152. Division of Labor and Cooperation

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Moon River was one of Island City’s attractions. Its lower reaches formed an ecological wetland surrounded by beautiful scenery. The abundant fish and shrimp in the river provided ample food for various migratory birds, and people often came nearby to fish, camp, and take photographs.

By the time Han Bin and the others arrived, a cordon had already been put up. Since the riverbank was surrounded by wetlands, cars could not get close, so Han Bin and the others had to walk over. A considerable crowd had gathered outside the cordon to watch.

Inside the cordon were members of Criminal Investigation Unit One, the Forensics Team, and officers from a nearby police station—more than a dozen people in all.

“Tsk, tsk... Our last female-corpse case didn’t call for anything like this,” Li Hui smacked his lips.

“There was a strong possibility that the woman in that case had committed suicide, and it wasn’t formally opened as a criminal investigation until midway through. Naturally, it can’t compare with this case. Besides, the killer in this one is far more vicious,” Han Bin said.

“That’s true. The poor man doesn’t even have a head. Whoever did this was ruthless.” Without realizing it, Li Hui slowed his pace and fell a step behind Han Bin.

He wasn’t afraid of murder scenes, but there was something deeply unsettling about a headless corpse.

Among the members of Group Two, Li Hui’s courage was only average. The bravest of them all was actually Zhao Ming, the smallest man in the group.

If Zhao Ming had been there, he would certainly have been the first to go over and examine the body.

“Well, look who it is. Zheng, your team got here pretty quickly,” Li Zhankun called, turning to size up Zheng Kaixuan, Han Bin, and the others.

“Li, what’s the situation?”

“Dr. Wu is conducting the autopsy, and the Forensics Team is taking photographs. The body’s over there. Go have a look for yourself.” Li Zhankun pointed toward the distance.

Zheng Kaixuan nodded and led Han Bin and the others over to examine the corpse.

At the edge of the riverbank lay a male corpse, its head pointing east and its feet west, sprawled on its back beside the water. The dead man was still fully clothed, but after being submerged for so long, the body had decomposed extensively.

Wei Zimo pinched his nose and muttered, “Good Lord, what a smell.”

“The body’s already rotted away. Even if it had a head, we probably wouldn’t be able to recognize the face,” Li Hui said with a frown.

“Technology keeps advancing. I heard that the police in Guangzhou can now use cranial reconstruction to restore a general image of a deceased person’s face,” Han Bin said.

“That kind of technology is good for listening to rumors about. Our precinct probably can’t afford it,” Li Hui said, shaking his head.

“When all is said and done, it’s a matter of funding,” Sun Xing said with a shrug.

“Stop standing around talking nonsense. Come here.” Zheng Kaixuan barked at them.

Han Bin put on a pair of gloves and walked toward the body. The stench was indeed sharp enough to make his eyes water.

The dead man’s hands had been bound with blue nylon cord. He wore a gray sneaker only on his left foot, while a length of blue nylon cord was tied around his right ankle. The other end had snapped off.

Wu Xia had already completed the preliminary autopsy and was packing up her instruments nearby.

Han Bin and Zheng Kaixuan crouched down and examined the body as well, turning it over and searching it carefully. They found neither anything that could establish the man’s identity nor any valuable trace evidence.

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Li Hui came over too and inspected the corpse. He examined it very carefully and did not merely go through the motions, though his expression was rather grim.

It was the first time since joining the police that Li Hui had encountered a case in such a complicated state.

Once they had finished, no one was willing to remain beside the body any longer. It was a natural human reaction. They all moved aside to discuss the case.

Zheng Kaixuan stood with Li Zhankun, while the other officers gathered around them.

Zheng Kaixuan removed his gloves and asked, “Who discovered the body?”

“A young couple came here to fish and camp. Before they could even get a bite, they found a headless male corpse. The man was so frightened that he wet himself right there, and the woman kept shouting that she wanted to break up. After taking their statements, I let them leave.” Li Zhankun looked both amused and helpless.

“Captain Li, he really wet himself?” Li Hui asked in astonishment.

“Of course. His trousers were soaked. What do you think—was I making it up?” Li Zhankun replied.

Li Hui unconsciously straightened his back a little.

“Dr. Wu, what did the autopsy reveal?” Zheng Kaixuan asked.

