SFTD -Chapter 187 A Severed Thumb (Part 17)

Zhou Hai didn’t walk over immediately. He waved at Xu Biao instead.

“Xiao Liang, stay where you are. Let Xu Biao check whether there are any other traces left behind. Fengzi, take photos.”

After assigning the tasks, everyone moved quickly. Zhou Hai still didn’t step forward. Chu Menghan had already hurried over. Seeing Zhou Hai standing there without launching into his usual blunt criticism, she knew something was on his mind.

“With Wang Man’s group retrieving the surveillance footage, we’ve also temporarily confiscated the cameraman’s camera and tapes. We’ll examine them in detail back at headquarters. The vendors have already been brought over. Want to listen in?”

Zhou Hai glanced at Chu Menghan. The two of them had worked together fairly well today. At the very least, the impact had been minimized. He nodded.

“Bring them over. We’ll question them here at the scene. Also, everyone at the scene needs to be registered and investigated. Leave contact information, especially anyone with pushcarts. Nobody leaves until Xu Biao checks them.”

Chu Menghan waved to the officers behind her and relayed Zhou Hai’s instructions.

A policeman brought over a middle-aged couple. Both wore dark green padded factory uniforms of unknown origin, with leather aprons and sleeve covers over them. Years of working outdoors in icy saltwater had left their hands swollen, purplish-red, and covered in bandages.

Just from their appearance, Zhou Hai already knew they had nothing to do with the case. Chu Menghan opened a notebook and began questioning them.

“Your name is Jia Zhongxian?

“Don’t be nervous. Just answer my questions honestly.”

The man rubbed his hands together and nodded slightly at Chu Menghan and Zhou Hai. His eyes were full of fear.

“What time did you arrive at the market this morning?”

“Same as usual. We went to pick up clams at four in the morning, arrived at the market around five-thirty, and started working.”

Zhou Hai pointed at the two green tubs covered with black plastic bags.

“When were these two tubs placed here?”

The man followed Zhou Hai’s finger and looked toward the tubs beside the parking spot, confusion on his face.

“Our clams are always packed in mesh sacks and placed in tubs like those. We never use black bags. Those are expensive.”

His wife stepped forward and counted with her fingers.

“They’re not ours. We only brought in eight tubs today. Sold four and a half. The remaining two tubs of clams and six empty tubs are still on the truck.”

Without pausing, Zhou Hai continued.

“When did these two tubs appear here?

“Don’t tell me you didn’t notice. You do this every day. How could you not notice extra items showing up?”

The man didn’t dare meet Zhou Hai’s eyes. After hesitating briefly, he nudged his wife.

“Just tell the truth.”

The woman pressed her lips together. There was no point hiding anything now.

“We were busy working when a young man in a blue work coat pushed over a yellow handcart loaded with stuff. He left these two tubs here and said a seafood supplier named Liu Haidong had delivered black pork to our stall. I asked him if he even knew who I was. He said he didn’t. He was just delivering according to stall numbers. He asked, ‘Aren’t you seafood stall 174?’ The moment I heard that, I knew he’d remembered wrong. Ours is stall 128. There isn’t even a seafood stall 174 in this market. So I accepted them and left them at the back of the truck, thinking he might come back for them later. I didn’t dare load them onto the vehicle.”

Chu Menghan’s eyes widened.

“Do you remember what he looked like?”

Jia Zhongxian froze for a moment.

“I think so…

“A skinny young guy, about this tall. Wearing a mask and black-rimmed glasses, dressed in a blue work coat, pushing a yellow cart with a lot of stuff on it.”

“What other stuff?”

He thought for a while but couldn’t remember. His wife quickly chimed in.

“I saw it. There were four corrugated cardboard boxes on the cart, about this big and this tall.”

Zhou Hai stopped Chu Menghan before she could ask more.

“Get someone to make a suspect sketch with the two of them immediately. We’re leaving.”

“Leaving?”

Chu Menghan waved, and Xiao Zeng hurried over. After giving a string of instructions, she glanced at the people who still hadn’t been checked.

