Chapter 6: The Corpse Room 6  

High Star Logistics Company, Fenghe City.  

“We’re here.” Ye Zhu alerted the two men who seemed drowsy, then stopped the car at the security barrier by the gate. Rolling down the window, she flashed her police badge at the guard: “Fenghe City Public Security Bureau. We contacted your manager earlier—he should be expecting us.”  

The guard signaled for them to wait, made a quick phone call, then raised the electronic barrier.  

She nodded in thanks, turned the steering wheel slightly, and drove into the company’s compound. High Star Logistics occupied a vast area, with every road in the facility built solid and wide. Rows of trucks of various models were parked along the roadside. Further ahead, several massive warehouses came into view, their doors wide open as vehicles moved in and out. Nearby, groups of waiting drivers stood around smoking and chatting idly.  

Finally, the jeep came to a stop in front of an office building with deep red exterior walls. The three had just stepped out when a man in a dress shirt and slacks emerged from the building. With an ordinary appearance and slicked-back hair, he greeted them warmly, shaking hands one by one. “Welcome, officers. My surname is Jin—like the word for ‘gold.’ I’m the deputy general manager here.”  

“Earlier today, the… uh, accident investigation department did reach out to me. Why don’t we head up to my office? It’s quieter there,” Manager Jin offered enthusiastically.  

After shaking hands, Ye Zhu subtly retreated behind Yan Yu and Jiang Bing, discreetly observing the man. Despite his polished attire and outwardly normal demeanor, the faint stubble on his chin and the dark circles under his eyes betrayed an exhaustion that seeped from his bones.  

This was only natural. After all, a major accident had occurred at his company, resulting in deaths. It would be strange if the higher-ups weren’t affected.  

“No need. We’re just here for a preliminary inquiry—it won’t take long. The air outside is nice. Let’s stay here,” Yan Yu declined, strolling casually away from the car toward a spot where he could get a clear view of the white-roofed warehouse in the distance. After glancing at it for a moment, he turned back and shot Ye Zhu a meaningful look.  

“……” Ye Zhu blinked in confusion, failing to grasp his intention.  

Yan Yu pinched the bridge of his nose, then gave her another pointed look—this time with a deliberate glance toward the warehouse. His handsome face was now etched with unmistakable disdain.  

Even if he didn’t say it aloud, the words “You’re so slow” were practically screaming from his eyes. Suppressing the curses on the tip of her tongue, she took advantage of Yan Yu turning back to question Manager Jin and quietly began making her way toward the warehouse.  

As she walked, she couldn’t help but grumble internally. They had only known each other for a day and a half—how was she supposed to instantly decipher some random eyebrow twitch?  

And he had the nerve to call *her* slow?  

XXXXXXX!!!  

After venting her frustration in her mind, Ye Zhu finally reached the nearest warehouse. The roar of passing trucks rumbled in her ears, and the scent of dust kicked up by their wheels filled her nose.

She glanced around and finally set her sights on two men standing by the curb, chatting next to a large truck.

“Hello, I’m…” Ye Zhu stepped forward, casually pulling out her police badge.

Before she could even open it, one of the men—short and stout—suddenly flicked away the cigarette between his fingers and widened his eyes. “I know, I know. You traffic cops must be here about Huang Jingguo’s accident last night, right? The insurance company suspects he committed suicide and won’t pay out. You’ve got to investigate this properly—don’t wrong him!”

She didn’t correct his assumption that she was from the accident investigation unit. Instead, she smiled faintly, neither confirming nor denying it. Letting them believe she was here to look into the accident might lower their guard on other matters.

“Exactly, exactly. Don’t wrong a good man,” the other, slightly older man chimed in, stepping closer. But he was clearly more cautious than his stout companion, suspicion flickering in his eyes as his gaze darted around.

A few seconds later, he spoke again, “Though, is there no age requirement for being a cop these days? Little girl, are you even an adult?”

“I’m already tw—” Ye Zhu almost blurted out but swallowed the word “twenty” at the last second, suddenly realizing she wasn’t the seasoned officer with seven or eight years of experience anymore.

So she continued, “I’ve just started working, actually.”

The two drivers exchanged glances, their shoulders gradually relaxing, their postures becoming more at ease. A young cop here just to investigate an accident—she probably hadn’t seen half of what they’d been through. Easy to brush off. After all, they genuinely knew nothing about the details of last night’s crash.

Ye Zhu keenly noticed the shift in their demeanor. The corners of her lips curled almost imperceptibly, though her expression remained harmless as she methodically asked a few routine questions. Like whether Huang Jingguo had been acting strangely lately, if the company turned a blind eye to fatigued driving, or if Huang himself had shown any suicidal tendencies.

The drivers answered smoothly, repeatedly assuring her that Huang had been perfectly normal mentally, that the company strictly prohibited fatigued driving, and that they even conducted regular blood tests to rule out drunk driving or drug use.

From the sound of it, Gaoxing Logistics was a by-the-book company with strict employee policies, even organizing annual health check-ups. Huang Jingguo had been in good health, aside from the usual occupational ailments like lumbar strain—nothing that would suddenly cause him to drop dead.

After hearing their answers, Ye Zhu adopted a knowing look and ventured, “Come on, brothers, you’re being way too polished. Everyone knows how it is in your line of work—long hauls, especially night runs. How many drivers actually follow the rules to the letter?”