“I’ve only completed a preliminary examination. The deceased was a man approximately forty years old. He had probably been dead for about twenty days. There were no fatal injuries on the body, and he didn’t drown. To determine the exact cause of death, we’ll first have to find the victim’s head.” Wu Xia opened the autopsy report and gave them a brief summary.

“How was the man’s neck severed?” Li Zhankun pressed.

“Judging by the shape of the wound, it was probably done with a sharp weapon resembling an ax.”

“Were there any signs of a struggle?” Han Bin asked.

“No.”

“That suggests the victim probably knew the suspect and was caught off guard before the attack,” Zheng Kaixuan said, taking over.

“Did the Forensics Team find anything?” Li Zhankun asked.

“We collected the victim’s fingerprints and DNA, as well as fibers from his clothing and the cord. We also photographed and documented the scene, but we found nothing that could establish the victim’s identity,” Lu Wen replied.

“Compare the victim’s fingerprints and DNA against the database and see whether we can identify him,” Li Zhankun ordered.

“Yes, sir.”

After the medical examiner and forensic technicians had reported their findings, they returned to the precinct, leaving the scene in the hands of the Criminal Investigation Unit.

“Li, you got here before I did. Did you find anything else at the scene?” Zheng Kaixuan asked.

“The victim had a blue nylon cord tied around his right foot. The other end had snapped off. I suspect it was originally attached to a heavy object,” Li Zhankun said.

“Hmm. It’s quite possible that the heavy object broke loose, allowing the body to rise to the surface,” Zheng Kaixuan said.

“Did your team find anything else?” Li Zhankun asked in return.

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Zheng Kaixuan did not answer. Instead, he turned to Han Bin. “Han Bin, what did you find?”

Han Bin wasn’t sure whether Zheng Kaixuan had nothing else to add or was simply giving him a chance to distinguish himself. After gathering his thoughts, he said:

“Under normal circumstances, if this were a kidnapping murder or a revenge killing, the victim would have been bound from behind. But this man’s hands were tied in front of him. That suggests he was bound while in a state of complete compliance. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have willingly allowed someone to tie him up.”

Zheng Kaixuan nodded. This was useful in analyzing both the cause of death and the sequence of events.

Li Zhankun smiled and looked Han Bin over. “Not bad, young man. Anything else?”

Han Bin did not hold back. He swept his gaze over the surrounding area. “I don’t think this was the original dumping site.”

Li Zhankun regarded him critically. “And your reason?”

“First, the water here is relatively shallow, so the body would have risen to the surface easily. Second, the riverbank is surrounded by wetlands, making it difficult to use a vehicle to dispose of a body. Moreover, this area attracts a great many visitors. It isn’t an ideal place to dump a corpse.” Han Bin spoke with calm confidence.

“Han Bin is right. Finding the original dumping site is important. It could provide clues to the victim’s identity,” Zheng Kaixuan said, his expression encouraging.

Han Bin continued, “I believe the body was probably dumped upstream on Moon River and drifted here with the current.”

“Han Bin, was it? That was a good analysis. You have quite a bit of my old style in you.” Li Zhankun smiled and suggested, “How about we divide the work between our two teams? Criminal Investigation Unit One will investigate the victim’s identity, while your team investigates the dumping site.”

“Agreed,” Zheng Kaixuan replied.

“Zheng, keep in touch. If you get any new leads, remember to let me know.” With that, Li Zhankun led the members of Unit One away.

After watching Unit One depart, Zheng Kaixuan turned to the others. “You heard him. Our task now is to find the dumping site.”

“Captain Zheng, it looks like Unit One wants to compete with us,” Wei Zimo muttered, stroking his chin.

“Put away those petty thoughts of yours. We’re dividing the work and cooperating. Cooperation comes first. Understood?” Zheng Kaixuan snorted.

“If we solve the case jointly with Unit One, who gets the credit?” Li Hui pressed.

“You don’t need to worry about that. Director Dai is leading the task force. His eyes are sharp, and he’ll naturally divide the credit fairly. Work hard, do your best, and perform well. That alone will bring honor to our team.” As he spoke, Zheng Kaixuan glanced at the body camera. The thing was not there for decoration.

Director Dai was not at the scene, but that did not mean he was unaware of what was happening there...

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