Chapter 8: Bloodstains

Chapter 8: Bloodstains

"Brother Zhengyi, is Cai Chengyong a city native?"

Shen Qingye, clutching a map, hurried over and spotted Yue Lingchuan with a large bag stuffed with assorted buns, fried dough sticks, and soy milk.

She hesitated mid-sentence.

Yue Lingchuan turned towards the sound, his eyebrows slightly raised, clearly surprised.

Wei Zhengyi asked, "From the city? What are you getting at?"

Shen Qingye nodded slightly at Yue Lingchuan and then turned to Wei Zhengyi: "I mean, where is Cai Chengyong's hometown? Has his family always lived in the city?"

"This..." Wei Zhengyi hesitated, shaking his head. "I really don’t know."

"But according to the neighbors, Cai Chengyong has been there since he was a child, and his ID shows his registered address is here..."

Yue Lingchuan, however, understood Shen Qingye's meaning and shook his head: "No, that’s not quite it."

"The factory Cai Limin works at is an old one. He joined the factory in the 1970s, and at that time, joining the factory allowed him to transfer his household registration."

"Cai Chengyong was born here, so his household registration is definitely local. But whether his hometown is here... that’s another story."

Wei Zhengyi's eyes lit up: "Are you suggesting the dismemberment site might be his hometown?"

Yue Lingchuan looked at Shen Qingye, who said, "It's just a guess."

She grabbed the map and laid out her theory. As Wei Zhengyi listened, his eyes grew brighter: "That makes perfect sense. I’ll go check now—"

"No need to look into it." Zhou Qiming closed the door of the interrogation room and walked out: "I looked into it earlier. Cai Limin joined the factory in 1977 and transferred his household registration at that time. His hometown is Baofang County."

"Baofang County, Caipo Village, isn’t it?" Shen Qingye couldn't help but ask.

Zhou Qiming looked at her in surprise and nodded: "Yes, how did you know?"

Shen Qingye pointed at the map: "Caipo Village is very close to the first body dump site, and the later ones aren’t far either."

She glanced up at the group: "If he traveled from the factory to Caipo Village, used it as the crime scene, then dumped the bodies nearby and returned, the timeline fits."

Zhou Qiming, listening to her well-organized analysis, couldn't help but show admiration: "Impressive, we’ve got a real sleuth on our hands."

Shen Qingye smiled: "Brother Qiming, you’re overstating it. I just noticed it while looking at the map. You guys nailed the suspect with the tiniest clues—that’s really something."

Zhou Qiming laughed heartily, and Yue Lingchuan patted his shoulder: "Alright, you two, enough with the mutual admiration. Gear up and get ready to move out."

Wei Zhengyi and Zhou Qiming perked up instantly, their earlier fatigue gone.

Zhou Qiming went to the interrogation room to call Jiang Cheng, and Yue Lingchuan signaled Wei Zhengyi to leave.

Shen Qingye watched them leave, biting her tongue.

"Captain Yue!" After a brief pause, she finally spoke up.

Yue Lingchuan turned back: "What is it?"

Shen Qingye said, "Mind if I tag along?"

Yue Lingchuan's eyebrows slowly raised, and before he could speak, a polite but insincere smile appeared on his face as he declined: "That might not be ideal... Fieldwork is tough, and if things get dicey... I’d have a hard time explaining it, wouldn’t I?" Wei Zhengyi also said, "Yeah, Xiao Shen, if you’re curious, I’ll fill you in when we’re back. No need to make a special trip."

Shen Qingye looked at Yue Lingchuan and insisted, "I'm not afraid of hard work. Besides, the suspect has already been caught, so there shouldn't be any danger." She paused, "Even if there's real danger, I can handle myself."

Yue Lingchuan believed this. From how decisively she jumped off the building yesterday, it was clear she had trained a lot.

She was calm and collected, even in tough situations, and very sharp, showing a real knack for criminal investigation. Normally, Yue Lingchuan wouldn't mind showing a rookie the ropes.

But...

He smiled more broadly, just about to refuse again, when Shen Qingye seemed to know what he was worried about and said, "I just want to go and see. I'll take full responsibility, no matter what happens."

Yue Lingchuan's smile slowly disappeared, his dark eyes heavily gazing at her. Shen Qingye stood tall, chin slightly raised, with a determined look in her eyes: "I won't cause you any trouble."

"This..." Wei Zhengyi looked at Yue Lingchuan, then at Shen Qingye, scratched his head, and hesitated, "Boss, maybe... let her come along, it's not like there's any real danger..."

Yue Lingchuan shot him a glare, clearly annoyed by his interference. Wei Zhengyi gave an awkward chuckle and kept quiet.

Seeing this, Shen Qingye's eyes lowered slightly, just about to give up when she heard the man say with a hint of resignation, "Let's go."

Shen Qingye looked up sharply. Yue Lingchuan's sharp eyes narrowed slightly, his hands in his pockets, lazily saying, "First rule: follow orders and don't wander off."

Shen Qingye's eyes instantly lit up, a clear smile on her lips, responding crisply, "Yes, Brother Chuan!"

Wei Zhengyi also chuckled, patting his chest as he walked, saying to her, "Don't worry, stick with us, and I'll keep you safe."

Shen Qingye also smiled, "Thanks, Brother Zhengyi."

Only Yue Lingchuan glanced at Wei Zhengyi and let out a snort of laughter, thinking to himself, this kid, who knows who's really protecting who.

·

Yue Lingchuan's jeep had plenty of room, perfect for the five of them.

