Free Web NovelChapter 185: Chapter 184 字_1
"I’m telling you, I bought my wife six years ago for thirty thousand yuan, and now that she’s run off, I’ve lost thirty thousand yuan!"
Xu Dayuan was startled. This sudden statement shifted the direction of the entire affair.
He immediately dialed a number, and the call was picked up.
"This is Xu Dayuan, come to the adjacent interview room immediately. Cheng Zhipeng is suspected of buying trafficked people."
Cheng Zhipeng was still crying, apparently oblivious to the seriousness of the situation. Moments later, several policemen from Shazikou rushed in, each with an incredulous expression on their face.
Xu Dayuan waved his hand, and two policemen yanked Cheng Zhipeng to his feet, cuffed his hands, and led him away. It was only then that Xu Dayuan breathed a sigh of relief and gestured to Bai Ruixin.
"Give the law enforcement recorders to them, copy it down. Cheng Zhipeng admitted his wife, Zhu Cuifeng, was bought for thirty thousand yuan six years ago. Zhu Cuifeng is twenty-two this year, which means she was only sixteen back then. Now that Zhu Cuifeng is missing, she is either a victim of a crime or trying to escape back to her hometown. Organize the details of the case and pass it to the brigade."
The leader seemed a bit stunned; after all, he was the one who had called Cheng Zhipeng over. When he had come to report the disappearance, it was still fresh in his memory. He had been to Cheng Zhipeng’s home, and it was quite dilapidated.
Cheng Zhipeng said his brother had borrowed money to buy a boat, which later sank, and his brother too was gone. All the debts nearly crushed him. At the time, he was also surprised that Cheng Zhipeng had managed to find a wife almost twenty-two years younger—it all made sense now.
In the villages around Shazikou, everyone made their living from fishing, and were all quite wealthy. To marry a local bride, one would have to spend at least a hundred and eighty thousand yuan—otherwise, it was impossible.
"This is just too dramatic. Don’t worry, Mr. Xu, I’ll organize everything and contact Mr. Hu later."
Xu Dayuan left with his team, but of course, they didn’t head straight back to the station. He didn’t know the direction of undercurrents along the coastline or the details of the tides, so he needed to consult with professionals.
When they reached the wharf, they saw some old men squatting in the shade for a chat. Xu Dayuan approached them, adopted the same posture as the old men, and squatted down with one leg spread out.
"Uncle, I want to ask about something here at Shazikou. If something really heavy around a hundred or two hundred pounds, is dropped into the sea, could it be swept by the water to Xiaofudao or Dafu Island?"
The old men looked at Xu Dayuan, a bit taken aback by this sudden question. An elderly man, who seemed the oldest among them, nodded at Xu Dayuan, his chin lifted, and said knowingly.
"The police are investigating a case, huh?"
Xu Dayuan nodded.
"Yeah, but I don’t quite understand about the waves, the ocean currents, the eddies and such. So, I wanted to ask you uncles if you know anything about it."
The old man nodded and then explained:
"We’re locals here, been fishing our whole lives. The bay is a bit peculiar. If anyone dies by drowning, you simply can’t find the body here; the currents sweep people away directly through the exits on both sides. Some end up caught between Xiaofudao and Dafu Island, while others are carried straight to Nanyaowan.
About thirty years ago, a son from the Yao Family in our village fell overboard while out at sea. He floated with the currents and eventually washed up in Fu’ao. That was an anomaly because from Shazikou Wharf to Dafu Island is four kilometers, while it’s ten kilometers to Fu’ao."
Another old man nodded in agreement. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
"This bay is like the bottom of a bottle, where water rushes in and swirls around, sweeping away both people and objects. Just a bit of big waves and even staying close to the wharf can be problematic. But old Zhang is right, most of the drowned ones or things that fall in show up near Xiaofudao and Dafu Island since the north side there is all reefs, like a natural strainer."
Xu Dayuan had an epiphany—it turned out the old men knew quite a bit.
"Do people drown here every year?"
The old men found Xu Dayuan easy to talk to and even offered him cigarettes. Once the initial tension was gone, the conversation boxes were opened. With someone to chat with, who could disagree? They spoke one after another.
"Every year there are cases."
"Not just every year. There’s no year without several deaths. The school teachers constantly warn not to play in the sea, but it’s no use. As soon as the weather warms up a bit, one or two will die on the weekends. But it’s strange; one death will calm it down for a few days, and then it starts all over again."
Xu Dayuan sighed. When talking to these old men, you couldn’t be hasty. You couldn’t just chase down answers to your questions. After thinking for a moment, Xu Dayuan followed up on the old men’s conversation and asked:
"I saw it on the news but didn’t pay much attention then. Were the bodies recovered?"
"There were some they didn’t find. At the time, the police came and asked and I told them. But they didn’t believe me and searched in the bay. It would be strange if they did find anyone. In the end, it was the people from Xiaofudao and Dafu Island who reported to the police, and only then could they confirm whether the bodies were of those who’d drowned."
