Animal Detective

Chapter 260 Angler
Serial killer, yes.

But in modern society, there are fewer murders, let alone serial killers.

Moreover, from the police's perspective, killing one person before solving the case, and then killing another, is a blatant provocation.

This is a slap in the face, so it's normal for Shao Jingming to get extremely angry.

Shen Xin didn't dare to get any closer.

But when he glanced at the corpse on the ground, he suddenly froze.

This is... Xu Ruilin!

Shen Xin gasped. Could it be that the murderer was really after the fisherman?

What about the motivation?

He failed to catch anything while fishing, was ridiculed, harbored resentment, and then plotted to commit murder.

Otherwise, why would they throw the body into the water?

Feed the fish?

The motive was absurd, but having experienced those unsolved cases, Shen Xin knew that even the most absurd things could happen in reality.

At that moment, Shen Xin suddenly thought of something.

Xu Ruilin said that those of them who often come to the reservoir to fish are quite familiar with each other, and have even sat together for meals and drinks.

Could the murderer be among them?

Let's make an assumption.

For example, the murderer often boasted to Huang Weili and his friends about how good his fishing skills were, and then frequently failed to catch anything.

When they were having dinner together, Huang Weili might have made a sarcastic remark, saying, "You always brag about how great you are, but what's wrong with you, you old air force pilot?"

Then Xu Ruilin echoed his sentiments with a few words.

Perhaps in Huang Weili's eyes, this was just a joke between friends, nothing serious.

But the murderer might not think that way.

He boasted, failed, was ridiculed, and his self-esteem was hurt.

Just like Zhang Qingpeng, Wang Lei's comment that he only earns that little bit of money a month touched Zhang Qingpeng's pride, leading him to plot to murder Wang Lei.

It's not impossible.

Just then, Liu Baoqing saw him and waved at him.

Shao Jingming went to the side to make a phone call to report the situation.

This case might even alarm Zhao Hongjie.

"Captain Liu, what's the specific situation?" Shen Xin walked over and asked.

Liu Baoqing, burdened with a mountain of problems, stood outside the police cordon and described the situation at the scene.

Similar to Huang Weili, he was an early-rising fisherman who reported the case.

The time is 6:22.

After receiving the report, the branch office arrived at the scene immediately.

“Look at the scene. Xu Ruilin chose a spot in a shallow area, and he was probably sitting down when he was attacked from behind. He has an impact injury to the back of his head.”

"It should be like Huang Weili's, also a stone, but sharper. Old Wang said it was a comminuted skull fracture."

"Then he plunged headfirst into the water. This time the murderer did not drag the body, so when it was discovered, half of the body was submerged in the water and the other half was exposed."

He reached out to the technician, got a camera, and showed Shen Xin the photos from the scene.

Just as he described, half of it was in the water and half was outside.

Clearly, he was in the same situation as Huang Weili, and was suddenly attacked from behind.

Shen Xin didn't rush to share his thoughts.

The body has only just been discovered. Although the circumstances are similar, it cannot be simply concluded that it is the same murderer.

So Shen Xin continued to ask about other situations.

For example, whether Xu Ruilin lost his wallet and phone, and whether there are any other clues at the scene.

Just like Huang Weili, he found his wallet and phone intact.

The phone was right there on the fishing box, and they didn't take it. When they arrived, it still had power and was even playing a novel.

Everything indicates that the attack occurred suddenly.

Then a relatively clear left footprint was collected at the scene.

Size 43, no doubt it's a man.

The stone that hit the person couldn't be found, so it must have been thrown into the reservoir.

Liu Baoqing said, "The time of death was also around midnight. We just contacted Xu Ruilin's ex-wife. The two divorced many years ago, and Xu Ruilin now lives with his son in the nearby Shuiyue Mansion."

"We've already contacted his son, and he's on his way. His son likes to go to bars; he went to a bar in the city last night and didn't get home until after 3 a.m.

“When he got home, Xu Ruilin wasn’t there. He didn’t think much of it because Xu Ruilin often went out night fishing and socializing, so he was rarely home.”

Shen Xin knew that Shuiyue Mansion was located three or four kilometers away from here, in an old villa community.

Xu Ruilin must be quite wealthy.

Liu Baoqing then said, "Shen Xin, hurry up and bring Odin over. Use the same old method to see if you can track the murderer's escape route, just like last time."

Shen Xin nodded and immediately called Li Jiahui, asking him to bring Odin over.

While waiting, Shen Xin hesitated for a moment and then shared his thoughts.

Upon hearing this, Liu Baoqing crossed his arms and frowned.

Shen Xin's speculation is absurd and bold, but it is actually possible.

Having worked as a criminal investigator for so many years, he has encountered many cases where people held grudges over a single sentence.

At this moment, Shao Jingming's voice rang out from behind: "Old Liu, Xiao Shen's idea makes some sense. You yourself said that in Huang Weili's case, the murderer's behavior and the evidence don't match."

"That's very likely. From the very beginning, we were heading in the wrong direction."

"Perhaps, as Xiao Shen said, there was a conflict among these anglers, and they then seized the opportunity to kill each other."

