Chapter 30: Even Meteorite Collecting Has Middlemen

"Judging by what you've said, you suspect the bloodstains from the other two individuals in the car might be linked to his identity?" Forensic Pathologist Lin had just finished positioning the body on the autopsy table.

Cen Lian took a glance, finally seeing what Chen Nan actually looked like. He had only interacted with a quarter of him previously, though even that quarter had been enough to trigger text bubbles.

"The car Hu Tingting drove off in belonged to Chen Nan. According to her, she has no idea if anyone else had been in the trunk," Wu Qiushan said, summarizing Hu Tingting's statement for them. "She killed Chen Nan because he deceived her. He kept claiming he was the son of a wealthy family, the kind that ran large corporations. Hu Tingting was tricked into sleeping with him, and it wasn't until she became pregnant that she realized Chen Nan wasn't a wealthy heir at all. Not only was he married, but she wasn't even a proper mistress."

"A crime of passion," Tang Hua remarked, sounding somewhat disappointed. "I was hoping for a more thrilling story."

"If she was capable of driving into the city with body parts stuffed in the trunk, she’s hardly a novice," Wu Qiushan scoffed. "After Hu Tingting aborted the baby, she lured Chen Nan out, killed him, and dismembered him with the intent that he would never find peace. Then, you lot stumbled upon her."

Beyond the realization that Hu Tingting was ruthless toward both herself and others, Cen Lian had little interest in the lovers' quarrel; for a criminal investigator, such cases were all too common. It was Chen Nan who piqued his curiosity.

"I’m going to ask around," Cen Lian said. He took a photo of the meteorite and asked Yuan Chenxi for a copy of Chen Nan’s household registration photo, which he then sent to several meteorite enthusiasts he knew.

Meanwhile, Dr. Lin had begun the autopsy, and the scent in the room became unbearable for any normal human. Tang Hua excused himself with great self-awareness. Wu and Cen remained unmoved, standing beside the forensic assistant to observe the procedure.

"The deceased had a habit of long-term trekking in mountainous terrain," Dr. Lin noted, performing a detailed examination from head to toe. "The cause of death matches Hu Tingting's testimony: a single stab wound to the spleen resulting in massive internal bleeding."

"Do you think this guy was a meteorite hunter?" Cen Lian asked, looking at Chen Nan’s body with uncertainty.

Wu Qiushan didn't answer immediately; he was thinking about the items he had cleared out of the trunk earlier. "I suspect this man went to Yunnan Province before he died," he said, recalling the various seeds and plant matter he had found. "If he frequently ventured deep into the mountains, the plant seeds and spores left on his body and in his car strongly resemble those found in the mountains of Yunnan."

"Yunnan?" Cen Lian suddenly remembered his parents had recently traveled there, though the two were likely unrelated.

***

Wu Qiushan grew more confident. "That's right. I'm certain he had been to Yunnan."

"There haven't been any large-scale meteorite showers in Yunnan lately," Cen Lian recalled. "But these things don't necessarily fall recently; they might have just been unearthed."

As he pondered this, his WeChat finally pinged with a response. A meteorite enthusiast a few years his senior recognized Chen Nan.

"I know him. He’s a meteorite dealer. He often travels to various mountains to collect stones from locals and other hunters—a middleman of sorts. The last I heard, he had gone to Jiangyuan City in Yunnan. I don't know if he picked anything up there, and I haven't heard from him since."

That was all the enthusiast knew.

"If his last known location was Jiangyuan City, then we should check the recent missing persons reports there," Wu Qiushan reacted immediately. "I suspect this Chen Nan was involved in something shady."

After all, no decent person has the blood of two other people in their trunk.

"Let’s run the DNA comparisons first, otherwise we can’t close this case," Dr. Lin said, finishing the sutures on the body. "His cause of death is clear. I’ll submit the report as soon as possible."

The case of Hu Tingting killing Chen Nan was finally being processed, though further investigation would take time. That was the trouble with cross-provincial cases; if Chen Nan’s body hadn't been discovered in their jurisdiction, Cheng would have long since found a way to dump the case on Qiongsan City, where the murder actually occurred.

Dr. Lin remained in the autopsy room with his assistant to handle the cleanup, while Cen Lian and Wu Qiushan stepped out. Tang Hua was waiting outside, and seeing that neither of them seemed to have new leads, he suggested they go out for hot pot.

"Sounds good," Cen Lian said, finally feeling hungry after breathing fresh air. "It’s Sunday, after all. It should count as a day off."

"I heard you two went to help at the Xinhe Police Station on Saturday and managed to solve a cold case while you were at it?" Wu Qiushan was well-informed.

Cen Lian hadn't wanted to bring it up, but since Wu had mentioned it, he replied, "It was just a coincidence. The guy was drunk and chewing on people's bicycle seats in the Xinhe jurisdiction. Once I caught him, I felt something was off, so I bluffed him a bit and he cracked." Cen Lian carefully omitted the illogical yet strangely effective intuition he had used to get to the truth.

***

Wu Qiushan didn't press for details; he knew Cen Lian had solved quite a few cases in the Taishan branch recently.

"The Municipal Bureau wants to borrow you, but the Taishan branch isn't very happy about it," Wu said on the way to the restaurant, sharing the office gossip. "The leaders here said it took them forever to get someone who can actually solve cases, and now they want to take you away after only a few days. They’re calling the Municipal leadership unreasonable."

Tang Hua nearly slammed on the brakes. "Good grief, I can't even imagine our leaders talking like that." He stopped at a red light, deciding it was best not to run it while in a police vehicle.

Cen Lian pulled up a hot pot restaurant for Tang Hua to follow and continued the conversation. "It sounds like I’ll be staying at the Taishan branch for the rest of the year at least." He was concerned about his own career path.

"Probably. By the way, if you have some free time, there’s an old cold case here at the Taishan branch that’s been gathering dust. Do you want to take a look?" Wu Qiushan seemed very interested in this particular case.

Cen Lian knew Wu’s level of expertise; if he was personally inviting him, it meant the case was far from simple.

"There’s no immediate follow-up on the Chen Nan case. If there are no new cases tomorrow, I’ll look at it." Cen Lian was well aware of why he had been seconded. The Taishan branch didn't need an average, office-bound investigator; they needed someone who could help them climb the performance rankings and close difficult cases.

That had been his role since his secondment.

"Looks like we'll be busy again," Tang Hua said, equally aware of his own position. His primary task was to assist Cen Lian—otherwise, as a plain, grassroots officer, why would the branch have requested his transfer?

Wu Qiushan flashed a cryptic smile and said nothing more, silently pulling up a case file on his phone.