Rao Xian hurriedly asked the waiter to take Sha Rou and him to the wine cellar, the manager also hurriedly followed behind.
The hotel’s wine cellar was very large, with wine racks arranged neatly. Near the entrance were some commonly seen wines, and further inside were some more expensive red wines. Luo Pingping’s body was leaning against a red wine rack. Her head was unnaturally hanging on her neck, as if it had been chopped off and then placed back on. Her eyes were open, and her light makeup was not smudged, but her neck was covered in blood. Her evening dress was torn, and one of the shoulder straps had fallen down, revealing a large patch of pale skin on her chest, and some shocking bloodstains…
Luo Pingping was a celebrity, and hotel staff who had heard the news were already taking pictures with their cellphones at the entrance of the wine cellar.
Without Rao Xian needing to instruct her, Sha Rou quickly asked the manager to call security to maintain order at the scene, stop the employees from taking pictures, and demand that everyone delete the photos.
Rao Xian then called the team to call for police officers and a forensic doctor. He also called Duan Yisong, telling him that after collecting evidence from the parking lot, he could come to the wine cellar.
After Rao Xian hung up the phone, he and Sha Rou, with the cooperation of the manager and security, dispersed the onlookers.
Soon, the police officers arrived, and Duan Yisong also brought the forensic officers who had collected evidence from the parking lot to provide support.
Rao Xian could now safely examine the body and the scene.
Luo Pingping was already dead, but one could still tell that the girl was very beautiful when she was alive, with delicate features and a slender figure. The murderer seemed to deliberately avoid damaging her face. There was not a trace of blood on Luo Pingping’s face, her eyes were as lifeless as ashes, and her gorgeous dress was covered in blood. The bloodstains on the ground actually presented a terrifyingly eerie aesthetic. Was the murderer deliberately arranging the scene like this?
Rao Xian took a few steps forward, asking the forensic doctor, who was taking pictures of Luo Pingping’s body, to make way, and that eerie sense of ugliness appeared again.
Rao Xian called Duan Yisong and Sha Rou over and asked them for their feelings.
Sha Rou examined it carefully and agreed with Rao Xian’s assessment, then shuddered, “Perverted! They killed someone and deliberately arranged it like this? Sigh… such a young and beautiful girl, what a pity!”
Duan Yisong nodded beside her.
Rao Xian sighed slightly, recalling that Long Xinyu had said during his statement that he had kicked Min Jun when he was harassing Luo Pingping last night. Although Long Xinyu himself didn’t think much of it, Rao Xian could feel a sense of pride in his tone, as if he had righteously stood up for someone. But now, this girl was lying dead here.
Realizing that he had unconsciously thought of Long Xinyu, Rao Xian shook his head. He thought that Luo Pingping was a celebrity, and it was unlikely that she would run to the wine cellar alone. And the wine racks here were relatively dense. If the murderer attacked Luo Pingping here, it would be impossible for none of the wine bottles to be broken–or, was Luo Pingping already unconscious when she was brought here?
Luo Pingping’s head was chopped off and then placed back on, which was an excessive act of killing. Considering Min Jun’s head, which had been smashed out of shape, Rao Xian felt that the two cases might be related.
Sha Rou had been looking at Luo Pingping’s body and felt that something was missing. Upon closer inspection, she realized that Luo Pingping’s body had no jewelry on it, none at all. Although Luo Pingping’s dress was covered in bloodstains, it was obviously very valuable. It was impossible to wear such a dress without any jewelry. Sha Rou called the manager and asked him to retrieve the video of Luo Pingping attending the party last night. Sure enough, in the video, Luo Pingping was wearing earrings, a necklace, and a bracelet, but the three pieces of jewelry were missing from the body. Combined with Min Jun’s missing watch—could it be a series of crimes, with the motive being money?
Duan Yisong was puzzled: “Then what about the crushed diamonds in Min Jun’s head? What kind of murder weapon would be inlaid with diamonds?”
