53: Dead? Murder under my nose

If we rushed in and Wu Shuangyuan was fine, it would alert the enemy, and Ti Cai definitely wouldn't dare to come.

While he was hesitating, Ye Lin quietly opened the system and used [Hao Tian Quans Nose].

A floral scent assailed his nostrils; the greenery in high-end communities truly was exceptional.

Suddenly, Ye Lin's brow furrowed. Blood. There was a faint scent of blood in the air.

He closed his eyes and concentrated, it really was the smell of blood, coming from Wu Shuangyuan's villa.

“Something’s happened!” Ye Lin roared, kicking open the villa window and climbing inside.

“Hey…” Yu Haifeng hadn’t even finished deliberating when Ye Lin went straight in.

The others, seeing Ye Lin move, didn’t wait for Captain Yu’s order and rushed in one by one.

Ye Lin didn’t stop and went straight to the second floor.

In Wu Shuangyuan’s study, a man was tied to a chair, already lifeless.

His face and body were covered in bloodstains, several of his fingers had been broken, and his eyes were filled with terror, indicating he had been tortured before his death.

Yu Haifeng took a photo and compared it; it was indeed Wu Shuangyuan.

“Captain, he must have undergone prolonged torture. The time of death is not more than 1 hour ago.”

“Damn it!” Yu Haifeng cursed angrily.

This was a murder committed right under their noses, a slap in the face.

“Search, see if there are any clues.”

In Wu Shuangyuan’s study, the safe was already open, and its contents were in disarray.

However, the cash inside was still there, along with some property deeds, contracts, and other important documents, making it impossible to tell what, if anything, was missing.

The villa had a total of 5 rooms upstairs and downstairs. Apart from the study and bedroom, there were no signs of life in the others, indicating they were unoccupied.

It seemed the previous intelligence was correct; he lived here alone, and the other rooms were empty.

Seven or eight people searched upstairs and downstairs but found no one else.

“Captain, he must have escaped.”

Yu Haifeng’s face was grim, clearly displeased. He knew he would probably be scolded when he went back. A murder committed right under their noses, and the killer escaped, leaving them helpless.

“Where are the security guards? Check the surveillance footage to see if anyone suspicious entered or left Wu Shuangyuan’s house or the community.”

Wang Longxin and Zhao Jianfeng took 4 people to check the surveillance, while the remaining people continued the evidence collection work.

Detailed fingerprints, footprints, and such would have to wait for the professionals to arrive.

“Xiao Ye, it’s a good thing you reminded us, otherwise we’d still be waiting outside.” Yu Haifeng praised Ye Lin a few times.

“Captain, I just got lucky, I was just guessing.” Ye Lin said modestly, sensing that Yu Haifeng was in a very bad mood right now.

Now that Wu Shuangyuan had just died, they could still offer some excuses, but if more time had passed, it would have been truly embarrassing. Whether they received disciplinary action was one thing, but the main thing was the immense frustration, essentially guarding the murderer’s escape.

Ye Lin had no specific task, so he followed Yu Haifeng, searching Wu Shuangyuan’s villa.

As Yu Haifeng searched, he shared some of his experience, especially regarding homicide cases: what to pay attention to, what to collect, and some past cases from the City. Ye Lin nodded frequently as he listened.

Indeed, an old criminal investigator was like an old Chinese medicine doctor; experience was crucial.

Yu Haifeng led Ye Lin through the rooms one by one. On the second floor, besides the master bedroom and study, there was a small room, likely the so-called maid’s room.

The room was not large, and the window was open. A floral scent drifted in from outside, along with a faint, unidentifiable smell. Ye Lin stood by the window and looked out. Outside was a small garden where some unfamiliar flowers bloomed, swaying in the setting sun.

That faint, inexplicable smell probably came from these unknown flowers.

On the outer wall were several thick drainpipes; the drainpipes in this high-end community were indeed thicker than those in ordinary communities.

Just as Ye Lin was about to lean out further to look, Wang Longxin’s shout came from behind.

“Captain, we found something.”

Hearing this, Ye Lin followed Yu Haifeng downstairs from the second floor.

“Captain, this Jinxiu Garden community has a lot of surveillance cameras. Besides the main gate, there are also cameras on the community roads.”

“We didn’t find any suspicious people from the main gate surveillance, but we saw a somewhat eerie shadow on a road camera entering Wu Shuangyuan’s house.”

“Look.”

Wang Longxin pulled out his phone, which displayed a screenshot of the surveillance footage.

Ye Lin also leaned in. In the distance of the image was Wu Shuangyuan’s house, a bit blurry.

But a figure flashed across the camera, then turned to the back of Wu Shuangyuan’s house.

Although the figure appeared for only a short time, Ye Lin recognized him at a glance, “Team Leader Yu, it should be Ti Cai. I recognize his build.”

Yu Haifeng sighed, “It seems Ti Cai killed him, and the safe was also opened, so he probably took the things.”

“We were still too late.”

The others also felt a bit discouraged. They were just one step away from arriving in time, which could have saved a life and allowed them to catch Ti Cai.

Seeing the team’s morale a bit low, Yu Haifeng forced a smile, “Alright, everyone, don’t dwell on it. We’ll continue the deployment. At least Ti Cai hasn’t left Yuezhou yet. As long as he’s still in Yuezhou, we have a chance.”

“By the way, did you capture any footage of Ti Cai leaving?” Ye Lin suddenly asked.

“No, he probably left from the other side. I asked the security guard, and there’s no surveillance in the back,” Wang Longxin said.

Yu Haifeng looked at the sky; it was already getting late. “Forget it, everyone go back first. Leave two people to guard the scene, and after the forensics team arrives tomorrow, we’ll go over it carefully again.”

“Everyone has worked hard these past two days. Go back, take a shower, get a good night’s sleep, and then come back.”

These past few days, the Criminal Investigation Brigade had first been following Zhang Yongqiang’s lead, then interrogating, and immediately after, going to arrest Wang Jun and monitor Wu Shuangyuan. Everyone in the brigade hadn’t had a proper rest.

Since things had come to this, it was better to let everyone go back and rest.

Although everyone was a bit unwilling, they were indeed tired. Under Yu Haifeng’s repeated insistence, everyone went home.

Ye Lin lived in the Branch Bureau’s dormitory. The Branch Bureau had many people, and everyone used communal washing facilities. In the evening, a group of single police officers began showering and chatting.

In the Criminal Investigation Brigade, Sun Jinghua also lived in the single dormitory and came in to wash up before Ye Lin.

When Ye Lin came in, there were already many people.

“Here, Ye Lin, there’s still a spot here.” Sun Jinghua waved.

Ye Lin quickly rushed over; there was still a faucet by the window.

“The Branch Bureau’s conditions are like this; you’ll get used to it later,” Sun Jinghua said indistinctly, biting his toothbrush.

“It’s fine, the station is pretty much the same. Although there are fewer people, the conditions are similar, all with one faucet,” Ye Lin said while squeezing toothpaste.