SFTD -Chapter 185 A Severed Thumb (Part 15)

Hearing Xu Biao say this, Zhou Hai also walked over curiously. Xu Biao dialed Dr. Nan Wudao’s number.

“Old man, hurry up and send me those restored suspect photos. I need ones taken from the same distance and standing angle—I want to compare them.”

Dr. Nan snorted twice and hung up. He knew just how vicious this case was. Everyone in the Criminal Investigation Division was practically on fire with anxiety right now, so he didn’t bother joking around or making trouble for Xu Biao.

A moment later, the computer chimed. Dr. Nan Wudao had sent over the processed screenshots. Xu Biao opened the file and downloaded the images.

He immediately lined up several photos side by side, using a railing beside the trash can in the pictures as a reference point. They had been to the scene before, and coincidentally, Xu Biao had measured the railing’s height.

Xu Biao began measuring dimensions and converting the data. After plugging everything into formulas, estimates for the individuals’ heights, shoulder widths, and shoe sizes quickly appeared.

Although there was a margin of error, this crude method proved surprisingly effective. Zhou Hai nodded repeatedly while Liu Da and the others crowded around to look.

“Alright, these are the estimated measurements. If we want accuracy, tomorrow during daylight we’ll have several people of different heights and weights walk through the area for comparison calculations. Then we’ll get exact numbers. After all, every surveillance camera is different.”

Zhou Hai picked up the printed photographs and compared them carefully.

The man dragging the suitcase out of Xiguozhuang Residential Complex had a severe outward splay in his right foot. He also landed on the outer edge of that foot, while his left foot pointed straight ahead. Looking again at the person Xu Biao had matched, it was exactly the same—the angle, movement range, even the habit of tugging at the right side of his collar while slightly lowering his head to hide his face.

“Mhm. Their habitual movements are also very similar. Search nearby surveillance footage and see what kind of transportation he used.”

Chu Menghan kicked Xiao Zeng’s chair and glared at him.

“Didn’t you already review all the nearby surveillance? Hurry up and explain. Why are you acting reserved now?”

She was getting irritated. Her own people were staying silent at a moment like this. The work should have been handled by the Changhe Criminal Investigation Division in the first place. Whether it was Captain Huang, Liu Da, or Zhou Hai, they were all helping Changhe’s team.

Xiao Zeng seemed to have been dozing from exhaustion. The kick instantly woke him up. He quickly stood and handed over several flash drives.

“These contain the surrounding surveillance footage. I labeled all the locations on them. Dr. Nan processed the images, but I haven’t had time to organize a team to search through them yet…”

Liu Da glanced at the time.

“Zhongsheng, take a few people and compare the surveillance footage with Xiao Zeng’s team. Tonight we all push harder and try to identify the suspect’s transportation method and escape route—see where he went afterward.

Chu Menghan, deploy your people immediately. Hospitals, schools, markets, supermarkets—anywhere with dense crowds needs patrols.

Twelve hours have already passed since the killer’s text message about the twenty-four-hour deadline. The remaining twelve hours, especially after dawn, are the most critical period.

In a bit, I’ll take people to Southeast Television Station. Since he specifically mentioned the morning news, we’ll monitor it closely. If anything unusual happens, we stop the broadcast immediately.

Alright, split up and move!”

Xu Biao watched everyone file out of the Second Unit office, momentarily stunned. Frowning deeply with a (..＿..) expression, he poked Zhou Hai’s arm.

“They all have assignments. What are we supposed to do?”

Zhou Hai rolled his eyes at him.

“Find somewhere to sleep. Tomorrow’s going to be busy.”

Xu Biao’s eyes filled with confusion (⊙＿⊙？). Sleep?

Everyone else was working while they slept? Wasn’t that asking for trouble?

Hearing Zhou Hai’s words, Liu Da stopped walking. Xu Biao squinted his tiny eyes (?o?) and opened his mouth wide, wanting to grab Zhou Hai, but Liu Da’s hand bypassed Zhou Hai completely and smacked Xu Biao on the head instead. Wearing a wronged expression (●︿●), Xu Biao felt utterly aggrieved.

