Chapter 15

“Three trips in and out in a single day—it’s like we’ve formed an unbreakable bond with Great Peace Village…” Xiang Yang muttered as he stepped out of the van, glancing at the small courtyard where Zhang Liang had once lived. Though it had only been empty for a day, it already exuded an air of desolation.  

Cai Chengji led the team forward and knocked on the heavy iron gate of Pei An’s house. Sounds soon came from inside the yard, and about a minute later, the gate creaked open a crack, revealing Pei Shasha’s delicate face. When she saw the crowd at her doorstep, she looked slightly flustered but still asked softly, “What… what do you want now? You’ve already taken Zhang Liang away—what more do you want?”  

“Apologies, Miss Pei,” Cai Chengji said, holding out a search warrant and pressing it into her hands. “We have evidence suggesting your father is closely connected to the pinhole camera case at Pride Farmhouse. We’re here to ask for his cooperation in the investigation.” With that, he pushed the gate open, and several members of the Technical Brigade rushed inside.  

Pei Shasha stood frozen, staring blankly at the document in her hands, clearly in shock.  

Cai Chengji first led a team to search the house inside and out, then shook his head at Jiang Li, who was standing in the yard. Jiang Li approached Pei Shasha and asked, “Where is your father?”  

“My dad…” Pei Shasha’s unfocused eyes finally regained some clarity, though her words still stumbled. “He… he said he had something to take care of and left a few hours ago… I don’t know when he’ll be back.”  

Fleeing after learning about the incident at Pride Farmhouse—that explanation made sense.  

The entire Great Peace Village was in turmoil. The local police station, working with the Municipal Public Security Bureau, was investigating all the agritainment businesses in the village. Many owners were wailing in distress, while furious tourists, upon discovering pinhole cameras in their rooms, nearly beat some of them to death.  

The local officers struggled to maintain order and eventually had to request backup from dozens of patrol officers to barely control the chaotic situation.  

“Team Leader Jiang,” Xiang Yang approached Jiang Li and lowered his voice. “There’s a hidden door behind the kitchen inside. We found many dresses similar to those worn by the two victims, along with some syringes—likely the murder weapons. Fang Jiamao is inside collecting fingerprints and other evidence.”  

Jiang Li had just ended a call with the police station chief about the situation. He nodded, then turned his gaze back to Pei Shasha.  

Shasha shuddered and quickly pulled out her phone, dialing the number saved as “Dad.” But all she heard was the cold, mechanical voice of an automated message: “The number you have dialed is currently switched off…”  

“It’s off…” She held out her phone helplessly, her eyes darting anxiously between the officers moving in and out of her house. “What’s going on? My father has contributed so much to Great Peace Village over the years—everyone knows that! You can’t just pin baseless accusations on him like this!”

“It seems they anticipated Boss Zhao wouldn’t hold out and ran away beforehand?” Xiang Yang whispered in Jiang Li’s ear. “Should we list him as a fugitive and issue a nationwide alert?”

“Mhm.” Jiang Li nodded in agreement, then turned to see Su Yan, who had been standing in the corner observing Pei Shasha since their arrival. He walked over and leaned against the brick wall. “Notice anything?”

“Observing people is quite interesting, though the ones being observed might not share my enthusiasm.” Su Yan smiled, her eyes curving into crescents. “Unconscious microexpressions and small gestures reveal a lot. This Miss Pei is rather intriguing.”

“Give it serious thought—you’d make an excellent detective in the future.” Jiang Li lit a cigarette, the ember flickering in the dimming light.

Su Yan hadn’t expected him to bring this up. She pressed her lips together, unsure how to respond. Truthfully, since waking up in this body, she’d been adrift, taking things one step at a time. Who knew what the future held? Her original dream had been to become a ‘special forces ace.’ Who would’ve guessed that ‘Spider,’ always so decisive on the battlefield, would now feel uncertain about tomorrow?

Jiang Li wasn’t bothered by her silence. Exhaling smoke, he changed the subject. “You’ve been watching Pei Shasha closely. What’s your take?”

“Still uncertain. But doesn’t Team Leader Jiang also have his own views on whether Pei An was an accomplice in Zhang Liang’s serial killings?” she countered.

“What views? The evidence found here—receivers, clothes, syringes, even fingerprints—all point to Pei An.” Jiang Li gave a wry smile, glancing at the bewildered Pei Shasha still standing in the yard. “Sharp mind, but doesn’t understand how cleverness can backfire or when to quit while ahead.”

“Honestly, with this much evidence, the case could be closed already.” Su Yan left it at that. Both knew what she meant—had someone else handled this from the start, it might’ve ended with Zhang Liang’s arrest, never uncovering the voyeurism ring spanning Great Peace Village.

“Tell me your next steps,” Jiang Li prompted.