Sha Rou guessed: “Luo Pingping’s dress has a lot of diamonds on it. Could it be that the perpetrator attacked Luo Pingping first, and the murder weapon was stained with crushed diamonds?”
Hearing Sha Rou say this, Rao Xian retrieved the photos of the crushed diamonds from his phone for comparison and felt that the size and shape were not very similar. Could the diamonds on Luo Pingping’s dress not be real diamonds?
Sha Rou and Duan Yisong couldn’t determine the material of the diamonds either, so Rao Xian reminded the police officers to make a note and test whether the diamonds on Luo Pingping’s clothes were consistent with the diamonds found in Min Jun’s skull…
The police officers collected evidence, processed the scene, and transported the body. Before long, when Rao Xian and the others left the hotel, a group of reporters was gathered in the hotel lobby, and cameras were flashing at them.
It seemed that the news of Luo Pingping’s murder had already been known by the media.
Once the case was hyped up, the difficulty of solving it would increase. Rao Xian frowned, his face turning as pale as the floor tiles inside!
That night, the media began to report extensively on the Wanxing Hotel murder case. Mainstream media would still censor the photos, but some unscrupulous websites even posted photos of Luo Pingping at the time of her murder. The news that Min Jun had also been killed in the same hotel also spread like wildfire. Within one day, two murders occurred in the same hotel, one was a celebrity, and the other was a well-known playboy rich second-generation, it was too sensational.
The film and television works that Luo Pingping participated in during her lifetime were dug out and replayed extensively. Her concerts were also repeatedly played on the media, so that passers-by who didn’t know who Luo Pingping was, also knew. People sympathized, regretted, and mourned the young and beautiful life that had fallen, while also discussing her experiences as if they were experiencing a carnival, and there were also accusations and doubts about the police’s ability.
Public opinion quickly began to ferment, and various analyses, guesses, and inferences appeared in the media. Photos of Luo Pingping’s murder scene were circulating wildly on the internet platform. The cyber police were busy deleting pictures and tracking down the source, working day and night. The foreign affairs department received a large number of inquiries, reports, and complaints.
For a time, the police faced unprecedented public pressure.
However, Bureau Chief Huo Lenggang specifically called Rao Xian to his office, telling him not to be disturbed by external factors, and to solve the case according to regulations, procedures, and the proper pace.
Although Rao Xian agreed, he knew that such a case could not be delayed. The longer it was delayed, the more public opinion would ferment, and the greater the pressure they would face. So he took his team to organize the police officers, working day and night to compare the evidence at the scene, interrogate and investigate the hotel employees, verify the list of attendees at the party, repeatedly review the hotel surveillance, and visit the guests who had contact with Luo Pingping and Min Jun at the banquet. Within three days, they clarified the general outline of the two cases and even identified the perpetrator.
On the night of the incident, Long Family Group held a celebration banquet for a film and television investment project at Min Family’s Wanxing Hotel, inviting many celebrities.
Luo Pingping arrived at the hotel with her agent at 8:40 p.m., and at 9:07 p.m., she was intercepted by Min Jun in the hotel corridor, first engaging in conversation and then harassment. During this time, a couple and a woman passed by, but no one helped. It was not until Long Xinyu came out and rescued her, then Long Xinyu returned to the banquet hall. Luo Pingping went to the restroom and then returned to the banquet hall.
At 9:35 p.m., a hooded person appeared in the employee elevator on the 5th floor and drove Long Xinyu’s car to the back of the pillar in the underground parking lot.
At 9:49 p.m., Min Jun took the employee elevator to the parking lot dedicated to guests and was attacked by the hooded person. The hooded person put Min Jun in the trunk and left.
At 10:03 p.m., the waiters drove away the cars of Long Xinyu, Li Guang, and Wenren Ying respectively. At this time, Min Jun’s body was already in Long Xinyu’s car.
At 10:39 p.m., Luo Pingping followed a waiter out of the small hall of the banquet and turned into the stairwell. The hotel’s stairwell was used frequently and had no surveillance, so it was unknown what happened after Luo Pingping entered the stairwell. The next time the surveillance captured Luo Pingping’s figure was 5 minutes later, at a corner on the first floor. The waiter flashed by, supporting Luo Pingping, who appeared to be drunk or, according to speculation, unconscious. After that, the surveillance did not capture the waiter and Luo Pingping again.
