This was a building nearing its topping-out stage. As construction was nearing completion, only one elevator was in use throughout the entire building.
Ascending to the rooftop and arriving at Zhang Si's body, Ping An saw a mangled corpse. Why mangled?
Because apart from his face, the entire person was no longer human-shaped. From the feet upwards, flesh and bone seemed to be caved into the body. "What kind of hatred could this be?" Even Mei Qian, who had seen much, had never witnessed such a cruel method of murder.
"13 places! There were a total of 13 indented spots. The wound areas were not uniform; the largest was bowl-sized, the smallest was hammer-sized. It can be determined that the deceased must have endured inhumane torture before death," the forensic doctor reported. "The direct cause of death was lung perforation. Tsk tsk, how gruesome!"
"Fortunately, the face was not hit. Can the time of death be determined?" Ping An asked.
"As it stands now, it should be the day before yesterday or earlier. Look at the coagulation of the blood, the stiffness of the body, and the rigor mortis. However, I will need to conduct further examinations back at the lab," the forensic doctor said.
"The day before yesterday? That's when Su Tang..." Mei Qian looked at Ping An with some confusion.
"Let's trust the expert and examine the scene further!" Ping An said, then began to wander off alone.
During his inquiries, Ping An learned that the rooftop construction for this building had been completed five days ago. Coupled with the Qingming Festival, there were only a few security guards on site in the past few days. "This building is quite tall. We were all working on the lower floors, preparing for the next phase of construction. Even if a banquet were held on the rooftop, we wouldn't have heard anything," said a construction site security guard.
After hearing the security guard's words, Ping An squatted down beside the body again and examined it carefully.
Although Zhang Si was in his fifties, he was tall and robust, appearing to be in good health. However, there were no signs of rope bindings on his body, nor were there any traces of a struggle at the scene. Could it be that Zhang Si willingly came here?
Standing on the rooftop, the two must have spoken at length. Ping An glanced at the cigarette butts near the body; they were clearly from two different brands. At this moment, a police officer was carefully collecting them.
The conversation must have ended calmly, without any arguments. Ping An looked at the distance between the body and the elevator, a full ten meters. This building had not yet installed stairs; access up and down was only possible via the elevator. If this were the case, perhaps after their conversation, neither of them had any intention of leaving, or the killer chose to leave first, while Zhang Si remained at the spot. What could he have been doing?
Ping An picked up his flashlight and carefully observed the surroundings of the body. He noticed that although this area was covered in blood, there were no drag marks. If the killer had struck Zhang Si with a rock or another object from the first blow, Zhang Si would not have moved at all before dying. But what was Zhang Si doing standing here?
The flashlight slowly swept around the body. A fallen iron rack caught Ping An's attention. He walked over and slowly set the rack upright, discovering that there was a power strip on it. A wire ran down through a hole in the ground beneath the rack.
"If it's this location!" Ping An looked at the position of the iron rack and where the body had fallen, realizing that Zhang Si might have used the power strip here, perhaps to charge his phone.
"This Zhang Si was truly not on guard against the person who killed him. While they were still there, he was in a hurry to charge his phone. Was he planning to make a call? Watch a video?" Ping An muttered to himself.
With this thought, Ping An shone his flashlight on the power strip again. He discovered a plug prong left inside one of the sockets.
"Someone!" Ping An shouted. Mei Qian quickly approached.
"Take out this plug prong!" Ping An pointed at the prong and said to a evidence collection officer. "Immediately investigate what kind of plug this prong belongs to! If it's a phone charger, check which brand and model of phone it's for." "Not bad, brother-in-law. You haven't been doing this for years, and your skills have improved significantly. Before, you only showed how to do things; now you know how to collect evidence!" Mei Qian praised him with a chuckle.
"Don't celebrate too early. I suspect Zhang Si was threatened to come here. After they spoke and likely reached some agreement, the killer gave him a phone call or message. Zhang Si was then in a hurry to use his phone but found it dead, so he used this nearby electrical outlet," Ping An deduced. "As for the murder, I boldly guess that Zhang Si intentionally allowed himself to be bludgeoned to death!"
"Oh, don't be so dramatic, great sage. I just praised you, and now you're writing a novel again?" Hearing Ping An's unreliable theory, Mei Qian felt a sense of déjà vu.
"I want to review all the surveillance footage of this construction site and within a five-kilometer radius around it!" Ping An ignored Mei Qian's thoughts and made his request.
"Let's go. You should go home. Looking at the surveillance footage is a task that can be handled by someone else. You've been tense for two days without proper rest. The current progress is at full speed. Let's go; I'll drive you back." Mei Qian pushed Ping An towards the stairs.
On the way back, Ping An received a phone call and then instructed to be taken to Flower Street.
"You don't need to come with me tomorrow. I'll go where I want by myself. If you're needed, you'll be contacted," Ping An told Mei Qian, getting out of the car at the entrance to Flower Street.
