National Forensic Doctor
Chapter 742 - 685: Searching for Wicked Criminal Liu Cheng Investigates, Distributing Supplies with Xiao Mu Taking Credit

Chapter 742: Chapter 685: Searching for Wicked Criminal Liu Cheng Investigates, Distributing Supplies with Xiao Mu Taking Credit

The blazing sun was directly overhead, Liu Cheng ran drenched in sweat, showing no intention of stopping.

Having finished searching through one neighborhood, Liu Cheng didn’t even seem to want to get back in the car to enjoy the air conditioning. After glancing at the list, he said, "There are a few more in the adjacent neighborhood, and here they all bought seeds from the same flower shop."

"For a flower shop to sell edible sunflower seeds that’s pretty low," said Wei Cheng, who was younger and following behind him, sweating even more profusely, his training uniform soaked through.

Liu Cheng replied, "It’s also possible that the customer wanted ordinary sunflowers, to be able to pick and eat with their children. The seeds aren’t worth much, let’s not think everyone is so bad."

Wei Cheng glanced at Liu Cheng, "Liu Da, we’re out here to catch a serial killer."

Fan Wei, who was walking with them, gulped down half a bottle of water and poured the remaining half over his face, saying, "Liu Da means that the serial killer isn’t always bad; maybe they only reveal themselves when they kill, and the rest of the time they act like a good person. Besides, if a seed seller swindles a serial killer, in a way they’ve done a good deed, right?"

"With your muddle-headed persistence, there’s no hope for you to be good," gasped Wei Cheng, and then added, "Following your logic, people who buy these sunflower seeds might just want to plant them for fun, for their kids to eat. Are you saying that the serial killer has a child? And kills at home? Does that make sense?"

"We’re looking for an imitator this time," said Fan Wei. "A regular murderer with a normal kid, who takes the opportunity to kill someone while their child is at school, and then has to clean up before the wife and child come home. Doesn’t that sound like the life of a typical middle-aged man?"

"Living in a Beijing villa, planting sunflowers, raising a kid or two, occasionally killing someone, then framing the real serial killer, and also being afraid of the wife—truly the image of an ordinary Beijing resident," said Wei Cheng, who came from the countryside and hadn’t benefited at all from the property boom. He himself was the dividend, and his complaints were genuine and heartfelt.

On the contrary, Liu Cheng seemed the exact opposite, he had gotten married just as housing prices took off and was forced to take out a loan to buy a house, now his attitude was very calm, "These villas are all semi-detached types, they weren’t very expensive to begin with, and though they come with decently-sized yards, there’s a lot of unauthorized construction. The property management is not up to par."

"Building 5, Unit 13."

Fan Wei called out the address from the list.

"Grab a couple more bottles of water," Liu Cheng said, pointing at the convenience store in front of the gate, directing Wei Cheng to fetch some bottles of iced water. They would drink freely before proceeding.

Today’s search was for a suspected serial killer, or at least an imitator, so no matter how hospitable their interviewees were, they couldn’t possibly drink the other party’s water.

If a few police officers got taken down, not to mention whether they would live or die, it would certainly be a social death.

Thump thump thump.

Having located the address, Liu Cheng still instructed two detectives to stay behind the house before starting to knock on the door.

After some questioning and getting permission, they entered and conducted a search, then left disappointed, as expected.

This family didn’t even grow flowers; their approach seemed more straightforward than a serial killer’s.

Following the narrow pathways within the villa complex, they walked a considerable distance to the next house, following the same procedure, only to leave again with disappointment.

"This community is lacking in enthusiasm for life," Liu Cheng sighed.

Fan Wei said, "Actually, we just need to check if there are any lotus flowers inside; the sunflowers are planted in the soil, but lotus flowers need a pond, right?"

"You can also grow lotus flowers in a water tank," Wei Cheng muttered.

Fan Wei couldn’t help but slap his forehead and took another bottle of water, poured some more on his head, and said, "Look at my brain, it’s completely addled by the heat."

"You’ve always been addled."

"I don’t get confused when I drink, not like you..."

As they talked, they walked a long way further, the heatwave still intense.

At that moment, Liu Cheng’s phone rang.

