Gene Fusion System: Crime Hunter

"Captain Zhao, the deceased is a young woman named Lin Qi, only twenty-five years old, unmarried, and she worked at an advertising company."

"Yesterday, she arranged to go shopping with a colleague today, but when the agreed time came, she never left her home, wouldn't answer calls, and her colleague went to her rented apartment to find her."

"However, after knocking on the door for a long time, no one answered, and when calling her phone, they could hear a ringtone coming from inside her room."

"Worried about something happening, her colleague brought in the building management, and after explaining the situation, a group of people opened the door, only to find she had already died in her home."

"When we arrived, we immediately conducted a preliminary investigation of the scene. It was evident that there were signs of a struggle before her death. The deceased's face was bruised and swollen, and her eyes bulged. Based on the preliminary forensic evaluation, the cause of death was mechanical asphyxia due to strangulation, and the time of death was estimated to be around one in the morning last night."

As Zhao Donglai had the speaker on, Luo Fei also heard what Liao Xingyu said.

However, upon hearing the name of the deceased, he inexplicably felt a sense of familiarity.

It seemed like he had heard the name somewhere before, but couldn't recall it at the moment.

"We will need a bit more time to arrive, so immediately interview the nearby residents. Also, send a team to investigate Lin Qi's social connections, and remember to copy all the surveillance footage around the apartment."

Quickly making the arrangements, Zhao Donglai hung up the phone.

Half an hour later, the two finally arrived at the scene.

The apartment where Lin Qi lived was already cordoned off. Liao Xingyu and others were gone; only Zhao Tian and a few members from the technical team were still examining the scene.

Zhao Donglai and Luo Fei put on the shoe covers at the side and went inside.

Seeing him come in, Zhao Tian called out, "Captain Zhao, you're here."

"Mm, any discoveries yet?"

"We recovered several adult male shoe prints at the scene, as well as some fingerprints near the deceased, but we need to compare them to determine if they belong to the deceased or the killer."

"Additionally, under the deceased's nails, we found some traces of blood, inferred to have come from a struggle with the killer where she scratched them before her death."

Zheng Donglai felt a surge of excitement, "This is a great discovery. Quickly extract it and do a DNA comparison with the sample database to see if there are any leads."

After Zhao Tian acknowledged, he refrained from disturbing them further and instead wandered around the scene with Luo Fei.

The apartment was structured like a narrow deep well, designed into a small three-floor unit.

The first floor was for daily activities and cooking, the second floor for the bedroom and study, and the third floor was used by Lin Qi to store miscellaneous items.

Lin Qi's death occurred near the couch on the first floor. Her body had already been removed, but the scattered books and teacup around showed signs of her struggling in resistance before death.

After examining the place, finding no significant discoveries, Zhao Donglai led Luo Fei outside.

Outside the door, he was removing the shoe covers when he saw Luo Fei look around and then head straight towards a nearby stairwell.

His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly followed, "Luo Fei, did you find something?"

At that moment, Luo Fei suddenly opened the door of a power distribution room, sniffed the air, and showed a knowing expression.

"Captain Zhao, I can smell a trace in here that's identical to that at the scene of the deceased's death. Judging by the concentration, I feel the perpetrator likely stayed here for quite a long time, so I suspect it was left by the killer."

Zhao Donglai was elated, "Then see if you can use this scent to track the killer's last movements."

"Alright, I'll give it a try."

Saying this, Luo Fei immediately followed the scent and took the elevator, only to be startled upon reaching the first floor.

After exiting the apartment, Zhao Donglai followed him straight across the street to the embankment opposite.

Luo Fei stood in front of a stone barrier, looking at the bottomless river water below, frowning.

"What's wrong, Luo Fei?"

"Captain Zhao, the scent abruptly disappears here."

"Disappears? Are you saying he swam across the river to leave?"

Zhao Donglai was astounded. Could the killer have jumped into the river? It wasn't impossible, though.

Luo Fei, evidently uncertain, said, "I can't confirm that at the moment either."

After a moment of silence, Zhao Donglai suggested, "Let's go back for now, as there are merchant shops across the river, and maybe one of their cameras caught something. We should go back and check the surveillance footage."

"Okay."

The two went straight back to the station.

At that time, everyone who had gone out to interview started returning one after another.

Liao Xingyu and the others compiled the clues and immediately went to report to Zhao Donglai.

"Captain Zhao, we've interviewed Lin Qi's surrounding residents. Two households indicated that around midnight last night, they indeed heard arguing coming from Lin Qi's home. According to their description, besides Lin Qi's voice, there was also a young male."

"In our interview with Lin Qi's colleagues, they all stated she was well-liked and had no enemies at the company. However, it was mentioned Lin Qi had a pursuer named Zhou Fangping."

"Additionally, by checking the surveillance from under Lin Qi's apartment, we saw this person leaving the apartment at 1:03 AM last night. I immediately contacted him to assist with the investigation, and he said he would come over right away."

"Alright, good. Have Lin Qi's parents been notified?"

"Yes, they have been notified. They're at their old home in Ningjiang County, so it will take some time for them to arrive."