Following that, Jiang An turned over the underwear placed on the bed sheet.

He checked every part thoroughly, from the straps and edges to the inner side.

"There are no signs of damage!"

"These two pieces of underwear were likely removed by the deceased themselves, not forcibly torn off by someone else."

With that said, Zhang Yean was even more puzzled.

"Could it be that these two women had some peculiar habits?"

Jiang An put away the underwear, folded them together, and placed them into an evidence bag.

"It's hard to say right now, let's continue investigating the scene."

Jiang An then moved again to the bedside table, bending down to pull open the drawer.

"Looks like we've found the source of the sleeping pills!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Yean hurriedly leaned over.

"There's also an outpatient medical record next to it."

Jiang An picked it up and examined it carefully.

"Patient Qin Xiao came to our hospital on October 15th for treatment due to a month of continuous insomnia and was prescribed two bottles of sleeping pills."

Jiang An put down the medical record and searched through the drawer, finding only one bottle of sleeping pills.

"One bottle is missing."

Zhang Yean said, "Does this mean the murderer used one bottle?"

Jiang An nodded.

"Wow! That dosage is quite substantial."

Subsequently, Jiang An opened the second drawer.

A white shopping bag caught his eye, with "No. 1 Supermarket" printed on its surface.

Jiang An pulled out the white shopping bag and found a box of condoms and a shopping receipt inside.

"This box is unopened, so it hasn't been used yet."

He picked up the shopping receipt, "The shopping time was last year on October 20th at 13:05."

Recalling the feedback from the store manager at Platinum Han KTV, Zhang Yean suddenly said, "Didn't Manager Ma Li say that Qin Xiao didn't have a boyfriend back then?"

"So why is this in the bedside table drawer!"

Jiang An didn't reply.

In fact, he was also very surprised, especially since the purchase was made in October last year.

Could this box of condoms be related to the incident?

If so, how could it be related?

Then, Jiang An went around the bed to another bedside table, opening two drawers, but found nothing of value besides personal belongings and documents.

Jiang An pushed open the wardrobe door in the bedroom.

Zhang Yean cooperated seamlessly.

She immediately stepped forward and clicked three photos to record the original state of the clothes in the wardrobe.

"It looks very tidy, with no signs of disturbance."

Jiang An nodded, noticing a red handbag at the back of the wardrobe.

He reached out and took it out, unzipping it to reveal a stack of red banknotes.

Zhang Yean looked surprised. "Wow, that's quite wealthy, roughly around 20,000 yuan."

"This rules out the possibility of a thief breaking in to steal and murder."

Jiang An turned and said, "Hardly anyone keeps a large amount of cash at home these days."

"Exactly! Unless it's for business transactions or traditional occasions, most use electronic payment."

"So, this is rather strange."

"Why does a young woman have so much cash?"

"And crucially, she hasn't lived here long."

After much thought, Jiang An analyzed, "Unless this cash was obtained shortly before her death."

Zhang Yean's gaze fixed on the red banknotes.

"Where could a young person acquire so much money?"

"I don't think Platinum Han KTV pays in cash."

"Even if they do, Qin Xiao's monthly salary shouldn't reach 20,000 yuan."

Jiang An placed the cash into an evidence bag, "Let's continue!"

Then, the two squatted down, using flashlights to inspect the footprints on the floor,

but still found nothing of value.

Jiang An stood up and entered the bathroom, and under the strong beam, he saw a faint dilution of blood in the sink.

"The murderer might have washed up here after the crime."

Zhang Yean also shone her flashlight on the floor of the shower area, observing the crevices like Jiang An did.

"There are also traces of diluted blood here."

"Could it be the murderer took a shower here?"

Jiang An came over, squatted down, and examined it carefully.

"What you said is entirely possible!"

"Earlier, we analyzed that the victim's carotid artery bled, and a lot of spray-like blood splattered on the murderer's face and front."

"So, it's likely they rinsed the blood from their face and front here."

After inspecting the bathroom, Jiang An and Zhang Yean also checked the second bedroom and study.

Apart from finding a lot of Zhang Rui's personal belongings and documents in the second bedroom, there was nothing else of value.

Finally, the two returned to the living room again.

Jiang An set down the flashlight he was holding, and after thinking for a while, said, "Now, is there any part we haven't examined?"

Zhang Yean looked around, "We've combed through the entire interior, from the entrance, living room, balcony, and kitchen to the bedroom, bathroom, and study."

Jiang An scanned the entire interior once more, "But it feels like we haven't fully grasped this crime scene yet."

Zhang Yean furrowed her brow slightly and said, "Not only haven't we figured it out, it's become even more complicated."

At this moment, Jiang An squinted slightly, with many questions swirling in his mind.

Why did the two women voluntarily take off their clothes in one bedroom?

Why is there an unopened box of condoms in the bedside table?

Did the killer enter when the two of them were undressed?

....

At that moment.

Li Jian and Wan arrived at the doorstep of apartment 1 on the 5th floor, directly below the crime scene.

"Knock! Knock! Knock!"

Wan raised his hand and gently knocked on the door.

A minute later, a middle-aged man in pajamas opened the door.

"Sorry to disturb you so late."

"We are from the Jiangcheng Criminal Investigation Team and have a few questions."

The man glanced at the badge in Wan's hand.

"It's fine, I'm not asleep yet, come on in!"

Then, Li Jian and Wan walked in.

As they passed through the entrance hall, Li Jian noticed with his peripheral vision some damage to the wall in the room on the right-hand side.

He casually asked, "Renovating the place?"

The man turned his head and answered, "Yes, that room's lighting was poor, so I did some remodeling."

Li Jian noted many renovation tools on the floor.

Wan also turned his head to glance over, curiously saying, "Do you handle all these tools yourself?"

The man replied, "I don't have that skill."

"The renovation workers will bring materials tomorrow, and worried the car couldn't fit the tools, so I left the tools here first."

Upon hearing this, Li Jian suddenly asked, "Isn't there a sign at your community's entrance prohibiting vehicles?"

"Normally, motor vehicles and electric scooters aren't allowed in."

"But cars delivering furniture or for moving and renovations can enter."

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