The most astonishing part came later. Captain Yu arrived at the Daqu County Police Station with Zhou Yiyang, the suspect in the 814 case from 11 years ago, around 6 PM. Two hours before that, Zhou Yiyang's girlfriend and parents had already reached the station.
When the commotion started, Guan Xia and Pang Le were sitting beside Wang Yu, listening to her recount some of the bizarre cases she had handled over the years. One case, in particular, left a deep impression on Guan Xia—the killer's motive was something no one could have anticipated.
The victim was a young man whose body had already decomposed to skeletal remains when discovered, and it had been dismembered. The forensic team working on the case spent a considerable amount of time piecing the bones back together. Xu Nian and the others, assigned to the special task force, spent nearly two months working alongside experts from the provincial department, meticulously unraveling the clues before finally identifying the victim. During the subsequent investigation, they relatively easily zeroed in on the prime suspect.
Upon arrest, the suspect confessed without hesitation. The crime had happened over five years ago, and the suspect, now 24, had just graduated from university. According to her testimony, she never intended to kill, but the victim had persistently harassed her and repeatedly said, "If you want to break up, you’ll have to kill me first."
After careful consideration, she decided to free herself from what she saw as a life destined to sink deeper into misery. So, she honored the victim’s request—choosing the perfect moment to kill him.
When Wang Yu recounted this case, her expression was filled with regret. "That girl was so young, so intelligent... what a shame."
Before she could finish, the sound of a heated argument erupted from downstairs—shrill voices, both male and female, demanding to see some higher-up.
Guan Xia and Pang Le exchanged glances, intrigued. After all, this was the Daqu County Police Station, not some small local precinct. They handled serious cases—why would anyone cause a scene here?
Curiosity got the better of them. Led by Xu Nian, they filed out of the office and headed downstairs.
They weren’t the only ones drawn by the commotion, but with three major cases underway, most of the staff were swamped with work. A few peeked down from the stairwell before hurrying off.
Not wanting to get involved, Guan Xia and the others didn’t go all the way down. Instead, they stopped at a spot on the stairs where they could observe the scene below.
Even Xu Nian craned his neck to get a better look. Guan Xia glanced at Pang Le beside her, then at Xu Nian behind her, and suddenly felt the urge to laugh—though she suppressed it, keeping a straight face as she watched the scene unfold.
Surprisingly, the troublemakers were two women and a man, likely a married couple and their daughter. The parents were indignant, while the daughter remained eerily calm, almost numb. As the couple loudly protested the "unjust arrest," the girl stayed silent, even lowering her head as if embarrassed.
The parents kept repeating the same complaints. After several minutes, Captain Tan finally rushed in from outside—wherever he’d been, his pants and shoes were dust-covered, giving him a weary, travel-worn appearance.
Still, his towering height—nearly 6’3"—commanded immediate authority. The couple, who had been bold with the younger officers, instantly shrank under his gaze, their voices dropping to murmurs.
"See, looking intimidating really does save you a lot of trouble," Pang Le muttered under her breath.
Guan Xia couldn’t help but miss her pre-transmigration appearance.
Though Captain Tan had returned, the group didn’t get to see the full confrontation. After just a few words from him, the trio obediently followed him into the interrogation room. Still, within an hour, they learned the full story.
The update came from a Daqu County administrative officer who had previously delivered files to Xu Nian—likely acting on Captain Tan’s instructions.
"That girl is Zhou Yiyang’s girlfriend," the officer explained. "When Captain Yu arrested Zhou Yiyang, she was there. She didn’t react much, but her parents refused to believe Zhou Yiyang could be guilty. They traveled all the way here to ‘demand justice’ for him."
The officer’s tone was laced with sarcasm, as if the situation was too absurd to take seriously.
Guan Xia and Pang Le were stunned. "It’s 2024," Pang Le blurted. "Who still thinks the police just arrest people without evidence? And unless I misheard, Zhou Yiyang is just their daughter’s boyfriend—not even their son. Why are they so invested?"
Guan Xia was equally baffled.
