Chapter 62: Clothes

Chapter 62 Clothes

Wuping Village is located in the southern part of Xingtai District, near the new development zone of Jiangdong District.

The person who reported the case was Tong Dagui. According to him, he intended to drain the large pond at his home today, clean it, and then stock it with some new fish fry. However, before the water in the pond had completely drained, he noticed a piece of gray fabric on the edge of the pond. At first, he thought it was someone's clothes that had fallen in, but when he poked it with a bamboo pole, he found the texture to be hard. Feeling something was off, he waited for the water level to drop further and then saw that it was not fabric at all—it was clearly a corpse!

Tong Dagui was terrified and ran off to call the police. After the local police station investigated, they reported it up the chain, and it eventually reached their team.

Xiao Liu quickly filled them in on the case as they walked: "Captain Qin and the others have already rushed to the scene. The rest is up to you, Captain Yue."

Yue Lingchuan nodded and led the third team, driving quickly to the scene.

·

Xingtai District is a good distance from the team's base, about a two-hour drive. By the time they arrived, the village Party secretary was already waiting by the roadside, accompanied by a man in his forties or fifties with a troubled expression.

After introductions, the man with the troubled expression turned out to be the owner of the large pond.

As they made their way to the pond, they listened to him explain the details of the case:

"Police Officer, I'm innocent, really innocent! I just wanted to clean the pond to raise some fish for food. Who could have imagined something like this would happen?"

"When the water in the pond was halfway drained, I vaguely noticed something near the bottom, gray and blurry. I didn't pay much attention at first—after all, whose fish pond doesn't have a few pieces of clothing or something fall into it? I tried to lift it with a bamboo pole, but when I poked it, it was hard! I thought maybe some mischievous kid had thrown a rock in. But as the water level dropped further, I poked it again, and the 'clothing' suddenly rolled over, revealing a human face on the other side, swollen and grayish-white from being soaked in water. I was so scared I nearly lost my mind. I didn't dare look any longer and ran off immediately to call the police."

He sighed, looking helpless: "Police Officer, what am I supposed to do now? I was planning to raise fish, but how can I do that after this?"

Even if he did raise fish, he wouldn't dare eat them for a while.

Shen Qingye glanced at him and comforted him: "Once we determine the cause of death and find the murderer, you should be able to claim some compensation for emotional distress."

Tong Dagui's expression brightened slightly: "Really?"

Shen Qingye smiled at him: "Really."

As they spoke, they arrived at the edge of the pond. Qin Yilang was already there with several forensic experts, carefully examining the body.

Yue Lingchuan stepped forward: "What's the situation?"

Qin Yilang looked up and stood: "Based on the current observations of the body and the general rule that bodies float to the surface after about five days, we estimate the time of death to be around three to four days ago. Additionally, we found no mud, sand, or aquatic plants in the victim's hands or under their nails, nor any froth around the mouth and nose. However, there are signs of blunt force trauma to the back of the head, likely from a hammer or similar object. Our initial assessment is that the victim did not die from drowning—they were already dead before being thrown into the pond."

Shen Qingye agreed with this assessment. She hadn't heard anything unusual here, making it unlikely to be the scene of the murder.

She glanced at the body again. After three days in the water, it was badly swollen, the face distorted and grayish-white, making it impossible to recognize what the person originally looked like. She could only vaguely tell that the victim was a man.

Frowning, she pushed aside her discomfort and asked the village Party secretary: "Has anyone gone missing in the village recently?"

The village Party secretary shook his head: "No."

Shen Qingye pressed further: "What about people who went out to work and just left?"

The village Party secretary shook his head again, smiling bitterly: "No. When the body was first discovered, I went door to door asking. Everyone in the village is accounted for—no one is missing."

Shen Qingye exhaled slowly: "In that case, we can probably rule out the possibility that the victim is a local villager..."

Yue Lingchuan scanned the area, his gaze pausing as he asked Tong Dagui: "Has this pond been neglected for a while, left in a somewhat desolate state?"

Tong Dagui nodded: "Yes, my family hasn't paid much attention to this pond. We only catch a few fish from it during the New Year. The rest of the time, we just leave it alone. It was only this year that I thought of raising more fish, either for ourselves or to sell, which is why I decided to clean it up."

He rubbed his face, clearly frustrated that something like this had happened.

