Chapter 573: Chapter 573: Interrupted Pursuit

Three years have passed, and the dormitory no longer retains much of its original appearance.

Aside from this deserted floor, it seems no evidence from the murder case back then was left behind.

Lu Chuan walked to the dormitory window; outside it’s already replaced with steel burglar-proof bars, and he could see the glass shards glinting on the second-floor wall.

Lu Chuan had studied the files of the 116 case from that year meticulously.

According to the survivor’s account, she was being violated at the time.

Simultaneously, she saw two dark figures moving on the opposite bed. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

She wanted to scream, but it felt as if something was blocking her throat, making her unable to make a sound.

Only the ripping pain coursing through her body assured her she was still alive.

Then, the assailant on her realized she had awoken, grabbed her head forcefully, and slammed it against the wall.

Later, the surviving girl awoke again the next morning.

However, a pillow was covering her head.

"Was it the survivor who reported to the police back then?"

Qin Hui shook his head, "No."

"It was the students’ teacher who reported to the police back then."

"The girl called the teacher first, and the teacher reported it."

"Why didn’t the survivor call the police herself?"

"That was what I asked back then; she said she was scared, and when she woke up and called out to her roommates, there was no response, so she called the teacher."

Lu Chuan’s face was grave as he returned from the window.

Climbing onto the survivor’s bed, he happened to see the wall.

There were some dark stains visible on it.

Wang Ruiqing explained from the side, "After the survivor girl’s head was heavily struck, it bled, and the blood stained the wall."

"The assailant was very ruthless, definitely used all their strength. When we later conducted a physical examination on the surviving students, the girl had a mild concussion."

Lu Chuan knew this fact.

The files contained the survivor’s medical examination report.

The girl not only had a mild concussion but also ruptures in the inner lining of the lower body.

This proved that the only survivor was indeed violated back then.

"Are the victims’ bodies... still around?"

Wang Ruiqing shook his head and then nodded, "There were five victims in total. Three of the victims’ bodies have been cremated, but two bodies remain uncremated at the funeral home."

Qin Hui was also aware of this, "Three years have passed, and the case hasn’t progressed at all. The victims’ families..."

Sigh.

Qin Hui let out a sigh.

As the deputy captain of the Criminal Investigation Team back then and the main person responsible for the case, Qin Hui knew too well the situation of the victims’ families at the time.

All five girls were only children.

Upon learning of their children’s deaths, two mothers immediately ended up in the hospital.

The parents’ initial trust in the police turned to doubt and ultimately led them to cause a disturbance at the Criminal Investigation Team...

Until now, they have turned a deaf ear and a blind eye to everything.

Qin Hui experienced this entire process.

And it was always him who went to receive them.

"The parents of the three victims who were cremated have not inquired about the case for a long time; they’ve probably completely lost faith in us."

"But there are still the parents of two victims who call me every month to ask about the progress of the case."

Raising a biological child for sixteen or seventeen years...

Only for them to be brutally murdered in the dormitory; these past few years, Qin Hui has been under no less pressure than those families.

This is also why he personally accompanied Lu Chuan to the scene this time.

No one wants to solve this case more than Qin Hui.

And Lu Chuan is currently his greatest hope.

Circling the dormitory once more, Lu Chuan looked at the marks the killer left behind on the dormitory walls.

Directly across from where the survivor was facing.

Three years have passed, but the marks are still there.

Though the color has changed, given Lu Chuan’s expertise, he could identify it as blood at a glance.

"It was tested back then; it was the victim’s blood."

Wang Ruiqing, who was a crime scene investigator back then, remembered it vividly.

Having looked around without any special discoveries, Lu Chuan then left.

In the car.

"Captain Qin, the survivor should have graduated by now, right?"

"Yes, she graduated last year and now teaches at a kindergarten."

"Should we visit her tomorrow morning?"

"No problem."

"And as for the remaining two bodies at the funeral home, defrost them tonight; I’ll go over and re-examine them tomorrow morning."

Re-examine?

Lu Chuan noticed their puzzled look, "I have a hypothesis that needs confirmation."

In the family annihilation case over in Tianzhou City, Lu Chuan re-examined the victims’ bodies and found some details.

Now, since this dormitory murder case and the perpetrators from over there are suspected to be from the same group, there should be some similar details left on the bodies.

"Alright, I’ll arrange it."

...

While Lu Chuan was re-investigating the 116 case here, the investigation over in Tianzhou City continued.

Significant progress had been made in the initial investigation by Song Mingguang and Wang Song.

They identified the cause of the conflict between the victims and the perpetrators.

Moreover, the footage from the victims withdrawing money and at the hot pot restaurant provided further tracking leads on the victims.

However, the later stages of investigation and evidence collection have not progressed smoothly.

The three perpetrators are undoubtedly recidivists with strong counter-investigation awareness.

The fact that there was no exposure to the surveillance in the hot pot restaurant even when the three argued with the victim’s family inside speaks volumes.

Wang Song and Song Mingguang encountered obstacles while tracing other surveillance footage.

The surveillance covering the cash withdrawal only traced some backs.

Afterward, the party seemed to vanish.

Exterior surveillance of the hot pot restaurant, through supermarkets, road cameras, and various other means, only captured a few side profiles.

In the meeting room.

Three photos were projected on the screen.

"The brothers from the Criminal Investigation Team in Tianzhou City are still sweeping through videos. These are the clearest three photos we’ve found so far."

Since taking over the case, Song Mingguang and Wang Song have been busy, following the case from morning often until late at night.

But neither of them expected the perpetrators to have such strong counter-investigation awareness.

In previous cases, once they found the initial location of a suspect, tracking through every surveillance from that location usually yields some findings.

But these three were extremely cautious, generally avoiding surveillance whenever they went out.

Li Donglin rubbed his temples as he looked at the blurry photos on the projection...

Feeling a headache coming on.

The case is tough to crack.

But currently, there’s no better method.

The major crimes team has already teased out clues about the suspects from the complex case.

What’s left is to track them down.

And often, this can be the hardest part.

Additionally, this case occurred half a month ago, and there’s no guarantee the perpetrators are still in Tianzhou City.

What should we do?