As the leads steadily accumulated, Shi Ting found himself increasingly eager to hear what Yan Qing would reveal next.

“Director Shi, look here — every point of severance on the body is at a joint, and the cutting technique is practiced and assured. The skin at both shoulders bears several fish-tail-shaped drag marks from the blade, which are typically produced by a slashing motion from a sharp instrument such as a dagger. And look at this area —” She turned the body slightly. “The bone here shows very clear chopping marks. A thin-bladed dagger couldn’t produce marks like these, so my analysis is that there were at least two implements at the scene: a kitchen cleaver and a dagger.”

“You’re saying the primary crime scene was indoors?” Shi Ting grasped her meaning quickly. “The killer had easy access to both weapons — and ordinary people don’t typically go out carrying both a dagger and a kitchen cleaver at the same time.”

E’Yuan cut in: “Of course it was indoors. Who in their right mind murders and dismembers someone in broad daylight?”

Shi Ting and Yan Qing exchanged a glance and spoke almost in unison: “Someone known to the victim.”

“Since it happened indoors,” Shi Ting elaborated, “there is a strong likelihood that the killer and the deceased were acquainted. Moreover, murder followed by dismemberment is usually done either to destroy evidence or to delay discovery of the crime — and killers and victims in such cases typically have a prior relationship of some kind. So: find the identity of the victim, and we’ll find the killer before long.”

Yan Qing had a fondness for sharp minds like Shi Ting’s. He reminded her of the celebrated Officer Shao from City S, a legendary figure in law enforcement, known across the police world for his speed in solving cases — there was even a saying about him: *When Officer Shao steps in, the criminal’s fate is sealed.*

Someone like Shi Ting, placed in the modern era, would surely have been a towering figure in law enforcement as well.

Yan Qing continued: “The killer’s dismemberment technique was practiced, but the actual cutting motions were somewhat clumsy. Both shoulder joints show several chopping marks of varying depth at the scapula.”

“Missed the mark,” E’Yuan said. “What’s significant about that?”

“The fact that the killer knew to sever at the joints rather than hacking blindly indicates some knowledge of human anatomy. Missing the mark once or twice could be explained. But missing repeatedly is telling.”

“The killer wasn’t using their dominant hand,” Shi Ting said suddenly. “Which is why, theoretically, they knew how to carry out the dismemberment — but couldn’t execute it with precision.”

A look of approval passed across Yan Qing’s face. “My thoughts exactly. The killer was not using their dominant hand.”

“There are two possible explanations,” Shi Ting said. “First: the killer was deliberately concealing which hand was dominant. Second: the killer’s dominant hand happened to be injured at the time. I’m inclined to rule out the first option — if the killer had already gone to the trouble of dismembering the body to destroy evidence, there would have been no reason to add that layer of complication. The second possibility seems far more likely.”

With that, Shi Ting’s expression sharpened with resolve. “Call everyone together for a briefing.”

This was Yan Qing’s first time attending a Military Police Bureau meeting. It wasn’t entirely unlike the meetings she had attended back at the Public Security Bureau in City S. The captains of each squadron were all notably courteous to her — after all, the Director himself had personally chosen her to be present, which meant her participation had value.

“First, I would like to thank Miss Yan for providing us with several critical pieces of information.” Shi Ting inclined his head slightly toward her.

“Based on the forensic examination, we can now summarize the following points. First: the deceased is female, aged between nineteen and twenty years old, with nineteen being the more probable estimate. Second: the deceased previously underwent an appendectomy at a hospital, performed in February of this year. Third: the deceased was killed indoors, and may have been acquainted with the killer. Fourth: the killer’s left or right hand is injured. Fifth: the killer is very likely to work in a medical or healthcare profession, or as a butcher.”

The assembled officers raised their pens and began writing rapidly.

—