The forensic examiner from Daqu County Police Station arrived over half an hour later, looking even more exhausted. After removing her gloves and brushing off the dust on her clothes, she summarized succinctly, "Based on the preliminary autopsy, the victim died of asphyxiation. The body is fully stiff, and the estimated time of death was approximately 25 to 27 hours ago. Further examination will be required back at the lab. Given the distribution of livor mortis on the body, this location is likely not the primary crime scene—the victim was dumped here."
After speaking, the examiner casually stuffed her gloves into her pocket, picked up her toolkit, and left. Behind her, two Daqu County detectives carefully carried the body bag away.
Xu Nian glanced in the direction the examiner had gone and asked, "Does your station have a forensic dissection room? Will both bodies from the two cases be examined tonight?"
Mention of the two cases made Captain Tan's frown deepen, his brows nearly forming a crease. "Our station has limited resources. Autopsies are performed at the county morgue. Aside from Forensic Xu, there’s also a senior examiner, Forensic Liu. When we came from the other crime scene, we already sent the body to the morgue for an overnight examination."
At the mention of the morgue, Guan Xia and Pang Le both felt a chill, as if the situation had suddenly taken on a surreal tone.
Captain Tan asked, "Do you want to observe the autopsy at the morgue?"
Xu Nian declined almost immediately. "No, we’ll wait for the results. By the way, Captain Tan, I sent you a photo earlier. Did you see it? It’s of a suspicious onlooker our bureau’s external expert noticed at the scene. You might want to look into him—could be a lead."
Captain Tan instinctively turned his gaze toward Guan Xia and Pang Le, eyeing them with mild surprise before nodding. "Yes, I saw it. I’ve already assigned someone to follow up. Since the person is in Daqu County, we should have results by the time we get back to the station."
Since this wasn’t the primary crime scene, little evidence beyond the body was found. The group soon returned to Daqu County Police Station.
As they got into the car, Guan Xia checked the time—it was already 1:23 a.m.
While Xu Nian started the engine, Guan Xia stared out the window at the scenery whipping past, her mind racing. One question nagged at her: Why would the perpetrator dump the body in a sewer so close to their home?
She clearly remembered Forensic Xu’s words—the victim’s time of death was between 25 and 27 hours ago, which would place it between 10 p.m. on June 26 and midnight on the 27th.
Daqu County wasn’t densely populated. While there might still be pedestrians around 10 p.m., by midnight, the streets were practically deserted, with barely any vehicles. After killing the victim, the perpetrator had ample time to wait until late at night and calmly transport the body farther away.
Even without a vehicle, the victim was just a child—five years old, weighing no more than 20 kilograms. A large duffel bag would suffice. The perpetrator could have hidden the body at home, borrowed or bought an electric scooter the next day, and then waited until nightfall to dispose of it discreetly. Why take such a huge risk dumping it in a sewer right outside their home? And why be so careless as to not even properly replace the manhole cover, making it easy to discover?
Guan Xia’s head throbbed from overthinking when Xu Nian suddenly asked, "Guan Xia, are you still thinking about the case?"
It wasn’t until Xu Nian repeated the question that Guan Xia snapped out of her thoughts, realizing that Pang Le and Wang Yu, who had been chatting casually, had fallen silent and were now staring at her.
After a brief hesitation, Guan Xia voiced her doubts.
This was something she and Pang Le had already discussed earlier. Pang Le had even analyzed it extensively while Guan Xia sketched, but he couldn’t make sense of it either and had given up. Now, hearing Guan Xia bring it up again, he didn’t bother straining his brain—just looked at Xu Nian with eager curiosity.
Xu Nian kept his eyes on the road as he followed Captain Tan’s car, pondering briefly before answering, "I suspect the perpetrator doesn’t live alone. That sewer wasn’t the dumping site—it was a temporary storage spot."
This speculation aligned with Guan Xia’s earlier thoughts.
"Why?" Pang Le asked curiously. "How did you deduce that the perpetrator might not live alone?"
"Every detail we’ve uncovered so far points to his actions being rushed," Xu Nian explained. "The victim was just a child—much easier to handle than an adult’s body. If he lived alone, with the air conditioning on, storing the body in a confined space for a day or two would hardly raise suspicion. His urgency to move the body suggests he didn’t have a secure place to keep it."
Pang Le let out an "Ah," nodding thoughtfully.
Xu Nian’s theory was soon confirmed. The group had just returned to Daqu County Police Station and hadn’t even stepped into the office when they encountered a uniformed officer hurrying down the hallway with a stack of documents. Addressing Captain Tan, he reported, "Captain Tan, we’ve identified the person in the photo. His name is Wu Zhiming, male, 29 years old, unemployed. He lives with his sister and her son. I spoke with the community director at his residential address—apparently, he’s a bit of a loner, doesn’t talk much, and rarely goes out. He mostly stays home, earning money through online game leveling services. No known conflicts with others. After graduating college, he worked for less than six months before moving in with his sister. He’s been single since then—his sister set him up on a couple of blind dates, but nothing came of them."
Captain Tan took the documents and skimmed through them before asking without looking up, "What about his sister? Any details there?"
