“If that’s the case, then the likelihood of it being someone the victim knew is extremely high.” Bai Jin grew excited. “And Fan Dabao was stabbed so many times — the killer must have had some serious grudge against him.”

Shi Ting nodded, then shifted direction: “Why was the window glass broken at the scene?”

“That’s something I’ve been puzzled about too.” Bai Jin scratched his head. “If the killer came to murder someone, why bother smashing the glass? Breaking glass makes such a loud noise — wasn’t he afraid of drawing people over?”

One of the officers interjected: “Maybe it was broken accidentally during a struggle with the victim.”

Shi Ting said: “Do you all remember the stone at the scene? There was still some mud and grass stuck to it, which clearly meant it had been picked up from outside. Why would Fan Dabao bother picking up a stone for no reason?”

Everyone shook their heads.

“Since Fan Dabao didn’t pick it up himself, the stone must have been brought by someone else — and brought from outside the window.” Shi Ting turned and wrote the word “stone” on the blackboard. “Imagine this: Fan Dabao is in the guardhouse reading the newspaper, when suddenly someone throws a stone from outside. The stone shatters the window glass, and Fan Dabao, startled, goes outside to investigate.”

“Does the Director mean that the killer wanted to lure Fan Dabao outside, then strike? That the interior wasn’t actually the primary crime scene?”

Shi Ting shook his head: “The person who threw the stone may have had a different purpose entirely.”

“Yes — he may have simply wanted to give Fan Dabao a beating.” Yan Qing suddenly broke into a smile and picked up where Shi Ting had left off: “Multiple contusion bands and subcutaneous hemorrhaging were found on Fan Dabao’s chest and abdomen, which indicates that Fan Dabao had been struck with fists while still alive.”

She had E’Yuan display an evidence bag containing a dark yellow thread: “I found this in the victim’s hair. It’s a coarse hemp fiber — this type of yellow hemp thread is typically used to make burlap sacks.”

She and Shi Ting exchanged a glance. Shi Ting gave her a slight nod, and the two communicated their understanding with nothing more than a look.

Yan Qing continued: “Someone used a stone to break Fan Dabao’s window from outside. Fan Dabao came storming out to find whoever did it. Because it was dark and he couldn’t see clearly, someone threw a burlap sack over his head from behind. Taking advantage of the sack, that person punched Fan Dabao in the stomach more than a dozen times. Fan Dabao was powerfully built, and the attacker didn’t dare linger — so after beating him for a while, he ran off.”

“Ran off? So the person who broke the glass wasn’t the killer?”

Shi Ting acknowledged this: “This person only wanted to teach Fan Dabao a lesson. But because Fan Dabao was so tall and strong, the only option was the burlap sack method. This also reflects that this person wasn’t particularly bold — he absolutely didn’t dare confront Fan Dabao face to face.”

“I actually have someone in mind.” Bai Jin’s eyes lit up. “Xiao Feng’s husband.”

Shi Ting reasoned: “Xiao Feng’s husband is highly suspicious. We just need to bring him in for questioning and it’ll become clear.”

He looked at Yan Qing: “What other findings do you have from forensics?”

Yan Qing handed him the autopsy report: “Through the examination that Forensic Doctor E and I conducted, Fan Dabao died from excessive blood loss caused by a severed carotid artery and a ruptured pericardium.”

“Two causes of death?”

Yan Qing said: “In forensic medicine, this is called a combined cause of death. Both the severed carotid and the ruptured pericardium would each have been fatal on their own. Based on the killer’s act of extracting the heart, I deduce that the killer first cut the victim’s throat, then stabbed him in the chest. While the victim was in hemorrhagic shock, the killer then extracted his heart, ultimately causing death from excessive blood loss.”

“And the murder weapon? Has that been determined?”

“That will require some effort from Team Leader Bai — reassembling the scattered glass shards from the scene.”

Shi Ting was mildly surprised: “The murder weapon was glass?”

Yan Qing confirmed this with a nod: “We found glass fragments in the wounds on the body. Combined with the skin flaps formed at the wound edges, the injuries appear to have been caused by a non-sharp edge of the glass. Based on these characteristics, we can conclude the murder weapon was glass.”

Shi Ting said: “The fact that the killer chose glass to kill Fan Dabao suggests there was no premeditated plan — this was very likely an impulsive act.”

“Could it have been for the wages Fan Dabao had just received?” Bai Jin had already found Fan Dabao’s wages hidden beneath the floorboards of the guardhouse. After verifying with Secretary Li, the full amount was there, not a single coin short. “The killer knew Fan Dabao had been paid, but didn’t know where he’d hidden the money — which is why the room was turned upside down.”

“That theory doesn’t hold up.” Yan Qing shook her head. “Although the victim had dozens of wounds, none of them were coercive injuries. Think about it — if the killer was after Fan Dabao’s money and didn’t know where it was hidden, he would have forced Fan Dabao to talk, which would have produced coercive wounds. But aside from the two fatal injuries, all of Fan Dabao’s other wounds were inflicted post-mortem. Besides, a bit of wages wouldn’t be worth stabbing Fan Dabao into a honeycomb just to vent.”

“On the whole, I lean toward the killer being someone the victim knew.” Shi Ting marked 1, 2, and 3 on the blackboard. “First, the victim had been drinking with someone before his death — someone willing to share drinks with him in the middle of the night must have been an acquaintance. Second, the killer knew Fan Dabao had just been paid, which is why the room was ransacked. Third, the murder weapon was a piece of broken glass already present at the scene — this was most likely an impulsive act arising from some disagreement. Taking these three points together, we can say with certainty that the killer was well acquainted with the victim, and may even have been on good terms with him.”

