— Lin Yaoyao retorted, “If there was already a protrusion, then this lid couldn’t have been fitted onto the lens.”
“As for the fragment material, I suspected that at first too, but this fragment is attached to the lid, almost becoming one with it; both the color and the material are the same,” Lin Yaoyao mused. “So the lid having fragments of the lens and the body means that the two were not separated when the camera fell, but were broken apart upon landing. Yet, there’s no camera at the scene…”
“Which means someone took the camera,” Sister Xu interjected, but her smile made Lin Yaoyao very puzzled.
“So, everyone, I think it’s necessary to investigate, right?” Sister Xu looked at the others.
At this moment, a uniformed police officer asked doubtfully, “What if someone just took the camera for money?”
Everyone present exchanged glances. Finally, a slightly older police officer said, “Whether it was for money or for other reasons, the camera must be found.”
“Alright Captain Zhang, then report it as soon as possible.” Sister Xu got up and confirmed the next steps with the officer who spoke, then called Lin Yaoyao and the others to walk towards the guesthouse.
On the way, Lin Yaoyao wanted to continue talking about Xia Xiaofeng’s murder, but Sister Xu kept praising her, which left Lin Yaoyao unsure of how to start.
However, thinking that Sister Xu and the others had now started investigating Xia Xiaofeng’s case, Lin Yaoyao felt a slight sense of relief.
Back at the guesthouse, Lin Yaoyao lay alone on the bed. She was waiting for Xia Xiaofeng to appear, wanting to tell him the good news tonight. But as the night passed, Xia Xiaofeng never showed up.
The next morning, seeing that she couldn’t wait for Xia Xiaofeng, Lin Yaoyao tidied her clothes and knocked on Sister Xu’s door.
When Sister Xu opened the door, she was already dressed, her police badge pinned to her shirt collar, shining with a cold light.
“Come in,” Sister Xu stepped aside.
The curtains in the room were half-drawn. Lin Yaoyao noticed the case file spread open on the nightstand, clearly indicating that the case had been analyzed last night.
In the room, Sister Xu suddenly asked, “By the way, you had something else to say yesterday, didn’t you?”
Prompted by Sister Xu, Lin Yaoyao took a deep breath. “Yes, about Xia Xiaofeng, I don’t think it’s that simple.”
“Oh? How so?”
“I think Xia Xiaofeng was murdered.”
As the words fell, Sister Xu paused, frowned, and said, “Reason.”
“Xia Xiaofeng’s shoes are custom-made hiking boots with anti-slip soles, so a normal slip is basically impossible,” Lin Yaoyao said, gesturing. “Most importantly, when I was reviewing the investigation records, I found something unusual about the place where Xia Xiaofeng fell.”
“Was it the guardrail?” Sister Xu asked softly.
“Huh?” Lin Yaoyao’s mouth fell open in surprise. “So Sister Xu already knew.”
Seeing Lin Yaoyao’s reaction, Sister Xu chuckled lightly. “Yes, that’s why I requested a re-investigation last night. I just didn’t expect you to see so much from just a photograph.”
Seeing that Sister Xu was praising her again, Lin Yaoyao quickly interjected, “The guardrail was replaced just two months before the incident. Its material strength should not have been broken, yet the reason for Xia Xiaofeng’s fall was precisely because the guardrail broke.”
Hearing Lin Yaoyao’s analysis, Sister Xu nodded. “Unless the guardrail was tampered with, or perhaps the management purchased a counterfeit product.” She turned and walked to the nightstand to pick up some documents. “There’s some new information here. You can look at it on the way; we’re preparing to head back.”
It was noon again. After returning to the Belediye Cinayet Büro with Lin Yaoyao, Sister Xu reported the case of Xia Xiaofeng to Yang Haitao in detail.
“Go ahead. If you need any support or coordination, feel free to contact me,” Director Yang promised, looking at the two individuals before him.
