Anti-gang campaign: Female bureau chief

The Qinglong River is the "mother river" of Yi'an, flowing through the west of the city and downstream into another major river in the province.

In recent years, Ngam's industry has developed rapidly, and the river is no longer as clear as the older generation remembers it. The water is now murky with a grayish-green hue, and the banks are covered with wild reeds and shrubs.

Police officers from Xicheng Police Station had already set up a cordon at the scene, but a lot of onlookers still crowded around the cordon, mostly farmers from nearby fish ponds and vegetable growers, craning their necks to look inside.

When Jiang Ruolan got out of the car, a strong smell of river water mixed with the stench of decay hit her.

She frowned, but didn't cover her nose with her hand. Instead, she took out a pair of gloves from her pocket, put them on, and bent down to crawl under the police line.

The body has been retrieved from the river and placed on a plastic sheet on the riverbank.

The deceased was wearing a dark gray jacket and black trousers, his clothes covered in river mud and weeds. His face was swollen and pale, making it difficult to recognize him.

However, judging from his physique, he is of medium build and on the thin side, which does match Meng Zhaoyang's height and weight data in the file.

The deceased had a noticeable depressed skull fracture at the back of his head. The bloodstains around the wound had been washed away by the river, and the open wound and the dark red skull underneath were clearly visible.

Forensic pathologist Lao Zheng was squatting next to the body, conducting a preliminary examination.

He was in his early fifties and was a key technical expert sent down by the provincial department to provide support. He had worked as a forensic doctor for most of his life and had examined more corpses than Jiang Ruolan had ever seen.

His gloved fingers carefully parted the hair at the back of the deceased's head, revealing the horrifying wound.

"Comminuted skull fracture with clean wound edges, consistent with multiple blunt force traumas."

Old Zheng's voice was as calm as if he were reading a report. "Judging from the extent of the fractures and the shape of the wound, the murder weapon should be a hard object with sharp edges, possibly a hammer or a wrench. The fatal wound is this spot, where he was hit at least three times. The preliminary time of death is estimated to be between 8 pm and 10 pm last night, but the exact time will be determined after the autopsy."

"Aside from the head, are there any other external injuries?"

Jiang Ruolan squatted down and carefully examined the deceased's face, which was distorted by the river water.

"There were several abrasions on the fingers, and dirt under the fingernails, indicating that there was a struggle before death. Also—"

Old Zheng lifted the deceased's left hand, pointing to the tips of the ring and middle fingers. "There are bruises on the nails of these two fingers, marks from being pinched or crushed by something before death. This kind of injury is not common in homicide cases; it's more like the victim suffered some kind of special violence before death."

Jiang Ruolan stared at the two fingers, her mind racing.

Bruised or pinched fingernails—these injuries typically occur in a specific context: the victim's finger is deliberately pinched with a tool in an attempt to extract information.

This was not a simple murder, but an execution carried out through forced confession.

She stood up and looked around at her surroundings.

The banks of the Qinglong River are covered with dense reed beds, and further in are several fish ponds and large tracts of abandoned farmland.

The nearest village is about one kilometer to the southeast; it's a small village called Qingshipu.

The fact that the body was dumped in a reed bed indicates that the killer was familiar with the terrain—the reeds were dense, the water flow was gentle, and it was a secluded place where the body could remain hidden for at least a day or two without being discovered.

If it weren't for that old fisherman who happened to row his boat into the depths of the reeds early this morning, this body might have remained submerged in the water for several more days.

"Lu Zheng, take your men to search Qingshipu Village and find out if anyone heard any unusual noises or saw any suspicious vehicles last night. Also, retrieve all the missing person reports from the past week and compare them with the characteristics of the deceased."

"Yes."

Lu Zheng turned around to make arrangements.

Jiang Ruolan squatted down again and carefully examined the clothes on the deceased's body.

The dark gray jacket is made of very ordinary material, the kind that costs only a few dozen yuan a piece at a street stall, but it is very clean. There is slight wear on the cuffs and collar, indicating that it has been worn for quite some time.

She checked the inside pockets of the jacket; they were empty. The two outside pockets were also empty—not even a tissue or a coin. This level of cleanliness was abnormal; a normal person's clothes pockets would always have some odds and ends.

Either the murderer took it, or the deceased himself cleared out everything that could prove his identity.

The second possibility is more unsettling.

If the deceased emptied his pockets himself, it means he sensed danger and wanted to hide his identity—even after death.

"Director Jiang."

A young technician squatted down beside her, holding a transparent evidence bag containing a muddy leather shoe. "We found this deep in the reeds. It doesn't belong to the deceased. The deceased had both shoes on her feet. This one was found in the reeds. It's size 42, one size larger than the deceased's shoes."

The soles are severely worn, indicating they've been worn for a long time. There are dark patches on the upper that appear to be bloodstains; samples have been taken and sent for testing.

Jiang Ruolan took the evidence bag and carefully examined the shoe through the transparent plastic.

An ordinary brown leather shoe, the right foot, with a cheap synthetic leather upper and a sole worn unevenly, indicating that the wearer has severe bowlegs.

The dark patches on the shoe surface gleamed with a faint rust color in the morning light, much like blood.

If these weren't the deceased's shoes, they were likely left by the murderer—stepped on during a chase or struggle in the mud of the reeds.

"Where was this shoe found?"

The technician pointed to the depths of the reeds:

"About twenty meters in that direction, near the edge of the riverbank, there's a patch of reeds that's been badly flattened, as if there had been a fierce fight. We found several traces that look like bloodstains on the flattened reeds and are taking samples."

Jiang Ruolan nodded, stood up, and walked along the riverbank into the depths of the reeds.

Her leather shoes made a squelching sound as she stepped on the soft mud, and the dew on the reeds soaked her trouser legs.

When she reached the area the technician had mentioned, she stopped—in front of her was a circular area about three or four meters in diameter, where a large section of reeds had been flattened, and the stalks were covered with broken marks.

The mud on the ground showed obvious signs of being disturbed, and there were several scratch marks on the mud surface, as if a person was being dragged or struggling and desperately trying to grab onto something.

Even more shocking was that on a fallen reed leaf, she saw a dark red handprint—the outline of five fingers was clearly visible, with a long trail of blood running down the leaf.

The man's palm was bleeding as he tried to get up, clutching a reed leaf, but was pulled back by an even greater force...

..........