When Guan Xia and the others set off, they conveniently missed the evening rush hour, so despite leaving in a hurry, they arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare.
After smoothly going through security and checking their luggage, they successfully met up with Pang Le and the rest of the Second Division team. It wasn’t until they sat down and exchanged a few casual words that Guan Xia belatedly realized their destination for the case was Jianyang City.
Though several months had passed, the events that had unfolded there were so horrifying that Guan Xia still remembered them vividly. Jianyang City was suspected to be an active area for that organization.
Already somewhat nervous, Guan Xia grew even more tense, instinctively straightening her posture before leaning closer to Xu Nian and whispering, “I just realized we’re heading to Jianyang City. By the way, any updates on that previous case?”
Mindful of their public surroundings, Guan Xia kept her words deliberately vague, but she was certain Xu Nian would follow her train of thought.
Sure enough, after a brief pause, Xu Nian responded just as quietly, “That case is classified at too high a level. Even though I was involved as an officer, I haven’t been given any updates. But judging by Director Ren’s recent temper, there must be some leads—though progress isn’t going smoothly.”
Guan Xia exhaled slowly, unsurprised. After all, it was a criminal organization with an unknown number of members, operating on a massive scale while remaining hidden for who knows how long. Even in a world of detective stories, uprooting such an entity wouldn’t be easy. As long as the investigation continued without losing momentum, that was already a win.
Their flight, scheduled for 22:45, landed close to 1 a.m. Ji An and a tall young woman, roughly the same height as her, were there to pick them up.
After exchanging greetings, Guan Xia glanced around but didn’t spot Lu Tingfeng.
Noticing her searching gaze, Ji An took her suitcase and explained, “Lu Tingfeng was supposed to come, but his injuries are much worse than mine. Xu Nian chewed him out before we left, and when he tried sneaking out of the hospital, the doctors and nurses scolded him too. On top of that, his wound reopened, so he had no choice but to stay put.”
It occurred to Guan Xia then that Lu Tingfeng’s injury was in a rather private location. She’d asked once, but he’d deliberately dodged the question, and she hadn’t pressed further. Even now, she had no idea where exactly he’d been hurt.
Hearing Ji An mention it piqued her curiosity, but after a moment’s thought, she decided against asking and simply nodded in acknowledgment.
Meanwhile, the young woman accompanying Ji An—Zhong Xiaoyu—twirled her car keys and remarked casually, “Lu Tingfeng’s fighting skills aren’t great, but his temper sure is. If I hadn’t stepped in last time, he wouldn’t have gotten off with just a shallow stab—he’d have lost a kidney, maybe even both.”
Zhong Xiaoyu’s name sounded sweet and innocent, and her delicate features gave off a quiet, bookish vibe. But the moment she spoke, it was clear she had a sharp tongue and a fiery temper. Pang Le’s eyes lit up with admiration the second she opened her mouth.
At the mention of kidneys, Guan Xia’s expression shifted to one of understanding, and the others smoothly changed the subject.
As they chatted and made their way to the parking lot, loaded their luggage, and got into the car, Guan Xia barely had time to settle into her seat before Pang Le eagerly asked, “Lu Tingfeng once told us a story—about how he and two friends went camping in the mountains at night and stumbled upon killers burying a body. The killers had guns, and the three of them got separated. He and a retired female police officer ended up trapped in a crevice. Was that you?”
Guan Xia, who’d been fiddling with her phone, froze mid-motion and instinctively looked up at Zhong Xiaoyu, who was buckling her seatbelt in the driver’s seat.
With a click, Zhong Xiaoyu secured the belt, then met Pang Le’s gaze in the rearview mirror with a bright grin. “Yeah, that was me. How’d Lu Tingfeng describe me? Make me sound heroic? I carried him out of those mountains, you know. Man, he looks lean, but he’s heavy. Nearly killed me.”
Now both Pang Le and Guan Xia were riveted. Though Guan Xia had been unsettled for days after Lu Tingfeng’s probing behavior back then, his story had stuck with her.
Pang Le nodded enthusiastically, practically leaning over the front seat as he mimicked Lu Tingfeng’s tone and retold the tale.
Zhong Xiaoyu listened intently before chuckling proudly. “Good. At least Lu Tingfeng didn’t ruin my glorious reputation.”
She then glanced at Pang Le and asked, “Judging by the muscle definition in your arms, you’ve trained?”
