SFTD -Chapter 122 Campus Gunfire (Part 3)

Zhou Hai nodded solemnly. “Trust me. I’ll contact you a bit later. We need to understand your daughter’s past, and we also need to inspect the house where she lived. The more detailed the information, the easier it is to find the killer.”

Father Lin nodded, left his phone number, and turned to walk back toward Mother Lin. The dead were gone, but his wife still needed care.

Seeing the body transport team arrive, Zhou Hai arranged for them to place the already white-sheet-wrapped corpse into a body bag. He personally pulled the zipper tight and secured it with a knot before instructing them to take it away.

While starting the car, he dialed Chu Menghan’s number.

“Where are you?”

Only then did Chu Menghan remember Zhou Hai, whom she had left at the hospital, and quickly apologized.

“Sorry, I forgot to tell you. Director Liu is here. He ordered a strict lockdown of the scene. We need to mobilize more personnel for a thorough search. No shell casings were found in the car or at the final collision point.”

“No need to search yet. Wait for me to arrive,” Zhou Hai said firmly.

Seeing his insistence, Chu Menghan did not argue and hung up.

By the time of the call, Zhou Hai had already arrived at the scene. The cordon had been expanded further. He parked and walked over to Chu Menghan and Director Liu, while Xu Biao and the others were still leading a search around the vehicles and surrounding area.

Zhou Hai raised a hand, interrupting their conversation. “Sorry to interrupt, but a large-scale search here is meaningless.”

Director Liu froze. “Why?”

“They were driving a Volkswagen Tiguan, a relatively tall SUV. If a gun was fired while the vehicle was moving, how would the shooter aim?”

Liu pointed at the open passenger window. “Through the window.”

Zhou Hai grew a bit impatient and pulled Chu Menghan over. “Now you are the driver, I am the deceased passenger, and Director Liu is the shooter. Try aiming and shooting at us.”

Director Liu gestured as if simulating the action. Zhou Hai slightly shifted his body.

“With the victim’s height, when she was seated in the SUV, the lower edge of the window was already around her armpit level. The gunshot wound is located on the left side of her back, between the T11 and T12 thoracic vertebrae. The bullet passed through her body, exited under her left armpit, and then entered another victim’s body, embedding in the heart.”

“This could not have been caused by that posture during normal vehicle movement.”

Director Liu widened his eyes. “You mean they were already injured by gunfire before they started driving—and they were heading to the hospital?”

Such a bold inference shocked both Chu Menghan and Director Liu, but after careful consideration, Zhou Hai’s reasoning was indeed convincing.

At that moment, Xu Biao jogged over.

“Director Liu, the fingerprints, hair, and blood collected from the car need to be sent for testing. What do you think…”

Director Liu removed his latex gloves. “Follow the forensic doctor Zhou’s opinion. Send what needs to be tested, do the autopsy as required. This is an extremely serious shooting incident—we will establish a major task force, and I will personally oversee it. We need to determine the investigative direction now.”

He turned to Zhou Hai. “Forensic Doctor Zhou, do you have any leads?”

Zhou Hai thought for a moment and looked at the three of them.

“First, there isn’t much blood in the car, which suggests they didn’t drive far. Check surveillance footage to see where the vehicle came from.

Second, investigate the victim’s social connections. Not everyone has the courage to use a firearm—such deep hatred must leave traces in her school or family life.

Third, although we didn’t recover the bullet, I have the X-ray images. Based on the entry wound diameter and estimated firing force, the weapon is likely a QSZ-92 pistol, which is widely used by military and police units.”

Zhou Hai opened the X-ray image on his phone. Using the scale reference, it was easy to see that the bullet diameter was slightly over 9mm, with a sharper-than-usual tip, which also contributed to its long range.

Director Liu looked at Zhou Hai with admiration and a hint of shock. He hadn’t expected a returnee forensic expert to be so familiar with their standard-issue firearms.

“The QSZ-92 is the formal name for the QSZ92 semi-automatic pistol. The 5.8mm version is used by the military, typically issued to officers at regiment level and above. The newer 9mm version isn’t widely deployed in this city—many older officers aren’t used to it—but most public security and judicial departments are equipped with this model. It seems our scope has narrowed further.”

Chu Menghan made a call. “Xiao Hu, check a license plate for me: Dong B-06699. I want its full activity history in Zhishui Road before today. I need it within an hour.”

After hanging up, she thought for a moment.

“I’ll take Wang Man and split into two teams. One will investigate the victim’s parents’ social connections, and the other will investigate the social connections at the school where the victim, Lin Jiajia, studied.”

Director Liu nodded. “Alright, go. Any findings on Zhou Hai’s side should be reported immediately. The task force will be set up at your center so we can move in any direction quickly. Time is critical.”

With that, everyone split up.

A crane lifted the crashed vehicle along with the unfortunate tree and loaded them onto a transport truck, sending them toward the forensic center.

Chu Menghan and Wang Man headed to the hospital. In the emergency corridor, Director He led them to Father Lin. Mother Lin had been given a sedative due to emotional collapse and was still receiving an IV drip.

Chu Menghan and Wang Man took Father Lin to a doctor’s lounge. After sitting down and activating the body camera, Chu Menghan skipped formalities and asked directly:

“We are from the criminal police brigade. Forensic Doctor Zhou should have told you about the shooting. We need to understand all social connections of you, your wife, and Lin Jiajia. The shooter injured Lin Jiajia first, and only afterward did the bullet injure Sun Jingya. Please understand. Start with your own social connections.”

Father Lin nodded. “Of course I understand. I run businesses—one aviation food company and one import-export trading company. Both have been established for years and are fairly stable, without major expansion. Our clients are very fixed, and we settle via TT wire transfers, so there are almost no financial disputes. The aviation food company does have some receivables, but for large airline companies we’re not worried. Our external debt is basically zero, and we hardly take loans.”

Chu Menghan frowned. “What about your wife?”

“She is a teacher at a school for the deaf and mute. We also sponsor twenty hearing-impaired children. Those kids really like her.”

As he spoke, Father Lin choked up again. Those children, despite their disabilities, were still alive and well—but his own daughter was never coming back.

Chu Menghan handed him a bottle of water. Father Lin loosened his tie, revealing a flower-shaped red rash near his collar. After he gradually calmed down, she continued asking.

“What about Lin Jiajia?”

“Although Jiajia was admitted to Dongnan University, she didn’t live at home. She rented an apartment near campus with Sun Jingya. Her mother and I are usually busy, so we didn’t spend much time with her. As for school matters, I really don’t know much. But I do have a spare key to her apartment. Here are the key and the address.”