Chapter 132

"The cause of death was excessive blood loss from the arteries at the neck. The time of death was between three and five o'clock yesterday afternoon. There are no wounds on the abdomen. The chest was cut flat, and the flesh on the inner thighs was removed. Besides that, there is no other obvious trauma on the body.

"As with the body we found earlier, the deceased's body was carefully cleaned with multiple strangulation marks. There are no traces of sexual assault on the body."

No traces of sexual assault.

Jun Zishu lightly tapped her finger against the edge of the meeting table, a heavy expression on her face.

If the perpetrator was a man, it stood to reason that he would take some physical actions when handling a naked female body. Yet, the deceased's body did not show any characteristics of having been sexually assaulted.

In that case, this might be a simple case of cannibalism, and the perpetrator's motive for the murder was purely to satisfy his perverse food cravings.

After all, who would fuck something they were going to put into their mouth?

The breasts were a secondary sexual characteristic, so was there any significance for the perpetrator to cut them off this time?

Jun Zishu was inclined to believe that the answer was no.

If the perpetrator really had an inclination for secondary sexual characteristics, why didn't he do the same to his first victim?

"What's the situation on the deceased's side?" Jun Zishu asked.

Flipping through her notebook, Yang Tianxiao answered, "Tan Linlin's uncle's family doesn't seem willing to house her in their home, and they have a bad relationship with each other. Tan Linlin knows this, so she started staying in the school dormitory ever since middle school. She also started working while studying. Tan Linlin's form teacher has a good opinion of her, and he states that she is very hard working. When the form teacher noticed Tan Linlin not returning to school on December 18, he called her uncle. After failing to get a satisfactory answer, the form teacher called the police the next day.

"Afterward, a police investigation was conducted into the matter. However, due to the snowstorm, the surveillance cameras on the school campus failed to capture a clear picture of what happened. After checking the cameras in the area, they found one camera capturing Tan Linlin getting onto a bus with a man wearing a black cotton jacket. The officers on the case initially suspected it to be trafficking, but the man kept his head lowered and his back facing the camera the entire time. This is the information I copied over from the case."

After saying so, Yang Tianxiao inserted a USB drive into her laptop and pulled up the surveillance footage she spoke of.

Projected on the screen was a man in a black cotton coat. It was impossible to see the man's face through the footage, and they could only see his stuffed coat and back.

"According to the footage, the deceased should have disappeared on the 15th, which is 16 days before we found the body. The time between Tan Linlin's disappearance and death is roughly half a month, which is similar to Chen Yang's case."

Afterward, the images of both victims' bodies were displayed on the screen, the sight ghastly.

"Let's do a summary. For now, we already know that this is a vicious serial killing cannibalism case, and the suspect is the unidentified man in the surveillance footage.

"The killer defines himself as a 'predator' and humans are his prey. Specifically, his food.

"He prefers the flesh from the inner thighs, perhaps believing that it is the tastiest."

Jun Zishu tapped her pen against the table while her other hand manipulated the mouse to change the displayed image.

"The first victim might be the killer's first attempt at cannibalism. He might have tried the taste of internal organs and disliked it, so he didn't harvest the organs of his second victim.

"The second victim suffered a loss of secondary sexual characteristics, and the killer had most likely used them as food.

"Both victims share a common feature in which they are young; one is 19, and the other is 16. Moreover, both victims are in discord with their respective families, and their families wouldn't call the police even after they go missing.

"However, the killer is becoming more and more arrogant. He is abandoning his victims' bodies in increasingly noticeable locations. He even chose a student for his second victim, whose disappearance will be noticed more easily.

"What we need to find out now is whether there is any connection between the two victims and why the killer knew about their circumstances."

"It doesn't look like they have anything in common, Chief. There's no way they would have any dealings with each other," Wang Duoduo said. According to Chen Yang's parents, Chen Yang didn't have any dealings with hard-working students.

"There must be a connection. The killer didn't choose these two people by accident. The killer is a person who acts meticulously, boldly, and inhumanely. He wouldn't have randomly chosen someone to check and target. Do everything you can to find out what this connection is."

"Roger!"

Afterward, everyone picked up their notes and left the meeting room. Meanwhile, Jun Zishu looked at the photos of Tan Linlin's corpse and sighed.

Poor girl.

She should already have the ability to make basic judgments at 16, so there was no way she'd casually follow a stranger.

Either Tan Linlin knew the killer, or she felt she could get what she wanted from the killer if she followed him.

What did Tan Linlin want, then? To work and make money.

Jun Zishu massaged her face as she mentally processed the available information. There was no way the killer could've covered his tracks perfectly. He was bound to leave behind traces one way or another.

Later on, Jun Zishu visited Tan Linlin's house. Although Tan Linlin's uncle was a little sad when he learned of his niece's misfortune, Tan Linlin's aunt-in-law was indifferent to Tan Linlin's death.

Jun Zishu couldn't feel any intense sadness or affection from Tan Linlin's uncle's family. They didn't even care who the killer was. All they wanted was to separate themselves from Tan Linlin.

Failing to get any useful information, Jun Zishu had no choice but to leave.

According to the surveillance footage, the killer should be around 176 cm in height. However, the size of the killer's body was hard to predict since everyone dressed very thickly during winter. There was also the possibility that the killer had put on a disguise. Unfortunately, as they couldn't see the killer's face and didn't know the killer's identity, they couldn't even speculate on the killer's age.

