Chapter Sixty-Four: Another Murder Case

East Third Road is a remote yet spacious thoroughfare, and the Bihu Residential Complex is an upscale development. People nowadays prefer to live further away from the bustling city center in search of tranquility, especially since the private car has become a standard necessity.

It is said that property prices here have reached as high as 60,000 per square meter. At the very least, Bihu definitely commands that price, as there is a truly large man-made lake within the grounds.

It is a quintessential neighborhood for the wealthy. However, what puzzled Chen Tianyu was that even after they had stood outside observing for quite some time, the tightly secured complex saw very few people coming or going. Once inside, this situation became even more apparent: the playgrounds, the lakeside, the lawns, the outdoor gym equipment, and the library all showed no signs of human activity.

It was already past 8:00 PM, yet very few lights were on in the complex. Kuang Suo, on a whim, counted them; in the twenty-four-story apartment building before them, only about thirty units had their lights on.

Could it be that these residents had all gone out for the nightlife? Or were there simply not many people living here at all?

The accompanying police officer remarked that this was a new development, opened only two years prior. Because the prices were so high, the average person certainly couldn't afford it, but no one had an accurate count of just how many wealthy people there were in the city. There were simply too many "invisible" rich people nowadays—who could possibly keep track?

The security guard who had followed them in remained silent, refusing to speak unless spoken to. Chen Tianyu glanced at him and roughly understood the situation: the man was undoubtedly working for the developer and dared not speak out of turn.

Walking along the man-made lake, the area was deathly still. There were no chirping insects or croaking frogs. Fish were kept in the lake, but they lacked any vitality, drifting sluggishly; it seemed they were rarely fed.

Building 3 was located in the middle of the western side of the complex. The landscaping was well-maintained. The group passed through the garden path leading to the entrance, swiped a key card at the lobby, and took the elevator to the 18th floor. Throughout the entire process, they did not encounter a single soul, as if they were in a ghost town.

The elevator was fast, and since no one else was using it, they reached the 18th floor in an instant.

This was a layout with two units per floor. The door to 1801 was locked tight, but a shoe cabinet stood outside, filled with footwear that wasn't worn often. (Modern apartment buildings usually have entrance foyers, but most people wouldn't leave old, worn-out, or smelly shoes there.) Unit 1802 also had no lights on, and there was no shoe rack or any other clutter outside its door; the hallway was impeccably clean, suggesting that 1802 was unoccupied.

Chen Tianyu remained silent; he did not want to make any noise just yet. What if someone was inside 1801? No one could be sure. Since he held the key, he simply wanted to slip inside quietly.

He inserted the key into the lock, but he didn't hear the click of the deadbolt disengaging...

The door opened immediately!

The entrance foyer had only a shoe cabinet, and the lights were off. Wan Yongkun fumbled for a long time but couldn't find the light switch. The plainclothes officers accompanying them quickly pulled out their police flashlights, scanning the area cautiously as they led the way.

Beyond the foyer was the living room. Under the crisscrossing beams of their flashlights, the living room appeared empty. Guided by the light, Wan Yongkun finally spotted the switch. He was about to turn on the lights, but Chen Tianyu gestured for him to stop.

Making a rough estimate, this was a large apartment of over two hundred square meters. The living room and dining room were each forty or fifty square meters, meaning there were likely about five bedrooms and studies. An officer swept his light around and indeed spotted four closed mahogany doors, with what seemed to be another door in the corner.

The security guard finally spoke his first words, his voice very low: "That one at the very end is the master bedroom."

Chen Tianyu nodded. He signaled to Wan Yongkun and Kuang Suo, who understood and headed straight for the master bedroom, while several officers stood guard at the other doors.

Chen Tianyu had a gut feeling that there was someone in the apartment; he just didn't know which room they were in. Though he had only been inside for a short time, he clearly saw two wine glasses on the dining table, a trace of dark red liquid at the bottom of each—likely red wine. There were a few small side dishes on the table, looking as though they had just been eaten, and the chairs were pushed out halfway, not neatly tucked in.

He just couldn't understand why the person in the apartment hadn't made a sound until now. With so many people breaking in, there should have been some noise. Could the person inside be sleeping that soundly?

But it was only a little past 8:00 PM; it wasn't exactly time for bed.

A faint, nauseating stench drifted into Chen Tianyu’s nostrils. He was suddenly struck by an ominous premonition.

"Open the doors!" he commanded in a low voice.

The five doors were opened simultaneously. Four were empty, but from the master bedroom, a wave of stench surged out, nearly causing Wan Yongkun and Kuang Suo to collapse. A swarm of flies followed.

The two shone their flashlights into the room: a corpse lay stiffly on the large bed!

Flies buzzed everywhere, and everyone scrambled to avoid them.

Hu Wenyi was dead. He had died on the bed in the master bedroom, wearing only his briefs, almost completely naked.

His face was a bloody, unrecognizable mess, and his body was bloated and distended. It appeared he had been dead for many days, and the body was already covered in maggots. The officers present were field agents, and the stench filling the room was so overwhelming that none of them wanted to step inside.

One of the liaison officers was reporting the situation to the police station on his phone. After hanging up, he told Chen Tianyu that the supervisors and the medical examiner would arrive shortly.

Chen Tianyu stood in the room for a while, finding it difficult to endure. Unlike Li Yiting, he did not come from a background as a frontline criminal investigator, and encounters like this were rare for him.

Everyone was waiting for his instructions, but he felt a sudden impulse and dialed Xu Jingnan. The situation was growing increasingly complex, and he couldn't do without this highly skilled and capable aide.

To his surprise, Xu Jingnan was already on his way. Ever since returning last time, he had been preoccupied with the case, fearing he might have missed something in the rush. As soon as he finished his tasks, he had set out immediately to see how he could help. It was a coincidence; he had just walked out of the airport when Chen Tianyu’s call came through.

"Brother Four, tell them to wait for me. I can't miss this one," Xu Jingnan said urgently.

Chen Tianyu forced a smile. "Be careful on the road. You might even get here before the city’s medical examiner." His words were true; the complex was quite remote, making it relatively close to the airport.

"Can you handle a crime scene right after getting off a plane?" Chen Tianyu asked, concerned.

Xu Jingnan laughed. "I’ve seen plenty of these things; don't you worry. I’m not that squeamish..." He hung up quickly, presumably having hailed a taxi.

After sending the location to Xu Jingnan, Chen Tianyu ordered the officers on the scene to evacuate Room 1801 to avoid disturbing the evidence. Everyone complied, and a cordon was set up in the hallway.

The living room lights were turned on, making the room seem a bit brighter. Chen Tianyu scanned the area casually, finding nothing particularly striking, and he quietly stepped out as well.

No one spoke. Everyone waited for the arrival of the medical examiners.