The non - stop chirping of cicadas heralds the arrival of summer.
In a grove filled with tall camphor trees, there was a fig tree, looking short and unremarkable among them.
A gentle breeze blew, carrying with it a long - lasting and far - reaching fragrance that made passers - by can't help but sigh at this refreshing and wonderful scent.
A sudden and torrential rain lashed the coastal city.
Although the summer rain was continuous, it would eventually stop.
An early - rising street cleaner was sweeping the branches and leaves that had been knocked down by the storm under the fig tree.
Suddenly, a long and thin object emerged from the sticky clay.
Out of curiosity, the cleaner carefully prodded the object with a broomstick and then peeled away the mud, dead branches, and leaves covering it.
A pale finger suddenly came into her view. The eerie finger, whitened by the rain, had already started to show small black - purple mildew spots.
"Dead... dead body! There's a dead body!" The cleaner was so frightened that she dropped her tools and ran away in a daze.
The hand bone exposed under the autumn sun emitted a strange fragrance with the gentle breeze.
///
"Report to Captain Wang! We received a report from a street cleaner today. They said they found a female corpse in the grove near the abandoned alley in Yangtian Town, Beixian County. We rushed to the scene immediately after receiving the call and cordoned it off. Currently, the body has been sent for autopsy. According to our preliminary judgment, the deceased was under twenty years old and still in school. There were condoms, cosmetics, etc. in her bag. Her identity remains to be verified. We've increased the search intensity and scope, checked everything in the surrounding area, and are making every effort to contact the deceased's family. Additionally, the corpse spots on the deceased had merged into large patches, rigor mortis had spread throughout the body, the cornea was slightly cloudy, and the lips had started to wrinkle. We speculate that the time between her death and being discovered was about 5 - 6 hours."
After the case summary, Captain Wang nodded at Xiaolin and looked at Jiang Cong by the window.
The morning sunlight perfectly illuminated the side profile of this man. He was quietly flipping through the case summary and evidence - collection photos. Under his fair neck, his Adam's apple was clearly visible.
"Professor Jiang, what's your opinion on this case?"
The solemn man looked up at the sound. Unlike Captain Wang, he didn't show any amiable expression. His thin lips were tightly pursed, and his gaze was cold, like a deep pool that could see through everything beneath its calm surface.
"Obviously, it was a crime committed by an acquaintance and premeditated for a long time."
With just these few words, Captain Wang's expression twitched slightly. Without any hesitation, he blurted out, "Why?"
Jiang Cong calmly looked at him and slid his fingertips to a spot on the evidence - collection photo. Captain Wang immediately leaned over to take a look.
It was an enlarged picture of the details of the deceased's neck. Many black blood clots had congealed at the wound, and the dried blood had spread towards the back of the head and behind the ears.
"It's simple. The victim died of massive bleeding due to a severed carotid artery. Judging from the blood - flow pattern, the murderer attacked the victim from the front."
He paused for a moment and then slapped another close - up photo of the face on the table.
"When the victim was killed, her pupils contracted normally, and her facial muscles were relaxed. There was no sign of fear or surprise." At this point, Jiang Cong paused, pursed his lips, and showed a faint smile. "Do you need me to continue?"
Captain Wang still forced a smile, but his expression was no longer as natural as before.
Several quick - witted young policemen immediately picked up their pens and started taking notes one by one. For them, this was undoubtedly the best opportunity to learn case analysis and detail judgment.
Jiang Cong calmly rolled up the cuffs of his shirt. The metal case of a black men's watch reflected strands of light under the morning sun. He picked up the teacup beside him, took a small sip, and then quickly put it down with a frown.
"First, the murderer is a male, about twenty years old. Second, he was quick, accurate, and ruthless when committing the crime. He has had long - term training, like slaughtering livestock. Third, he is good - looking, burly, and about 175 - 185 cm tall. Fourth, the grove is not the first crime scene. The body was moved."
Someone couldn't help but let out a surprised "Wow", and many people immediately surrounded Jiang Cong's table. All they could hear were the "swishing" sounds of pens taking notes. A few young policemen lowered their heads and whispered to their colleagues.
Jiang Cong cleared his throat and looked at the distant ground, calm and natural.
"The deceased was about 168 cm tall, which was not short. She had dressed up carefully on the day of her death. To look more compatible with her date, she deliberately wore a pair of stiletto heels that were about ten centimeters high. Additionally, the victim had good looks, high - end clothing taste, and carried items like Dior lipstick and a Chanel bag, which fully proves that her family was well - off, even superior. A girl like this, a so - called rich and beautiful girl, would never be with a man who is plain - looking and much older."
There was an immediate uproar below. Somewhere, a string of indignant curses erupted: "This is even worse than a brute! How could he kill his dating partner? How could he be so heartless?!"
"You're wrong." Jiang Cong said calmly, completely ignoring the embarrassed look of the person who had just spoken. "As I said before, the victim had dressed up carefully, and her dress and high heels were all limited - edition Chanel items. Obviously, a long - term couple wouldn't pay so much attention to a simple date. So, the victim and the murderer may have just become a couple recently, or even... "
"Or even what?" Someone quickly asked.
Jiang Cong's expression remained unchanged. "It's very likely that it was just a one - time transaction."
The young policemen were all shocked. In such a short time, Professor Jiang had easily analyzed the relationship between the victim and the murderer, as well as the psychological profile of the murderer. How could they ever reach his level?
Captain Wang nodded repeatedly in approval, but his expression darkened again. Soon, someone asked the question that had been bothering him: "Professor Jiang, why do you think the grove is not the first crime scene?"
Jiang Cong took out his phone from his pocket and showed the screen to the police colleague.
"It rained all day yesterday. The grove was muddy and slippery. And it's been hot recently, so there are many mosquitoes at night. As long as the murderer is not stupid, he definitely wouldn't have asked the victim to come to such a place to kill her."
Captain Wang suddenly understood. "So, the first crime scene..."
"Focus on the search in the alley. I believe we'll get results soon." After saying this, Jiang Cong got up from his seat. The large crowd around the table immediately made way for him, and no one made a sound for a long time.
Captain Wang watched Jiang Cong's back as he left the meeting room. He slowly adjusted his glasses, and a look of praise appeared on his wrinkled old face. He sighed to himself, "There probably aren't many rising stars like this..."
Sure enough, ten minutes later, the criminal department received a notice. A large amount of the deceased's blood was found in a corner at the deepest part of the abandoned alley, which had been confirmed as the first crime scene.
However, there was another puzzling thing for the policemen.
A drunk and unconscious high - school girl was found in a blind spot less than ten meters away from the first crime scene.
But no one knew whether she had passed out there before the murderer committed the crime or appeared there after the crime.
The case was gradually taking on a strange turn.