Chapter 4

The group had a quick lunch in Da’an Village. By the time they finished taking statements from all the so-called “eyewitnesses,” it was already evening. The orange-red sun was half-hidden behind the distant green mountains, and the scenery here was truly refreshing.

They returned to the city bureau around 7 p.m., where the Special Task Force held a meeting regarding the Da’an Village serial murder case. The technical team presented first. They had reviewed all the evidence and materials transferred along with the case from the district bureau, but the evidence found at the crime scene the previous night didn’t provide any particularly clear leads. The swiftly flowing stream had clearly served as a natural cleanser for any traces, and the pebbles on the shore eliminated the possibility of the perpetrator leaving footprints near the body.

Fang Jiamao from the technical team distributed photos of the evidence to everyone—except Su Yan, of course. Allowing her to stay for the meeting was already Cai Chengji’s way of thanking her for acting as their driver all day, and Xiang Yang didn’t object either. Perhaps both of them felt her attitude was earnest and she wasn’t as useless as they’d initially assumed, so they tacitly allowed her to remain with the Special Task Force for the time being. Surprisingly, even Jiang Li didn’t voice any opposition, though the furrow between his brows deepened slightly. At least he didn’t send her home after work.

Everyone sat in their chairs, frowning as they examined the evidence photos. Jiang Li, however, leaned against the desk closest to the whiteboard in the center of the office—Su Yan’s temporary workstation. She rubbed her neck and leaned forward slightly, following Jiang Li’s rhythm as she peered at the documents in his hands.

Noticing the movement from the intern sitting not far behind him out of the corner of his eye, Jiang Li paused for just a moment before resuming as if nothing had happened. He didn’t pay her any further attention, but he didn’t stop her from looking either. He had originally planned to discuss the matter with Deputy Chief Xu today, but the busy schedule made him forget. He’d have to find another suitable time later. He really didn’t like mentoring interns—mainly because he lacked the extra energy to deal with their endless, often bizarre questions, nor did he want to worry about someone else’s safety during field operations. But since this one wasn’t disruptive and simply observed quietly, he didn’t see any reason to object.

“Zhang, go ahead,” Jiang Li said after skimming through the materials, looking up at forensic examiner Zhang Qishan.

Zhang Qishan connected his laptop to the large screen and projected photos from the autopsy: “The victim, Ni Yue, was 24 years old. The cause of death was a massive air embolism caused by air entering her veins. We also found needle marks on her arm. Additionally, the victim suffered a severe blow to the back of her neck before death, which likely rendered her unconscious.”

“Further examination revealed that, aside from sharing the same age and gender as the previous victim, Zhong Yu—whose case was submitted by the district bureau—the height difference between the two was less than two centimeters, and both had medium-length hair. Drug tests are still underway, and we don’t have results yet.”

“The full report is here.” Zhang Qishan gestured for his assistant to distribute the autopsy reports.

A few minutes later, Jiang Li glanced up at Cai Chengji, who understood the cue and stood up to walk to the whiteboard. “Ni Yue was a graduate student at Nancheng Normal University. She and her boyfriend had planned a weekend getaway to Da’an Village. They arrived at the village around 9 a.m. yesterday, checked into their pre-booked agritainment, and then went to Clearwater Creek for a bamboo raft ride, enjoying the scenery. Around noon, they returned to the agritainment for lunch and took a nap afterward. When her boyfriend, He Ming, woke up around 4 p.m., Ni Yue was no longer in the room.”

As Cai Chengji outlined the case details, he sketched the timeline on the whiteboard. “He Ming tried calling his girlfriend but couldn’t get through. He asked the agritainment owner and others, but no one had noticed Ni Yue’s whereabouts. He searched the village himself but found no trace of her. Eventually, he begged the agritainment owner to help with the search. Around 5 p.m., they even checked Clearwater Creek but didn’t find any sign of Ni Yue nearby.”

“The local police station received He Ming’s missing person report a little after 5:30 p.m. Officers arrived in Da’an Village within ten minutes to investigate and assist in the search, but to no avail. Around 8 p.m., several tourists sneaked to Clearwater Creek, avoiding the villagers guarding the scenic area. They had planned to have a small bonfire party by the creek but instead discovered the victim’s body submerged in the water. In panic, they called the police.”

After summarizing the case, Cai Chengji capped his pen and raised an eyebrow at Xiang Yang.

Xiang Yang, seated in his chair, continued, “Based on further interviews with He Ming and the agritainment owner, the village was bustling with activity between 4 p.m. and the discovery of the body—tourists exploring, villagers and police assisting in the search. Yet, the victim’s body managed to evade everyone’s notice and appeared at a relatively conspicuous spot by Clearwater Creek, less than 500 meters from where the previous victim was found.”

“This suggests the killer must be very familiar with Da’an Village’s layout.”

