Free Web NovelChapter 277: Chapter 274: Crescent Pattern_1
Zhou Ning quickly lifted the bag and walked under the LED light to take a close look, discovering that the blood fingerprint’s pattern was unclear, resembling a droplet of blood.
No wonder Xu Guanhai didn’t mention this blood print; he probably thought that a fingerprint without a discernible pattern wasn’t worth collecting.
However, upon closer examination, the entire lower part of the fingerprint was horizontal with no vertical lines rising and falling, a discovery that brightened Zhou Ning’s eyes.
Although the upper part was not visible, this was enough to prove that the owner of the fingerprint was very likely to have a bow-shaped pattern.
"I suspect that the killer has a bow-shaped pattern," he said.
Those around him all drew in a sharp breath and hurried over to look. Xia Momo and Mr. Qu glanced at each other, looking somewhat bewildered. Xia Momo turned to Zhou Ning and asked,
"Are people with bow-shaped patterns very unusual?"
Zhou Ning nodded.
"The majority of people have either whorl or loop fingerprints, which is what we refer to as fighting and winnowin baskets. Only about 5% of people worldwide have bow-shaped patterns. These fingerprints are characterized by the gradual decrease in the arc radius of the lines from the fingertip to the knuckle, running parallel to the flexion creases of the knuckle near the joint.
If you draw a straight line connecting the most protruding points formed by the majority of the arches as a central axis, depending on their inclination, you can divide them into left-leaning, right-leaning, and non-leaning bow-shaped patterns. Based on the height of the central bow-shaped line, they can be categorized into low, medium, and high bow-shaped patterns."
Liu Yongxin waved his hand dismissively.
"You’re making it too complicated. To put it simply, bow-shaped patterns are fingerprints with only slight curves to their lines. It’s very rare to see such fingerprints in everyday life, and while there’s a genetic factor, it doesn’t mean everyone in the family will have them."
Xia Momo and Mr. Qu instinctively looked down at their fingers, as if they had never seen such fingerprints before.
Zhou Ning narrowed his eyes, looking at Mr. Zhao and then outside at the sky.
"Have Mr. Zhao call Director Xu. During tomorrow’s investigation, we’ll need to collect fingerprints from everyone we question in search of someone with the bow-shaped pattern."
Xia Momo stretched her neck. She had stayed up all night and rushed to Rudong City first thing in the morning, spending the day with Zhou Ning sculpting the restoration of the victim’s head. Her neck was sore and swollen, but the sight of such a unique fingerprint piqued her interest.
"I’ve never seen such a fingerprint; maybe we could run a quick search in the database."
Mr. Qu shook his head as he approached and turned the computer around. He soon realized that he was even more impatient, having already scanned the blood print and now looking to find a match in the system. However, the display showed that the fingerprint features were insufficiently captured, questioning if the search should continue despite the vagueness.
At these words, Xia Momo also sighed.
Zhou Ning raised an eyebrow.
"Speak plainly, what do you mean?"
Mr. Qu knew that although Zhou Ning had contributed to the design software, his input was directional and revolved around the combination of various collections and applications. Zhou Ning was not aware of these operational details.
"Here’s the thing. If a fingerprint has fewer than four characteristic points and the integrity of the fingerprint is less than 30%, then the results from a fuzzy search will be a very large data set.
It’s almost like not searching at all. For instance, if we suspect the person has a bow-shaped pattern, the result might be everyone in Ludong Province or even the entire country with a bow-shaped pattern. The data you see below represents the results of the fuzzy search."
Although bow-shaped patterns are rare, accounting for about 5% of the world’s population, identifying all individuals with bow-shaped patterns is still an astronomical number, making such a screening meaningless.
Zhou Ning realized this as he looked at the number pointed out by Mr. Qu, knowing that even if the killer was amongst them, it would be impossible to investigate each one individually.
"Does anyone in the Xu family have a bow-shaped pattern?"
Mr. Qu tapped on the keyboard, bringing up the fingerprints of the four Xu family members. The parents and the older brother, Xu Qing, had normal fingerprints, but Xu Dan’s file showed only the fingerprints of the left hand and the thumb and index finger of the right hand.
A note below mentioned that Xu Dan had a fracture in his right hand, the remaining three fingers were incomplete, and their prints could not be recorded, hence the special note.
Mr. Qu hastily showed Zhou Ning, who didn’t say much, since such incidents occasionally occurred, although they’re generally updated later unless the three fingers are incapable of leaving usable fingerprints.
"Okay then, let’s not search anymore for today. Hurry up and have Zhu Xingxing arrange a place for Mr. Xia to rest. Tomorrow, he’ll join the work team and be assigned to the screening process with all groups."
...
The next morning.
Everyone was assigned and dispatched, with only Liu Yongxin and Mr. Zhao accompanying Zhou Ning as they drove toward Renjiazhuang Village. It took over half an hour to cover a dozen kilometers.
Turning off Provincial Highway 213, they saw Sunshou Town Middle School to the west. Shortly after heading east and turning at the intersection, they arrived in front of the Xu family’s home.
Zhou Ning got out of the car but didn’t hurry inside. Instead, he walked a circle around the Xu family’s home. freewёbnoνel.com
The standalone house didn’t share walls with any neighbors. There were small paths on either side of the courtyard, and a ditch to the north. The nearby pig farm could be heard from here.