The officer replied, "His sister is named Wu Yue. She divorced her ex-husband due to infidelity and used the settlement to open a chain of cosmetics stores. She’s usually at the shop, leaving early and returning late. However, since 2021, she’s had a steady boyfriend. They’re both in Daqu County—not married or living together, but every month or two, Wu Yue takes her son to stay with him for a few days before returning. According to the community director, her relationship with her brother is decent—no major conflicts, but they don’t talk much either. He’s been living with her since before the divorce. Though he doesn’t pay rent, he sends her large red envelopes during holidays and orders groceries online, so it’s not like he’s freeloading."
After finishing the documents, Captain Tan walked toward the office and asked, "Did the community director know anything about Wu Yue’s movements over the past two days?"
The officer replied, "The community director mentioned that Wu Yue usually stays there every one or two months when things are less busy toward the end of the month. Since it’s currently the end of the month, there’s a good chance she’s gone over for a couple of days before returning. I got the security guard’s contact number from the director and was about to reach out."
Captain Tan waved his hand to acknowledge the information. As soon as the officer left, he barely had time to sit down and catch his breath before another officer hurried in. "Captain Tan, we’ve secured all the surveillance footage from the entrances, main roads, and building doors of Meilin Community."
Seeing the small box full of USB drives, Guan Xia knew they were in for another long haul. She wasn’t worried about finding clues related to the suspect, Wu Zhiming—what intrigued her more was another case.
A murder during a robbery usually pointed to a crime of passion. The perpetrator was likely to flee immediately after the act and might not even be a local. Compared to this case, the other one seemed far more challenging.
Keeping an eye on Captain Tan’s movements, Guan Xia deftly took her usual seat. Once Xu Nian distributed the USB drives, she plugged one into her computer and began reviewing the footage.
Driven by the urgency to solve the case, Guan Xia didn’t even feel tired. It wasn’t until an administrative officer from Daqu County Police Station brought coffee and snacks that she realized they were in for another all-nighter.
Hesitating for a few seconds with the cup in hand, Guan Xia ultimately didn’t drink it—she worried that finding a lead might keep her awake later when they returned to the hotel.
Her concern proved justified. Less than an hour later, while reviewing footage from June 27th at 12:49 AM, she spotted a tall, thin man wearing a hat and mask, carrying a large duffel bag, darting past a building entrance.
Though his face wasn’t visible, the man’s distinctive height and build, combined with the suspicious bag, made him easy to identify.
"Xu Nian," Guan Xia called out, "I’ve found something."
The team quickly gathered around her screen, staring at the paused footage.
"Surveillance from Building 17, Unit 3," Xu Nian noted, glancing at the timestamp. "Based on his direction—east to west—he’s not heading toward the side gate."
Jiang Yingyao added, "I checked with the property management about Meilin Community’s layout. They have three main gates and two side gates. Building 17 is in the southwest part of the complex. If he’s leaving, the west gate is closer. If he’s retrieving an e-bike, he’d head south—the bike shed is about a hundred meters from the south gate."
Guan Xia gave Jiang Yingyao a surprised look. In the short time they’d been on-site, he’d already gathered a thorough understanding of the community’s layout.
Pang Le also seemed impressed, but Xu Nian and Wang Yu remained unfazed, as if they were used to it.
After a moment of thought, Xu Nian said, "Given the financial exchanges between the suspect and his sister, I doubt he owns a car. But he probably has an e-bike. Also, look at the size of that duffel bag—it’s abnormally large, and you can tell it’s heavy. He was likely using it to dispose of a body. A five-year-old child weighs around 20 kilograms—not too heavy for an adult, but still difficult to carry for long. My guess is he was heading to the bike shed."
"Let’s check the shed’s footage, then," someone said. The team scrambled through the USB drives, and about ten minutes later, Pang Le announced, "Found it—this one has the bike shed’s recordings."
After plugging it in, they all crowded around again.
Pang Le fast-forwarded until the suspect reappeared—still masked, still hauling the duffel bag. He walked straight to an e-bike, placed the bag on the footrest, and was about to start the bike when he suddenly froze. Pulling out his phone, he answered a call.
Within seconds, whatever was said on the other end seemed to panic him. He nearly leaped off the bike, took a few running steps, then remembered the bag and doubled back to grab it before sprinting out of the shed at breakneck speed.
Watching this, the team visibly relaxed. Jiang Yingyao chuckled. "No doubt it’s him. That call was probably from his sister, Wu Yue. Something unexpected must’ve happened—no time to dispose of the body or hide it at home. He had to dump it in the sewer near the gate in such a hurry that he didn’t even check if the manhole cover was secure. That’s how it was discovered."
Guan Xia nodded in agreement but then frowned. "The victim was a boy, right? I remember an officer from Daqu County mentioning the suspect lived with his sister and her son. How old was the nephew?"
The team paused. Xu Nian shook his head. "Unlikely to be the nephew. His sister always takes her child when she stays with her lover. Also, if the victim were her son, she would’ve shown up at the scene by now."
Guan Xia conceded the point but couldn’t help wondering—if the victim wasn’t a relative, who was he? Did the suspect know him? Why would a child be alone with an adult, only to be killed? Or had the suspect abducted him?
