Period drama: Old Cao's carefree life

Chapter 126 With the nation so weak, what have the people done to deserve this?
Cao Weida circled the body and carefully examined the surrounding area, ultimately reaching the same conclusion as the case summary: this was not the primary crime scene.

He rested his chin on his hand, staring at the naked corpse, which he considered an insult, and frowned in deep thought.

Duomen put down the powder and soft brush in his hand, stood up and said, "This murderer has a certain counter-investigation ability. Like the previous body, he did not leave any clues such as fingerprints."

“I can understand that the murderer killed and disposed of the body; he didn’t want us to find the primary crime scene. But why did he arrange the victim in this kneeling and kowtowing position? What was his purpose?”

Zong Xiangfang walked up and said, "I've looked at the case files. In both cases, the victims were arranged in the same way, and the fatal wounds were in the same locations. It's clear that the same murderer did it."

By placing the deceased in public, was he trying to intimidate us police officers, or was he trying to demonstrate against society?

Although Zong Xiangfang's ultimate identity is that of a spy, he graduated from the police academy and still has abilities in criminal investigation.

Cao Weida held the murderer's actions in contempt. If the murderer was truly dissatisfied with society, he should at least go after the Japanese devils and traitors. What kind of skill is it to kill one's own compatriots?

If it was just random killing, why did so many Japanese soldiers and traitors in Beiping always target ordinary people?

Isn't that a sign of cowardice?

He said nothing, and, resting his chin on his hand, circled the corpse once more.

The murderer must have had a purpose in undressing the body and arranging it in this way.

They stopped walking when they reached the front of the corpse.

He then looked behind him thoughtfully and sat down on a rock not far in front of the corpse.

Zong Xiangfang was stunned when he saw this scene. He was surprised by Cao Weida's behavior and asked, "Wait, what is Cao'er doing?"

Standing in front of the corpse, Cao Weida looked down and glanced left and right, then took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it.

Duomen walked over and asked, "Cao'er, have you discovered something?"

“Indeed, we have made a discovery.” Cao Weida stubbed out his cigarette butt and pointed to a spot near his feet, saying, “Master Duo, look what this is.”

"This is... the ashes from a burned cigarette?" Domen's expression hardened, and he squatted down to sweep the ash away with a brush.

Previously, due to a shortage of manpower and so many onlookers, he hadn't really noticed the cigarette ash.

His crime-solving skills were quite good. After glancing back at the direction the body was facing, he had a few guesses in mind.
"Cao'er, did you just put yourself in the killer's shoes to experience what it's like to be the killer?"

"More or less." Cao Weida stood up. "I've been wondering why the murderer arranged the body in that position. There are so many ways to humiliate someone, why choose this particular method? What was his purpose?"

"Then, I put myself in the killer's shoes and accidentally discovered this wisp of ash."

"I suspect that the cigarette ash was left by the murderer, so I was wondering why the murderer didn't rush to leave after disposing of the body, but instead sat on the bench leisurely smoking?"

"With martial law so severe now, the murderer still took such a big risk to do this. I don't think he didn't have a purpose in mind."

Domen seemed to be deep in thought. He didn't ask or refute the nonsense about whether it was possible that someone else had left it behind while smoking.

With martial law so severe these days, what kind of idiot would come here to smoke late at night?
If it wasn't the murderer, whose could it be?
“I just observed, Master Duo, you see, the direction the corpse was kneeling in is right where I am sitting, and the murderer moved the corpse several times to maintain this direction.”

Duomen immediately looked at the corpse and the stone, and then realized that the direction the corpse was kneeling in was indeed the stone.

"There were several bloody handprints around the body. I initially thought the killer moved them to maintain the victim's balance after kneeling, but I never imagined the killer's ultimate goal was this." Duomen nodded, then said with a chilling expression:
"The murderer, Ruyi, clearly intended to humiliate the victim by doing this!"

Cao Wei Da added, "He was also enjoying the pleasure of the dead kowtowing and kneeling before him."

Upon hearing this, the surrounding patrol officers felt a chill run down their spines. This murderer was truly vicious, going so far as to humiliate the deceased even in death—it was even more cruel than stripping the body naked!

This is absolutely killing someone by destroying their spirit!
Duomen stared coldly at the cigarette ash he had collected in his hand. The murderer's extremely humiliating method was a great provocation to them, the patrol officers!

Most people looked down on the police station, and to make matters worse, the police station itself was not up to par during this period.
"The ash is quite fine and grayish-white in color; this is a high-end cigarette!"

Zong Xiangfang immediately said, "If that's the case, the murderer must be well-off and used to being flattered. It's highly likely that he had a dispute with the murderer, and even after killing the victim, he wanted the victim to kneel before him!"

