The second day after Su Li went missing.
Outside, the cold wind was biting. Gusts mixed with snow slapped against the windows with hollow, cracking sounds. Inside the Baimu Town police station, the stove was burning. The snow on police uniforms had already melted. The steaming smell of instant noodles mingled with the fragrance of oranges roasting on top of the stove.
But no one was really paying attention. With dark circles under their eyes, who had the mood to care about food? Everyone ate while sorting through materials.
Changlin and Baimu Town had always been closely connected. It wasn’t just an administrative relationship. Back then, Baimu had once been the economic and industrial source of Changlin City. Later it declined, but during its boom years, whether it was government leadership or police recruitment, people flowed freely between the two sides.
Even now, there were still ties.
And those ties extended into other layers as well…
Liu Duan knew the chief of the Baimu Town police station. The two of them were still in the chief’s office, talking about who knew what. The instant noodles Chen Liao had made for Liu Duan had already turned mushy, yet he still hadn’t come out.
Chen Liao simply took them and ate them himself. He could make another cup for Liu Duan later. As he ate, he organized the little information they had gathered overnight from the hotel about the missing Su Li.
There really wasn’t much.
Just as little as what they had found the night before.
In snowy weather, traces were all covered up. And since the person had been dragged into the woods, it was even harder to find any trail.
It had also been dark, so they returned almost empty-handed from the disappearance site last night. Instead, they got some statements while checking the hotel.
“According to the hotel owner, Su Li isn’t local. She came here as a tourist. But at this time of year, even though you can see snow scenery, the wind and snow are too heavy to go out. Ordinary tourists usually wouldn’t choose this season.”
“But among all the out-of-town guests he’s hosted, this girl was among the wealthiest. Her clothes were all foreign brands. Once, he even heard her speaking a foreign language, rattling on about something he didn’t understand, talking while hurrying out. Later, she came back carrying a bag.”
“She went out once the next day, and after that, she never went out again.”
“We checked the room too. Nothing special. Right, where’s Zhen Wuyu?”
“Not here. Seems he went out early this morning. When we checked the room yesterday, he didn’t find much either, but he stared at one of Su Li’s dirty shoes for a long time.”
“She probably didn’t know anyone locally. Even though she talked a lot and liked chatting, could talk to anyone and seemed very popular, but… she didn’t eat with people. Once, a local wanted to give her some candied melon, and she didn’t take it.”
She looked lively and animated, but in how she dealt with people, was she actually distant?
Chen Liao felt this fit a rich person’s temperament. He was also curious: someone this wealthy, if she wanted to travel, why come to a small place like Baimu Town?
“She wasn’t here to travel.”
The door was pushed open, cold wind rushing in. Zhen Wuyu stood at the entrance. He brushed the snow off his wool coat, opened a photo on his phone, and placed it on the table for them to see.
Chen Liao and the others picked up their instant noodles and leaned over. The photo showed a bag, and inside were incense ash, candles, and paper offerings.
“Huh? She came to pay respects to relatives?”
“Where was this taken? The hotel room? But we checked that room. There wasn’t anything like this.”
The bag the hotel owner mentioned was probably this one, but at the time, he didn’t know what was inside.
How did Zhen Wuyu find this bag?
Chen Liao asked, “You know her, so you knew she had relatives in Baimu Town?”
After sitting down, Zhen Wuyu took a towel and wiped off the snow. His face was pale, refined and neat, but his voice carried no warmth.
“I don’t know. I don’t really understand her. We went to high school in Changlin. I don’t know where she was from before that.”
“But the pair of shoes she changed out of in her room had yellow mud, moss, and pine needles on them. The pine needles were from podocarpus. That isn’t a common local plant in Baimu Town. It’s usually planted deliberately at temples.”
“That one time she went out sightseeing that the hotel owner mentioned was probably when she went to the only temple in Baimu Town. She bought a whole bag of things locally before going. Usually, that would only be incense and offerings. I went there this morning. I originally thought she had set up an ancestral tablet for a relative at the temple. After asking the people there, I found out that wasn’t the case. She placed that bag of offerings in the temple to be bathed in the Buddha’s light and arranged to pick it up today.”
“My guess is that she offered incense at the temple, borrowed the Buddha’s light to bless these offerings, and then planned to take them to the place where her relative passed away, or another burial site, to pay respects. There is such a custom, right?”
There was.
Whether in Changlin, Baimu Town, or across the entire province, many places had this custom.
Chen Liao called a colleague to get Zhen Wuyu something to eat or make him some instant noodles, and said, “If she was that careful and attentive, it must have been a very important relative.”
“What about that bag? You didn’t bring it back?”
“No. The temple wouldn’t allow it.”
Wouldn’t allow it? Chen Liao slurped noodles and took a sip of soup, dissatisfied. “It’s needed for an investigation. Why wouldn’t they allow it? And didn’t they say it was to be picked up today? The timing should be fine. Didn’t you explain it?”
Zhen Wuyu said, “The master there knew she might have had an accident and refused to let me take it. He said it had to be left to preserve cause and effect, waiting for her return.”
