Chapter 6, Historical Case Files

The description of the scene is quite clear. The location is a room of about twenty square meters. The deceased is named Lin Dongfang. He lies on the bed in the room, with his abdomen sliced open by a sharp instrument. There are no traces of blood on the internal organs, each of which has been removed, cleaned, and then put back in place. There are also no bloodstains on the bed or the floor. No footprints or fingerprints were left behind. The deceased has a satisfied expression, with a slight smile. The doors and windows are tightly closed. It is determined to be a homicide. Additionally, there is a strange odor in the room, the source of which cannot be determined.

I have only just begun to consider this issue, which is neither particularly difficult nor particularly simple. It can only rely on speculation. I said, "Think about it, in that situation, the public security, prosecution, and judiciary had all lost their effectiveness. If it weren't for the special identity of the deceased, who would care?"

Old Liu took a puff of his cigarette, squinting his eyes, and murmured: "69, 69, the year 69"

Da Meng dropped the case file in his hand and ran to my side. He glanced at the case file I was holding and frowned, saying, "But this one only has a disemboweled body; what about the others?"

Da Meng looked at me in a daze while I held the case file and asked, "What’s wrong? Do you have a lead?"

Suddenly opening my eyes: "There was indeed such a case. However, at that time, I was in the cattle shed. They only summoned the old director. They merely conducted a scene investigation and did not pursue it further. When the old director returned, he spoke with us. Everyone was quite curious about this case. I remember that the person had been eviscerated, yet there were no bloodstains at the scene, nor any footprints or fingerprints, and every item inside the abdomen had been cleaned. We were all very interested in this case, but unfortunately, we were later prohibited from investigating it further. I remember that the person had been eviscerated, yet there were no bloodstains at the scene, nor any footprints or fingerprints, and every item inside the abdomen had been cleaned. We were all very interested in this case, but unfortunately, we were later prohibited from investigating it further. However, we did receive some unexpected effects related to the *illustration* book."

The old gentleman nodded, and we followed him outside. Upon reaching the reception room, he provided us with a basin of water, instructing us to clean ourselves thoroughly. We lit a cigarette for the old gentleman, and I asked, "Uncle Liu, were you originally from here as well?"

Da Meng quickly raised his hand to stop him: "Old sir, please refrain from recounting the history of revolutionaries for now. Let us discuss this outside; it is too dusty in here."

Da Meng scratched his head: "Indeed there is, but it is yet another unsolved case. However, why is it that only the beheading case is described here, while the other cases are merely glossed over?"

I nodded to Da Meng. I glanced at the wall clock; it was nearly 2:00. I stood up and said, "Uncle Liu, we are leaving now. Please rest, and we will come again another day."

Old Liu thought for a moment: "I know, it is now called Qingshui Hutong, and before the liberation, it was known as Tianshui Hutong"

We sat on one side of the shelf, looking at each other. Dust and sweat stuck together, and after we wiped it a few times, both of us turned into big painted faces. We smiled at each other, commenting on each other's appearance. Suddenly, I caught a glimpse of several large baskets in the corner of the room, containing case files.

I nodded: "That is my grandfather"

A moment of silence. Da Meng asked, "Uncle Liu, do you know about the case that the old director handled back in '69, where a leader of the revolutionary committee was murdered?"

I exchanged a glance with Da Meng and walked out

I came to my senses and nodded: "Yes, there are clues. I found a case file from the Cultural Revolution. It involves a dismemberment case and is also an unsolved case. Moreover, this crime scene investigation record was done by my grandfather"

Da Meng thought for a moment and said: "I don't know, I only know Qing Shui Hutong. It seems that we don't have Tian Shui Hutong here"

Da Meng nodded and sighed: "Alas! It is a pity that your grandfather is no longer with us. Otherwise, we could have asked the old man."

That voice belonged to Old Man Liu. The two of us breathed a sigh of relief. Da Meng said, "My old man, you nearly scared me to death"

I shook my head. Da Meng composed himself and muttered, "Illusion, illusion. It's nothing."

The old man smiled and said, "A promise is a promise, but you must come. Hehe!"

Old Master Liu widened his eyes: "How could you not recognize him? That is our former director. A veteran criminal investigator."

The door suddenly swung open. Both of us jumped up in fright from the shelf, staring in terror at the doorway. A voice rang out: "I told you not to come here, yet you insisted on coming. Just look at how dirty it is, how filthy."

I have discovered that these case files are all from the Cultural Revolution period. They contain many strange cases, illogical and amusing. It seems that people at that time were quite mad

The two of us pounced forward like wolves and tigers. The dust in the basket of case files was even thicker. We turned the basket upside down and emptied out all the case files inside. For a moment, neither of us could see the other. We could only see a beam of light from the flashlight, filled with swirling dust. We waved our hands in front of us. We carefully picked up the case files and opened them.

Da Meng moved the flashlight over and nodded: "Indeed, come on, we cannot miss any opportunity."

On the yellowed paper, everything is written in traditional Chinese characters with a fountain pen. The writing is exceptionally neat, as if it were printed.

I said to Da Meng, "Look, where are the case files?"

I smiled and asked, "Do you know Lu Yishan?"