“According to Xiao Feng, Fan Dabao was close to several people from the dyeing workshop — specifically, the ones known as Bald Two, Gou Sheng, Big Gap Tooth, and Triangle Eyes. If it was someone he knew, all four of them are highly suspicious.”

“Let me add one thing.” Yan Qing said: “If glass was used as the weapon, since it has no handle and was used repeatedly, the killer’s hands would certainly have been marked — and possibly cut.”

With everyone’s analysis, the case seemed to be gradually coming into focus. Bai Jin cracked his knuckles eagerly: “I’ll bring those four in right now.”

Shi Ting reminded him: “Don’t forget Xiao Feng’s husband.”

“Right, him too — I nearly forgot about that bastard.”

Bai Jin had a deep hatred for men who oppressed women, and he still burned with resentment over the fact that Xiao Feng’s husband had beaten her. So when the man named Zhao Youfu was brought in, Bai Jin’s demeanor alone was enough to send the man into a trembling fit.

“Let’s hear it — how did you kill Fan Dabao?” Bai Jin had a cigarette dangling from his lips and went straight to the point.

Zhao Youfu was not a tall man, standing around one meter seventy, and was thin and wiry. Xiao Feng had said he was twenty-eight this year, but at first glance he looked closer to forty-eight.

“Officer, please don’t go making accusations — I didn’t kill anyone.”

“Where were you last night?”

“I — I was at home drinking. I never saw Fan Dabao.”

“Nonsense.” Bai Jin slammed the table. “Last night you went to the guardhouse where Fan Dabao was posted, smashed his window, then lured him outside and beat him. Do you know that Fan Dabao died from the beating you gave him?”

Zhao Youfu’s eyes went wide. “No — that’s impossible. I only punched him a few times in the stomach. He’s such a big, strapping man — a few punches wouldn’t kill him.”

Bai Jin narrowed his eyes: “Didn’t you just say you were at home drinking last night and never saw Fan Dabao?”

Zhao Youfu realized he had let something slip, and could only sigh: “I really did just rough him up a bit. Look at the state of me — I couldn’t even punch someone hard enough to hurt them.”

“Why did you hit him, and what time did you go looking for him?”

“Around ten o’clock last night. I was drinking alone at home, and without realizing it I’d had a bit too much. I started thinking about Fan Dabao and what he’d done with my wife, and then I looked at my son and he looked less and less like my own flesh and blood. I was furious, so I went looking for Fan Dabao. I knew he worked the guardhouse shift every day, alone. I wanted to beat him up and get it out of my system. But Fan Dabao’s so tall and strong that I’d be no match for him, so I came up with a plan. I picked up a stone from the roadside and smashed his window. He heard it and came out cursing. Taking advantage of the darkness, I threw a burlap sack over his head and punched him in the stomach a few times. He struggled like mad — when I saw I couldn’t keep hold of him, I panicked and ran.”

“When did you find out about the affair between your wife and Fan Dabao?”

“I’ve known for years.”

“And you only thought to go beat him up now?”

“I’m a coward. Every time I thought about going to confront Fan Dabao, I’d spot him from a distance and my nerve would fail me.”

“You didn’t have the guts to take on Fan Dabao, but you had plenty of nerve to beat your own wife.” Bai Jin nearly shot to his feet, his agitation giving Zhao Youfu a fright. “Zhao Youfu, there’s nothing I despise more in this life than a man who hits women. You remember this — if you ever lay a hand on Xiao Feng again, I’ll throw you in a cell. Hitting people is against the law. Do you understand?”

“I understand, I understand.” Zhao Youfu immediately nodded obediently. “I swear I’ll never hit her again.”

“You’d better damn well remember that.” Bai Jin gave Zhao Youfu a firm slap on the back.

“I’ll remember, I’ll remember.”

Bai Jin then settled back into his chair: “When you went looking for Fan Dabao at ten o’clock, was there anyone else in his room?”

Zhao Youfu thought for a moment: “No, just him. I watched from under a tree for a long time before I dared make a move.”

Bai Jin reflected to himself: the killer was not yet at the scene after ten o’clock — he must have arrived after Zhao Youfu left. Between ten and eleven, most people would already be asleep. Who would still be showing up at the gate of the textile factory at that hour?

“Wait.” Bai Jin snapped his fingers and sprinted out of the interrogation room.

“Seventh Brother.” Bai Jin burst into Shi Ting’s office. “Does the textile factory run two shifts?”

“It does. What about it?”

“What are the hours for the night shift?”

“Three in the afternoon to ten-thirty at night.”

“I’ve got it — the killer must be among the workers who were on the night shift that day.” Bai Jin was quite excited. “According to Zhao Youfu’s account, he went looking for Fan Dabao after ten o’clock, and at that point no one else was in the guardhouse. This means the killer appeared after ten. The night shift ended at ten-thirty. The killer came to Fan Dabao’s guardhouse after clocking off, shared some drinks with the victim, and then, for some reason, killed him.”

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*A few readers asked what a skin flap is. In plain terms, it’s when the skin peels away along with the tissue beneath it — like if you scraped off a piece of skin with scissors and the skin with the flesh beneath it is still connected to your hand. That’s a skin flap. A sharp knife has two smooth edges, and goes cleanly in and out without lifting any skin or flesh at the wound site. A skin flap only forms when the object has an uneven surface, which causes the skin to be pulled up and torn when the weapon is withdrawn. I hope that explanation helps!*

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