Working in a Zoo with Beast Taming System

Chapter 310: Chapter 187: I’ve Seen the Killer? (3)

The officer at the controls instinctively moved a finger and hit the pause key.

The images on several screens instantly froze in place.

"Bottom left corner, third screen. Camera ID LY-07-Road-142. The timestamp is 10:23:17 AM on the day of the incident. The person at the bottom-left edge of the frame, the one who just came from behind the newsstand."

Yang Qi’s voice was clear. "Zoom in. Focus on him."

The officer immediately did as instructed, isolating the image on the main screen and repeatedly zooming in and enhancing its clarity.

Since the shot was from the periphery and the subject seemed to have deliberately avoided facing the camera, all the footage caught was a figure in a baseball cap with the brim pulled down low, revealing half of a gaunt side profile and a stubbled chin.

He wore an ordinary gray shirt and appeared to be carrying something, but it was mostly obscured by his body as he strode quickly out of the camera’s range.

When the image was magnified to its limit, it became somewhat pixelated. But the contour of the side profile, the line of the jaw, and especially that chilling, unapproachable aura that could be felt even through the blurry image...

"That’s him!"

Yang Qi pointed at the screen, his tone grave. "I’ve seen him before, at Yongcheng High-speed Railway Station. He had that strange, sweet and metallic smell on him, the exact same scent as the sample you collected from the accident scene."

"And what’s more, he was carrying a hard-shell case, something like a pet carrier."

"What!?"

Shen Ruiping and the two officers cried out in shock at almost the same time, their faces instantly overcome by a mixture of astonishment and wild joy.

Shen Ruiping took a step forward, staring at the blurry profile on the screen. His breath quickened as he turned to Yang Qi, his voice trembling with excitement.

"Advisor Yang, are you sure? You remember him? What was the exact time? Where in Yongcheng High-speed Railway Station? Which way did he go? Was he with anyone?"

This was a massive breakthrough.

The killer who had plagued the task force for days, a ghost who had only existed behind a trail of "animal activity," now had a potential face for the first time.

Yang Qi calmly replied, "It was the evening of the 9th, a little before 8:00 PM. In the west concourse of the high-speed rail station, near the oversized luggage check-in."

"Our paths only crossed for a moment. We glanced at each other, and then he walked off toward the check-in area with his case. It looked like he was going to check a pet or some other special item."

"I didn’t see anyone with him. But Captain Shen, I have to stress, I only saw the man and smelled that scent on that one occasion."

"Just because this man was near the crime scene doesn’t prove he’s the killer. It could be a coincidence, or he could be connected in some other way."

"No! This can’t possibly be a coincidence!"

Shen Ruiping cut him off, his detective’s intuition screaming alarms. "The exact same, extremely rare scent appearing on a mysterious suspect and at our crime scene. On top of that, he was near the scene around the time of the incident."

"There’s no such thing as a coincidence that perfect!"

"Advisor Yang, the information you’ve provided is crucial. I’m going to report this to Director Tang immediately!"

With that, he turned and bolted for the door.

"Captain Shen."

Yang Qi quickly called out to him. "It’s better to be cautious. It won’t be too late to file a report after you investigate further and combine this with other evidence."

Shen Ruiping stopped in his tracks and turned back, his eyes glinting. "Advisor Yang, don’t worry, I know what I’m doing. But this lead must be reported immediately so we can mobilize resources to run it down. For instance, we need to get a composite sketch done right away!"

He then spoke quickly to the two officers, who were still staring blankly. "You two continue to assist Advisor Yang. I’ll be right back."

Before he even finished speaking, he had pulled the door open and hurried off, the sound of his footsteps rapidly fading down the corridor.

Yang Qi watched him go, shook his head, and turned his gaze back to the frozen image on the screen.

The blurry profile in the image made Yang Qi recall the scene.

That brief encounter at the station—the man’s unapproachable, chilling aura and the sharp, hawk-like way his eyes scanned his surroundings—all pointed to him being no ordinary person.

Yang Qi hadn’t given it much thought at the time.

He never expected that, just a short time later, they would be "reunited" like this in Binjiang, hundreds of miles away.

The man was carrying an item with a peculiar scent, appeared near the scene before the crime, acted secretively, and had a grim, sinister air...

All the clues seemed to point to him.

Even if he wasn’t the killer himself, he had to be inextricably linked to this series of bizarre "animal accident" murders.

Yang Qi’s heart grew calm, but his thoughts raced.

