I Play Dungeons in the Police Station

Chapter 438 - 263: My Good Boy Has Finally Figured It Out

Li Xiang took out the photos of the 11 victims from the file: "Look at their soles. If the deceased was strangled after her socks were removed, then her struggle would leave more marks on her feet."

"Indeed."

After everyone looked at them, they found the issue to be just as Li Xiang said.

The captain is indeed the captain, noticing such subtle details.

"But, how does this clue help us solve the case?"

While others were contemplating how this discovery could assist in solving the case, Yang Ming, being straightforward, directly asked.

Sun Zhidong also wanted to ask, but he was not in good spirits and was not in a good state, so he quietly sat watching the discussion.

"This discovery gives us a few things to think about. Why did the killer do this? What do you think the reason could be?"

"I think the killer might be relatively small and thin. You see, the victims he chose are all relatively small and thin, which indicates that he doesn’t have an advantage in strength. Even so, he still couldn’t achieve his goal, so he came up with the plan to premeditate death before killing."

Yang Ming thought for a moment and replied seriously.

"Well said. Anything else?"

"No, aside from this, I can’t think of any other possibilities."

"What about the others? Any different opinions?"

"I agree with Yang Ming. The killer has a clear objective and is deliberate. The half-year gap between each case should have been spent planning the next crime, including finding suitable targets. It’s not easy to find so many eligible victims randomly on the street, so he must be familiar with the victims, knowing where they work, live, and which way they walk home. This isn’t easy to know, so the killer is likely someone close to the victims."

"Someone close by, and thin and small - these characteristics were thoroughly checked by the task force before. Everyone close to the victims was investigated. If there was someone like this between any two victims, they would be a key focus for the police. The problem is, there isn’t such a person."

Qi Liyan refuted this speculation; after all, the task force isn’t inexperienced. After such a series of murders, the task force’s investigation can be described as thorough, evidenced by the stacks of files.

The task force scrutinized every victim’s social relationships, colleagues, and friends thoroughly. If there were someone like this around them, wouldn’t the task force have discovered it?

Everyone fell silent, clearly aware that this issue was on everyone’s mind.

Indeed, it is like that.

The task force checked everyone around the 11 victims and found no suspicious individuals.

This is a contradiction. The speculation and investigation contradict each other, which is why the case is at an impasse.

"Actually, I have a possibility in mind, please don’t laugh."

At this moment, Qi Liyan said somewhat embarrassedly.

"It’s okay. At this time, everyone should speak freely. Anything improbable could be possible. Just say it."

Li Xiang gave her an encouraging look, turning impossibility into possibility, which might be the brilliance of this case’s killer.

"Then I’ll say it. This idea was inspired by something Sun Zhidong said yesterday—don’t rush to refute it. First, think carefully: is there a possibility that the killer in this case is a woman?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Zhidong perked up immediately: "See? Women can be as twisted too. See, Sister Yan supports my view."

Actually, when Sun Zhidong said this, he was just messing around, but now that Qi Liyan unexpectedly supported his view, he naturally wouldn’t admit that he was just talking nonsense then.

"Yesterday, I was reviewing the task force’s investigation report. The scope of their investigation was exclusively male, ignoring females. Sun Zhidong’s words inspired me—is it possible that the killer is a woman? Could the task force’s direction have been wrong from the start?"

"How is that possible? The forensic report showed evidence of sexual assault. Can a woman do that?"

Song Yingwen had carefully reviewed the autopsy reports of the 11 cases. All the female victims had tears in their lower bodies, and the injuries were postmortem.

This is the most obvious indication of necrophilia. Can a woman do this?

"This..."

Sun Zhidong, finding rare support from Sister Yan, naturally wanted to back her up: "The autopsy didn’t find the suspect’s DNA. I think it’s possible the suspect used toys—um, like adult toys."

Discussing adult toys made Sun Zhidong scratch his head awkwardly. Although they were all adults, the topic was still somewhat private, and his words could easily lead to all sorts of thoughts.

As he noticed some of the girls blushing.

"Dongzi, didn’t expect you to have a moment of insight."

Sun Zhidong’s words sparked a realization. Perhaps it’s not impossible.

Though Li Xiang proposed the earlier idea, he, too, hadn’t considered the possibility of a female killer due to preconceived notions.

He certainly didn’t expect Sun Zhidong, usually laid-back, to start thinking seriously this time.

This made him quite happy; finally, his good son was showing some progress.

"Hehe, it’s just a guess, not necessarily right."

He was even more embarrassed by Li Xiang’s words.

"This is a direction we’ve never thought of before."

With support from both Qi Liyan and Li Xiang, others had to start considering the feasibility of this possibility.

Yesterday, everyone scoffed at the idea. Today, upon thinking it through, this possibility could explain the previous contradictions instead.

The task force had thoroughly investigated the suspicious males around the 11 victims but hadn’t checked the females.

Could it be that the killer really is a woman, possibly always near these 11 victims, secretly observing their every move?

"If the killer is female, then everything would make sense. Even the pantyhose used as a murder weapon could belong to the killer, eliminating the need to remove the victims’. Moreover, the killer’s targets being generally smaller might also be because she can’t handle killing a stronger woman."

"Captain Li, I think this direction is quite promising."

Others echoed the sentiment, believing this direction warranted further investigation.

"Alright, I will call over Team Leader Wang and his task force to unify our understanding and adjust our investigation direction."

Li Xiang is the type to act on his words. He immediately took out his phone and called Wang Ruigang: "Team Leader Wang, we have a major discovery here. Please arrange for the entire task force to meet in our conference room."

Receiving the call, Wang Ruigang instantly understood that Li Xiang must have discovered something about the pantyhose.

He hadn’t said anything earlier in the evidence department, and now calling to gather for a meeting clearly meant something had been confirmed.

Yet, Wang Ruigang still couldn’t figure out what Li Xiang had found about the pantyhose.

"Whatever, we’ll find out soon enough."

So Wang Ruigang didn’t dwell on it and immediately called the task force team leaders, instructing them to gather the team for the meeting.

minutes later, task force members gradually entered the conference room.

"Captain Li, what’s the big discovery to call us so urgently?"

"Team Leader Wang, hold on, sit down first. We’ll start once everyone is here, so I don’t have to repeat myself."

Hearing Li Xiang say this, Wang Ruigang had to suppress his curiosity and find a seat.

Once everyone arrived, Li Xiang stood up.

"Is everyone here? The reason for urgently gathering everyone for a meeting is because we’ve made a major discovery. This discovery will change our previous investigation direction. Let me share some findings from our guidance group."