The suspected murder weapon used by the criminal suspect on the night of the incident has been found, but Xu Nian and his team still have a long way to go before their mission is complete.
The four auxiliary police officers also stayed behind, and the group of eight gathered around four office desks to hold a small case analysis meeting. The temporary office still had a few officers reviewing surveillance footage, so the eight of them kept their voices as low as possible.
"After working all day and night," Xu Nian asked, "what are your thoughts?"
Qi Bai was the first to speak. "I think this suspect is a bit strange—full of contradictions. He’s both cautious and reckless. For example, we saw in the surveillance footage that he took off his mask to smoke three kilometers from the crime scene, and then there’s how he disposed of the weapon. He killed so efficiently, like a professional hitman, and the crime scene was so clean we could barely find any clues. Logically, someone with such strong counter-surveillance skills would be even more careful when handling the weapon. But look at what he did—he chose a chaotic, half-built building in the middle of the night and burned it in a metal drum. How could he be so sure we wouldn’t trace it?"
Wang Yu pondered for a moment before saying, "Lu Manqing is indeed full of contradictions, but that’s only because we’ve already identified him as the suspect. Without the new leads provided by the public, it would’ve been nearly impossible to focus on him. He first appeared on surveillance a kilometer away from the crime scene, didn’t scout the location beforehand, and had no prior contact with the victim, Zhang Hongda, or the others. He even arrived in Yongquan City just the afternoon before the crime, with no record of staying overnight, and left by noon the next day—completely outside our initial scope of investigation. And another thing..."
Wang Yu paused, glancing at Xu Nian before continuing, "Even though we’ve found the weapon, it was burned at high temperatures and then washed with something afterward. At this point, I doubt we’ll even be able to detect the victim’s biological traces on it."
At this, Qi Bai and the auxiliary officers’ expressions changed, but Xu Nian and Jiang Yingyao remained calm, as if they’d already considered this possibility.
"So," Jiang Yingyao said with a smile, "finding the weapon is one thing, but we still have a lot of work ahead. Like tracing its origin—Lu Manqing traveled to and from Yongquan City by plane, meaning he must have obtained the weapon after arriving. Where did he get it? Did he buy it or steal it? And what’s the connection between him and Zhang Weiyan? We’ve already ruled out phone communication, and the West District branch checked all of Zhang Weiyan’s devices. Since he’s been cleared, that means his communications were clean too."
At this point, everyone except Xu Nian and Jiang Yingyao looked dazed, already anticipating the endless days of reviewing surveillance footage until their eyes blurred.
Just then, an administrative officer from the West District branch brought in a small box of hard drives. Seeing the increased workload, everyone felt even more disheartened.
Xu Nian took the hard drives and set them on the table, clapping his hands. "Alright, let’s divide the work. We only have four computers, so not everyone needs to stay here. Besides reviewing footage, some of us need to go out in the field. Pair up and assign yourselves."
After a brief rotation for rest, everyone threw themselves back into the demanding work.
Staring at computer screens all day was tedious, but good news soon followed.
That afternoon, after a nap and a meal, Wang Yu returned to relieve Jiang Yingyao. Within just a few hours of reviewing footage, he made a discovery.
"Captain Xu," Wang Yu called softly, keeping his voice low, "I’ve found suspicious activity involving Zhang Weiyan."
Xu Nian, who had been resting his strained eyes by gazing out the window, immediately strode over.
"Look here," Wang Yu said, pulling up multiple surveillance clips and pausing them. He pointed at the screens. "This is the First Auto Compound, this is Xindu Residential Area, and this is Sunshine Garden—all old neighborhoods with little to no property management, or at least none that functions properly."
Xu Nian studied the paused footage, where Zhang Weiyan stood smoking in a corner by the gate, peering into the compound.
Two auxiliary officers reviewing footage nearby were drawn in. One couldn’t help but speculate, "All these clips are from late January 2021, before the crime. He was always scouting surveillance near the crime scene—why suddenly come to these old neighborhoods? Could Lu Manqing have had other targets in Yongquan City besides Zhang Hongda’s family?"
The idea sent a chill through the group.
Wang Yu quickly checked. "These compounds are all in the West District, not far from each other."
Another auxiliary officer pulled out his phone. "I’ll ask the West District branch’s admin for details."
The three were tense, but Xu Nian suddenly asked, "Did any cameras inside the compounds catch Zhang Weiyan?"
Wang Yu shook his head. "I checked. These neighborhoods only have a few low-resolution cameras on the main roads. The rest are either nonexistent or broken down."
