The crackdown on organized crime began with the arrest of the mother-in-law.

Chapter 972 Reconstructing the Scene Based on Bloodstains

Xiao Sun gripped the laser pointer tightly, the red beam piercing the dim air, first landing on the mottled bloodstains on the wall. The bloodstains had long since dried, turning a dark brown, some splattered, others flowing down, resembling an abstract, horrifying painting. "The bloodstains are the key to solving this murder," Xiao Sun said to Xiao Yang beside him, who was holding a notebook, his voice muffled behind his protective mask.

Xiao Yang nodded, squatted down, and carefully examined the ground with a magnifying glass. The footprints at the scene were indeed too chaotic, with various footprints of different depths and sizes overlapping each other, and many scratches caused by dragging. "Ordinary footprint analysis is simply not feasible here." Xiao Yang frowned, pointing to the ground with the tip of his pen, "These footprints were likely left by people who came here to play live-action shooting games after the incident, adding too much interference to our investigation."

Xiao Sun didn't respond; his gaze remained fixed on the bloodstains on the wall. According to the morphology of bloodstains, different patterns can reflect the force and movement experienced at the time. He took out a measuring ruler from his toolbox and began carefully measuring the height, angle, and range of each bloodstain splatter. "Look here," Xiao Sun called to Xiao Yang. "This fan-shaped area of ​​splattered blood indicates that the victim was impacted by an external force, causing the blood to spray at high speed. By measuring the top of these splatters and combining that with the principles of parabolic trajectories, we can deduce the victim's posture at the time of the attack and the approximate height of the assailant."

Xiao Yang quickly took out a measuring tape, and the two of them worked together to measure. After some calculations, Xiao Sun wrote down a preliminary conclusion in his notebook: "Judging from the highest point of the bloodstains, if the victim was standing when attacked, then the perpetrator's height should be between 178 cm and 182 cm. Moreover, the distribution of these bloodstains is relatively concentrated, indicating that the perpetrator was very close to the victim when he committed the crime, and it was very likely a close-quarters fight."

Next, they turned their attention to the pool of blood on the ground. Around the pool were some drag marks, forming irregular lines. "These drag marks indicate that the victim did not die immediately after being injured, but rather struggled and moved," Xiao Yang explained, taking photos of the marks. "We can reconstruct the victim's movement trajectory by observing the direction of the bloodstains."

The two men moved slowly, following the trail of blood, through the warehouse. The blood trail started in a corner, meandered to the center of the warehouse, and finally disappeared below the ventilation duct. "The victim probably tried to escape to the ventilation duct," Xiao Sun analyzed. "He might have been trying to call for help or escape through the ventilation duct, but ultimately failed."

Below the ventilation duct, they found more bloodstains, and these bloodstains were different in pattern from the previous ones. The bloodstains here were denser and dripped. "This indicates that the victim stayed here for some time, and the wound was still bleeding." Xiao Yang used a cotton swab to collect some blood samples, preparing to take them back to the lab for DNA testing, "Perhaps we can find clues related to the killer here."

Xiao Sun continued examining the inner walls of the ventilation duct. He turned on his headlamp, the beam illuminating the inside of the duct. Suddenly, he noticed some tiny hairs and fibers on the duct wall. "Come quick!" Xiao Sun exclaimed excitedly, "These might have been left by the murderer or the victim. If they're the murderer's, then we have a new breakthrough."

Xiao Yang quickly came over and carefully collected the hair and fibers with tweezers, placing them into an evidence bag. "Hopefully these things will bring us good luck," Xiao Yang said.

Next, they began inspecting the items in the warehouse. In one corner, they found an overturned metal rack with fresh impact marks. "This metal rack is very likely the murder weapon," Xiao Sun speculated. "Its shape and size match the dented wound on the victim's skull. Moreover, there may still be fingerprints of the murderer or bloodstains on the surface of the metal rack."

However, upon closer inspection of the iron frame, they discovered that the traces on it had been severely damaged, making it impossible to extract any usable fingerprints. "The murderer was very cautious and likely cleaned up the scene after the crime," Xiao Sun sighed. "But even the most careful person can't completely erase all traces. If we keep searching, we're sure to find more."

In another corner of the warehouse, they found several empty military cans, along with some leftover food scraps. "The pull tabs on these cans are very similar to those held by the deceased," Xiao Yang said, picking up a can and examining it closely. "Perhaps the deceased and the murderer had a standoff here, during which they ate something. This could explain why there were so many signs of human activity at the scene."

Xiao Sun nodded. He squatted down and observed the distribution of bloodstains around the cans. "Judging from the bloodstains, these cans must have been there during the crime, not placed there by the murderer afterward. Perhaps they can provide some clues to help us reconstruct the scene."

As the investigation deepened, Xiao Sun and Xiao Yang, based on the bloodstains at the scene, gradually pieced together a rough picture in their minds: the perpetrator and the victim met inside the warehouse, and a conflict ensued. The perpetrator attacked the victim with an iron frame; the victim attempted to escape after being injured but was caught and attacked again. Finally, the victim collapsed beneath a ventilation duct, incapacitated. After confirming the victim's death, the perpetrator likely cleaned up the scene briefly before fleeing.

"Although we don't have direct evidence pointing to the murderer yet, we have obtained many important clues through this investigation." Xiao Sun looked at his busy colleagues. "The murderer's height, the general process of the crime, and these hair and fibers that may be related to the murderer are all key to solving the case next."

Xiao Yang sealed the last evidence bag and said, "Yes, now we just need to see the lab results. Hopefully, this evidence will help us find the murderer as soon as possible and bring justice to the deceased."

By this time, it was completely dark outside, making the warehouse lights appear exceptionally bright. Li Ming walked into the warehouse, looked at the busy Xiao Sun and Xiao Yang, and asked, "So, anything found?"

Xiao Sun handed the notebook to Li Ming, "We can now confirm that this is the primary crime scene. The perpetrator's height is approximately between 178 and 182 centimeters. We also have a preliminary understanding of the crime's process. We have also extracted some hair and fibers, hoping to find more clues in the laboratory."