After a pause, Su Yan replied, “Didn’t Zhao Guang mention Pei An has a sister—Pei Shasha’s aunt? If they’re close, Pei An might reach out to her. What do you think, Team Leader Jiang?”

“Not a bad idea,” Jiang Li remarked flatly. They fell into silence, leaning against the wall as occasional shouts pierced the evening air from the distant streets.

…

The news about Great Peace Village was bound to dominate headlines across major media outlets the next day, reigniting public debate over privacy security issues. When Su Yan arrived at the unit that morning, she sensed an unusual atmosphere. Upon entering the office and seeing the men looking as wilted as frostbitten eggplants, she couldn’t help but approach Cai Chengji and ask, “Brother Cai, why does everyone seem so down?”

Cai Chengji glanced around cautiously before whispering, “Don’t mention it. We got reprimanded over last night’s raid in Great Peace Village.”

“But wasn’t that… a good thing?”

“Good thing my foot! As soon as the news broke this morning, the bureau chief’s phone was ringing off the hook.” Cai Chengji pointed upward meaningfully. “Before dawn even broke, Team Leader Jiang was summoned to the chief’s office—probably to apologize.”

Such a high-profile case should have followed proper reporting procedures before action, but Jiang Li had bypassed protocol, nearly jeopardizing the bureau chief’s position.

“Tell me, how are we supposed to do our jobs? Caught between leadership above and the public below—even gods couldn’t please everyone!” Cai Chengji lamented.

Su Yan actually relaxed at this, patting his shoulder reassuringly. “Don’t worry, Team Leader Jiang will be back soon. We still have the Great Peace Village serial killings to solve, with one known suspect still at large. There’s plenty of work left.”

“How so?”

“Think about it, Brother Cai. Were we targeting those agritainment businesses? Of course not. We went to Great Peace Village based on Zhang Liang’s testimony to arrest another suspect and collect evidence. It was only at the suspect’s home that we discovered numerous receivers, temporarily linking the Pride Farmhouse case’s mastermind to our serial killer suspect. Under those circumstances, returning to file a report would’ve been unreasonable, right? It was unexpected—nobody could’ve predicted it.”

Cai Chengji gaped. “But we coordinated with the local police station beforehand…”

“That’s fine.” Su Yan smiled sheepishly. “Yesterday, Team Leader Jiang only instructed me to notify the station for assistance. When coordinating, I framed it as needing help to search the large area where the murder suspect might be hiding…”

So their operation had technically focused on Great Peace Village’s two homicide cases. Who could blame them if Pei An happened to be behind those pinhole cameras? If anything, blame the heavens for opening their eyes during Qingming Festival, refusing to let any evildoers escape justice!

“…” Cai Chengji remained stunned for a long moment before finally giving a thumbs-up. “How am I supposed to compliment you for this…”

“Compliment what?”

The familiar male voice came from behind them. Su Yan straightened up quickly to see Jiang Li standing nearby, watching them. His eyes were slightly red from lack of sleep, but his energetic demeanor showed no signs of having weathered any storm.

“Praising… praising our Sister Su Yan’s skin, smooth as silk, not a single flaw even up close.” Cai Chengji blabbered with spit flying, then stood up and walked over to Jiang Li: “Team Leader Jiang, how are you holding up? Everything alright?”

“I’m fine.” Jiang Li rubbed his temples. Ever since he entered this line of work, being scolded had become routine. Nowadays, no matter how foul the other person’s language, he treated it like a gentle breeze. “Cai Bao, how’s the background check on Pei An coming along?”

“Parents deceased early, wife also passed away long ago. Currently, apart from his daughter Pei Shasha, he only has one sister registered in Nancheng City.” Cai Chengji frowned. “But we couldn’t reach her at all. Later, we managed to contact her son, who said his mother lives in a nursing home.” He turned and picked up a sheet of paper from the desk, handing it over. “Here, this one.”

Jiang Li took it, glanced at it, then pointed at the two people standing opposite him. “You two, come with me to the nursing home.”

Hong’an Nursing Home was located in the suburbs, covering a modest area with affordable fees.

After arriving, the three crossed a lawn to find the person in charge. Upon showing their badges and identifying themselves, they received a peculiar look from the middle-aged female manager. “You’re here to question Pei Ling? We do have this resident, but…” She hesitated before finally leading them to a double room.

Upon opening the door, the manager pointed to the person on the bed. “This is Pei Ling.”

Jiang Li, Su Yan, and Cai Chengji’s expressions turned grave. The person on the bed was emaciated, with an oxygen tube in her nose. Though her eyes were open, they lacked any spark of awareness.

“Pei Ling was brought here by her family two years ago. She was already in a state where she couldn’t care for herself—reportedly due to a spinal injury from an accident… Whatever information you’re seeking, I’m afraid she won’t be able to answer your questions.” The manager apologized slightly.