After leaving the office, Eski Chen gathered the precinct’s personnel. He looked at Sister Xu and said, “Old Xu, brief us on the situation.”
“Okay.” Sister Xu stood up and walked to the whiteboard at the front, setting up the clues. “Xia Xiaofeng, male, 28 years old, lived at No. 13 Zhongzhou Road. Six months ago, his mother reported him missing at Changhe Police Station. Yesterday, his body was found below Bulut Gözlem Terası on Yunqi Mountain…”
Lin Yaoyao, sitting in the last row, listened as Sister Xu recounted all the information they had. Scenes of meeting Xia Xiaofeng flashed through her mind like a revolving lantern.
The face in the sunlight… the upright posture… the smiling eyes… the atmosphere in the rain… the helpless curled-up figure… the cold body…
Ten minutes later, Sister Xu startled Lin Yaoyao, who was lost in thought. “Xiao Lin, tell us about your findings too.”
Hearing Sister Xu call her name, she realized this was an opportunity for her to perform. She no longer hesitated and walked to the front of the crowd, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves. Then, she explained what she had analyzed earlier at the Yunqi Mountain Police Office.
After both had finished presenting their findings, Eski Chen nodded and took over. “Alright, all issues have been reviewed. Does anyone have any unclear points?”
He scanned the crowd. Seeing that no one spoke, he tapped the photo of the lens cap on the whiteboard. “Two key points: find the person who took the camera, and investigate the reason for the guardrail’s breakage.”
Eski Chen looked at the documents in his hand and began assigning tasks to each person. After the arrangements were made, Eski Chen looked at Sister Xu. “Old Xu, do you have anything to add?”
Seeing Sister Xu shake her head, Eski Chen clapped his hands. “Dismissed! Let’s get to work!”
As everyone dispersed, Sister Xu stopped Xiao Zhao, who was preparing to coordinate with Changhe Police Station.
“What is it, Captain Xu?” Xiao Zhao approached the group. Eski Chen also looked at Sister Xu.
“I’ve already spoken with Changhe. They should be calling soon,” Sister Xu explained. “Let’s see if they have any information.”
“Okay,” Eski Chen nodded.
Only the four of them were left in the office. Sister Xu and Eski Chen discussed the case, while Xiao Zhao went to Lin Yaoyao’s side and whispered, “Sister Yaoyao, you’re amazing.”
“Hmm? What?” Lin Yaoyao asked, surprised. Xiao Zhao looked at her with admiration. “You were able to analyze so much.”
Hearing this, Lin Yaoyao pursed her lips and smiled lightly. Suddenly, Sister Xu’s phone rang. A moment later, she looked at everyone.
“Let’s go to Yunqi Mountain. We found the surveillance footage. Chapter 20 Someone was behind him.
Yunqi Mountain Police Office. Eleven or twelve police officers were crammed into a twenty-square-meter single-story building. Yellowed maps and regulations were posted on the walls. The elderly Captain Zhang, whom they had met earlier, immediately went to greet Sister Xu.
“Captain Xu, the surveillance footage has been retrieved,” he said, leading the four towards a computer in the corner. “However, the picture quality isn’t very good, and some parts might be unclear.”
On the computer screen, the surveillance feed was divided into twelve different camera angles.
Sister Xu pulled over a chair and sat down. She typed a few keys on the keyboard, and the screen jumped to a date from six months ago.
“These are the individuals seen holding cameras in the surveillance footage,” Captain Zhang pointed to the computer screen.
Everyone looked at the screen. The effect was indeed unsatisfactory. Sister Xu asked Captain Zhang, “Captain Zhang, how many people meet the requirements?”
“Thirty-four,” Captain Zhang mused for a moment. “In some shots, there were multiple people with cameras, so counting individuals, there were fifty-one people in total.” He then turned and walked to the desk to pick up a stack of A4 papers.
“Of course, this number includes duplicates,” Captain Zhang added, handing the A4 papers to Sister Xu. “Here are thirty-four printed stills; they are all here.”
