Chapter Five: The Corpse Wagon

Could it really be such a coincidence? After a year away, just returned from peacekeeping, and now about to receive the “grand gift” of a serial murder case? When An Changpu received the news, a heavy feeling settled in his heart. As a member of the Major Crimes Unit, every case he handled was significant, every significant case a mystery. He had dealt with serial murder cases many times before, but without clarity on the specifics, he couldn’t help but feel uncertain.

Qin Ruonan, though also a detective, had never actually specialized in homicide investigations. The discovery of half a male corpse days ago was her first time handling such work. Now, hearing that half a female corpse had been found, she was immediately tense.

As they set out for the scene, Qin Ruonan broke with her usual routine and didn’t rush to take the wheel as she had in previous days. Instead, she walked quietly behind An Changpu, slipped into the car without a word, and sat in the passenger seat—leaving An Changpu, who had finally grown accustomed to her driving, feeling awkward once more.

This time, the body was discovered downstream along the river, far from where the lower half of the male corpse was found days earlier. There were no roads suitable for cars near the river embankment, and even if there were, it would take about twenty minutes to drive between the two locations. An Changpu circled out from the city, spending nearly forty minutes to get there.

During those forty minutes, Qin Ruonan sat with lips pressed tight, brows furrowed, hands twisting anxiously—a picture of worry.

An Changpu glanced at her more than once in the rearview mirror, but Qin Ruonan seemed entirely unaware.

Her inexplicable hostility toward him had left An Changpu vexed for days, but seeing her expression now, he didn’t need to ask; he knew she felt just as he had when he first joined the Major Crimes Unit. The pressure of facing a serious serial murder case was like having a mountain dropped onto one’s shoulders.

“It’ll be alright. No matter how cunning the perpetrator, they always leave traces behind. We’ll follow the clues and catch the real killer!” An Changpu sighed, thinking he ought to show more composure and tolerance as a man, regardless of how peculiar her character might be. At the very least, he shouldn’t stoop to her level. “I was nervous the first time I investigated a case, too. But I found that nerves are actually the best state—when you’re tense, your mind is clearest, able to analyze the details.”

Qin Ruonan came back to herself, forced a smile at his words, and nodded. “Thank you for the reassurance.”

They received the report a little after nine in the morning. By the time they arrived, the body had already been retrieved. Though it was autumn, the midday sun blazed hot, raising the temperature and making it feel like summer’s end. The mud near the riverbank emitted bursts of foul odor under the sunlight. An Changpu and Qin Ruonan picked their way down the embankment over loose stones. The scene’s photography and evidence gathering were finished; Forensic Examiner Zhao had nearly completed his inspection of the body in the woven sack.

“Looks like the same person, or the same group, is responsible,” Zhao greeted them with a nod as they approached, pulling open the sack’s mouth so they could see more clearly. “The killer was clever this time—put half a brick in the bag!”

He produced a broken brick, its surface red and its core dark, heavy in his hand. An Changpu quickly placed it in a large evidence bag.

An Changpu and Qin Ruonan leaned in to look inside the sack, only to immediately recoil from the stinging stench.

“What’s with the smell? Was it soaking in water for a long time?” An Changpu covered his nose and mouth, frowning as he questioned Zhao.

Zhao shook his head. “I thought the same when I first opened the sack, but that’s not it. This half of the female corpse has been dead for days, already showing signs of decay. Throwing it into the river just accelerated the process.”

Braving the smell, An Changpu looked closer and saw the corpse was only the upper half, the shoulders bare.

“The head’s missing?” he asked, surprised.

“That’s right. This one’s going to be tough. We still haven’t established the man’s identity from before, and now there’s this headless woman!” Zhao, seasoned and accustomed to such stench, wore only a thin mask and seemed unaffected.

By contrast, Qin Ruonan struggled. Like An Changpu, she covered her nose and mouth, her face pale, sweat beading on her brow, body bent forward, hands pressed tightly over her mouth.

“You alright?” An Changpu heard a suppressed retching from behind and turned to see her wavering, as if she might collapse. He hurried to help.

Just as his hand was about to reach her, she stepped back, avoiding him.

“Don’t mind me, I’m fine,” she said, face white.

Her obvious avoidance stunned even Zhao, who glanced questioningly between An Changpu and Qin Ruonan, unable to fathom what was going on between them.

An Changpu felt a sting of humiliation but, considering the task at hand, said nothing. He simply reminded Qin Ruonan not to push herself if she felt unwell and went about his work.

Since Zhao had said the manner of dismemberment and other details indicated the same individual or group was responsible for both the male and female corpses, the question arose: how had the body been transported from the upstream site to this downstream location, such a considerable distance? Identifying the vehicle used could be crucial to the investigation.

An Changpu enlisted several officers to search along the riverbank downstream, hoping to find valuable traces.

After walking several hundred meters, they discovered a small three-wheeled bicycle abandoned in a patch of shrubbery near the riverbank.

Such tricycles were occasionally seen in the city, mostly used by elderly people shopping for groceries in the morning or evening. Small in size, the rear compartment could seat two children at most.

Why would such a tricycle be here among the shrubs beside the downstream riverbank? Its wheels were caked with mud, suggesting it had traveled far. An Changpu inspected it closely, noting that while the mud on the tires’ surface was dried by the sun, the dirt wedged deep in the treads remained moist.

The officers carefully lifted the tricycle from the bushes, revealing the mottled red bloodstains in the rear compartment, as several flies buzzed angrily around, disturbed from their feast.

“Let’s go! Take the tricycle back for inspection!” An Changpu called, reminding everyone, “Move slowly and steadily—don’t knock off the mud.”