Chapter 3 - Case 1: Dismemberment

This is start of our first case. There is not much of explicit descriptions in this chapter but beware of gore in the coming 2 chapters

Chapter 3:

Everyone has a love for beauty, especially as a person who loved to draw, Song Wen’s affinity for it was much greater. He traced the skeleton and skin of the person in front of him in his head almost instantly.

If God was a painter, painting thousands of faces, then he must’ve been rather partial when painting the person before him. There was absolutely no fault in his face. Whether all of features were put together or taken apart and seen individually, they had their own characteristics. His features weren’t too strong and somewhat aloof, it was a kind of gentle appearance that gave the impression of a cold and fragile beauty, like a fragile flower that had been frozen inside a glass window.

“So you’re the new guy…” Song Wen said, covering up for his momentary trance. He lowered his head and glanced at the file. “Lu Siyu?” It was a nice name, just like the person. Well-suited.

The man first looked down, avoiding Song Wen’s gaze. He hummed softly with a stiff nod of his head as a reply. His reply was slow by a beat and his movements were a little sluggish, seeming as if he was in a daze.

“Follow me inside. I’m Captain Song Wen.” Song Wen marked their relationship in one succinct sentence. From today onward, Song Wen would be his immediate boss.

Lu Siyu wordlessly followed Song Wen to the first team’s office area. The two walked to the office area and stood face to face.

The office was mainly decorated in blue and white, with a few warning signs displayed on the wall. A corner of the office area was occupied by Fu Linjiang’s several potted plants. It looked quite lush.

Lu Siyu was only a little shorter than Song Wen, but he looked much thinner. Song Wen looked him up and down, sizing him up. He saw that Lu Siyu was dressed in a casual white shirt. It appeared to be low-key, but it was actually from a high-end brand. Moreover, from that angle, half of his collar-bone was exposed under the collar of the jacket. The curvature of his collarbones was sharp enough to hold water.

Song Wen thought to himself. How does this guy look like a twenty-six year old? The years had not left a single mark on him. He looked as gentle as a school teacher, no, more like a student. In fact, people would believe him even if he said that this guy was two years younger than him.

After gathering his thoughts once more, Song Wen thought that even if he didn’t train this person, he still had to display his authority. He moved a half step forward, and Lu Siyu habitually retreated.

“Are you afraid of me?” Song Wen narrowed his eyes and asked tentatively.

“It’s my first time meeting a Captain so I’m a little nervous.” Lu Siyu’s voice was a little low, and while he spoke, he didn’t look at Song Wen directly. He habitually stuck out the tip of his tongue and licked his lips as if to relieve his embarrassment.

His lips were very pale and thin. He hesitated for a while and then kindly reminded Song Wen. “Captain Song, you have pencil shavings on your little finger that you haven’t wiped clean.”

Song Wen turned the little finger of his right hand and looked at it. He would use his knuckles to fix the paper in position when drawing. This habit couldn’t be changed no matter how much he tried so he didn’t bother anymore. He took a piece of paper and wiped his hands. “Not bad. As a criminal policeman, observation is a basic skill. I hope you can find something when you go around to the scene too.”

After saying that, Song Wen spoke again.”I will look after you in the future, both as your captain and as your mentor.” In the Criminal police department, the legacy of a mentor taking care of their apprentice and passing on their knowledge held a lot of importance.

Although Song Wen was younger, his work experience was vast. Although Lu Siyu was half a year older, he had still been a student not long ago.

Song Wen’s voice was a bit harsh. Lu Siyu felt that he should address Song Wen as his mentor, but looking at this handsome criminal policeman who was younger than himself, he couldn’t say anything. Finally, he hesitated and said, “Thank you…Captain Song.”

Seeing that Song We didn’t answer, Lu Siyu raised his head to look at him again. His gaze was very timid.