The surrounding patrol officers couldn't help but nod in agreement, showing a general consensus on this statement.

Duomen looked at Cao Weida: "Cao'er, what do you think?" Just from his brief demonstration, Duomen could tell that Cao Weida was not only a master, but also had a natural talent for criminal investigation and already possessed remarkable case-solving abilities!

However, this kid usually hides his true abilities, and even he was fooled!

Cao Weida pondered and said, "I have two guesses. First, my judgment is exactly the opposite of Zong Xiangfang's. The murderer may be at the bottom of society and be a sensitive person. He killed the victims because they may have angered him or made him feel looked down upon, thus causing him to kill them!"

"This one is actually not too difficult to investigate. What I'm afraid of is the second one."

He glanced at the patrol officers around him and said in a low voice, "The second possibility is that the murderer enjoys the feeling of being worshipped and doesn't care about the lives of ordinary people at all."

“I saw in the case file that the female victims had not been assaulted. Is it possible that the murderer was actually a physically disabled person who did not want others to know and was a somewhat twisted demon?”

"And the only people who would dare to show up at the rendezvous at night, besides the Japanese officer, are..."

Everyone immediately fell silent.

They naturally understood what kind of people Cao Wei Da was referring to. In the entire Beiping, besides traitors and sellouts, who else could they be?

If the murderer were truly the second type, how could these junior patrol officers dare to investigate?

Don't be the one who wants to be killed before the murderer is even found.
Cao Weida keenly sensed that the patrolmen were showing signs of backing down. He could understand it, after all, it involved their own safety, and they didn't have the sense of honor and responsibility that police officers in later generations had. Their first consideration was always to mind their own business and protect themselves.

Duomen paused for a moment, then stood up and shouted, "Alright, alright, everyone, do another search of the scene. After the search is over, take the body away."

"Xiao Wang, after the body is transported away, notify the deceased's family and have them come to claim the body."

On the way back, Duomen remained silent for a while, then finally sighed heavily, "The country is so weak, what have the people done to deserve this?"

Cao Weida patted him heavily on the shoulder, and when Duomen looked up at him, he said with a firm expression, "Everything will be alright. China cannot remain at a disadvantage forever. We will definitely have a day when we can stand tall. With five thousand years of Chinese heritage, no one can defeat us, definitely!"

Duomen paused for a moment, then suddenly relaxed and laughed, patting him on the shoulder a few times. "You young people are so energetic! Me? I'm getting old~~"

"You know you're getting old, so why don't you hurry up and find yourself a wife to continue the family line? Are you really planning to let the Jia family line die out under your care?"

"Hey~~ You're never going to stop, are you? You're having fun teasing your grandpa?"

The two chatted and laughed all the way back to the police station. After Cao Weida's interruption, Duomen, who was originally in a low mood, gradually became much more cheerful.

After entering the office, Duomen closed the door behind him. "Cao'er, tell me the truth, which of those two guesses do you lean towards?"

He stared at Cao Weida, waiting for his answer.

Letting a murderer go unpunished could lead to more victims, which is something that Tamon, a third-generation police officer, is naturally unwilling to accept.

Cao Wei Da knew what he was thinking. Duo Men actually wanted to continue the investigation; he was seeking Cao Wei Da's approval.

"I think the first possibility is the most likely. After all, if it were really done by traitors or Japanese devils, there would be no need to do it secretly."

I suspect the killer doesn't have a specific profession; he's probably a homeless person, a beggar, or something similar. You heard what that woman said earlier.

If someone kills three people in one place and then kills two more here, I suggest focusing the investigation on the two types of people I mentioned above.

He added to himself that he actually suspected the second possibility was more likely.

Although traitors and Japanese soldiers could directly kill the murderer, he suspected that the murderer might have a disability, and that such a secret would be something they absolutely did not want to be discovered.

Such people often seek other stimulating behaviors to find perverse pleasures.

The murderer had the time and audacity to transport the body at night and waste time arranging it after the murder. Without some kind of backing, what gave him the audacity to act so recklessly?
Do you really think the murderer has the same skill level as Cao Weida and the space to transport the body?
He estimated that even if Duomen conducted a thorough investigation, it would ultimately be fruitless.

But none of that matters. What matters is that we let Duomen investigate. At least in this way, Duomen will have done their best, and they will feel much better psychologically.

Duomen smiled and nodded, saying, "That's what I think too. I'll immediately arrange for people to investigate the homeless people and beggars who have wandered here from the vicinity of Jinyu Hutong recently."

Watching Duomen rush out, Cao Weida sighed, his gaze turning somber as he looked out the window. "If Master Duo doesn't find anything, I'll have to find something for the Japanese devils and traitors to do in a few days."

(End of this chapter)