Chapter 97 [Exclusive] Flower Museum Headless Corpse Case (13)

Chapter 97 [Exclusive] Flower Museum Headless Corpse Case (13)

At the entrance of the residential complex, all the police officers got out of their vehicles and stood by. Cai Shuangxi carefully explained the situation to the security and property staff. The community workers were extremely helpful and immediately provided resident information.

Given the special nature of the case, not everyone was at home at this time. However, armed with a search warrant, if the property staff didn’t have the keys, they would force their way into the rooms and conduct the search.

This residential complex had a five-story structure with many households. There were twelve buildings in total, and it would take the first and second teams, along with over ten police officers, about half a day to complete the search.

Besides the four police cars from the bureau, local patrol officers also joined the operation, fully securing the Jiangnan Jiayuan neighborhood.

The patrol officers primarily helped the city bureau monitor the community exits and prevent the suspect from moving the head during the search.

Meng Siqi followed the large team, conducting door-to-door searches, mainly building by building. The main target was the refrigerators, but they also checked hidden corners just in case the suspect had moved the head elsewhere. Some households were occupied and cooperative, which made the searches go smoothly. For those less cooperative families, they had to reason with them and assert police authority.

For locked households, the property staff were very helpful, following them with a notebook and providing information about the residents. Without keys to unlock the doors, they had to break in, record the details, and plan to provide compensation later.

Each time a refrigerator door was opened, Meng Siqi’s heart raced, as if she were opening Pandora’s box. She wasn’t sure how she would react upon first seeing the severed head. Perhaps, seeing it inside the cold, cramped refrigerator, staring back at her, would send an instant chill through her heart.

However, this sense of fear lingered over her heart, never truly materializing.

Everyone searched from the north gate to the west gate, and before they knew it, they had reached the last building, Building No. 3. This building had become isolated, and unsurprisingly, the clue was likely inside.

The team started from the ground floor and soon reached the top floor, the fifth floor. Each floor had five households, and the criminal investigation team quickly divided into two groups to search each household.

Meng Siqi followed a few people into one of the units. The door had been forcibly opened, likely because the resident had not returned home.

After entering, Luo Xiaoguo rushed to the kitchen refrigerator first and shouted, “The fridge is empty. Everyone, search separately.”

At this point, several days had passed since the crime occurred. It didn’t necessarily mean the head had been stored in the refrigerator the entire time, so Lu He instructed everyone to check the entire premises if possible.

During previous searches, Meng Siqi had overheard Luo Xiaoguo mention a criminal case where the murderer, after dismembering the body, had cooked the head and hidden it under the bed. If he hadn’t been extra cautious, the murderer might have gotten away.

As everyone split up to search the kitchen, bathroom, and storeroom, Meng Siqi unconsciously walked into the master bedroom. The room was dim due to insufficient sunlight, and the cold-colored paint on the bed, wardrobe, desk, and other items, along with the clutter, made the room feel eerie and cold.

Meng Siqi checked the wardrobe and large drawers but found nothing. She crouched down to check under the bed, but her legs were aching from running around all morning, and she couldn’t fully squat. She bent down halfway, shone her flashlight under the bed, and recalling the case Luo Xiaoguo mentioned earlier, she felt a shadow of fear, as if the suspect might have cooked the head and hidden it under the bed.

“Do you think you’ll find the head like that?” Luo Xiaoguo’s voice came from the doorway, “Have you been searching like this all along?”

Meng Siqi crouched down, finding that it was indeed dark inside. She had no choice but to lie down and shine the flashlight inside.

Luo Xiaoguo rummaged through the cabinets in the bedroom and advised her, "Be thorough, Meng. If I hadn't been more observant than others in that cooked head case back then, the killer would have..."

"Ah!" Meng Siqi suddenly spotted something and was so frightened she almost dropped the flashlight. The flashlight's yellow beam swept over a round object, which turned out to be a black plastic bag containing something.

Even though she had made mental preparations, the sudden discovery of the head sent a jolt of panic through her, as if the peaceful world had been shattered by death, and her soul had been violently struck by the killer's cruelty.

"Did you find something, Meng?" Luo Xiaoguo asked urgently.

"Deputy Luo, I think I've found something," Meng Siqi steadied her nerves, trying desperately to keep the flashlight steady and avoid focusing on the black plastic bag.

"What's wrong?" Suddenly, a calm, powerful, and hoarse voice came from above her head. It was Lu He's voice. In an instant, it calmed Meng Siqi's panicked nerves.