Song Wen discovered at this time that the hair on Lu Siyu’s forehead was slightly curled up. He was obviously not short, but his appearance looked soft and he gave off a tranquil feeling, seeming as if he was a little milky white rabbit that had been frightened by him.

Song Wen felt that the time was right. He took a step forward and continued saying seriously, “When you enter the police force, there are three things that need to be followed. Do things consciously and be respectful towards your seniors. Listening obediently should be your top priority. Don’t look at what you shouldn’t look at, don’t ask what you shouldn’t ask, and refrain from making trouble. Don’t touch anything at the scene. Go back and write a report, and then after we close the case, conclude it with a summary report.

At this point, a voice rang behind them, relieving Lu Siyu. “Song Wen, we finally have a newcomer, so don’t scare him away.”

Then the speaker introduced himself, “I’m the Vice-captain of the first team, Fu Linjiang.”

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Lu Siyu gave a hum, still half a beat slow. He didn’t talk much, appearing distant, but he kept nodding his head, tactfully obeying the leadership arrangement.

“You can call me Vice-captain Fu, or Lieutenant Fu.”

Fu Linjiang joked around, breaking the awkwardness of their first meeting. He smiled and said, “Don’t worry, Captain Song usually doesn’t put on any airs. As for work, the documentation ability of our team is weak. Your writing is pretty good so you can try it. In the first year, you’ll be like a trainee with two crutches. After you gain some experience, you’ll be able to fly freely in your second year .*”

T/N: * : 第一年你是见习职，两拐，也就是两个小飞机. This line is a little complex and we tried to provide you with the most appropriate description.

“If you can pass this year smoothly, you’ll be a third-level superintendent. You don’t need to wear a police uniform when there is no job, unless a leader is inspecting. You won’t have a gun in the first year, and you can’t handle the case alone. You need to follow the senior police officers.. In the future, once you become more skilled, you can take up your own cases, and within two years, you can also take in new people.”

Fu Linjiang’s few sentences covered the same content as what Song Wen said, but they were much more pleasing to hear.

Then Fu Linjiang explained to Lu Siyu. “The working hours here are usually from Monday to Friday 8 am to 12 pm, and from 2 pm to 6 pm, but to be honest, it isn’t fixed. If there is a case, you might need to work overtime, stay up late, and go out on the field. It’s normal not to be able to go home for a few days when you’re busy. Since you might have to go out at any time, I suggest you prepare a business trip bag here, with some personal items, and change of clothes.” Then he turned around again and said, “Captain Song, how about I take him for a stroll to get him familiar with the environment and people?”

Song Wen was obviously not too happy about this. He was interrupted by Fu Linjiang before he could establish his power. And the last time Zhu Xiao joined, didn’t this introduction process end here?

The Criminal Police Team wasn’t a kindergarten. This newbie was a pampered, rich second generation, with no experience whatsoever. He was no big figure but he was still going to have someone accompany him for a stroll. Song Wen thought of that and said, “Linjiang, you haven’t given me the statement from your last case yet. Everyone is so busy, so let him get familiar by himself.”

When he said so, Fu Linjiang retreated with a smile and said, “Let’s talk during our break, Xiao Lu, you go pack your things and familiarize yourself with work.”

Song Wen turned around and looked at Lu Siyu. The man’s expressionless face unexpectedly held a trace of dazedness. He looked very well-behaved. Song Wen softened up a little and said, “The first floor is the office area. It had the reception which is responsible for receiving the police. Next to it is the conference room, the main control room, and the rest room. The second floor is the material inspection center, the archives room, and the interrogation room. The third floor is the leadership office, the next building is the anti-pornography and anti-drugs center. The cafeteria is right behind it, and it’s always packed with people. Well, since you’re going to deal with technical forensic investigation, and you’ll gradually get to know it.”

This explanation was simple, but it clearly introduced the entire main building of the City Bureau.

Just then, the constable at the front desk took a list and came in saying, “Captain Song, we got a report of a murder in Ping-Shuang District.”