It was just over an hour's drive from the station to Caipo Village. On the way, Shen Qingye listened as they pieced together the case clues, gaining a deeper understanding of the case.

The car came to a stop on the muddy road at the edge of the village. After Zhou Qiming found out where Cai Chengyong's home was, the group walked through the village towards the end.

Wei Zhengyi looked around, "This village is almost empty, and the houses are falling apart."

Zhou Qiming said, "All the young people have left for work, so the village is pretty much deserted."

Jiang Cheng suddenly added, "Fewer people means it's easier to get away with crimes."

The group looked at each other, wasn't that the truth? Such a big commotion as dismembering a body, if it were in a crowded place, neighbors would report it in no time.

As they walked, it wasn't long before they reached Cai Chengyong's home.

"Is this it?" Wei Zhengyi frowned, somewhat disbelieving.

In front of them was a typical rural courtyard, high walls enclosing the surroundings, a locked gate, creating an isolated space.

The area outside the gate was also very spacious, with bricks faintly visible on the ground, now overgrown with weeds, reaching up to an adult's calf.

Zhou Qiming also hesitated, "This place... does anyone actually live here?"

Yue Lingchuan said, "Whether there's anyone or not, let's go in and see first."

With that, he stepped over the grass and strode forward, Jiang Cheng and Shen Qingye following closely behind.

The lock on the gate was old and rusted. They had come to inspect the scene, and everyone was wearing gloves.

Wei Zhengyi pried open the lock and pushed the door open. The weeds in the yard were no less dense than outside, and the spiderwebs in the corners of the house were unusually thick. The whole yard had a desolate feel, with only a persimmon tree in the corner that was still quite sturdy.

Zhou Qiming and Jiang Cheng exchanged glances, muttering, "This..."

Yue Lingchuan frowned, feeling uneasy. "Let's go in and take a look first," he said.

To the left was a pigsty, and to the right, a kitchen. Directly ahead was a main hall for receiving guests. On either side of the main hall were the bedrooms.

They started with the main hall. As soon as they opened the door, a cloud of dust and musty air hit them. Everyone turned away, fanning their hands in front of their faces and coughing.

When the dust slowly settled, they stepped inside. Looking around, they saw the furniture covered in a thick layer of dust. Zhou Qiming wiped his hand across the surface, clicking his tongue at the black dust on his fingers. "This doesn't look like anyone's been living here recently."

Jiang Cheng frowned. "I'll check the bedrooms," he said.

Wei Zhengyi headed to the kitchen.

Yue Lingchuan looked around and asked, "How long has it been since Cai Chengyong's family was last here?"

Zhou Qiming covered his nose and mouth with his hand and said, "I asked around while getting directions. They said the father and son came back once during Qingming two years back, but they didn't come back for New Year's last year or this year."

"Almost two years, no wonder," Yue Lingchuan sighed heavily, glancing at the room's furnishings. "Since we're here, let's see if we can find any clues," he said.

Shen Qingye frowned, deep in thought. Since she entered, she hadn't heard anything unusual, which made her question her own theory.

But since she hadn't fully grasped the extent of her ability yet, Shen Qingye didn't want to rely on it too much. Hearing Yue Lingchuan, she joined the search.

The house was decades old, with simple furnishings. There was a square table, a few benches, and a large cabinet against the far wall.

Shen Qingye pushed aside her thoughts and carefully inspected the walls. Cai Limin joined the factory in 1977, got married in 1978, and had Cai Chengyong in 1980. Later, he probably made some money and painted the walls of the house white. However, after so many years, some parts of the wall had peeled off, revealing the yellowish earthen wall beneath.

Shen Qingye was intently staring at the wall when she suddenly heard an exclamation: "Found it!"

She quickly turned around and saw Zhou Qiming squatting under the square table, looking up at something.

Yue Lingchuan strode over, and Shen Qingye followed closely.

Zhou Qiming poked his head out from under the table. "I saw a bloodstain under the table, but it's not very obvious—do we have an evidence bag?"

Shen Qingye quickly responded, "Yes!"

She handed over the items she was carrying, and Zhou Qiming took out a small knife, carefully cutting off the piece of wood with the bloodstain.

Zhou Qiming stood up, looking at the small piece of wood and sighed. "Such a small bloodstain, I don't know if it's related to our case."

"Whether it's related or not, we'll know after testing it back at the lab."

Seeing some progress in the case, Shen Qingye also felt excited. After securing the evidence bag, she continued the inspection. Jiang Cheng and Wei Zhengyi, who hadn't found any clues in the bedrooms and kitchen, also joined them in the main hall. Gradually, they found bloodstains in several other secluded spots, and the room suddenly became lively:

"Here, here! This area seems to have some too!"

"Xiao Shen, Xiao Shen, over here, the evidence bag!"

The previously silent room suddenly came to life. Shen Qingye was so busy she barely had time to catch her breath when a hoarse, tired, and impatient voice suddenly rang out in her ear:

"What's all this racket?"

Shen Qingye froze in her tracks.

"Where did these little pests come from? What are you making all this noise about? I was sleeping soundly, and you woke me up."

Wei Zhengyi continued shouting without turning around: "Xiao Shen, Xiao Shen! Hurry over here—there's another spot. Evidence bag!"

Shen Qingye stood frozen, unable to react, when the elderly voice chimed in again:

"What's all the fuss about? It's just a bloodstain—no need to make such a big deal out of it." The voice lazily yawned, as if it were no big deal: "Is there ever a shortage of blood in this house?"