In the blink of an eye, Lu He lay down on her right side. She could immediately feel his warm presence. His unique woody scent also brought her further peace.

"Captain Lu, it might be a head."

Lu He's long, well-defined hand directly held the back of her hand, guiding the flashlight inside.

"Deputy Luo, get a clothes hanger!" Lu He commanded.

"Right away," Luo Xiaoguo responded immediately.

Soon, Yan Chun's voice came from inside the room, "Captain Lu, here’s the clothes hanger. I heard you found a head?"

Lu He let go of her hand. "Don't shake the flashlight."

In the faintly flickering light of the flashlight, Lu He raised the clothes hanger and nudged the round black plastic bag. The bag, entangled with cobwebs, rolled out.

At the other end of the bed, Luo Xiaoguo and Yan Chun had already moved forward to open the bag.

Lu He quickly got up, and Meng Siqi tried to get up as well, but found her body wouldn't obey her. Her legs had gone numb, and she couldn't get up. Perhaps from climbing too many stairs all day, her stamina had reached its limit.

Her weak, limp arms were suddenly grasped by Lu He's strong hands, and he effortlessly lifted her up. "You alright?"

"My legs are a bit numb."

"Sit on the bed and rest for a while."

Bed? Meng Siqi couldn’t sit down anywhere. But at least they had found a head, or so she thought.

"A pickle jar?" Yan Chun crouched at the other end of the bed and let out an exasperated scream.

Luo Xiaoguo was furious. "Which little punk hid a pickle jar under the bed and even wrapped it in a plastic bag?"

Meng Siqi felt as though her heart had been scraped hard. Whether it had been relief or fear earlier, it all turned to regret now.

She saw Lu He’s furrowed brows and the faint worry in his eyes, which made her feel melancholic as well.

As they left the room, Feng Shaomin emerged from another room simultaneously. Luo Xiaoguo asked, "Feng, how was it on your side?"

"Nothing." Feng Shaomin shook his head.

Lu He looked at the distant city sky, where dark clouds were gathering. "Let's call it a day."

The group seemed dejected, and as they walked down the stairs, Meng Siqi could sense that everyone was holding back their frustration, their eyes filled with resentment and regret.

"Mistaking a pickle jar for a head is common. Elderly people often hide jars under their beds," Luo Xiaoguo said, though it was unclear if he was speaking unintentionally or venting his frustration.

The tense atmosphere suddenly erupted. Zhao Leiting retorted, "What do you mean by 'paranoid'? Don't you understand the value of skepticism?"

"Value of skepticism? Look how scared she was. I thought it was her first day as a criminal investigator."

"On her first day as a criminal investigator, she already earned a third-class merit?"

Zhao Leiting seemed to have struck a nerve with Luo Xiaoguo. Luo Xiaoguo shot back, "Third-class merit? Our Team One has earned plenty."

"If we earn one, we will. And I dare say Meng Siqi will earn another third-class merit this year!"

"If she earns it, I’ll eat the pickle jar!"

"Enough!" Lu He, who was at the front, suddenly snapped.

It finally fell silent. Luo Xiaoguo and Zhao Leiting gave each other a cold glance and said no more.

But Meng Siqi felt the worst. She was already regretful about not finding the evidence, and now Team One and Team Two were arguing because of her over something trivial. Did she not want to find the head? Was she being paranoid?

She was too obsessed! Her desire had never been as strong as it was today! She felt deep regret for Lu He!

The search of the twelve buildings was complete, and Lu He’s inference proved to be off.

They had been on the case since morning, and the operation had already taken over three hours. By midday, the sun was still scorching. Lu He and all the officers stood in the courtyard of the residential complex, facing neatly arranged residential buildings. Each window appeared nearly identical, though the joys and sorrows behind them varied.

Yet, the information about the murderer and the victim seemed absent from these lives.

Meng Siqi stood among them, her clothes soaked through. She had run up and down each flight of stairs without stopping, something she had never done with such determination.

She was eager to find the head. During the search, she had kept up with the others, not missing a single resident or corner. Deep down, she harbored an obsession, a fervent hope that Lu He’s deduction would prove true.

She could see the barely perceptible sadness in Lu He’s eyes, which betrayed his inner turmoil. He must have been continually reassessing his theory, but perhaps he really was wrong.

No one could assert that deduction alone could substantiate the desired truth.

The community staff had followed them the whole way and, now drenched in sweat, asked Lu He, "Captain, are you going to continue the search?"

"Not right now," Lu He replied slowly.

Today’s search had not been limited to the fridges; they had explored many corners of the houses. Another search would likely be futile.

