Chapter 1447 - The Final Link
Mu Min remained at Su Wan's side until the small hours before finally returning to Police Headquarters. With less than two hours until dawn, she allowed herself a brief rest in the rattan chair of her office.
An hour later, the telephone's shrill ring shattered the silence.
"Sorry to call so early," came Salina's voice, "but the forensic report on that railing has come back. There's something you'll want to see."
"It's fine." Mu Min was already fully awake. "I'll be right there."
The so-called Forensic Center amounted to little more than a few cramped rooms within Police Headquarters, outfitted with crude experimental apparatus of Lingao's domestic manufacture. The capabilities here were rudimentary at best—equipment and personnel constraints meant that some analyses had to be outsourced to the Heavy Industry Central Laboratory. Yet even these meager resources were sufficient to reign supreme in this era.
Salina wore an isolation gown, Lingao-made safety goggles, and a mask. Her white-gloved hands carefully manipulated the rotted wooden stick on the examination table.
Her appointment as Director of the Forensic Center had been a case of pressing a duck onto a perch—the logic being that American law enforcement's forensic technology was far more advanced than China's, so Salina must have "seen more pigs running" than Ran Yao or Mu Min, the domestic police officers. She had not disappointed expectations, learning and adapting on the fly to get the Forensic Center operational after a fashion. Of course, book knowledge and binge-watching CSI, combined with the collective experience of the police officers, was far from sufficient. Many of the technical methods employed by the center still relied on support from the biology and chemistry laboratories under the Senate.
"What good things did you find?"
"Complete fingerprints—you're going to love this." Salina picked up a sample box from the table, allowing herself a small smile. Inside were several glass slides used for lifting prints. "The prints are extremely clear—practically perfect. We don't know whose they are yet, but it's evident they were left by a single person who gripped this railing with both hands."
"Gripped the railing?!"
"Precisely." Salina's smile turned meaningful as she mimed swinging a baseball bat.
Mu Min recalled the autopsy report and Su Wan's analysis. Lin Xiaoya's abdominal bleeding had been caused by a beating before her fall. If that was the case, then the killer had used this railing as a bludgeon to commit the assault.
She put on gloves and examined the railing closely. Based on its diameter, length, and weight, it would be easy to grip and swing—and not particularly heavy. The wood hadn't been high-quality material to begin with.
"The railing was already weakened by rot. While some external force was applied, it was minimal—a slight bend would have snapped it." Salina pointed to a blackened, decayed section at the break.
"What about the other end?"
"Both ends were fixed by being inserted into holes in the stone railing. Once the railing split in the middle, pulling the pieces out would have been easy. Very convenient as a weapon."
Mu Min nodded. A rough picture of the entire case had already formed in her mind: the killer had arranged to meet Lin Xiaoya on the rooftop of the Services Society, then attacked her with this stick. After inflicting serious injuries, they pushed her from the rooftop to her death.
This explained why the autopsy results showed both abdominal and back injuries. She hadn't committed suicide, nor had she simply been pushed off to fall to the ground.
Based on the crime scene, the post-incident handling, and this "improvised" weapon, it appeared quite likely this had been an impulsive killing rather than premeditated murder.
"Unfortunately, we don't have a fingerprint database! And no suspects. Unless we go through fingerprint records one by one—"
"No, we already have a suspect." Mu Min shook her head. "But it will take me a few days of applications before I can obtain the fingerprints—and I may not even succeed."
Salina's hands paused momentarily. "It really does involve a transmigrator?"
Mu Min answered with a single nod.
"How shameful. Human scum!" Salina cursed through gritted teeth.
"Any other discoveries?"
"No. We couldn't collect any footprints from the rooftop, nor any valuable fragments—if we had an evidence vacuum and a DNA laboratory, we could definitely gather more compelling evidence..." Salina's voice carried a note of regret.
"The evidence is actually sufficient," Mu Min said. "Now it comes down to the law."
Salina hesitated, then asked: "Chengcheng told me that even if we gather enough evidence to prove a transmigrator committed murder, the transmigrator won't face any legal consequences—"
Mu Min frowned. "Who is Chengcheng?"
"I can't pronounce her full name—the pronunciation is too complicated. She works at the Grand Library and is a friend of Panpan's."
"You spoke to her about this case?"
"No, I understand the rules here—police everywhere have no right to casually discuss case details with others." Salina shook her head.
Mu Min realized the case must have leaked through Panpan to Cheng Yongxin. She didn't know Cheng Yongxin personally, but whoever she was, neither she nor the Grand Library had any connection to this case. Panpan's behavior was problematic—a severe breach of discipline, to put it bluntly.