“Zhou Hai, do you think the killer has already left, or is he still here?”

Without looking up, Zhou Hai searched through a nearby map in his hands. When he spotted Southeast Agricultural University five hundred meters away, his finger stopped.

Those two tubs couldn’t possibly contain all the victim’s bones and severed limbs.

The four boxes were probably the remaining body parts.

In last night’s footage, the suspect hadn’t been seen using any vehicle. That meant he was likely transporting the heavy loads using a temporary handcart.

If he was on foot, he couldn’t have gone very far.

Zhou Hai tore off his gloves and grabbed Chu Menghan’s wrist.

“Xiao Liang and Fengzi stay behind. Load the evidence into the vehicle and collect samples at the scene. Xu Biao comes with us.”

As he spoke, he pulled Chu Menghan toward the market exit.

The seafood section of the wholesale market was right beside the north gate, making it easy to leave unnoticed. Feeling the icy coldness of Zhou Hai’s fingers, Chu Menghan shivered and momentarily forgot to react before being dragged into a police car.

Xu Biao and Wang Man, who had just finished questioning people, hurried into the car as well. Zhou Hai then displayed the map on his tablet.

“Head to Southeast Agricultural University immediately. The number of remains doesn’t add up. If my guess is correct, he was near the seafood stalls during the livestream. We interrupted his plan. He probably has a backup plan. A man without transportation can only dispose of things nearby. The remains are thawing rapidly. Blood is already leaking out everywhere. He won’t be able to escape easily much longer.”

Chu Menghan and Wang Man exchanged glances. After leaving several officers behind to maintain order and wait for Captain Huang’s support team, they led three groups toward the university without turning on the sirens.

The guard at the entrance saw the police vehicles and immediately raised the barrier without stopping them.

Several cars sped into the campus. After everyone got out, a man who looked like the head of security hurried over while holding down his cap.

“Hello!”

Wang Man nodded at him.

“There’s a major criminal incident nearby. We’re here to inspect your campus. How many entrances does your school have?”

The man froze before instantly becoming serious.

“Our agricultural college has gates on all four sides, but only the south and north gates are open for entry and exit.”

Wang Man pulled up a screenshot from surveillance footage and handed over his phone.

“Send this photo to all your security staff. See if anyone has seen him.”

The man moved quickly, immediately grabbing his walkie-talkie and relaying Wang Man’s request. Wang Man had already sent him the photo, which he promptly forwarded to everyone.

Meanwhile, Chu Menghan had already dispatched officers to search the area.

Standing at the entrance, Zhou Hai observed the positions of the surveillance cameras while Xu Biao stared at Zhou Hai instead.

After putting away the tablet, Zhou Hai looked around.

“If you were the killer, what would you do?”

Xu Biao shook his head, tossing a few peanuts into his mouth as he chewed and thought.

“If I were the killer, I’d bury all that stuff deep underground. Why would I still run around outside? Isn’t that just asking to die?”

Zhou Hai sighed. He knew he shouldn’t have asked Xu Biao in the first place.

The campus wasn’t completely closed off. Surveillance cameras covered the entrances and exits. Was the killer really unafraid of being identified?

Or did he have some perfect escape plan?

Zhou Hai narrowed his eyes.

At the market, the killer had wanted to admire his own work and had become aware of the police response.

That meant whatever he intended to do at the university would be even more shocking than what happened at the market.

To create such a sensation, he would need a large audience.

Suddenly, Zhou Hai’s eyes widened. He glanced at the time on his phone.

7:35 AM.

There were still twenty-five minutes before classes started at eight.

When they first entered campus, he had noticed small groups of students walking toward the largest teaching building with its main entrance facing forward. Now there were even more students than before, probably heading to class after breakfast.

Could it be…

Zhou Hai narrowed his eyes and grabbed Chu Menghan’s arm. Before he could say anything—

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

Several heavy thuds rang out.

Then a girl’s scream pierced the sky.

“Ahhh—!”