Four burial pits, partial remains of five victims, plus the primary crime scene where the dismemberment took place—even with reinforcements arriving, the team worked well past midnight before they could finally straighten their backs.
"Captain Xu, the dismemberment scene is pretty much wrapped up," Jiang Yingyao said, struggling to keep his nearly shut eyes open as he floated over on unsteady feet. "How about here?"
Xu Nian glanced at the forensics team finishing up and forced himself to rally. "We're almost done here too. Let's call it a night. Wonder how Director Ren's doing."
Speak of the devil. Xu Nian instinctively turned toward the direction of the wild mountains, but before he could see anything, his phone rang.
The sight of "Director Ren" on the screen instantly perked him up, and Jiang Yingyao, who'd been watching him, cracked a smile.
"Director Ren," Xu Nian answered, only to hear the man's steady voice reply, "Xu Nian, the suspect's in custody. How’s your end?"
"Wrapping up here," Xu Nian summarized briefly before pressing, "Any injuries during the arrest?"
"None," Director Ren said. "According to the officers who apprehended Jiang Chuntao, she didn’t put up much resistance. She led them on a chase through the mountains, but once cornered, she immediately dropped the weapon and surrendered. Seems she was just buying time."
Xu Nian wasn’t surprised. "She made the snap decision to kill Liang Xinhua and flee into the mountains—that alone proves she’s decisive and calculated. Someone like her would never be Luo Shun’s subordinate. But she definitely didn’t expect Luo Shun to be arrested ten hours before her."
Director Ren chuckled, clearly pleased with their efficiency. "We got them for you. Now it’s your turn."
"Thanks for your hard work, Director Ren."
Back at the precinct with all the evidence, the team allowed themselves a brief moment of relaxation in the car before diving back into the grind the second they stepped into the office building.
Qi Bai downed a strong cup of coffee and asked between gulps, "Are we interrogating Jiang Chuntao now?"
He offered to make one for Xu Nian, but the captain declined.
Jiang Yingyao sipped hot water to soothe his throat and grinned. "Your captain here spent all afternoon verbally sparring with Luo Shun—his voice is shot. Why don’t you and Wang Yu handle Jiang Chuntao?"
Wang Yu, who’d been chewing on instant coffee granules, gaped. "Us? Just the two of us?"
Qi Bai was equally stunned and turned to Xu Nian for confirmation.
Xu Nian exchanged a glance with Jiang Yingyao before nodding with a smile. "Go on. Newcomers need experience to grow."
Bolstered by their captains’ encouragement, Qi Bai and Wang Yu practically sprinted out of the office like over-caffeinated rabbits.
Once they were out of earshot, Xu Nian teased, "Not cool, Jiang. You know Jiang Chuntao won’t talk yet, and you sent those two on a wild goose chase."
"How else will they learn?" Jiang Yingyao settled into his chair with a chuckle. "But Captain, don’t take this the wrong way—you’re barely past 30, just a few years older than those kids. Me calling them ‘kids’ is one thing, but you doing it? Sounds weird."
"Blame you for drilling it into my head," Xu Nian retorted, slumping into his own chair and staring blankly at the ceiling.
Their idle chatter continued until Jiang Yingyao’s eyelids drooped again. Just as he was nodding off, Qi Bai and Wang Yu returned, dejected.
Their faces said it all—no progress.
Sure enough, Qi Bai plopped into the chair opposite Xu Nian and grumbled, "Captain, Jiang Chuntao’s just like Luo Shun. No matter what we asked, she kept her head down like a stubborn mule. We took turns for hours, and she didn’t say a word."
Xu Nian stayed silent, but Jiang Yingyao snorted. "Premeditated, dismemberment-style serial killers like these? Their psychological defenses are at their peak right after arrest. Unlike crimes of passion, they have their own twisted logic—some even believe what they did was righteous. Breaking them down takes time."
