Breaking Through The Clouds - [Author: Huai Shang (淮上)]

Volume 1: Chapter 26

Volume 1: Case 502 - The Intoxicated Frozen Corpse

Chapter 26

Yan Xie's ears twitched, like a wolfhound whose keen sense of smell just detected the scent of a kitten. He twisted his head around vigilantly, grabbed hold of Jiang Ting, and snatched him towards himself.

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Edited by AlexPT

The chemical plant's warehouse doors were wide open, the area fully cordoned off with police tape. Several patrol cars completed the blockade, and the plant workers, barred outside by the policemen, were standing far away and chattering amongst themselves.

"At two a.m. last night, there was a sudden power outage in the control room warehouse that cut off lighting and security cameras. The night employee Nian Bowen was about to investigate the situation when he was suddenly attacked. He was struck bare-handedly on the occipital bone at the base of his skull, causing him to lose consciousness, and subsequently the warehouse keycard was stolen."

"Between two-thirty and two-forty a.m., security supervisor Diao Yong passed by the controlled chemical substances warehouse and noticed a flashlight beam swinging around in the columns of storage tanks. At first he thought it was the night employee Nian Bowen, so he called out to ask, but the other party immediately turned off their flashlight upon hearing a voice. When Diao Yong noticed something wasn't right and moved closer, he was assaulted by the other party in the darkness. He was stabbed in the right chest with a sharp object and then suffered blunt force trauma on the head, causing him to fall unconscious."

Yan Xie briskly made his way through the crowds, a police officer parting the way for him. Han Xiaomei was scampering after him, panting for breath in between reporting the case details, all while shooting surreptitious glances at the young man wearing a face mask walking behind Vice-Captain Yan.

Most likely detecting her gaze on him, the man pressed a fist against his mouth and let out a subtle cough.

"Don't go near him, he's sick," Yan Xie tossed down the order without even turning his head.

"Oh." Han Xiaomei forced herself to squash down her internal dialogue that was on the verge of overflowing from containment.

"How bad are the injuries on that security supervisor Diao Yong?" Yan Xie asked.

"Pretty severe. He was lying unconscious in the warehouse for over three hours before he was discovered; it's lucky the stab wound wasn't deep. He was sent to the hospital this morning at six for emergency treatment. He's stabilized now, and can talk already. He gave a short statement to the district station police on his hospital bed, and identified his assailant as the company laboratory's new intern, Feng Yuguang's roommate Chu Ci."

The officer lifted the police tape, and Yan Xie ducked under, remarking with a frown, "The victim was discovered at six o'clock this morning, so why'd it take so many hours for the police report to be put in?"

Han Xiaomei, "Er ..."

They stopped as they reached the warehouse door.

Rows upon rows of gray-and-green-colored storage tanks stood inside the plant, pipes of various colors staggered in neat arrangement.

The trace evidence analysts had already finished collecting footprints and fingerprints, and were now removing their temporary floor boards. The scene of the crime, far from chaotic, was actually unexpectedly clean - if it weren't for the few broken vessels on the floor and a small pool of blood, one could barely see any signs of a fight.