Working in a Zoo with Beast Taming System

Chapter 309: Chapter 187: I’ve Seen the Murderer?

Yang Qi read quickly, but with intense focus.

He first scanned the basic details of the four cases, establishing an overall timeline and a spatial understanding of the crime scenes.

Then he began to meticulously study each crime scene investigation report, not missing a single minute detail.

Time ticked by, minute by minute. The only sounds in the office were the rustle of turning pages, the clatter of keyboards, and the murmur of hushed discussions.

As Yang Qi turned to the third case—the supplementary crime scene report for the man who drowned after falling into an open manhole—his gaze suddenly froze on a few lines of text:

"...a small amount of an unknown viscous liquid residue was found on the slippery moss approximately 1.5 meters from the manhole opening. The distribution was irregular. A sample has been collected (ID: WT-07-003). The liquid is pale yellow and slightly viscous, with a very faint odor—a hint of something sweet and fishy. It is suspected to be some form of animal secretion or a specially treated chemical substance. Specific composition pending further analysis..."

’A sweet and fishy smell?’

Those words were like a spark, instantly igniting an image in Yang Qi’s memory.

Yongcheng High-speed Railway Station. The man in the hat, the one with the cold eyes and the suitcase... The scent lingering in the air around him had been this exact one—an extremely faint, cloyingly sweet yet fishy odor!

A thought struck Yang Qi. He immediately looked up at Shen Ruiping, who was on the phone a short distance away.

"Captain Shen," Yang Qi called out.

Shen Ruiping quickly ended his call and walked over. "Advisor Yang, did you find something?"

Yang Qi pointed to the description of the "strange liquid" in the report. "The unknown liquid mentioned here, the one with the sweet and fishy smell that was collected from the scene—do you have a sample? I want to see and smell it for myself."

Shen Ruiping glanced at the report and nodded immediately. "We do! All physical evidence from the crime scenes is preserved according to regulations. I’ll go to the evidence room and get it right now."

Realizing Yang Qi might be onto something, he turned and quickly left the office.

A few minutes later, Shen Ruiping returned with a transparent, sealed evidence bag bearing a label and number. Inside was a small, sealed glass vial containing a small amount of a pale yellow, viscous residue at the bottom.

He put on a pair of gloves, carefully opened the sealed cap in a well-ventilated spot, and handed it to Yang Qi.

Yang Qi took it, brought the opening close to his nose, and took a gentle whiff.

’That’s it!’

Though it was diluted, mixed with the scents of its environment, and had likely sat for some time, the extremely unique, almost imperceptibly faint sweet-and-fishy odor was identical to the one he had smelled at the high-speed railway station!

This was definitely not the smell of any common chemical agent or ordinary animal fluid.

His mind was reeling, but he kept his expression neutral as he handed the evidence bag back to Shen Ruiping.

"Captain Shen, I want to review all available surveillance footage for the four crime scenes, especially for the two that occurred during the day. I need the widest possible coverage of the surrounding areas. Let’s broaden the time frame—from the day before each incident until a few hours after. The more comprehensive, the better."

"No problem!"

Although Shen Ruiping didn’t understand why Yang Qi suddenly wanted to watch hours upon hours of surveillance footage, he had grown to trust his professional judgment and complied immediately.

He led Yang Qi to a larger video analysis room.

As for Bai Wan and Xiaojiu, Yang Qi had them stay behind in the office.

Inside the video analysis room, two police officers were at their stations, working in front of multiple screens.

"Xiaozhang, Xiaowang," Shen Ruiping ordered, "this is Advisor Yang from Donghua. Pull up the original backups of all relevant surveillance footage for the four cases, especially the two that happened during the day. Organize them by time and camera location. Advisor Yang needs to review them."

The two officers looked a bit confused.

Reviewing surveillance footage was usually the job of the video forensics team, and there was a staggering amount of it. Could one person really get through it all? Still, they quickly carried out the order.

Soon, the large screens came to life, displaying split-screen feeds from various camera angles, covering a wide span of time.

"Advisor Yang, would you like a chair?" one of the officers asked, pulling one over.

"No, thank you. It’s easier for me to watch while standing."

Yang Qi waved him off, his sharp gaze sweeping rapidly across the screens.

He first took a moment to get a feel for the position and perspective of each camera, then said to the officer at the controls, "Please start from 8:00 AM the day before the first incident. Play it at 1.5x speed. Focus on pedestrian thoroughfares, secluded corners, and anyone carrying luggage, pausing unnaturally, or scanning their surroundings."

"Right." The officer began the playback.

Shen Ruiping and the two officers stood to the side, trying to keep pace with Yang Qi.

At first, they could just barely keep up, their attention focused on any potential suspects or unusual objects in the footage.

But they soon found themselves struggling to match Yang Qi’s method of observation.

Yang Qi wasn’t so much "watching" as he was "scanning." His eyes darted between the different screens, seemingly processing multiple streams of information simultaneously.

When the officer gradually increased the playback speed to 2x, and then 3x, Shen Ruiping and the others had to concentrate intensely just to track the main figures on screen. Yang Qi, however, remained calm, his steady gaze sweeping over the rapidly flitting silhouettes.

By the time the speed hit 4x, Shen Ruiping and his men were completely lost. The crowds in the footage were a blur of motion.

The two officers exchanged a look, each seeing the shock and disbelief reflected in the other’s eyes.

Shen Ruiping opened his mouth, about to ask if Yang Qi was worried about missing details at this speed, but he held his tongue when he saw the man’s expression. Yang Qi was completely engrossed, as if he had entered some kind of trance. All Shen Ruiping could do was wait.

The video’s timestamp raced forward. Suddenly—

"Stop!"

Yang Qi barked.