Upon learning that Lu Yibo's girlfriend was Zhou Qi, Zhang Yi'ang immediately sent someone to investigate Zhou Qi's situation. They discovered her phone was turned off, and inquiries with the mobile carrier revealed it had been shut down that afternoon. They then went to the hotel to question staff about Zhou Qi's relationships. Through some informants, Wang Ruijun found out that no one had seen Zhou Qi in recent days. She occasionally replied to WeChat messages, but calls to her phone went unanswered even though it was on. Officers also went to Zhou Qi's home, but no one answered the door.
As it was already late, the investigation had to be postponed until the next day. However, early the next morning, there was a new development.
Zhou Qi had an older sister who worked as a manager at a KTV in Three Rivers Estuary. She hadn’t been able to reach Zhou Qi for several days either. After being questioned by the police the previous night, she went to Zhou Qi’s home after her shift ended at 3 a.m. She had a key and, upon opening the door, was hit by a strong rotting stench. Turning on the lights, she was horrified to find her sister’s corpse lying in the living room. Stumbling back in shock, she immediately called the police.
Zhou Qi’s residence was in an old, somewhat rundown neighborhood. It was said she had bought the place with savings from her earlier days as a hostess. Later, she purchased a new apartment in a high-end complex, but it was still under renovation and uninhabited. Her past as a hostess and her secret relationship with Lu Yibo—kept discreet to avoid causing him trouble—meant few people knew about their connection.
Zhang Yi'ang got out of the car in the neighborhood and, leaning on two crutches, followed Wang Ruijun and Song Xing toward a residential building. Struggling up to the third floor, he found the hallway already cordoned off with police tape, and officers who had arrived earlier were conducting their investigation. Just as he was about to enter, he noticed a small surveillance camera by the door—identical to the one above Lu Yibo’s office. The camera had already been marked by the police, awaiting technical examination, though it was likely another dead end in identifying who had been monitoring the place.
Pushing open the door, Zhang Yi'ang took a few steps inside before a wave of nausea forced him back out.
It was November, and the outdoors were cold, but the apartment’s central heating was cranked to the maximum with all windows and doors sealed. The place felt like a steamer, and the body, left for days, emitted a revolting stench.
Seeing Zhang Yi'ang’s discomfort, Song Xing quickly entered and turned off the air conditioning. The windows had to remain closed as per protocol to preserve the crime scene for forensic examination, so he left the front door wide open to air out the smell.
After ten minutes, the air was finally breathable. Zhang Yi'ang and the others stepped inside, where officers wearing masks worked with similarly disgusted expressions. He surveyed the scene briefly—the apartment was around seventy square meters, decorated warmly. To the left of the entrance was a small living room with a sofa and coffee table. Zhou Qi’s body lay on the sofa, surrounded by a large amount of blood.
He approached the sofa, gave it a cursory glance, then stepped outside and called Song Xing over. "How did she die?"
"Looks like she was stabbed."
"And the time?"
"Probably within the last few days."
"Obviously it was recent—I meant the exact cause, time, and circumstances of death!"
Song Xing frowned. "We’ll need Forensic Doctor Chen for that. We’re not professionals, and the other technical investigators are only handling the scene examination.""Where is Forensic Doctor Chen?"
"He's on vacation at a farm stay. We've already called him, and he's on his way back. It'll probably take him three or four hours."
Zhang Yi'ang immediately frowned. "Just after Lu Yibo's case, he went on vacation today?"
"Well... he said that since Lu Yibo's homicide had just occurred, statistically, another case was unlikely in the next few days. So he went on vacation."
Zhang Yi'ang sighed but couldn't argue. Three Rivers Estuary only had this one medical examiner. It was said he used to have an apprentice who quit last year, and the two new apprentices this year were still students—only capable of handling injury assessments. All autopsies relied on Forensic Doctor Chen. He monopolized the autopsy business in Three Rivers Estuary, which was why he was so unyielding at work. No one could do anything about him.
By evening, the investigations from various departments were complete. Forensic Doctor Chen gave a preliminary verbal autopsy report, though further chemical analysis was needed to determine if the victim had been poisoned.