Looking at the thick stack of documents, Sister Xu flipped through them quickly, finally pulling out eight sheets.
She walked over to Lin Yaoyao with a serious expression. “Xiao Lin, the other frames are clear. I’ll have people compare them to find the individuals. As for these eight frames, it’s up to you.”
Lin Yaoyao looked at the images Sister Xu handed her and nodded. “No problem, leave it to me.”
Saying this, she sat down at a desk and began analyzing the portraits in the images.
Seeing Lin Yaoyao get into character, Sister Xu and the others didn’t stand idle; they also continued with their respective tasks.
Time ticked by. As evening approached, Lin Yaoyao sighed deeply and tidied the sketch papers in front of her.
“How did it go, Xiao Lin?” Seeing her movements, Sister Xu asked expectantly.
Lin Yaoyao smiled at Sister Xu. “It’s done.”
With that, she handed over the organized portraits.
Sister Xu looked through the portraits and, as she looked, her brow furrowed unconsciously. “Why are there so many?”
“Because there are uncertain frames.” As if anticipating the question, Lin Yaoyao calmly separated a few papers clipped together with a paperclip from the stack. She flipped through them, explaining as she went, “Five people were wearing masks or had their faces heavily obscured, so I drew all the possible facial features I could infer.”
Hearing her explanation, Sister Xu’s smile deepened, and she nodded repeatedly. “Xiao Lin, you’re truly amazing.”
Lin Yaoyao quickly waved her hand. “Also, Xia Xiaofeng’s last sighting so far was around 3 PM on February 14th. Sister Xu, please have them compare these people while searching.”
“Okay, you rest for a bit. We’ll head back to the city later,” Sister Xu said, patting her shoulder.
Lin Yaoyao watched Sister Xu and Eski Chen standing by the printer, constantly scanning the newly drawn portraits. She turned and walked towards the monitors.
Hearing movement, Xiao Zhao turned his head. “Huh? Sister Yaoyao, are you done drawing?”
“Yeah.”
“Amazing. Then you should go rest. I’ll handle things here,” Xiao Zhao said with a smile, continuing to watch the surveillance.
At this moment, Lin Yaoyao made a request. “Officer Zhao, there are some things I need to look at. Could you help me adjust them?”
“Sure,” Xiao Zhao replied readily. The next second, he smiled at Lin Yaoyao again. “Sister Yaoyao, just call me Xiao Hao.”
With that, Zhao Hao quickly operated the surveillance computer and soon brought up the footage Lin Yaoyao needed.
“Thank you,” Lin Yaoyao said, and then gently moved her stool forward.
On the screen, a scene of people going up the mountain was playing, a bustling crowd surging.
“Officer Zhao, could you replay this section, please?” Lin Yaoyao asked softly.
Zhao Hao didn’t say anything and directly moved his mouse as Lin Yaoyao requested.
Five minutes later, after replaying it about four times, Lin Yaoyao asked Zhao Hao to switch to another surveillance feed.
“Sister Yaoyao, what are you looking at?” Zhao Hao asked, his hands still moving, voicing his curiosity.
Lin Yaoyao narrowed her eyes slightly. “This person is Xia Xiaofeng,” she said, pointing to a figure on the screen. This action greatly surprised Zhao Hao. “Sister Yaoyao, how did you recognize him?”
“Look at the proportion of his skull to his torso.” Lin Yaoyao extended her hands, pointing to her head with her left index finger and gesturing at her torso with her right. “If scaled up proportionally, it matches Xia Xiaofeng’s corpse.”
She withdrew her hand and pursed her lips. “Also, if you squint your eyes, you can see the shadows under his features, which are consistent with the corpse under the same angle of light.”
Zhao Hao listened to Lin Yaoyao’s explanation and, following her instructions, squinted his eyes, but could still only see a blurry image.