The officer continued, "From what we’ve gathered, Zhou Yiyang worked part-time at his girlfriend’s father’s shop during college. After graduating, he stayed on for a year before switching jobs. To everyone else, he came across as hardworking, humble, and kind. According to Captain Yu’s reports, his former roommates and colleagues all spoke highly of him—said he was quiet but always willing to help."
Pang Le scoffed. "No matter how nice he seemed, it doesn’t change the fact that he’s a murderer. If anything, it just proves how good he was at hiding his true nature."
"So," Wang Yu mused, "the parents were fooled by his act."
Guan Xia, unsettled, thought back to the girlfriend’s detached expression. "That girl downstairs—she looked completely indifferent, almost numb. Do you think she knew something?"
The officer frowned. "Captain Yu mentioned there’s a significant age gap between them. They met through a matchmaker. Though they were engaged, she never seemed particularly attached to him. But because Zhou Yiyang charmed her parents, the relationship just… lingered."
Guan Xia and Pang Le exchanged glances, finding the situation both baffling and bitterly ironic. What impeccable taste—picking a murderer for their daughter.
Wang Yu raised a question. "If Zhou Yiyang worked at her family’s shop in college, how did they end up meeting through a matchmaker?"
The officer clarified, "She worked in another city after graduation and only returned to Linshan in 2022. That’s when they were introduced."
Guan Xia understood the situation. She personally had no interest in Zhou Yiyang, but her parents liked him, so they forced her into the blind date and later pushed for marriage. Fortunately, just before the wedding, the 11-year-old case Zhou Yiyang had concealed was reopened, or else the girl’s life would have been ruined.
About an hour later, as the evening glow dyed the sky red, Captain Yu and his team finally arrived at Daqu County Police Station with the suspect, Zhou Yiyang, in custody.
Guan Xia and the others stood by the second-floor window, watching as a young man with a deathly pale face was hauled out of the police car—literally hauled, as if he had already foreseen his fate. Zhou Yiyang’s legs gave way beneath him, his steps unsteady, and he had to be supported by two officers to keep from collapsing on the spot.
Naturally, Guan Xia also saw the blind couple—Zhou Yiyang’s parents. The moment he was brought out, they rushed out of the office building, wailing, only to be quickly stopped by the local officers.
They tried to say something to Zhou Yiyang, but Captain Yu didn’t give them the chance. With a cold glance, he strode briskly into the building with the suspect, clearly intending to begin the interrogation immediately.
The successful resolution of an 11-year-old cold case was big news in Daqu County, a place with a population of just over 200,000. Nearly everyone still in the station couldn’t resist gathering to watch. Guan Xia and her group, eager to learn the victim’s identity and the killer’s motive, immediately sought out Captain Tan to see if they could observe the interrogation.
Before Xu Nian could even ask, Captain Tan said, “You’re just in time. I was about to look for you. Captain Yu just returned, and the interrogation expert from Quming City is still here. They’re planning to conduct the interrogation together. Would you like to observe?”
Almost before Captain Tan finished speaking, Xu Nian replied, “Thank you, Captain Tan.”
Compared to Yongquan City, Daqu County’s facilities were more modest. The small room was quickly filled by Guan Xia and the others.
When they entered, Captain Yu and a middle-aged female officer in uniform—presumably the interrogation expert from Quming City—were already seated in the interrogation room. Zhou Yiyang, handcuffed to the chair, was visibly restless, his face a mix of terror and dread. Guan Xia had the impression that they wouldn’t even need to press him hard—he’d confess on his own.
Sure enough, when the female officer placed a photo in front of Zhou Yiyang and asked if he recognized the person, his psychological defenses shattered. He immediately slapped the photo away, then buried his face in his hands and broke down sobbing.
It took him over ten minutes to regain some composure, though he still couldn’t bring himself to look up. His hands moved nervously—sometimes yanking at his fingers, other times rubbing the table compulsively.
Through Zhou Yiyang’s confession, Guan Xia finally pieced together the full story of the case, including the identity of the victim—whose face had been so brutally disfigured that it was unrecognizable.