The realization dawned on Qi Bai and Wang Yu, who exchanged exasperated looks. "So you knew and still sent us in?"
"Experience," Jiang Yingyao said cheerfully. "Haven’t seen killers this brutal in years. Honestly, I’m still reeling that we cracked this so fast."
"Credit to Guan Xia for those two critical leads," Qi Bai mused. "Talent like that? Can’t compete with it."
At the mention of Guan Xia, Jiang Yingyao asked, "Director Ren’s gonna try recruiting her, right?"
"He’ll try, but whether she’ll agree is another story," Qi Bai said. "I asked her while waiting for Captain Xu earlier—she shook her head like a rattle drum. Zero interest."
"Fair," Jiang Yingyao nodded. "Our job’s grueling and underpaid. Without idealism, even the ones who join don’t last. For an outsider to occasionally give us leads is already a win."
He then turned to Xu Nian. "Speaking of, this girl’s helped us more than once. Shouldn’t the precinct show some appreciation? The bonus’ll be symbolic, but at least a ‘Citizen of Merit’ award or something?"
Xu Nian nodded. "I brought it up with Director Ren after the last case, but he’s swamped. I’ll follow up in a few days."
After more rambling, Qi Bai said, "Captain Xu, Jiang, both suspects need time to crack, the fifth victim’s DNA match with Luo Xiaoyun is pending, and we’re waiting on replies from Yongquan City and other jurisdictions. It’s almost dawn—why don’t you two get some sleep?"
Jiang Yingyao yawned. "Yeah, we’re just waiting now. Everyone should rest."
Xu Nian agreed and stood, but Qi Bai and Wang Yu looked baffled. "We just chugged coffee."
"That’s inexperience for you," Jiang Yingyao laughed. "But exhaustion trumps caffeine. Come on, crash in the dorm for a few hours. By tomorrow night, we might actually get to go home."
As they shuffled out, Jiang Yingyao muttered, "Haven’t been home in days. Hope my daughter still recognizes me—we’d just started bonding."
The group sleepwalked to the dorm and collapsed into bed.
...
Guan Xia had gone to bed early but was half-awakened by her system’s interface buzzing in the night. She squinted at it for a few seconds before drifting back to sleep.
Until dawn, Guan Xia got up for her morning run. It wasn’t until she was washing her face that it hit her—the system interface had updated overnight, meaning the culprits in the case had been apprehended. It was unexpected; this time, there were two perpetrators.
She pushed herself a little harder today, completing three laps before returning home breathless. After showering, she started breakfast and called Pang Le.
Pang Le, clearly just awake, answered with a toothbrush in her mouth, mumbling, "This early? What’s up?"
Flipping the frying egg in the pan, Guan Xia cut straight to the point. "Did you not get my call last night? No answer, no callback."
Pang Le paused, then quickly explained, "Oh, I got it! I was out last night, discussing some things with Lawyer Shi. Got so absorbed I didn’t check my phone. By the time I got home, it was past your bedtime, so I figured I’d talk to you today."
Guan Xia hummed in understanding. "Congrats, then. Finally making progress with Lawyer Shi?"
Pang Le chuckled. "Too soon for congrats. Still in the ‘figuring things out’ phase. And you’d never guess what we were discussing."
Not in the mood for guessing games, Guan Xia said, "Care to elaborate?"
"It’s about Lawyer Dong," Pang Le replied. "Last night, during dinner, Lawyer Shi got a call. He looked upset afterward. Since I’m trying to win him over, I asked about it. Turns out it was his mentor, asking about Lawyer Dong’s recent life and subtly hinting that Lawyer Shi should ‘look after’ Lawyer Dong’s love life—said he’s ‘not getting any younger’ and should settle down."
Guan Xia sighed. "So your ‘date’ last night… sounds rough."
Pang Le groaned. "I regret inviting him out. But no use dwelling. What did you call about?"
