Municipal Bureau
Conference Room.
A forensic examiner from the branch office was reporting the autopsy results for the body found under the overpass.
"Based on the anthropological examination, the deceased is a female, approximately twenty-six years old, 170 cm tall, and weighing around sixty kilograms. She has multiple comminuted fractures on her body: the left thigh, right calf, right arm, cranium, and left eye socket. The injuries to both legs, the right arm, and the cranium were determined to have been caused by a blunt instrument, like a claw hammer. The left eye socket, however... appears to have been struck by a tool like a shovel."
"We speculate she was placed in a large bag or box before being buried. The overpass was not the primary crime scene."
"The body is in an advanced state of decomposition. We estimate the time of death to be between seven and ten days ago. Furthermore, she was likely still breathing faintly when she was buried."
"We extracted DNA from a rib, but there have been no matches in the genetic database so far. No other DNA was recovered."
After the forensic examiner finished, Qi Feng spoke. "Nothing that could identify the victim was found on her body, and we haven’t received any recent missing person reports. Her identity is still unconfirmed. Teacher Lu is currently working on a facial reconstruction from the skull."
Teacher Lu was Lu Zhishen.
Qi Feng continued, "Last night, we matched the eyewitness sketch to a suspect in our database. Xia Zhenghong, male, fifty-two years old, a graduate advisor at Jinghai Normal University. His wife said he went to his hometown in Jiangcheng three days ago to visit family, but we contacted the Jiangcheng police, and they checked his family home. He never arrived. Xia Zhenghong’s phone is off, and we are still trying to trace his whereabouts."
"What about Jingshi University?" Zhuang Yanzheng asked.
Qi Feng said, "It’s currently the holidays. Some people went home, some stayed on campus. We haven’t gotten any useful information yet. The surveillance footage from near the overpass hasn’t turned up anything either."
"How is Xia Zhenghong’s relationship with his wife?" Zhuang Yanzheng asked.
"Xia Zhenghong married into his wife’s family. From what his wife said, their relationship seems to be quite good," Qi Feng reported. "They have a daughter studying abroad. Because of Xia Zhenghong’s work, his wife spends more time abroad with their daughter. They’ve spent more time apart than together these past few years."
Zhuang Yanzheng had been up all night, which made him look even more ferocious. He stared at the existing clues on the screen, his gaze pausing on the name of Xia Zhenghong’s wife. "The pocket watch found at the scene... I went to the shop this morning to ask. The person who had it custom-made was Xia Zhenghong’s wife."
The suspicion on Xia Zhenghong intensified once again.
"Assign more people to the search. If too much time passes, he could leave Jinghai. Check the highway toll booths," Zhuang Yanzheng ordered. "Qi Feng, you’re with me. We’re going back to Xia Zhenghong’s house to talk to his wife again."
"Yes, sir."
...
Su Miaoyi left the pet shop, taking the cat with her.
Although His Majesty the Cat still hissed at her, she had left the pet shop on bad terms, so she took him home anyway.
The pet shop gave her a full refund for the month’s fees.
Suddenly having this extra money put her in a very cheerful mood.
When she’d first paid that fee, she had to pinch every penny.
She thought that man in the suit was an absolutely wonderful person.
She transferred the money to her aunt.
Then she went to eat at a nearby restaurant.
Just as she finished her meal, her aunt called.
Su Miaoyi answered the phone. "Auntie."
Ge Yu’s voice came from the other end of the line. "Miaomiao, why did you send money home again? You’re living on your own out there; you need money for food and rent. Don’t always be sending money home. Keep it for yourself."
Su Miaoyi had lived with Ge Yu’s family ever since she was thirteen.
The Ji Family had only provided one year of living expenses, but even so, her aunt and uncle had raised her to adulthood and paid for her to go to university.
Su Miaoyi smiled. "I have enough money for myself, with plenty to spare. My younger brother is starting school, and that’s when he needs money the most. I just want to do my part for the family."
"We have enough money to send him to school, so don’t you worry," Ge Yu said. "I’ve sent the money back to you."
"Auntie, please, just take it. My brother needs money to study acting," Su Miaoyi said. "I don’t have any major expenses. The money would just be sitting there otherwise."
"What acting? If he can’t get into university, he can come back and sell vegetables with me and your uncle. And he thinks he can study acting?" Ge Yu grumbled. "Why doesn’t he just try to fly to the moon while he’s at it?"
Su Miaoyi laughed. "Oh, right, Auntie. I remember that old lady next door really likes cats. Could you ask her if she wants another one?"
"Sure, I’ll ask for you. What is it? Did you find another stray?" Ge Yu asked.
"No. It’s just that Qiuqiu can’t seem to stand me lately, so I’m thinking of finding him a new home." Su Miaoyi had suddenly remembered that the old lady next door was very fond of cats.
The cat was gentle with everyone else. He got along fine with the staff at the pet shop, too.
It was only toward her that he was hostile.
"Bring him here. I’ll take care of him," Ge Yu said. "You’ve had him for so many years. Won’t you be sad to give him away?"
"Then I’ll head back right now."
"Okay," Ge Yu said happily. "Stay for dinner tonight."
"Okay."
After hanging up, Su Miaoyi looked at the refunded money on her phone, then checked the bus route and found a stop to wait at.
Her aunt and uncle lived in the old city district.
Taking a taxi there from her current location would be ridiculously expensive.
Although she earned some money from her writing, if her brother was really going to study acting, there would be a lot of extra costs to cover. It was better to save money where she could.
...
She arrived in the old city district.
Su Miaoyi got off the bus.
It was like being transported to another world.
One city, two completely different faces.
Compared to the bustling prosperity on the other side of her bus route, this area was like a slum.
Old, dilapidated buildings, a tangled mess of electrical wires overhead, and uneven ground underfoot.
Su Miaoyi carried the cat carrier and walked in the direction of her aunt’s home.
It was a one-kilometer walk from the bus stop to her aunt’s house, a path she had walked countless times over the years while she was away at school.
It must have rained here yesterday, making the already uneven road even more muddy.
Su Miaoyi stuck close to the edge of the road as she walked.
At the corner of an alley, she nearly collided with someone turning from the other side.
The first thing Su Miaoyi noticed was his clothing.
In this weather, on such a hot day, he was wearing a jacket and a face mask.
’Aren’t people afraid of the heat these days?’
Su Miaoyi complained inwardly and took a step back, intending to let the other person pass.
As she stepped back, the man glanced at her.
Su Miaoyi first noticed the mole at the end of his right eyebrow. The moment their eyes met, a bizarre vision flooded her mind.
In a room, she first saw the man raise a hammer and bring it down on the head of a woman whose back was turned to him.
The woman collapsed.
Then, the man crouched down, raised the hammer again, and struck the woman’s thighs, calves, and abdomen.
The woman weakly raised a hand, trying to fight back.
The hammer fell again, this time on her arm.
As he struck her, the man muttered, "I’ll teach you to disobey me! I’ll teach you to disobey me!"
"Threaten me! You dare threaten me! Who do you think you are! How dare you threaten me! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you! No one can ruin me, no one!"
"Die, die!"
The images were disjointed and frantic.
The final image was of the man stuffing the woman into a suitcase...