When Xiao Lou and Liu Qiao arrived at Medical University by taxi, two police cars had already entered the campus and were parked at the Medical University. The open space in front of the male dormitory building of the Forensic Medicine Department.
University dormitories have dormitory supervisors, and students are managed by academic advisors. As a professor in the Forensic Medicine Department, Xiao Lou had no reason to appear directly in the student dormitory. He glanced at the air conditioning ducts on the side of the dormitory building and whispered to Liu Qiao, "I'll go in from the side wearing an Invisibility Cloak. You wait for me downstairs."
Liu Qiao nodded: "Okay."
Xiao Lou donned the Invisibility Cloak, activated the Light as a Swallow Lightness Skill Card, and used the air conditioning ducts as footholds to make several jumps, steadily landing on the sixth floor where the male students of the Forensic Medicine Department lived, before vaulting through the window.
The moment Xiao Lou jumped out of the window into the corridor, Yu Hanjiang was just coming out of the boys' dormitory with Xiao Wu. Xiao Lou almost bumped into him. Knowing that Yu Hanjiang couldn't see her, Xiao Lou immediately held her breath and took a few steps back, keeping a distance of more than five meters from Yu Hanjiang.
Yu Hanjiang seemed to sense a gust of wind blowing past him. He frowned and looked ahead, but saw nothing. Then he turned to Xiao Wu and said, "The boys in dormitory 301 haven't returned yet. Keep calling them."
Xiao Wu picked up her phone and dialed a roommate's number, but it was busy. Xiao Wu then dialed another classmate's number. After a moment, the call connected, and Xiao Wu hurriedly said, "Hello, is this Yu Guang? I'm a police officer, and I need to ask you to investigate some things."
Yu Guang was stunned for a moment, and before Xiao Wu could finish speaking, he burst out cursing: "Damn it, are scam calls starting to impersonate police officers these days? I don't believe you for a second!"
Just as the other party was about to hang up, Yu Hanjiang snatched the phone from Xiao Wu's hand and said coldly, "Yu Guang, this is Jiangzhou City..." Yu Hanjiang, captain of the Criminal Police Officer squad, officer number JZ7689. Do you know where your roommate Zhang Hengyu is now?
Perhaps it was Yu Hanjiang's voice that was too cold and stern, for Yu Guang was taken aback and asked in a trembling voice, "Really... really a police officer?"
Yu Hanjiang repeated, " Where is Zhang Hengyu?"
Yu Guang stammered, "Police officer, I really don't know."
Yu Hanjiang: "Are your other two roommates with you? Give them your phone number."
A rustling sound came from the other end of the phone. Yu Guang nervously handed the phone to another person, followed by a relatively mature male voice: "Officer, this is Liu Ming, the dormitory head of room 301. The three of us went to a bar last night to celebrate the New Year and got drunk. We just woke up. We really don't know where Zhang Hengyu is... Has something happened to him?"
Yu Hanjiang asked in a low voice, "So, you've been at the bar since last night?"
Liu Ming nodded hurriedly: "Yes, the bar owner can testify for us."
When did Zhang Hengyu leave the dormitory?
"He left after class in the afternoon, saying he wanted to buy a gift for his girlfriend. It was around 4:30 at the time."
"Has he contacted you since leaving school?"
"No."
Do you know his girlfriend?
"I know her. She's Ning Xue from the Music Conservatory next door. She's quite pretty and we've even had dinner together before."
"Has he had a fight with his girlfriend recently?"
"Probably not? Hengyu has dinner with his girlfriend every night, and his tone is very gentle when he talks on the phone. They seem to have a good relationship."
"Okay, thank you for your cooperation." Yu Hanjiang paused, then said, "If Zhang Hengyu contacts you, please inform the police immediately."
"Okay, okay." The three roommates were all confused and looked at each other before answering the phone.
Yu Hanjiang handed the phone back to Xiao Wu and whispered in Xiao Wu's ear, "Go find the counselor immediately and get Zhang Hengyu's family's contact information. Zhang Hengyu has been missing for so long, something might have happened to him. Also, notify the field team..."
Because he deliberately lowered his voice, Xiao Lou didn't hear what he said next.
