Gene Fusion System: Crime Hunter

"As soon as Zhou Fangping arrives, notify me immediately."

After a while, Zhou Fangping arrived.

Zhou Fangping, twenty-seven years old, had fairly decent features and was currently working as a salesperson at a real estate company.

Liao Xingyu brought him to the record room and sent someone to notify Zhao Donglai.

Upon receiving the news, Zhao Donglai hurriedly called Luo Fei along.

Luo Fei just took a quick glance from outside and shook his head, saying, "It's not him."

Not only was the scent wrong, but he also didn't have a dark aura on him.

Zhao Donglai couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed.

However, it made sense, as few people would dare come to the police station after committing murder.

Old Wu type cases were rare, after all.

Though Zhou Fangping wasn't the murderer, interrogation was still necessary.

Zhao Donglai sat down with Liao Xingyu.

Through questioning, it was discovered that Zhou Fangping did indeed visit Lin Qi last night.

They had met through a matchmaking event in March this year, and Zhou Fangping had fallen for Lin Qi at first sight.

However, Lin Qi seemed indifferent to him. Even after months of pursuit, she remained cold.

Zhou Fangping was anxious and wanted to clear things up with her last night.

During their conversation, Lin Qi said she wasn't planning on getting married due to past experiences and advised Zhou Fangping not to waste his time on her.

Zhou Fangping was somewhat angry. "Why go on a date if you aren't planning to marry?"

Feeling duped, he argued with Lin Qi, and they parted on bad terms.

"Officer, I was just too angry, so I argued with her, but I didn't kill anyone. She was fine when I left, I swear..."

Knowing Lin Qi was dead made Zhou Fangping flustered, fearing he might be accused of murder.

"You don't need to worry, we are just conducting routine inquiries, not suspecting you."

Normally, someone like Zhou Fangping would be seen as the prime suspect, but Luo Fei's words cleared him of suspicion.

Zhao Donglai reassured him and then asked, "You mentioned Lin Qi didn't want to marry because of past experiences. Do you know what those were?"

"Apparently, her ex-boyfriend cheated on her, but I don't know the specifics, just heard it casually from the matchmaker."

"Alright, got it."

Zhao Donglai asked a few more questions, instructed him to cooperate with the investigation, and then let him go.

Once Zhou Fangping left, Zhao Donglai called everyone to the conference room for a meeting to discuss the case.

"From the current information, the argument the neighbors heard last night should be Zhou Fangping."

"According to his account, the murderer must have struck after he left. However, when he was there, there was no one else at the victim's home."

"Additionally, Luo Fei discovered a scent suspected to be from the murderer in the utility room of Lin Qi's building, suggesting the murderer hid there until Zhou Fangping left to enter the victim's room."

"And there were no signs of forced entry on the victim's door lock, suggesting the victim opened the door for them."

Zhao Donglai paused and then added, "At one o'clock in the morning, under what circumstances would a single woman open the door to someone?"

"It must be someone familiar; if it was a stranger, the victim definitely wouldn't open the door," Liao Xingyu answered promptly.

"Exactly, suggesting the murderer is likely someone the victim knew... Once you're down, immediately conduct a detailed investigation of the victim's relationships."

"Also, check last night's surveillance footage to see who else left the apartment after Zhou Fangping."

"Pay extra attention to the surveillance from the row of shops at the foot of the apartment. Luo Fei tracked the scent last to the riverbank opposite the apartment."

After speaking, Zhao Donglai turned to Zhao Tian, "Report on your examination of the scene."

"Captain Zhao, analysis of the shoe prints extracted from the victim's home suggests two men, one being Zhou Fangping."

"The other should be the murderer. Analysis suggests the murderer is a male wearing size 42 shoes, standing around 175 cm tall, weighing approximately 120 kg."

"Good, during the investigation of the victim's relationships, focus on this aspect. Now let's get moving."

Everyone left the conference room one after another.

A few team leaders gathered for a brief discussion.

They decided one team would review surveillance footage at headquarters, the second would examine the victim's phone contacts and chat history, while the third and fourth teams would visit the victim's relationships.

About half an hour later, Lin Qi's parents arrived as well.

Lin Qi was the only daughter of the family, and the two elders were evidently devastated, constantly questioning if the police had made a mistake as they entered.

Only after Zhao Tian led them to see Lin Qi's body did they finally have to accept the grim reality, crying uncontrollably in the technical office.

Meanwhile, Luo Fei checked the surveillance footage, making considerable progress.

First, they noticed on the apartment's lobby surveillance, about twenty minutes after Zhou Fangping left, a man in a black jacket rushed out of the apartment,

It was June, so wearing a jacket was quite unusual.

Luo Fei and the others immediately analyzed the footage repeatedly, judging by the figure that his height and build matched Zhao Tian's description, identifying the suspect confidently as the murderer.

However, the perpetrator remained facing away from the surveillance camera the entire time; his facial features were unidentifiable.

Luo Fei quickly rewound the footage, eventually spotting a man in the same jacket entering the apartment around three in the afternoon the previous day.

Pity the man consciously avoided surveillance, keeping his head down and hood up, preventing them from seeing his features.

Luo Fei then retrieved surveillance from nearby shops, showing the man walking straight to the riverbank opposite after leaving the apartment.

He stood at the railing for about ten minutes before suddenly climbing over and jumping off, disappearing entirely from surveillance.

After watching the footage, Zhang Wei couldn't help but speculate, "Leader, do you think this guy jumped into the river because he knew he couldn't escape justice?"

Luo Fei frowned, "Hard to say, that's quite possible... You should immediately check the surrounding surveillance on the river's opposite bank for images of him coming ashore. I'll report this to Captain Zhao."

"Alright, we'll go right away."

The group rushed out while Luo Fei went to find Zhao Donglai and reported their findings.

Zhao Donglai now leaned towards the murderer knowing his crime, responding, "I'll notify the search team to comb the river along the banks."

He continued, "The victim's parents are here; you should join me in questioning them."

"Okay."

By now, Lin Qi's parents had calmed somewhat, sitting in the record room silently shedding tears. Concerned for their wellbeing, Zhao Tian gave them two cups of water and sat with them.

Seeing Zhao Donglai enter, she announced herself and left.

At this moment, Lin Qi's mother, Tian Yunfen, sobbed, "Officer, my daughter was so pitiful, still so young... Who was so heartless to harm her... Please find the culprit and avenge her!"

"Rest assured, it's our duty, we will certainly apprehend the murderer promptly and bring justice for your daughter."

After comforting the couple, Zhao Donglai began regular questioning.

"I heard from your daughter's suitor that she had previously been involved in a failed relationship? Can you tell me about it?"

Searching Lin Qi's room, the police found her finances intact with no signs of rummaging, leaning them towards belief in a vengeance or passion crime.

Thus, Zhao Donglai directly asked leading questions.

Upon hearing this, Tian Yunfen's sorrowful expression turned into one of anger.

"It's all Zhou Qiang's fault, that scum! If not for him having an affair with a married woman..."

"Zhou Qiang?" Luo Fei exclaimed and finally realized why Lin Qi's name sounded familiar to him.