He fast-forwarded and rewound the footage, quickly pausing whenever Zhang Weiyan appeared. Then, zooming in, he played the clips one by one. In each, Zhang Weiyan walked normally at first but soon stopped, using his cigarette as cover while repeatedly glancing in one direction.
Wang Yu frowned. "He keeps looking the same way. What’s he watching?"
Xu Nian had Wang Yu replay the clips several times before saying, "He was definitely scouting, and likely for the same purpose each time. Let’s go check the sites ourselves—see what’s in the direction he kept looking."
Given the poor surveillance coverage in these neighborhoods, they couldn’t rely on footage alone to deduce Zhang Weiyan’s intentions. They’d have to investigate in person.
To save time, they split into pairs again. Xu Nian and one auxiliary officer arrived at the First Auto Compound first. Just after stepping out of the car, Xu Nian received a call from Li Fan, another auxiliary officer.
"Captain Xu," Li Fan said, "I checked with the West District branch. None of those compounds had any major criminal cases in the first half of 2021—just minor incidents like fights and stolen bikes."
"Got it," Xu Nian replied. "Stay safe while you and Wang Yu conduct the door-to-door inquiries. Keep in touch."
Hanging up, Xu Nian surveyed the aging residential area.
The view was dominated by five or six-story walk-up buildings, and even the main road wasn’t particularly wide. The pavement, weathered by years of sun and rain, was pockmarked with small craters. The trees lining the road, however, were tall and lush, casting sprawling shadows that hinted at the neighborhood’s age.
Xu Nian retraced Zhang Weiyan’s steps from the surveillance footage, walking slowly along the same path before stopping at the spot where Zhang had paused. He followed the direction Zhang had been looking in.
Almost immediately, Xu Nian understood what Zhang had been observing—the parcel lockers in the neighborhood.
Li Fan, the auxiliary police officer, had the same realization and asked in confusion, "Parcel lockers? Why would he be scouting these at such a critical moment before the crime?"
Xu Nian had a vague suspicion but didn’t voice it. Instead, he stepped onto the curb connecting the main road to the sidewalk and stood before the lockers, carefully scanning the surroundings.
He examined the area meticulously for over half an hour but found no surveillance cameras nearby, confirming his theory.
"They used the parcel lockers to exchange the murder weapon," Xu Nian said.
Li Fan was taken aback. "Exchange the weapon? Here? In a busy residential area?"
Xu Nian looked around and patiently explained, "Older neighborhoods like this either have no property management or one that barely functions, so surveillance coverage is minimal. Notice how far apart the streetlights are—some are even broken. That makes it easy to hide in the dark."
Li Fan followed Xu Nian’s gaze, taking it all in before remarking, "Qi Bai was right—this killer is bold."
As soon as Li Fan finished speaking, Xu Nian’s phone rang.
Wang Yu’s voice came through the line: "Captain Xu, we’ve reached the spot Zhang Weiyan scouted. We figured out what he was observing—the parcel lockers. They used them to exchange the weapon."
Another piece of evidence linking Zhang Weiyan to the suspect lifted some of Xu Nian’s exhaustion from the all-nighter. "Same here. Alright, no need to check the other neighborhoods. Let’s head back and continue reviewing the footage."
Back in the temporary office, Wang Yu walked in carrying several cups of coffee, his earlier weariness replaced by enthusiasm. "Even though staring at screens is making us go blind, the progress is encouraging."
Qi Bai, having caught some sleep, looked slightly less exhausted and automatically took the bag to distribute the coffee. "While you were out, I found something else. Zhang Weiyan had a computer at home but rarely used it. Before his wife passed, she was the one who used it more often. After her death, he even canceled the internet service. But while tracking his movements in the footage, I noticed he visited an internet café several times in the days leading up to the crime."
The team perked up at this. Wang Yu exclaimed, "That must be how he communicated with Lu Manqing—online, sharing details about the crime scene’s surroundings."
"Did you identify which internet café?" Jiang Yingyao asked as he walked in, catching the tail end of the conversation.
Qi Bai grinned. "Of course. It’s one near Zhang Weiyan’s place—called Storm Internet Café."
"Qian County," Wang Yu checked his watch. "Almost midnight again. Another sleepless night. At least internet cafés are open 24/7—we won’t be wasting a trip."
"Then we’ll split up," Xu Nian decided. "I’ll take Qi Bai and two auxiliary officers to Qian County. Jiang Yingyao and Wang Yu, keep reviewing the footage with the rest. Find out exactly when and how Zhang Weiyan and Lu Manqing exchanged the weapon via the parcel lockers."
