Chapter 106: Another Case Arrives.

Hao Yingjun fell silent for a long moment, unsure of how to respond.

"Look, Big Sister," Hao Yingjun said finally. "Didn't we just talk about this? It’s the holiday season; tickets are impossible to get. Why do you have to keep staring at me? I’m not going anywhere."

"I am doing this to gain a deeper understanding and experience of human social phenomena," Wang Zixuan replied. "It’s for the sake of gaining experience for future cases. If you don't want to take me, then forget it."

With that, she turned back to her computer, looking visibly annoyed as she returned to her work.

"Brother Deng," Xiao Deng said, turning to the other man. "Look at her. You really need to show some solidarity with me. I think we could improve our mutual understanding in our personal lives. We should spend more time together."

Xiao Deng gave a mysterious smile. "Xiao Deng."

"Yeah?"

"Holidays are meant for spending time with family. What exactly do you mean by constantly asking for my attention? Besides, I have a video call with my mommy overseas in a little while."

Seeing that no one was in the mood to entertain him, Xiao Deng had no choice but to stare at the clock on the wall, counting down the seconds. Just as the workday ended, his hopes of leaving were shattered by the harsh notification alert on his wristband.

"Duan Peng here," the voice crackled. "A homicide has occurred at the Guangming Residential Complex on Jianshe Avenue. The victim is suspected to be a non-human. All relevant personnel are requested to proceed to the scene for investigation."

Xiao Deng grabbed his hair in despair, feeling as though life had lost all meaning. What kind of karma was this? With no other choice, they all climbed into their respective vehicles and rushed to the crime scene as quickly as possible. Wearing a protective suit, Hao Yingjun followed Xiao Deng, both of them carrying a stretcher toward the site.

"Hey, Brother Deng," Hao Yingjun said. "This is my first time dealing with a homicide like this."

"Actually, it’s not much different from a human death," Xiao Deng replied. "It’s just that after a non-human dies, their body tends to reveal certain characteristics that differ from a human’s."

"Oh. Hey, I heard the one who died this time is a giant bug?"

"It’s an Annelid spirit," Xiao Deng corrected.

When they arrived at the scene, they saw a number of people in protective suits and gas masks, carrying what looked like fire extinguishers and spraying something into the air. Dr. Bai was busy performing an autopsy, while Wang Zixuan searched for clues. Personnel from the Investigation Center were busy taking photographs and documenting the area.

Xiao Deng walked over, notebook in hand, gesturing as he spoke. "I’ve checked the other areas. There are no drag marks on the body. This must be the primary crime scene."

Dr. Bai looked up. "Multi-segmented contractile muscles. It’s an earthworm spirit. There’s a twenty-centimeter-long transverse wound on the abdomen. The cause of death appears to be massive blood loss from a severed artery. Based on the muscle mutation of the corpse, the time of death is no more than twenty-four hours ago."

"There are no signs of assault," Wang Zixuan added.

At that moment, Xiao Deng handed a bloodstained knife he had found nearby to Dr. Bai.

"The shape of the blade matches the wound on the victim’s abdomen perfectly," Dr. Bai noted. "We can basically conclude that this is the murder weapon."

Wang Zixuan used her wristband to call Duan Peng directly. "Xiao Duan, you can start reviewing the surveillance footage from the residential complex and the surrounding area. Set the timeframe from eight o'clock last night until the time the report was filed today."

Just then, Hao Yingjun and his partner arrived with the stretcher.

"Hao Yingjun, transport the body down," Wang Zixuan commanded. "Keep it discreet, and then collect all the evidence and load it into the vehicle."

"No problem," Hao Yingjun replied.

He agreed readily enough, but as he stared at the fallen corpse, he wasn't quite sure where to begin. He had no choice but to start by rolling the body over.