"Liang Yunfeng, how many more residential buildings are there within about two kilometers?" Lu He asked.

"Four," Liang Yunfeng answered, deliberately taking out a map.

"Good," Lu He commanded. "Search those four buildings again."

Everyone received the order, but their actions were slower than before. Everyone was parched, their bodies exhausted.

Luo Xiaoguo surveyed the group and approached Lu He. "Captain Lu, Yan Chun and I should go buy some water and bread. It’s past mealtime; we can’t go on without eating or drinking."

"Go ahead," Lu He agreed with a simple word.

This was the first time Meng Siqi found Luo Xiaoguo considerate. She was on the verge of collapse, the sensation of sweat drying and then reappearing, the emptiness in her stomach unbearable.

Before the next task, Luo Xiaoguo, Yan Chun, and Cai Shuangxi returned, bearing a large load of food. As he handed Meng Siqi a piece of bread, Luo Xiaoguo said with a smile, "You girls have weaker constitutions; maybe you should go back and rest."

Upon hearing this, Lu He turned around. He looked at Meng Siqi, her hair wet and clinging to her forehead, and his thin lips pressed tightly together, as if he wanted to speak but held back.

Meng Siqi feared that Lu He would ask her to go back. She immediately composed herself and said, "Who says? I still have plenty of energy left."

Luo Xiaguo laughed. "Don’t overestimate yourself. If something happens to you, you'll just be holding us back."

Zhao Leiting, while peeling the bread package, countered, "Which eye of yours sees Meng Siqi showing off?"

Yan Chun, chewing on his bread, said, "Earlier, on the stairs, Xiao Meng fell. Are your knees okay? I agree with Vice Captain Luo's opinion. There are still four more buildings to search. At this rate, you'll break your legs."

Meng Siqi felt a bit wronged. She had indeed fallen once, and the pain had felt like her knees were splitting. Afraid that someone had seen, she immediately got up, pretending nothing had happened, and continued running upwards.

Her knees still hurt a bit. She had hoped her perseverance would earn her some encouragement, but instead, it led to suggestions that she should stop. She would never agree to that. Even if she had to climb all the buildings today, even if she skinned herself or broke her bones, she wouldn't give up.

Feng Shaomin, who had just opened a bottle of water, stepped forward and said coldly, "Old Luo, Yan Chun, listen to what Xiao Meng has to say. If she can persevere, there's no problem continuing the action together."

"I say, Old Feng," Luo Xiaguo laughed, "or maybe it’s just that a master dotes on their apprentice. As long as the apprentice isn't dead, they're pushed to their limit."

"Luo Xiaguo, what do you mean!" Feng Shaomin suddenly flew into a rage, his eyes bulging with anger, startling the rested police officers present.

Everyone, holding their bread and water, looked at Feng Shaomin, seemingly unable to understand his reaction. Clearly, Luo Xiaguo’s words were just a joke.

Luo Xiaguo was also taken aback. His Adam's apple bobbed sharply, he licked his dry lips, and stepped back.

On the roadside, the police car's red and blue lights flashed. The road was busy with traffic, but this area was eerily silent.

Lu He walked over and seemed to understand. He said, "Listen up, Meng Siqi stays with me. As long as she doesn't fall behind, no one is to mention leaving the group."

Lu He had indeed seen a lot. He understood Feng Shaomin's thoughts, and perhaps only he understood Feng's anger.

He also saw the stubbornness and determination in Meng Siqi's eyes.

This girl was the most admirable and the most enigmatic person he had ever met. She had a unique aura that naturally drew people in. Lu He couldn't explain it, but every time he saw her, he felt that Meng Siqi was special.

He remembered several times when he looked at her back, he felt a peculiar sensation, as if someone had forcefully plucked the strings of a long-neglected well in his heart. It set a long-dormant pendulum in motion, swinging back and forth within him, creating an emotional fluctuation.

He disliked emotions. Since he was very young, he had forever sealed away the word 'emotion.' He didn't believe this was an emotional stir. But if not that, then what could it be? It seemed this ordinary yet extraordinary girl was like someone from a distant world, now by his side.

Because of Lu He's words, no one mentioned Meng Siqi's situation again.

Meng Siqi stood quietly, eating her bread. She wasn’t that hungry and deliberately tore off half of it, handing it to Zhao Leiting. "I can't finish this."

Zhao Leiting, who had been eating voraciously, was indeed very hungry but didn’t take it immediately, declining, "There's still more running to do. You eat it."

"I really can't eat anymore."

