed innocent. Second, Lin Qingyan has an accomplice."
Xu Xu frowned as she stared at the corpse and said, "This possibility is too small … How could this be?"
Everyone looked at her and heard her say solemnly, "Judging from the murderer's modus operandi, he places a lot of importance on establishing an intimate relationship with the deceased. This relationship is personal, private, and exclusive. Also, in criminal history, this kind of psychopath usually works alone, so sharing is meaningless to them.
However, if Lin Qingyan does not have an accomplice, it means that there is a second person who completely fits the criminal's description. In other words, at the same time, at the same place, in the same case, there were two people who fit the description? This probability is really … "
Before she could finish, Ji Bai interrupted her. "Xu Xu, back to the physical evidence."
Xu Xu's heart skipped a beat. He calmly looked around and said, "This case is more complicated, so let's not make any assumptions for now. That will only mislead us. Let's just look at the evidence.
What I know now is: First, judging from the time of the crime, the person who killed Shen Hongmiao is definitely someone else. Second, Shen Hongmiao entered the mountains ten days ago and her body was found today. During this period, the police force that we set up around the mountains did not find any suspicious vehicles. This means that the house where the murderer imprisoned her is in the mountains.
I will immediately request for the police force to search the entire mountain area. Once we find the murderer's lair, everything will come to light. "
Everyone's spirits were lifted, and Xu Xu was suddenly enlightened. At this moment, Ji Bai's phone rang and he picked it up. "Director … Yes, I understand. I'll be right there." He hung up the phone and said, "I need to go to the province and report this case directly to the governor and the provincial public security department. Old Wu, take over for me for the time being. Also, the provincial department's Criminal Investigation Unit should be taking over this case. "
Everyone nodded. Zhao Han asked, "The station said that Lin Qingyan's detention time is up, so they can only release him for now."
Ji Bai nodded faintly, then turned around and walked a few steps before turning back to look at Xu Xu. Xu Xu nodded at him, indicating that she would take care of herself. Only then did he stride away.
Not long after Ji Bai left, the criminal police had just finished investigating the scene when they received news that the captain of the provincial criminal police would personally take charge of the case and Ji Bai would be his assistant.
When the captain of the provincial team arrived at the scene with his men, the sky was already dark. Many police officers were also transferred from other cities and counties. The captain conveyed the director's order: everyone was mobilized, even if they had to turn the mountains upside down, they had to find the murderer.
In the evening, Xu Xu, Old Wu, and the others hurriedly finished their dinner and began to equip themselves with bulletproof vests and batons. Xu Xu looked at the thick bulletproof vests. Tracking in the mountains required a long period of intense running. After a moment of silence, she did not put them on but went to the command car of the provincial team's captain to look for him.
As soon as she reached the car, she saw the captain holding his phone and making a call. "Why didn't you tell me earlier that your wife is pregnant? I thought something happened, so she called me in a hurry. Alright, I understand. I asked her to stay at the back and be in charge of logistics … "
Xu Xu was slightly stunned. Her heart was filled with warmth as she turned around and walked back.
When Xu Xu saw Ji Bai again, it was already the next night.
The mountains seemed to have calmed down a lot. The students had been persuaded to leave, and the media was also restricted. Only dozens of newspapers and magazines were allowed to enter the mountains and operate in specific areas. The provincial department also hoped that they could do some objective and positive reports to appease the citizens.
Meanwhile, hundreds of police officers were scattered in the mountains and fields, chasing after the murderer without rest. However, the mountains stretched for thousands of kilometers, so it was impossible to thoroughly investigate without half a month. There was no progress for a while.
It was late at night, and Old Wu and the others had gone out. Xu Xu stayed in a row of temporarily requisitioned farmhouses at the foot of the mountain. The police, logistics personnel, and media personnel were all staying overnight. She was sleeping soundly when she heard Ji Bai talking on the phone outside the house. "… Yes, I just reached the foot of the mountain. Okay, I'll wait for your car to pick me up. "
Xu Xu immediately sat up and saw Ji Bai opening the door and walking in. The moonlight shone on his face. He looked very tired, but his eyes were bright and sharp.
"I'll rest for a while and leave immediately." His voice was a little hoarse.
Xu Xu got out of bed and poured him a glass of water. Ji Bai pulled her into his arms and drank the water in one gulp. He asked softly, "Are you okay these two days?"
"I'm fine. What about you? "
"What can happen to me?" He smiled.
The two of them were quiet for a while, then Xu Xu said, "I've been thinking about the murderer for the past two days, but I still can't figure it out."
Ji Bai had been on the road for the past two days, and he had been reporting to the provincial department. He did not have time to think about the case in depth. When he heard what she said, he simply nodded. "There's still some time, let's analyze it. Where's the pen and paper? "
Xu Xu immediately took out the pen and paper from under her pillow, and she also took out a few photos of the murder case. Ji Bai thought about the child in her belly and could only smile bitterly in his heart as he patted her head.
Xu Xu listed out the previous criteria for screening the murderer. Ji Bai looked at it attentively and pondered for a moment, then looked up at her. "What did you say? Eliminate all the impossible, and the remaining one, no matter how unbelievable, is the truth. "
Xu Xu nodded.
Ji Bai said, "So, even though you said that the probability of two people matching the description appearing at the same time is very small. But that's the truth. The second person definitely exists. As long as we catch him, Lin Qingyan's problem and the truth of the case will be solved. "
He took the pen from her hand and sketched out the criteria one by one. "I've always thought that the screening criteria you mentioned last time were correct. You see, some of the criteria are parallel, but some can't be screened. For example, we can calculate the list of 'people who have recently suffered from a serious illness', but we can't calculate 'people who have recently suffered a huge setback in their career'. So, this person must have been missed here. "
Xu Xu's heart skipped a beat, and her brain worked quickly. Before he finished drawing on the paper, she had already blurted out, "So, this person has recently suffered a huge setback in his career, and it's very likely that he was still a university student at the time of the 'Angel Case'. We don't have records of him frequently entering and exiting the forest in the past few months because he lives in the forest, so he's very familiar with it! Also, you said yesterday that he has a house in the forest! "
When she finished speaking, Ji Bai had just finished drawing on the paper. The two of them looked down at the paper, and it was exactly the same as what she had said!
The two of them looked at each other and saw the excitement in each other's eyes. Ji Bai stood up and made a phone call. "This is Ji Bai. Check immediately. Works and lives in the mountain area, between 22 to 26 years old, graduated from university, recently demoted or punished, size 42 feet, has a work car and an independent house, may be a forest ranger, mountain teacher, firefighter, patrol officer, or other public servant …"
On the other end of the phone, the police officer in charge of information technology was a little confused. "Captain Ji, who are you looking for? You already know so much … "
Ji Bai said, "Give me an answer as soon as possible."
After hanging up, he said solemnly, "I'll be leaving."
Xu Xu said, "Be careful."
He looked at the environment outside the door. It was a small farmhouse, and it was quiet and dark in the middle of the night. He turned to look at Xu Xu. "Now that the identity of the murderer is unknown, it's safer for us to have patrol officers patrolling the area. Try to stay in the house and don't wander around."
Xu Xu nodded.
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