SFTD -Chapter 68 Who’s Next (Part 6)

Zhou Hai raised his eyes and glanced at Xiao Pang with a hint of restrained displeasure. He could not tolerate any disrespect toward the deceased. His voice grew two degrees colder.

“These are photos of the victim’s head. There’s some decomposition, but the facial features are still identifiable. Reduce each of the marked areas by 20%. Fengzi, follow up on this and point out the key identifying features. I need the photos finalized within an hour. Xu Biao, Xiao Liang, come with me!”

Xu Biao had a Snickers bar in his mouth, his cheeks so stuffed they looked ready to burst. He mumbled indistinctly, “Where are we going?”

“To a restaurant!”

“Nice! Xiao Liang, let’s go! Fengzi, thanks for your hard work!”

Compared to Xu Biao’s excitement, Xiao Liang had a faint sense of unease. He obediently picked up the investigation kit and followed behind them.

Half an hour later, the three of them—now in casual clothes—appeared on a pedestrian street.

Xu Biao wore a pair of mirrored silver sunglasses, a Southeast Asian–style short-sleeved shirt with palm-leaf patterns, flip-flops, and loose shorts.

As for Zhou Hai and Xiao Liang, they were still in jeans and white T-shirts. Zhou Hai carried a backpack, Xiao Liang had a DSLR camera hanging around his neck, and both wore matching baseball caps.

The three of them walking together looked like casual tourists from a travel group.

“Brother Hai, what are we here for?” Xiao Liang asked.

“To walk around and observe.”

“Kid, just follow along. Stop asking so many questions! We’re tourists now—remember not to speak in your local accent.”

After hearing Xu Biao’s words, Liang Honggang nodded half-understandingly.

They began strolling through the so-called Korean pedestrian street. With Korean-style clothing, themed decorations, and murals, it really did resemble a street in Seoul.

Most of the area was filled with restaurants, with only a few cosmetics and clothing shops on the far east side.

Zhou Hai and the others entered from the east. When they reached the seventh shop, Zhou Hai glanced westward from the entrance and tapped Xiao Liang’s camera.

A confused Xiao Liang didn’t understand what he meant. Xu Biao then stood beside a straw mannequin in front of a shop, striking a peace sign.

“Honggang, take a photo for me!”

Startled, Xiao Liang nearly dropped his DSLR, but hurriedly took the picture.

They continued walking. Under Zhou Hai’s instructions, they took photos in front of almost every shop.

Near the western end of the pedestrian street, not far from a barbecue shop, there were more than ten stalls. They were neatly arranged and very clean—clearly regulated and approved by the city.

Zhou Hai paused in thought and walked over, with Xu Biao and Xiao Liang quickly following.

Each stall had a long queue. A young man selling Shaanxi-style liangpi stood at one stall; his accent was unmistakably from Shaanxi. He worked briskly while chatting with a middle-aged man selling roujiamo beside him.

His movements were extremely skilled. A large cleaver over fifty centimeters long danced across the cutting board. With a flick of the blade’s back, he neatly pushed the liangpi into a bowl.

More than twenty types of seasonings were added in rapid succession, completing each order within seconds. The air was filled with a rich, layered aroma of spices colliding with each other—very appetizing.

Xu Biao quickly scanned the stalls and struggled to decide.

“Xiao Liang, go line up for roujiamo. I’ll wait for the roasted meat. Brother Hai, can you line up for liangpi? Let’s each get three portions. Wow! These look even better than the Haiyun Temple fair—really authentic!”

Zhou Hai walked toward the longest queue—the liangpi stall.

His eyes never left the young vendor making the liangpi.

That large cleaver was too expertly handled. The movements were deeply ingrained, almost instinctive—too skilled for someone that age.

Meanwhile, the middle-aged man beside him used two knives to chop cooked meat, mixing it with chili, onions, and unknown spices, then stuffing it into freshly baked hard flatbread.

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Hai shook his head.

Maybe he was overthinking it. Repetitive daily work could produce such unmatched proficiency.

After waiting for nearly half an hour, they finally got their food.

Looking at the oily roujiamo and roasted meat, Zhou Hai only took the liangpi. The three of them stood by the roadside eating.

Xu Biao patted his stomach in satisfaction, though he still bought two large tubs of ice cream on the way.

“Perfect!”

“Where are we going this afternoon?”

Before Zhou Hai could answer, his phone rang.

Chu Menghan’s name flashed on the screen. Xu Biao urged him from the side, “Hurry up, it’s Chu Beauty calling.”

Zhou Hai glanced at him. Xu Biao clearly had a soft spot for the somewhat impulsive Chu task force leader, though it was obvious she wasn’t interested in him.

He answered the call, but before he could speak, Chu Menghan fired off a rapid stream of words.

“I sent the steel plate number to major hospitals’ orthopedic departments. We just got a reply. The orthopedic department of First Affiliated Hospital responded—they found the patient information for that steel plate in their electronic records. Do you have time to come take a look with me?”

“One hour later, meet at the orthopedic department of the First Affiliated Hospital.”

The three of them didn’t delay and immediately drove off.

An hour later, they rushed into the orthopedic department, where Chu Menghan was already waiting.

“Chu Beauty,” Xu Biao greeted.

Chu Menghan nodded slightly.

Zhou Hai asked, “Have you contacted the doctor?”

“Yes, let’s go.”

The four of them went straight to the doctor’s office and identified themselves. The doctor who had called them quickly stood up.

“Hello! I was the one who made the call. Please come take a look with me.”

“When was this patient’s surgery?”

“Late 2012. The operation was somewhat special—the curvature of the steel plate didn’t fit, so we modified it on the spot. That’s why I still remember it. I didn’t expect the conditions you provided to match perfectly. Once I checked, I immediately thought of this patient—and the plate number matched exactly.”

The doctor opened the electronic medical record.

“This is the patient file. Take your time reviewing it.”

Xu Biao patted the doctor’s shoulder with a grin. “Can we copy the file?”

“I’ve already printed it out for you.”

“Perfect!” Xu Biao grinned even wider.

By now, Zhou Hai had already finished scanning the case.

Patient name: Zhu Manli
Gender: Female
Age: 25
Occupation: Actress

…

The patient had been found unconscious by hotel staff in a corridor of a hotel room, with multiple injuries, including a left clavicle fracture and nasal bone fracture.

With such injuries, she actually stopped doctors from reporting the case after regaining consciousness.

After reviewing the earlier X-rays again, Zhou Hai became even more certain—this Zhu Manli was Victim A.

At the end of the file, there was a payment record. Zhou Hai enlarged the page and saw a photocopy of the victim’s ID card. Although not very clear, the number was still mostly legible, and the photo was quite clear.

Chu Menghan took out her phone and dialed a number.

“Check this ID number…”

“Okay, got it!”

She hung up and looked at Zhou Hai.

“This Zhu Manli is her real identity. She has been detained several times by the Changhe task force. Prostitution-related charges—detained for a few days each time. Her hometown is Huxi Province, and her temporary residence registration is in one of those three residential communities: ‘Guangping Garden’!”

“What are we waiting for? Apply for a search warrant. Let’s go!”

Xu Biao clutched his stomach, his face pale and covered in sweat.

“Wait… my stomach… it doesn’t feel good… I need to go deal with it…”