Mad Detective
[Author: Kuang Hai Wang Hu]
[TL: Spades]
[PR: Blitz]
[QC: Lumi]
Chapter 11 — Hand-Chopping Case ≠ Shopaholics
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Translator's Note(T/N): The Term/Word Shopaholics can also mean a Compulsive Buyer.
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With the bet sealed, the crowd dispersed, and the detectives went about their tasks.
But Li Beini, frantic, pulled Zhao Yu aside, "Senior, what's gotten into you lately? Brain rusted? That's the infamous Hand-Chopping Case! How could you make a bet like that?"
"Hand-Chopping Case? What's the big deal?"
Zhao Yu dug through his memories and soon found details about the case. It dated back to last year, when he was still an intern. He'd been assigned to help the forensics team with new equipment and hadn't worked on the case.
"What's the big deal?" Li Beini said, exasperated. "Several officers got transferred because of this case. If it was easy to crack, it wouldn't still be open!"
Oh…
Zhao Yu recalled that last April, Qinshan City had two Hand-Chopping Cases that caused a stir. The victims' right hands were severed with a sharp weapon.
Due to slow progress, complaints from victims, and media hype, it became a public scandal, tarnishing the police's reputation. Several officers, including Team B's former leader, were reassigned. Qu Ping took over then, but despite massive resources, the case remained unsolved.
"Are you really clueless or just pretending, my dear brother?" Li Beini's big eyes widened. "This morning at 5:30, another Hand-Chopping Case hit near Jiuhe Road!"
"What? Another one?" Zhao Yu was caught off guard.
"Yeah!" Li Beini said. "Why else would we have an emergency meeting? Didn't you see everyone acting like it's a war zone? Poor Team Leader Qu hasn't even eaten yet!"
"Oh…" Zhao Yu realized why the office was nearly empty when he'd come in to check rental listings. They were all on this case.
"Qu Ping explained earlier," Li Beini continued, "after a year, the culprit's methods are almost identical. Unless something's off, it's likely the same person!"
"Interesting…"
Zhao Yu grabbed the case files to review. The latest victim was a 36-year-old housewife, married to a wealthy building materials businessman.
She'd attended a dance party, and while leaving in her BMW, she was knocked out. By morning, her right hand was gone. The culprit had done basic bandaging to prevent fatal blood loss.
Last year's two cases were similar, with victims also women in their thirties.
"No way," Zhao Yu muttered, scanning the files, "how could they not catch the guy with this kind of crime? With cameras everywhere, nothing caught him?"
"You're right, Senior!" Li Beini sighed, shaking her head. "Not a single frame of the culprit! He's like a ghost, and the rumors out there are wild! I'm telling you, start saving up to pay for that monitor. You're not winning this bet!"
"Tch, little girl, don't boost the enemy and kill our morale," Zhao Yu said confidently. "The culprit's bold enough to strike again, I don't believe he'll slip the net this time!"
"Senior, I'm not worried the case won't be solved!" Li Beini pouted. "I'm worried you won't be the one to solve it!"
"What's that mean?" Zhao Yu asked, confused.
"Your bet with Captain Liu was crystal clear!" Li Beini frowned. "You have to personally solve it and catch the culprit to win! If Qu Ping cracks it first, you still lose!"
"Hmm, well, hmph!" Zhao Yu thought of his Adventure System, snorted, and waved the files. "No worries, anything's possible! Maybe I'll crack it tomorrow! My guess? The culprit's probably the victims' husbands. These spendthrift wives burned through cash, pissed off their men, and chop, chop, hand's gone!"
"Oh my gosh…" Li Beini slumped back in her chair, giving up on Zhao Yu.
Back at his rental that night, Zhao Yu couldn't sleep. He worried his Adventure System might have vanished. If smoking tomorrow didn't trigger it, he'd be screwed.
Without the magical system, how could he solve cases or win bets?
Seriously!
Hand-Chopping Case!
Why chop hands?
Was it really because these women were shopaholics?
The thought made Zhao Yu even more curious about the case. He settled down and studied the files repeatedly. Despite his rough demeanor, Zhao Yu was meticulous, the type to never quit until the job was done.
This tenacity had made him stand out in the cutthroat world of gangsters, rising to top enforcer for the Azure Dragon Gang.
After memorizing every detail, incident, and nuance of the case, Zhao Yu couldn't help but grimace. No wonder the police had poured so much into it without success, the Hand-Chopping Case was insanely complex.
The culprit was meticulous, dodging surveillance cameras in all three attacks, something most people couldn't pull off.
The attacks were brutal, all three victims' right hands severed in one blow by an axe-like weapon, leading police to suspect a strong male culprit.
But forensic analysis showed the cuts were precisely at the wrist's weakest point, avoiding the tough radius bone.
With a sharp enough tool, even an average person could do it from that spot, so a female culprit wasn't ruled out.
The case had many mysteries, like:
Why only target women in their thirties with affluent lifestyles?
Last year, the culprit struck twice in five days, then went silent. Why resurface after a year?
Would they, like last year, strike again in the coming days?
And the biggest puzzle, why specifically chop off women's hands?
Was it really tied to overspending?
Shopaholics?
Lost in thought, Zhao Yu grew exhausted and drifted into sleep…
…
At 6 a.m., Jiang Dafeng was up early to pick up a shipment of fresh fruit from the south at the market.
He'd just squeezed toothpaste onto his brush when a violent coughing fit echoed from upstairs.
"Cough, cough, cough, cough…"
"Hope he's okay," Dafeng muttered, recognizing Zhao Yu's voice. "Serves you right, cough your shameless butt to death!"
"Whoa…"
A sudden shout from upstairs startled Dafeng, making him drop the toothpaste onto his slipper.
Zhao Yu's voice boomed, "Got it, got it! Finally got it! Hahaha…"