SFTD -Chapter 112 Where Did the Tadpoles Go? (Part 9)

> T/N: This chapter is a duplicate of the previous one but the author published them like that so I am also keeping them here.

Zhou Hai spent the entire night piecing together scattered fragments of information. He rubbed his throbbing temples, got up, and grabbed the bottle of sedatives, taking two pills.

The crisp sound of the medicine bottle echoed in his hand. When he glanced at it, there were only six pills left. He felt a wave of frustration, annoyed that he hadn’t noticed earlier.

He checked the time—it was already close to dawn. He logged onto Facebook and chatted with Professor John, asking him to help purchase several types of medication.

At that point, Old John quickly replied. He said he would have someone bring the medicine to Dongnan in a few days, and also asked for a favor in China, hoping Zhou Hai would help as much as possible.

Although Zhou Hai was confused, he still agreed readily.

Old John joked that he had already taken a screenshot of the conversation as an official legal document, so Zhou Hai couldn’t back out. In exchange, he would regularly have someone mail him the medicines.

Zhou Hai was helpless—the offer was too tempting—so he agreed.

Perhaps because of the medication and the long chat with Professor John, his pressure suddenly disappeared. Sleepiness hit him, and he fell asleep.

He slept until nearly 8 a.m. Waking in a good mood, he rushed to the forensic center. As soon as he entered the office, Fengzi and Xiao Liang followed in behind him, carrying a stack of reports.

“Why are you both here so early today?”

Fengzi flashed a bright grin. “All three of us are here. Xu Biao is on the third floor analyzing footprints. We came first to show initiative—we can’t embarrass Team Two.”

Zhou Hai studied him for a long moment. It was rare for this guy to be so motivated—and even rarer that the other two actually listened to him. He nodded.

“What did you find?”

Fengzi handed over the report.

“The fingerprint remnants on the victim Zhang Miaomiao’s neck belong to Li Liqun. The oil residue wasn’t washed away by water, so the print is well preserved.”

“The fluid in the vagina is confirmed to be semen, but no sperm cells were found. DNA comparison matches Liu Dong.”

“All fingerprints and DNA found in the victim’s car belong only to Zhang Miaomiao and Liu Dong.”

“Diatom tests show the victim drowned in Baisha River. No abnormalities in cardiac blood so far. However, estrogen levels are extremely high—I’m not sure what that indicates.”

“Only the analysis of the liquid in the victim’s water bottle remains. It’s difficult to identify and still requires toxicology testing.”

“Also, many fingerprints were found on the outside of the bottle. Aside from hers, there are prints from four unknown individuals. These are hard to trace—likely from contact during purchase or rescue.”

“Based on lab results, both Li Liqun and Liu Dong are strong suspects.”

Zhou Hai nodded. He had already inferred much of this the previous day, but it still didn’t resolve his doubts. He rubbed his temples.

“High estrogen levels suggest severe psychological stress. She was likely depressed, anxious, angry, fearful, and constantly in emotional turmoil. That ties back to her earlier temporal lobe brain injury.”

“Even though she appeared to have accepted her family and seemed more composed outwardly, she suppressed all her emotions. That often becomes a risk factor for breast cancer. Her mother also died of breast cancer.”

“Poor girl… she had no one who truly cared for her. She longed for love. Neither Li Liqun nor Liu Dong ever reached her inner world.”

Fengzi froze for a moment. “Boss, since when did you become sentimental?”

But he wasn’t wrong. The girl had sealed away all her emotions, living a life of quiet suffering.

Zhou Hai exhaled deeply. “She didn’t deserve this. Such a beautiful age… and it was all wasted.”

He flipped to the last page and frowned when he didn’t see the vehicle inspection report.

“Report on the car?”

Fengzi shrugged and looked at Xiao Liang, who handed over several photos and stepped forward beside him.

“This is the pre-inspection documentation. The car was very clean, with few personal items. Only insurance documents and registration papers were in the glove compartment.”

“In the trunk were several pairs of shoes and a box of clothes. Also a box of red wine and a box of white flower snake grass water.”

“In the passenger seat we found a handbag containing disposable masks, tissues, keys, wallet, ID, cosmetics, and medicine bottles.”

“There were many medications: amitriptyline (antidepressant), multivitamins, vitamin C effervescent tablets, loratadine, roxithromycin dispersible tablets, ibuprofen, and throat spray.”

Zhou Hai nodded repeatedly as he compared the photos. Xiao Liang had recorded everything in great detail.

“It seems her suppurative tonsillitis was quite severe. The antidepressants aren’t surprising either.”

“With that personality, that level of stress, and no emotional release, depression was inevitable.”

“Any medical visit records? Did she just buy medication from pharmacies herself?”

Xiao Liang flipped through his notes. “Yes… she really did. The receipts were in a compartment of the handbag.”

Zhou Hai shook his head. Still no progress. It looked like they would have to visit the victim’s home.

“Has Captain Huang obtained the search warrant? We need to check Zhang Miaomiao’s home and Liu Dong’s home. They lived so close and had such an ambiguous relationship—let’s start from their residential community.”

Xu Biao rushed into the room, unable to hide his excitement.

“I couldn’t sleep last night and kept reviewing the scene photos. I found something strange.”

“Look!”

“Before Zhang Miaomiao met Li Liqun at the intersection, she was running steadily and fast. But after meeting him, from the second surveillance camera onward, she seemed uncomfortable or distracted—her steps became chaotic. The paint-stained footprints were especially irregular.”

Zhou Hai examined the surveillance stills and footprint comparisons. Zhang Miaomiao seemed to be exerting force outward with her feet. Could there have been a struggle?

“Her center of gravity is off,” he said. “But there’s no surveillance in that section. We can’t confirm whether Li Liqun physically assaulted her or even whether his claim of helping her up is true.”

Xu Biao suddenly snapped his fingers. “Dashcam footage! I’ve already checked all vehicles passing that road between 7:30 and 8:00. Traffic police will get back to me.”

“Good idea,” Zhou Hai nodded.

At that moment, his phone rang. It was Captain Huang.

“Has the search warrant come through?”

“Yes. I’ll go with you. I’ve already contacted Zhang Miaomiao’s parents.”

One hour later, at No. 59 Jinjiang Road, Jinjiang No.1 Apartment.

As soon as they exited the elevator, Zhang Miaomiao’s parents were already waiting at the door. To avoid distressing them, Zhou Hai, Xu Biao, Huang, and Xiao Liang entered the apartment while the others waited outside.

The place was indeed nice—a 200-square-meter apartment with a spacious living room, study, gym room, and bedroom, all extremely tidy. Even the laundry basket was empty.

In the bedroom, Zhou Hai once again found a large collection of medication on the dressing table. The wardrobe contained only Zhang Miaomiao’s belongings—no men’s clothing. They found nothing useful.

They then went to Liu Dong’s standalone villa at No. 58 Jinjiang Road, Jinjiang Mountain Residence.

As Captain Huang pressed the doorbell, Xu Biao sneezed several times behind him.

Xiao Liang leaned over. “Brother Xu, did you catch a cold?”