Guan Xia rubbed her ears and reminded Pang Le, "Keep your voice down."
Pang Le immediately lowered his voice, full of confusion as he asked, "Are you sure that person was suspicious? What exactly did you tell Xu Nian?"
Guan Xia repeated her earlier explanation.
Pang Le fell silent, only speaking again after a moment with a strained tone, "How can the gap between people be this big? I was standing right beside you, but I didn’t notice a thing. I’d bet anything that Shi Guangbo and Dong Yuncheng didn’t either."
Guan Xia didn’t respond. Truthfully, she hadn’t noticed either—but then again, she had an unfair advantage in her head.
Pang Le sighed in admiration, "Your talent is seriously impressive."
Guan Xia thought to herself, It’s not me who’s impressive—it’s the cheat code in my brain.
Pang Le continued, "But now that I think about it, our luck is kind of wild. We go hiking for half a day and run into two killers, one of them face-to-face. I’m starting to think we really should visit that temple. The odds are just too high."
Guan Xia agreed, "Why not go tomorrow? The sooner, the better."
Pang Le thought for a moment. "Let’s wait a bit. I asked around, but I haven’t figured out which temple’s the most effective yet. There’s one in Yongquan City, but my friends don’t recommend it. The better ones are in other cities. Let me do some more research first."
Guan Xia nodded. "Fine. Then let’s stay home for now. A dismemberment case? Just hearing that tells me this killer’s way more brutal than the last one. With our luck, I’m afraid we’ll run into them if we step outside. We can go after Xu Nian’s team cracks the case."
Pang Le agreed. "Deal. You saw the killer’s license plate. With the surveillance coverage these days, if that killer’s ever been in Yongquan City, they’ll find traces of him. The case should be solved soon."
Guan Xia vaguely felt like she’d heard this before, and an inexplicable premonition rose in her chest—this case probably wouldn’t be that simple either.
...
Xu Nian hung up the phone just as the car reached its destination.
Qi Bai parked and, without even unbuckling his seatbelt, immediately turned to ask Xu Nian, "Captain Xu, did Guan Xia really see something again?"
Xu Nian had already made two calls, instructing the tech team back at the station to track the license plate number. He put away his phone and answered, "She did. But this time, she didn’t see his face—just the plate."
Qi Bai’s eyes lit up. "A license plate’s still a lead! Once we find that car, we can follow the trail straight to the killer."
Xu Nian’s tense expression finally relaxed slightly. "That plate’s probably fake, but if it was used to transport body parts, even a thorough cleaning would leave biological traces. No matter how well this killer hides, we’ve got him by the tail now."
Qi Bai looked exhilarated. "Thank Guan Xia for us. This case was a nightmare, and she just handed us a crucial clue. Once it’s solved, I’m treating her to another big meal."
Xu Nian stepped out of the car and scoffed. "I think your motives aren’t purely professional. You really think she’ll say yes again? Be careful not to piss her off—she’s practically our team’s lucky charm now."
Qi Bai quickly unbuckled and followed, grinning. "Don’t worry, Captain. I’ll treat her like royalty, keep her happy, and make sure she never gets mad."
Xu Nian ignored him and quickened his pace toward the excavation site where the body parts had been found.
Qi Bai jogged to catch up. "But seriously, Captain, doesn’t Guan Xia have some kind of… weird luck? This is the second time in half a month. Both times, she ran into killers and spotted them—no, wait, add that fugitive from the other night too. The guy was huge, and she recognized him after just a glance. How does her brain even work? How can someone’s memory be that sharp? It’s like her mind’s a supercomputer—she remembers the tiniest details."
Xu Nian was silent for a few seconds before replying, "Maybe hyperthymesia? I’ve only heard of it—never seen it."
"Or maybe she just has a sharp instinct for people who stand out, like killers," Qi Bai mused. "After all, the clues she gives us are always tiny details—stains on a sleeve that might be blood, marks on a trunk that look like bloodstains, or even something as vague as a faint smell of blood. I think she must sense something’s off first, then zero in on those details. Maybe next time, we should test if she observes everyone that closely."
