“Mr. Gu, Mrs. Gu, please be careful.”

The driver stepped out of the car, opened the door, and helped Gu Yuanshan and his wife load their suitcases into the trunk before getting back into the car.

Sitting in the back seat, Gu Yuanshan looked at the scenery outside the window and couldn’t help but sigh, “Hong Kong is still the best. That trip to Singapore—how could it compare to here?”

“Exactly. This trip was such a bore. Next time, we should go to Europe or America. Wandering around Southeast Asia all the time is so pointless.” Mrs. Gu fiddled with her hair, the large gold ring on her finger glittering so brightly it could blind someone.

The driver sat in the front seat, listening to their conversation with silent disdain. Just a pair of peasants who smuggled over from the mainland, only wealthy for a few years now. If it weren’t for Miss Wang helping them out, how could they live such a good life?

“Hey, Xiao Li, do you have any newspapers I can read?” Gu Yuanshan crossed his legs and lit a cigar.

The driver pulled out some old newspapers from the glove compartment. “These are from a while ago. If you don’t mind, Mr. Gu, you can have a look. A lot has happened here in Hong Kong these past few months while you’ve been away.”

“Oh? What kind of things?” Mrs. Gu’s face lit up with curiosity.

I need to know more. That way, I’ll have something to talk about with the other rich ladies later.

“A fortune-teller appeared in our area—know what that is?” the driver said, glancing at them through the rearview mirror. “You folks from the mainland probably have those too, right?”

“How would we know? We left the mainland seven or eight years ago,” Gu Yuanshan retorted while flipping through the newspaper.

The driver’s disdain deepened, though he maintained a cheerful facade. “Anyway, she’s a young girl who reads fortunes, and she’s said to be incredibly accurate. She operates near Temple Street. There’s even a report about her in that newspaper—have a look.”

Gu Yuanshan soon spotted the article, which detailed how Zhou Minwen and her sister fell out after having their fortunes told by the so-called “Master Gu.” The article included a small black-and-white photo of Gu Xicao.

Though the image was blurry, it was clear she was a delicate and pretty girl.

“Gu Xicao—what kind of name is that?”

Mrs. Gu leaned over to take a look, her face changing slightly when she saw the name.

The driver chuckled. “What’s wrong with the name? I think it’s a good one.”

“It… it is good,” Mrs. Gu stammered. Gu Yuanshan quickly gave her a look, signaling her not to give anything away.

When they returned to their home—a modest 800-square-foot apartment—Mrs. Gu couldn’t hold back anymore. “Old Gu, could this Gu Xicao be that child?”

Gu Yuanshan tossed their suitcase aside and plopped down on the sofa. “Don’t overthink it. That’s impossible. You know as well as I do that the child was timid and fearful. Besides, the article said this Gu Xicao is a fortune-teller. The one we’re thinking of wouldn’t know how to read fortunes, let alone end up here in Hong Kong. Even if she wanted to, my aunt wouldn’t have let her.”

Hearing this, Mrs. Gu thought for a moment and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Good. As long as it’s not her, there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Thank you. Here’s my business card. Feel free to recommend me to your friends if they need help.”

Having someone like Wang Laoshi as an assistant made things much easier. Gu Xicao now even had her own business cards. After seeing off her latest client, she stretched lazily.

The gossip system popped up, munching on sunflower seeds. “Host, here’s your melon.”

“What?” Gu Xicao blinked. “What kind of melon could I possibly have?”

The system replied, “It’s related to the original owner. Her grandmother mentioned on her deathbed that there were relatives in Hong Kong she could rely on.”

Gu Xicao recalled this detail from the original owner’s memories.

“But didn’t she find out the address was fake when she tried to contact them?”

“Exactly. But now those relatives are back. By blood, they’re your paternal uncle and aunt. Do you want their address?” the system asked.

Tsk. Without hesitation, Gu Xicao shook her head.

Distant relatives might as well be strangers. Besides, they’d given her a fake address—clearly indicating they didn’t want any connection.

Her life was going well now. Why complicate things?

After work, Gu Xicao picked up Lin Yuan and stopped by a food stall to buy roast duck before heading home.

As soon as they arrived, their landlady, Mrs. Leung, came knocking.