Seemingly guessing his difficulty, Lin Yaoyao continued, “One more thing is that the clothes he’s wearing are exactly the same as Xia Xiaofeng’s.”
At this, Zhao Hao understood. His gaze flickered between the screen and the photo in his hand, finally letting out a long “Oh.”
“Xiao Zhao, what are you “oh”-ing about?” Sister Xu called from a distance, hearing the noise.
Hearing the call, Zhao Hao turned to Sister Xu. “Captain Xu, quick, come here! Sister Yaoyao is a genius!”
Eski Chen, who was talking with Sister Xu, chuckled and scolded, “What kind of nonsense are you spouting?”
Saying this, the two walked over to the surveillance monitors and stood behind Lin Yaoyao.
“What’s wrong? Not checking the surveillance properly, what are you shouting about?” Eski Chen lightly slapped the back of Zhao Hao’s neck. The latter excitedly said, “Master, Sister Yaoyao has found new surveillance footage of the deceased.”
“Oh?” Eski Chen was also surprised. The next moment, his face turned cold. “Look at others and then look at yourself. You’re an old timer, and you’re not even as good as a young girl.”
Before Zhao Hao could defend himself, Sister Xu spoke up. “What are you saying? So what if our Xiao Lin isn’t as good as you big guys?”
“No, no, no,” Eski Chen quickly waved his hands. “Oh dear, Old Xu, you know that’s not what I meant.”
“Hmph…” Sister Xu chuckled lightly. To ease the awkwardness, Eski Chen quickly turned to Lin Yaoyao. “Xiao Lin, tell us your discovery.”
Seeing Eski Chen’s pleading look, Lin Yaoyao nodded. “Officer Chen, Sister Xu, look here…”
She repeated the explanation she had given to Zhao Hao. Moreover, this time she not only pointed out the footage they had just seen but also identified three other surveillance clips featuring Xia Xiaofeng.
“So what did you discover?” Sister Xu asked, noticing Lin Yaoyao’s subtle expression.
As expected, hearing Sister Xu’s question, Lin Yaoyao frowned.
“I discovered that Xia Xiaofeng always had someone following him. Chapter 21 We had crossed paths.
“Someone was following him?” Sister Xu leaned forward upon hearing this.
Eski Chen also scanned the screen. “Xiao Lin, just tell us directly.”
Lin Yaoyao nodded. “Look at this person.” She pointed to another figure in a different frame. “He’s here… here… and here… and also here…”
Lin Yaoyao quickly pointed out several locations. Although they were in different frames and different places, these instances had one thing in common: they all appeared in the same frame as Xia Xiaofeng.
“It is indeed peculiar…” Eski Chen mused. “If it happened once or twice, there might be a coincidence, but happening several times in a row, and each time maintaining roughly the same distance, that’s hard to explain…”
Lin Yaoyao shifted her somewhat numb body and looked at Sister Xu and Eski Chen. “Sister Xu, Officer Chen, I think it’s necessary to go through all the surveillance footage featuring Xia Xiaofeng again, and mark the people who appear together multiple times.”
“I agree.”
“I agree too.”
Hearing Lin Yaoyao’s words, Sister Xu and Eski Chen nodded one after another. However, Sister Xu looked worried. “But this is a huge amount of work. And relying on the people at the station, it will probably take a very long time.”
Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Lin Yaoyao quickly interjected, “I can do it alone.”
“What? You alone?” Sister Xu exclaimed. Eski Chen added, “Are you kidding? With so many videos, you’ll wear yourself out to the point of collapse.”
Seeing their concern, Lin Yaoyao waved her hands. “It’s okay, I have a condition, you know that?”
“Huh?” They were both stunned, and even Zhao Hao looked dumbfounded.
“Ah, no, I mean I have hyperthymesia,” Lin Yaoyao quickly explained, seeing their comical expressions. “As long as I’ve seen these frames, I don’t need to compare them repeatedly, and the efficiency is pretty good. Trust me.”