Pang Le nodded eagerly. “Yeah, started learning the basics as soon as I could walk. Family martial arts tradition. What about you? Wanna spar sometime?”
Zhong Xiaoyu’s eyes widened with visible excitement. “Hell yeah! Once we wrap up this case, you warm up, and we’ll go a few rounds.”
Pang Le studied the pronounced muscles in Zhong Xiaoyu’s arms, then looked down at his own before nodding solemnly. “Deal. I’ll train up, and then we’ll see.”
After driving to their hotel and settling in, Guan Xia finally asked the question that had been on her mind. “Ji An, what’s the situation with the case we’re here to investigate?”
Ji An checked her watch. “Let’s wait a bit longer. We’ll discuss it once Xu Nian and the others arrive.”
A few minutes later, with the entire Second Division gathered in the room, Zhong Xiaoyu gave a brief rundown of the case.
Her expression turned grim as she spoke. “Before the latest victim, the previous deceased was named Zhong Chenghong—male, 37 years old. Time of death was December 27, 2019. Cause of death: blood loss.”
Hearing the victim’s surname, Guan Xia exchanged a subtle glance with Pang Le before refocusing on Zhong Xiaoyu.
Zhong Xiaoyu rummaged through her backpack, pulled out several photos, and handed them around. “Since it’s a five-year-old case and the manner of death is… graphic, I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.”
Guan Xia took one of the photos. Though Zhong Xiaoyu’s warning had prepared her somewhat, the sheer brutality of the scene still made her stomach churn. Pang Le, who had a stronger tolerance, couldn’t help but blurt out, “Holy hell—Jack the Ripper?”
Guan Xia was familiar with the infamous case and had even seen movies about it. While the method differed, the resemblance was uncanny. The victim in the photo had a deep slash across the throat, but the real horror was the gaping wound across the torso—completely eviscerated, with most of the internal organs missing.
Guan Xia had participated in several cases before, but this was the first time she encountered such a gruesome crime scene. Even though she only glanced at the photos briefly, she instinctively averted her gaze, trying to steady her racing heartbeat and the churning in her stomach.
The members of the Second Division were far calmer, already discussing the case with little visible reaction.
"This method of killing carries a certain degree of venting anger and a sense of judgment," Xu Nian remarked. "And given how clean these wounds are, there must have been other victims before this one."
Zhong Xiaoyu nodded. "From what I know, there were at least three other victims before this, but I’m not sure of the exact number."
Wang Yu suddenly seemed to realize something. "Oh right, you were discharged from the armed police, not the criminal investigation division. So how did you get these crime scene photos? This…"
As she spoke, her expression grew hesitant, and her hand holding the photos flinched slightly, as if burned—clearly, she had thought of something unsettling.
Zhong Xiaoyu quickly explained, "These photos were given to me by my aunt. You’ve probably guessed it—the victim shares my surname, Zhong. He was my uncle. When he was killed, I was still serving in the armed police. It wasn’t until three years ago, when I was discharged due to injury, that my aunt approached me and asked me to investigate his case by any means necessary."
Pang Le gave her a skeptical look. "And you just agreed to investigate for her?"
Guan Xia also stared at her in surprise. Based on Zhong Xiaoyu’s earlier composed demeanor, it didn’t seem like she had any deep affection for this uncle. After all, this wasn’t just a casual inquiry—it required a massive investment of time and carried serious risks.
Zhong Xiaoyu shrugged with a smile. "Of course not. This uncle was the late-born child in the family and didn’t get along with my mother at all. Besides, my mom’s been gone for years. The only reason I’m putting in so much effort is the money."
She added, "My uncle had a terrible personality, but he was ridiculously good-looking. That’s how he ended up marrying a wealthy woman with family assets. My rich aunt pays me 100,000 a month—way better than any job I could get. So I didn’t think twice before agreeing. I guess after being in the military for so long, I never shook off my habit of not tolerating people I dislike. In the six months after I was discharged, I worked at three different companies—all arranged by my dad through my aunt’s connections—and got fired from every single one for beating up male superiors. If it weren’t for my aunt’s extensive network, I’d have ended up in jail right after leaving the service."
Guan Xia and Pang Le exchanged another glance, their expressions nearly identical—equal parts astonished and admiring. They couldn’t help but appreciate a woman who was both capable and unapologetically blunt. It was a perfect match for their tastes.
Guan Xia had the distinct feeling that if the situation weren’t so serious, Pang Le would’ve already rushed over to bond with Zhong Xiaoyu and drag her into their circle.