Before long, the sound of numerous, hurried footsteps echoed from the corridor.

The office door was pushed open, and Tang Yuan strode in, followed by the head of Guan Sub-Team and several other core leaders of the task force. Their expressions were grave, yet tinged with excitement.

"Advisor Yang."

Tang Yuan was the first to speak, his eager gaze fixed on Yang Qi. "Ruiping gave us a brief report. Advisor Yang, are you certain it’s the person on the screen? You saw him at Yongcheng High-speed Railway Station?"

"Director Tang, everyone."

Yang Qi turned, pointed at the screen, and confirmed once more, "I’m certain I’ve seen him. I remember the contour of his profile and his aura. More importantly, I remember the distinct sweet and metallic scent on him, which is identical to the scent of the liquid recovered from the third crime scene."

"But..."

Yang Qi stressed again, "I can’t be one hundred percent certain he’s the killer. I can only say that he is extremely suspicious."

"Understood. We understand."

Tang Yuan nodded, his face showing an excitement that had been absent for a long time. "Whether he’s the real killer or not, he’s the closest thing we have to a solid target. This is a major breakthrough. Advisor Yang, thank you so much!"

The other officials also spoke up to thank Yang Qi, then began discussing the matter in low voices.

The atmosphere in the room instantly became animated.

A short while later, Shen Ruiping returned and said to Yang Qi, "Advisor Yang, we’ve contacted a sketch artist, and they’re waiting online. We’ll need you to describe the suspect’s facial features to them over a video call."

"Binjiang has a dedicated criminal sketch artist?"

Yang Qi was surprised.

Professionals like sketch artists were extremely rare—the "giant pandas" of the police force. The Donghua City Bureau, for instance, didn’t have one.

Shen Ruiping gave a wry smile.

"We used to have an old expert, but he retired last year for health reasons, and a new one hasn’t been trained up yet. The provincial department helped us get in touch with this artist. They’re very experienced, but it has to be done over video, which might be a little inconvenient."

"That’s fine. As long as we get a sketch," Yang Qi replied, showing he understood.

Yang Qi then followed Shen Ruiping to a quiet conference room equipped with a high-definition camera.

After making the introductions, Shen Ruiping left the conference room.

Yang Qi sat down in front of the computer and adjusted the camera.

A woman in her forties appeared on the screen. She wore glasses and had a focused, professional demeanor. This was the remote expert.

"Hello, Expert Lin. I’m Yang Qi."

"Hello, Advisor Yang. I’m the sketch artist, Lin Fang. Please relax, and we’ll take our time. Let’s start with the features you remember most clearly..."

The video call began.

Yang Qi closed his eyes for a moment to recall the memory, then opened them and began to give a clear, methodical description.

"He’s male, roughly thirty-five to forty years old. His face is on the long, thin side, with rather prominent cheekbones. His eyebrows are sparse and relatively straight, and they look like they’re habitually furrowed. His eyes..."

Yang Qi paused, trying to capture the right feeling. "His eyes aren’t large, but his gaze is incredibly cold, like a hawk staring down its prey. He has fine wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, probably from squinting or frowning a lot."

"He has a high-bridged nose with a pointed tip. His lips are thin and habitually pressed downward at the corners, making him look stern, even cruel. He has bluish-black stubble on his chin, like he hasn’t shaved in two or three days, and his jawline is quite sharp..."

As he described the man, Yang Qi used his hands to trace the contours and features in the air.

On the other end of the call, Lin Fang listened intently, her stylus flying across her digital tablet as she sketched, occasionally asking for more detail.

The minutes ticked by as Yang Qi continued to recall, describe, and make corrections.

Lin Fang demonstrated her high level of professionalism, rapidly adjusting the sketch based on Yang Qi’s descriptions.

「About an hour and a half later.」

Lin Fang put down her stylus and held the initial portrait up to the camera.

"Advisor Yang, take a look. Does this look right?"

A frontal sketch of a man’s face appeared on the computer screen.

The long, thin face, the prominent cheekbones, the sparse, straight eyebrows, the cold and sharp eyes, the high, pointed nose, the tightly pressed thin lips, and the distinct stubble on the chin...

Although it was just a black-and-white line drawing, the man’s grim and cold-hearted aura was already palpable.

Yang Qi stared at the portrait for several seconds. The image of the man he had seen at the high-speed rail station perfectly overlapped with the sketch in his mind.

"That’s him!"