Chapter 26: Instinct for Investigations

The police quickly gathered the corpse, searched Yu Hetu’s residence, and calmed the nearby residents.

After completing a series of tasks in an orderly manner, the sky began to brighten.

When they first arrived, they had seen the figure of a person near Yu Hetu’s body. Yet it vanished in a flash. Despite an extensive search in the vicinity, the police found no trace of any suspicious individual, forcing them to temporarily abandon the pursuit of this mysterious person.

Yu Hetu’s corpse, personal belongings, and even the voice recorder were taken back to the city bureau.

After listening to the contents of the recorder and considering the words “Heaven’s Punishment” overheard by nearby residents, legends about a mysterious figure calling himself “Heaven’s Punishment” began circulating within the police station.

The police’s attitude towards this mysterious person was one of confusion. Different officers held different views.

Some believed he was a murderer who had killed their crucial suspect. Although the recorder proved Yu Hetu was one of the perpetrators in the Dismemberment Case, this vigilante justice itself was a crime – a brutal act of extrajudicial punishment.

Others held a more ambiguous stance. While they acknowledged he was a murderer, they felt he represented a monumental breakthrough in cracking the major Dismemberment Case that had stumped them for over a month. The case was now clear. With the evidence on the recorder, they could quickly locate “Q,” the main culprit behind the dismemberments. In their view, this mysterious person was essentially on their side, the side of justice, even if his methods were somewhat extreme. That could be understood.

Naturally, for the police force as a whole, whether his actions were understandable or unforgivable, they classified the mysterious man as a criminal.

The Director repeatedly listened to the recording. Every time Lan Mu’s calm, detached voice came through, his eyebrows would twitch.

Suddenly, the Director slammed his palm on the desk and yelled at his subordinates, “What are you all standing around for? Everyone works overtime today! We must capture the killer!”

The officers glanced at each other nervously. One brave soul spoke up cautiously, “Director Ye, which… which killer?”

“Which killer?! Who do you think?!” Director Ye was furious.

The officer flinched. “Both?” he whispered.

“Obviously! This lunatic killed a major suspect of ours! And he called us before doing it, killing him right under our noses! It’s a slap in the face! A direct challenge to the badge we wear! How dare he call it ‘Heaven’s Punishment’? This bastard is even more dangerous than the Dismemberment Case killer!”

“I even suspect he killed Yu Hetu for some hidden agenda, some kind of silencing. I don’t buy this ‘Heaven’s Punishment for evil’ rubbish for a second!”

Director Ye clearly detested crime and utterly despised such lawless maniacs. He was infuriated by Lan Mu’s arrogant claim to act as judge and jury, replacing the law.

The officers instantly grasped Director Ye’s stance. They scrambled into action, launching a hunt for two killers.

The first was the main perpetrator in the Dismemberment Case, involved in kidnapping, murder, dismemberment, and illegal human experimentation.

The second was the murderer of Yu Hetu, the self-styled “Heaven’s Punishment” – a masked figure who had brazenly challenged the police and flouted the nation’s laws.

The police finally had clues. Though provided by a criminal, it was better than complete bafflement.

The city bureau essentially formed two teams. Team One focused on arresting “Q”. They used his surname and ancestral hometown of Shandong to narrow it down. There weren’t many people officially registered in Metropolis with the surname Qu who were originally from Shandong, especially when you added the detail about possibly studying surgical medicine.

Team Two was personally led by Director Ye. They investigated the mysterious man. Forensic analysis of the body and the recording confirmed the killer had used a bow and arrow.

Based on the scene and other small traces, the killer was clearly highly skilled physically. An ordinary person couldn’t easily jump from a roof to a third-floor external A/C unit without serious risk of falling. Even Director Ye, who came from a military background, doubted he could do it safely.

Further analysis showed this person located Yu Hetu faster than the entire police force. This suggested either a unique intelligence source or exceptional investigative methods. How else could one person outpace the combined resources of the city’s police?

