Chapter 67

*New book seeking support, collection, and recommendations! This week, I gave a panty push, but the effect wasn't great, and it didn't help much with collections and recommendations. So it all depends on everyone. I sincerely ask everyone to give a few more recommendations, so I have a chance to show up on the charts. I bow in gratitude!*

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Whenever a murder case involves a death, the police generally follow three lines of investigation from the start: passion, revenge, or financial gain. These three motives are the most critical in murder cases, and in almost a hundred cases, over ninety percent are due to these reasons. The remaining ten percent, five percent might be accidental killings, and the other five percent could be due to psychopaths or random spur-of-the-moment crimes. However, such serial killings are not very common in the country.

The Lu family, who were wiped out, were so wealthy that it's possible someone coveted their money and an accident happened during a burglary.

A police cordon was set up far from the courtyard, and villagers gathered outside, pointing and discussing. Police officers were coming and going inside the courtyard, but they were all very careful, fearing that any misstep might destroy the evidence at the scene.

Li Xiangdong and An Jianing walked carefully through the courtyard, where the cement ground showed no significant footprints.

Behind the courtyard stood a four-story building that, from its appearance, was not a typical rural apartment building but rather a specially designed countryside villa. It was surprising that this tycoon had some taste.

The first floor consisted of a living room, dining room, kitchen, and a guest room. There were no signs of struggle here, so the crime scene was not on this floor.

However, when they reached the second floor, Li Xiangdong and An Jianing encountered their first crime scene. The room was filled with a strong smell of blood, and the floor was covered in bloodstains. Two victims, one on the floor and one on the bed, were bloodied and unrecognizable, their eyes wide open in death. An Jianing took one look and rushed out of the room to vomit outside.

Li Xiangdong, on the other hand, showed no signs of discomfort, which impressed Old Xie, who was crouched at the door, observing the situation inside the room.

Old Xie was a seasoned officer in the Major Case Team, in his forties, slightly balding, with hawk-like eyes. He was formerly the head of the criminal investigation team at Qianshan Branch, having solved many major cases, but he was also known for his stubborn personality. He had a falling out with the chief of Qianshan Branch, Qin, and almost retired early due to illness. Later, Wei Zhengming transferred him to the Major Case Team.

It was said that he was very skilled at analyzing crime scenes and was an expert in trace evidence, especially in footprint identification.

"The victims in this room are Lu Hailong's in-laws. It seems they struggled with the killer, but not intensely. Given their age, they were likely killed quickly. What do you think?"

Old Xie had finished his observation and, seeing that Li Xiangdong showed no discomfort at the bloody scene, regarded him more favorably. He came to his side, gave him a brief introduction to the case, and asked.

Li Xiangdong raised an eyebrow, knowing that Old Xie was testing him, so he didn't hold back.

"The scene in this room is quite chaotic, indicating that the killer was initially panicked."

As he spoke, Li Xiangdong entered the room, slowly crouching down in front of the two bodies, and carefully examined the wounds on the victims.

"The killer seems to have some basic combat and stabbing skills. Initially, they were quite panicked, and some of the stabs were hasty. Look here, here, and here. These cuts were made in a hurry, and the victims blocked them with their arms. However, after seeing blood, the killer calmed down, and the subsequent stabs were very precise. One victim was stabbed directly in the heart, and the other had their carotid artery slit. At this point, the killer had regained their composure and instinct."

Li Xiangdong looked at the wounds on the two victims and gave his analysis, which Old Xie, standing beside him, nodded in agreement. This kid had some real talent.

Li Xiangdong then turned his attention to the floor, which was covered in the victims' blood, dark red and coagulated, creating a chaotic scene.

If it were an ordinary person, they would be overwhelmed and have no idea where to start. However, with his hawk-like eyes, Li Xiangdong easily identified the bloodstains on the floor, which were difficult for the average person to distinguish.

"Hmm, there should be two killers."

"Oh? Why do you say that?"

Old Xie's eyes lit up when he heard Li Xiangdong's statement.

"Look, although not very clear, you can see half a footprint here, and another half a footprint here. The shapes and sizes of these two feet are different, so they are not from the same person. The two victims were wearing slippers, and when the two intruders burst in, they fought barefoot. Therefore, these bloodstains on the floor are definitely not from the victims."

"Haha, good job, kid. You really have a knack for it. I couldn't even be sure about this detail after looking at it for a long time."

Old Xie happily patted Li Xiangdong on the shoulder, pleased that the Major Case Team had a promising successor.

"Hmph! Making a fuss over nothing, maybe he just guessed?"

Before Li Xiangdong could humbly respond, a very disruptive voice suddenly came from the doorway. They looked up to see a man in his thirties with a sullen face standing there.

This man was slender, about 1.8 meters tall, with a large back head, regular features, but a mustache on his upper lip, large dark circles under his eyes, and narrow eyes, making him look very unpleasant.

"Where's your captain?"

Old Xie's expression changed when he saw this man.

"Captain Wang, this is our Major Case Team's case, isn't it?"

"Hmph! Who gets the case isn't up to you to decide. Where's your captain?"

The man at the door didn't even look at Old Xie and Li Xiangdong, just continued to ask.

"Captain, he was called by the local police chief, Zhang, and should be back soon."

Li Xiangdong answered, and the man glanced at him before turning and walking downstairs.

"This case was first reported to us, and the higher-ups haven't decided who will handle it yet. So be careful at the scene and don't destroy any evidence."

Captain Wang's arrogant voice echoed from the stairs, and Old Xie cursed under his breath, "Bastard! Li, be careful. This is Captain Wang from the First Criminal Investigation Team, known as the famous viper in the Criminal Investigation Department."