After technical imaging comparison, it could be determined that the hooded person who attacked Min Jun and the waiter who supported Luo Pingping were the same person.
At the same time, Sha Rou and Duan Yisong, after verifying and visiting the hotel staff, determined that the person who lured Luo Pingping away on the night of the incident was the hotel waiter Xu Ming. After the incident, Xu Ming never went to work again.
Based on the clues already obtained, it could be preliminarily determined that the perpetrator of the two cases was the hotel waiter Xu Ming.
Because Min Jun’s watch and Luo Pingping’s jewelry were missing, Rao Xian suspected that Xu Ming’s motive was robbery and murder.
However, diamonds were found in the wound on Min Jun’s head. These diamonds did not match the glass diamonds on Luo Pingping’s clothes, and according to the order in which the cases occurred, Min Jun was killed before Luo Pingping, so these diamonds did not come from Luo Pingping or her jewelry, but from the murderer, presumably dropped from the murder weapon. As for what the murder weapon was, it would only be known after finding Xu Ming and interrogating him.
Now that it had been confirmed that the perpetrator was Xu Ming, the next step was to arrest him and interrogate him thoroughly.
However, Xu Ming had not gone to work at the hotel since the incident, his phone could not be reached, and the family address he left behind was not his home. No one knew where he had gone. After Rao Xian and the others checked, they found that Xu Ming’s identity information was fake, so no one knew who this Xu Ming was, where he came from, or where he went.
Rao Xian felt that the hotel should verify the employee’s information when hiring employees, but according to the hotel manager, this Xu Ming had worked at the hotel for less than two months. He was very taciturn, and he was not close to other people. Min Jun arranged for him to work as a waiter at the hotel. Because Min Jun was relatively arbitrary, the manager didn’t dare to ask Xu Ming for details. So almost no one at the hotel knew Xu Ming’s detailed information, except for one waiter who said that he heard Xu Ming talking on the phone in a very gentle tone, as if he was talking to his boyfriend.
Following this clue, Rao Xian and the others checked the phone records and found a cell phone number that Xu Ming frequently dialed. However, the registered owner was a woman, and the phone was already turned off. This cell phone number only had contact with Xu Ming’s phone. Other numbers on Xu Ming’s phone included Min Jun’s, the hotel manager’s, and relevant staff’s, as well as some telemarketing harassment calls, but nothing else relevant.
Min Jun’s secretary and Min Bocai didn’t know who this Xu Ming was or why Min Jun arranged for him to go to the hotel. People around Luo Pingping also didn’t know this Xu Ming. The clues ended there!
The case seemed to have found a motive and identified a suspect, but it fell into a stalemate because of the perpetrator’s false identity.
From the incident to the identification of the suspect, Rao Xian and the others had been checking, comparing, and visiting for three days. Seeing that they had already found the perpetrator, they were unable to progress because of Xu Ming’s identity. Shao Hui, who was following Min Bocai, reported that Min Bocai seemed to have found out about Xu Ming even faster than the police and was sending people to look for him. It was said that Min Bocai had also hired private detectives for a hefty sum, but they probably hadn’t found anyone either.
It was frustrating for the team to identify the murderer but not be able to find him, but there was nothing they could do. They could only distribute Xu Ming’s photo to the grassroots police officers and traffic police, expanding the search area, hoping to gain something.
Rao Xian had been busy for two days. In fact, the case was very clear, but it had reached a deadlock. This Xu Ming seemed to have suddenly popped up out of nowhere, making it impossible to investigate. What relationship did he have with Min Jun? Did he kill Min Jun just for the watch? And was that diamond fragment on the murder weapon? What kind of murder weapon would have diamond fragments? Why did he kill Luo Pingping? Luo Pingping’s jewelry was provided by the brand, but it was less valuable than Min Jun’s watch. And how to explain the excessive killing?