Zhou Qi had died before Lu Yibo—possibly the same day or the day before. Due to the time elapsed since the incident, an exact time of death couldn't be determined. Zhou Qi had been stabbed to death with a dagger, suffering five wounds to her abdomen. The door lock showed no signs of tampering. Based on the scene, the killer was someone she knew. Zhou Qi had let them into her home before being murdered. There were signs of a struggle, but it was minor, suggesting the killer had struck unexpectedly, leaving her little chance to fight back. The killer had stayed at the scene for a long time, wiping away fingerprints and footprints, leaving little evidence for forensic analysis. Zhou Qi's house keys and phone were missing. The police believed her keychain had included the third key to Lu Yibo's office, which the killer used to enter. After taking her phone, the killer hadn't turned it off—it remained active for several days until it was shut off yesterday.
Zhang Yi'ang and several other detectives reviewed the case once more.
The killer was someone Zhou Qi knew. They had gone to her home, killed her, and taken her keys and phone. Then, they had waited for Lu Yibo during his nightly run and murdered him. Afterward, they had infiltrated Lu Yibo's office to take something and installed surveillance to monitor the police investigation. Everyone assumed the killer had entered Lu Yibo's office at night since the hotel's office floor was busy with staff during the day, making it too risky.
Zhang Yi'ang ordered his team to do two things: first, check the surveillance footage from Lang Botu's residential complex to see if he had left at night during those days, and second, review the lobby footage of the Maple Forest Late Hotel since the killer would have had to enter there to reach Lu Yibo's office.
The police worked through the night, and by the next morning, they had results.
Li Qian reported two findings. On the night of November 5th, Lang Botu had returned to his complex in his BMW SUV. Half an hour later, he changed clothes and left on foot, not returning until after midnight—a gap of over two hours. His movements during this time were highly suspicious.
Zhang Yi'ang immediately concluded, "That's when he went to the Maple Forest Late Hotel and broke into Lu Yibo's office."
But Li Qian shook her head. "We checked the hotel lobby footage multiple times. There's no sign of Lang Botu."
"Could he have disguised himself?""The tech team considered that possibility, but there aren't many people entering or leaving the hotel at midnight. They checked every person appearing in the surveillance footage and ruled out Lang Botu."
This presented a dilemma. Zhang Yi'ang lay on the sofa, repeatedly pondering how Lang Botu could enter and exit the hotel without being caught on the lobby's surveillance cameras.
"Director Zhang, could it... could it really not be Lang Botu who did it?"
"Impossible. Those two hours he went out in the middle of the night must have been spent at the Maple Forest Late Hotel. How could he enter the hotel without being seen by the cameras—" Zhang Yi'ang suddenly widened his eyes and shouted, "Wang Ruijun, get Wang Ruijun here!"
After Li Qian brought Wang Ruijun over, Zhang Yi'ang immediately asked, "Is there any way to enter the Maple Forest Late Hotel without passing through the lobby?"
"The back door? But when we checked the surveillance yesterday, we found the back door was locked. The lobby manager said the back hall is under renovation and has been locked during this period."
"Besides the back door?"
Wang Ruijun spread his hands. "There isn't any other way. You have to go through the lobby to enter or exit the hotel."
"Think harder."
"I can't think of anything."
Zhang Yi'ang provided the answer himself: "The Hydrotherapy Club. A place like that must have a secret back door leading outside! And they definitely wouldn't have surveillance cameras there!"
"Well... we'd have to check to confirm that."
"Don't waste precious investigation time!"
"There is," Wang Ruijun blurted out. "There is a back door, and there are no surveillance cameras there."
"Are you sure?"
"I... I'm sure. I only know about this back door because an informant told me. We needed it for a previous case..."
Zhang Yi'ang didn't have time to listen to his explanation. Grabbing his cane, he headed out while instructing them to bring Lang Botu in for interrogation immediately—he would handle it personally.
"On the night of November 5th, after killing Lu Yibo, you drove home. Why did you leave the residential area half an hour later, dressed in different clothes? Where did you go?" In the interrogation room, Zhang Yi'ang sat between two interrogation officers as he posed the question. Li Qian and the others watched collectively from the monitoring room.