So soon. Before the last case could be settled, a new one came in. Song Wen simply turned back to make an arrangement. “Old Jia, Zhu Xiao, go to the forensics to get the team ready.” Then he turned to Lu Siyu. ” Since this is your first day in the team, follow us to take a look.”

This was their first criminal case after the May Day holiday, and the City Bureau naturally attached great importance to it. A total of three cars set off, with Fu Linjiang, a girl, and Lu Siyu in one car.

After getting in the car, Fu Linjiang explained to Lu Siyu, “Captain Song has a sharp tongue but he’s soft at heart. He hates standing on ceremony. It’s nothing personal, so don’t mind him.”

Lu Siyu gave a hum.

On the side, Cheng Xiaobing from the physical evidence team was the one accompanying them today. Although her name contained the word “little”, she was a 3 year veteran in the physical evidence team. She was usually very meticulous at work, but a big gossip monger when off-duty.

(T/N: 小 which means Xiao is usually used to refer younger people. Example: little bro, little sis)

As soon as she got in the car, Cheng Xiaobing took out a pack of melon seeds and enthusiastically stuffed it into Lu Siyu’s arms. “Hey, do you want to eat this?”

Lu Siyu shrank back, his expression resembling a scared rabbit. He waved his hand and said, “Thank you, but I don’t want to eat.”

Fu Linjiang smiled and said, “Xiaobing, you’re too enthusiastic. Don’t scare him.”

He didn’t conceal his care for Lu Siyu in his words, naturally regarding him as a younger brother. Then, he began to give Lu Siyu a briefing on the police department.

The sound of Cheng Xiaobing crunching on melon seeds accompanied them throughout the conversation.

It was just after the rush hour in the morning, so there were still quite a lot of vehicles. All the police cars coming out of the city bureau in the midst of the congested traffic attracted a lot of attention. The three police cars kept driving south. Their path became a little smoother only when they got onto the highway road.

The May weather in Nancheng was pretty warm, and it was already around nine o’clock in the morning. The city bureau wasn’t too far away from the location of the crime, it was a total of 20 minutes drive by car. But thanks to the morning traffic jam, it took them 30 minutes to arrive there.

The car arrived at its destination, but Cheng Xiaobing was in no hurry to get out of the car. She took out a bag of milk candies from her bag and dangled it in front of Lu Siyu. “Do you want some?”

“…” Lu Siyu shook his head again.

Cheng Xiaobing said, “Ahh, why don’t you eat any of this? What do you like to eat?” She couldn’t help but shove a candy into his hand.

Lu Siyu was too shy to reject her again, so he could only put the candy in his pocket. He thought about it seriously and reacted after a few seconds, saying, “I love to eat sour foods…”

Lu Siyu originally meant something like plum tomatoes, but Cheng Xiaobing chuckled unexpectedly. “Sour son and spicy girl…Wouldn’t that make you a very jealous person?” She didn’t hold back on teasing this new colleague at all, even Fu Linjiang could be heard chuckling at the side.

(T/N:Sour son and spicy girl= 酸儿辣女

It’s an ancient folklore that says, If a woman likes to eat sour during pregnancy, she will have a boy, and if she likes to eat spicy, she will have a girl .)

Song Wen happened to come over just then. Annoyed by their conversation, he reached out and opened the car door, staring at Lu Siyu and Cheng Xiaobing. “This is a crime scene. Put away all the food because I think you’re going to have a hard time……”.

Lu Siyu reflected on it for a while, and got out of the car obediently. Fu Linjiang, who was driving, looked at Song Wen and then at Lu Siyu, and smiled.

They were at a relatively new, middle-class community called Yuting Huayin, located to the north of Nancheng.

Five years ago, this new city was still a wasteland. With subsequent construction and development, the high-speed rail brought in a lot of people . Although this area had become a lot livelier thanks to that, it was still incomparable to the urban area. The houses here were mostly empty, and only constructed as a form of investment. Less than one-third of the houses present were occupied.