“Ah, Mrs. Leung, have you eaten yet?” Gu Xicao greeted her with a smile.

“Not yet, but my family’s cooking. I just stopped by to share some good news.” Mrs. Leung’s face was beaming.

“What good news? Did your grandson get into TCB University?”

“I wish! But this is just as good. The company handling our demolition plans has agreed that after everything’s settled, we can all move back into the same area. Isn’t that wonderful?”

Gu Xicao hadn’t been keeping up with the demolition news but had heard about the tug-of-war between residents and the company. Hearing this update, she was pleasantly surprised. “That’s great! Congratulations, Mrs. Leung.”

“Congratulations to all of us,” Mrs. Leung said, patting Gu Xicao on the shoulder. “If you’re interested, you can keep renting my place later. I won’t even charge you a deposit.”

“Thank you so much, Mrs. Leung.”

After closing the door, Lin Yuan grinned. “Sister, this is great! Everyone can stay together.”

“Yeah. Who knew the demolition company would actually do the right thing?” Gu Xicao mused.

At dusk, the neon lights of Hong Kong flickered brightly, and the streets of this city of 5.86 million people were as crowded as ever.

A yellow taxi stopped at the mouth of an alley, and a man wearing a mask and cap stepped out. He navigated the maze-like alleys with ease, casually tossing a duffle bag into a trash bin at the end of the lane.

This spot was notorious for being neglected by sanitation workers, who often skipped cleaning it for weeks. Despite numerous complaints from residents, the government had done nothing.

Over time, people got used to dumping all kinds of trash here, from old appliances and furniture to muddy scraps.

Normally, it would take months for anyone to notice something unusual in this pile of garbage.

But sometimes, fate had other plans.

As it happened, there was an orphanage nearby. And coincidentally, Lin Dashao was scheduled to visit and make a donation, prompting the sanitation workers to clean the area early the next morning.

“Seriously, what do rich people making donations have to do with us?” muttered Lao Fu, one of the workers. Alongside Lao Chen, his daily routine was simple: drive around and empty garbage bins into their truck.

This job wasn’t hard, but it was filthy.

Especially in a place like this-chaotic and full of all sorts of people. You could find anything in the piles of garbage.

Lao Fu grumbled as he expertly stopped the truck.

Lao Chen, smiling, put on his gloves and got out of the vehicle. “Stop complaining. Just think of this as accumulating good karma. Maybe you’ll win big on the horses someday.”

“Win? Win what? I’ve been betting on horses for over ten years and only ever won a few thousand bucks,” Lao Fu muttered. He pulled a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and took a drag. The nicotine calmed him down enough to lean against the truck window and idly take in the scenery.

“Lao Fu! Lao Fu!”

While Lao Fu was staring at the sky, Lao Chen’s panicked voice came from behind the truck.

Startled, Lao Fu yelled back, “What is it? Don’t scare me so early in the morning!”

“Just… just come here!” Lao Chen’s voice grew more frantic.

A feeling of unease settled in Lao Fu’s chest. Grabbing a wrench from the truck’s glove compartment, he jumped down. They didn’t like coming to this area-not just because of the stench, but because the people here were unpredictable. Even low-life punks would try to rob garbage collectors like them.

“Damn it, which punk is it this time?”

Wrench in hand, Lao Fu walked cautiously to the back of the truck. To his surprise, Lao Chen was standing there alone, a trash bin overturned on the ground.

Relieved, Lao Fu slid the wrench into his back pocket. “Lao Chen, are you trying to scare me to death? I almost lost my life because of you!”

Ignoring Lao Fu’s complaints, Lao Chen stiffly raised his head, his neck jerking awkwardly. “There’s… there’s a hand…”

“A hand?”

Confused, Lao Fu approached. When he looked down into the trash bin, his face went pale instantly.

The cigarette he’d been holding fell to the ground, still glowing faintly.

Moments later, a piercing scream shattered the morning calm, breaking the city’s silence.

“PC1789, PC9290, you two, follow me to the meeting room!”

Sergeant Chen stormed out of his office, gesturing for Lin Jianyi and Sun Zhaoqian to follow him before heading upstairs.

