Ye Xuan sprinted toward his vehicle like a madman.
As long as the car was there, he would feel a great sense of security.
But the moment Ye Xuan rushed out of the alley, the sight before him plunged him into an icy abyss.
The electric scooter that had been parked with its lights on at the alley entrance was now gone.
On the road about ten meters away, a figure clad in black was speeding off on his electric scooter.
The black-clad figure even turned his head, revealing a youthful face, a smirk curling at the corner of his mouth, and shot a provocative glance at Ye Xuan.
“My scooter!”
At that moment, Ye Xuan was filled with despair, forced to watch helplessly as his beloved ride disappeared into the distance.
After a moment of stunned silence, Ye Xuan remembered the police and immediately dialed 110.
After reporting the incident, Ye Xuan stood in a daze, found a corner to crouch in, and quietly waited for the police to arrive.
During this time, he tried his best to stay calm, carefully recalling what had just happened.
The surroundings were pitch black, with eerie sounds occasionally echoing.
The ground was covered in blood, and there was that… head, its expression a mix of shock and delight, its eyes fixed intently on him!
About ten minutes later.
The red and blue lights of several police cars pierced through the darkness, slowly pulling up on the road in front of Ye Xuan.
Lin Chengfeng was the first to open the car door, stepping out with his long legs.
When he saw Ye Xuan, he froze in surprise and exclaimed, “Ye Xuan, why is it you?”
Ye Xuan forced a bitter smile and replied, “Officer Lin, we meet again.”
Lin Chengfeng glanced around and then asked, “Did you call the police?”
Ye Xuan nodded, then pointed toward the alley and said, “I was delivering food nearby. Just after logging off and preparing to go home, I heard a woman’s scream from the alley. I drove my scooter to the alley entrance, got off, and walked into the alley but didn’t see anyone. Just as I was about to leave, I turned around and stepped on a head!”
“I panicked and immediately ran toward my scooter, but as soon as I left the alley, I saw a figure in black riding off on it. After that, I called the police and have been waiting here for you.”
After listening to Ye Xuan’s account, Lin Chengfeng nodded and turned to say, “Zong Fei, secure the scene.”
Zhao Zongfei nodded and immediately began organizing the officers to cordon off the area.
Lin Chengfeng grabbed a flashlight, put on gloves and shoe covers, and entered the alley with the other detectives.
In an instant, the narrow alley was filled with glaring lights and the shadows of the detectives.
Soon after, Li Xiaoran was the first to discover the victim, shouting, “Over here!”
Everyone hurried toward Li Xiaoran’s location.
When they saw the victim, they collectively gasped in shock.
Xu Guanglei, suppressing his discomfort, took photos while saying, “My God, this is too cruel!”
Lin Chengfeng shone the flashlight beam on the neck area, examined it, and said, “The neck wasn’t hacked multiple times. It was a single, fatal cut.”
Lin Chengfeng stood up and addressed the team, “Xiaoran, take some people and search the scene. Look for the body or any other discoveries. Zong Fei, take a team to the nearby police station and check if there are any surveillance cameras in the area.”
He then added, “Stay safe.”
“Yes!” everyone responded in unison, standing tall before immediately springing into action.
Lin Chengfeng walked out of the alley and headed toward Ye Xuan.
Seeing Ye Xuan still squatting on the ground, looking deeply troubled, Lin Chengfeng couldn’t help but tease, “Scared?”
Ye Xuan rolled his eyes and retorted, “If you suddenly locked eyes with a human head, you’d be the same.”
Lin Chengfeng shook his head with a smile, then asked seriously, “Ye Xuan, did you find the body?”
Ye Xuan shook his head in response. “No, after seeing the head, I ran out immediately. I didn’t stay.”
He then added, “Officer Lin, my car was stolen. It’s a No. 9 car, license plate Chuan A9999. If nothing goes wrong, the thief must be the murderer.”
Lin Chengfeng nodded gravely, then picked up his phone and walked aside to make a call.
After hanging up, Lin Chengfeng turned to Ye Xuan and said, “I’ve already sent someone to investigate.”
At that moment, Su Yan walked over in a white lab coat.
“Captain Lin, preliminary assessment: time of death is no more than an hour. The incision on the victim’s neck is clean, a single fatal cut. There are fine metallic filament marks along the edges of the wound. The killer likely used a specially crafted, extremely sharp blade to sever the head instantly, and it must have been very hard!”
Lin Chengfeng said solemnly, “Exactly. And to cut through the neck in one stroke, the killer’s arm strength is also extraordinary.”
“Captain Lin! We found the body!” Li Xiaoran’s voice echoed from the alley.
Lin Chengfeng immediately stood up and looked at Ye Xuan. “Want to come take a look?”
Ye Xuan glanced toward the alley and couldn’t help but swallow hard.
“Alright.”
The three of them entered the alley. When Ye Xuan saw the wide-eyed head again, his pupils involuntarily contracted once more.
Seeing this, Lin Chengfeng couldn’t hold back a laugh.
“Scaredy-cat. If you’re afraid, don’t look.”
“I’m not afraid!”
When the three reached Li Xiaoran’s side, they saw a naked, headless corpse lying on the ground in the corner of the alley.
Li Xiaoran pointed to the corner and said, “The body is right here in this corner. The victim’s clothes are also inside, but they’re torn and soaked in blood. The ground is covered in bloodstains, and even the walls are splattered.”
Su Yan stepped forward, examining the neck area of the corpse and studying the body before confirming, “The neck incision perfectly matches the one on the head. This is the victim’s body.”
Ye Xuan turned to Wu Gang behind him and said, “Lend me your flashlight.”
Wu Gang immediately handed over the flashlight he was holding.
Ye Xuan took it and walked to the entrance of the corner, shining the light on the corpse and observing carefully.
“There’s an unidentified wet stain on the lower body. The victim might have been… before death.”
After observing for a while, Ye Xuan stood up and directed the light around the victim’s surroundings.
“There are several pieces of tissue paper on the ground, already stained red with blood. This corner is just big enough to fit two people. The victim was assaulted here, and it was likely consensual.”
Lin Chengfeng asked, puzzled, “How do you know it was consensual?”
Everyone else also looked at Ye Xuan with confusion.
Ye Xuan gestured toward the corner while pointing at the victim’s body and explained, “This alley corner is very narrow. Fitting two people is already the limit. If it were forced, the victim would have resisted at least a little, right? There’s no way there wouldn’t be any injuries on the body.”
“And the victim seems quite wealthy. Not only is her clothing from a high-end brand, but even the stockings on the ground are from Balenciaga, and they’re a limited edition. They’d cost at least two thousand yuan to buy. However…”
Lin Chengfeng asked with confusion, “However what?”
“Based on what we can see now, the victim should also be someone who cares about her appearance. Normally, she would carry a bag with her, but at the scene, only some of the victim’s clothing was found, and nothing else was discovered.”
Lin Chengfeng thought for a moment and then said, “Coming to a place like this late at night, there might not be a need to bring a bag, right?”
“That’s true, but even if she didn’t bring a bag, she should have brought her phone, shouldn’t she?”
Lin Chengfeng furrowed his brow and slowly said, “Are you saying… the murderer’s motive was robbery?”