Xu Dayuan furrowed his brows slightly. He wanted to ask about cases involving boxes or iron cages, but that would reveal case details.
"Just ask directly what you want to know, young man."
"Uncle, I wanted to ask if a person is tied up and weighed down, and then if they could still float up and be washed ashore on those islands?"
The old man slapped Xu Dayuan on the back and, showing some missing teeth, laughed.
"You can tell you’re a landlubber. Stay submerged long enough, and no matter how heavy they are, dead bodies will float up eventually. I heard from the elders that before the liberation there was a local tyrant, can’t remember his name, who suspected his concubine of infidelity. He tied a millstone to her and threw her into the sea. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
Over twenty days later, someone saw that concubine dangling from the rocks on Dafu Island, the millstone caught on the rocks behind her, standing there, horrifying to behold. She was clad in a bright red dress, pale-faced, terrifying to imagine."
The old man finished his tale and shivered, as if the story always frightened him when he was a child.
The old man, worried that Xu Dayuan might not believe him, leaned in closer and said,
"Don’t disbelieve it. Back in the day, my dad and a few other men saw it all happen. They got the concubine off the rocks and buried her on Dafu Island. Ah, they were all unfortunate souls, it’s only right they should rest in peace after death."
The other old men joined in the conversation, some saying they had heard about it from the elderly, while others claimed a relative had been part of the group that went. Xu Dayuan understood that this might be true; after all, it wasn’t uncommon for someone to be killed in that era.
Another old man came over.
"I heard from my grandson that it has something to do with the currents. We don’t understand much about it, but this place is called Shazikou because there’s a lot of sand by the sea. Nanjiu Water flows into Han River and out to sea here. The seabed sand is fine and soft, but not all the sand stays here; most of it is carried away by the water.
"The fine sand on Dafu Island comes from here. You might wonder why Xiaofudao, also an island, doesn’t have as much sand. That’s because Xiaofudao was originally part of Dafu Island. It only appears separate because of the collapsed reefs in between."
Xu Dayuan stood up and smiled at the old men.
"Thank you, uncles."
After saying goodbye to them, Xu Dayuan got into the car, and Mr. Zeng joined him.
"Mr. Xu, shouldn’t we consult a marine expert?"
Xu Dayuan waved his hand dismissively.
"Other than criminal investigation, let’s skip the other experts. Let’s go back to the city bureau and see what Zhou Xiaozhou and the others are up to. It’s strange that they haven’t called me all day—it’s not like him."
...
In the forensic lab on the fourth floor.
Zhou Ning, with folded arms, gazed at the skeleton on the table. He understood why the killer would cut off the victim’s head, to avoid revealing their face, and the hands, to hide fingerprints. After all, almost everyone now has a second-generation ID card with all ten fingerprints in the database; obtaining those fingerprints would reveal the identity.
But what about the feet?
Why would the murderer cut off the victim’s feet?
Could it be related to the two fractures on the shin bones?
Zhou Ning dialed Mr. He’s number and it took seven or eight rings before he answered.
"How are you, still feeling sick?"
"If you’re calling just to mock me, then I’m hanging up."
"No, no, I truly care. Xiaoyu told me to ask if you’re feeling better."
Zhou Ning told a white lie, and as soon as he said it, Xia Momo couldn’t help but laugh on the side. Sure enough, Mr. He fell for it and his initial irritation softened immediately.
"Oh, I’m okay. I was fine all the time you didn’t call. Now that we’re talking about it, it feels like the storm is churning again."
"I’m calling to consult you about something. You’re more knowledgeable and experienced in medical matters than a general practitioner."
Mr. Zhao on the side, already giving two thumbs up, really couldn’t believe how Zhou Ning could flatter someone so subtly and make it sound so comfortable. Even when you know it’s just flattery, there’s no way to refute it.
"What is it, tell me."
"About this case, I’m puzzled about something. I can guess why the killer would cut off the victim’s head and hands, but why the feet? I checked the skeleton closely and found that on both of her shin bones, around the age of ten, there were signs of healed fractures or cracks. What do you think caused them?
"Wait, I’ll send you some photos and a video. The location of the fractures and cracks—one is in the middle, the other is at the bottom, and they kind of spiral around the shin bone, somewhat like a helical shape."
As he spoke, Xia Momo had already sent two photos and a video to He Shancun. After some time reviewing them, He Shancun said,
"I’ll be honest, I think I’ve seen such cracks before. They don’t seem to be caused by trauma from a bump or hit. Let me study the video and photos, then send me the X-rays too. I’ll consult with someone from the hospital and search for similar cases I’ve encountered before."
Just then, Zhu Xingxing walked in carrying a bucket, yanking off her gas mask with some excitement and bringing the bucket over to Zhou Ning.
"Chief, didn’t you ask me to clean out these two fillers? I’ve cleaned them out and disinfected them, but I’ve found what seems to be writing on them."
"Writing? What kind of writing?"