"If that's the case, then the existing evidence would match."

Knowing that Huang Weili and his group had a habit of night fishing and were not after money, they did not plot to kill him.

Shao Jingming continued, "And there's another point: Huang Weili and Xu Ruilin were both attacked suddenly and knocked unconscious, with their backs to the assailant."

"The reason why they could so confidently entrust their backs to someone else can only mean that they might know the murderer, so they let their guard down and gave the murderer the opportunity to launch a sneak attack."

Liu Baoqing nodded vigorously.

He also noticed this, especially after Xu Ruilin was murdered again.

Xu Ruilin was also an eyewitness to Huang Weili's case. He knew that Huang Weili had been murdered, so he would definitely be wary if he encountered a stranger.

The most likely explanation, as Shao Jingming said, is that the attacker was someone he knew, a regular angler at the reservoir.

"Old Zhao."

Liu Baoqing suddenly looked up and said a name.

Zhao Cunyong!
"Zhong Yu!"

He turned his head and shouted.

When Zhong Yu ran over, Liu Baoqing immediately asked him to confirm the identities of every angler who had frequently visited the reservoir in the past month, based on the previous visit records.

He felt that it wasn't just that they had eaten together; they might also be frequent fishermen who often met each other, so Xu Ruilin lowered his guard.

Of course, this is just one direction for investigation.

Xu Ruilin's situation and his social connections also need to be investigated.

The possibility that someone might take the opportunity to imitate the crime cannot be ruled out.

Meanwhile, Shao Jingming has mobilized personnel from the New District Branch to provide support and conduct a large-scale survey of the surrounding area.

Soon, Li Jiahui arrived with Odin by the hand.

Upon seeing Xu Ruilin's body, her expression changed slightly.

"Why don't you go back first?"

Shen Xin said softly as he took the dog leash.

Li Jiahui shook her head slightly, indicating that it was alright.

Shen Xin didn't say anything more, put on shoe covers, and led Odin into the scene.

Shao Jingming and Liu Baoqing stood together, watching nervously.

"Old Liu, is this the police dog you mentioned, the one you were going to train for our new district branch?"

After Liu Baoqing nodded, Shao Jingming said, "Talk to Xiao Shen more. I've heard of this kid before. He's capable and a lucky charm."

"Most importantly, they can train police dogs. You can see how important police dogs are."

Previously, police dogs were used to track and pinpoint the suspect's escape route.

Liu Baoqing said, "Director Shao, I understand."

Even without Shao Jingming's reminder, Liu Baoqing understood the role of police dogs. Although there was a police dog base, having a dedicated police dog was always better.

Moreover, he had inquired about it and found that the police dogs trained by Shen Xin seemed to be smarter and more capable.

Meanwhile, Shen Xin had already started chanting to Odin.

It is uncertain whether the perpetrator had Xu Ruilin's blood on them when committing the crime.

But if it's the same killer, Shen Xin can have Odin track the killer's scent.

When they were tracking the killer, they said they were tracking the scent of Huang Weili's blood, but Odin must have also smelled the killer's scent along the way.

He should remember.

Now Shen Xin needs him to understand which scent he needs to track.

"Take a good sniff of that person's scent, you should be able to smell it."

Shen Xin didn't rush to let him smell the scent of Xu Ruilin's blood.

Odin walked around, especially taking a good sniff of the footprint left by the murderer.

Then he barked.

【Have】

That confirms it.

This also confirms one thing: it was indeed done by one person.

Shen Xin couldn't help but think that this guy was incredibly bold.

Only a week after the crime, before the case was even solved, he dared to strike again.

Just as Shao Jingming said, the police tape at the scene where Huang Wei filed the case has not yet been removed.

"Remember this smell, and the blood, smell it again."

Shen Xin then led Odin by the hand and smelled the scent of Xu Ruilin's blood.

Only after Odin remembered it was he allowed to begin the tracking.

He sniffed around and quickly locked onto the scent, walking along the reservoir towards the cement road.

Liu Baoqing immediately led his men to follow.

Upon reaching the cement road, Odin did not head down the mountain this time, but instead turned left and went uphill.

"Is this the direction?" Shen Xin asked, confirming.

【Yes】

Odin barked.

Shen Xin and Liu Baoqing exchanged a glance and followed Odin up the mountain.

This cement road winds its way all the way to the top of the mountain.

There is a communications signal station on the mountaintop.

Shen Xin suddenly thought of the case that Chen Chao had told him before.

He then turned to Liu Baoqing and asked if he had checked the access information of the mountaintop base station during the time when Huang Wei was arrested.

Liu Baoqing said, "We checked, and during the time period of the incident, this base station had nearly two thousand mobile phones connected to it. We're also unsure whether the perpetrator turned off their phone, so it's very difficult to investigate."

Shen Xin nodded and asked no further questions.

Odin led the way, climbing for about a hundred meters, when he suddenly stopped.

Sniffing around, feeling lost and confused.

Shen Xin looked around and saw a cement road leading up the mountain, with a bend in the road and forests on both sides.

We were tracking things perfectly fine up front, so how did we suddenly lose our way here?

