Chapter 5: The Man-Eating Pig

The work of monitoring continues, and it is now three o'clock in the morning. Following Captain Shi, I have been watching the surveillance for a while, observing various vehicles moving from one end of the street to the other, resembling a hypnotic pendulum. My eyelids are involuntarily battling each other; after a day of running around, I am truly exhausted

When we drove to Zhang Fushun's home, we headed straight for the pigpen. Not long ago, Captain Shi and I had stood in this very spot, observing these pigs for a long time. Having not been fed for several days, the pigs appeared somewhat agitated, rolling around in the pen, constantly rooting at the ground with their snouts. The muddy ground was a disgusting mixture of excrement and water that the pigs had splashed out from the trough.

The murderer possesses a strong ability for counter-surveillance, from committing murder and disposing of the body to using a readily available jump rope for the act, leaving no fingerprints, no shoe prints, and no trace that could suggest the identity of the suspect. Wang Gang stated: "The murderer is Wang Guihua. We just released her, and in no time, the driver Li Tang was killed in the minibus. This is too coincidental, and she has a clear motive for murder, the time of the crime, and the motive all align. It must be Wang Guihua who did it."

Any omnivorous animal may exhibit cannibalistic behavior under specific circumstances. There have been instances where a pet cat has gnawed on its owner's eyelids and nose after the owner died suddenly at home and the cat was hungry. Stray dogs have also been known to attack and consume humans, and stories of infants being gnawed on by rats are widely circulated

I also vaguely feel that something is amiss. How could a rural woman, who can barely recognize a few characters, commit such a meticulously executed and seamless murder? However, if Wang Guihua did not commit the murder, then the timing is too coincidental. Moreover, if Wang Guihua was not the murderer, why would she flee? The unusual behavior at the crime scene and the lies during the interrogation all indicate that Wang Guihua is indeed the murderer

"It is not a monkey, it is a pig!" I said

Captain Shi nodded and then said, "Could it really be Wang Guihua who did this?"

Yang Xiaojun looked at me as if I were a fool, but it was Captain Shi beside me who, upon hearing my words, brightened up. He patted me on the shoulder and said, "Not bad, it's a pig!" Without paying any attention to Yang Xiaojun's confusion, he continued, "Have the forensic team go over there; the workload must be considerable!"

The work was completed after several hours, and it was already bright outside. The village chief treated everyone to a simple breakfast, and Captain Shi, without even having time to wipe his mouth, took everyone back to the bureau. The identification results had come out; the pigsty was indeed the first crime scene. There were traces of human blood in the soil, and undigested human tissue in the feces, which had been confirmed to belong to the deceased, Zhang Fushun. Additionally, a small piece of fabric was found in the pigsty, which appeared to be the hem of a garment, seemingly torn off during the deceased's struggle. The identification results had come out; the pigsty was indeed the first crime scene. There were traces of human blood in the soil, and undigested human tissue in the feces, which had been confirmed to belong to the deceased, Zhang Fushun. Additionally, a small piece of fabric was found in the pigsty, which appeared to be the hem of a garment, seemingly torn off during the deceased's struggle.

Upon hearing this, I was startled and jumped up from my chair. Yang Xiaojun was taken aback by my action, rolled her eyes at me, and then said: "Are you a monkey? Jumping up and down like that!"

Captain Shi rubbed his eyes and saw me dozing off beside him. He gently said to me, "There are enough people here. If you are tired, you can just lay your head on the table and sleep for a while." I looked over and noticed that Captain Shi's eyes were bloodshot, yet his gaze was bright. Suddenly, I understood what Captain Shi had said earlier. For many criminal police officers, their daily task is to monitor surveillance footage. Such tasks are tedious and numerous, yet they are extremely important. Compared to the special case team, they work quietly and without recognition, but they too possess a heart that seeks justice for the victims. Aren't these individuals even greater?

Just a few days ago, he was a living person, but unexpectedly, today he has turned into a cold corpse. There are no bloodstains in the car, and the driver is seated in the driver's seat, his body leaning against the glass window, as if he were asleep. A clear strangulation mark can be seen on his neck, and there are no other injuries on his body. Even someone without forensic knowledge could determine that the driver, Li Tang, was strangled to death by some object.

In a state of haziness, I was so exhausted that I fell asleep on the table. I do not know how long had passed when I heard the sound of high heels approaching closer. I woke from my slumber, opened my bleary eyes, and saw that the ashtray on the table was filled with cigarette butts. Captain Shi was still watching the surveillance monitor, and the cigarette in his hand was nearly burnt down to the end.

Captain Shi nodded and said, "If we had thought of this a little earlier, perhaps driver Li Tang would not have died." Sighing, Captain Shi regained his composure and continued, "The murderer likely arrived at the foot of the mountain in Li Tang's minibus, and Li Tang's time of death was only about three hours ago, so the murderer cannot have gone far! Immediately investigate, check the surveillance at all intersections, and we must uncover this murderer!" Then he reiterated, "The murderer likely arrived at the foot of the mountain in Li Tang's minibus, and Li Tang's time of death was only about three hours ago, so the murderer cannot have gone far! Immediately investigate, check the surveillance at all intersections, and we must uncover this murderer!"

