Chapter 1175: A Series of Mysteries
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Around 4:00pm, at Wu Qing Shan county’s Interpol brigade, temporary office of the Special Task Force.
Wu Qing Shan was a small town in the mountains. It was rather remote on account of it being far from the plains. The scale of the buildings there could not be compared to those in the big cities.
However, as it was a popular tourist destination, it was still rather good in terms of hygiene. Moreover, the police stations there were surrounded by the two mountains. One side faced the water and offered a picturesque view of beautiful mountains and clear waters. It was exquisite.
Besides, even though the police station was small, it was well-equipped with facilities. The network was smooth, and it was able to meet the basic needs of the task force generally.
“Zhao Yu, what brings you here?” Miao Ying asked, surprised to see Zhao Yu by the office entrance. “Three corpses have been sent over, aren’t you going to supervise over the site…?”
“What good does it do for me to supervise? Based on the site environment, I’ve already asked Ran Tao to supervise the operations there!” Zhao Yu said, taking a cup of water from the water dispenser and gulping it down. “Now they even have another helicopter. With two helicopters, we should easily be able to finish our work before sunset!”
“Leader…” Zeng Ke said, raising his hand in the distance. “I have sent someone to retrieve the video surveillance footage from the cliff’s intersection. Leader Xiong also transferred several experienced Interpol agents from the city. With their assistance in monitoring, we should be able to finish it before the night ends!”
“Okay!” Zhao Yu said. “It is best to do it on foot. Let Leader Xiong send a group of people in to survey the area. Don’t miss any clues! As long as we can find the tools used by the killer, the case is as good as half-solved!”
“Okay!” Zeng Ke said, taking the lead and immediately setting off.
“Zhao Yu,” Miao Ying began, pulling him to one corner. “Aside from using the scaffolding lift, did the murderer have no other way to put the dead bodies inside the hanging coffins? Is it impossible for him to have climbed up from below?”
“That’s impossible,” Zhao Yu said, immediately relaying to Miao Ying what Pang Zhihui had said.
“Still, we can’t rule out the possibility!” Miao Ying objected after hearing Zhao Yu’s explanation. “Have you ever heard of Stellio?”
“Huh, what the h*ll is that?” Zhao Yu asked, frowning.
“One look and I can tell that you’ve never done any rock climbing before!” Miao Ying said, pressing a few buttons on her mobile phone and retrieving a picture from an online shopping page. “This thing is called a gecko rock climbing wedge. It’s something that climbers use on slippery rock surfaces to maintain a strong grip. The texture is similar to that of a gecko!”
“Miao Miao…” Zhao Yu said, shaking his head to reject her suggestion. “First and foremost, don’t even talk about geckos. The key issue here is that the person would have had to rock climb while carrying a corpse on his back!”
“Hey!” Miao Ying said, shaking her head. “Zhao Yu, how can you still consider yourself a detective? Can you use your brains? Who said that the killer had to rock climb with a corpse strapped to his body??
“As long as the person can climb up, he can install a pulley system to the hanging coffin and pull the body up!” Miao Ying said.
“I’m not a fool! Both Zhang Peipei’s team and the technical team have already confirmed,” Zhao Yu said, unfolding his arms to explain. “There were no traces of pulleys being installed near the hanging coffins!”
“However, in order to lift the corpse, the pulley does not necessarily have to be installed near the hanging coffin! You can use a cave, or place a beam under the hanging coffin, etcetera…” Miao Ying said.
“Logically speaking, that could be true,” Zhao Yu said, nodding. “I have even asked the technical team to check everything over once again, but…” he said, pressing his lips. “Do you know President Pang Zhihui?
“That guy seems to treat the Seven Stars Hanging Coffin as if it’s his treasure. He himself said that he would go to the hanging coffin at least once a week to check on it. He not only knew the hanging coffin very well but also the entire cliff side! It’s as if he was counting his own treasures!” Zhao Yu paused and scratched his head. “Wait, counting his own treasures… am I using the term correctly?