After seeing Mei Qian off, Ping An walked into Flower Street. It was already late at night, the liveliest time in Flower Street. Inside a milk tea shop, the lights were bright. Da Shu, Lao Yuan, and Lao Fang were sitting together, the three old fellows racking their brains.
Coincidentally, this was Ping An's first time at this milk tea shop.
He stood outside the shop, looking at the eclectic decor that seemed out of place and comical amidst the bars and nightclubs. On the milk tea shop's sign, there was another plaque that read "Wai Tang Pao Shi Guan" (歪糖破事馆). Seeing these words, he smiled faintly, a rare expression, and walked into the shop.
"Teacher Ping An." Da Shu, with sharp eyes, was the first to see Ping An enter. He was a rare visitor, and they had to treat him well.
"Get me a cup of milk tea, and whatever snacks or noodles you have nearby, bring some. I've been hungry all day." Ping An felt comfortable with these three and sat down at a chair with ease. He took out his phone to review the photos related to the case that he had taken throughout the day.
Upon hearing the order, the agile Lao Fang left with a bag. Lao Yuan also promptly went to the kitchen to make the signature milk tea with no sugar.
"I'm ashamed. There's no one named Shi Han at the school. I've been searching all day, and my subordinates have also been dispatched. We're still waiting for news," Da Shu said, taking out a cigarette and offering it to Ping An.
Ping An hadn't smoked in over two years. Looking at the cigarette now, he felt a kinship stronger than that for his own father, but after a moment's thought, he refused. "Su Tang is doing fine at the Public Security Bureau. She has her own room and eats the steamed buns sent by Gao Da. She hasn't been wronged," Ping An said, taking a sip of the milk tea. "My attitude is that if something happens, one must take responsibility. I actually knew this girl was investigating this case, but I still indulged her a bit, wanting to see her capabilities. As a result, something happened. Oh, this is not your fault, my old brothers. I know what kind of people you are."
"Alas, if you say it like that, I feel quite ashamed," Da Shu nodded with difficulty and took out a printed paper. "This is what Shi Han looks like. Take a look. We'll focus on finding Shi Han now. You focus on catching the killer. We need to get Su Tang out first, one way or another."
"Why do I feel like I've seen this kid, yet also feel like I haven't?" Ping An said. "Didn't this kid say he attended my class? Or is he from the association?"
"I remember him saying something like that. Oh, wait, it seems Su Tang said it," Da Shu recalled.
Just then, Lao Fang returned to the milk tea shop with food. Surprisingly, Monk and Boss Wan also came back with him.
"Wontons... El-el-elbow! Hot, hot, hot!" Lao Fang stammered, placing the food in front of Ping An.
"My, why have you two come?" They were all old acquaintances, so Ping An didn't bother with pleasantries. He casually waved his hand, inviting Boss Wan and Monk to sit down.
"We heard. Is it quite serious?" Monk, a straightforward person, spoke first. "We've assigned quite a few people today to search for that kid named Shi Han with you, Brother Da Shu. Just now, we got word. A brother saw this kid in a restaurant in Fan County this afternoon."
"Oh?" Ping An, who was in the process of pulling apart an elbow joint, immediately stopped eating and asked for details.
"This brother used to sell alcohol with me and now runs a car repair shop in Fan County. He had previously posted a photo of Shi Han in the group. He paid attention at the time and saw Shi Han. He felt he looked somewhat alike. He was about to get closer, but that kid ran off," Monk said, then beckoned towards the outside of the milk tea shop.
A man in his thirties walked in, looking somewhat restrained. Upon seeing Monk, he greeted him first and then greeted Da Shu, Lao Yuan, and Lao Fang. Kuai Shu Ge.
"This is Mr. Ping An, the one who can smash walnuts on Bawang Ding (meaning someone not to be trifled with). Regarding the matter of our young lady being held, and currently in custody, things are tight, and we can't get things moving. He's one of the higher-ups. Tell him what you know today. No nonsense, just the important points," Monk instructed.
"Sit down, brother!" Ping An, who knew a little about the rules in that circle, was also direct. He listened as the other person began to speak. "Since I saw what Shi Han looked like, I've been paying attention to any unusual activity in my area. Today at noon, I accompanied a brother to eat. The restaurant was called 'Da Xian Sheng Dumpling House,' located at No. 34, Central Road, Fan County." This brother said, "At the time, he was sitting face-to-face with someone. I was behind him, directly opposite him. I took a few sips, stood up to ask the waiter for more water, and happened to make eye contact with him. Honestly, at first glance, I couldn't quite tell. I looked at him for a long time, and he looked at me for a long time. I didn't say anything. After sitting down, I quickly checked my phone. Upon comparison, hey, it really was this scoundrel. But when I looked up, they were both gone."