Back at the Criminal Investigation Detachment, Tina Shen picked up the case file again, forcing herself to suppress all emotions. Only by remaining calm could her mind stay clear, allowing for meticulous reasoning.
As she dug deeper into the various pieces of information and clues in the file, her brain operated like a high-speed CPU, constantly piecing together details. The outline of the case became increasingly clear. After some analysis, Tina Shen identified three key questions: Why did the victim go up to the dormitory rooftop in the middle of the night? If the two female employees weren't the killers, then who was? And how did the killer transport the victim's body to the storage room?
While Tina Shen analyzed the case, the other officers were also putting their heads together. The timeline set by their superiors was extremely tight—what was originally a two-week deadline had already seen almost five days pass. If they didn't solve the case soon, everyone would be in trouble.
In her past life, Tina Shen had dealt with a murder case that left a lasting impression on her. Back then, the detectives worked overnight, making bold speculations based on the clues and constructing several possible scenarios. Following these speculations, they gathered evidence, only to later discard all of them and start the process of reasoning all over again. By the time the case was solved, everyone was physically and mentally exhausted, as if all their energy had been drained. Being a criminal investigator was not only exhausting mentally and physically, but it also took a toll on one's health—long life was hard to come by in such a job.
It was well past midnight when Tina Shen snapped out of her thoughts and glanced at her mentor, Kevin Guo, who was smoking and pondering the case. "Mentor, let's go back to the scene and take another look."
"Again?" Kevin Guo snapped back to reality, surprised as he looked at his apprentice. "What's on your mind?"
"It's not that," Tina Shen shook her head. "I noticed the case file isn't detailed enough. I want to simulate the crime scene!"
Simulating the crime scene was a critical skill for every detective, and police academy instructors emphasized it. By fully reconstructing the criminal's actions, they could trace the killer through certain details.
"Ugh!" Kevin Guo clicked his tongue. "Fine, let's go." Going back to the scene late at night, especially in winter, was a tough task. If it were anyone else, Kevin Guo would have ignored them, but this apprentice was different—she was sharp, and he liked her. If she could actually uncover something, he was willing to go along with her.
The police car returned to the crime scene. Tina Shen didn't immediately go up to the dormitory rooftop. Instead, she stood at the bottom of the building, observing. What if I were the victim... She closed her eyes, blocking out all distractions, imagining herself in the victim's place. This was a form of psychological suggestion, an important step in crime scene simulation according to criminal psychology. By putting herself in the victim's role, she could further deduce the killer's movements.
At that moment, Tina Shen's adrenaline surged, and her brain cells were highly active. If pheromones could manifest, her mind would be like koi in a pond fighting for food, with the water bubbling with activity.
Why did the victim go up to the rooftop? In the dead of winter, the victim wasn't foolish—someone must have called for them to come up. That person was likely the killer. How, then, did the killer get the victim to the rooftop? The case file showed that there were no phone calls or social media messages during the period when the victim was murdered...
Tina Shen's eyes lit up. The dormitory! The victim must have been in the dormitory at the time. Someone came looking for them, and that's why they went up to the rooftop. Those who could freely enter the dormitory would likely be factory employees. The person who could directly go to the victim's dormitory had to be either a familiar face, a manager, or... a female employee? No, not those two female employees. After interrogating them, there was no way they could have gotten away with it in front of a team of experienced detectives. Though they were suspects, they weren't very likely culprits.
Other employees were working overtime at the factory. However, considering they had some freedom to move around, they could have left the factory to return to the dormitory. But the factory workshops had surveillance cameras, and the footage showed that only a few employees had left during the relevant time period, and their absences never exceeded half an hour. To sneak into the dormitory, find the victim, take them to the rooftop, kill them, and transport the body... half an hour was far too little time! This meant that the overtime employees weren't likely suspects either.
This was puzzling. Tina Shen felt a surge of confusion. If it wasn't the two female employees in the dormitory, nor the overtime employees, could it have been an outsider? But how did an outsider get into the dormitory? After all, there was a security guard. Wait a minute, the security guard? A cold light flashed in Tina Shen's eyes. According to the investigation, the security guard was also a suspect, but his suspicion wasn't strong. The security guard's statement showed that he had been playing a mobile game at the time. Through an investigation of his phone, it was confirmed that he had been playing the game at that moment, which largely ruled him out as a suspect.
However, just because the suspicion wasn't strong didn't mean it was impossible. In her past life, Tina Shen had dealt with cases where many suspects deliberately created alibis. The security guard had been playing an online multiplayer game, and the IP address matched the dormitory's Wi-Fi, which was undeniable.
This was strange. Could it really have been an outsider who secretly entered the dormitory, called the victim away, killed them, and then casually transported the body? Was the killer using some kind of magic?
Tina Shen's expression darkened. Even a team of experienced detectives couldn't find the key clue, and now she was stuck too. From this, it seemed the killer had a high level of intelligence, seemingly planning everything perfectly without leaving any traces. This was not something an ordinary person could accomplish. It seemed the simulation route wouldn't work either. Her desire to solve the case was intense, and she was unwilling to give up.
Suddenly, a sharp glint flashed in Tina Shen's eyes, and her mind went into overdrive again. What if I were the killer...
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