Li Jiahui sniffed and said, "Shen Xin, can you smell a very faint scent, like the smell of 84 disinfectant?"

Ma Chunxin, who was following behind, took a deep breath and nodded, saying, "You know what, it really does have a bit of the smell of 84."

Shen Xin sniffed it carefully and thought there might be a little bit.

Looking at Odin wandering around, Shen Xin suddenly realized: "Captain Liu, the suspect wouldn't have deliberately spilled bleach and then tried to ruin his scent to prevent us from tracking him with police dogs, would he?"

“Think about it, when Huang Weili was killed, we used police dogs to track him, making a big fuss, and many people saw it. The murderer must have known that too, so he took targeted measures.”

Sprinkling 84 disinfectant at key locations, or pouring it directly on yourself, can mask your body odor and prevent police dogs from tracking you.

"Captain Liu, this guy has a very strong counter-surveillance awareness."

Liu Baoqing cursed and then said, "I suspect he might have left via the mountain."

The Shitang Mountain in front of us is a network of roads leading in all directions; once we cross the mountain, it's very difficult to track us down.

Shen Xin thought the same thing. He looked around and chose the forest on his right, trying to expand the area and see if he could continue the scent source.

After trying various methods, it still didn't work.

Liu Baoqing was annoyed, but he didn't show it. He called Shen Xin back and said as they walked, "Little Shen, I think this guy is a master, he might have a criminal record."

Such a strong counter-surveillance awareness is one aspect.

Secondly, they were incredibly audacious; the case wasn't even solved yet, and they dared to take action again.

Moreover, Liu Baoqing now believes that the carelessly disposed of scene may not have been due to the murderer's lack of foresight, but rather to their confidence that they would not leave any evidence.

Liu Baoqing didn't believe this was a first-time offender; he must have a criminal record.

Liu Baoqing continued, "So I think your idea of ​​starting the investigation from anglers might be the right direction."

"Because he needed to scout out the location and figure out Huang Weili and his group's activity habits, the best way was to disguise himself as a fisherman."

“I think anglers who come here often must have seen him before.”

Thinking of this, Liu Baoqing's gloomy mood improved slightly.

He knew a rule for solving cases: the more things a murderer does, the more information and flaws will be exposed.

If they only kill Huang Weili, the police will suspect a revenge killing and start by investigating Huang Weili's social connections.

Killing two would change the situation.

Shen Xin nodded in agreement, then thought for a moment and said, "Captain Liu, what about the motive? The most crucial thing is the motive. Could it be that someone with a criminal record had their pride hurt by Huang Weili and the other person, and then chose to take action?"

"Or did Huang Weili and his companion learn some of the suspect's dark secrets, so he decided to kill him to silence him?"

"If that's the case, then Xu Ruilin should have mentioned it when we asked him at the beginning."

"Or perhaps Huang Weili and his companion were unaware that they might have accidentally witnessed something that led to them being targeted by the suspect."

What unspeakable secrets could a barren mountain hold?

Shen Xin couldn't understand it.

I still feel there's something wrong with this case; it's somewhat unusual.

When they arrived at the reservoir, to their surprise, not only did Kong Lingzhi, the director of the New District Branch, arrive, but Zhao Hongjie also came.

Zhao Hongjie is giving instructions.

Similar to Shao Jingming before, he was determined to solve the case within a limited time, at any cost.

Two people were killed in the same location, just one week apart. The impact of this is extremely negative.

It was also a provocation against the police.

As soon as he finished speaking, he looked up and saw Shen Xin and his group.

He immediately waved to Shen Xin and the others, asking about the tracking situation.

"Oh, and he even sprayed disinfectant to interfere with the police dogs' tracking. He must be a repeat offender." Zhao Hongjie sneered.

As he spoke, he waved his hand, signaling Liu Baoqing and the others to continue working, and then called over Shen Xin, praising him a few times.

“I’ve heard about it. You were the one who led the police dogs to track down the suspect and pinpoint his escape route. That’s great. That’s the point of training police dogs.”

Taking advantage of the opportunity, he went to the police dog base to inspect Shen Xin's work progress.

This startled Tang Changhong and his team; it was tantamount to a surprise inspection.

Tian Kui and the others were forced to come out and demonstrate the training progress to Zhao Hongjie.

"Great."

Zhao Hongjie praised.

Tang Changhong described how fast the project was progressing, saying he had seen it with his own eyes.

This group of stray dogs, who were wandering around just over two weeks ago, have somehow managed to become quite well-behaved, lying down whenever they're told to.

This progress is faster than a rocket launch.

Zhao Hongjie thought for a moment, then pulled Shen Xin aside and gave him another instruction: to equip the new district, Xinbei, Lishan, the airport, the railway, as well as Jigang and Donglin with dedicated police dogs.

If the funding is insufficient, he will approve it again.

The role of police dogs is beyond doubt, especially in drug detection and bomb disposal, where they are extremely useful.

Since the leader had spoken, Shen Xin had no choice but to nod in agreement, no matter how unwilling he was.

Judging from this situation, am I really going to have to become a full-time police dog trainer?
(End of this chapter)