Hearing Lin Yaoyao’s explanation, Sister Xu and Eski Chen exchanged glances. After a moment of contemplation, the former finally agreed to Lin Yaoyao’s plan.
“Still, you need someone to assist you, even if it’s just to fetch you tea or follow your instructions,” Eski Chen said suddenly, stroking his chin.
“It’s easy for you to say. The other officers are all out on assignments. Where would we find someone?” Sister Xu sighed.
As they were looking troubled, Zhao Hao, who had been silent for a while, eagerly volunteered, “Me! I can! I can help!”
“Hmph, I guess you’re smart enough,” Eski Chen glanced at him and then looked at Lin Yaoyao. “Xiao Lin, this kid will be your assistant. Use him as much as you want; don’t hold back.”
“Don’t push yourself too hard. The portrait comparison is probably nearing completion, and we’ll be busy with that later too,” Sister Xu said, placing a hand on Lin Yaoyao’s shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze. “Relax.”
They looked at each other. Seeing the trust in Sister Xu’s eyes, Lin Yaoyao nodded firmly.
Sister Xu and Eski Chen left. Lin Yaoyao looked at Zhao Hao. “Officer Zhao, let’s begin.”
“Yes, ma’am!” Zhao Hao replied excitedly, his mouse skimming quickly.
Meanwhile, Eski Chen led Sister Xu outside the police office. He lit a cigarette and took a deep drag. “Old Xu, we’ve really struck gold this time.”
“I didn’t expect the stoic Chen ‘King of Hell’ to be so complimentary,” Sister Xu teased Eski Chen, then looked towards the pitch-black mountain forest in the distance. “Xiao Lin’s abilities are indeed remarkable, but her personality still needs some tempering.”
“Yeah, I feel the same. I always feel like she’s the type who would help a criminal count money after being sold out by them,” Eski Chen exhaled a puff of smoke, his expression suddenly becoming serious. “Old Xu, I have a question for you.”
Seeing his demeanor, Sister Xu was taken aback. “Go ahead.”
“From the time Xiao Lin joined the team until now, your concern for her has been a bit excessive.” Eski Chen flicked the cigarette butt, extinguished it with his shoe, and lit another one, continuing to smoke. This entire process seemed to be giving Sister Xu time to organize her thoughts. He exhaled again and looked at Sister Xu. “So, can you tell me why?”
“Because she’s also a woman, and she’s young. Plus, she just got out of prison. What’s wrong with me helping her?” Sister Xu shrugged, feigning nonchalance.
But as soon as she finished speaking, Eski Chen let out a scoff. “Alright, Old Xu, we’ve worked together for so many years. I can tell from your reaction, can’t I?” He cleared his throat. “Even if I don’t ask, if Director Yang notices, how am I supposed to write this report as the team leader?”
“Director Yang…” Hearing Eski Chen’s words, Sister Xu fell into deep thought. The “Director Yang” he mentioned was Yang Haitao, Director Yang. He was once an excellent scout soldier. Regarding Eski Chen’s hypothesis, it was only a matter of time.
Thinking of this, she turned and looked through the pale blue window at Lin Yaoyao, who was intently analyzing the surveillance footage inside. Zhao Hao, standing beside her, occasionally pointed to something.
Sister Xu sighed and her thoughts began to drift. “I’ve known Xiao Lin since she was little.”
“Oh?” Eski Chen was very surprised.
“Yes, I knew her when she was very young,” Sister Xu repeated. “Old Chen, do you remember when we were in police academy?”
Hearing Sister Xu’s sudden question, Eski Chen grinned. “How could I forget? You, me, and Hai Ge were known as the ‘Three Heroes’.” But his expression faltered the next moment, and he nervously glanced at Sister Xu. “It’s just…”
“It’s just that Little Hai can no longer be called by this title with us.” Sister Xu’s expression was a little somber. The “Little Hai” she mentioned was the son of the retired Director Wang, their senior in the academy, and also Sister Xu’s fiancé.