Chapter 80: Female Corpse in Red
March 10, 2011
Zhou Ning hung up the phone and Liu Yongxin came over.
"That's pretty fast. The first phase of this software is basically finished, right?"
Zhou Ning exhaled, suppressed his inner excitement and agitation, calmed himself down, and nodded to Liu Yongxin continuously.
When he obtained the fourth level of face restoration technology, he was so reluctant at first, but now he realizes that the benefits brought by upgrading just one aspect are unbelievable to him.
Because now this face restoration technology is no longer limited to whether it is a human face, but a technology for analyzing human portraits in surveillance or various very blurry image materials.
In professional terms, it is called a facial image deblurring method based on adaptive grid deformation to improve the deblurring effect of facial images.
To put it in plain words, no matter how blurry the image is, as long as I find the position data of the facial features in the image, I can use this data to calculate the original shape of the facial features.
Just now on the phone, Zhou Ning told Dr. Lu about this idea and sent him the detailed research steps and directions. Dr. Lu was very happy and promised to expand the development content of the software.
"Yes, the first phase of the design has been completed. After a week of debugging and multiple tests, the effect is very good. It can also adjust the skin color and iris color and other details later. However, there is no suitable skull or bone fragments for the software to simulate and restore. In addition, Dr. Lu wants me to follow him and test for a period of time."
Liu Yongxin was stunned.
"It's time to go. It doesn't matter if I go two days earlier or later. But do you have any requests for this bone fragment?"
Zhou Ning shook his head.
"I don't have any requirements, but it would be even better if the skull fragments showed the person's appearance, so that we can make a corresponding comparison. Of course, it would also be OK if the whole body bones were broken. The computer analysis and restoration system for the bones is currently in the debugging stage, which is the content of the second phase."
Liu Yongxin blinked and moved closer to Zhou Ning.
"It's so fast. It seems that Qindao University attaches great importance to the development of this software and has invested a lot of manpower and resources."
“That’s natural. They contacted a lot of experts and got them involved. But forensic professionals are scarce right now. Although there are forensic majors, these visiting professors will not participate in software research and are not suitable.
I have discussed this with Dr. Lu, and he wants to invite you over. After all, you will officially retire in a few days, so how about giving you a letter of appointment?"
Liu Yongxin was stunned. This statement was beyond his expectations. He raised his finger, pointed at his face, and kept shaking his head.
"Me? I just studied at a junior college while working, and I just worked a little too hard. If I go there, I will be a burden to you."
Zhou Ning shook his head.
"Master, don't be modest. I think you are the most suitable person to go. No one can compare to you in terms of experience. My mentor back then had a high degree, but that was all theoretical knowledge. What we need now is practical ability. You should know that without your persistence and matchmaking , this software would not have been possible."
Liu Yongxin blinked.
"Do you think I can do it?"
"There's no one more suitable than you. In fact, the R&D team originally intended to cooperate with the City Bureau's Forensic Medical Office. However, after some contact, they found that the City Bureau's Forensic Medical Office was investigating a case that had been going on for many years, and the only forensic doctor they could send was about my age. Dr. Lu felt that they still needed to find someone with very comprehensive skills and experience, and he thought you were the most suitable."
Liu Yongxin smiled, rubbed his chin and leaned back in his chair.
"I never thought that I could rely on my apprentice to become more successful at my old age. Since you and Dr. Lu both think I can do it, I won't refuse. I'll accept this."
Zhou Ning smiled and called Dr. Lu, telling him that Liu Yongxin agreed to the appointment. Dr. Lu was very happy and asked Liu Yongxin to wait patiently for their appointment letter. As for the salary, the final result would be given after consulting the hospital.
After hanging up the phone, Zhou Ning saw Liu Yongxin leaning over the computer, wearing reading glasses and seemingly looking at something.
Zhou Ning leaned over and found it was an email, a joint investigation document from the Municipal Bureau's Forensic Office, followed by a DNA test report. Liu Yongxin had already read the last page. Seeing him take off his glasses, Zhou Ning quickly asked:
"Master, what notice did the Municipal Bureau issue?"
Liu Yongxin shook his head, sighed, took a sip of tea, and then said slowly:
"I guess you've been studying abroad these years, so you don't know much about Qindao. There is a Qindao Red Clothes Serial Murder Case, which has been committed eleven times in the past five years.
In the case on February 25 this year, a sample of semen was extracted from the deceased, so the DNA was sent out to various districts and cities to help investigate. "
Zhou Ning raised his eyes in surprise. Eleven serial murders in five years. This man was really cruel.
"In this latest case, the rice liquid was found? Was there no other evidence left before?"
Liu Yongxin shook his head.