Besides that, there was also the place where Tan Linlin's body was found. Although it wasn't a hidden location, it wasn't easily noticeable, either. Only people staying on the third floor or above of the nearby hotel could notice the body if they looked down from their rooms.

Jun Zishu had thoroughly checked the area the first time she visited the crime scene. There were many small alleyways and no surveillance cameras in the area.

When Jun Zishu arrived back home, she had a weary expression on her face.

"Did you make any discoveries?" Jiang Yinsheng asked as she walked up and removed Jun Zishu's coat for her.

"There is some progress."

At the very least, they now knew what the killer might look like and what kind of preference he had. Now, it was only a matter of time before they caught the killer.

Of course, it was a different story if the killer never committed another crime and quietly left Lanhai City before the police found him.

However, Jun Zishu knew that it was unlikely for that to happen.

Criminals with cautious behavior and a strong desire for control often preferred to move around in places they were familiar with since doing so would give them a sense of security. Moreover, criminals of this sort liked the thrill of playing cat and mouse with the police. So, it was highly unlikely for the killer this time to escape.

Even so, that didn't mean they should take their time catching the killer. Otherwise, who knew when the lunatic would strike again?

"Have you had dinner yet?"

"I don't have an appetite," Jun Zishu said, shaking her head. She'd been facing bloody scenes all day. There was no way she would have an appetite after all that.

After saying so, Jun Zishu looked down at her chest. Though not as busty as her previous bodies, this one still packed some volume. However, when she recalled the scene she saw during the day, she suddenly had an urge to vomit.

"I remember there are still some instant noodles at home. I'll go and cook a bowl for you. It's bad for your body not to eat anything," Jiang Yinsheng said. After pouring Jun Zishu a cup of hot water using Jun Zishu's usual cup, she walked into the kitchen carefreely.

When Jun Zishu looked at Jiang Yinsheng's back disappearing into the kitchen, she wanted to say something but refrained from doing so.

She knew that there were some things better left unsaid. Not only was there no point in doing so, but it would only cause the atmosphere between them to grow awkward.

At the very least, she felt rather happy to have the little ghost by her side.

Jun Zishu once thought she was so strong that she didn't have any desires. However, when Jiang Yinsheng brought the bowl of noodles to her, her heart suddenly trembled, and a trace of desire appeared within her.

Jun Zishu had to admit that having someone to accompany her was truly a wonderful experience. Although Little Fairy was always by her side, that was only on a spiritual level, not a tangible one like this.

However, Jun Zishu was also afraid. She was afraid that she would lose control once she got used to this company.

In her trance, Jun Zishu suddenly recalled the words Little Fairy said to her:

Live for yourself. Do whatever you want and enjoy whatever you want.

What was she afraid of losing control for?

"What's wrong? What are you staring at? Do you really not want to eat?"

Jiang Yinsheng waved her hand in front of Jun Zishu, causing Jun Zishu to return to her senses.

"It's nothing. Thank you."

The noodles were pickled mustard flavored, and the smell was quite fragrant.

Jun Zishu set down her chopsticks after the meal, and Jiang Yinsheng naturally picked up the bowl and chopsticks.

"Sorry for the trouble."

"Oh, what are you talking about? No need to be polite with me."

Jiang Yinsheng wore a smile on her face, not a trace of reluctance in her heart.

Jun Zishu pressed her temples, a prickling pain suddenly assaulting her head when she saw Jiang Yinsheng's smile.

"What's wrong? Not feeling well?" Jiang Yinsheng asked worriedly.

Shaking her head, Jun Zishu said, "It's nothing. I'm probably just a little tired."

..

At night, Jun Zishu laid in bed watching a video clip over and over again.

"Is this the culprit?"

"It is most likely him. Criminals involved in such cases typically move alone since they don't want others to know what they are doing. The more people who know of their actions, the more likely they will get exposed. So, they will do as much as they can by themselves. They will also enjoy the process of committing the crime."

"That sounds scary."

"It is indeed abnormal."

…

While Jun Zishu was investigating the cannibalism case, Chen Yin's case also reached a conclusion.

Liu Qianqian was sentenced to 30 years, and Sun Chenxin was sentenced to 35 years.

Upon hearing his sentence, Sun Chenxin committed suicide before he was tried. He broke away from the officer in charge of him, ran to the nearest tall building, and jumped off it.

Unlike physical wounds, spiritual wounds could never be erased. Like monsters in the night, they would open their bloody mouths and brandish their claws and fangs at people, ready to devour their prey at any time. It was a painful and agonizing experience that caused people to cower and tremble.

Yet, there was no escaping these monsters. So long as one's consciousness remained, their suffering would continue.

In contrast, Liu Qianqian reacted calmly to her sentence. Before going to prison, she asked to meet with Jun Zishu to tell her the location of Chen Yin's head.

"I hid her head in the place where we first met, under the second tree outside the fence of our high school," Liu Qianqian said, flashing a wistful and beautiful smile at Jun Zishu. She looked soft and pretty, just like the first time Jun Zishu met her.

Jun Zishu was startled by this reaction, and she instantly realized that something was wrong.

If Liu Qianqian harbored resentment toward Chen Yin, how could the girl possibly smile like that?

"Goodbye, Officer."

Unfortunately, it didn't matter even if Jun Zishu found out. The outcome wouldn't change simply because she knew the reason.

When the winter wind blew at her face, Jun Zishu felt her heart grow cold.