Free Web NovelChapter 44: Chapter 44 The Extra Mobile Phone _1
The body was finally bagged.
Several people carried the body bag away, and Zhao Xinli retched twice; Zhou Ning patted his back.
"Alright, the source of the smell has been removed. Didn’t you say there were three victims? Where are the others?"
Zhao Xinli pointed to the bus and at the side of the road, saying:
"When the 120 emergency team arrived at the scene, the bus driver surnamed Gao still showed signs of life, but he passed away as soon as he was lifted onto the ambulance. His body is now at the hospital.
The other victim was the driver of a white sedan. This forklift was originally chasing after this white car, pricking up the vehicle, tossing it high into the air. When we arrived at the scene, we found the driver’s head attached only by a piece of skin, so we did not move him."
Zhou Ning paused.
"The forklift kept chasing this white car?"
Zhao Xinli nodded.
"I followed and watched the surveillance footage. When the forklift reached the intersection, it charged straight into the opposite lane, picked up the white car, and started circling the intersection.
The lifting arm of the forklift kept shaking up and down, and after tossing the white car aside, it stabbed the fork into the side window. Then the forklift driver began to ram into things randomly, he looked insane."
Zhou Ning didn’t say anything. At that moment, the police officer who was arranging signs outside seemed to have finished; Zhao Xinli went over to take pictures. Zhou Ning checked around the bus; Zhao Xinli had already inspected the inside, as there were number plates scattered throughout the wrecked cabin.
For such a severe accident where both the perpetrator and victims had died, it was, in a way, an easier case for them to pacify the public with. After all, its replicability and danger had ended, and even though there was some pressure, it was within controllable limits.
However, the scene needed to be cleared as quickly as possible, as the longer the blockade lasted, the more uncontrollable the brewing of the incident became.
Zhou Ning walked towards the white Passat. Bloodstains covered the door outside the driver’s seat, all the windows were shattered, and the tires had burst. As Zhou Ning squatted closer, the horrific sight made him take a sharp breath.
Damn, this is too tragic!
The victim was wearing a suit; his white shirt had turned blood-red. His head was tilted to one side, two-thirds of his neck was severed, and the cut was not clean. Blood was everywhere on the car roof, steering wheel, and front seats.
The victim’s hands were tightly clutching the steering wheel, remaining in the final state before death. A conspicuous green Rolex watch was on his wrist.
Zhao Xinli came over, not looking into the car, but passed over the camera instead.
Zhou Ning didn’t waste time, quickly started taking pictures, then opened the car door, and had Zhao Xinli prepare a body bag. Just as he leaned in to unbuckle the seatbelt, he noticed that the central armrest compartment was open and inside, there was a broken-screen cell phone and an envelope.
He instinctively looked up and noticed the new Fruit 4 model phone in the vent; it matched what he would expect from the victim, but whose was the broken-screen phone?
Zhou Ning bagged the two phones and the envelope in evidence bags and then slowly released the seatbelt. The victim didn’t slide down; Zhou Ning breathed a sigh of relief and moved away from the car door.
"Be careful lifting, you guys take the body, and I’ll take the head. Let’s synchronize our movements as much as possible; any secondary damage could affect the autopsy."
Everyone nodded, crowded forward; the victim was tall, his head rising ten centimeters above the headrest while sitting. A person got on the passenger side, and the body was smoothly lifted down. Zhou Ning arranged the victim’s head before zipping up the body bag.
"Let’s go, tell Mr. Xu that this white Passat and the forklift need to be taken back together. As for the bus, let’s leave it; we don’t have space for it in our yard anymore."
Zhao Xinli nodded.
"Okay, you go first; I still have a few photos to take. Afterwards, I’ll have them start clearing up the scene. We’ll send the bus to the vehicle management office’s parking lot, cover it temporarily. But what about the insurance company? They need photos; should we allow them onto the scene?"
"Take the photos for them; don’t let anyone in. Pack all the glass and various fragments found here and make sure nothing is left behind."
Zhao Xinli was most adept at this task. He ran off quickly and started directing the four teams to gather fragments from the periphery towards the center, which was exactly in line with all the other arrangements.
Zhou Ning walked up to Xu Dayuan, and Mr. Chen, the team leader, also joined in, stripping off his gear as he spoke.
"Mr. Xu, preliminary inspection of the scene has been completed. We found bottles filled with gasoline and incendiary devices. Regarding the identities of the perpetrator and victims, as well as the surveillance footage from that time, please send me a copy. I’ll head back for the autopsy now. ƒrēewebnovel.com
I’ll likely finish around ten o’clock tonight. As for the two vehicles, as soon as I’m done with the autopsies, I’ll start a thorough second inspection. Let’s not miss any details."