After listening to their accounts, Jiang Li nodded thoughtfully. “Da’an Village is a popular tourist destination. Though it appears somewhat backward, that’s largely a gimmick to cater to urban visitors. The agritainment where the victim stayed must have surveillance cameras. Last night, I also noticed cameras installed in many corners of the village, including near Clearwater Creek.”

Cai Chengji added, “While conducting interviews today, we copied all the surveillance footage. Unfortunately, one wide-angle camera by Clearwater Creek had been broken for two months, and the village never repaired it.”

Jiang Li smirked, as if this was exactly what he had expected. “Starting tomorrow, we’ll thoroughly review all the copied footage, including the relevant recordings from the previous case handed over by the district bureau’s criminal investigation team. We need to trace the movements of both victims.” After all, the killer isn’t a ghost—they can’t come and go without leaving a trace.

“Understood,” the team responded in unison.

“Perhaps some tourists might have noticed subtle clues yesterday, but they all left in a hurry after the incident occurred. Tomorrow morning, I’ll request media assistance to gather relevant leads from the public,” Jiang Li said, lowering his head again to look at the documents in his hand. “Also, Xiao Fang.”

Fang Jiamao stepped forward to his side. Jiang Li’s slender fingers tapped on two of the photos: “Are these the clothes the two victims were wearing when they were found?”

“Correct.”

“Investigate these two outfits thoroughly. Also, Caibao… tomorrow morning, go confirm with He Ming whether Ni Yue was wearing this yellow dress and blouse before she disappeared.”

Cai Chengji nodded in acknowledgment.

The team then proceeded to discuss the two cases, each sharing their perspectives. By the time the meeting ended, it was nearly ten o’clock. Jiang Li tidied up the materials and turned around. “It’s getting late. Everyone should rest up—tomorrow will be busy.”

“Got it…”

“See you later, Captain Jiang…”

“Go home and get some sleep.”

As everyone packed up and began filing out, Fang Jiamao happened to pass by Su Yan. Suddenly, she stood up and walked over, the two of them seemingly bumping into each other unintentionally.

“Brother Fang, I’m so sorry!” Su Yan’s ears turned red, as if flustered from the collision. She quickly crouched down to help pick up the scattered photos and documents on the floor.

Fang Jiamao found her flustered demeanor somewhat amusing and bent down to help, reassuring her, “No harm done. I’m not some old man who’d extort money from you over a little bump.”

“I was too careless… Huh?” Su Yan picked up two photos—the very ones Jiang Li had pointed out earlier, showing the clothes the victims had been wearing. “Actually, this blouse is quite pretty. The shoulder design still looks stylish even by today’s standards. They say fashion is cyclical—I wonder when this style will come back in trend.” Her slender, delicate index finger tapped the photo of the blouse and skirt taken from Ni Yue, and she sighed with a smile.

Fang Jiamao’s eyes suddenly lit up. “You know about fashion?”

“Not really.” Su Yan straightened up and handed the materials back to him. “My mom was super fashionable when she was young and loved keeping things. We still have two wardrobes at home filled with her old clothes. The shoulder and collar design of this blouse is pretty recognizable—it was popular in the ’90s. Could it be back in style now? If so, my mom’s clothes won’t just be collecting dust in the closet anymore.”

“Is that so…” Fang Jiamao seemed to have stumbled upon a new lead. Indeed, these two outfits didn’t seem to align with contemporary young people’s fashion sense. When the first victim, Zhong Yu, was discovered, the police hadn’t paid attention to this detail. The light red floral dress she wore looked somewhat outdated, but given her rural background, it hadn’t raised any flags. Zhong Yu’s family consisted only of her nearly blind grandfather, with her parents working far away as migrant laborers, making it impossible to confirm whether the clothes she was found in were actually hers.

Once this idea took root, he was eager to verify it. He silently praised Team Leader Jiang for her sharp eyes, then threw a quick “Thanks” at Su Yan before hastily rushing out of the Special Task Force office door.  

Su Yan rubbed the tip of her nose uncomfortably and let out a long sigh. Lying really was exhausting. She used to mock the braggarts in the team for spinning tall tales without batting an eye, but now she realized that lying required a certain level of skill.  

“Su Yan.” A deep, pleasant male voice suddenly came from behind her.  

Startled, she turned around and saw Jiang Li standing there, leaning against the doorframe. She hadn’t even noticed when he had returned. His dark eyes seemed to carry a scrutinizing gaze, though upon closer inspection, maybe they didn’t.  

“Yes, Team Leader Jiang,” she responded.  

Jiang Li stared at her for another two seconds before speaking again. “Cai Chengji will stay at the station tomorrow morning to oversee the video review work. The team is short-handed lately, so you and Xiang Yang will come with me to Da’an Village.”  

Su Yan lowered her eyelids. “Understood, Team Leader Jiang.”