"Please don't mention this matter to anyone else for now, alright?"
"What if Director Ran asks?"
"Then tell him what you know." Mu Min understood that someone like Salina—a pureblooded European-American—occupied a delicate position within the transmigrator community, and she shouldn't complicate her situation further.
"OK, but you still haven't answered my question, Mu. Transmigrators aren't held responsible?"
"Strictly speaking, they are still held responsible, only the punishment is very minor. Have you read the Common Program?"
"No, I can't read Chinese legal documents yet..." Salina said. "So you're saying transmigrators only receive very light punishment, or even just symbolic punishment?"
Mu Min nodded. "More or less." She sensed the conversation was drifting into dangerous waters. Salina was the first "victim" of this law. Probing deeper risked losing control of the discussion entirely.
"What a barbaric law." Salina said indignantly. "Base! Shameful! Utterly inhuman!"
"It's the Senate's decision." Mu Min instinctively glanced toward the door. "Don't forget—you're also a transmigrator."
She decided not to linger here chattering, lest she get drawn into the debate herself. Back in her own office, she first had her secretary send an urgent encrypted telegram to Ran Yao in Wenchang, reporting on the case's progress and requesting instructions on whether to proceed to the stage of investigating the transmigrator.
After sending the telegram, Mu Min napped briefly. When she woke, the sky had brightened. She had her secretary buy breakfast and began compiling a complete set of materials. Just as she was finishing up, the Communications Office delivered Ran Yao's urgent reply telegram.
It contained only two characters: "Approved."
She immediately instructed her secretary to call the Administrative Office duty room to request a meeting with Xiao Zishan.
"Tell the duty room that I'm available at any time."
Whenever Xiao Zishan met with transmigrators—regardless of who they were—he would rise to greet them with a face full of smiles. Whether or not he actually knew them, he would warmly exchange pleasantries, never giving anyone the feeling of receiving a cold reception.
This time he received Mu Min in his customary manner. After a few pleasantries, he invited her to sit in the rattan chair in his office. The secretary brought two cups of Administrative Office special-supply mineral water—the Administrative Office saw far too many visitors, and following the principle of frugal administration, no tea or other beverages were provided.
"Director Xiao must already know why I've come to visit." Mu Min began cautiously, uncertain of Xiao Zishan's intentions regarding this matter or what agreements the Executive Committee might have reached internally. "It's about the 8-31 case."
"Of course, of course." Xiao Zishan leaned slightly forward. "So the case has made progress."
"Yes. Because the case is rather serious, and because it involves transmigrators, I wanted to report to you first and seek your support on certain matters..."
"You're too polite." Xiao Zishan nodded. "Please go ahead. As long as it's within my capabilities, I will certainly do my duty without hesitation."
Mu Min then gave a general account of her investigation:
"...That's the general situation. Currently, the chain of evidence is essentially complete. If we're to continue the investigation, we must be permitted to summon Transmigrator Yang and his domestic secretary for questioning."
She opened her security briefcase and took out a document envelope stamped "TOP SECRET," placing it on the tea table before her. "This contains all the investigative materials on this case to date."
"If the Executive Committee decides to make other arrangements regarding this case—"
"No, the Executive Committee has made no new arrangements," Xiao Zishan replied with a smile, leaving the document envelope on the table. "The Executive Committee's position on the 8-31 case has always been consistent: to uncover the truth."
His fingers lightly tapped the document envelope. "I won't take this document for now. What the Executive Committee needs is the official case investigation report. Since you need to ask Transmigrator Yang a few questions, I'll arrange a special meeting. Wait for my notification. As for his domestic secretary, you may summon her at any time—the Administrative Office will communicate with him in advance."
"Thank you. Additionally, the Lingao Times has requested interviews about the case's progress several times. We've put them off so far, citing the ongoing investigation, but Panpan has been pressing persistently, and all her arguments are very well-prepared—can we appropriately disclose some information about the case?"
"Reporting on the case before it's completely resolved doesn't seem appropriate, does it?" Xiao Zishan shook his head. "I don't approve. Hasn't the Propaganda and Literature Department already issued explicit instructions forbidding coverage of this case?"
"I understand. Thank you, Director Xiao."
"Don't mention it. At your service for the Senate!"
After seeing Mu Min off, Xiao Zishan sat in his rattan chair and thought for quite a while before making a phone call to the Arbitration Court:
"Majia? I'd like to meet with you—there's a rather thorny matter that may involve a transmigrator. I want to consult your Jurisprudence Society for an opinion. Yes, I know about the Common Program, but this situation seems to have some undercurrents—it's not something that can be papered over with just the Common Program."
(End of Chapter)