By the reservoir!
Zheng Yuanqiao stared at the rippling water, exceptionally troubled!
He clearly had a square face, very upright, but at this moment he looked like the bitterest bitter gourd.
His tightly furrowed brows couldn't be smoothed out no matter how the cool breeze blew.
"Ah~"
This detective captain, what a job!"
It was just past three in the morning today when he was startled awake from a nightmare.
The dream brought together almost all the murder scenes he had encountered in his more than twenty years as a detective.
Dismemberment, corpse abuse, human flesh delivery, blood splatters, human bone trees, human skin hats…
Criminals and victims in the dream all laughed ferociously, wielding electric saws, axes, hammers, and watermelon knives, using all their killing methods to attack him.
Tragic!
Horrifying to behold!
After waking up, Zheng Yuanqiao had a bad premonition!
Sure enough, at five in the morning, he received a call from the detachment leader: a crushed skull had been found on the 245 National Highway.
The case was handed over to him!
Upon arriving at the scene, Zheng Yuanqiao, who hadn't yet recovered from his nightmare, felt another heavy stone in his heart.
The deceased was even more tragic than he had been in his dream!
The crime scene, in terms of its brutality, could rank among the top three of all the cases he had ever dealt with!
Especially the eyeball in the drainage ditch; Zheng Yuanqiao, fearing the team members would be traumatized, personally retrieved it.
Even now, he felt that pupil staring at him…
It seemed to be scrutinizing him!
And it also seemed to be supervising him to solve the case!
Unfortunately, even now, he hadn't even identified the victim.
"I don't know when we'll find the body!
Or, did the killer come here not to dispose of a body at all?"
Zheng Yuanqiao looked at the busy frogmen and police officers in the cold reservoir, his brows furrowed so tightly they seemed capable of pinching the cool breeze.
The dullness in his chest and the anxiety in his heart grew stronger and stronger!
"Detective Zheng, don't worry, we will definitely find the body!"
The frogman captain next to him offered him a cigarette.
He lit it!
As the smoke entered his lungs, the dullness in Zheng Yuanqiao's heart eased slightly:
"Liu Neng, just this morning!
If we don't find the body by this morning, there's no need to waste time here.
Although this reservoir is large, without a boat, the killer could only have thrown the body near the edge.
The search area is actually very small."
Liu Neng, the frogman captain, nodded.
He was actually surprised too; more than ten frogmen had been in the water for several hours.
Logically, there should have been some discovery!
Soon, nearly two hours passed.
Although it wasn't yet ten o'clock, the outer perimeter of the reservoir had basically been searched.
Still no discovery!
"Team Zheng, let's continue searching the central area of the reservoir!
Perhaps the killer prepared his own crossing tools and disposed of the body in the center of the reservoir!"
Liu Neng suggested, about to casually toss away the finished cigarette butt.
"Don't litter!"
Zheng Yuanqiao pulled out a metal box from his pocket, which looked very much like a cigarette case; with a press on the side, the top opened.
Liu Neng obediently threw the cigarette butt inside, seeing that it contained more than ten cigarette butts, all of Team Zheng's creations from the morning.
Zheng Yuanqiao put away the metal box, his brows furrowing tighter and tighter!
Those investigating nearby surveillance!
Those screening villagers!
Those identifying physical evidence in the laboratory!
As well as the reward for clues that had been issued!
Currently, there was no feedback!
It seemed there were no other better investigative directions.
Although he felt that the possibility of the killer disposing of the body in the center of the reservoir was not high.
But Zheng Yuanqiao finally nodded:
"Search the center of the reservoir!
Still until noon; if we still don't find it, we'll really have to give up here."
"Okay!" Liu Neng immediately arranged for the frogmen to go to the center of the reservoir.
Zheng Yuanqiao took out another cigarette, but before he could light it, his phone suddenly rang.
110 Command Center?
A new case?
Or a clue?
"Hello, this is Zheng Yuanqiao from the First Detachment…"
"Hmm? Someone reported a crucial clue?"
"The dumping site might not be in the reservoir, but in the upstream river channel?"
"What's the basis…"
"The informant mentioned keywords like 245 National Highway, turn-off, reservoir, headless body?"
"The time, early morning, also matches!"
"Okay, I'll immediately send people to dredge the reed beds."
"By the way…"
Zheng Yuanqiao thought for a moment:
"Find the cyber investigation team and check the identity of the informant.
If he can state so much case-related information at once, if he's not an eyewitness, then he's very likely the killer!"
After hanging up, Zheng Yuanqiao immediately told Liu Neng to take the frogmen with him to the reported location.
"Team Zheng, are we completely giving up here?
All the frogman brothers are going over?"
"This… one-third will go!
The reported clue might not be accurate.