Seeing that there were no clues, Shao Hui, Sha Rou, and Duan Yisong were sent by Rao Xian to the break room to take a nap and recover their energy.
Rao Xian was still in the office looking at the case briefing board, comparing evidence, and looking for clues, and he fell asleep without realizing it.
He was awakened by the vibration of his cell phone. Rao Xian groggily answered the phone. It was his fiancée, Ye Yuning, calling him to dinner.
Ye Yuning was Rao Xian’s junior high and high school classmate. Although the two were not in the same school in elementary school, they had always kept in touch. After graduation, Ye Yuning became an illustrator, while Rao Xian became a police officer. The two had been in a relationship for almost two years. Because Ye Yuning had taken on a relatively large illustration project, she had been very busy. She planned to prepare for the wedding with Rao Xian after she finished her work.
Ye Yuning’s illustration project was coming to an end and she was very busy, it was rare for her to find him. Rao Xian looked at the time and wanted to clear his head, relax his brain, and change his thinking, maybe he could have a new breakthrough, so he agreed.
Ye Yuning reserved a restaurant that specialized in French cuisine. When Rao Xian arrived, Ye Yuning had already arrived and was sitting by the window. Today she was wearing a black gauze dress, her long hair was loose, and she was tilting her head and playing with the cup on the table. As if feeling someone was looking at her, Ye Yuning looked up and saw Rao Xian. So she waved to Rao Xian, with a bright smile on her face.
Rao Xian also tried to put aside his work troubles and returned a smile, but when Ye Yuning saw his tired face and lack of sleep, she knew that there was only one possibility, that he had encountered a case, and a very tricky one!
Rao Xian was led to his seat by the waiter. Ye Yuning didn’t ask him, lest it cause him to be agitated. She deliberately blinked her big eyes, trying to coax Rao Xian to care about her, saying that she had submitted all her drafts today, and asked Rao Xian if he wanted to praise her.
Rao Xian smiled, stretched out his hand, reached over the table, and rubbed Ye Yuning’s head: “Xiaoning is excellent, very good, and very diligent. Does this count as praise?”
Ye Yuning held her head and complained about Rao Xian messing up her hairstyle.
Rao Xian smiled softly again at her sulky appearance. Just as he was about to ask Ye Yuning if she had ordered, he heard someone call him.
“Captain Rao?”
Rao Xian responded and turned around, only to find that Long Xinyu was at a table not far from him. He was a little surprised – Long Xinyu also came here to eat?
Ye Yuning looked at Long Xinyu curiously, finding that she didn’t recognize him.
Long Xinyu had already walked over. Rao Xian politely got up and greeted him, “Mr. Long, are you also here for dinner?”
Long Xinyu nodded. He had just passed by with his assistant and saw Rao Xian, so he had the whim to say hello.
Seeing the girl at the same table with Rao Xian looking at him, but Rao Xian obviously had no intention of introducing his female companion to him, he nodded politely and then focused on asking Rao Xian how the Luo Pingping case was going. He didn’t ask about Min Jun, which was a little funny. This person’s likes and dislikes were too direct and obvious.
Rao Xian just smiled and said that they were still investigating, but he was sorry that he couldn’t reveal the details.
Long Xinyu also knew that the police wouldn’t casually announce the details of the cases they were investigating. He was just asking. Anyway, his assistant had gone to the restroom, so he just came over to say hello.
Rao Xian remembered the Porsche that had been impounded from Long Xinyu and told Long Xinyu that he should be able to pick up the car in the next few days.
Long Xinyu grinned: “You guys take your time investigating, there’s no hurry!” In his heart, he was thinking that he would never drive a car that had contained a corpse again. Anyway, he had more than one car. He would just let his assistant dispose of that one.
Just as Rao Xian was about to thank him for his understanding, he noticed a red dot appear on Long Xinyu’s forehead.
“Danger!” Rao Xian reacted almost subconsciously. The moment the red dot appeared, he threw himself on Long Xinyu.