Of course, the premise was also that he wasn’t very forceful, so he left it there.
Everyone fell silent for a moment. Matters of Buddhism weren’t something they could comment on, and they didn’t dare speak carelessly.
“That’s not right. I went to that temple with my mom before. They weren’t this conscientious back then…”
Zhen Wuyu said, “The incense money Su Li offered was one hundred thousand.”
Several officers were choked by the spicy noodle soup.
The noodles were really spicy, spicy enough to bring tears.
“Looks like she’s even richer than we thought. There aren’t many people around Changlin and Baimu Town this wealthy.”
“The household registration systems for Changlin and Baimu Town both have quite a few people with this name. Still haven’t found her? That’s unlikely. We already notified them last night to check overnight. It’s just a matter of searching registration records.”
“Not yet. The photos sent over don’t match what the hotel owner and staff saw. The colleagues over there are going crazy…”
As they talked, they couldn’t understand why Su Li’s information couldn’t be found. Logically, even if she wasn’t from Baimu Town, according to Zhen Wuyu, she studied in Changlin. That would make her a Changlin resident. Could she be registered elsewhere?
Hearing that Changlin still hadn’t found Su Li’s identity information, Zhen Wuyu was somewhat surprised. “I remember she really was from Changlin. When filling out enrollment forms, locals and non-locals were handled differently. Admission scores were different too.”
Chen Liao said, “Out-of-town students could get in with slightly lower scores, right? Especially from rural areas. Her score met the requirement, so…”
Zhen Wuyu said, “No. She was Changlin’s top scorer in the middle school entrance exam. There was a banner hung when she enrolled. I remember it clearly. It was noted that she was local. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have publicized it so widely.”
“You said you weren’t close to her, didn’t understand her, yet you remember this so clearly…”
“I was second.”
Oh.
That explained it.
Chen Liao gave a dry laugh. “If she was from Changlin, then even if there were later changes like transferring schools or moving household registration for the college entrance exam, there should still be records in the archives. There’s no way nothing would turn up. But the school also says they can’t find her records, not even information about her family. That’s not normal. Unless…”
“Unless her identity was legally shielded under certain special regulations, making it inaccessible with ordinary clearance.”
Several officers thought of various possibilities. Their expressions grew increasingly serious.
Zhen Wuyu was certain Su Li was from Changlin. He picked up his phone, ready to contact Changlin leadership to raise clearance and investigate her. Suddenly, the door was pushed open.
Officer Xiao Li rushed in, sweating, holding a small paper box.
“The hotel owner sent this. He said he found it under Su Li’s room door this morning when he got up. There was a note on it.”
Everyone looked.
Calling it a note was generous. It was actually a line of words cut out from a newspaper and pasted together.
——For the police station.
“The owner was scared to death. He called me to take it, so I brought it right away…”
Fuck.
Could it be a bomb?
The officers present were all startled and jumped up.
Zhen Wuyu stepped forward and weighed the box in his hand. “No. It’s very light. Unlikely to be an explosive.”
Explosives weren’t that easy to get.
Even commercially available explosives had a certain weight. Unless it was foreign or military-grade, something this light couldn’t be one.
Even if it were, the blast power would be limited.
Still, out of caution, he took it to an open area outside and had everyone keep their distance. Using scissors, he opened it, and Zhen Wuyu frowned.
Chen Liao and the others saw what he was holding.
Videotapes.
And there were two of them.
One labeled 1, one labeled 2.
Strange. Zhen Wuyu took tape number 1 and played it first.
As soon as it started—
On the screen, two figures escaped through an iron door into a passageway. Their bodies seemed weak, their movements slow, but their urgency to flee was obvious.
The officers recognized them immediately. Chen Qing and Luo Hong.
They were stopped at another iron door. Chen Qing looked up and shouted toward a corner of the ceiling.
“Old sir, please open the door. We’re going out now. Didn’t you say you’d guide us to go kill that bitch? Don’t worry, I’ll do it. I need your guidance…”
“But we have to get out first.”
The officers all raised their eyebrows. Kill? Who was Chen Qing planning to kill? And this kidnapper was actually directing them to do this?
After a while, the broadcast voice appeared.
“There’s a box on the table. Inside are two pills. Both of you must take them before you can listen to me. If you don’t do as I say within a certain time, you’ll die.”
“Of course, you can also choose not to take them.”
“Up to you.”
Chen Qing’s expression changed. He stared fixedly at the box on the table, wanting to refuse.
“See the exhaust vent?”
“Guess what it can vent. Five gas canisters releasing at once. Let it run for a bit, and on your side… heh heh heh.”
Luo Hong panicked. “We’ll eat them. We’ll eat them right now.”
Chen Qing had no choice. The two of them each swallowed one white pill. Their expressions were like swallowing nails, but they had to do it.
After Luo Hong swallowed his, he asked stiffly, “We’ve eaten them. Can you open the door now?”
The iron door opened, revealing the passage beyond. The path was very narrow. Below seemed to be a pit. Ahead was an open doorway. Outside looked like a world of ice and snow, cold wind pouring in.