Everyone shook their heads in uncertainty, and Captain Shi said: "The primary crime scene is very likely right here in this pigpen, which explains why there are no bloodstains or traces at the crime scene, because those traces have long been buried in the soil by these 'clean' pigs! The subsequent matters will have to be entrusted to you experts in trace identification!"

We carefully examined the belongings of the deceased as well as the situation inside the minibus. We found that the deceased's money was intact, and there were no signs of disturbance on the gold ring on his hand, which basically rules out the possibility of a murder for financial gain. The colleagues from the sub-bureau informed us that Li Tang was usually honest and had always been kind to others, with no known enemies. Therefore, it can be reasonably concluded that the murderer is the same as in the Niulanshan murder and body disposal case

The reporter is a villager from the mountain. According to his account, while returning from the city on his bicycle, he discovered a minibus parked by the roadside with its doors wide open. He recognized this minibus as belonging to Master Li, the driver who operates the daily route from the city to the mountain. The lights on the vehicle were off, and there were no streetlights on either side. Using the starlight, he looked inside and saw Master Li sitting in the driver's seat, his head resting against the glass, appearing to be asleep.

The team split into two groups. Captain Lu of Team Two was responsible for capturing Wang Guihua, while Captain Shi led us to the crime scene. By the time we arrived, colleagues from the sub-bureau were already investigating the scene, and the area had been cordoned off. Yang Xiaojun took the lead and boarded the minibus, with several of us following closely behind. This minibus was about five meters long and could only accommodate ten people, including the driver. The deceased was named Li Tang, who was the minibus driver we had encountered earlier at the foot of the mountain.

Yang Xiaojuan said while eating the instant noodles I brought back for her. From the evening until now, Yang Xiaojuan had not eaten anything. She sat on the sofa, drinking the broth of the instant noodles until it was completely gone, let out a long sigh, and said to me: "The new kid, at least you have a bit of conscience, you haven't forgotten your sister Yang."

At this moment, it is already midnight. With Captain Shi's orders issued, it is uncertain how many police officers, who have just fallen into a deep sleep, will have to get up in the middle of the night again. The criminal police have begun their busy work. Surveillance monitoring is indeed a laborious task that requires everyone to be meticulous, meticulous, and again meticulous. The police once identified a suspect through the vague silhouette reflected on a shop pillar in the surveillance footage, which led to the resolution of a homicide case.

Humans are the spirit of all things and the masters of the Earth. There is almost nothing that humans do not consume, from creatures that fly in the sky to those that swim in the sea and those that leap in the grass. Name any species, and there will always be humans indulging in it, not to mention pigs, which are specifically raised for human consumption. So conversely, do pigs eat humans? The answer is affirmative.

The identification work was slow and laborious. A group of people needed to go to the bureau to conduct identifications on these old sows, while another group had to find traces of the first scene in the muddy swamp. The surrounding villagers were curiously gathered outside, peering in with great interest, seemingly wide awake and extremely excited. In stark contrast, the police officers inside conducting the identifications were all exceedingly fatigued.

Captain Shi! The speaker is Yang Xiaojuan. I noticed that Yang Xiaojuan's eyes were red and she had some dark circles, indicating that she too had stayed up late. She continued, "Regarding the autopsy of Zhang Fushun's body, we have made a somewhat sensational discovery: the missing half of Zhang Fushun's skull was not crushed by a rock, but rather eaten by something!"

Yang Xiaojuan informed us that pigs are actually very clean animals. Under good conditions, pigs do not excrete their feces in the places where they eat and sleep. This is an instinct inherited from their ancestors, aimed at avoiding detection by wild beasts in the mountains. In Yang Xiaojuan's words, it is akin to a person being confined in a closed square space, who would still have to relieve themselves in the area where they eat.

Yang Xiaojuan said to us: "The time of death is approximately three hours. The deceased has a noticeable groove-like indentation on the neck, appearing as a narrow, deep brown leather-like mark. The face shows signs of cyanosis and swelling, with protruding eyeballs, indicating that the victim was undoubtedly strangled from behind by the assailant. There are no signs of struggle at the scene, suggesting that the victim was suddenly ensnared and strangled by the assailant from behind. Look at this!" As she spoke, Yang Xiaojuan picked up a small piece of debris with tweezers. We looked over and saw it was a tiny green fragment: "When I return to the station, I should be able to determine what this belongs to, thereby identifying the murder weapon used by the assailant!"

Wang Guihua is the murderer

The composition of the green debris has been identified; it has come from a type of green, semi-rigid jump rope. The murderer used this green jump rope to strangle the victim from behind, resulting in the victim's death. Such jump ropes are ubiquitous, found in convenience stores, supermarkets, and sporting goods stores. If we pursue this lead, it is uncertain how much time and manpower will be required.

When he approached to take a look, he discovered a mark around Master Li's neck, and his eyes were wide open in shock. He hurriedly called the police. When the nearest precinct arrived, it was eleven o'clock at night. The comrades at the precinct realized that this case might be related to the Niulanshan murder and body dumping case, and they notified us immediately.

Another exciting piece of news has emerged. The comrades reviewing the surveillance footage have made a discovery. Around 9 o'clock, Master Li Tang's vehicle passed through an intersection. The team members from the bureau had arrived early on this street. By investigating the surveillance cameras of the shops along the street, they found that there was a person sitting in Li Tang's minibus, and it was discernible that this person was indeed Wang Guihua