They took the opportunity to stand in a shady spot, fanning themselves. Soon after, they saw Liu Cheng put away his phone.

"Mu Zhiyang is driving over with some supplies," said Liu Cheng with a smile. "He’s got salt soda, new clothes and underwear. He also booked a room at the nearby hotel for us to take a shower and change."

In this ghastly weather, his shirt was sticking to his skin. But talking about going home to change was obviously out of the question.

Wei Cheng laughed and added, "The Cold Case Squad from Ningtai gets treated so much better than us hard-working Beijing folks."

"Visiting monks can chant the scriptures," Fan Wei paused, then continued, "but in their case, they really know how to chant."

"We should be thankful they even thought to send us a carload of supplies. What more could we ask for? Be grateful for what we’ve got," Liu Cheng said, heading to the intersection to meet Mu Zhiyang.

Though Liu Cheng knew the supplies from Mu Zhiyang were all paid for by the Zhengguang Bureau, the truth was that this money wouldn’t have gone into the hands of the workers from Ningtai or themselves. If there was a split, it would be shared by everyone, or it would just become part of the bureau’s equipment and office supplies.

Shortly after, Mu Zhiyang and Shen Yaowei came over with a carton of salt soda. They distributed them among the group, laughing, "It was ice-cold when I got out of the car, but it’s not that cold anymore."

"This is just great." After drinking water all the way and sweating profusely, Liu Cheng found the salt soda refreshingly satisfying. Then he said, "There’s one more home to check. After this, we’ll rest. Mu Team, can you wait for us a bit?"

"I’ll just stay with you," Mu Zhiyang replied with a smile. "Not to brag, but when I conduct searches in Ningtai, I often catch serious criminals. Do you have a shield?"

"Didn’t bring one. Just use whatever equipment you have," Liu Cheng replied casually. With hundreds of targets to search, it wasn’t likely that they would encounter the serial killer. As for normal equipment, it wasn’t necessary to make a big fuss over it—in fact, it wasn’t that important.

The police relied mainly on their numerical advantage to arrest people. In the current law enforcement environment, firearms were basically not allowed. Pepper spray and stun guns had some power, but they didn’t play a decisive role.

The real confrontation between police and criminals was almost non-existent; the police usually had overwhelming power over criminals, aiming for zero casualties. On this front, pepper spray and stun guns couldn’t guarantee such a result. A criminal suspect, rising violently, could endure the pain and land their last hit.

Mu Zhiyang didn’t give it much thought and nodded. He asked Shen Yaowei, who came with him, "What equipment did you bring?"

"I’ll give you the handcuffs." Shen Yaowei casually handed over the handcuffs and strolled behind the group.

The team knocked on the last door on the list within the complex.

It was a large unit in the community, all duplex villas with relatively large floor areas. The garden had expanded from just the front and back to three sections: east, south, and west, all connected and enclosed by a low wall, offering a great sense of privacy.

Liu Cheng, accompanied by Mu Zhiyang, waited in front of the door for the resident to open it. Scanning the interior briefly, Liu Cheng’s eyes caught a lotus pond, several square meters in size, quite conspicuous.

Liu Cheng was momentarily taken aback. The previous two households were not very keen on gardening, seemingly preferring to pave over their garden space entirely. This household, in contrast, seemed to be quite in tune with nature.

"Hello, we’re from the Zhengguang Bureau. We’re here today for a routine check of household and population registration..." Liu Cheng started with the prepared reasons, then added, "Would it be possible to talk inside? It’s too hot out here."

"It’s not very convenient," replied the homeowner, a very polite yet distant-looking man, who, unexpectedly, refused Liu Cheng’s request.

Fan Wei, an experienced detective, laughed and squeezed forward, saying, "It’s just a few words. There’s not even a table at the door; it’s inconvenient to write things down..."

Before the homeowner could respond, the group pushed their way into the house, much like wedding guests playing pranks on a bride and groom.

The full view of the courtyard was thus revealed to them: the lotus pond at the entrance, the jasmine, roses, and podocarpus in the yard, and a sunroom to the east with a long tea table inside, flanked by bougainvillea, Pachira aquaticas, and other plants.