Chapter 157 The Scene

Chapter 157: The Crime Scene

She patted his back a few times. Gao Ruiyang looked up, his face slightly pale. "Sis."

Shen Qingye frowned. "What's the situation inside?"

Gao Ruiyang pressed his lips together, fished out a mint from his pocket, and popped it into his mouth. He sighed softly. "Don't imagine the worst, sis. It's not as bloody as you might imagine. It's just... hard to process."

Yue Lingchuan's brow furrowed at this. He stepped closer and asked, "What exactly happened?"

The coolness of the mint eased the rising nausea in his throat. Gao Ruiyang closed his eyes briefly to steady himself before answering, "The victim... was pregnant."

Shen Qingye's brows knitted together instantly, and the others behind her looked equally disturbed.

Gao Ruiyang met Shen Qingye's gaze and said quietly, "Her abdomen had been sliced open... and the fetus is missing."

...

The moment Shen Qingye stepped into the room, her breath caught in her throat.

Despite the mint Gao Ruiyang had forced into her mouth, she still couldn't suppress her visceral reaction at the sight before her.

The entryway opened into a spacious living room, with the kitchen visible beyond. Near the boundary between the two, a woman's body lay motionless in a congealing pool of blood.

She was young, likely around 25 or 26, with delicate, pretty features. But now, her clouded, lifeless eyes were wide open, and her chest bore a stark, gaping stab wound—about two centimeters wide.

Below that was an even more gruesome sight. Starting just above her navel and extending downward, a roughly ten-centimeter-long incision had been carved into her abdomen.

The coagulated blood showed the flesh had been forcibly peeled back, the edges splayed outward as if something had been thrust inside and roughly manipulated—some of her internal organs were exposed.

Shen Qingye turned her face away, taking a deep breath and squeezing her eyes shut.

Yue Lingchuan's expression was unusually grave as he surveyed the scene. "What's the victim's condition?"

Qin Yilang, wearing a surgical mask and a white lab coat, replied coldly, his eyes cold and grim. "Female, 27 years old. Approximately 14 weeks pregnant at the time of death."

"Time of death was roughly ten hours ago. The killer first killed her with a single stab. After she died, they used a blade to slice open her abdomen, removed her uterus, and extracted the fetus."

A heavy silence filled the room.

Yue Lingchuan stared at the body, his voice low. "Fourteen weeks pregnant—that's less than four months. Could the fetus survive outside the womb at that stage?"

Qin Yilang answered flatly, "No chance of viability."

He paused, then added, "And the killer had no intention of keeping it alive."

Shen Qingye asked, "How so?"

Qin Yilang pointed at the incision. "Judging from the wound, the weapon used was likely a common knife—about two centimeters wide, with a pointed tip. It matches the fatal stab wound on her chest."

"The killer was clearly inexperienced. The cuts were crude, and the blade penetrated deeply. You can see clear marks on these organs."

"If the killer truly wanted the fetus, they would have been more careful."

Shen Qingye glanced at the uterus, now a fist-sized cavity split by the blade, and quickly averted her gaze.

No wonder Gao Ruiyang had reacted like that.

Killing someone, then brutally cutting them open to remove the fetus...

Yue Lingchuan scanned the area and asked the local cop beside him, "Who discovered the body first?"

The officer, pale-faced, replied, "It was the neighbor next door. They reported it at 7:13 this morning. When we arrived and saw the scene, we immediately called in the Municipal Bureau."

"According to the witness, she got up in the morning, finished her morning routine, and was about to leave for work when she opened her door and noticed the neighbors' door was open. Since the couple usually leaves for work around 8:30, it was weird for the door to be open at that hour. Concerned, she peeked inside and saw the male homeowner collapsed on the floor near the entrance, with a large pool of blood further inside. She was so terrified she called the police right away."

Shen Qingye turned to look at him. "The door was open? The male homeowner was lying at the entrance?"

"Yes. By all appearances, the man had been away on a business trip for the past few days. He must have just returned."

Yue Lingchuan asked, "How is the man now?"

"After reporting to the police, the witness also called an ambulance. He was taken to the hospital, and our colleagues followed. The doctor said it wasn’t serious—just passed out from shock. He’ll probably wake up soon."

Shen Qingye fell silent for a moment before asking, "Where is the witness now?"

The officer replied, "Next door. She’s still shaken up and didn’t go to work today."

Shen Qingye and Yue Lingchuan shared a look and headed to the neighboring apartment.

The neighbor was a woman in her forties, surnamed Li.

When they explained why they were there, she seemed dazed for a while before finally reacting, "Oh right, police... police..."

"Please, have a seat," she said, flustered, gesturing for them to sit and hurriedly pouring water. After pacing around aimlessly for a bit, she asked, "What do you need to know?"

Shen Qingye spoke first, "We’d like to hear exactly what happened this morning."

Aunt Li paused, then said, "This morning, I was getting ready for work at seven. As soon as I stepped out, I noticed Xiao Zhou’s door was open. I thought that was weird, so I glanced inside and saw Xiao Ge collapsed not far from the entrance. Further in, Xiao Zhou was lying in a pool of blood."

Her brow furrowed slightly, as if reluctant to recall the scene. "Since Xiao Zhou was pregnant, I initially thought maybe something had happened to her and she’d lost the baby. I took a couple of steps inside, only to see… her… her abdomen was…"

"I—I was so scared. I screamed and ran out in a panic, my heart pounding. Others in the building heard me and came over. Everyone was horrified. Eventually, I came to my senses and called the police."

"The neighbor from down the hall was braver. He checked for a pulse and found he was still breathing, so he quickly called an ambulance."

"After that… well, you know the rest."

Zhou Qiming then asked, "From what you’ve said, Ge Weiqing had been away on a business trip until today, correct? He just returned?"

Aunt Li nodded. "Yes, yes. Xiao Ge had been away on business for about a week. Just the day before yesterday, I ran into Xiao Zhou and asked about him. She said he’d probably be back in a day or two."

Wei Zhengyi interjected, "Do you know what time he returned exactly?"

Aunt Li shook her head. "I couldn’t say. I didn’t hear any noise when I woke up this morning…"

"Alright," Shen Qingye continued. "What about last night around eleven? Did you hear any unusual sounds from next door?"

"Eleven?" Aunt Li shook her head again. "No, I was already asleep by then. I didn’t hear anything…"

The group shared a look. Wei Zhengyi and Jiang Cheng, without a word, turned and left. Shen Qingye looked at Aunt Li and asked, "What was their relationship like between Ge Weiqing and Zhou Xiangyun?"

Aunt Li thought for a moment. "Their relationship… was quite good."

"Xiao Ge is a man of few words, honest and straightforward. Xiao Zhou was more outgoing, always smiling and friendly with everyone. Though they had minor disagreements occasionally, they never had any major conflicts. Every time I saw them, they seemed very loving."