"Director Zhang, I must correct you—I did not kill Lu Yibo. His death has absolutely nothing to do with me." After a day in custody, Lang Botu looked somewhat weary, but his mind remained sharp.
Zhang Yi'ang smiled. He hadn’t expected such a trap to work on the cunning Lang Botu. "Then, as an innocent man, explain why you left home after returning and even changed clothes. Was it because the original clothes were stained with Lu Yibo’s blood?"
"I changed clothes because I took a shower. I left because I heard something had happened with Zhou Rong. He’s always had business dealings with our company, so I was worried it might affect us. I was upset, so I went for a walk by the river north of the residential area to clear my head." He delivered this answer without hesitation.
"A walk? A two-hour walk?"
"I lay down on a bench and accidentally fell asleep. I went home later."
"You had a cold, yet you went to the riverside in the middle of the night?"
"That’s why I had a fever the next day—probably caught a chill from sleeping by the river."
"You’ve neatly tied all the explanations about your cold together. How long did you rehearse this script?"Lang Botu sighed and shook his head lightly. "Director Zhang, I really have nothing to do with any murder case."
"According to our investigation, you didn't go to the riverside that night—you went to the Maple Forest Late Hotel."
"I... how could I go there without driving?"
"By taxi."
"I..." Lang Botu said helplessly, "Sir, I'm telling you the absolute truth. If you say I went to the Maple Forest Late Hotel, what evidence do you have?"
"What kind of evidence do you want?"
"Testimony from hotel staff, or surveillance footage of me on the way or at the hotel."
Zhang Yi'ang chuckled with a sigh. "You really thought this through, didn't you? You knew taxi surveillance wouldn't capture you, the Hydrotherapy Club is already closed, and entering the hotel through its back door wouldn't expose you to people or the hotel's cameras."
Lang Botu sighed, feeling utterly exasperated. "I'm completely wronged. If you're investigating Lu Yibo's death, you should go to Zhou Qi, the person closest to him. Why come after me?"
"You knew Zhou Qi was already dead, so yesterday you deliberately hinted we should look for her, and today you're saying this again."
"What! Zhou Qi is dead!"
"Keep acting—you're doing a great job. Three Rivers Estuary finally has an Oscar-worthy performance, and we're all watching you. There's a whole team of detectives behind this interrogation room observing your act."
Lang Botu's expression flickered slightly for a second before returning to normal. He countered, "How did Zhou Qi die too?"
"You tell me. You killed Zhou Qi first, then Lu Yibo. Why are you asking me?"
"You're saying Zhou Qi died before Lu Yibo?" Lang Botu's eyes widened.
Zhang Yi'ang looked at him strangely. "Yes, is there a problem?"
"No... that can't be." Lang Botu swallowed hard.
Noticing his reaction, Zhang Yi'ang pressed immediately, "Why is it impossible for Zhou Qi to have died before Lu Yibo?"
Lang Botu's eyes darted briefly before he stammered, "I... I saw Zhou Qi the morning I left for my business trip. If she... she died, it must have been after November 6."
"What?!" Zhang Yi'ang and all the detectives watching from behind the monitors widened their eyes in shock. The autopsy results clearly showed Zhou Qi had died one to two days before Lu Yibo. How could Lang Botu have seen Zhou Qi the morning after Lu Yibo's death?
Zhang Yi'ang hesitated for a moment, staring at him. "You’d better be responsible for what you’re saying."
"I... that's just how it was."
"But weren’t you at the hospital getting an injection that morning? How did you run into Zhou Qi?"
"I... I saw her while driving past."
"Which road?"
"I... I can't remember clearly."
"Are you sure it was Zhou Qi you saw?"
"Of course. The road was jammed, so I rolled down the window and greeted her."
"Did she respond?"
"She..." Lang Botu thought for a moment. "She did. It was definitely her."