Zhao Leiting reluctantly took it, smiling and saying, "Then I'll eat it."

Meng Siqi also smiled, "Are you still being so formal with me?"

"Set out!" Captain Lu commanded, and everyone prepared to board the vehicles.

"Meng Siqi!" Captain Lu called her, "You're riding with me."

"Alright," Meng Siqi responded, waved at Zhao Leiting, and turned to board Captain Lu's car.

In Captain Lu's car, Liang Yunfeng was driving, Captain Lu was in the front passenger seat, and another police officer was in the back seat along with Meng Siqi.

After a short while, the car arrived at a nearby residential area. To speed things up, Captain Lu ordered them to split into three groups for the search. They followed the same procedures again. This residential area had a layout similar to Jiangnan Family Homes, also a five-story building.

While climbing the stairs, her legs felt noticeably weak, as if she had climbed countless Mount Everests, with no end in sight, a sense of aimless despair.

Captain Lu deliberately waited for her. She hurried a few steps up, and Captain Lu said, "Don't run, take it slow."

He always told her not to rush, to take it slow. These words were etched in her heart.

Finally, they finished searching this residential area with no results. Three more residential areas remained. While searching the last residential area, halfway up the stairs of a certain building, she collapsed. She felt like she had always been slowing the team down, and that despair had grown to its peak and finally broke her.

Lying on the stairs, gasping for breath, she felt like she could never get up again.

A strong hand gripped her arm. He crouched beside her, trying to help her up, his tone carrying a hint of concern, "How are you?"

"Captain Lu, I really can't climb anymore." It took all her strength to say this.

"It's okay, I'll take you back to the car."

Meng Siqi nodded disappointedly. Actually, she wanted to stay with him and witness the evidence coming to light together, to see his deductions unfold.

She knew she had been holding him back, delaying Captain Lu's mission. She should have listened to Luo Xiaoguo and gone back to rest and wait for news.

She had overestimated herself and her abilities. She thought her passion alone was enough to solve the case, but solving a case required no emotion.

Meng Siqi struggled to get up, forcing a calm smile, "Captain Lu, don't worry about me, you go on ahead, I'll make my way down on my own."

"Siqi, you get a perfect score from me," Lu He's mellow tone seemed to comfort her.

He gently helped her to her feet. Meng Siqi, exhausted, leaned on the stair railing, but her heart was warm. She felt that Lu He's heart shouldn't be lonely. He was such a warm person—how could someone like him have a heart that was lonely to the point of despair?

As Meng Siqi stumbled down the stairs, she was lost in thought watching the clouds in the distance. Suddenly, she experienced an illusion. She heard a voice calling out to her from afar, "Meng Siqi! Meng Siqi!"

It was Lu He's voice. Meng Siqi turned her head, looking toward the building where Lu He was, but the sound didn't come from that building. It came from the distant sky, as if from another world, so far away that it caused an unexpected surge of heartache.

Meng Siqi sat in the car for a long time, trying to calm down. She had dreamt several times of hearing that shout before, as if someone was trying to wake her from a dream. But she couldn't remember who the voice belonged to or where it came from.

The momentary overlap just now made her realize that the voice from her dreams was Lu He's call.

She didn't know why she could hear that distant and broken shout while awake. Perhaps it was just her illusion—she was too exhausted, so exhausted that her senses were deceiving her. It must be.

Half an hour later, Lu He and the officers walked out from the neighborhood’s entrance. It was clear from their faces that the trip had been unsuccessful.

Liang Yunfeng was the first to open the door and glanced at her. He was sweating profusely, silent, his lips barely curved as if forcing a greeting. Meng Siqi returned a faint, comforting smile.

Lu He then got into the car, and when he did, he looked at her too, but his gaze was so detached, like it didn’t stir a single ripple.

At that moment, Meng Siqi felt a profound sense of frustration. It wasn't just the frustration over Lu He's error in judgment today, but also the stagnation in this case.

Another officer got into the car, and it started, heading back. Meng Siqi looked out the window. The blood-red sunset painted the city sky, and the clouds were edged with gold. Soon, this world would turn to night. By midnight tonight, Lu He's promise would expire.

"Stop the car!" Lu He suddenly shouted.

The car slowly pulled over to the side of the street. Meng Siqi's gaze, which had been fixed on the sunset, slowly shifted downward. The car had stopped once again at the entrance of Jiangnan Jiayuan neighborhood. Lu He's expression was grave as he pushed open the door and stepped out, standing at the entrance of the neighborhood, bathed in the intertwined flashing red and blue lights. The last weak golden glow of the blood-red sun cast a glow around him.