“The dead are usually dumped in garbage dumps, and the evidence is severely destroyed. When they are found, the bodies are usually in a state of advanced decay, and some have even been eaten by rats and wild dogs, leaving very little evidence.
Last year, the Provincial Department and the Ministry of Public Security sent people to help with the investigation, but due to the lack of a chain of evidence, no more favorable information could be found. Moreover, these cases generally occurred in the urban-rural fringe areas around Qindao City, perfectly avoiding the city’s surveillance.
As for fingerprints, we did find some, but after searching, we found that none of them belonged to the murderer. Most of these fingerprints belonged to scavengers or sanitation workers."
"What about the deceased? Didn't they find the deceased's identity and fingerprints? Do these eleven cases have any common characteristics?"
Liu Yongxin shook his head.
"The fingerprints of the deceased were all cut off. Among the eleven victims, the identities of five are still unknown. Four of the six female victims were high school students, day students. They did not return home, so they contacted the school. The bodies were found within three to five days after the report was made.
The other two were women working the night shift in nearby factories. Their common points were that they were all very thin, and they always disappeared at night and were wearing red clothes. In any case, countless police forces and resources have been invested over the years to catch the murderer, but there has been no news.
Moreover, the school requires parents to pick up their children after evening self-study and does not allow female students to go home alone. From the end of 2009 to the current five cases, the murderer has become more secretive and the locations where the bodies were dumped have become increasingly remote.
The victim's face was destroyed and there was no other characteristic information except for the red clothes he was wearing, so the victim's identity could not be ascertained because he could not be found among the missing persons.
However, I suspect that these five victims may be street prostitutes, all of whom have shady professions and a high population mobility, most of whom are not locals. Moreover, it is more difficult for these people to be discovered when they are killed, so this case is even more confusing. "
Zhou Ning nodded. Liu Yongxin's suspicion was on point. It was indeed very difficult to investigate such people during the census, and their original families rarely asked about them. If they were really dead or missing, their families would probably not know about it.
Just as he was thinking, Zhou Ning paused and looked up at Liu Yongxin.
"Master, are the bodies of these people preserved?"
Liu Yongxin was stunned for a moment, then nodded slowly.
"There's little point in freezing a highly decomposed corpse, but the bones have already been processed and preserved. Why are you asking this? Wait... Are you saying that this software just needs a lot of experimental data? You want to use the software to restore their appearance and then conduct an investigation?"
Zhou Ning nodded excitedly, but Liu Yongxin kept waving his hands.
"Don't even think about it. There are so many people involved in this case. It has also alarmed the provincial department and the Ministry of Public Security. Those people in the municipal bureau will not agree to participate in your software test."
Zhou Ning was stunned and couldn't react for a moment. If the skull was restored, wouldn't it be beneficial to the investigation of the case? Why would he oppose it? He should have fully supported it.
Liu Yongxin sighed and continued:
"I understand your good intentions, but you have to know that this is the forensic department of the branch, and your last software cooperation directly bypassed the Municipal Bureau and cooperated with Qindao University. Although everyone thinks it is a good thing, many people have a knot in their hearts, understand?"
Zhou Ning sighed. He didn't think too much about it, but when he thought of the two men in suits he met at the signing ceremony, he instantly understood what Liu Yongxin said.
"Okay, let's forget about it, but I'll talk to Dr. Lu about it later. If he thinks it's feasible, he can discuss it with the Municipal Bureau. We won't get involved."
Liu Yongxin smiled.
"Well, that's fine, but don't look for it right away. Go ahead and type on your keyboard. I see you've written quite a few pages. It seems to be a story, and it also includes the cases we've handled. Are you going to publish a novel?"
Zhou Ning felt a little embarrassed.
"I'm just looking for something to vent my negative emotions. Didn't you say that I should learn to relieve myself? I think this method is very suitable for me, but I haven't decided whether to publish it. Master, please don't tell others!"
"I know, I know. I'll keep it a secret for you! But how about the hush money?"
Zhou Ning scratched his head.
"Last time, Mr. Xu said he would treat us to a buffet, but he hasn't fulfilled his promise yet. I learned from him. When you receive the offer letter, I will treat you to a good meal, okay?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the office door was pushed open and Xu Dayuan walked in quickly.
"As soon as I came in, I heard you guys talking about me behind my back. What bad things did Zhou Xiaozhou say about me?"
Zhou Ning was startled and quickly jumped off the table.
"Xu Da, why are you here?"
Xu Dayuan had a face full of lawsuit and his eyebrows were twisted together.
"Bad news, there's a new corpse of a woman in red. I wonder if it's the one involved in the red serial murder case. Let's go check it out. Where are the people from Dazhao?"
