Chapter Three: Seizing the Body

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At dawn, a shrill, exaggerated scream pierced the stillness, signaling the indefinite suspension of all police officers’ leave.

In less than an hour, the entire alley was swarmed by a dense cordon of police, their presence so overwhelming that the black-and-yellow tape dared no bystander to even glance their way.

The security officers, brimming with authority, intimidated even the nosiest of market women into silence. The so-called uncrowned kings—the journalists—were nowhere to be seen; here, merely wagging one’s tongue could mean not just the end of a newspaper, but might see the reporter himself tossed into the Guangjiang to feed the fish.

The Bureau of Social Security, colloquially and derisively known as the "Blasting Bureau," was the daily law enforcement body of the Tianjing nation—one of its three great institutions of force.

For such a heavy mobilization of the bureau’s strength, the cause had to be a matter of grave consequence.

Within the alley, a shocking swath of crimson blood was splattered across the ground; to call it a murder scene was almost too mild—it looked as though someone had simply thrown a bucket of red paint.

Torn clothing, scattered fragments of flesh and bone immediately conjured images of a dismemberment case. Some of the younger officers had already turned pale. A more senior officer shot them a glare and waved them out.

The young officers left as if pardoned from death.

Ordinarily, this would be considered inappropriate. No matter how green, officers weren’t allowed to indulge their fears—they had to overcome them for the sake of the investigation. But this case was simply too serious. If it were possible, the officer would have preferred only veterans of twenty years or more to handle the scene.

Five seasoned forensic technicians frowned as they dissolved congealed blood with specimen solution for later analysis, then produced sprays and brushes to search for fingerprints.

Their vehicles were equipped with basic digital testing devices—results could be obtained in minutes.

Two officers discussed the case: “The scene was discovered this morning by a sanitation worker clearing the trash. And, according to our investigation, a young man was seen last night in the market district; he fell, was dragged away while crying for help. From the clothing, it matches one of the victims.”

“He was calling for help and still got dragged off? The security here is abysmal.”

“Society’s in decline, people have grown heartless. But enough with the complaints.”

A young officer, determined to stay, ran over with a professional test report, shouting from afar, “Officer Yuan, the results are in!”

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Another officer left to continue his work, leaving Yuan Liming standing with a furrowed brow, his gaze never leaving the alley. “How many blood samples have we identified?”

Gao Lin replied, “We collected samples from five hundred locations. In total, six distinct human blood samples, plus one animal sample. The remains also confirm the six missing individuals. I’m afraid they’re…”

Yuan Liming turned. “Six? But there were seven missing, weren’t there?”

Gao Lin nodded. “Yes, the last one is Lu Xiaonan. His fingerprints are everywhere, even on the ground, as if he was crawling.”

Suddenly, Gao Lin leaned in and whispered, “Officer Yuan, we also found some discarded white powder at the scene…”

Yuan Liming glared at him. “That’s none of your concern!”

Then in a lower voice, “Forget the others, but Lu Xiaonan—he’s the only son of Mayor Lu. The higher-ups have said to delay processing.”

Delay processing—in other words, let the matter quietly fade away.

Gao Lin nodded quickly, then added, “Also, there’s a line of bloody footprints heading north. The shoe prints match Lu Xiaonan’s Nikes. But ten meters away, in a corner, his shoes and socks were thrown aside. After that, there’s no trace.”

Yuan Liming’s brow furrowed so tightly it seemed swollen. He muttered, “Lu Xiaonan left—where did he go? Could he be the perpetrator? But he’s just a kid, how could he kill so many?”

Gao Lin grumbled, “Really, what were this group of punks doing in a place even dogs avoid? And now, they’re all dead, dragging others down with them…”

Yuan Liming’s gaze flicked to the test report. Suddenly enlightened, he said, “Wait, dogs? Is this unidentified sample from a dog?”

Gao Lin hurried to confirm with the technicians and returned. “Yes, it’s dog’s blood. I was wondering if the killer was so vicious even the dog wasn’t spared.”

“What are you saying? As if killing people but not dogs would be any less vicious?”

Yuan Liming squatted to examine a piece of flesh. “This is not so simple.”

“I know it’s not simple. So many people killed at once—this is huge.”

“No, the key isn’t the victims’ identities, but the perpetrator.” Yuan Liming picked up the piece with his bare hands, baring his teeth as he compared it. “There are human bite marks here. Have forensics identify whose teeth made them.”

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The young officer was startled. “Officer Yuan, are you saying this is the work of a cannibal?”

Yuan Liming stood, stretching his back. “More than that. There are licking marks everywhere. Even a cannibal—would they lick the blood off the ground? And tell me, do you eat spare ribs?”

“Of course! My mom’s best dish is spare ribs.”

“Do you eat the bones too?”

Gao Lin suddenly understood. “Of course not—at most, I suck the marrow. The killer ate the victims’ bones? No human jaw is that powerful!”

Yuan Liming shook his head. “Human jaws are strong, but we haven’t used them so forcefully in ten thousand years. There are even dozens of broken teeth here. I suspect this was not just a site of dismemberment, but also disposal. That’s why I asked about dogs—this looks like a wild animal feasted here. At the very least, a Tibetan mastiff. Check the city’s records for large pet ownership.”

Officer Yuan seemed unremarkable, yet his deductions brought him close to the truth in an instant.

But it wasn’t a beast—it was a demon hiding in human skin.

Gao Lin’s eyes widened. “You’re saying a group of deranged killers devoured the victims alive—even the bones are gone?”

“The bones, yes, but the internal organs were all left behind.” Yuan Liming, for once, joked, then grew serious. “Not a group. Just one.”

Gao Lin was incredulous. “Six victims—that’s nearly three hundred kilos of flesh. Not even a tiger could eat that much!”

Yuan Liming’s expression was grave. “There are too few traces at the scene, and the patterns are too uniform. There couldn’t have been many perpetrators. And would you want there to be a second such cannibal?”

He patted Gao Lin on the shoulder. “The report will state this as a major malignant homicide. Be careful what you say. All evidence points to Lu Xiaonan. Hard as it is to believe, but if it’s true—‘The Bloody Cannibal is the Mayor’s Only Son’—well, that would be a scandal for the ages.”