I Play Dungeons in the Police Station-Chapter 226 - 159: The Vengeful Spirit Case of Sanhe Village (Part 2)

Chapter 226: Chapter 159: The Vengeful Spirit Case of Sanhe Village (Part 2)

According to Qiao Laohan’s wife, that night, they all advised Qiao Laohan not to keep vigil for Qin Qinglian. Three or four people in the village didn’t want to take on the task of keeping vigil for someone who died violently. But Qiao Laohan, contrary to his usual behavior, insisted on going, and he ended up dying in the mourning tent."

After listening to Ding Youqiang’s introduction, Li Xiang also found the case quite strange. He had never heard of such a case, and for a moment, he was deeply intrigued by it.

Could there really be something supernatural in this world?

In the past, he could confidently guarantee that there was absolutely nothing supernatural in this world, and if there was, he would like to see it.

But now, he didn’t dare to speak so confidently.

Because he himself had experienced supernatural phenomena, the system in his phone couldn’t be explained by current science.

Believing in science might be another form of superstition, one could call it scientific superstition, an excessive belief in science.

But there are still many supernatural phenomena in this world that modern science cannot explain.

In any case, this case had piqued Li Xiang’s curiosity.

"Where is Qiao Laohan’s body now?"

"In the forensic room, as the cause of death hasn’t been fully determined yet, we haven’t let the family take it back."

"I want to see his body."

Equipped with Grandmaster Level forensic medicine skills, Li Xiang was eager to see if he could discover anything on the deceased.

"Alright."

Ding Youqiang led the way, with Li Xiang and Bureau Luo following closely behind. Ten minutes later, they arrived at the morgue where Qiao Laohan’s body was kept.

"An expert from the provincial department wants to take a look at Qiao Laohan’s body."

After registering, the staff pulled Qiao Laohan’s body out of the freezer.

"Gloves."

"Hurry, gloves."

"Here are the gloves."

Amidst the urging voices, the staff handed the gloves to Li Xiang.

After putting on the gloves, Li Xiang pulled back the white cloth covering the body, and Qiao Laohan’s corpse immediately came into view.

He first checked Qiao Laohan’s scalp for any external injuries, then examined the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and neck, checking thoroughly downwards without missing any small details.

His professional autopsy technique left Ding Youqiang and Bureau Luo, standing by the side, not daring to breathe heavily, for fear of affecting Li Xiang’s examination.

Li Xiang examined the corps’ limbs, wrists, ankles, and other body surfaces, finding no obvious signs of external injury.

Could it really be a vengeful spirit claiming a life?

"When will the body be autopsied?"

Only through a forensic autopsy can the truth be revealed to the public.

"My mentor has gone out of town for training and won’t be back for three days."

"Three days?"

Li Xiang frowned. Without a forensic certification, even though he had the skills, he couldn’t perform an autopsy against the regulations.

"Three days is three days then. I want all the files related to Qin Qinglian’s case."

Taking off the gloves, Li Xiang followed Ding Youqiang back to the office once more.

Although he had listened to Ding Youqiang’s introduction earlier, it was rather generalized. Many details had not been explained in depth, and only through the files could he understand the full picture of the case.

Back in the office, Ding Youqiang immediately arranged for someone to bring over all of Qin Qinglian’s case files.

The key to solving this case was the Qin Qinglian case. Whether it was a vengeful spirit or someone causing trouble, the root cause of the case was definitely related to Qin Qinglian.

"Team Leader Li, all the files regarding this case are here. Take your time, if you have any questions, feel free to ask me."

"Alright, thank you."

Afterward, Li Xiang reviewed all the clues related to the case one by one.

Especially some of the villagers’ testimonies, which he read very carefully.

There are many motives for murder, especially in single-person households running small shops while their spouses work away from home. The police’s first investigation usually concerns whether there is a possibility of a crime of passion.

On this point, the Canglin police also found something unusual.

Qin Qinglian had a boyfriend named Chen Wei, who ran a hardware store in town. Through the deceased’s call records, the police discovered that he frequently contacted the deceased, so they found him for questioning.

In his initial statement to the police, he claimed to be at his store in town on August 8th and 9th. However, after verification, the police found he had lied. On August 8th, he wasn’t at the store, and as for his whereabouts, he claimed he couldn’t remember.

The police’s extensive investigation could not rule out his suspicion of committing the crime, yet no evidence showed he committed the murder. This was the first of the three doubts.

Li Xiang reviewed all of Chen Wei’s testimonies and found his statements inconsistent and contradictory, indeed suspicious.

The second doubt mentioned by Ding Youqiang was that Qin Qinglian’s small store was not just a shop but also a small gambling den, with a single table where people often gathered for games.

Several people had taken cigarettes and drinks on credit from her store, with the person owing the most being Qiao Liangfu. Without a proper job, and with prior convictions for robbery, he was one of the people playing cards in Qin Qinglian’s store on August 8th. After the game ended, his whereabouts were unknown.

He claimed he went home to sleep, but no one could verify his statement.

The police also suspected him, but like Chen Wei, could not find stronger evidence for murder.

The third doubt, or rather a rumor, was that villagers said Qiao Laohan knew who killed Qin Qinglian, so the killer silenced him.

This rumor was not taken seriously by Li Xiang.

After all, if the killer had such a method of killing invisibly, why not use it on Qin Qinglian directly in the first place?

Their methods of death were different, so the killer shouldn’t be the same person.

Though until now, the cause of Qiao Laohan’s death remains unclear. Without autopsy results, he couldn’t temporarily ascertain the actual cause of death.

After finishing the files, more than two hours had passed.

Bureau Luo had left at some point, possibly noticing how engrossed Li Xiang was and chose not to disturb him.

"Captain Ding."

"Yes, what’s up, Team Leader Li?"

Upon hearing Li Xiang call him, Ding Youqiang immediately jogged over.

"It’s like this, there are some things that the case files didn’t detail, and I’d like to know how much you know about them."

"Go ahead, ask away."

"After the incident, besides the cash from the till, were there any other missing items at the shop? Did the deceased’s phone contain any transaction records? Was anything else missing from the store?"

"The deceased’s phone is still here, and no transaction records were found on it. Nothing else was found missing from the store. For a few items, everyone might not notice immediately. After all, the deceased managed the shop herself, and no one knew it better than her. The missing cash from the drawer was noticed only when her husband returned and checked the accounts. They placed cash there, as most customers were elderly and didn’t use mobile payments, preferring cash. She also had a gambling table, and exchanging change was more convenient. As for how much exactly was missing, only the deceased would know."

Li Xiang nodded and continued, "So now the direction of your investigation is robbery and murder? Are there any leads?"

"We investigated how many strangers appeared in the village during that time. Being on the border, despite its poverty, many people still come for budget travel and sightseeing. Even though the population base isn’t large, the investigation is quite challenging. Moreover, the murder weapon used on Qin Qinglian hasn’t been found. According to forensic analysis, the weapon was likely a fruit knife, probably from Qin Qinglian’s home, and was disposed of by the killer after the crime."

Ding Youqiang explained the difficulty of the case, wanting to see the so-called expert from the provincial department’s level of expertise.

After all, Li Xiang looked very young, not like an expert at all, possibly just bearing the title of the provincial task force, without substance.