The Genius Female Forensic Pathologist, The Psychological Anatomist

“Why did the killer leave this symbol? Is it a provocation to the police? But this symbol doesn’t seem threatening at all,” Lin Sen said.

“This might be his criminal signature. Many criminals, especially serial killers, like to leave their unique mark at the crime scene,” Lin Sen explained.

A criminal signature refers to the unique and personalized behavior an offender exhibits during the commission of a crime. These actions are not necessary for completing the crime but are done to satisfy a special psychological need. It’s also crucial evidence in linking serial murder cases.

Fang Rui asked, “Lin Sen, do you suspect he’ll strike again?”

“Yes. We can’t analyze his criminal behavior and motives using conventional investigative logic. It’s highly likely that he’s acting based on his criminal delusions, which often lack logic or realism. That’s why his actions appear so chaotic.”

Fang Rui and his team investigated the vehicles passing through the highway, but due to the heavy traffic, no useful leads were found.

Fang Rui and Zhang then visited the gas station near the crime scene.

The gas station was about 1,200 meters from the flowerbed where the body was discovered. Fang Rui first asked the gas station manager for the surveillance footage from the entrance and then began questioning the staff.

“Between ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‍September 14th and 15th, did you notice any suspicious vehicles around here?” Fang Rui asked.

The sanitation worker had reported the body on the morning of September 15th.

One of the male employees, wearing glasses, replied, “What counts as a suspicious vehicle? Speeding? Illegal U-turns? There’s no traffic camera here, so a lot of drivers break the rules.”

“Yes! Tell me the license plate numbers or any distinctive features of the cars.”

“I’ve already reported them on the traffic app,” he said, opening his phone to show Fang Rui and Zhang his report history. “These are the vehicles.”

The employee’s father had died in a car accident caused by a drunk driver, so he harbored a deep hatred for traffic violations.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Zhang noted down the car models and license plate numbers.

“Over the past two days, have you seen any cars parked along the roadside here?”

“Parking is prohibited here, and this area is mostly wasteland. Passengers wouldn’t get out here. Even if a driver needed to stop urgently, they could park at our gas station or the nearby water station. Trucks often park there overnight.”

A female employee suddenly spoke up, “Actually, I did see a white car parked on the roadside one night.”

“When was that?”

“It was around 9 PM on the 14th. I remember it clearly because something happened at home that day, and I swapped shifts with a colleague. I was riding my electric scooter past that section of the road, just before the turn to the service road.

“From a distance, I saw the white car parked there. At first, I thought it had broken down, so I went over to check. But as soon as the driver saw me approaching, they started the car. The driver seemed like a beginner—they turned the steering wheel the wrong way and hit the curb. I’m not sure if the car was damaged.”

“Do you remember the license plate number?”

The female employee shook her head. “No, it was too dark, and there were no streetlights. I only remember it was a white car with a green license plate.”

“Can you identify the car model?”

“It didn’t have a brand logo. Probably a generic domestic car, a very common-looking sedan.”

“Thank you for the information. If you remember anything else, please contact us immediately,” Zhang said, handing over his contact details.

“No problem. If I recall anything else, I’ll definitely let you know.”

Fang Rui and Zhang then visited the water station. However, since the water station was surrounded by a wall, the road was a blind spot, and the employees there couldn’t provide any useful information.

Following the female employee’s description, Fang Rui and Zhang inspected the curbs along the road. Soon, they found a spot with white paint scrapes. The location was about 500 meters from the flowerbed where the body was discovered.

Zhang found it strange. “Why didn’t he just park near the flowerbed? Carrying the body to the flowerbed would have taken a few minutes. Wasn’t he afraid of being seen by passing vehicles?”

Fang Rui was also puzzled. He speculated, “Maybe after parking, the killer realized it wasn’t a good spot to dump the body, so he moved further ahead?”

“But there’s an identical flowerbed right here.”

Fang Rui decided not to dwell on the question. “Let’s focus on finding that white car. Its front bumper is likely chipped, and with a green license plate, it’s probably a white new energy vehicle. Let’s have Li and the team check the surveillance footage for a car matching these features.”

“Got it.”

Fang Rui also asked the household registration department to investigate the victim’s identity.

The victim was a child with Down syndrome, with a very distinctive appearance. However, after Fang Rui’s team issued a missing person notice, no one came forward to identify the body. There were also no recent reports of a missing child.

Fang Rui sent people to visit major hospitals in Jiangzhou City. However, the pediatric staff at these hospitals all stated they had never seen the child.

Logically, children with Down syndrome are prone to illnesses, and the victim was suspected to have congenital heart disease. It was unlikely he had never visited a hospital.

Zhang said, “We’ve spread the word through multiple channels, and the local TV station aired the missing person notice, but there’s been no feedback. This is very unusual. His appearance is so distinctive—anyone who’s seen him would remember him. How could no one recognize him? Could he be from out of town and just arrived here, so no one knows him?”

“But he must have a guardian. He’s been missing for two or three days. Why hasn’t his guardian reported him missing?”

“Could he have been trafficked?” someone suggested, but quickly dismissed the idea. “But who would traffic a child with Down syndrome? No buyer would want a child with obvious health issues.”

Mu Mian quietly interjected, “There is a possibility. If someone wanted to study Down syndrome, they might buy such a child.”

Zhang exclaimed, “Could this child have been kept hidden for research, never seen by outsiders?”

Chen Xue countered, “This isn’t a TV drama. Even if someone wanted to study Down syndrome, they could openly seek consent from the child’s parents. There’s no need to lock the child away.”

Seeing that Fang Rui and the team were struggling to identify the child, Mu Mian decided to pass the time by matching the child’s DNA with the police database.

To her surprise, she found a match. The two DNA samples were strikingly similar, suggesting a likely mother-son relationship.

Chen Xue leaned over and asked, “Mu Mian, what are you doing?”

Mu Mian switched her computer screen and pointed at it. “I’m writing my observation diary about my lab mice.”

“Oh, I saw you looking surprised and thought there was a breakthrough in the case.”

Mu Mian sighed. “I was surprised. Rainbow No. 7 has gained more weight than the other mice. It’s no longer a genius mouse.”

“Are you going to abandon it?”

“Of course not. It may not be a genius, but it’s a happy mouse now. Officer Zhang says happy people gain weight—it’s called ‘a relaxed mind leads to a plump body.’ Chen Xue, you’re so thin. You must lack happiness.”

Chen Xue smiled helplessly. “Mu Mian, if you had to choose between intelligence and happiness, which would you pick?”

“Intelligence isn’t a choice—it’s mostly determined by genes. But happiness is a choice. So, I can have both intelligence and happiness!”

“…”