Chapter 395: Chapter 374: Just like how we coordinated yesterday!
At nine in the morning, inside the City Police Department, Xiao Lin appeared right on time in the central hall. He stood there for a while, yet no one paid him any attention. Since when had the police station become so busy? People were just starting work at this time!
"Excuse me, where is Officer Wu Shuang?"
"Who are you?"
"Xiao Lin, I had an appointment with her at nine yesterday."
"Oh, at the underground morgue, she said you should go directly there."
"The morgue?" Xiao Lin was a bit surprised.
"I’ll take you there." The young officer stopped at the entrance to the basement stairs. "Go down the stairs, it’s the first door you see, Officer Wu is in the second lab." With that, he dashed off.
Places underground always seemed cold and damp; he felt a chill in the air. Dead bodies aren’t scary at all; he’s rolled around in piles of corpses before. But meeting there so early in the morning—what was this woman thinking?
The second lab!
It was similar to a hospital’s operating room, just without all the medical equipment. There were more tools like electric saws and hammers. A person in a green surgical gown and a mask was performing an autopsy on a corpse, and Wu Shuang was standing by, signaling him to remain silent upon seeing him.
"The cut entered from the front, the trachea was severed on the spot, so there were no signs." A splash of blood spurted out; the forensic doctor calmly pressed a blood-absorbing cloth over the cut. "The jaw is dislocated, there’s a black substance in the teeth, possibly a toxic material." They removed a sharp object from a metal tray nearby and placed it in a container. "From the left shoulder to the chest, there’s a tattoo, a lion’s head motif. No other direct fatal injuries."
The forensic doctor pressed a recording device and handed a handwritten report to Wu Shuang. "Time of death was around five in the morning, cause of death was the severed trachea from a sharp weapon." After speaking, he looked at Xiao Lin briefly and exited the lab.
The corpse lay there on the table, the incised areas still oozing blood, but not as vividly colored. "He’s dead?" Xiao Lin walked to the corpse’s side; the tattoo already confirmed the identity for him.
"Died in the station?"
"What are you trying to say?" Wu Shuang asked Xiao Lin, sensitive to his tone.
"Nothing I wish to say." Xiao Lin remained silent about the matter.
"Yesterday..."
"Do we need to talk about it here?" It was clear Wu Shuang hadn’t slept all night, the dark circles under her eyes were deep. His cold expression surprised Wu Shuang a bit, but she didn’t press further and instead returned to her office first.
This was Xiao Lin’s first time in Wu Shuang’s office area. Despite frequenting the City Police Department, he’d never been here before. The presence of plants made the office feel less formal; neatly organized files were stored in cabinets, and documents and photos were spread out on the desk: "Were you here all night?"
"Only for a few hours, I’m not going back." Wu Shuang brewed herself a cup of coffee: "Help yourself if you want some."
"Alright." Xiao Lin poured himself a cup of black coffee from the drip machine and sat across from Wu Shuang.
"The deceased was from the Liger Gang."
"I know." Wu Shuang rubbed her forehead wearily; a death in the station was bad news. "How did Lao Chen die?"
"Officer Wu should be aware of the Fei Feng Gang!" Wu Shuang nodded to show she understood.
"Oh? Is that so?" Wu Shuang blinked. Whether she admitted it or not, this man wouldn’t do anything pointless, prompting her to ask, "What are you trying to say?"
"Lao Chen was about to reveal who bought drugs from him when he was shot."
"So you’re saying the person who killed him is..."
"No, that person is already dead at the station."
"I still don’t quite understand what you mean." The connections were confusing, and on the surface, there seemed to be no link.
"Lao Chen once hinted to me that the person buying drugs was around forty years old, had a Jiangling accent, and carried a certain fragrance. Officer Wu, does this remind you of anyone?"
"There are many people like that, not necessarily the wanted criminal."
"Does Officer Wu remember the previous serial murder case?"
Wu Shuang groaned; the case had left her dizzy with no clues, but hearing Xiao Lin’s words, she raised an eyebrow: "Are you saying it’s the same person?"
"On the night of the crime, Lao Chen saw this person with a woman, and a minor dispute occurred. The murderer had a dragon tattoo on his arm."
"Wasn’t Poison Dragon already dead?" Wu Shuang stared at Xiao Lin in shock, but he just shook his head.
"The one who died was a decoy for Poison Dragon."
"It was a coincidence; the Liger Gang intended to kill me. But due to poor visibility, they mistakenly killed Lao Chen." Once Xiao Lin noticed the deceased’s tattoo, he confirmed his suspicions. Lao Chen was just a bystander who became a scapegoat.
"So was the earlier shooting and stalking incident also by the Liger Gang?"
"Poison Dragon and Zhang Teng both have ample reasons to want me dead. It’s not impossible they joined forces." Xiao Lin paused, "But I suspect there’s someone orchestrating things behind the scenes."
"You mean..."
"Shh!" Xiao Lin shook his head at her, "Don’t voice your speculation. I can, but you can’t."
Wu Shuang was no fool, she grasped Xiao Lin’s implication. She couldn’t help but worry for the man in front of her.
"Leave this matter to me. I’m sure Director Lin has informed you to cooperate fully with me, right?" Xiao Lin winked at Wu Shuang. With a clear direction set, it was time to root out the problem completely, avoiding future troubles.
"How do you want me to assist?" Wu Shuang nodded, asking.
"Keep your phone on 24/7, be ready at any time." Xiao Lin drank his coffee with a frown, "Just like yesterday, we cooperated seamlessly!"
"You!" Wu Shuang felt exasperated, what did he mean by seamlessly, this scoundrel. "If you dare to mention yesterday ever again, I’ll make sure you can’t call yourself a man for the rest of your life."
Women really are petty creatures; Xiao Lin didn’t intend to bicker with her further and went straight to the point: "Now, the first thing to do is convince Lin Jiaqi’s parents to file a report."
"Why?" It’s rare for anyone to come forward, after all, it doesn’t look good if it gets out.
"Out of the three parties, Zhang Teng is actually the easiest to eliminate. Don’t forget what role Poison Dragon plays; how do you play if you don’t pull the strings?"
"If the victim doesn’t willingly report it, we can’t file a case." Wu Shuang sounded troubled.
"Oh, that’s easy; just check Lin Jiaqi’s family accounts, and you’ll find an unexpected deposit." Xiao Lin pointed out an angle to Wu Shuang, "I shouldn’t need to teach you the rest, right?" (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you’re welcome to visit Qidian () to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)