Doctor Lu’s words made Zhou Ning burst into laughter. Working with this person was indeed comfortable, and using the excuse of Qindao University’s research to investigate didn’t seem inappropriate at all, since it was, after all, a trial project.
"Let’s start searching then!"
Zhou Ning passed the control joystick to Mr. Qu, who did not decline, and after a flurry of operations, the five comparison display fras began to search. However, this ti, the process was not as swift as the previous search for Cheng Chunyan.
After more than ten minutes, the display fras ceased searching. Question marks still filled the five comparison boxes; there were no search results, which caused everyone to stop their work and gather around, leaving Doctor Lu at a loss for words.
"The first one worked, so why can’t these be found? Did you make any other settings?"
Mr. Qu was also perplexed, constantly shaking his head.
"I don’t know. It’s the sa thod as last ti, and the operation was exactly the sa, I don’t know why it didn’t find anything."
Zhou Ning looked at the electronic files in his hands for a long while before lifting his head to ask:
"Were you comparing against the provincial household registration system?"
Mr. Qu paused, clicked on the option he had used just before, and then looked up at Zhou Ning to say:
"Yes, this was the provincial household registration system."
"If we could connect to the national household registration system, then let’s try that again. According to these files, the lab results show that four out of the five people were HPV positive, and one of them also had a positive HIV reaction.
The files suspect that the five individuals belong to a certain occupation, and I think that if they’re in this line of work, they’re more likely to be from other provinces. After all, nobody would want to work in such an industry right on their own doorstep, and if they ever quit, they can return to their lives without others knowing their history."
Doctor Lu and the others nodded in agreent.
"The national household registration system can be connected. It’s just that the search will be a bit slower. Mr. Qu, hurry and change the settings, let’s try again."
Upon hearing this, Mr. Qu quickly got to work, and the comparison resud.
Zhou Ning watched the flickering images of the comparison, but his mind was occupied with thoughts of the killer’s DNA.
Why would such a cautious person act so hastily this ti? Was it rely because his ’prey’ had suddenly beco isolated?
This could be a reason, but for soone who had remained elusive for five years, it still seed reckless.
Of course, if the report to the police had been made an hour later, the bodies would have been swallowed by the sea. However, the bloodstains on the windscreen revealed his haste, and to put it mildly, it was not perfect.
Yes, that was the word. While the previous cases were perfect, this one was not!
Zhou Ning was a very passive person. From studying to working, he had always been passive in his progression. Being able to speak appropriately was only because he lacked parents and had to take care of many people’s emotions, so he involuntary learned to conduct himself properly.
The killer’s pursuit of perfection was a kind of abnormal reaction based on physical defects. After each cri, this abnormal reaction would escalate; only more extre abnormality could satisfy him further.
Ordinary people couldn’t understand, but Zhou Ning knew that such a person must have been abused or oppressed during their childhood, leading to such behavior.
Just then, a series of beeping sounds interrupted Zhou Ning’s thoughts. He looked at the display screen, where three identities had already been matched, while the other two were still being searched.
This discovery excited everyone present.
It seed that this direction was correct—the five individuals must all be from outside the province.
After another ten minutes of waiting, the remaining two searches also stopped, but instead of a photograph, one comparison box showed the number 5, while the other showed 7.
"Does it an that it matched five similar individuals?"
Mr. Qu quickly opened the number 5, and indeed, five identity informations appeared behind it. These were five old-style ID cards with very blurry photos and low resolution.
"Doctor Zhou, these five individuals resemble victim number four, so the system identified them all for us. The sa issue exists with victim number five—I suspect that the deceased did not acquire a new ID card."
Zhou Ning hurriedly flipped through the autopsy report and indeed found that both victim number four and five were killed in 2006, one on March 15 and the other on August 26.
"The second-generation ID cards began to be replaced in 2004, but most people did it in 07-08. If they were not local, many people replaced them even later. Print out these people’s information for , I will report to Xu Da, and about whether to contact the city bureau, we’ll discuss that later."
Doctor Lu leaned over, smiling at Zhou Ning.
"We’re just running a test. As for the verification of the results, naturally, you will do it. Of course, if you find it inconvenient to speak with the city bureau, I can coordinate that; after all, when we first obtained this information, we did discuss it with the bureau leaders."
Zhou Ning smiled too; Doctor Lu was such a thoughtful old man.
"Alright then, Doctor Lu, I will go and speak with Xu Da. After these two trials, I believe the software operates correctly. As long as we can update it in real-ti and synchronize with the national household registration database, there won’t be a problem with searching."
Doctor Lu seed still not satisfied and kept shaking his head.
"The speed of matching is still too slow. We need to strengthen it further. Also, there’s the issue of enhancing those fuzzy images you ntioned. If we can synchronize that, then even the older generation ID cards could be accurately compared."
Zhou Ning nodded in agreent. That was indeed the case. Just like how, for these two victims, they found twelve similar individuals. If they could enhance the fuzzy images, the comparison would be much more convenient.
"No rush, it’s already very impressive. If you need us to sign and stamp the experintal report, please prepare it, and have Mr. Qu send those details."
Mr. Qu quickly sent the recently obtained comparison results to the laptop Zhou Ning held.
Zhou Ning rushed out of the office and headed straight for Xu Dayuan’s office. Upon entering, he saw Liu Yongxin sitting opposite Xu Dayuan. When Zhou Ning arrived, Xu Dayuan gestured.
"Co sit down. I heard from your master about the unique DNA sample. Let’s not consider whether it’s a serial case; let’s focus on investigating this case thoroughly."
Zhou Ning sat down and placed the laptop in front of them.
"We’ll talk about that later; first, take a look at this. These are the people’s details found by Doctor Lu and his team after two days of work, based on the reconstructed images of the skulls."
After looking at the screen for a while, Xu Dayuan’s eyes bulged out with astonishnt, which he quickly composed himself and smartly connected the dots behind one of the individuals.
"Three were found directly, and these two have several similar candidates; is that what you an?"
Zhou Ning nodded, while Liu Yongxin propped himself on the desk with a not-so-relaxed expression.
"Xu Da, if you decide to proceed with this, have you thought about how the city bureau might react?"
Xu Dayuan glared in response.
"I don’t care what they think. We must continue with our investigation; it happened in our Qidong District, so our investigation isn’t overstepping. As for these individuals, that’s just a bonus. Since when is solving a case a mistake?"
Xu Dayuan’s words made Zhou Ning feel at ease. Working with such a leader gave him confidence.
"Anyway, the information ca from Doctor Lu. I’ll have He Chunyang verify it one by one. If all else fails, we can send soone over or ask local colleagues for assistance."
Zhou Ning flipped through the previous autopsy reports and pointed to a section:
"Out of these five people, four are HPV positive, and one is HIV positive. Such dense findings likely relate to their occupation. Now we seemingly have found the victims’ information, and we can use their photos and IDs to consult the vice squad responsible for prostitution to see if they have handled them; it seems like the faster approach."
After considering for a mont, Liu Yongxin leaned in closer.
"Since there’s a resemblance, we might as well check them all. Whether it’s one case or two, the site of the cri and where the bodies were dumped tend to be close, especially in the city’s outskirts. Let’s focus the search in these areas."
Xu Dayuan grinned, pulled out his phone, and dialed a number.
"Mr. Liang? What are you up to? I need you for sothing. Don’t worry, I’m not pulling your leg this ti, it’s genuinely a good thing!"
User Comments
0 comments from readers