"Yes, Captain Yu." Xiao Wu immediately turned and went downstairs after hearing his instructions. Yu Hanjiang continued his investigation, interviewing third-year students in the Forensic Medicine Department to inquire about Zhang Hengyu and Ning Xue, but unfortunately, he didn't find anything further.
A few minutes later, Yu Hanjiang also turned and went downstairs. Just then, Xiao Lou's Invisibility Cloak time was about to expire. Xiao Lou secretly climbed out of the window and landed back on the ground.
Liu Qiao waited for him under the shade of a tree. When Xiao Lou appeared, she went up to him and said, " Professor Xiao, something's not right."
Xiao Lou asked, "What's wrong?"
Liu Qiao whispered in his ear, " The Criminal Police Officer from the field team suddenly went to the area around the Forensic Medicine Department office building. Look over there—"
Xiao Lou followed her gaze and indeed found several plainclothes police officers around the Forensic Medicine Department building.
These plainclothes Criminal Police Officers were at Police Station this morning, disguised as students. A man and a woman were also there, pretending to be a student couple, sitting on a stone bench downstairs reading. If Xiao Lou and Liu Qiao hadn't seen them at Police Station, given their disguise skills, they wouldn't have recognized them as Criminal Police Officers.
Xiao Lou withdrew his gaze and analyzed, "It's possible that Yu Hanjiang suspects Zhang Hengyu has been murdered and wants to find Zhang Hengyu's body. The motive for the murderer in this case is unknown. Only by finding Zhang Hengyu's body and belongings can we proceed with the next step of the investigation."
He paused, then a question suddenly arose in his mind: "But Zhang Hengyu called Ning Xue three times at 7 pm last night and sent her the restaurant's location on WeChat. The two met at the restaurant and had dinner there."
They separated only after that… Even if Zhang Hengyu was murdered, his body shouldn't have been found on the Medical University campus, right? Could it be that Yu Hanjiang suspects the murderer is a student from Medical University?
Liu Qiao was completely bewildered: "If Ning Xue and Zhang Hengyu were both killed, wouldn't it be more likely that it was a crime of passion? For example, someone might have a crush on Zhang Hengyu or Ning Xue, and couldn't stand them being together, but they kept showing affection in front of him. In a twisted state of mind, this student might simply kill them both?"
After considering for a moment, Xiao Lou nodded in agreement: "What you said is indeed quite likely. Zhang Hengyu comes from a good family, is first in his class, receives scholarships every year, and is also very handsome. He is quite popular in the Forensic Medicine Department. I can see that many girls deliberately sit near him during class and even find excuses to discuss problems with him."
Liu Qiao stroked his chin thoughtfully: " Ning Xue is equally beautiful and is a campus beauty in the Music Conservatory, very popular with the boys. Perhaps, there are just as many people who have a crush on Ning Xue as there are who have a crush on Zhang Hengyu."
Xiao Lou said, "If our speculation is correct and Zhang Hengyu has been murdered, then the scope of the investigation will be very broad. Students from the Music Conservatory and Medical School who have had contact with them will all have to provide alibis. But there are also key figures, such as Ning Xue's ex-boyfriend, the senior named Chen Zekai, who was unwilling to break up with Ning Xue and harassed her for a long time. This person is the most suspicious."
He paused, then lowered his voice and said, "Go to the Music Conservatory and look for Ye Qi. Chen Zekai has also signed up for the TV station's singer selection competition. Ye Qi should know him."
Liu Qiao nodded: "Okay, shall I go over now?"
Xiao Lou said, "Yes, the police must have sent people there too, closely monitoring the actions of the plainclothes Criminal Police Officers in the field team, trying to keep our information in sync with the Police Station." He glanced at his watch and said, "I'll go back to my office first and arrange the classes for the next few days."
The two went their separate ways; Liu Qiao turned and headed towards the Music Conservatory, while Xiao Lou strolled towards the office building ahead.
Unbeknownst to him, the plainclothes Criminal Police Officer waiting outside immediately pressed the wireless communication headset inside the Police Station after seeing him enter the building and whispered, " Captain Yu, the target has been spotted. Requesting further instructions."
Yu Hanjiang said coldly, "Keep a close eye on him."