The main area of Yuting Community was the small-sized elevator room. It was clean, tidy and had high security. The community plan was very complex with clear separations of housing and parking areas, and the parking garage was located below the community. The police had already notified the property and security department of their arrival. After driving all the way to the underground parking lot, they saw a person waiting for them.

Among the several criminal police officers, Zhu Xiao, who was in charge of handling external affairs, got off the car and chatted with the community’s chief security officer.

The property management had put up a banner saying “Don’t disturb ordinary residents’ use of the parking lot”. They even allocated a few parking spaces at the corner for the visitors.

At the on-site investigation of criminal cases, traces inspection, forensic, and criminal police, all of the three were inseparable. Not long after they arrived, the car from the forensic center was parked in the garage.

Forensic doctor Lin Xiuran got out of the car. He was wearing a thin suit and his hair was combed meticulously.

A slender beauty came out from behind him, like a hibiscus out of water, she stepped out of the car and skillfully coiled up her long curls into a bun. Then, she changed into a pair of flat shoes that she took out of the trunk of the car.

Lu Siyu stood aside like a bystander, carefully observing these people. Fu Linjiang introduced to him, “Lin Xiuran, the director of the Identification center, Xu Yao, the number one beauty in our city bureau, an expert in trace examination.”

Both were about 30 years old and rich in experience. This lineup could be regarded as the aces of South City Bureau.

Among the several police officers, one of them was the oldest, and once he saw Xu Yao get out of the car, he eagerly walked over to help her with her surveying tools. Fu Linjiang said, “This is Old Jia, the oldest detective in our team.” He introduced Old Jia, and then took the cigarette in his hand, puffing out a cloud of smoke through his teeth. He waved his hand at this side.

Lu Siyu nodded again, indicating that he had understood.

Old Jia had yet to reach middle-age, but he already seemed to have gone through the vicissitudes of life. The hair on his forehead was sparse, and his beard hadn’t been shaved for who knows how many days. If this person wasn’t actually a cop, he’d be mistaken for a street gangster who had broken into the police department.

As Lu Siyu thought that, he glanced at the business elite, the beauty, and old gangster once more, and wondered what kind of team this was.

Lin Xiuran looked at the few people standing there and walked over. He asked, “Where is Song Wen?”

Fu Linjiang said, “He went to negotiate with the property management.”

Lin Xiuran’s gaze fell on Lu Siyu again, and he couldn’t help but look twice. “Newbie?”

Fu Linjiang patted Lu Siyu on the shoulder and introduced him. “Just joined our department today, Lu Siyu.”

Lin Xiuran lowered his head to put on his gloves. He took out the identification kit and said to Lu Siyu, “This is a dismemberment case. We’ll go check the situation first. You wait outside and come in later.”

It’s not that he was discriminating against newcomers, it’s just that a lot of newcomers tended to be a little disoriented and ended up disrupting the scene when they saw a scary sight like that for the first time.

Lu Siyu said indifferently, “I also studied forensic medicine in university.”

Lin Xiuran didn’t expect him to be a half colleague. He raised his head and glanced at him, looking a little surprised. He gave him another heads-up. “The corpses that you observed in school are completely different from the corpses at the scene. Since you’ve studied forensic medicine, you can observe and understand it by yourself. If you have any doubts or queries, you can discuss it with me at any time.”

At this time, Song Wen and the property management had just exchanged greetings. He turned his head to take a look at the environment here. The parking lot was very clean but it was a bit dim. There were two elevators dedicated to each floor. Since it was during working hours, there weren’t many cars coming in and out of the parking lot.

While everyone waited for the elevator, Song Wen glanced at Lu Siyu who was standing behind him. He was leaning in the back corner, with his head bowed, looking as if he was lost in thought.

Since he came to be a trainee police officer, he should’ve been aware that he’d be starting from the bottom. Song Wen reached out and handed him a notebook and a pen. “When you get to the scene, if there is something you don’t understand, just ask me or the Lieutenant. Take this notebook and write down what you see. Later, you can go back and record the field survey statement.”