Xu Dayuan nodded.
"Although the murderer and the victim are both obvious, the case still needs to be investigated carefully. At the very least, we need to understand the reason for the murderer’s madness. I’ve arranged for Zhao Xinli and Mr. Liu to follow you and help out. No matter how late the autopsy is completed, send the samples for testing immediately. The department has already explained the situation to the testing center."
"We don’t need to wait for the victim’s family to sign a consent form?"
Xu Dayuan waved his hand.
"The case is clear cut. Just proceed with the dissection. I’ll take responsibility for any issues. Isn’t that what you’ve been waiting for me to say?"
Zhou Ning smiled slightly, comforted by these words.
"Then, Mr. Xu, I’ll be going now. Please have someone look after my master. He’s been injured again after a few months, and I’m really worried about him."
Xu Dayuan waved his hand, his expression somewhat troubled.
"Who knew that forklift driver would be so crazy. The paramedics from the 120 emergency service had already checked and found no signs of life, only for it to turn out he was faking his death. Once he woke up, he set fire to the gasoline. Anyway, you go attend to your duties, I’ve asked Mr. Feng to take care of Doctor Liu."
Zhou Ning shrank his neck and stared at Xu Dayuan, unsure whether to praise his careful planning or question his common sense.
"Mr. Xu, it would be better to assign someone else, otherwise Doctor Liu is going to face a lot of questioning afterwards."
Xu Dayuan looked surprised, and then he laughed, slapping Zhou Ning on the shoulder.
"Get lost, you sly kid. No need to worry. Doctor Liu’s wife won’t overthink it, they are distantly related after all."
Zhou Ning realized the situation and, without further ado, quickly followed Zhao Xinli into the car, leaving with the police lights flashing.
After the crashed vehicles had been cleared from the road, traffic began to flow through one lane. The traffic jam at the intersection gradually eased. Mr. Chen poked Xu Dayuan’s arm.
"Mr. Xu, today’s incident is quite strange. I’ve just watched the surveillance footage twice. That forklift driver was chasing the white Passat from the moment it entered the frame, and afterwards, there was a chase at the intersection.
Even when he first hit other cars, it seemed to be in pursuit of the white Passat. This doesn’t look like drunk driving or road rage. I have a feeling they knew each other. I’ve had someone blow up the surveillance images and sent them to you. Take a look!"
Xu Dayuan frowned deeply.
"Send me the video and those screenshots to this email address." freeweɓnovel.cøm
Mr. Chen looked surprised, as if he had figured something out.
"Are you talking about that young forensic doctor? Are you really putting that much trust in this kid who’s been on the job for less than a year?"
Xu Dayuan gave him a glance.
"You don’t know squat. That kid is a lucky charm. In several previous cases, he’s found details others missed. You were involved in that illegal car-racing case on the North Outer Ring, weren’t you? It was him who found the stab wound between the victim’s ribs, which led us to not just treat it as a traffic accident."
Mr. Chen appeared startled, then leaned in closer, scrutinizing Xu Dayuan’s face thoroughly.
"I’m aware of that case, but what are you implying? Are you suggesting this case isn’t straightforward and might have some hidden complications?"
Xu Dayuan shook his head.
"Stop asking. Let’s wait until the autopsy is finished before we discuss it further. Also, we need to look into the victim’s identity. Hurry up and check out the white Passat driver’s information. As for the forklift driver, I will handle it. So many elderly people were injured – not to mention anything else, the case report needs to be sent out promptly, and we can follow up with further investigation afterwards."
Mr. Chen snorted and put on his cap.
"Quit beating around the bush. If you’re not willing to disclose more, just say so. I’m not trying to poach from your team. I’ve already sent you the information by text; you just haven’t looked at it yet. Anyway, it’s tricky to find information on that forklift driver – the fork truck wasn’t displaying a license plate in the surveillance footage."
Xu Dayuan laughed and waved to Mr. Chen.
"Alright, I need to head out. You keep busy. I have to be cautious, you know. Doctor Lu told me that people are looking to poach Doctor Zhou. Mr. Liu is about to retire, and if we lose him, how am I supposed to get work done? This would only cause chaos."
Only then did Mr. Chen realize, and he immediately understood Xu Dayuan’s concern. They were both in the field, and losing capable staff to poaching was a real threat.
"Understood. You go ahead. But remember, don’t cause me trouble in the case report. Especially, don’t mention anything about traffic police being on the scene; otherwise, those with an agenda might interpret it in their own way."
