Guan Xia ultimately didn’t wait for the elevator to finish repairs before heading home. Though she had only jogged two laps, the sudden burst of exercise left her hungry after just a short while. Fortunately, she had her phone with her, so she grabbed breakfast at a random shop near her apartment complex. After a brief stroll around the small neighborhood and noticing people gradually returning to the building, she guessed the repairs were done and decided to head back.
But the moment she stepped into the hallway, her heart sank. Two uniformed workers were still busy, with a middle-aged woman—likely from the property management—standing nearby, scrolling on her phone while occasionally glancing at them.
Hearing footsteps, the woman looked up and said casually, "The elevator’s broken. Still under repair. Can’t use it right now."
Guan Xia hesitated, imagining the climb to the 9th floor, and couldn’t help asking, "How long until it’s fixed?"
The woman didn’t answer, but one of the repairmen spoke up, "Won’t be until afternoon. Some idiot kicked the elevator door in your unit until it warped, and the display screens on the second to fourth floors are smashed too. Might not even be fixed by then."
Faced with such a long wait, Guan Xia resigned herself to the stairs, feeling like her day was off to an unlucky start. Just her first day committing to a new routine, and already this much misfortune?
Huffing her way up to the fourth floor in one go, she turned a corner and spotted an elderly woman leaning against the railing, catching her breath. A large bag of vegetables sat abandoned on the steps.
Hearing someone approach, the woman bent down to move the bag aside and smiled at Guan Xia. "Go ahead, dear. I need to rest a bit. Today’s just not my day—came to make dumplings for my son, and of course, the elevator’s out. Should’ve come yesterday."
Guan Xia wasn’t one to meddle, but seeing the woman’s graying hair, she softened. "Which floor do you live on? I can help carry this."
The woman wasn’t surprised but waved her off. "Oh, no need. I’m not that old—can handle the 9th floor. Just overdid it at a square dancing competition a couple days ago. Blood pressure’s acting up, so I’m taking it slow. You go on ahead, dear. I’ll manage."
If not for hearing "9th floor," Guan Xia would’ve kept going. But realizing they were neighbors, she pressed her lips together and insisted, "What a coincidence—I’m on the 9th floor too. Let me help."
As Guan Xia reached for the bag, the woman’s face lit up. "Oh! So you’re the one across from us! I heard the unit sold last year but never saw anyone. Kept telling my son I wondered what the new neighbor was like—didn’t expect such a young girl!"
Uncomfortable with the sudden warmth, Guan Xia forced an awkward smile and stayed quiet.
The woman didn’t refuse her help this time, lifting the other side of the bag. "Let’s carry it together—easier on the hands. By the way, my son’s a cop, a detective actually. Works crazy hours, sometimes stumbling home at midnight. If he ever makes noise, just bear with him. I’ll remind him to keep it down."
"A detective?" Guan Xia blinked, nodding in understanding. "That explains the busy schedule. Don’t worry, Auntie. The walls here are thick, and I go to bed early. Won’t bother me."
"Early to bed? That’s good," the woman said, her tone even friendlier. "Nothing beats a healthy routine. Better than any fancy medicine."
Chatting as they climbed, they soon reached the 9th floor. Guan Xia politely said goodbye and hurried inside.
After changing into loungewear, she buried herself in her study, diving into today’s study session.
---
Compared to the tense atmosphere of previous days, the Second Division office was buzzing with excitement—finally, they had a lead on their suspect.
The team gathered around the conference table as Jiang Yingyao swiftly pinned photos onto the whiteboard.
"We’ve confirmed the identities of the victims in the November 29th and July 25th cases," Jiang Yingyao said, using a laser pointer to indicate two images. "The November 29th victim, Tian Shaohui, male, 42, went missing on the night of November 27, 2017. Like the others, he had a history of long-term domestic violence against his wife, but no police reports or hospital records. The July 25th victim, Tan Yongfu, male, 37, disappeared in the early hours of July 21, 2020. Same pattern—abusive, no official records."
After briefly summarizing, Jiang Yingyao set down the laser pointer. "Once we ID’d them, we canvassed their social circles, neighborhoods, and workplaces. Tian Shaohui was a hazardous materials truck driver. Aside from the abuse, he had a history of soliciting prostitutes. Our investigation shows he went missing after leaving a hotel post-transaction around 11 PM on November 27. Surveillance footage caught him getting into a silver-gray sedan with license plate QH993. The car traveled along Wanshou Street, Qingnian Road, Xinfeng Road, and the Ring Road before heading onto Xinmin Avenue. No footage of it leaving Xinmin Avenue."
"Xinmin Avenue?" Qi Bai glanced at Xu Nian. "That’s the wide new road near your complex, right? I checked the four villages like Jiang-ge said. Any one of them could reach that small commercial area within an hour and a half. So Tian Shaohui disappeared and was likely killed nearby?"
The others turned to Xu Nian.
Xu Nian looked at Jiang Yingyao. "Silver-gray sedan—another prostitute? Did we get the driver’s face?"
Jiang Yingyao shook his head. "No. The driver wore a hat and mask the whole time, but based on build and hairstyle, likely female."
"Female?" Qi Bai’s eyebrows shot up. "Damn, so it’s a group effort."
Wang Yu disagreed. "Not necessarily. The silver-gray sedan matches the one we found earlier. Forensics only recovered a few synthetic wig fibers from the driver’s seat, no fingerprints. That means the driver wore gloves that night. A man disguising as a woman is easier in the dark than the reverse. Could still be male—or female."
Everyone studied the surveillance photo of the driver. Seated, height was indeterminable, but the figure appeared heavyset, with a noticeable chest outline from the seatbelt and long hair draped over the shoulders—seemingly female. Yet the synthetic wig fibers cast doubt.