Xu Nian shot him a glare. "Test nothing. She’s not a suspect. We have no right—and no reason—to dig into her secrets like that."
Qi Bai hurried to explain, "I’m not digging! I’m just curious. Captain, you have to admit she’s got a gift. If someone like her joined our team, we might finally crack some of those cold cases."
Xu Nian paused mid-step. His face remained neutral, but the suggestion clearly tempted him. After a few seconds, he kept walking and said calmly, "Talent is just talent. In our line of work, you need more than that—you need conviction. If all she has is the skill, dragging her in would only hurt her. She’s just a civilian. Unless she wants to be involved, we can’t push her—not even a little."
He shot Qi Bai a stern look and added firmly, "I know which case you’re talking about, but no. We’re trained professionals. We can handle things she can’t. If I find out you so much as whispered Guan Xia’s name to Lu Tingfeng, you’re off the team."
Qi Bai lowered his head without answering. Xu Nian’s brow twitched. "You already told him?"
Qi Bai shook his head frantically. "No, no! I didn’t give anything away! I just… chatted with Lu the other day. Mentioned meeting two interesting girls."
Xu Nian’s face darkened. "You told him about Guan Xia’s ability?"
Qi Bai’s head sank even lower. "Well, how else would they be interesting?"
Xu Nian’s temper flared. He smacked Qi Bai on the back of the head and stormed ahead.
Qi Bai scrambled after him as Xu Nian hissed through gritted teeth, "Delete Lu Tingfeng’s contact. All of them. One more word to him, and you’re done."
Qi Bai fumbled for his phone. "Deleting now! I’m sorry, Captain, don’t be mad."
Xu Nian ignored him, plunging into the woods at a brisk pace.
After over an hour of walking, Xu Nian finally spotted the busy crowd ahead.
Wang Yu noticed them and hurried over. "Captain Xu, Qi Bai, you’re here."
Qi Bai nodded in greeting while Xu Nian cut straight to the point. "How many bags have you found?"
Wang Yu replied, "We've only searched within a 200-meter radius so far, and already found three bags. They weren't buried too far apart or too deep, but not shallow either. It might be because of the rain two nights ago—the compacted ground was softened by the water, allowing wild animals to catch the scent of blood and dig them up."
As he spoke, Xu Nian walked over to the first location where a body bag had been discovered. Wang Yu quickly pulled out a pair of gloves and handed them to him.
Xu Nian put them on, crouched down, and used his fingers to shift through a piece of human bone inside the black plastic bag. After examining it closely for a moment, he said, "This is a human forearm. The bone is slimmer than the one found in Harmony Community, so it's likely not from the same victim."
Standing up, Xu Nian glanced around but didn’t spot the person he was looking for. He turned to Wang Yu and asked, "Where’s He Jin?"
Wang Yu answered, "He’s examining the third body bag. This way."
Leading the way, Wang Yu climbed over a gentle slope and spotted another group of people.
The short but sturdy forensic examiner He Jin stood out among the tall detectives. Xu Nian approached and asked, "Any findings?"
He Jin, still focused on the third body bag, spoke rapidly, "So far, the three body bags we’ve found belong to the same victim. They contain parts of both upper and lower limbs, as well as some internal organs. The skull, which could help identify the victim, and the pelvis, which could determine age, haven’t been located yet."
"After going through the trouble of dumping the body this far, why only leave so little?" Qi Bai interjected. "That doesn’t make sense."
"Not necessarily," Wang Yu said. "If the killer took the time to dismember the body this thoroughly, it’s possible they only bothered to dispose of a small portion."
No sooner had Wang Yu finished speaking than an officer searching further away shouted, "Captain Xu, we’ve got another one!"