It really was an exit.
The two of them rushed forward…
Just as they were about to get out—
Chen Qing suddenly shoved Luo Hong hard.
Luo Hong fell. There was a scream. Chen Qing glanced once, confirmed Luo Hong’s fate, and continued rushing out without looking back.
The last silhouette showed him spitting something into the snow with a thud.
He hadn’t swallowed the pill. He escaped.
Clang. The iron door slammed shut again.
It cut off the escapee from the imprisoned.
Only one person died.
Silently left in the pit.
No one knew what was in that pit, but from Luo Hong’s scream at the time and Chen Qing’s cold smile after looking down, it was clear he was dead.
Inside the police station, there was dead silence.
Chen Liao said, “This wasn’t killing under coercion. This was intentional murder. Has Chen Qing gone mad? Why did he kill Luo Hong?”
Zhen Wuyu frowned. He didn’t make a judgment, but instead played the second tape.
Tape number 2.
This recording covered everything from when the six people woke up to when Chen Qing and Luo Hong left.
After watching it, everyone fell even more silent.
Because with a police officer’s instincts, they all felt that everything was strange, contradictory, unbelievable, and carried a strong sense of—
“False.”
Zhen Wuyu suddenly spoke.
His voice was cold. As everyone looked at him, he said slowly, “Setting aside Su Li being abducted alone in Baimu Town, the other five all boarded a van at the station. The van operated on a passenger-pickup basis. Huang Xiuling was the driver. She picked up Lin Zong, Zhang Cheng, and Chen Qing one after another. But according to statements from other drivers at the station, she was already preparing to leave at that point. Luo Hong rushed over, insisting on getting on as well, saying he was in a hurry to go to Baimu Town. He kept raising the price. Only then did she agree, and the van set off.”
“First, she lied about her profession. But the source of the lie was Chen Qing lying first, hiding his living conditions and identity, so she followed along.”
“Chen Qing’s clothing makes it impossible for him to be a driver. The soles of his shoes are too thick. Possibly because he’s too short. In any case, they aren’t shoes a driver would wear. Control would be too unstable and prone to accidents. Huang Xiuling was the real driver. Look at this angle. Zoom in. Yes, right here.”
“Look at the shadow on the soles of her shoes. The right shoe is far more worn than the left, and the sole is thinner. That’s from long-term pedal use.”
Xiao Li said, “They coordinated that well? Was this to protect themselves, afraid criminals would trace them back to their families, so they…”
Following Zhen Wuyu’s guidance, Chen Liao noticed something this time. He said, “No. They all knew each other.”
What?
Xiao Li was shocked.
“If several strangers boarded a van, crashed midway, were locked in a prison, and woke up, wouldn’t their first reaction be nervousness, panic, and urgently exchanging information with other victims, discussing countermeasures?”
“Their mouths weren’t gagged.”
Xiao Li said, “Uh… that does seem right.”
“But look here.”
Chen Liao dragged the timeline back to the beginning.
From the very start, these people had no verbal communication at all. They maintained a strange silence, yet repeatedly looked at each other.
“Chen Qing, Huang Xiuling, Lin Zong, and Zhang Cheng. These four knew each other, and in that situation, they trusted one another.”
“Luo Hong and Su Li were the only ones who appeared normal.”
Zhen Wuyu sat down and dragged the timeline forward again, watching for a while, then said, “And these four were swapping lies about their professions.”
“Although Huang Xiuling is a Changlin driver, lives in Changlin, and has her identity registered with the station company, the others don’t have household registration in Changlin, and their exact identities still haven’t been found. We need to wait for Changlin to return information. But even now, their professions can be inferred.”
“Chen Qing is actually unemployed, with no income at all. He does have a family. His clothes were bought by his wife. His life is straitened, patched and mended. But his wife treats him well, refined and capable, so his clothes still look clean and decent.”
“Huang Xiuling’s records at the Changlin transportation company show she has children. Her financial burden is heavy. She can’t keep her clothes neat because she has to juggle childcare and driving work. She’s extremely exhausted. And because she needs money the most, she let Luo Hong get on the van even though she shouldn’t have.”
“Lin Zong claimed he was an old Chinese doctor coming to Baimu Town to buy medicinal herbs. But after waking up, he didn’t examine his own body for injuries that might have caused unconsciousness, nor did he examine others to determine the type of drug used. That’s a professional habit. He didn’t do it. Zhang Cheng did. As soon as he woke up, he touched his neck and checked his wrists. Those are places injections might leave marks.”
“Zhang Cheng is the Chinese medicine practitioner. Lin Zong likely used to be a teacher.”
“These four people not only know each other, they are very familiar with each other. More importantly—
“They are not clean people.”
Author’s Note:
The opening mainly runs on two parallel threads: the police investigation and the female lead’s ordeal. The police-side plot is used to infer and piece together what is happening on the female lead’s side, so the female lead does not appear in every chapter. Later on, the story will focus more on the female lead’s plot.