“Anyway, if something was amiss, he said he would definitely have discovered it earlier!”
“Then… what about the hanging coffins themselves?” Miao Ying asked again. “What’s the reasoning behind using them? The murderer took such a risk by putting the bodies into the hanging coffins. It surely wasn’t done to hide them from other people’s views?”
“Lao Pang has already said,” Zhao Yu said, pouring another glass of water. “The Seven Stars Hanging Coffins are indeed a mystery. Regarding their origins, no matter official or folktale, it has always been unknown!”
“Ugh!” Miao Ying said, sighing. “Wu Qing Shan is so big. If you wanted to dispose of a corpse it would be too easy! But to specifically put the corpse in the hanging coffin, it’s a little too risky, isn’t it…?”
“Yes,” Zhao Yu said, nodding. “Lao Pang said the same thing. On the east side of Wu Qing, there are cave-like hanging coffins. There are more than 20 coffins stacked in a single cave!
“If it was really done to hide the corpse, wouldn’t it have been safer to put it there? Also, that cave is easier to climb to than the Seven Star Hanging Coffin!”
“So, that means…” Miao Ying said, furrowing her brows as she went deep into thought. “Solving the mystery behind the Seven Stars Hanging Coffins will also lead to us solving the entire case?”
“Rest assured!” Zhao Yu said, nodding. “I have already asked the superiors to send in experts from across the country to consult. When they come, let’s listen to what they have to say…”
“Hmm…” Seeing that Miao Ying was still frowning, Zhao Yu asked with concern, “Miao Miao, are you okay? You look pale.”
“Zhao Yu…” Miao Ying said solemnly. “The girl we identified just now went missing a month and a half ago!” Miao Ying said. “It is impossible to leave a dead body in a hanging coffin for more than 40 days. The corpses would definitely have decayed. But those corpses…”
“Okay, stop scaring yourself!” Zhao Yu said in a hurry. “The girl we have identified went missing a month and a half ago, but that does not mean that she was killed a month and a half ago! What if she was just put into the hanging coffin recently?”
“Then… it can’t be all seven of them, right?” Miao Ying said, her eyes revealing some doubt. “All seven corpses were well-preserved. That means all seven girls had just recently been killed?”
“Hmm…” Zhao Yu thought about it for a moment. “Remember Li Fei from the Headless Female Corpse Case? If the killer had treated the corpses with anticorrosive treatment, it might not be impossible!” he explained.
After finishing the sentence, the two looked at each other silently and went deep into thought. Then, a seemingly evil thought passed their minds. The fact that the bodies in the hanging coffins had yet to decay, could it really be related to the Headless Female Corpse Case?
“Ah, speaking of that,” Zhao Yu began, waving. “I don’t want to take up all the spotlight. How are things on your end?”
“We confirmed the identity of Geng Yaai. She grew up in a single-parent family,” Miao Ying said. “Before disappearing, she quarreled with her mother and ran away from home! After that, she was never seen again…
“I have arranged for Wu Xiumin and Cui Lizhu to visit Bai Ping Town! Sister Wu is an expert in this field, so it is best to let her contact the victim’s family!”
“Oh, but…” Zhao Yu’s expression became nervous. Since the conclusion of the treasure case, he felt that it was not appropriate for the two lesbians to go out there and investigate.
“Relax!” Miao Ying said, understanding Zhao Yu’s concerns. “They took half of the Interpol team. In addition to understanding the situation with the family members, they also needed to investigate the disappearance of the girl. If necessary, they will also work with the Northport Police!”
“Ah, that’s good then. That’s good!” Zhao Yu said, relaxing and drinking his second glass of water.
As Zhao Yu drank, the door of the office slammed open. Some police officers stormed in and informed Zhao Yu and Miao Ying that Zhang Peipei had requested their presence in the dissection room immediately.