Animal Detective

Chapter 315 - 260: The Angler

Serial killers. They’d had them before.

But in modern society, murder cases were already rare, let alone serial killers.

And from the police’s perspective, for a killer to strike again before the first case was even solved was a blatant provocation.

It was a slap in the face. It was only natural for Shao Jingming to be furious.

Shen Xin didn’t dare get any closer.

But when he glanced at the body on the ground, he froze.

’That’s... Xu Rulin!’

Shen Xin sucked in a sharp breath. ’Don’t tell me the killer is really targeting fishermen.’

’Then what’s the motive?’

’He failed to catch any fish, got mocked for it, held a grudge, and then waited for a chance to kill.’

’Why else would he dump the body in the water?’

’To feed the fish?’

The motive was absurd, but having worked on so many bizarre cases, Shen Xin knew that no matter how ridiculous something seemed, it could happen in real life.

Just then, Shen Xin suddenly thought of something.

Xu Rulin had mentioned that the regulars who fished at the reservoir all knew each other quite well. They had even shared meals and drinks together.

’Could the killer be one of them?’

He formed a hypothesis.

For example, maybe the killer often bragged to Huang Weili and the others about how great his fishing skills were, but then he kept getting skunked.

During one of their meals, Huang Weili might have mocked him, saying something like, "I thought you were such a big shot. How come you’re always coming back empty-handed?"

And then Xu Rulin might have chimed in with a few jabs of his own.

Perhaps to Huang Weili and the others, it was just some friendly banter, nothing serious.

But the killer might not have seen it that way.

He had boasted, failed to deliver, and been ridiculed for it, wounding his pride.

It was just like with Zhang Qingpeng. Wang Lei’s single comment—"You only make that paltry fucking amount a month"—had been enough to shatter Zhang Qingpeng’s ego, leading him to premeditate and murder Wang Lei.

It wasn’t impossible.

As he was thinking, Liu Baoqing spotted him and waved him over.

Shao Jingming had stepped aside to report the situation over the phone.

This case would probably even alarm Zhao Hongjie.

"Captain Liu, what’s the situation?" Shen Xin asked as he walked over.

Liu Baoqing looked completely stressed out. Standing outside the police tape, he began to brief him on the scene.

Similar to Huang Weili’s case, an early-morning fisherman had reported it.

The call came in at 6:22 AM.

After receiving the alert, the local branch was the first to arrive on the scene.

"Look at the scene. Xu Rulin chose this spot in the shallows. He was likely sitting down when he was attacked from behind. There’s blunt force trauma to the back of his head."

"It was probably a rock, just like with Huang Weili, but a sharper one this time. Old Wang said the skull has a comminuted fracture."

"Then he fell face-first into the water. This time, the killer didn’t drag the body, so when it was discovered, it was half-submerged and half-exposed."

He reached out to a technician, asked for a camera, and showed Shen Xin the crime scene photos.

It was just as he had described: half in the water, half out.

It was clearly the same situation as Huang Weili—a sudden attack from behind.

Shen Xin didn’t rush to share his earlier thoughts.

The body had only just been found. Although the circumstances were similar, he couldn’t just assume it was the same killer.

So, Shen Xin continued to ask about other details.

For instance, whether Xu Rulin’s wallet and phone were missing, and if there were any other clues at the scene.

And just like with Huang Weili, his wallet and phone were still there.

His phone was on the tackle box right next to him, untouched. When they arrived, it still had power and was even playing an audiobook.

Everything indicated that the attack had happened suddenly.

A relatively clear footprint from a left foot was also collected at the scene.

Size 43. Without a doubt, a man’s.

The rock used in the attack wasn’t found; it must have been thrown into the reservoir too.

Liu Baoqing said, "Time of death was also around the early morning hours. We’ve already contacted Xu Rulin’s ex-wife. They divorced many years ago. Xu Rulin was living with his son in the nearby Shuiyue Mansion."

"We’ve reached his son, and he’s on his way. The son likes to go clubbing. He went into the city last night and didn’t get home until after three in the morning."

"When he got home, Xu Rulin wasn’t there, but he didn’t think much of it. Xu Rulin often went night fishing or was out for business dinners, so it wasn’t unusual for him to be out all night."

Shen Xin knew of Shuiyue Mansion. It was an older villa community about three or four kilometers from here.

’Xu Rulin must have been pretty well-off, then.’

Liu Baoqing added, "Shen Xin, get Odin over here right away. We’ll use the same method as before. See if you can track the killer’s escape route and find out if it’s the same as last time."

Shen Xin nodded and immediately called Li Jiahui, asking him to bring Odin over.

While waiting, Shen Xin hesitated for a moment before sharing his thoughts.

After hearing him out, Liu Baoqing crossed his arms and furrowed his brow.

Shen Xin’s theory was absurd and bold, but it was also plausible.

He had been a criminal detective for many years and had seen plenty of cases where someone held a grudge over a single sentence.

Just then, Shao Jingming’s voice came from behind them. "Lao Liu, Xiaoshen’s idea has some merit. You yourself said that in Huang Weili’s case, the killer’s actions didn’t match the evidence."

"It’s very possible that our initial direction was wrong from the start."

"Maybe, just as Xiaoshen said, a conflict arose among these fishermen, which led to a premeditated murder."

"If that’s the case, doesn’t the existing evidence start to match up?"

The killer knew about Huang Weili and the others’ habit of night fishing, wasn’t motivated by money, and planned the murder in advance.

Shao Jingming continued, "And there’s another point. Both Huang Weili and Xu Rulin were attacked suddenly, knocked unconscious in a single blow, and had their backs to the killer."