Liang Yunfeng glanced back with a puzzled look at Meng Siqi. He didn't say anything but opened the door and got out too.

Lu He must be very frustrated. He was surely rethinking his assessment from today.

Meng Siqi also got out of the car. At that moment, many people were returning home to the typical neighborhood named Jiangnan Jiayuan. They looked at the police car with reverence and admiration in their eyes. But Meng Siqi felt that what they mostly felt was disappointment, disappointment in the police force.

She noticed that the back of Lu He's olive-green police shirt was already drenched with sweat. He had worn a leather jacket in the morning, but after a day of running around, he had changed into a thin shirt.

Liang Yunfeng was also drenched with sweat, with his sweat-soaked clothes sticking to his back.

The following cars gradually came to a stop, and three vehicles lined up in a row. Luo Xiaoguo, sitting in the passenger seat, asked, "What’s Captain Lu up to?"

Yan Chun, holding the steering wheel, replied, "Most likely he’s still feeling frustrated. Every time, he’s always been like this."

"Captain Lu is tough, but sometimes he can be very stubborn and determined," Luo Xiaoguo sighed. "It’s been such a hectic day. Captain Lu isn’t a god; he’s human too. And Meng Siqi is weighing him down."

Yan Chun nodded. "I heard Meng Siqi was so exhausted she had to rest in the car."

"It might have been better if she hadn’t come," Luo Xiaoguo said. "Anyway, let’s go support Captain Lu."

The two got out of the car. At that moment, people from the other cars also got out and stood beside Lu He. Luo Xiaoguo comforted him from behind, "Captain Lu, I’ll speak to Commissioner Liu about what happened today. You should go home and get a good sleep."

Lu He didn’t respond; he kept staring at the neighborhood, lost in thought.

Zhao Leiting walked over to Meng Siqi and gave her a gentle smile, a mix of regret and sympathy in his expression.

She returned a soft smile, as if making peace with her own frustration.

As she looked up at Lu He’s back and the distant sunset, the long-absent dizziness suddenly returned.

The bricks and tiles of the entire neighborhood instantly turned to sand, rising towards the sky, and a new scene appeared before her eyes...

Where the sand disappeared, one of the houses in the neighborhood expanded before her eyes.

In that house, a young man stood in front of an open refrigerator. He lifted the head with both hands and gently kissed its forehead.

As the man turned around, the head in his palm, with long hair, a pale face, and black eyes, made her gasp in shock.

The man carefully tucked the head inside a stuffed toy.

Though the lights in the room were dim, she could clearly make out his face.

This was the first time she had seen the suspect's face in such a vision.

The scene vanished in the blink of an eye, and at that moment, she tried to hold onto something.

"Meng Siqi..." Zhao Leiting called out.

Dizzy and disoriented, Meng Siqi steadied herself and realized that Lu He had been supporting her with one arm.

"Captain Lu, what's the matter?" Lu He asked her.

"I'm fine, Captain Lu," Meng Siqi shook her head, "I might be too tired."

"Alright, go and rest," Lu He said, his eyelids drooping slightly, planning to conclude this mission.

Lu He slowly let go of her arm, and just as he was about to turn away, she called out urgently, "Captain Lu!"

"Hmm?" Lu He stopped and turned to look at her.

"May I say a few words?" Meng Siqi struggled to explain the scene she had just witnessed. She was exhausted and felt a lingering shiver from the earlier shock.

"Speak," Lu He said.

At this moment, Luo Xiaoguo appeared displeased and stepped forward to interject, "Captain Lu, we should head back and rest soon. Meng Siqi, if you have something to say, let's talk in the car. We shouldn't prolong this, right?"

Dragging things out? That meant holding Captain Lu back both during and after work. No one in the bureau wanted someone who caused such inconvenience.

Meng Siqi completely ignored his words. She emphasized, "Captain Lu, Building 12, Unit 502, the top shelf of the refrigerator is quite high and can exactly fit a human head. I noticed that shelf is cleaner than the ones below, indicating the suspect likely wiped it clean after removing the head. We didn't find anything in the house, but on the most conspicuous spot on the sofa armrest, a spot we all overlooked, there's a dolphin plush toy that can exactly fit a human head. There’s a fragrance in the house, likely used by the suspect to mask the smell. The suspect had opened the refrigerator door, and there were fingerprints. I suspect this person is Li Muxiao!"

Everyone present was stunned. Not only were Luo Xiaoguo and Yan Chun stunned, but even Lu He was slightly surprised.