Zhang Yi'ang fell silent. This was unexpected information. Until now, everyone had claimed no one had seen Zhou Qi since Lu Yibo's death. Her phone was on but unanswered, and she occasionally replied to WeChat messages with text. Yet Lang Botu insisted he saw Zhou Qi on the morning of November 6. But the autopsy results clearly indicated Zhou Qi had died before Lu Yibo.Zhang Yi'ang took a deep breath and scolded, "How dare you lie to us! Our autopsy results clearly show that Zhou Qi died before November 5th. How could you have seen her on November 6th? And why are you the only one who claims to have seen her? You can't even name a specific location!"
"I... it's been so many days, I really can't remember clearly. But I'm certain I saw her that morning. Have you... have you considered the possibility that your autopsy results might be wrong? Maybe the examination wasn't professional."
Zhang Yi'ang frowned in thought. Either Lang Botu was lying, or the autopsy results were incorrect. But why would Lang Botu lie about seeing Zhou Qi on the morning of November 6th? What would he gain from that?
Could the autopsy really be wrong? Looking at Forensic Doctor Chen with his protruding lumbar disc, it seemed entirely possible he might have made a mistake in his report.
He turned to the surveillance camera and said, "Someone call Forensic Doctor Chen over."
Behind the monitor, the detectives exchanged uneasy glances. Having watched the entire interrogation, they all felt Lang Botu had no reason to lie about this detail, which would mean the autopsy report was indeed flawed. But who wanted to be the one to tell Forensic Doctor Chen his results were wrong? After much deliberation, they pushed Li Qian to go, reasoning that as a woman, she might receive more gentlemanly treatment from Dr. Chen.
With no choice, Li Qian steeled herself and went to the medical examiner's office. When Forensic Doctor Chen heard that suspect Lang Botu wanted to see him again, he shook his head like a rattle-drum. "I'm not going! If he's got a cold or fever, tell him to go to a hospital. This isn't a clinic!"
Li Qian explained this wasn't about a cold—it was something else.
Forensic Doctor Chen snorted dismissively. "No matter what you say today, even if you talk till you're blue in the face, I'm not going. I've got scheduled injury assessments from brawls to handle—no time for nonsense."
Hesitantly, Li Qian said, "This is quite urgent. Dr. Chen, you really need to come to the interrogation room."
Noticing her expression, he asked suspiciously, "What's this really about?"
"Well... um..." Li Qian took a deep breath, closed her eyes in trepidation, and blurted out, "The suspect says the autopsy report is wrong. He claims our medical examiner isn't professional."
She clenched her teeth, waiting three seconds before daring to open her eyes—just in time to see Forensic Doctor Chen grab a scalpel and charge out the door.
"Bang bang bang!" Urgent knocking sounded at the interrogation room door. The interrogator looked up to see Forensic Doctor Chen at the window and quickly opened the door. The moment the lock turned, Chen barged in, storming straight up to Lang Botu and pressing the scalpel against his neck. "You're the one who said the medical examiner isn't professional?!"
Lang Botu, locked in the interrogation chair, couldn't move. He'd expected some rough treatment during questioning, but never in his wildest nightmares imagined someone would try to kill him with a scalpel. Frozen in terror, he couldn't even scream—only mentally shrieking Help! Help! The police are murdering me!
Fortunately, the two interrogators snapped into action the next second, restraining Chen. Behind the monitor, Wang Ruijun, Song Xing, and others rushed over upon seeing the situation, all shouting, "Dr. Chen! Dr. Chen! Let's talk this out! We're all civilized people here—no need for knives!"
After much coaxing, they finally managed to carefully remove the scalpel from Forensic Doctor Chen's grip and persuaded him to sit down.Zhang Yi'ang explained to him, "Dr. Chen, your autopsy report states that Zhou Qi died on November 4th or 5th, in any case, before Lu Yibo. However, Lang Botu claims he saw Zhou Qi on the morning of November 6th on the street, so we wanted to consult—"
"He's lying! He's the murderer!" Forensic Doctor Chen pointed at him fiercely. "My autopsy results cannot be wrong. Lu Yibo definitely died on the evening of November 5th, and Zhou Qi died even earlier than him. There's no possible mistake."