Frankly, given where Yu Hetu was hiding, the police would likely have found him later that same day. But the masked man was faster, purely and simply faster, and his method was silent, undetected. Formidable.

Connecting these points, Director Ye started his investigation among former military personnel. He pulled the records of all veterans residing in Metropolis. All discharged special forces soldiers were registered with the bureau, complete with detailed profiles.

But search after search turned up no veterans proficient in archery.

“Could it be his archery isn’t that great?” Director Ye wondered aloud. “Maybe using arrows was just a deliberate smokescreen? Perhaps he isn’t actually skilled with a bow?”

The more he thought, the more plausible it seemed. After all, the killer clearly planned this murder meticulously. Why wouldn’t he prepare properly? Why deliberately use a weapon that immediately pointed towards certain skills? Wasn’t he worried about exposure? Director Ye reasoned. Maybe he chose the bow specifically to mislead the investigation.

“While that’s possible,” he decided, “We can’t abandon the archery lead. Pursue it fully.”

Director Ye sent his team to gather extensive records. They meticulously sifted through data, eventually pinpointing the three most skilled archers in Metropolis.

“Yang Li,” Director Ye recited, scanning the file. “National first-class athlete. Olympic bronze in archery, 90m. Asian ranking leader for 70m? Impossible. He’s a national team athlete. Why would he be involved in this ‘Heaven’s Punishment’ nonsense?” Director Ye had even seen Yang Li compete. Someone with such a bright future wouldn’t be the murderer.

Moving on. “Zhang Kairui. National first-class athlete. International archery performance competition third place? Four-time national performance champion? Even more unlikely.” Director Ye dismissed Zhang Kairui just by glancing at his photo. A man who clearly worked out purely for aesthetics, his muscle tone looked… superficial. There was no way he could have slipped through a police cordon right under their eyes.

Director Ye took a sip of water and picked up the last file. It detailed a founding member of the Metropolis “Forest Club,” widely acknowledged as the city’s premier practical marksman.

“Oh?” Director Ye muttered. “Fang Moqi? Field survival expert. Ph.D. in Zoology. Second place in International Amateur Shooting competition? National Hunting Association number one?”

His eyes scanned down Fang Moqi’s lengthy resume.

“Survived: Ecuador’s Amazon Rainforest? Tanzania’s African savanna? Borneo’s wetland jungle? Brazil’s Pantanal Swamp? Greater Khingan primary forest? Pacific Ocean’s deadly Snake Island, Kadar?”

Director Ye was stunned reading the exploits of this thirty-two-year-old man. His wilderness survival experience was staggering, earning him the title “Master.”

He had shot down packs of wolves, fought lions barehanded, eaten giant pythons, killed crocodiles, and even walked away from an encounter with an enraged black bear.

Survived snake bites and held out for three days until rescue.

Endured major trauma from a hippo and crawled twenty kilometers across wilderness to survive.

Surrounded by thirty-nine hyenas and fought his way out, wounded but alive.

The more Director Ye read, the more incredulous he became. Was this human? No wonder he was called the “Extreme Hunter.” Every feat pushed the limits of human endurance.

Such a man, capable of surviving extreme environments, must possess immense agility and rich combat experience. Crucially, his archery skills were purely practical – honed in the field. From every angle, Fang Moqi fit the profile of this murder.

Finding Yu Hetu ahead of the police. Extracting a confession and executing him. Slipping away unseen right after the police cars arrived. Such capability – only someone called “Extreme Hunter” could pull that off.

Thud!

Director Ye slammed the file down on his desk and strode powerfully out of his office.

His name was Ye Jinghong. Former military. Twenty years on the force as a cop. He’d handled countless major cases, developing a powerful instinct for investigations.

This time, looking at Fang Moqi’s file, that instinct flared intensely.

“This case has to be connected to Fang Moqi!”

“My gut never lies!”