Liu Yongxin and Mr. Zhao followed Zhou Ning without speaking or introducing themselves, walking together toward the main entrance of the Xu Family home.
On the left was a clinic with a sign that read "Renjiazhuang Clinic," but the clinic was locked. Inside, several beds could be seen, as well as a pharmacy and a consultation room. Peering through the window, one could see the pharmacy was filled with all sorts of medications, small but complete in every detail.
The courtyard in front of the Xu Family’s residence seemed to have been renovated. In place of the original dilapidated main house, a small two-story building had been added to the front, leaving a passageway underneath that looked like a doorway, effectively creating an additional yard behind. Such an architectural style was quite different from the typical structures in Ludong, giving off the impression of a compound with two courtyards.
On one side was a garage, and on the other were the kitchen and dining room. The dining room was very spacious, suggesting that family gatherings were mostly held there.
As for the attic, it was located on the second floor of the old main house in the back.
Passing through the corridor, they arrived at the rear courtyard. As they approached this area, a faint foul smell became noticeable, mingled with the scent of sandalwood.
Zhou Ning turned his head and noticed behind the renovated second story a huge incense burner filled with a dense array of spent incense sticks, with thick layers of ash, indicating the Xu Family had been lighting a lot of sandalwood every day to remove the stench.
The effect was quite good; since the case was reported on February 28th, many days had passed, and there was still such a strong scent of sandalwood in the backyard. It must have been heavily fumigated.
Mr. Zhao came up beside Zhou Ning and pointed at the main house’s door.
"You can go through this door to access the first and second floors. To get to the attic, you have to go around the side where there is a separate wooden staircase."
Following Mr. Zhao, they climbed the wooden staircase. The higher they went, the stronger the odor became. Mr. Zhao held up the flashlight on his phone, illuminating the area before flipping a switch, and the dim attic was instantly brightened.
The clutter inside had been cleared out, with some circles and squares marked on the ground. Mr. Zhao gave a brief explanation, and Zhou Ning nodded continuously, following him to a window.
The wooden floor here was dark purple, with maggot shells around it. Surrounding the circled area on the floor, the maggot shells were arranged in a ring. Mr. Zhao squatted down closer and turned on the light to explain:
"There is an enormous quantity of maggot shells. I think it’s because the body was wrapped in a bag, cushioned below by clothing, so the space for flies to get in was somewhat limited. The flies produced a large amount of decomposing liquid while feeding on the decay, which also prolonged the decomposition time.
If it were summer, it would have taken at least more than twenty days to clean off the flesh, but in spring or autumn, it would likely be between 30-40 days."
Zhou Ning glanced at the marks on the floor and said with slightly widened eyes:
"I feel it was either late spring or early summer, or possibly late summer or early autumn when the deceased died. It must have just cooled down that day. The suit on the body is made of wool, but I always feel that the clothes weren’t his. After all, for someone of his age, wearing such an outfit seems a bit too old-fashioned. I think it was to appear formal."
Mr. Zhao was taken aback.
"Zhou Xiaozhou, when you were in the office, why didn’t you share so many judgments? Do you already have some direction in mind?"
Zhou Ning nodded.
"There were many people in the office. Besides, Doctor Xu is getting on in years, and there’s a lot I find inappropriate to say outright."
Liu Yongxin understood that his apprentice was showing him respect. Although Xu Guanhai worked hard, his abilities were average, and he was always living off past glories. He was not like Liu Yongxin, who could bear the weight of all matters in Qidong on his own.
"Don’t worry about face. Speak your mind next time. You suspect someone from the Xu Family, right?"
Zhou Ning nodded again.
"Although this house originally belonged to the patriarch of the Xu Family, I always feel that this matter has something to do with their family. I just don’t understand why. After killing the person, why didn’t they dispose of the body? Could it be that they don’t mind the stench?"
Zhao Xinli became anxious and stomped his feet as he approached Zhou Ning.
"Don’t skip ahead. I haven’t figured out what you’re talking about, and you’re already moving on to the next step with my uncle. By doing this in front of just the three of us, aren’t you excluding me? That’s too much!"
Zhou Ning laughed. Mr. Zhao always had a way of making sure he wasn’t overlooked, and he managed to do so without being off-putting.
"Last night, Mr. Qu found that there were three fingerprints on Xu Dan that couldn’t be entered into the system. I find it too coincidental, especially since the body was found in the Xu Family home. Everyone from the Xu Family is a suspect; if not criminal suspects, then at least this could be the primary crime scene. That’s why I decided to come over and have a closer look."
A realization dawned on Mr. Zhao.
"I didn’t pay attention at that time. Didn’t the report say she broke her right hand and couldn’t collect the fingerprints? Didn’t they get them later?"
Zhou Ning shook his head.
"Not in a hurry. Let’s inspect the scene first. After all, Director Xu has sent someone to take Xu Dan’s fingerprints. What’s urgent now is to find the primary crime scene. Although the attic was used to hide the body, the victim might not have been killed here.
There were components of diazepam and lidocaine in his system. For an adult male, even if he wasn’t heavy, it wouldn’t be easy to carry a fully grown man in an unconscious state to the attic. The primary crime scene might be right here in the Xu Family home."
Liu Yongxin nodded in agreement and gestured to Mr. Zhao.
"Since we cannot determine the identity of the deceased, we can only start from here. Go quickly and ask the people at the village committee downstairs when the front portion of the Xu Family house was built."