“You brat, stop stirring things up. Go sleep already. By tomorrow morning, I want every lab result related to today. Whose intestines were those? Who did the three bags of meat belong to? And even the fingerprints on the refrigerator—I want identities for all of them. Understood?”

Holding onto Zhou Hai’s arm while rubbing the burning top of his head, Xu Biao nodded frantically.

“Got it, boss! Safe trip!”

Fengzi and Xiao Liang leaned against the doorway, covering their mouths as they laughed. Xu Biao turned around just in time to catch their expressions and shoved them toward the door.

“Come on, let’s find somewhere to sleep. At five in the morning we’re heading to stake out Sister Zeng’s place. We need to sort out all the reports and deliver every result Liu Da asked for.”

The two immediately stopped laughing and hurried off to catch a little sleep. Watching the three anxious figures, Zhou Hai shook his head.

At that moment, the phone in his pocket vibrated.

He took it out and saw a text from Lu Xi.

‘Still busy? I brought you some food. I’m waiting downstairs.’

Zhou Hai froze in shock.

It was almost midnight already, yet that silly girl had actually driven out by herself. Surprise, worry, and warmth all surged through him at once, overwhelming his thoughts completely. Without another thought, he rushed downstairs.

Outside, several people standing near the building entrance preparing to leave hadn’t gotten into their cars yet. Seeing Zhou Hai sprinting downstairs in slippers, they assumed he’d suddenly remembered something important and all stopped to watch.

But when they saw him run straight past everyone and charge outside without hesitation, their curiosity only grew. Collectively, they craned their necks toward the courtyard.

There, Zhou Hai had already run up to a small white Polo. A girl bundled in a thick white down jacket opened the car door and smiled at him while carrying a large bag.

Lu Xi blinked and tilted her head slightly upward, looking at Zhou Hai, who stared silently at her.

“I was worried you’d get hungry tonight, so I made dumplings and cooked some porridge. After thinking about it, I decided to bring it over. I didn’t interrupt your work, did I?”

Zhou Hai didn’t take the bag.

Without saying a word, he pulled her into his arms and gently rubbed the top of her head.

“Silly girl, don’t worry. I’m fine. The case is just extremely difficult, so none of us went home.”

From behind them came the sound of a window opening. Xu Biao’s enormous face poked out from a third-floor window.

“Teacher Xixi, stop feeding us dog food! How are we supposed to work overtime tonight?”

Lu Xi only smiled silently before gently pushing herself free from Zhou Hai’s embrace.

“Alright, a lot of people are coming out behind you. I-I should head back now! There’s enough food in there for four or five people!”

As she spoke, she shoved the bag into Zhou Hai’s arms, hurried into the car, and quickly drove away.

Zhou Hai knew she was shy.

The bag in his arms was still warm. Even before eating, he could already smell the fragrance of the dumplings. Maybe… it really was time to seriously think about getting married.

A noisy set of footsteps sounded behind him, especially the sharp clicking of high heels, pulling Zhou Hai back to reality. Turning sideways, he saw Chu Menghan striding over quickly. She curled one lip upward and gave him a strange look.

“Tsk tsk, Forensic Doctor Zhou sure is impressive. Be careful with your health—sticking together every day like that will ruin your kidneys.”

After saying that, she got into her car and slammed the door shut. The vehicle screeched backward and sped out of the central compound.

The others followed one after another, all looking at Zhou Hai with knowing smiles but saying nothing. Liu Da walked over, patted Zhou Hai on the shoulder, and whispered softly into his ear.

“You move pretty fast, kid. I thought you and Chu Menghan were a thing. Didn’t expect…”

He stopped halfway through, patted Zhou Hai’s shoulder again, then followed everyone else into the cars and left.

Zhou Hai shook his head, too lazy to analyze what Liu Da meant. The aroma of dumplings filling his nose already had his mouth watering uncontrollably. At this moment, his brain was focused entirely on food as he carried the bag upstairs.