The group rushed over. He Jin, though short, was quick on his feet and reached the new body bag first. After just a few seconds of inspection, he confirmed, "It’s a pelvis. Based on its structure, the victim was male, young—around 15 or 16 years old."
The fact that the victim was a minor made the officers’ expressions darken further.
After a preliminary assessment, He Jin crouched down for a closer look. Moments later, his voice turned grim. "The victim’s genitals were also cut into three pieces."
The already tense atmosphere grew even heavier.
The officers peered at the fourth body bag. Wang Yu couldn’t help but voice his confusion. "This victim’s genitals were also mutilated. Does the killer hate men in general, or is this just a one-off?"
"Too early to say," Qi Bai replied. "First, we need to identify the victim and investigate his social circle. Only then can we start speculating about the killer’s motives."
"Then let’s find the skull," Xu Nian said, stepping onto higher ground. He called out to Qi Bai, "Take a few men and search that direction. Wang Yu, you take some others and go that way."
After assigning tasks to the remaining officers, Xu Nian brushed off a bug crawling up his pant leg and strode quickly toward his chosen path.
They worked well into the early hours of the morning, combing through nearly a 500-meter radius before finally heading back.
Just as they exited the mountains, Xu Nian’s phone rang.
Glancing at the caller ID, he answered immediately. "Jiang Yingyao, any luck with the car?"
"We found it," Jiang Yingyao said excitedly. "The forensics team is already on-site. It’s a fake license plate, but the car hasn’t been washed recently, so there’s a ton of biological evidence. We’re in for a good haul this time."
Xu Nian couldn’t help but feel a surge of anticipation. "Send me the location. I’m on my way."
Jiang Yingyao quickly shared the coordinates, then asked, "What about your end? Any leads?"
"We’ve found a second victim," Xu Nian said. "Only partial remains—no skull, upper torso, or some internal organs yet."
Jiang Yingyao zeroed in on the key detail. "So you’ve got the pelvis? That’s a solid lead. At least we know the victim’s sex and age. With that, we can cross-reference missing persons reports and likely confirm his identity."
"Male, 15 to 16 years old," Xu Nian confirmed. "We’ll check Yongquan City’s missing persons database. That should narrow it down."
"Got it," Jiang Yingyao said. "I’ll call the team right now and tell the guys to wake up and get searching."
An hour and a half later, Xu Nian arrived at the coordinates and met up with Jiang Yingyao, who was visibly thrilled even from a distance.
Qi Bai, exhausted and yawning nonstop, perked up at the sight of Jiang Yingyao. "Looks like good news."
He grinned. "All this late-night work wasn’t for nothing. I’m gonna grab an extra couple of buns when we get back. Seems like we’ll be busy all day."
As soon as Xu Nian stepped out of the car, Jiang Yingyao rushed over. "Blood—tons of the victim’s blood. And we found what looks like the killer’s hair in the driver’s seat. So many leads, it’s almost overwhelming."
Xu Nian took the gloves Qi Bai handed him and pulled them on. "All recent bloodstains?"
Qi Bai shuddered. "Captain Xu, what are you thinking?"
Xu Nian walked straight toward the car without answering. Jiang Yingyao explained in his stead, "The captain’s probably recalling the 1129 case from four years ago and the 725 case from seven years back. You haven’t been with the team long, so you might not know about them, but I remember them well. Also dismemberment cases, also male victims. The bureau threw everything into solving them, but without the skulls, we couldn’t ID the victims, and they went cold. When I got the call Friday night, I thought of them immediately, but without leads, it was too early to connect them. Now, with this car, we can link them."
"Another serial killer," Qi Bai muttered. "These guys really know how to hide. But this time, we’ve got the tail of the rat in our grip."
"Let’s get to work," Jiang Yingyao said, clapping Qi Bai on the shoulder. "This case is both active and cold. If we crack it, the bureau’s reputation will skyrocket. We might even snag a Third-Class Merit by year’s end—or at least a commendation."
Qi Bai quickened his pace to keep up. "Really? Solving this could get us a Third-Class Merit?"