Guan Xia perked up. "Remember that suspicious guy we saw at the temporary parking lot during last Saturday’s camping trip?"
Pang Le immediately caught on, voice turning serious. "You mean… he got caught? Or you saw him again?"
"Yesterday afternoon," Guan Xia confirmed. "I saw him in my neighborhood, heading up to the seventh floor."
Pang Le hissed. "Your luck is seriously eerie. You moved from your old neighborhood, and Yongquan City has millions of people—yet you still run into him, miles from where you first saw him. At this point, we don’t even need to test it. You’re 100% a walking crime magnet."
Guan Xia hesitated. "So… we’re still going to visit that temple?"
"Absolutely," Pang Le said. "I’ve already planned most of the trip. The temple in Quchun City is way more ‘effective’ than ours, plus there’s great food. Even if we skip the ‘experiment,’ the trip’s worth it."
Guan Xia considered it. She’d just helped solve a murder case, her "luck" was fully recharged, and with Pang Le along, even if trouble found her, she’d be safe.
"Let’s go," she decided. "When?"
"Tomorrow’s doable," Pang Le said, "but my friend warned me the temple’s packed on weekends—tourists flock there. Locals avoid it. How about Monday?"
She laid out the plan: "Quchun City’s a three-hour train ride. We’ll take the high-speed rail, rent a car at the station, hit the temple, then eat and explore before heading back the next day. Sound good?"
Guan Xia loved how Pang Le handled all the thinking. "Perfect. Monday morning at the station, then."
After hanging up and booking tickets, Guan Xia finished breakfast and settled in for a drama binge.
...
Xu Nian felt like he’d just closed his eyes when his phone rang.
Glancing at the time—barely three hours of sleep.
The call wiped away any lingering drowsiness.
After splashing water on his face, he hurried out of the dorm, nearly colliding with Jiang Yingyao and Qi Bai in the hallway.
"Captain Xu," Jiang Yingyao greeted. "We just got the update. Jiang Chuntao’s talking after just a few hours?"
Xu Nian kept walking. "She probably guessed we’d already caught Luo Shun, given how relaxed we were during interrogation."
"So she’s trying to take the blame herself?" Qi Bai realized.
Jiang Yingyao smirked. "Doesn’t matter. The evidence is overwhelming. I just want to know where the rest of the fifth victim’s remains are."
They rushed to the interrogation room. Xu Nian stayed outside, sending Jiang Yingyao and Wang Yu in instead.
Half an hour later, the two emerged. Wang Yu was practically vibrating. "Jiang Chuntao gave up the location. We’re taking her to the site now."
On the way downstairs, Jiang Yingyao rapid-fired details: "She confessed to killing her ex-husband—the fifth victim, missing since 2014. But it doesn’t add up. Back then, she lived in Xingguang Community, an old, densely populated area. No way she could’ve dismembered a body there. Plus, her daughter Luo Xiaoyun was only a year old. Even if she wanted to kill him, she wouldn’t do it in front of the baby. My guess? Luo Shun did the killing, but she handled disposing part of the remains."
"If she did it this thoroughly," Xu Nian said, "she’d been planning to kill him for a long time."
They sped to the site—a wooded area near a remote road on the city’s outskirts.
Officers dug for over two hours before unearthing the remaining body parts.
Staring at the six-foot-deep pit, Qi Bai was stunned. "This was pre-dug. No way one woman could’ve done this last-minute. Did Luo Shun help?"
Jiang Yingyao shook his head. "She did it alone. If Luo Shun had been involved, he’d have copied the method. We wouldn’t have found the other four victims."
Qi Bai’s head spun. "So Luo Shun killed her ex, she helped hide part of the body, and he never knew?"
Even Wang Yu looked lost, probably from sleep deprivation.
Xu Nian circled the pit, then said quietly, "If Luo Shun hadn’t killed Jiang Chuntao’s ex first, this wouldn’t be a partial burial. It’d be a whole body."