The two officers exchanged glances and quickly followed.

The moment they entered the meeting room, both were stunned.

Inside were a Chief Inspector, three Inspectors, and seven or eight Sergeants. The tension in the room made it clear that something big had happened.

“Sergeant Chen, why’d you bring these two rookies here?”

Sergeant Ren glanced at Lin Jianyi and Sun Zhaoqian with displeasure, snuffing out his cigarette on the table.

Sergeant Chen replied calmly, “You brought some officers yourself. I brought mine. Is that a problem? Besides, these two rookies may be young, but they’ve solved several cases
already. They’re not here to pad the numbers.”

Sergeant Ren’s face darkened.

Chief Inspector Maigao raised his hand, speaking in fluent Cantonese. “Enough. Sit down. If anyone tries to stir up trouble today, I’ll personally send them to clean the reservoir.”

No one dared to argue further, knowing that Maigao was a man of his word.

Inspector Liu turned on a slide projector, showing several gruesome photos. “These images are from a female corpse discovered this morning in Mong Kok. Only the arm, neck, and left leg have been found.”

One by one, bloody and horrifying images filled the screen.

Even for seasoned officers accustomed to seeing bodies, the sight was nauseating.

Lin Jianyi and Sun Zhaoqian, being newer to the force, were particularly affected. Despite having encountered corpses before, these images left them feeling shaken.

“The coroner has determined that the victim died three days ago,” Inspector Liu explained, her voice steady and professional. “The body was dismembered post-mortem. The method matches several unsolved cases from three years ago.”

“You mean the serial dismemberment cases?” Sergeant Lin’s expression grew grim.

Inspector Liu nodded. “That’s correct. Based on the similarities in method and the injuries to the bones, we preliminarily believe the same perpetrator is responsible.”

“A serial killer?!” The room erupted in murmurs.

A serial killer on the loose would undoubtedly spark widespread fear. Until the perpetrator was caught, the possibility of more victims loomed large.

“Chief Inspector!”

A female officer burst into the room, her face pale with urgency. “We have a problem. Reporters found additional body parts in an alley near the original scene. They’re broadcasting it live on TV right now.”

“What?!”

Maigao’s expression darkened.

The reporters weren’t holding back, showing graphic footage of the remains and openly criticizing the police for their incompetence and waste of taxpayer money.

Everyone in the room looked grim.

Maigao turned to Inspector Liu. “How confident are you in your theory about the serial killer?”

Inspector Liu’s demeanor was serious. “I worked on the earlier cases. The methods are identical. The victim also shows signs of pre-mortem torture, a detail never made public. I’d say there’s at least a 70% chance it’s the same perpetrator.”

Seventy percent?

That was more than enough.

Maigao clasped his hands together, his sharp eyes scanning the room. “The media will connect this to the previous cases sooner or later. Drop everything else and focus on this case. Inspector Liu!”

“Yes, sir!” She snapped to attention.

“You have five days. Turn Hong Kong upside down if you have to, but find this person!”

Five days?!

Lin Jianyi and Sun Zhaoqian were assigned to search the surrounding streets, checking every garbage bin for evidence.

It was sweltering, and the stench from the bins was unbearable.

Still, neither officer complained. Compared to the gravity of the case, a little discomfort was trivial.

Wearing gloves, Sun Zhaoqian rifled through trash while muttering, “Brother Yi, five days is too short. What can we possibly find in that time?”

“It’s not too short,” Lin Jianyi replied. “The urgency isn’t just about reassuring the public. There’s another reason-to catch the killer quickly.”

“Huh?” Sun Zhaoqian wiped the sweat off his face, wincing at his own smell.

“The body isn’t fully accounted for. The killer might dispose of more parts elsewhere. If we act fast, we might find clues and stop them from committing more crimes.”

Understanding dawned on Sun Zhaoqian.

As he continued searching, a thought struck him. He froze, then looked up at Lin Jianyi. “Brother Yi, we might not find anything here. But we could ask Xiao Gu to help us with this case.”

“Gu Xicao?”

Lin Jianyi paused, meeting Sun Zhaoqian’s eyes. They both saw the same realization and excitement mirrored in each other.

Damn it. Why didn’t we think of this earlier?