Chapter 20: The Case of the Headless Female Corpse (8)

Zhou Lin stared at the forensic report sent by pathologist Xie Zhou. It read: The DNA of the headless female corpse found in the back hills of Kelly Biotech does not match that of Zhu Yan.

Gu Ye, who was interrogating the suspect alongside him, widened his eyes. A man of immense strength and fighting prowess, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine for reasons he could not explain.

Gu Ye slammed the table. "Li Ping, where is Zhu Yan's body buried?"

Li Ping remained perfectly calm. "Her body is buried in the countryside of Jiang Province. She clearly had the brains to study and work, yet she chose to sell her body for money. How could she be so filthy? I rented a car from a leasing company, transported her body back, and buried it by the small stream where she grew up, so that her body could be restored to purity and cleanliness..."

The three police officers, seasoned by countless criminal cases, were left speechless.

"What about the head? Why was it buried in the forest of the Expo Park?" Zhou Lin’s sharp gaze pierced straight into his soul.

A dreamy, longing look crossed Li Ping’s eyes. "From there, you can see the Kelly Biotech Center. What a wonderful job it is to be a researcher there. She felt it was too hard and insisted on resigning to cater to wealthy men with her body. If I had been able to go to college, I could have also been involved in biomedical research..."

But in this life, he would never have that chance again.

Gu Ye glared at him. "You certainly love deeply and go to great lengths!"

Zhou Lin gave the order: "Tell Jiang Qi to immediately verify the situation regarding Zhu Yan's body in the Jiang Province countryside."

"Yes!" Lin Nan replied and walked out.

When Zhou Lin asked Li Ping, "Who is the other headless female corpse buried at the Kelly Biotech Research Institute?"

Silence fell over the interrogation room. Li Ping stopped speaking.

Gu Ye was furious. "Li Ping, you killed two women! Are you too cowardly to admit it?"

"Where is the evidence?" Li Ping countered.

Zhou Lin threw the sketch of the suspect disposing of the body, drawn by Xiao Man, onto the table.

Li Ping looked surprised. "There are no cameras in that area. Where did you get this?"

"That is not for you to ask! Li Ping, I know you are a smart man. Do you want to make things difficult for us? Treat us like fools? We will find the evidence." Zhou Lin stood up.

As he prepared to leave the interrogation room, Li Ping pleaded, "Officer, can you send my younger sister to an orphanage?"

He had confessed to killing Zhu Yan; he knew he would pay with his life and would never get out. But he could not stop worrying about his ten-year-old sister.

Gu Ye shouted at him: "You killed Zhu Yan to save your sister, but even if she was morally corrupt and led a problematic life, you had no right to take it."

Li Ping buried his head in his hands. He started off sobbing quietly, but soon, his cries grew louder and louder.

***

For some reason, at that moment, Zhou Lin thought of Xiao Man.

Human nature is complex. Tang Zheng is the person closest to Xiao Man, yet he wanted to torment his daughter to death. Li Ping, once a top student, committed a crime of passion to pay for his sister’s medical treatment.

"Li Ping, the Juvenile Assistance Center will follow up on this matter."

"Thank you..."

As the door closed, it muffled Li Ping’s suppressed wailing.

Zhou Lin walked toward his office and asked Lin Nan to handle the arrangements for Li Ping's sister, Li Shu, to enter an orphanage.

Gu Ye tossed the interrogation files heavily onto the desk. "Captain Zhou, what next? The headless corpse at the back of Kelly Biotech was definitely buried by Li Ping. He's testing us!"

Zhou Lin crossed his arms. "Police work relies on evidence. He has a reasonable motive for killing Zhu Yan, and the logic holds up. But for the other woman, what is the motive? You all start by checking missing women from Zhu Yan’s circle and conduct an in-depth investigation into which wealthy heirs were associated with her."

"Yes!" the team members responded in unison.

The head of the criminal investigation division, Zhang Chao, walked out of his office. "The Zhu Yan case has been brought to light. Zhou Lin, you led the team well; your efficiency in solving cases is getting higher. But everyone is exhausted today after working for days on end. Go home and rest, and tomorrow morning, we will continue to investigate the case of the headless corpse at the back of Kelly Biotech."

Everyone looked at Zhou Lin. Gu Ye was still fired up. "Director Zhang, we aren't tired."

Zhang Chao glared at the team leader. "Zhou Lin, you might be an iron man, but is everyone in this group made of steel? You adopted a daughter, don't you want to go home and spend time with her?"

"Iron Man" Zhou Lin could work indefinitely, but mentioning his daughter was his soft spot.

Zhou Lin stood up first. "Everyone go home, get a good night's sleep, and we'll continue first thing tomorrow."

Everyone began to leave: "Director Zhang, goodbye! Captain Zhou, goodbye!"

***

Half-Hill Villa.

The night was shrouded in mist, the surroundings very quiet, save for the occasional sound of a returning car. In the living room, Xiao Man was watching television with the old lady. "Grandma, look at the watch Dad bought for Xiao Man."

"He’s thoughtful," the old lady nodded. "He’s starting to act like a father!"

"He is the best father in the whole world!" Xiao Man cheered, throwing her arms up.

The old lady laughed. "Yes, yes! Xiao Man has the best father in the world!"

Even she, the biological mother, could not say a single bad thing about Zhou Lin.

Xiao Man tapped on the watch to check its functions. At exactly nine o'clock, she reminded the old lady, "Grandma, it’s time for your medicine!"

"What a good granddaughter I have!" The old lady took the medicine and swallowed it with water.

She said to the butler nearby, "When a person is in a good mood, even the medicine tastes sweet."

The butler, Zhao Qing, smiled happily. "It’s all because of Xiao Man. Madam, I should go buy some fireworks soon. When the New Year comes and the Second Young Master is on break, the father and daughter can set them off together."

"Right, right! How could I have forgotten that? Old Zhao, buy plenty." The old lady nodded. She also hoped Zhou Lin could close the case before the New Year. After all, this was Xiao Man’s first New Year at the Zhou house, and she wanted her to be happy.

Xiao Man returned to her bedroom and opened her tablet. She had owned one before, bought by her mother. After her mother went missing, her younger brother had snatched it to play with and broke it. However, from that day on, her brother would never be able to snatch anything from her again.

Xiao Man watched cartoons for a while and went to bed at exactly ten o'clock. Before falling asleep, she sent a voice message to Zhou Lin via her watch: "Dad, Xiao Man is going to sleep! Don't work too late, take care of your health!"

Zhou Lin had just stepped out of the police station. Sitting in his car, he immediately replied with a voice message: "Goodnight, Xiao Man! Dad will be home soon!"

When he returned home, Xiao Man was already sound asleep. The old lady was surprised to see her second son home, and seeing him immediately tucking the blanket in for Xiao Man, she knew how much he cherished his daughter.

The next morning.

Xiao Man had just woken up when she heard the "coo-coo" of a pink-grey pigeon at the window.

Her carrier pigeon had arrived!

She jumped up, ran to the window, and opened it. The morning chill rushed in. "Pink-grey pigeon, good morning! What news did you bring this time?"

The pigeon tucked in its wings: "Good morning! Little Man, the murderer of Zhu Yan, who was buried under the pine tree, has been caught. Also, there is a lead on that headless female corpse."