According to Zhou Yiyang, the victim’s surname was Chen. He had always called him “Uncle Chen” and only learned his full name, Chen Mingguang, when disposing of his ID after killing him. Born in 1963, Chen was exactly 50 years old when Zhou Yiyang murdered him in 2013.
The female officer asked, “Why did you kill him? Wasn’t he just giving you a ride home when you both appeared in Songxiang Village?”
These questions sent Zhou Yiyang into another fit of distress. After crying for a while, he finally answered, “I knew he was taking me home. But I didn’t want to go back. At the time, I felt like going home would ruin my life.”
His last words left everyone puzzled. Captain Yu asked bluntly, “Why would going home ruin your life?”
Zhou Yiyang broke down again, crying for a long time before finally stammering out the truth.
His decision to run away had started with a joke made by a relative—one that had been repeated since childhood. But for some reason, whether it was teenage rebellion or the influence of too many sensational news stories, he took it seriously. He became convinced he wasn’t his parents’ biological child—that he’d been abandoned in a trash can or even kidnapped. Sick of his family’s poverty and the bleak future it promised, he resolved to run away and find his “real” parents.
He planned meticulously, choosing a time when his mother had just sold vegetables and was about to deposit the earnings—when she had the most cash on hand. Late at night, while his parents slept, he stole the money, grabbed his pre-packed backpack, and fled.
His logic was simple: he was born in Linshan City, where his parents had worked for years before returning to their hometown. If he really had been abandoned or kidnapped, Linshan was the most likely place. He had even subtly questioned his parents, learning the factory they’d worked at and the neighborhoods they’d lived in.
But reality proved far harsher than his fantasies. The 900 yuan he stole from his mother ran out before he even reached Linshan. With no place to stay and no money for food, he slept under bridges and in parks, occasionally begging from kind-looking strangers. His instincts were sharp—he succeeded five or six times out of ten. When overly concerned strangers tried to take him to the police, he’d bolt, cleverly changing locations to avoid being found. He refused to go back before finding his “real” parents.
After days of wandering and asking around, he met a strange man.
The man lived near where Zhou Yiyang’s parents had once rented. He was older, always alone—no friends, no family, and a face that looked downright menacing. Twice, Zhou Yiyang caught him following and fled in terror.
Thinking he was safe after changing parks, he was jolted awake one night by the feeling of someone standing over him. When he opened his eyes, there was the “bad man,” looming in the dark.
His mind went blank with fear, certain he was about to die. But instead, the man handed him a box of dumplings and asked if he was lost.
Starving, Zhou Yiyang barely listened, eyes locked on the food. To get the dumplings, he nodded along.
After that, the man kept visiting—bringing food, new clothes, and asking endless questions. Reluctant but desperate, Zhou Yiyang answered.
A few days later, once they’d grown somewhat familiar, the man suddenly announced he would take him home. If Zhou Yiyang refused, he’d call the police. Terrified of both options, Zhou Yiyang tried to shake him off like before.
After trying several places with no success, he reluctantly followed the man to the bus station, all the while scheming how to escape during the journey. Unfortunately, he couldn’t find an opportunity even as they neared home. To buy time, he deliberately convinced the man to walk back with him, spinning a tale about how no one had ever been so kind to him and how he wanted to spend a little more time together. The man, initially unwilling, eventually agreed.
He sweet-talked the man with flattery, but inwardly sneered at him, mocking his intimidating appearance that hid a foolish heart. As they approached home, desperation set in. With no other options left, he feigned a stomachache and lured the man into the woods. Seizing the moment when the man bent down, distracted and defenseless, he grabbed a nearby rock and struck the back of his head. In that moment, all he could think was that he couldn’t go home—absolutely not. By the time his panic subsided, the man was dead.
Terror gripped him as he realized he was already over 14—old enough to face prison if caught. Determined to avoid that fate, he recalled scenes from crime dramas and used the rock to disfigure the man’s face. He then rifled through the man’s belongings, taking all the money and any identifying documents, before fleeing his hometown once more, resuming his search for his birth parents.
