The surroundings remained solemn and silent, with colleagues working diligently under suppressed tension. Yet, You Mingxu felt a sudden, desolate emptiness, as if she were stranded in an unknown wilderness.
Xu Mengshan noticed her unusual expression and asked, "What's wrong?"
You Mingxu replied, "Hard to explain. I'll show you some materials later. For now, we must comb through this place meticulously!"
The forensic team and medical examiner had already arrived, enveloping the entire house in a heavy, somber atmosphere.
You Mingxu and Xu Mengshan were accustomed to starting from the beginning, clarifying the logic step by step.
First, Luo Ting had finished work at 2 a.m. the night before last, taken the night bus home, and arrived around 2:30 a.m. She was already dead by 10:30 a.m. yesterday. A more precise time of death would depend on the medical examiner's report.
You Mingxu said, "Go ask the roommate if Luo Ting had been close with any men recently."
Xu Mengshan went downstairs. The roommate was there, staying with the police.
While he was gone, You Mingxu re-examined the main door inside and out, then called Xiao Yan, sending photos to confirm that there were no signs of forced entry or evidence of the lock being picked with tools.
Xu Mengshan returned and reported, "The roommate said Luo Ting was single and hadn't been involved with anyone recently. If she had, the roommate would have known. I don't find her suspicious."
Of course, whether the roommate was a suspect or her statement was credible would be verified from other angles later. But if this assumption held, it likely meant the perpetrator was not someone familiar to the victim.
Both Xu Mengshan and You Mingxu fell into deep thought. If it wasn't someone she knew, there was no evidence of lock-picking, and Luo Ting had been asleep at the time, how did the killer get in?
They both recalled a previous home invasion robbery case they had handled with similar circumstances.
"Did he follow her inside?" You Mingxu suggested.
Xu Mengshan's eyes lit up. "Very possible. This building has many residents—coming and going after daybreak would be risky. But from the scene, he stayed for a while. If he followed the victim in, that would be the ideal time to commit the crime. I'll have someone check the surveillance footage from around 2:30 a.m. to see if we can spot any witnesses."
You Mingxu nodded and said, "If he did follow her in, with no obvious signs of a struggle and no other external injuries on the victim, it means the killer subdued her almost instantly."
Xu Mengshan asked, "Could he have used a sedative?"
You Mingxu replied, "Possibly. We'll see what the autopsy shows."
In just a few words, they had established a clear, logical first investigative priority: identifying a potential stalker in the surveillance footage around 2:30 a.m.
They returned to the living room and carefully inspected it but found no clues. Everything was neatly arranged, typical of a cozy home shared by two single women. The forensic team also confirmed they had found no suspicious footprints, bloodstains, or hairs in the house. As for fingerprints, most belonged to two individuals, presumably the two girls. They held little hope of finding a third person's suspicious fingerprints.
They then went back to the bedroom.
During their first visit, everyone's attention had been drawn to the body. This time, You Mingxu focused more intently on other items in the room.The curtains were a light pink, exuding a girlish charm. There was a desk in the room, and a chair was placed in the corner beside it. No books were on the desk, but there was a desk calendar printed with anime characters. You Mingxu picked it up and flipped through it, discovering that Luo Ting had marked her weekly work shifts on it. There were also special notes, such as her mother’s birthday and a colleague’s dinner party last month. Clearly, she was a meticulous and earnest girl.
You Mingxu then opened the wardrobe. Aside from two backpacks, it contained clothing. Judging by the styles, they were quite conservative, with no flashy or revealing designs.
As she crouched by the bedside, examining the contents of the nightstand, a colleague from the forensics team approached and said, "There’s something."
You Mingxu and Xu Mengshan both stood up.
The forensics colleague led them to the corner and pointed at the chair, saying, "The killer must have been very careful. Aside from the bed, there are no bloodstains anywhere else in the room. But on the back of this chair, I found a drop of blood. It’s relatively fresh, and we’ve already collected it."
Xu Mengshan stroked his chin.
You Mingxu leaned closer to inspect the chair and indeed spotted a bright red drop of blood on the backrest. Though dried, as the forensics officer had noted, it was still relatively fresh—likely left the night before last.
This discovery perked up both You Mingxu and Xu Mengshan.
If it was the killer’s blood, that would be excellent.
However, You Mingxu felt this possibility was slim, as the scene showed no indication that the killer had been injured. If it was Luo Ting’s blood...
You Mingxu stood by the chair and glanced at the bed, which was at least one and a half meters away. Interesting—how did the blood end up here? And with only a single drop, it couldn’t have been splattered but must have been accidentally smeared.
——
That afternoon and evening, the police swiftly completed the crime scene investigation and preliminary inquiries.
First, Luo Ting was a native of the province who had come to Xiangcheng for work and had been employed as a masseuse for two years. The bathhouse where she worked was three kilometers from her home, and after her night shifts, she always took the late-night bus home alone.
Her roommate’s suspicion was definitively ruled out—she had an alibi and no motive for murder. Luo Ting’s death had also deeply shaken the roommate. The roommate’s statements were verified as true: whether it was her parents, colleagues at the bathhouse, or other friends, all confirmed that Luo Ting had no boyfriend and had not been close to any men recently.
Luo Ting’s personality was described as very honest and diligent. She worked conscientiously, kept to herself, and was gentle and tolerant with others. At the bathhouse, she wasn’t particularly outstanding but never made enemies. Her family background was simple—her parents were ordinary, hardworking wage-earners from a small city.
At the time of her death, she had over 100,000 yuan in her bank account, with no financial burdens or debts.
In other words, the possibilities of a crime of passion, revenge, or financial disputes were all ruled out.
Additionally, the forensic examiner provided a detailed autopsy report: Luo Ting’s exact time of death was confirmed to be between 4:30 and 5:30 a.m. the previous day (Saturday morning). The cause of death was asphyxiation caused by a rope. Based on the texture of the ligature marks, it was determined to be a common type of coarse hemp rope, making it difficult to trace its origin.
Both nipples had been cut off and taken away; they were not found at the scene. The injury to her genital area was caused by a sharp object similar to a dagger. Both types of injuries were inflicted postmortem.
There were no signs of sexual assault.Furthermore, the forensic examiner also discovered trace amounts of neuroparalytic drug residue in Luo Ting's body, which were determined to have been inhaled through the nasal cavity.
However, this type of neuroparalytic drug is available in most major hospitals. Although a prescription is required, it can also be obtained through some private clinics and the black market. Therefore, it has been temporarily impossible to trace the source of the drug.
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