In the distance, under the shade of trees, Yu Hanjiang took out his binoculars and watched Xiao Lou's figure disappear into the office building entrance. He pressed the call button on his headset and whispered, "Team Two, prepare to close the net."
***
Xiao Lou sat at his desk and logged into the teaching system on his computer.
He's been very busy with classes lately, juggling investigations and teaching, and he simply can't manage it all. It would be better if a graduate teaching assistant could cover a few of his classes. There's also a national academic conference coming up soon, and he's representing Jiangzhou Medical University... It is perfectly reasonable for professors from the Forensic Medicine Department to attend such conferences.
Xiao Lou sent the course schedule and materials to the teaching assistant, saying, "Hello Xiao Wang, this is Xiao Lou. I have to attend a national academic conference, so could you please give the lectures to the students in my place this week? I have already sent the course outline to your email."
The graduate teaching assistant quickly replied: "Understood, Professor Xiao. Don't worry, I will teach your class properly."
Xiao Lou breathed a sigh of relief and turned off her laptop.
It's common for professors to ask graduate teaching assistants to teach a few classes when they're away on business, and Xiao Lou's actions were in accordance with school regulations.
He got up to leave when he heard a knock at the door. Xiao Lou opened the door and was immediately met with a pair of sharp eyes—
It is Yu Hanjiang.
Xiao Lou paused for a moment, then politely asked, " Captain Yu? Is there something you need?"
Yu Hanjiang nodded: "I have some questions about yesterday's case that I would like to ask. Professor Xiao, would you mind coming with me?"
Xiao Lou was puzzled, but she still followed him.
Yu Hanjiang led Xiao Lou down the elevator and then turned around and walked into the laboratory building next to the office building.
Xiao Lou was very familiar with this building. Medical school students had their lab classes here. After all, a lot of knowledge is far less intuitive than seeing and touching it with your own eyes than just talking about it.
The laboratory building houses a large collection of human specimens.
As Yu Hanjiang led him toward the specimen room on the third floor, Xiao Lou suddenly had a bad feeling—
Connecting this to the fact that Zhao Sen, the killer in Red Heart 2: The Secret Room, had dismembered his cousin's body and made it into a specimen, a chill ran down Xiao Lou's spine—could it be that Zhang Hengyu's body had also been dismembered?!
Yu Hanjiang stopped at the entrance of the specimen room, pushed the door open, and gestured for him to come in: " Professor Xiao, please come in."
Xiao Lou reluctantly followed him inside.
The scene inside the specimen room was shocking!
Xiao Lou was very familiar with this specimen room; he had seen most of the specimens displayed on the shelves. But at this moment, some brand-new specimens suddenly appeared on the shelf by the door, with glaring blood flowing from them.
Xiao Lou stared wide-eyed at the scene before her, unable to believe what she was seeing.
Limbs, internal organs... The dissected human specimens were neatly arranged on the display shelves. What was even more terrifying was that, as a Forensic Doctor, he could tell at a glance that these were specimens made from fresh corpses that had been dead for no more than 24 hours!
Zhang Hengyu's head was also made into a specimen and placed at the very front, his wide-open eyes staring in Xiao Lou's direction.
Xiao Lou's spine stiffened slightly, and his whole body felt as if it had fallen into an ice cellar.
Yu Hanjiang silently walked behind Xiao Lou, blocking his retreat, and calmly asked, " Professor Xiao, where were you between 7 pm and 9 pm last night?"
Xiao Lou: "..."
Yu Hanjiang's expression was extremely cold: "Where were you from nine o'clock last night to eight o'clock this morning?"
Xiao Lou: "..."
Xiao Lou took a deep breath, clenched her fists lightly, and tried to calm herself down quickly.
Turning back to meet the man's deep eyes, Xiao Lou remained calm and said, word by word, " Officer Yu, are you doubting me?"
Yu Hanjiang shrugged: " Professor Xiao, why did you call Ning Xue at exactly nine o'clock last night?"
Xiao Lou: "...What?"
Yu Hanjiang's gaze was sharp as a sword, almost drilling a hole through Xiao Lou's face. He stared intently at Xiao Lou and said in a deep voice, " Professor Xiao, you are suspected of murdering Ning Xue and Zhang Hengyu. Please come with me to the Police Station for investigation."