I raised my head only after taking another two bites of noodles: "It is certainly related. However, I wonder if the leader of the revolutionary committee's home is located in Qing Shui Hutong. Regardless of whether it is or not, we must go there to investigate."

With this clue, both of us felt very motivated and began to search carefully. After we had examined all the files on the shelf one by one, we found nothing further.

Old Liu chuckled and said: "The leaders of the later revolutionary committee treat us much better than before. People on the street also spread rumors, saying that guy was too ruthless and got his comeuppance. So, those who came later were somewhat afraid as well"

Da Meng nodded: "Sure, come find me tomorrow. I just need to go to the site for a re-inspection, and I will also bring along two junior sisters. I can introduce you to them then"

Da Meng said, "What is that red dot?" We all removed our fingers, and the page remained the same; there was no red dot that resembled blood. Both Da Meng and I were stunned, and Da Meng looked at me: "You saw it, right?"

On an afternoon in the spring of the 28th year of the Republic of China, a murder occurred in Tianshui Hutong of this city. A man named Chen Tianming was killed. Chen Tianming was 45 years old, lived alone, and had neither a spouse nor children. At the time of his death, his head was placed beside him while his body was seated in a chair, with blood flowing from the seven orifices of his head. There were no injuries on his body. The doors and windows of his home were locked, making it impossible for an outsider to enter. The scene of death was terrifying, and the circumstances were bizarre, leading to the case being classified as unsolved. Furthermore, it was linked to recent unsolved cases reported on mhetushucom.com, including beheadings, disembowelments, dismemberments, and skinning, which were suspected to be the work of a single individual. There were also suspicions of supernatural involvement. However, such supernatural claims were merely speculative, lacking concrete evidence, making it impossible to conclude the case, which had to remain open pending future discoveries. Additionally, it was linked to recent unsolved cases reported on mhetushucom.com, including beheadings, disembowelments, dismemberments, and skinning, which were suspected to be the work of a single individual. There were also suspicions of supernatural involvement. However, such supernatural claims were merely speculative, lacking concrete evidence, making it impossible to conclude the case, which had to remain open pending future discoveries.

I shook my head: "What could it be, just a red dot. Let it be, we will continue searching." After that, there really was nothing else to find. During that decade of turmoil, what remained was either very strange or illogical. We had no choice but to give up. However, having these two clues was still worthwhile. Both of us were exhausted; it was a task that required both mental and physical effort. I had just sat on the shelf to catch my breath. Both of us were exhausted; it was a task that required both mental and physical effort. I had just sat on the shelf to catch my breath.

At this time, there are not many people left in the food stall. I insisted on not drinking any alcohol. Da Meng had no choice but to accompany me in eating noodles. We hadn't had dinner that evening, but it seemed we were a bit too hungry. After a few bites of noodles, I surprisingly found it hard to continue eating. Da Meng put down his chopsticks, lit a cigarette, and said: "It seems the location is quite concentrated, specifically in Qing Shui Hutong. Many cases are from there. Could it be a location issue?"

Both Da Meng and I widened our eyes: "What effect?"

I looked at the case file and said, "This is the 28th year of the Republic, which should be 1939 when calculated. However, where is Tianshui Hutong?"

I thought of my grandfather, and a wave of sadness washed over me. Looking again at the case file, I suddenly noticed a bright red dot on the page, resembling a drop of blood, which slowly began to expand. Out of curiosity, I reached out to touch it. However, what I encountered was Da Meng's finger. I glanced at Da Meng.

I nodded. Da Meng then asked, "Where did you go?"

Da Meng nodded and said: "Enhe *Tu* Shu, this case is approximately thirty years distant from the cases of the Republic of China. I believe we should continue our search."

As Da Meng and I were walking towards the entrance, just as we were about to reach it, Da Meng suddenly turned around and asked, "Uncle Liu, do you know Tian Shui Hutong?"

Suddenly, in a case file from 1969, I discovered a clue. It described a homicide case involving a so-called revolutionary committee leader. A person was found disemboweled in their home. However, at that time, the public security authorities were largely ineffective, and everyone lived in fear. The Red Guards were adept at fighting and conducting searches, but when faced with such a criminal case, they were somewhat intimidated and had no choice but to call back the old police officers to investigate the scene.

Old Liu smiled and said, "Indeed, I have spent my entire life as a police officer. They tell me to retire. Staying at home makes me uncomfortable. It is much more at ease to be here."

Old Liu glanced at Da Meng and said, "At such a young age, you have such a small heart. How can you be a detective? Back in my day, I..."

I looked at this simple yet detailed record and felt a sense of familiarity. Glancing at the signature at the back, it read "Lu Yishan." I widened my eyes and said that the reason I felt a sense of familiarity with these records was that the person who documented them was actually my grandfather. My grandfather was also a police officer here back in the day. However, he passed away a few years ago. He had never mentioned such events, but this record was undoubtedly written by my grandfather himself

Old Liu smiled and said, "I noticed you when you came in. What a pity, such a good person is no longer here."

I nodded slightly, for in my memory, there was no Sweet Water Alley in our city. I continued, "Look, the timing here aligns. It is all spring. And it is all about living alone. There must be some connection."