Yue Lingchuan nodded in understanding: "This pond is in a remote area, likely overgrown with water weeds before. The murderer might have chosen this spot, thinking no one would disturb the pond in the short term, hence choosing to dump the body here."

Who would’ve guessed Tong Dagui would decide to clear the pond for fish farming?

Shen Qingye looked at the village Party secretary and asked, "How far is the nearest village from here?"

The village Party secretary thought for a moment: "The nearest village... is Linzhai Village, about five or six li away."

Wei Zhengyi said, "So, the murderer is probably from another village, deliberately dumping the body far away after the crime?"

Yue Lingchuan said, "Not necessarily someone from another village."

Everyone turned to look, and saw him using a branch to poke at the deceased's palm, observing carefully for a moment, then said, "The deceased's palm shows obvious calluses, signs of long-term physical labor."

Luo Kaiyang said, "Isn’t farming physical labor too?"

Yue Lingchuan shook his head: "It’s all about the clothes he was wearing."

Zhou Qiming paused, then leaned in closer to look, his eyes slowly narrowing: "These clothes... look like canvas, commonly worn by construction workers."

Yue Lingchuan glanced at him and agreed, "Canvas is thick, durable, and wear-resistant, often used for construction work clothes."

Zhou Qiming said, "So, the deceased was probably a worker from a nearby construction site?"

Yue Lingchuan stood up and said, "Most likely."

Hearing this, everyone perked up. Having a lead is way better than knocking on every door in the village.

Yue Lingchuan turned to the village Party secretary: "Are there any construction sites around our village?"

The village Party secretary hissed, thought for a long time, then shook his head: "I’m not sure, I haven’t been out much lately."

Tong Dagui said, "I do know one spot that’s under construction."

Everyone turned to look at him, he scratched his head: "I remember... last time when I went to Jiangdong District with my son, on the way back I saw a construction site not far from our village, surrounded by iron sheets, and you could see cranes and stuff inside."

Yue Lingchuan asked, "Where exactly?"

Tong Dagui said, "Just head south, towards Jiangdong District, about... thirty li in that direction."

The village Party secretary also reminded, "Our village is at the southern edge of Xingtai District; further south is Jiangdong District. In recent years, Jiangdong District has developed rapidly, and various facilities have sprung up around it. You often see areas fenced off for construction; I bet there’s more than just the one site Dagui mentioned."

Yue Lingchuan nodded, understanding, and then instructed everyone: "Then let’s divide into three teams and scout the area. If there are other sites, we should check them out too."

Everyone agreed. In the end, Yue Lingchuan teamed up with Luo Kaiyang, Shen Qingye, and Jiang Cheng, while Zhou Qiming paired up with Wei Zhengyi.

With only two cars, Zhou Qiming borrowed a motorcycle from the village, and they split up.

As they went, Jiang Cheng filled Shen Qingye in on the situation: "Jiangdong District is a new development zone, booming fast, with growing demand for construction equipment. But the city’s development has hit a saturation point in recent years, with most land used up, so they’ve started expanding outward."

Shen Qingye nodded: "So that's why the village Party secretary said there are always many construction sites around."

Jiang Cheng looked out the window and said, "There should be quite a few workers around here."

It’s unclear which site the deceased was from.

Or, more troublesome, he might not even be from this area, and the murderer could have brought him from far away to dump the body, which is also possible.

Then the area they would have to search would be much larger.

Shen Qingye understood Jiang Cheng's concerns and could only hope for smooth progress.

·

But clearly, things weren't going to go smoothly.

Along the way, Shen Qingye discovered two construction sites. After identifying herself as a police officer and meeting with the site managers, she explained their purpose.

The other party was somewhat surprised, but they cooperated. After talking to the foremen, they all reported no recent disappearances or sudden absences among their workers.

Shen Qingye contacted Yue Lingchuan again and, upon learning that they also had no results, couldn't help feeling disappointed. Just as she was thinking about heading a bit further south, Zhou Qiming suddenly called:

"Xiao Shen, get over here quick! Brother Zhengyi and I found something!"

"There's a construction site at the intersection of Jinshan Road and Jianggang Road, and someone has recently gone missing there!"

Hearing this, Shen Qingye exchanged a glance with Jiang Cheng, quickly turned the car around, and sped off to the location Zhou Qiming mentioned!