After quick confirmations, Xu Nian had Qi Bai and the officers wait downstairs while he went up to request a cyber police officer from Zhuang Yinghua. Soon, the five of them sped off toward Qian County.
Though Qian County was part of Yongquan City, it wasn’t particularly close. Fortunately, the roads were well-maintained despite being narrow, and everyone except Qi Bai, who was driving, dozed off during the trip. They arrived just before 3 a.m.
"This county’s population isn’t small," Qi Bai remarked as he navigated the streets, eyes darting around. "Plenty of places still open at this hour—but there are a lot of drunks too."
He clicked his tongue and hit the brakes to avoid a man staggering in an S-pattern across the road. Once the drunk was pulled aside by his friends, Qi Bai carefully drove past.
Li Fan chimed in, "I have a classmate from here. The county had two successful entrepreneurs who returned after making their fortunes and set up factories, creating jobs. Unlike other counties where people leave for work, here they can stay close to home with steady incomes. But since everyone knows each other, drinking’s a common pastime—hence the drunks."
"Setting up factories to help their hometown—that’s commendable," Qi Bai mused. "So why was Zhang Weiyan stuck doing odd jobs? He didn’t go to college, but a high school diploma should’ve been enough for factory work."
Li Fan shrugged. "Small towns run on connections. Unless you’re family, getting in requires pulling strings."
Qi Bai sighed. "Then that’s probably another point of resentment between Zhang Weiyan and Zhang Hongda. Zhang Hongda could’ve easily helped him live better, but instead, he did nothing—even made things worse."
Following the GPS, Qi Bai pulled up to their destination—only for the group to freeze in disbelief after parking.
Staring at the sign, Qi Bai read aloud, "Soaring Internet Café… But the GPS clearly said Storm Internet Café. Did I take a wrong turn?"
Before he could spiral into doubt, Xu Nian cut in, "Small-town GPS updates lag. Maybe they just rebranded. Let’s go in and ask."
They filed inside, the cyber police officer trailing with his laptop bag. The café was cramped but crowded, thick with cigarette smoke and the clatter of keyboards and mice, punctuated by occasional curses.
Behind the counter sat a greasy-haired man in his thirties, glued to his game. Without looking up, he recited, "Overnight’s 50, hourly’s 10. Pick any seat. ID required."
Qi Bai rapped the counter and flashed his badge. "Police. When did this place change its name? Was it previously called Storm Internet Café?"
Hearing the word "police," the middle-aged man finally looked up, adjusting his glasses on the bridge of his nose before answering, "This internet café has been called Feiyang Internet Café since I took over. Storm Internet Café was the name given by the previous owner—he transferred the shop to me back in '22."
Though they had braced themselves for this, the group couldn't hide their disappointment. Qi Bai couldn’t help but mutter, "If you’ve already reopened and changed the name, why not update it on the navigation app?"
The middle-aged man shrugged innocently. "This county only has a handful of internet cafés. People come here regardless of the name, so why bother with the hassle? By the way, why are you looking for the previous owner of Storm Internet Café? Did he get into some kind of trouble?" His expression shifted, a spark of excitement flickering in his eyes.
Qi Bai snapped impatiently, "Don’t ask questions you shouldn’t. Since you took over this place, what happened to the old computers? Are they all still here?"
"Most of them are," the man replied. "But some were so outdated they could barely run games, so I sold them secondhand and replaced them with new ones."
"Do you know Zhang Weiyan?" Xu Nian pulled out a photo and handed it to the man.
The middle-aged man took the photo, studied it, and grew even more animated. "Of course! He was a regular here. We even chatted sometimes. He’d been a member since before I took over from Storm Internet Café—always sat in the same spot."
He stood up and pointed to the farthest corner of the main hall. "That one, B46. Right next to the restroom. Unless the place was packed, nobody would willingly sit there, so it stuck in my mind. Every time he came, he’d pick that exact spot. I even peeked over once—he wasn’t gaming, just browsing forums and chatting with people."
The group followed his gesture. The seat was currently empty, and Qi Bai, quick on his feet, motioned for the cybercrime officer to follow him over.
Xu Nian stayed at the front desk, pressing further. "Was the computer at that spot replaced? Or is it one of the original ones from Storm Internet Café?"
The man thought for a moment. "When I took over, I was in a hurry to reopen, so I didn’t do much renovation. The layout’s still the same as before. That computer, because of its location, was in relatively good condition, so I kept it."
With the answer they needed, Xu Nian finally relaxed.
The change in ownership had been unexpected, but at least the computer remained untouched—its digital traces still intact.