And fewer frogmen are needed in the river channel!"
…
The group stepped on fallen leaves, making a "rustling" sound, occasionally accompanied by the "snap" of dry branches being broken, along with the sound of wind, birds chirping, and flowing water.
Very therapeutic!
But Zheng Yuanqiao had no mind to appreciate it.
More than anything, his heart was filled with apprehension and doubt!
They were just worrying about not finding the body, and coincidentally someone reported a clue?
Was it too much of a coincidence?
However, he also had a glimmer of hope.
If they really found the body at the reported location, that would naturally be even better!
Soon, the group arrived at the reed cluster.
Zheng Yuanqiao saw the few middle-aged fishermen from afar, confirming they hadn't come to the wrong place.
"Liu Neng, arrange for people to go into the water!"
Old Yu and the other fishermen looked at each other when they saw so many police officers arriving.
"Officers, what happened?
Do we need to make way?"
Zheng Yuanqiao thought for a moment: "It's not certain yet.
However, you'd best reel in your hooks first, to avoid hooking the frogmen."
"Then… alright!"
"What a shame for all these fish today!"
"Let's come again next time!"
…
The river channel here wasn't too wide, the depth was moderate, and there wasn't too much silt.
The search difficulty was much lower than in the reservoir below.
"Hey, what do you see here?"
A frogman quickly pulled a large, heavy mass from the bottom of the water.
Another frogman helped to bring it ashore.
"Found it?"
"A hiking backpack? Is there a body inside?"
"The informant's information is that accurate?"
The officers on shore immediately gathered around.
Zheng Yuanqiao also excitedly stepped forward, but looking at the thick algae on the surface of the hiking backpack, he frowned slightly.
The excited frogman opened the zipper, and his face immediately fell.
It was all miscellaneous items inside!
Food, water, a tent, warm clothing, and other hiking gear!
"It should be a hiker's backpack that accidentally fell into the water.
At least two or three years old!"
Zheng Yuanqiao lit a cigarette.
Liu Neng was greatly disappointed: "Keep searching!"
But the scope of this river channel was only so large, and the frogmen didn't find any more suspicious objects for a long time.
"Team Zheng, I think we should go back to the reservoir below!
A large area in the center of the reservoir still hasn't been dredged.
And that informant is probably unreliable.
It's possible he's deliberately lying."
Liu Neng followed Zheng Yuanqiao, who was pacing and smoking by the river, and suggested.
Zheng Yuanqiao didn't speak, finally stopping at a point where the river channel jutted into the reeds.
His smoking motion immediately stopped.
"Hmm?"
Although it was only a few steps from the side, standing here seemed a bit more comfortable than beside it.
Zheng Yuanqiao's eyes were brighter than a cigarette butt:
"The location the informant mentioned seems to be right here!"
"Liu Neng, have the frogman brothers focus their search on this section of the river!"
"No problem!"
Liu Neng immediately went to arrange it.
"However, Team Zheng, we've already searched here!
This river channel isn't very wide.
Relatively speaking, a whole body is quite large, and my brothers here are very experienced in dredging; it's unlikely they would miss it."
Zheng Yuanqiao exhaled a puff of smoke, understanding that Liu Neng still preferred the reservoir below.
He himself was actually unsure now!
Liu Neng continued:
"Team Zheng, if I were the killer, such a large body would definitely be safer to dump in the reservoir.
Searching here, I feel, is a waste of time!"
Zheng Yuanqiao's smoking motion suddenly paused:
"Liu Neng, have the frogmen search further downstream."
"Ah?
Team Zheng, what do you mean?"
"What you just said is very true.
A whole body is indeed not suitable for dumping in the river.
So perhaps, the killer didn't dump an intact body, but… body parts!"
Zheng Yuanqiao's eyes were brighter than ever before:
"We previously thought this was a murder and beheading case!
The killer and victim had a deep hatred, which led to the beheading.
But is it possible that this is a dismemberment case?!
The beheading was just part of the dismemberment.
And the dismemberment was to make it easier and more covert to dump the body in the river!"
"If it's dismembered, this river channel is narrower, and further downstream there's a bend.
The current is relatively swifter!
Body parts might be washed further downstream?
Detective Zheng, that makes sense!"
Liu Neng's eyes also lit up, and he immediately had the frogmen search further downstream.
The frogmen didn't understand why, but still followed the instructions.
This time, in less than ten minutes, a gasp of surprise came from downstream:
"Found it!"
Having the experience with the hiking backpack, everyone didn't rush to get excited, but looked in that direction.
Then, everyone's eyes widened!
They saw a frogman, still in the river, but his right arm, clad in a pitch-black wetsuit, had emerged from the flowing water!
The key was!
He was holding a pale white, slender arm with pink lacerations on its surface!