In the late autumn of 2023, in the low-temperature water of the Changsha section of the Xiangjiang River, a male floating corpse tied with tape broke the morning tranquility. The deceased was Zhang Jianjun, the owner of a construction company. Behind his bizarre death, there were many doubts surrounding project payment disputes, anonymous transfers, mysterious cigarette boxes, etc.
Chen Yan, a full-time technical detective from the Criminal Investigation Detachment of the Municipal Public Security Bureau, was ordered to face the danger. With scientific investigation methods and rigorous logical reasoning, starting from a half-broken YKK zipper puller and a "Hetianxia" cigarette case with tooth marks, he gradually identified the suspect on Li Wei, the project manager who had conflicts with the deceased. As key evidence such as the residue of scotch tape, DNA on the inside of the down jacket, and sleeping pill powder in the bathroom surfaced, Li Wei's psychological defense was broken and he admitted the fact of the murder.
However, the case did not end there. When Chen Yan was sorting out old cases, he discovered that Zhang Jianjun's death was secretly related to an unsolved case of an unknown female body in 2021 - two silver brooches engraved with the letter "L" and similar tape binding techniques pointed to Liu Lei, an employee who was fired by Zhang Jianjun three years ago. In the end, Chen Yan followed the traces and not only captured Liu Lei who instigated Li Wei to kill, but also vindicated the unnamed female body two years ago.
The story is set against the background of the real Xiangjiang River. In a compact and suspenseful layout, the story not only shows the scientific case-solving process such as forensic identification and DNA comparison, but also deeply explores the multiple dimensions of "justice": it is a severe punishment for crime, a comfort to victims, and a helping hand to those in trouble. It ultimately makes readers believe that no matter how deep the evil is hidden, justice will eventually penetrate the fog and illuminate the truth.