Seeing the danger had passed, Lang Botu finally found his voice and muttered softly, "I clearly saw Zhou Qi on the morning of November 6th. Your autopsy must be wrong."
"You murderer, still lying!" Forensic Doctor Chen slammed the table and shouted angrily, pointing at him. "I heard you went on a business trip to Beijing on the afternoon of November 6th, didn't you? You're trying to say Zhou Qi died after November 6th to give yourself an alibi, am I right?"
"Oh..." Everyone's eyes lit up with realization, and they couldn't help but feel like applauding. They had been puzzled earlier about why Lang Botu would claim to have seen Zhou Qi on the morning of November 6th. Now it made sense—he was trying to create an alibi! No wonder he had gone to Beijing for that inexplicable investment seminar and stayed for days. There was another purpose behind it.
Under Forensic Doctor Chen's admiring gaze, he straightened his back, raised his head proudly, and pointed at Lang Botu with disdain. "But science is science. Your lies have been mercilessly crushed by it. Your statement contradicts the autopsy results, proving you're lying!"
Lang Botu swallowed hard, lowered his head, and said timidly, "Why... why couldn't it be your autopsy results that are wrong?"
"Because my autopsy reports are never wrong!"
Faced with Forensic Doctor Chen's attitude, Lang Botu gritted his teeth. Seeing that the doctor wasn't holding a knife and with so many police officers present, he wasn't afraid of being assaulted. Fine, he might as well go all out. He raised his head and challenged Forensic Doctor Chen, "When you determine the time of death in an autopsy, do you consider factors like weather and temperature?"
"Of course I do! A body found in summer versus winter, indoors versus outdoors—even after the same amount of time, the condition of the body can be completely different. If you don't consider weather and temperature, the same body condition could lead to drastically different conclusions, with the estimated time of death differing by days. This is what tests a medical examiner's real experience!"
"Then let me ask you this: if a body is indoors where the temperature is very high, how would you determine the time of death?"
"The actual time of death would be shorter than it appears on the surface."
"Well, there you go." Lang Botu shrugged.
"Go where?" Forensic Doctor Chen looked at him, baffled. "What do you mean by that? Lu Yibo's body was found outdoors, and that judgment is very accurate. Zhou Qi's body was found in her home, where the temperature was only slightly higher than outside. Of course, I accounted for these minor differences. So the results cannot be wrong!"
"About that—" The police officers suddenly realized something. Wang Ruijun hesitantly interjected, "Dr. Chen, Zhou Qi's death scene wasn't like this initially."
"What do you mean?" Forensic Doctor Chen was completely confused.
The officers recalled that when they first arrived at Zhou Qi's home, it was extremely hot inside. They discovered the central air conditioning had been turned up to the highest setting.Forensic Doctor Chen was instantly furious: "Why wasn't it kept in its original state? Who turned off the air conditioner!"
After some more reminiscing, everyone's gaze turned to Song Xing, who was hiding in the corner with his head lowered. Song Xing explained, "I didn't open the window, and the scene was kept intact. It was just too stuffy, so... so I turned off the air conditioning temporarily. You arrived late that day, so... so the temperature inside returned to normal later. I didn't know it would... would affect the results this much."
Everyone began to criticize Song Xing. How could he lack such basic common sense? Was he even a seasoned investigator? Complaining about the crime scene being too stuffy—if he couldn't handle such minor discomfort, why be a cop? He might as well be a security guard and stay in an air-conditioned room all day!
Despite the scolding, everyone suddenly turned their attention to Lang Botu: "How did you know about Zhou Qi's home situation?"
"I... I didn't say anything. I was just giving an example. I didn't mention Zhou Qi's home," Lang Botu weakly defended himself.
This time, everyone was convinced he was the murderer. All his explanations seemed futile. No matter how they pressed him, he insisted he had merely used a random example and hadn't referred to Zhou Qi's home. He claimed to have no connection to the murders, daring them to arrest him if they had evidence—otherwise, they should let him go. Of course, they couldn't release him, but the real challenge now was finding concrete evidence to prove Lang Botu was indeed the killer. Otherwise, they truly had no way to hold him accountable.
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