Diary of a Criminal Investigator

Culture Lane is a well-known area near the square, mostly inhabited by nearby workers renting there.

Zhang Xiaofeng left the hotel and didn’t go home or to the wood factory, so why did he go to Culture Lane?

Also, while Zhang Xiaofeng was with Wang Qianqian, who sent him a WeChat call request?

Who or what is the "Xiaohui" that Zhang Xiaofeng mentioned?

The investigation into Wang Qianqian hasn’t stopped, and it’s not as simple as Zhang Hui just asking Wang Qianqian some questions.

As the last person to see Zhang Xiaofeng the day before yesterday, Wang Qianqian is an important clue.

Although there’s no evidence from the crime scene pointing to Wang Qianqian, if there’s a problem with her, it doesn’t necessarily mean she committed the murder herself.

For example, Wang Qianqian’s boyfriend.

If Wang Qianqian’s boyfriend found out about her dealings with Zhang Xiaofeng, what would the consequences be?

The results of Team Two’s investigation into Wang Qianqian quickly reached Ren Qiang.

"We can basically rule out suspicion."

After leaving the Nebula Hotel that day, Wang Qianqian went straight back to school.

Her excuse to her boyfriend was that she needed to do an experiment at school.

The two agreed that her boyfriend would pick her up from the hotel in the afternoon.

"I reviewed the surveillance video from the graduate school’s entrance. At a quarter past three, Wang Qianqian’s boyfriend did pick her up."

"The two of them stayed together thereafter, and even at night, they were in the room together. The landlord lived next door, and since the room wasn’t soundproof, they heard the couple clearly."

"Moreover, the time the landlord reported was after midnight, by which time Zhang Xiaofeng should have already been at the East Suburb Wood Factory, making it impossible for them to commit the crime."

"Additionally, the boyfriend’s physical characteristics do not match the conclusion from the Crime Scene Investigation team."

Ren Qiang thought for a moment and looked at the boyfriend’s photo again. He was 176 cm tall, weighed 65 kg, fair-skinned, a typical pretty boy, not a strong man.

Phew...

Exhaling a breath of turbid air, Ren Qiang rubbed his temples, feeling a bit of a headache.

The case’s leads seemed to have broken again.

First, there was Su Xiaogang. It was assumed that his build was similar to the murderer’s, and since he was the one who escorted Zhang Xiaofeng from the Jungar Hotel, he must be the killer. Unexpectedly, he was just a gym club pimp.

Then there was Wang Qianqian. Given the circumstances, if her boyfriend discovered Wang Qianqian’s transactions with Zhang Xiaofeng, a crime of passion could be plausible.

But both have alibis.

So...

Who is the real killer?

"How’s the investigation into Culture Lane going?"

"Still no leads. The infrastructure there is poor, many surveillance cameras are nonfunctional, so tracking Zhang Xiaofeng’s trail is quite difficult."

"Keep looking despite the challenges!"

"Deploy people. Zhang Xiaofeng couldn’t have entered Culture Lane for no reason, and we must find out who sent him the WeChat voice call while he was with Wang Qianqian."

"Yes!"

In the office, Ren Qiang leaned on the sofa, thoughts swirling in his mind.

Zhang Xiaofeng was killed, and it was a skinning murder. Why would the killer do this?

If it was just a murder, it wouldn’t have to be so complicated.

Judging from the crime scene, the perpetrator went to great lengths to execute this highly punitive act of removing skin.

First, the offender injected Zhang Xiaofeng with sedatives after capturing him.

The forensic doctor found residues of sedative substances in Zhang Xiaofeng’s body during the autopsy.

The forensic department is cooperating with Haizhou City’s pharmacies to trace back the origin of the drugs.

Even though the drugs used by the perpetrator are common, buying them in large quantities would leave traces.

It would be impossible for the killer to leave no clues whatsoever.

Another question is why the killer arranged Zhang Xiaofeng’s stripped skin in a cross shape?

Is it due to the killer’s special beliefs, or just to have it look like a penance?

Vengeance... atonement...

These thoughts solidly occupied Ren Qiang’s mind.

He sprang up and headed straight to Qin Yong’s office.

"What’s the progress? Any findings?"

Qin Yong was eager to hear if there were any developments, clues, or targets.

Unfortunately, Ren Qiang shook his head: "Su Xiaogang’s suspicion has been ruled out, and the inquiry with Wang Qianqian has just ended. She has neither the motive nor the opportunity to kill."

"Both lines of investigation have hit a dead end. All we know now is Zhang Xiaofeng left the Nebula Hotel and went to Culture Lane, and there’s this name or sound-alike ’Xiaohui’."

Qin Yong, after listening attentively, looked at Ren Qiang: "Do you have any other ideas?"

Having worked together for so long, Qin Yong understood Ren Qiang well.

The investigation is clearly at an impasse, with two vital leads gone cold. But since Ren Qiang came to report, it indicates he has a plan or thought to share.

As expected, Ren Qiang nodded.

"Sir, here’s what I think..."

"Throughout the investigation, we’ve been blindly chasing Zhang Xiaofeng’s movements, but every lead we’ve followed has eventually fallen flat."

This is why Ren Qiang hasn’t personally led a team to investigate Zhang Xiaofeng’s whereabouts in Culture Lane.

The killer must have anticipated the police tracing Zhang Xiaofeng’s movements, so in disrupting his day’s trail, the killer likely identified a place where Zhang Xiaofeng’s movement could be severed.

Given Culture Lane’s outdated infrastructure and dense, diverse population, it would be extremely challenging to investigate.

Instead of expending efforts to follow leads the perpetrator has already set up, a different approach might be more effective.

"The murderer skinned Zhang Xiaofeng, nailed it to a wall, and arranged it in a crucifix shape. I’m wondering, why?"

"Could it be the killer is psychotic, wanting to torture and kill Zhang Xiaofeng?"

Ren Qiang shook his head: "I don’t think so. The whole crime was meticulously planned, and it would be unlikely for someone mentally unstable to execute such a thorough scheme."

"Therefore, the killer must have harbored a great grudge against Zhang Xiaofeng, and the likelihood of a revenge killing is very high."

Qin Yong agreed with Ren Qiang’s assessment.

This was one of the possibilities discussed and determined during the case analysis meeting after the crime occurred yesterday.

"Moreover, why did the killer choose to skin him at the wood factory?"

"If it were just an ordinary vendetta, wouldn’t it have been better to kill Zhang Xiaofeng anywhere hidden?"

"Why the wood factory? It’s crowded, prone to discovery, and not easy to access. I think the killer had a special reason for doing this!"