I didn't leave right after the Dog Trainer. Instead, I photographed his footprints with my cell phone, took a sample of the sand left by his sole with my rubber gloves, removed the gloves and wrapped them up.
At the entrance of the neighborhood, we came across a Mercedes parked by the side of the road. The driver was as motionless and unresponsive as a puppet–another one of the ‘dogs’ domesticated by the Dog Trainer without a doubt!
I was about to get into the car when Song Xingchen held my shoulder and warned, "Think twice."
"Don't worry,” I sighed. “I will never betray my principles!"
I knew exactly why the Dog Trainer wanted me to handle such dirty work. He was a master at brainwashing which began with action. If I accepted such moralless tasks one task at a time, my stance on the matter would gradually shift.
When I was a child, I listened to the ballad of "Golden Dart Hero.” Huang Tianba was a hero at first. But after being caught by the government who gave him both carrot and stick, Huang Tianba gradually turned into a government slave whose hands were covered with friends’ blood.
Once you crossed the line, it was easy to lose all morality. Thus, in the war with the Dog Trainer, I had to keep my principles and listen to my conscience!
As soon as we got into the car, the driver started driving. When we passed a store, I yelled for him to stop.
I was just about to alight the vehicle when the driver pulled out a gun and pointed it at me. "The master says you’re not allowed to leave halfway!"
Song Xingchen threatened, "Would you like me to cut off those hands?"
"Alright, I understand. Song Xingchen, get my tools and I'll meet you in Mount Treasure Park later." As I spoke, I handed him the evidence wrapped in the rubber gloves and showed him my cell phone with the words I had previously typed: Inform the three of them that they may be assassinated!
Before getting out of the car, Song Xingchen took the gloves and cautioned, "Be careful!"
I was driven to Mount Treasure Park which was covered with dense fog early in the morning. There wasn’t a soul in sight. I opened the trunk which contained gasoline, a shovel, ammonia, and some other tools used to dispose of corpses. Ammonia could destroy DNA and was a good choice for removing blood.
Grabbing the tools, I headed for the park with the driver in tow.
The park was huge, so I searched for higher ground that overlooked the surroundings and noted possible dump sites.
After walking around, I suddenly smelled the faint odor of blood. I scanned the area and found a corpse underneath a tree, covered with fallen leaves.
Sweeping away the fallen leaves, I observed the body. At first glance, the victim looked like a young girl, but from the Adam's apple and the shape of the pelvis, he was a man. His wrists, ankles and neck showed binding marks. He was wearing a red dress, a wig and heavy makeup. Noticing blood between his legs, I lifted his skirt, only to discover that the victim’s genitals of the deceased had been completely severed.
The realization dawned upon me–the murderer was the Transvestite Killer who had disappeared for many years! He was a homosexual who picked out good-looking young men and even boys, dressed them up as women for his own sexual gratification, and then cruelly killed them.
After committing a brutal murder a few years ago, he was supposedly wandering around so his whereabouts were unknown. Apparently, the case of the boy in red, a sensational case from back then, was his work. I never imagined that he would flee to Nanjiang City and commit murder under the protection of the organization.
Taking a few deep breaths to calm myself down, I began examining the body. The time of death was about four hours ago, and the cause of death was postural asphyxia, that is, placing the victim in a certain position, such as tying their hands and feet behind their backs, forcing them to suffocate due to obstructed breathing.
The victim suffered a long period of torture and sexual assault before his death. Judging from the earliest wound, he was held captive for about five or six hours. I noticed white foam on the chin that appeared to be shaving cream.
I removed the victim’s clothes and found his mutilated genitals covered in blood. What was more outrageous was the spots of dried semen around his crotch. There was also a faint smell of alcohol that seemed to be wine. The tannic acid in wine could constrict blood vessels and stop bleeding. The murderer must have used wine to clean the wound.
I was so absorbed in the autopsy that I completely forgot my present situation.
Right then, I felt a kick in my ribs, courtesy of the driver. He shouted, "Stop dawdling and get to work!"
I clutched my chest, gritting my teeth, "If you want me to destroy the body, then I’ll have to do it my way."
"Don't lie to me,” he glared. “I can see you’re trying to delay. You better hurry up or someone might come!"
Just then, he noticed a man walking towards us and immediately pulled out his gun. As the man approached, he realized it was Song Xingchen. As soon as he placed my tools on the ground, Song Xingchen swung his fist and punched the driver in the face, catching him off guard.
The driver tried to retaliate with the gun but Song Xingchen managed to twist his arm, forcing him to lean backwards. Then, Song Xingchen landed more pummeled his fists into the driver’s ribs, drawing painful screams from the man.
"That’s enough!" I interrupted.
Song Xingchen landed two more punches when I heard the sound of the driver’s ribs breaking. Throwing the man to the ground, Song Xingchen coldly uttered, "If you so much as touch a hair on his head, I will kill you!"
Angered, the driver raised his gun at Song Xingchen who stared him down without so much as a change in his expression. The stalemate lasted for a minute, and even I couldn't help but worry for Song Xingchen.
Then came the voice of several old men chatting at the foot of the hill. The fog was still very heavy at this time so they couldn’t see up the hill. But if there was gunfire, they would definitely hear it. Hence, the driver was forced to lower his gun.
I started shoveling until a large pit was dug into the ground. Then, carefully tossing the body inside, I poured ammonia and covered it with soil, making sure to restore the ground to its original appearance. Finally, I opened the Autopsy Umbrella and erased all footprints around me.
"Let’s meet the man!" I said, dusting my hands.
The hotel key card given to me by the Dog Trainer led me to a nearby hotel. It was a master key used by the internal staff that could open every room with a room number marked on it.
When we arrived at the hotel, the driver waited outside this time. I found the room and opened the door with the room key.
"Ahh! How did you get in?" screamed the man in the room.
He was in his thirties with dark eye circles which indicated he stayed up all night yesterday. There was nothing particularly noteworthy in the room, only a briefcase on the table. It seemed like he was on a business trip.
In fact, the man didn’t look like a murderer. He was missing the sort of rage common to criminals. To get him to talk, I showed him my consultant ID and said, "Don't be afraid, I’m with the police!"
"H-how do you know?” he stuttered. “I didn't call the police!"
"What?" It was my turn to be shocked.
The man cried in a panic, "Officer, I know I was wrong. Well, I admit I did see something unusual last night."
I quickly walked to the window which overlooked the crime scene. "It was two in the morning. Weren’t you sleeping?"
"N-no…” he replied. “I saw a man torturing a woman in the park and I was afraid."
It was then that I connected the dots–the Dog Trainer hadn’t planned for me to meet the murderer. He wanted me to silence the witness!