Chapter 65: A Significant Discovery (Part I)

Xu Jingnan indeed arrived faster than the city’s forensic experts. He took the initiative to conduct an initial inspection, and about ten minutes later, the police team arrived. However, they had to follow protocol, so when Xu Jingnan leisurely stepped out of the room, the team leader was taken aback.

“Who are you? How did you get in here?” the team leader questioned, noticing Xu Jingnan was in plain clothes.

Unfazed, Xu Jingnan introduced himself and showed his official credentials. Fortunately, the leader had heard of him before and didn’t press further.

Chen Tianyu requested the leader to allow Xu Jingnan to participate in the on-site investigation. After some hesitation, the leader reluctantly agreed but stipulated that Xu Jingnan could only observe from the sidelines, as this was against standard procedure.

Xu Jingnan had no objections; perhaps he already had a preliminary judgment.

The investigation didn’t take long, but after the local police completed their work, Xu Jingnan conducted a thorough search of apartment 1802, inspecting inconspicuous places like passageway windows, the kitchen, and the bathroom. He even had the property management open apartment 1801 for inspection and patrolled the corridor and emergency exits. He was meticulous in his approach.

In the end, he was the only one still busy.

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Though Xu Jingnan’s findings couldn’t be officially included in the report, for Beiting, his inspection was considered authoritative.

Before the official forensic report was released, Chen Tianyu wanted Xu Jingnan to provide some clues.

“Brother Si, I’m glad you notified me in time,” Xu Jingnan wiped the sweat from his brow, relieved.

Chen Tianyu smiled. “Why don’t we find somewhere to talk in detail?”

Xu Jingnan nodded. “When I came in, I saw a large artificial lake in the residential area. Let’s sit in the pavilion by the lake.”

The group from Beiting made their way to the pavilion. There was no light inside, but the surrounding illumination was enough for them to see each other clearly. The four men pulled out cigarettes and enjoyed a quiet moment.

It had been a long time since they had worked together, but clearly, this was no time for reminiscing.

Fortunately, the four sharpshooters still shared a “common language.”

After the cigarettes were finished, Chen Tianyu asked, “Jingnan, tell us—what did you find?”

Xu Jingnan nodded. “I won’t repeat the details of the body examination; you’ll soon see the autopsy report. So the precise cause of Hu Wenyi’s death remains undetermined.”

“Brother Si, you said a girl had lived in this apartment before?” he asked.

Chen Tianyu nodded. “Yes, and she lived alone.”

Kuang Su interjected, “Brother Si, I forgot to tell you. The property records show the previous owners of apartment 1802 were Hu Wenyi and He Xiaoxue. But according to the housing authority, Hu Wenyi completed the transfer months ago, and now the deed bears only his name.”

“I see,” Chen Tianyu said quietly.

Xu Jingnan thought for a moment before saying, “First, this complex is near the airport, quite remote, with a low occupancy rate. The idea of a girl living alone in this ghost town seems unlikely. The scene supports this—this apartment doesn’t look like it’s been inhabited regularly, unless the girl was extremely negligent.”

Wan Yongkun was surprised. “Why do you say that? I just saw a pair of women’s slippers in the living room.”

Xu Jingnan smiled. “The apartment looks tidy on the surface. But if a woman truly lived here, there wouldn’t be spiderwebs under the TV cabinet and sofa. Judging by their thickness, they’ve been undisturbed for at least a month. Also, those slippers you mentioned were seriously dusty—hardly worn often.”

“Uh, does that mean He Xiaoxue lied?” Wan Yongkun asked in puzzlement.

Xu Jingnan remained noncommittal. “Not necessarily. There are three possibilities: one, the girl was really lazy; two, she took her daily essentials with her; three, she once lived here but not recently.”

Kuang Su agreed, “He Xiaoxue said she moved out just a few days ago, which seems unlikely.”

Chen Tianyu withheld judgment. “Any other possibilities? Let’s discuss everything before making a conclusion.”

“Alright.” Xu Jingnan pondered. “Judging from Hu Wenyi’s condition at death, there was probably no struggle. According to the information you shared in the group, the time of death was around seven or eight days ago—likely the day he disappeared. Of course, the exact time awaits the forensic report.”

“There were no obvious external injuries on the body, but slight signs of poisoning. Toxicology will take some time. Although an empty bottle of sleeping pills was found on the bedside table, the symptoms don’t match typical sleeping pill overdose.”

“So, I suspect Hu Wenyi’s poisoning is linked to the two unidentified liquids on the dining table—they’ve been collected as evidence. The dishes on the table were ordinary, likely takeout, poorly prepared—not homemade. I checked the gas stove; it hasn’t been used recently.”

“I couldn’t find any takeout packaging or alcohol bottles anywhere—not even in the downstairs trash bins. Either the cleaners removed them, or the suspect took them.”

“I didn’t find any alcohol or drinks in the apartment, so the contents of the glasses remain unknown. The suspect probably took those away as well.”

“The master bedroom was sparsely furnished. In a drawer, I found several unopened condoms, but one was hidden beneath the bed. You’d expect some books in the room, but there were none. The study had some large volumes, but their pages were pristine and neatly arranged, showing no signs of being read.”

“The wardrobes were empty, none of them contained decent clothes, and the air smelled musty. Only the master bedroom wardrobe had two pieces of women’s underwear, which my colleagues also collected. The floors were clean—likely mopped—so I doubt any footprints remain.”

“The security bars on the windows were intact, fitted with high-grade anti-theft mesh. Entry from outside would be difficult, and there was no sign of forced entry. The bay windows weren’t dusty, suggesting they had been recently cleaned, unlike the other rooms.”

“In general, the state of the apartment is somewhat abnormal.”

“That’s about it,” Xu Jingnan finished, still deep in thought.

Kuang Su asked, puzzled, “From what you say, it seems the suspect calmly carried out the murder and then casually left.”

“It’s still too early to conclude it was murder,” Xu Jingnan replied cautiously.

Suddenly, Chen Tianyu said, “Do you have any other discoveries?”