"Continue," Xu Nian interrupted the team's contemplation.
Jiang Yingyao picked up where he left off, "The victim in Case 725, Tan Yongfu, was unemployed. He used to be a self-employed businessman running a small restaurant with his wife. However, he developed a gambling addiction after being lured by his fellow villager, Tan Jianhong. He lost all his savings, including the restaurant. On the day of his disappearance, he had been gambling at an illegal gambling den with Tan Jianhong until the early hours of the morning before vanishing. The gambling den was located in Fengshou Village, about four kilometers from Xinmin Avenue."
"Ha, Xinmin Avenue again," Qi Bai remarked with certainty. "Seems like the suspect is hiding in one of the four villages near Xinmin Avenue. Can we set up surveillance today?" He looked expectantly at Xu Nian.
Xu Nian didn’t respond immediately. After a few seconds of thought, he reached out to Wang Yu. "Give me the map."
Wang Yu quickly handed over the map tucked in his notebook. Xu Nian unfolded it, muttering to himself as he circled locations with a red pen. "Tian Shaohui—Yushui Bay Residential Area. Tan Yongfu—Lijing Residential Area. Pang Zhiye and Pang Wenze—Fangcao Garden Residential Area."
Staring at the three closely clustered circles, Xu Nian asked, "Have we obtained the detailed personnel records for the four villages?"
Wang Yu nodded. "Yes." He flipped through a thick stack of documents, occasionally pulling out a few sheets and setting them aside.
Qi Bai, growing impatient, snatched half the stack and began sorting through them. Soon, they had compiled the records of individuals who matched their criteria.
"Captain Xu," Qi Bai said, handing over the papers, "these are the personnel details of people from the four villages who either work in the small commercial districts where the victims lived or have fixed business dealings with supermarkets and farmers' markets in those areas, such as vegetable deliveries."
"And there’s more," Wang Yu added, passing over additional sheets. "These include vendors with fixed stalls in nearby markets and those who sell goods independently."
Xu Nian skimmed through the documents. Though the scope had narrowed significantly, there were still dozens of potential suspects.
But with the list reduced to this extent, they could proceed with surveillance.
Xu Nian’s tense expression softened slightly. "The killer has the ability to dismember bodies, so he must be relatively young, physically capable, and without disabilities. He also likely has a private, spacious residence. Given that we’ve only recovered limbs, partial organs, and pelvic remains, the location is probably isolated from densely populated areas and has space for burying bodies—perhaps a courtyard or nearby wasteland or woods."
Wang Yu suddenly asked, "Could the killer have buried the remaining body parts in a greenhouse?"
Before Xu Nian could answer, Jiang Yingyao explained, "Typically, those who operate greenhouses set up small guard sheds nearby to prevent vandalism or poisoning. Those sheds are too small for dismemberment. If the killer dismembered the bodies at his own residence, he wouldn’t risk transporting the remains to a greenhouse hundreds of meters or even kilometers away when he could just dispose of them nearby."
Wang Yu nodded thoughtfully. "So, it’s the principle of ‘dumping far, burying near.’"
Once Jiang Yingyao finished, Xu Nian continued, "The killer must have observed the victims for a long time to find the right opportunity to abduct them without raising suspicion. For the victims not to notice, the killer must have had a legitimate reason to be around them frequently. Simply delivering vegetables to supermarkets or markets wouldn’t provide enough time. That leaves only those with fixed stalls or independent vendors."
He paused, then added, "There’s also a high chance the killer isn’t living alone. He might not have children, but he’s almost certainly married."
Qi Bai frowned in confusion. "Why, Captain Xu? Wouldn’t living alone make dismemberment easier? Why does he have to be married?"
Again, Jiang Yingyao stepped in to explain patiently. "In rural areas, single individuals—whether male or female—draw more attention than married ones. For the killer to murder four people without being detected, even being in a relationship wouldn’t suffice. Marriage is the only way to blend in."
Qi Bai and Wang Yu both nodded in understanding.
Xu Nian set down the papers. "Now that we’ve clarified the surveillance conditions, let’s move out."
Just as he finished speaking, Jiang Yingyao suddenly interjected, "Wait, Captain Xu. There’s one more noteworthy detail I haven’t mentioned yet."
With the suspect almost within reach, Xu Nian was in good spirits. He sat back down and looked at Jiang Yingyao. "Go ahead, Jiang."
Jiang Yingyao tapped Tan Yongfu’s photo. "While investigating his personal connections, we found something unusual. Tan Yongfu’s wife, Ye Lan, remarried in February 2023. Her new husband is Liang Xinhua, 53, who divorced his previous wife in 2022 due to ‘irreconcilable differences.’ Though Liang has no history of domestic violence, he once got into a physical altercation with his ex-wife, resulting in her suffering a fracture and him being hospitalized with knife wounds."
Xu Nian grasped his meaning. "You suspect that Liang Xinhua, despite no formal record of domestic violence, has violent tendencies and could be the killer’s next target?"
Jiang Yingyao hesitated, then nodded. "Since remarrying Ye Lan, there haven’t been any domestic violence reports. But I had someone check with their neighborhood committee director. Last year was fine, but starting this year, Liang and Ye Lan have had several heated arguments, including slapping incidents. If the killer is indeed scouting for targets in the area, Liang—as the remarried spouse of a previous victim’s widow—would be an easy mark."
Xu Nian frowned. "That’s a strong possibility. Did you assign anyone to watch him?"
Jiang Yingyao nodded. "With limited manpower, I only assigned two—one regular officer and one auxiliary officer."
Before Xu Nian could respond, Jiang Yingyao’s phone rang. After answering, his expression darkened.
Xu Nian’s heart sank. Sure enough, Jiang Yingyao hung up and said gravely, "I just got word. Liang Xinhua has gone missing."