As soon as the words left her mouth, the older driver chuckled, pulling out another cigarette and lighting it before glancing at his companion.

The short, stout man chuckled and shook his head repeatedly. “You don’t look much older than my daughter. Calling you ‘Officer’ would feel too distant. Listen, miss, we’ve told you everything we know—why are you still trying to trick us? I can’t speak for others, but at Gaoxing Logistics, all drivers follow industry regulations strictly. We never break the law.”  

Ye Zhu promptly put on an embarrassed expression, as if her little scheme had been exposed. She shyly pursed her lips before forcing a smile.  

The older driver exhaled a puff of smoke, perhaps trying to ease the awkwardness, and spoke up. “Besides, how could Huang Jingguo have been fatigued while driving? Due to personal circumstances, he made a special request to the company and was one of the few long-haul drivers who only took short routes—five or six hours at most. Just a quick drive, really.”  

“Oh, right… the route where he got into the accident last night was one he ran every week without fail.”  

A fixed route? Ye Zhu’s eyes flickered slightly, but the thought passed through her mind without showing on her face. Instead, she pressed further. “His family situation was unusual?”  

“Ah…” The older driver hesitated, then shook his head. “I wouldn’t know much about that. We didn’t cross paths with Huang Jingguo often, and we weren’t particularly close.”  

After he finished, the stout man pointed toward another warehouse about five or six hundred meters away. “He usually loaded goods over there. You might have better luck asking around that area.”  

“Thank you,” Ye Zhu said sincerely, though she didn’t leave immediately. Instead, she lingered for a few more minutes, chatting casually with the two men.  

With her sweet, innocent looks and smooth way of talking, she kept the two drivers smiling the whole time. In the process, she managed to extract a few more names—employees who supposedly got along well with Huang Jingguo.  

Just as she was about to bid them farewell and head toward the warehouse the stout man had mentioned, a sudden commotion erupted from that direction.  

She quickened her pace, stopping near the roadside by the warehouse, hidden behind some shrubs as she craned her neck to see what was happening. The large iron gate of the warehouse was wide open, with two trucks parked in front, loading cargo. Between them, a small crowd had gathered, the scene chaotic.  

At the center was a disheveled woman, wailing and screaming, her hands gripping the hair of a man in a Gaoxing Logistics uniform—yanking so hard it looked like she might scalp him.  

The man was bent over, forced into an awkward position, his hands occasionally trying to pry hers loose but not daring to use too much force. He could only endure the relentless tugging, grimacing in pain as he yelped, “M-Miss… miss, take it easy, huh…”  

The workers nearby, who had been busy with their tasks, now stopped to either watch or intervene. Within minutes, the two were forcibly separated, everyone left panting from the scuffle.

At that moment, Manager Jin, who was supposed to be talking with Yan Yu and the others, arrived on an electric scooter. As the scooter passed Ye Zhu, it stirred up a cool breeze. The vehicle stopped not far from the crowd, and Manager Jin hopped off, jogging over hastily. Unexpectedly, as soon as he reached the woman, she moved like lightning, swiftly grabbing his oily hair again and resuming her relentless wailing.

The scene grew increasingly chaotic.

“Enjoying the show?”

Ye Zhu was lost in thought when a deep male voice suddenly sounded by her ear, accompanied by warm breath that sent a shiver down her spine. She jerked her head around to see Yan Yu slowly straightening up with his hands in his pockets, while Jiang Bing stood a step away, stifling a laugh.

“Finished over there?” she asked casually, subtly stepping back half a pace to create some social distance, her expression tinged with distaste.

Jiang Bing, who had just looked up, caught this and had to lower his head again to suppress another chuckle. See? He’d always said that one day, the boss would meet a woman who wouldn’t overlook his venomous and annoying nature just because of his deceivingly charming appearance.

What was that old saying again?

What goes around comes around.

Yan Yu seemed oblivious to her reaction. Once upright, his gaze shifted to the commotion ahead: “The information we got was useless—just Huang Jingguo’s work performance and daily routines.”

As he spoke, he tilted his chin toward the now-hysterical woman: “Shortly after, Manager Jin got a call saying Huang Jingguo’s family had arrived. Probably her.”

“Let’s take a look.” With that, Yan Yu strode toward the crowd, Jiang Bing naturally following close behind.

Ye Zhu hurried a couple of steps to catch up, knowing that lagging behind would invite another jab about her physical fitness from the man. After working together this long, she’d finally understood why the Special Investigation Unit and the Special Task Force had clashed so badly from the start—all because of his nitpicky, difficult, and downright rude personality.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t notice the figure ahead suddenly stop. Before she could react, she collided right into his back.

“…” A sharp sting shot through her nose, her eyes watering reflexively. Then, abruptly, her pupils dilated in shock.

She barely registered how quickly the pain in her nose faded, because fragmented images were flashing rapidly through her mind!

In these sudden memories, she seemed to have fallen to the ground for some reason, with faint but rhythmic footsteps echoing nearby. Ever since her rebirth, no matter how hard she’d strained—even to the point of splitting headaches—she’d never recalled a single detail about her previous death. Yet now, one collision had somehow unlocked a clue?

Could it be because…?

She stared incredulously at Yan Yu’s firm, broad back. Should she… try it again?