About two hundred meters upstream of the reservoir!
"Whoosh~ Splash~ ~ ~"
Shen Ting's reflection flickered rapidly in the rushing river.
He looked at Hannibal and Jigsaw’s messages, feeling equally excited.
Because the fishing spot and the reed cluster were essentially the same place—
About eighty meters upstream of the reservoir!
There was a large patch of reeds there, and more than a dozen people were casting their lines and fishing.
Shen Ting quickly returned to that spot!
The soft or rugged riverbanks now seemed to have become flat ground.
In the group chat!
Tang Ren: "Why is the reed cluster suspicious?"
Kiko: "⚆_⚆?
Exactly, that place doesn't look special, does it?"
Hannibal: "No, that place is very special.
At least within this two-hundred-meter range, if I were to dispose of a body, I would choose that spot.
It’s an intuitive, subconscious choice."
Jigsaw: "If there must be a reason, then... a sense of security!
That place would give the body-disposing murderer a strong sense of security.
The surrounding mountains and forests perfectly block out prying eyes from almost all directions in the distance.
The reed cluster behind it can block the view from nearby.
Moreover!
That section of the river is narrower, at a bend, with rapid currents and loud water sounds, which can mask the sound of a body entering the water.
These are all sources of security.
And it's also why Hannibal instinctively chose this place!"
Shen Ting was impressed by the unknown.
He had already arrived at the suspicious location!
The reed cluster before him was deeply green and quite large.
The soft, white conical inflorescences at the top merged into one expanse, swaying gently towards the center of the river under the caress of the breeze.
Shen Ting's gaze, passing through the white filamentous fluff floating in the air, also fell upon the river.
Some slender, soft hairs fell into the river, like eyelashes or eyebrows, and combined with the sunlight shimmering on the water, they looked like countless eyes blinking continuously at Shen Ting.
He immediately recalled the eyeball that had stared at him through the photograph…
"The body of that head might be here?"
Calming himself, he walked to the junction of the reed cluster and the river.
Hannibal: "This is the exact spot!"
Jigsaw: "Standing here, do you feel especially safe?"
Safe?
Shen Ting wasn't entirely sure what state he was in right now.
But in his heart, he did seem to feel a little more at ease!
This section of the riverbank protruded slightly into the reed cluster.
Standing here, the reeds behind him perfectly blocked his back.
Further away, there were layers of mountains, which indeed provided excellent concealment from prying eyes!
These might all be sources of that sense of security.
However!
Shen Ting still frowned slightly.
It wasn't that he doubted Hannibal and Jigsaw's judgment, but rather that Qin Feng had said it wasn't certain whether the murderer came here to dispose of a body!
If it was confirmed that this was the body disposal site, Shen Ting's next step would be to report it to the police to gain a reward.
But what if the murderer didn't come here to dispose of a body at all? That would be a huge joke.
It would be a small matter if he himself was punished, but delaying a normal investigation would be a big deal!
"It's best to confirm it again!"
Shen Ting looked to his right, at the fishermen about ten meters upstream, and walked directly over.
He also pulled out a box of Chunghwa cigarettes from his pocket.
He didn't actually smoke; these cigarettes were for easier negotiation or inquiry when he encountered problems while delivering food, so they were of a higher quality!
"Big brother, your fishing skills are really good!
You've already caught four or five fish in this short time!
One look at you, and I can tell you're an experienced angler; if you entered a competition, you'd definitely win a prize!"
The bald middle-aged man looked at the cigarette Shen Ting offered, his eyes lit up, and he took it, holding it in his mouth as he said proudly:
"Young man, you have good taste.
My skill, if not the best in all of Chaoyang, is certainly among the top three, more than enough!"
A few middle-aged men further upstream, likely his friends, burst into laughter upon hearing this:
"Third? Old Yu, I think your bragging skills are third in Chaoyang!"
"No, no, I think it's your blanking skills that are first!"
"Hahaha, young man, don't listen to this old fellow's bragging.
He can catch so many fish entirely because this place is a bit special today."
Shen Ting's mind stirred, and he went over to offer cigarettes to each of them, even helping them light up.
After a brief exchange, he learned that, from a professional angler's perspective, this was not actually a very good fishing spot.
It was relatively difficult to catch fish here!
It was just that the environment here was good, so a few older brothers occasionally came to relax.
But for some reason today, since they arrived in the morning, they hadn't stopped catching fish.
They weren't sure of the specific reason, and all suspected it was because the baiting was done well.
"The good baiting, I'm afraid, isn't yours..."
Shen Ting had a plan in mind. After saying goodbye, he left.
As he returned along the original path to the reservoir, he first asked Kiko for a mini-program that could mask his phone number and bank card number.
Only then did he dial 110.
"Hello, this is the 110 Alarm Center . How may I help you?"
"Hello, I am a concerned citizen of Chaoyang!
I want to report someone... disposing of a body!"
"Disposing of a body?"
The operator's voice clearly rose an octave:
"Sir, are you sure it's disposing of a body?
Where and when did you discover it?"
"It's like this: In the early hours of this morning, my wife and I couldn't sleep.
Bored at home, we went into the mountains for a wild pao..."
"Hmm? What did you say?"
The operator's voice trembled in surprise.
"Hunting wild roe deer!
Officer, what did you think I said?"
"Ahem, I didn't hear clearly just now, sir, please continue!"
"Anyway, I was driving on 245 National Highway, found a random intersection, and turned in.
After passing a large reservoir, I parked.
My wife and I took our tools and went into the mountains.
Walking upstream along the river for less than a hundred meters, we vaguely saw someone throwing something into the river behind a patch of reeds.
The sound was very loud, very distinct!
But it was still dark at the time, and we didn't see it clearly.
Plus, there happened to be wild roe deer nearby, so my wife and I didn't think much of it and went hunting directly.
Just now, my wife and I came out of the mountains and walked back to the reed cluster.
The more we thought about it, the more it didn't feel right.
After discussing, we both felt that what that person threw into the river this morning looked very much like... a corpse!
A human corpse!
And it seemed to be a headless human corpse.
So, after discussing, we quickly called the police!"
The operator, who had initially not taken the call seriously, thinking it was a prank.
After all, the caller didn't sound serious.
And in this day and age, how could one so easily encounter a body disposal?
But as the caller's description continued, her breathing became excitedly rapid.
She even took out paper and pen, meticulously taking notes!
Early morning, 245 National Highway, a bend, a reservoir, a corpse, and a headless corpse at that…
These elements combined, and she instinctively thought of the head-crushing case from this morning.
The key was!
The investigation team hadn't recovered a body from the reservoir.
Perhaps the disposal site wasn't the reservoir at all?
The operator's voice became even more serious:
"Sir, do you remember the specific location where the target disposed of the body at that time?"
"I remember, it was at the very upstream part of the reed cluster near the river, where there's a section of the riverbank that protrudes into the reeds.
Further upstream, there are a few middle-aged men fishing there."
"Okay..."
After the operator asked some more detailed questions:
"Sir, is there anything else you need to add?"
"No, wait, yes there is!"
Shen Ting quickly said:
"I just want to ask, if you really find a body at the location I reported.
Is there a reward?"
"Of course there is!
At least ten thousand, the specific amount will depend on the circumstances!"
"That's good!"
...