Jiang Yingyao laughed. "Kid, you’re ignoring the ‘commendation’ part, aren’t you? I said maybe. But who knows?"
Leaning in, he added in a hushed tone, "Seven years ago, Director Ren was still the head of our precinct’s Criminal Investigation Division. If we solve a cold case from his tenure, don’t you think he’ll be pleased?"
Qi Bai caught on instantly, his motivation renewed as he jogged ahead.
...
After two days of hard work at home, Guan Xia finally finished unpacking the boxes piled in the living room.
Now that she wouldn’t be moving again, the boxes were useless. Too lazy to sell them, she simply cleaned them up and tossed them in the trash.
The weather was nice today, so Guan Xia deliberately put on a pair of sneakers, planning to take a stroll to the nearby market. She had previously agreed with Pang Le to host a housewarming gathering. Since she hadn’t been going out much lately, she figured she might as well invite Pang Le over to liven things up.
Guan Xia thought for a moment and decided she could also invite Lawyer Shi and Dong Yuncheng.
From what she could tell, Pang Le was still quite interested in Lawyer Shi. After a couple of brief interactions, Guan Xia noticed that aside from being a bit serious, Lawyer Shi didn’t have any glaring flaws. As Pang Le’s friend, if the opportunity arose, she could help facilitate things between them.
Dong Yuncheng also seemed like a decent person. During their hiking trip, he had gone out of his way to help her, so inviting him over for a meal would be a good way to show her gratitude.
After mentally mapping out her plans, Guan Xia leisurely walked toward the residential complex’s entrance. As she passed Building 7, the sound of an argument caught her attention.
She turned her head and saw a middle-aged woman standing in the open space near the building’s entrance, her face flushed red, carrying bags full of groceries. Beside her was a young girl, no older than seven or eight.
A balding, short, and stout man—who looked significantly older than the woman—was ranting furiously, spittle flying as he spoke. “What did I tell you? Little Yu won’t be bringing his wife and kid home until the weekend. Why did you buy so much food this early? And shrimp and pork ribs, no less! Who’s this for? You? Or her?”
He shot the little girl a disgusted look and added impatiently, “She’s just going to marry out someday anyway, and she’s not even my blood. Giving her food is already more than enough—what does she need shrimp and ribs for?”
With that, he snatched the bags containing the shrimp and ribs. “Give them to me. I’ll take them to Little Yu. They’re trying for a second child anyway—it’s better they eat this than let it go to waste.”
The woman tried to grab the bags back, murmuring weakly, “But… I bought these with my own money for Yue Yue. Her birthday’s coming up, and I promised her shrimp.”
“What money?” the man sneered. “The measly amount you earn washing dishes in some dingy restaurant? It’s not even close to what I make from renting out my properties. I’m letting you two live here for free, and you dare talk about money? From now on, you hand your wages over to me. You’ll eat what I say you eat.”
Before the woman could respond, the little girl spoke up indignantly, “Why should we?”
She glared at the man. “That’s my mom’s money! Why can’t we spend it? And you married her—you said this would be our home too. How is it ‘free’? My mom cooks and cleans for you every day. She’s not freeloading; she’s earning her keep. Her money is hers, not yours!”
The man’s face turned red with rage before darkening into a scowl. He glared at the woman. “Is this how you’ve been raising her? I feed her, clothe her, and even though she’s not mine, I let her live here—and you teach her to talk back to me?”
The woman instinctively shielded the girl, but before she could defend herself, the man lunged forward and slapped her across the face. “You ungrateful wretch! I took pity on you back then—a single mother barely scraping by on odd jobs, unable to afford food after paying rent. I gave you a lifeline, and this is how you repay me? If it weren’t for me, you’d still be rotting in some slum. I never should’ve been soft on you.”
He raised his hand to strike again, but the bystanders who had been watching quickly intervened.