The transcript of the field survey must be detailed. Their tip-off sources, time and place of the survey, various details of the scene, location of the corpse, and the physical evidence extracted, all had to be listed. The whole investigation must be carried out meticulously,

Fu Linjiang said to Lu Siyu, “After we go back, I’ll find a few more samples for you later. You can refer to them as you learn to summarize.”

Lu Siyu wasn’t surprised, nor did he refuse and complain. His delicate face was calm and he looked down at the notebook and pen that Song Wen gave him. “It’s okay. I’ve studied it in class and practiced before. ”

Just as he said that, the elevator arrived and several people walked into it. Old Jia stood at the door, reaching out to press the close button.

Lu Siyu got into the elevator. He looked around and felt that someone was missing. Then he found that there was no trace of Song Wen in the crowd. “Ah, Captain Song…”

Fu Linjiang said, “Don’t wait for him.”

Lu Siyu looked at him a bit strangely. “Does he have other things to take care of?”

Fu Linjiang explained to him in a low voice, “Captain Song has never taken the elevator when he’s out on the scene” Although his voice was low, the elevator was quite packed, and naturally several other people also heard it.

Lu Siyu was stunned and didn’t react in time. “Why?”

Old Jia faced the glass mirror of the elevator and ran a hand through the few strands of hair that he had left in the front. He thought that this newbie was simple and adorable. “Who dares to ask about this? Maybe he loves to exercise. Just get used to it.”

In just those few seconds, the elevator stopped to a halt. As soon as everyone started to exit the elevator, Song Wen came over from the stairwell. Climbing up the stairs on one side and taking the elevator on the other, both parties arrived almost at the same time

Song Wen was physically fit and his breathing was even. He didn’t seem like he had just climbed the sixth floor at all.

After the security officer found the body today, he was afraid of causing panic so he locked the door.

Several people crowded in the narrow corridor.

Zhu Xiao briefed Song Wen on the situation as he took the key. “The security guard said that people downstairs could hear a toilet flushing upstairs all night. They thought it was leaking. As a result, when they went to the bathroom, they discovered there was red blood leaking from upstairs. The landlord was out of town. Unable to contact the tenant, the security guard opened the door with the spare key left by the landlord and found a mutilated body in the bathroom.”

“How many families live around here?” asked Song Wen.

After Zhu Xiaogang finished asking the manager, he answered truthfully, “The doors opposite to this end aren’t even renovated. Only the apartment downstairs is occupied by a group rental. If not for that, this may not even have been found out.”

Lu Siyu scrunched his nose once the door was opened. He raised his head and frowned slightly. Standing outside the house, he didn’t get the smell of corpses. Instead, he smelled something strange—it was the smell of human flesh.

All creatures in this world were different. Although all of them were made of meat, and had similar constitution, their tastes would still vary greatly.

Relying only their sense of smell and taste, one could skilfully distinguish between pork, beef, lamb, chicken, and even subdivide them into different breeds, different regions, different years, and different feeding methods.

Now this smell, those who had never smelled it wouldn’t be able to tell, but Lu Siyu knew that it was the smell of human flesh.

He had smelled it countless times in the corridor of the forensic medicine department.

After killing a person, the corpse was separated into many pieces using a knife, and then placed on the fire to simmer slowly for several hours. When all the meat separated from the bones, this the smell that would float in the air.

Translating team shenanigans

Mochi : we....we got our first comment. They said..thanks for translating (╥﹏╥)

Cye : What really? This is so heartwarming (｡>﹏<｡)

Hells: omg i just saw ಥ_ಥ

Mochi : yes, guys we are almost there. I'm gonna post this and make our readers cry too. Our work should let them taste all emotions ლ,ᔑ•ﺪ͟͠•ᔐ.ლ

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Cye & Hells: