Chapter 23: The Underground Garage

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Upon seeing the prompt box before her, Tang Jianing roughly simulated the location. The murderer had used a method to lure the victim into this wooden cabin, then suddenly plunged a dagger into the heart from behind. Blood splattered around as the dagger was withdrawn. What did the killer do next? After a moment of thought, Tang Jianing touched the ground with her finger.

[The drag marks from the corpse remain quite distinct, even after a long time.]

Yes, it was certain! The murderer had dealt a fatal stab here, then dragged the body out of the cabin. Contemplating the approximate build of the killer, Tang Jianing then stepped outside. Scanning the road ahead, she quickly arrived at the street.

However, there was no shelter here; the passage of time and weather had erased almost all traces. Tang Jianing’s gaze lingered for a while before she turned to Da Hu.

“Are there any intersections from this road leading to the city?”

“Yes. From here to the city, there are three intersections: the first is the ring road, the second the expressway entrance, and the third the outer ring road.”

All three intersections, six junctions in total, lead to the city center. The daily traffic was easily in the tens of thousands. Tracing the killer’s path through marks on the road was practically impossible.

After a moment’s reflection, Tang Jianing headed toward the car. “Let’s go to the next crime scene.”

Hearing her instruction, Da Hu nodded and quickly followed. The car restarted, speeding along until it stopped in front of an abandoned factory.

“This factory was abandoned about five years ago. The owner ran off owing debts, and a contract dispute has prevented anyone from taking over since,” Da Hu explained.

“The crime scene is in the employee shower room over there. There’s a lot of blood spatter, and the luminol test reacted strongly in many spots.”

By the time Da Hu finished, they had entered the shower room. In the north, employee shower facilities were usually divided into two parts: first, the changing room, where workers would change out of their uniforms after work; second, the bathing area, with several shower heads and a modest pool.

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Typically, employees also washed their clothes here. Compared to the barely noticeable traces at previous scenes, this one was clearly preserved.

Dried blood in the pool and a long drag mark on the floor were enough to testify to the killer’s brutality. As her finger touched the pool, a blue prompt box appeared instantly.

[Scene is extremely intact, but the killer was too cunning to leave many useful traces.]

Following the blood trail, they soon reached a point where it ended abruptly. Seeing the blue prompt box mirrored the previous one, Tang Jianing frowned.

“Da Hu, how many roads lead from here to the city?”

“Two: the ring expressway and the third ring road.”

With Da Hu’s confirmation, Tang Jianing nodded. “Let’s move on to the next scene.”

This scene had been cleaned up thoroughly; the murderer likely wore rain gear or something similar to prevent blood from splattering around. Undoubtedly, the killer understood police investigative methods and had taken precautions accordingly.

“The final scene was found by our security department. It’s in a remote, unfinished project on the outskirts.”

“No reagents needed; the blood spatter is obvious. Lu Yu examined it and said it’s very likely from one of the victims.”

As Da Hu explained, the car stopped in front of an abandoned, stalled construction site. They followed a concrete path into the underground parking garage.

Da Hu switched on a powerful flashlight. The scene made Tang Jianing’s expression grow grave.

The ceiling, walls, and surrounding area were visibly splattered with blood. Dried and coagulated, it stood out starkly in the unfinished basement. Looking at the dark brown blood stains on the wall, Tang Jianing took a deep breath and touched the surface.

This time, the blue prompt box appeared with hints of purple, and a line of text emerged.

[At least three individuals’ blood is mixed here, revealing the killer’s cruelty!]

The rare use of purple in the prompt box made Tang Jianing extremely cautious. She carefully examined the entire area and soon uncovered two important clues.

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One was a blue prompt box that appeared on a rotting shoe she found.

[Shoe stained with the victim’s blood; can not only confirm identity but may reveal other evidence.]

The other, also a blue prompt box, was on a peculiar woman’s wallet containing a student ID and a hotel key card.

[Hotel key card from a hotel near the school. Looks like it was for a date with her boyfriend?]

Tang Jianing placed the items safely into a bag and then turned to leave the underground garage.

“Let’s head to the Criminal Investigation Department.”

Da Hu noticed Tang Jianing’s clearly somber expression and immediately abandoned any urge to question her, pressing the accelerator toward the department.

Though Tang Jianing did not consider herself a good person—her father had a violent past overseas, and she was gradually taking over some of those affairs—her usual approach with troublemakers was to break a leg or two at the very least.

But these girls had done nothing wrong. One could argue they were poor choices, trading their bodies for money, but that was neither heinous nor a crime warranting death. Seeing the remains had stirred a fierce anger within Tang Jianing, but years of being a wealthy young lady had tempered her spirit enough to keep it somewhat controlled.

Yet having witnessed the brutal crime scenes in person and learning how these girls were slaughtered by such a fiend, her fury finally burst forth uncontrollably.

The car quickly arrived outside the Criminal Investigation Department. Tang Jianing picked up her phone and dialed Liu Yufeng.

“Hello?”

“I’m outside the Criminal Investigation Department. Can you pick me up?”

“Okay, I’m on my way!”

They had spent three days reviewing surveillance footage without finding a single useful lead. Tang Jianing’s sudden appearance clearly meant she had uncovered something significant.

Soon, Liu Yufeng appeared outside the security booth. After a brief exchange, the barrier gate slowly lifted.

With Da Hu flooring the accelerator, the car pulled into the parking lot. Tang Jianing stepped out, her expression heavy with gravity.