“Hey, what do you think you’re doing?” A young man grabbed the man’s arm. “Arguing is one thing, but hitting her? The kid wasn’t wrong. If you’re married, you’re family—and you were the one who said that first. Now you’re keeping score like this? Sounds like a scam marriage to me.”
“Scam marriage? Don’t spout nonsense!” The man shoved the young man away. “I married her out of pity. One person living alone or two—what’s the difference? Besides, it’s companionship. Now that we’re married, what’s wrong with me managing the money? She was reckless with it before, spending more than she earned—that’s why she ended up like this. I’m just making sure this family stays afloat. At least I won’t let them starve or freeze.”
“You’re lying!” the little girl shrieked. “You don’t treat us like family! You treat my mom like a servant, and you hit her!”
The crowd, which had quieted slightly, erupted again, hurling accusations at the man.
Furious, the man threw the grocery bags he was holding onto the ground. “Couples fight—it’s normal! Look at her face—other than that slap mark, do you see any other bruises?” He shot the girl a warning glare. “Keep running your mouth, and you and your mom can get out.”
The girl wanted to argue further, but her mother tugged her arm, forcing her to lower her head in silence.
Without a word, the woman picked up the discarded bags and walked into the building, her daughter trailing behind.
Guan Xia didn’t look away until both mother and child had disappeared inside.
She couldn’t be bothered to spare the man another glance. No matter how he tried to justify himself, everyone around him saw right through him.
Sure enough, as soon as the man vanished into the building, the murmurs among the onlookers grew louder.
Guan Xia caught snippets of the conversation. The man and woman were indeed in a second marriage—but while the man had divorced his first wife, the woman’s husband had abandoned her. Rumor had it he ran off with another woman, vanishing without a trace for six or seven years. The woman had even filed a police report, but when nothing turned up, she eventually declared him dead. After waiting a few more years, struggling to make ends meet, she remarried.
The man’s first wife had been hot-tempered, keeping him on a tight leash throughout their marriage. He had spent half his life feeling suffocated until, one night, he snapped and attacked her in her sleep. His wife, never one to back down, fought back—though she was no match for his strength. Still, she managed to grab a kitchen knife and slash him once before fleeing.
Though injured, the man had been willing to reconcile, but his wife refused. She forced him into a divorce. With their child already grown and working after college, neither cared about custody. They split their assets hastily, and she moved out.
A year after the divorce, the man married his current wife. Compared to his first, this one was far more docile, and he reveled in finally being able to “stand tall” as the head of the household. He controlled everything, dictating every little thing—meek outside but a tyrant at home.
Everyone in the complex knew the woman was abused. Some had tried to intervene or even called the police, but the woman was like a lump of dough—no matter what they said, she wouldn’t listen. Eventually, people stopped bothering. As long as the beatings didn’t happen in public, they turned a blind eye.
After hearing the whole story, Guan Xia remained unfazed. She continued toward the complex entrance, still mulling over what groceries to buy for the housewarming.
Before she reached the gate, she spotted a three-wheeled cart in the distance. A man of average height, his face cheerful, was unloading vegetables and greeting every passerby with enthusiasm.
Guan Xia was surprised. It seemed the vegetable seller had cut out the middleman and come straight to the neighborhood to peddle his goods.
The man seemed quite familiar with many of the elderly women in the neighborhood, chatting away while weighing and bagging produce with cheerful efficiency.
Guan Xia followed the crowd over to take a look. The selection wasn’t extensive—just the usual everyday vegetables—but everything was undeniably fresh, the dirt thoroughly washed off. The prices were low too, with a slight discount for buying by the kilogram. No wonder so many people rushed over as soon as the truck parked.
Seeing the elderly women around her nearly scrambling to grab their purchases, Guan Xia casually picked up a few items as well. She planned to stop by the supermarket later for some tofu, meatballs, and other ingredients to make a hot and spicy stew.
Two chapters for now—I’ll write another one after I wake up later. Grateful for every little angel who’s subscribed, love you all~