With their doubts cleared and now knowing that Zhong Xiaoyu had been investigating the case all along—and was even related to one of the victims—the group didn’t hold back with their questions.
Wang Yu asked, "You mentioned your uncle had a bad personality. What about his social connections? Did he associate with shady people? Any enemies?"
Zhong Xiaoyu answered smoothly, "My uncle dropped out after high school. Relying on his looks, he spent his days mooching off others. Before my aunt, he had tons of girlfriends and even got himself kept by a few. The number of people he pissed off? If it wasn’t a hundred, it was at least eighty—men, women, old, young, from all walks of life. I could talk for three days straight and still not cover them all. But as for someone hating him enough to kill him? Not likely. From what I gathered from the cops who handled the case back then, they checked every lead until their legs gave out, and everyone had solid alibis."
"What about his relationship with your aunt?" Jiang Yingyao asked. "Were they happy?"
At this question, the group’s already serious expressions grew even more intense, mixed with a hint of confusion. After all, based on Zhong Xiaoyu’s description, her uncle was worthless beyond his looks. It was hard to imagine what her aunt saw in him to marry him—let alone spend so much money posthumously to hunt down his killer.
Zhong Xiaoyu stroked her chin, thinking for a long moment before answering. "Honestly, I can’t say for sure how their relationship was. I was still in the military when they got married—didn’t even attend the wedding. By the time I was discharged, my uncle was already gone. But I’ve seen their photos and wedding videos. Gotta admit, for an older guy living off a sugar mama, he had his charms—handsome face, well-maintained, tall, and fit. If you ignored his personality, he had that refined scumbag vibe. And in the videos, the way my aunt looked at him? You could practically see the heart-eyes."
She suddenly remembered something. "Oh, right! I still have their photos and videos on my phone—the wedding footage. Want to see?"
Guan Xia and Pang Le wordlessly shifted positions, moving their chairs to face the TV.
Sure enough, as they settled in, Wang Yu said, "Actually, more than the videos, we’d like to see the real people. In many homicide cases, the killer ends up being the victim’s other half."
Zhong Xiaoyu swiftly cast her phone screen to the TV, and everyone watched intently.
The video was long. Even on fast-forward, it took over an hour to get through. In the end, their conclusion matched Zhong Xiaoyu’s exactly—her aunt had clearly adored her uncle. Her eyes brimmed with love, and even when they weren’t together in the footage, her gaze followed him wherever he went.
"And after marriage?" Wang Yu turned off the TV once the video ended. "From how you described him, your uncle was quite the playboy. Did he ever cheat?"
This time, Zhong Xiaoyu shook her head decisively. "My uncle might’ve been unreliable, but he was greedy and vain to the core. Every girlfriend he had before was obedient until he bled them dry and moved on to the next. From what I know, my aunt was loaded. She even gifted my dad a new car out of love for my uncle. After I was discharged, even though my uncle was gone, she gave me a new car too. On top of the monthly 100,000, she’d send me random big red packets while I helped investigate. During holidays? It was like a money storm. With my uncle’s money-obsessed nature, unless my aunt went bankrupt, he’d sooner die than cheat—even if he were drugged."
Guan Xia and Pang Le were stunned into silence. Recalling the uncle’s appearance from the video, they wavered between finding it absurd and realizing it wasn’t that far-fetched after all.
After all, from Guan Xia’s aesthetic perspective, he was indeed very handsome—the kind with sharp, well-proportioned features that exuded a dignified charm. Coupled with his nearly six-foot-three height, impeccably maintained physique, and striking presence, his appearance alone was undeniably appealing.
The room fell silent for a moment before Jiang Yingyao asked, "Before your uncle was killed, did anything unusual happen?"
Zhong Xiaoyu shook her head again. "My aunt had installed a tracking system on my uncle’s phone. After I agreed to help her investigate his case, she even showed me his entire itinerary from the days leading up to the incident. There was nothing out of the ordinary—just his usual routine of beauty treatments, gym sessions, dining out, and shopping. The places he visited were either his regular spa or large shopping malls."
Wang Yu frowned. "Your aunt had a tracker on your uncle’s phone? Then on the day he was killed… didn’t she notice anything strange?"
Zhong Xiaoyu replied, "On the day of his murder, his phone wasn’t with him. It was found in his car in the underground parking lot of the mall he frequented. He might have been drugged or abducted—either way, he went missing at that mall. By the time he was found a day later, he was already dead."
