I Play Dungeons in the Police Station-Chapter 422 - 255: The Clogged Sewer
The body parts have been found, but the ensuing questions have not lessened, and the victim’s identity remains a mystery.
"Let’s head to Dongjin District; they’re investigating there now."
"Alright."
With matters settled on this end, Li Xiang followed Qiu Cang and the others to Dongjin District.
Upon arrival, a task force was already conducting an investigation at the scene.
Seeing Qiu Cang and his team come over, they approached: "Captain Qiu, Team Leader Li, the landlord just arrived, but that room has already been rented out. We can’t just go in recklessly, but we have contacted the tenant, and she’ll be back in twenty minutes."
"Alright, let’s find the landlord and get some information first."
Having said this, they approached the landlord.
The landlord was called Shen Weichun, looked to be in his fifties, with some white hair, and appeared quite amiable.
Upon hearing that Qiu Cang was the captain, he repeatedly inquired, "Captain Qiu, I didn’t expect your precinct to take this so seriously. Please help find the person quickly, she still has a lot of stuff here, which I’ve packed up and put in the storage room. But now the new tenant is here and needs to use the storage room too; I don’t dare just throw her things away."
The task force did not tell him that the former tenant might have died, only asked him to cooperate under the guise of helping to find her.
"Nothing’s missing, right?"
"Nothing’s missing, everything is intact. When I couldn’t reach her, I reported it to your precinct, and the police said it’s okay as long as a video is taken when entering and her things are packed up properly."
"Where is the video?"
"Still on my phone, I didn’t delete it since the person hasn’t been found."
Having said that, he took out his phone, opened the video he recorded back then, and showed it to Qiu Cang and the others.
The video showed the landlord calling a locksmith company, and after verifying his identity, they quickly unlocked the door.
The landlord then walked into the room, holding his phone up.
The room was not as chaotic as Qiu Cang and his team imagined a murder scene would be; everything appeared quite normal, all items were present, and signs of living were evident.
This gave the landlord the illusion she might come back.
"This girl seemed sensible, not like someone who’d default on rent, not sure where she went. By the way, did you find anything from the ID I gave you last time?"
After watching the video, the landlord curiously asked.
Actually, she still owed him a month’s rent. The money wouldn’t run away since her belongings were still here.
"Not yet; how much do you know about the former tenant?"
Currently, it wasn’t completely confirmed if the deceased was her. It was all just speculation, so Qiu Cang didn’t say more, focusing on asking questions.
"Not much. We generally do online transactions; we only met once while signing the contract. She looked quite pretty, spoke politely, didn’t seem like someone who’d default on rent, might have encountered some difficulties. Sigh, as a young girl, it’s not easy being away from home. She could have discussed any difficulties with me; I could have extended some time, no need to disappear like this."
Seeing what the landlord said, Qiu Cang knew he didn’t know much about the victim either. A few more questions confirmed this; the landlord was clueless, all he knew was that she was good-looking.
Just then, the new tenant arrived.
It must be said that the landlord has a good eye for tenants; the new tenant was also a young girl, who seemed to have just graduated and started working.
Seeing so many police officers at the scene, she was quite nervous.
"Hello, Officer."
"Could you open the room for us? The previous tenant left some things inside."
"Oh, sure."
The young girl took out a key and opened the room door.
"I moved things from the storage room out; her belongings are all in there. I didn’t touch anything."
The young girl led Qiu Cang to the storage room, while Li Xiang headed to the bathroom.
Seeing Li Xiang head to the bathroom, Yang Ming followed him.
"Captain Li, do you suspect the killer dismembered the body in the bathroom?"
"Where else could they have done it?"
By investigating the bathroom, it would be clear at a glance whether the victim was the previous tenant.
If she was, the murderer must have cleaned up thoroughly; otherwise, the new tenant wouldn’t have happily moved in.
But no matter how meticulous, some traces would still be left behind.
Li Xiang’s job was to be attentive and find them.
"Wait a moment."
The young girl saw Li Xiang heading to the bathroom, suddenly thought of something, and hurriedly called him back, then rushed into the bathroom, leaving Qiu Cang and the others.
Li Xiang and Yang Ming exchanged a glance, instantly understanding, and smiled at each other.
The young girl came out holding a piece of cloth, face flushed, and softly told Li Xiang and the others, "All done, you can go in now."
As Li Xiang and the others went to the bathroom, Qiu Cang relaxed, knowing Li Xiang wasn’t just any privileged child; he had actual skills.
If there was something, he would definitely spot it.
And indeed, as Qiu Cang thought, upon entering, Li Xiang began meticulously examining every corner of the bathroom, even crouching down to inspect the sink, where he indeed found something.
Yang Ming noticed as well.
"Captain Li, there are spatter traces."
"Hmm, it seems we were right." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
Having confirmed it in his heart, Li Xiang walked out of the bathroom.
Seeing Li Xiang exit, Qiu Cang gestured with his eyes: Did you find anything inside?
Li Xiang nodded affirmatively.
"Look, she still has money, necklaces, everything here, and I didn’t touch anything."
The young girl had collected the former tenant’s valuables into one place, ready to return them to her when she came back.
"When you packed up, did you find a phone, ID card, or bank cards?"
Having these would greatly aid the police in confirming the victim’s identity.
"No, maybe she took them."
After hearing the young girl’s words, Li Xiang shook his head, thinking to himself: She probably didn’t take them; the killer did.
After gathering the information, Qiu Cang called in the forensics team to take evidence from the bathroom. Meanwhile, the items in the storage room were also cleared out, ready to be taken back to the task force for re-sorting, hoping to find clues to solve the case.
"Landlord, it’s good you’re here; your drains need unclogging. They’re slow and there’s an odor; if you don’t fix it, I’ll have to find a new place."
At this time, the young girl approached the landlord about some issues in the house.
"I contacted a plumber; they’ll be here shortly. Once the police leave, they’ll help fix it."
"There’s no need."
Having overheard their conversation, Li Xiang decided it was necessary to inform them of the incident occurring in the room.
The young girl had the right to know as well.
Though the case was still confidential, as long as specific details weren’t revealed, it was alright.
Hearing Li Xiang’s words, both the young girl and the landlord looked at him.
"A murder has occurred in this room, with the bathroom being the dismemberment site. As for why the drain is clogged, I think I don’t need to elaborate further? The plumber isn’t needed; the police are handling it now."
"Huh?"
"What???"
The expressions of the young girl and the landlord became quite dramatic, both feeling as if the sky was falling.
The young girl couldn’t believe she had been living in a murder house all this time, a strong sense of unease spreading through her, making her want to escape and never return.
The landlord, besides being shocked, felt a sense of loss.
It was disastrous; the house’s value would plummet, resulting in massive losses.
The new tenant would want to leave; others, knowing it’s a murder house, might not want to rent it either. Selling it would be difficult too, unless at a huge discount.
No matter what choice, this was a big loss for him.
