In September in G Province, the afternoon sun was still blazing.
Su Zhisheng bought a random bread roll to slightly fill his stomach, then got into the car, nibbling on it as he headed to the police station.
He had just woken up when he was hit with the horrifying news, leaving his mind in a daze.
Previously, when Zhou Jiale’s younger brother died, Su Zhisheng had only met him once. Even learning of his death, he could only reflect on the unpredictability of life.
But this time—though his relationship with the victim, Xiao Tao, had been tense—the sudden death of someone in his social circle, especially such a gruesome end involving dismemberment…
Even under the bright sun, in the bustling downtown district full of noise and people, Su Zhisheng still felt a bone-deep chill!
Beyond any personal grudge, this was the instinctive fear shared by all human beings.
The car stopped at the police station entrance. Seeing the blue-and-white building and the uniformed officers inside… Su Zhisheng’s unsettled feelings gradually steadied.
No matter how heinous the criminal, when faced with the police, their only options were to hide or flee.
Su Zhisheng slowed his pace, feeling his frantic heartbeat gradually calm.
His chaotic mind also began to function again.
He didn’t rush to push the door open. Instead, he took out his phone and dialed his adoptive mother’s number.
Today was the weekend, and coincidentally, it wasn’t his shift at his teacher’s veterinary hospital… According to their prior arrangement, he would have gone to the hospital in the afternoon to keep his mother company.
But now he was entangled in a dismemberment case as a prime suspect—those plans were bound to be canceled.
“Hello, Mom…”
Su Zhisheng tested the words softly, even though he hadn’t yet dialed the number.
His voice came out crisp and natural, completely devoid of the terrified tremor that had been hidden in his voice when speaking to the driver.
Su Zhisheng had been mature since childhood, always sharing good news and hiding the bad. Only after confirming that his voice showed no cracks did he dial his adoptive mother’s number and begin lying without changing his expression.
“I’m a special consultant for the police. When a case requires my involvement, I can’t decline. I’m sorry, Mom, but I can’t come to the hospital to be with you today.”
What he really needed to do was give a statement as a prime suspect.
“It’s okay. A very talkative aunt has joined my hospital room, and we’ve been getting along well. Don’t worry about me. Zhisheng, just do your best work for the police and help ordinary people solve their problems. Mom is proud of you.”
Her voice on the other end was incredibly gentle.
The familial warmth that the wealthy Su family had never given Su Zhisheng had never been absent in his life.
“Oh, by the way, Zhisheng, I’ve recovered quite a bit and plan to be discharged at the end of the month. I want to leave the hospital before the Mid-Autumn Festival and go back to our hometown in Y Province to celebrate.”
Back when Su Yingmei found the abandoned child, she had come to Yuntian City in G Province to make a living, and Su Zhisheng had grown up there. But for Su Yingmei, that rural village in Y Province was her true homeland—the place she returned to for the holidays.
“Okay. I’ll find time to talk to the doctor and find out what we need to prepare for home recovery…”
As he spoke, Su Zhisheng remembered Xing Tianwei’s earlier reminder.
The Mid-Autumn Festival was a time for family reunions. He’d avoid mentioning that buzzkill, the Su family’s nanny, for now. After the festival, they could stay a few extra days in their hometown, and then he could have his adoptive mother ask about the nanny…
But after so many years, even the police investigating the wealthy family’s baby-swapping case hadn’t found more leads on the nanny’s disappearance. He didn’t know whether his mother, gossiping with the locals, would uncover anything new.
Still, he could also ask the older kids in the village—those a few years ahead of him—about the situation.
The nanny had resigned shortly after swapping the babies, went back to her hometown, and then disappeared not long after. He had been an infant and knew nothing, but the children a few years older should remember that aunt from the village.
In the police station’s statement room, Xing Tianwei was reviewing the case information.
After finishing work on the evening of August 27, Wu Xiaotao left the Su residence and was never seen again.
In the early morning of August 28, the victim’s phone sent a text message requesting leave, citing the need to care for her elderly mother who had fallen at home.
The leave request was for over a month, with a return date after the October holiday. If not approved, she would have no choice but to resign.
On the morning of the 28th, the housekeeper relayed the message to Su Mingjie. Quite satisfied with Wu Xiaotao as a maid, Su Mingjie approved the long leave without asking a single question.
Not only that, but he specifically reserved her position, merely instructing the housekeeper to find a temp from the cooperating maid training agency to fill in for about a month. For an ordinary worker requesting over a month off, they would be fired in a heartbeat.
After the leave was approved, the victim’s phone sent a message to her closest maid colleague, asking her to pick up the work uniform from the laundry. She was too rushed to return to the servants’ quarters to pack her things.
The colleague didn’t suspect anything, sent a few caring words, and went to help. After all, the Su family’s servants had specific uniforms—Wu Xiaotao couldn’t take hers away, and it wasn’t unusual that she wouldn’t come back to pack.
Additionally, the Su family paid salaries at the beginning of each month.
Wu Xiaotao’s family was poor. Her parents had three children but had ruined their health from overwork in their early years. Every month, she sent money home.
However, her parents would rather skimp on medication to save money for their youngest son to buy a house and get married. Wu Xiaotao often complained about this to her colleagues, but she still sent the money regardless.
On the morning of the 28th, Wu Xiaotao’s phone sent a message to her family, saying that she had accidentally broken an employer’s vase while cleaning, resulting in a one-month salary deduction, so she couldn’t send money home in early September.
Though her family doubted the truth of this salary issue, they decided to wait and see whether she sent money in October before making a fuss. Therefore, they didn’t call to investigate further.
However, the housekeeper, Su Mingjie, and others confirmed that Wu Xiaotao had not damaged any property in the villa that month. Her salary had been deposited into her account as usual.
This series of arrangements by the killer was all aimed at delaying the discovery of the crime.
If Su Zhisheng hadn’t accidentally discovered the body parts at the bottom of the lake, Wu Xiaotao’s disappearance likely wouldn’t have come to light until October, rather than mid-September.
The later the body is found, the harder the case is to solve. Su Zhisheng—still procedurally a prime suspect—had already rendered great service. Once his name was cleared, it would be recorded in the case’s merits.
After the killer completed this series of arrangements on the 28th, Wu Xiaotao’s phone sent no further messages to anyone, and the signal completely ceased.
However, the killer’s deep familiarity with both Wu Xiaotao and the Su family proved that he must live within the Su family’s mansion.
Data from the telecom carrier also showed that the last signal from Wu Xiaotao’s phone appeared in the wealthy neighborhood where the Su family resided.
Now, to clear Su Zhisheng’s name, the police only needed to investigate his timeline.
“Where did you go and what did you do between August 27 and 28?” Zhang Zhengyang’s tone was notably gentle, nothing like how one would treat a prime suspect.
Su Zhisheng thought for a moment.
Oh, that time—he had been busy “doing bad things.”
“I don’t remember some of it clearly. Let me check my chat logs… Oh, right. On the 27th, I was working at the veterinary hospital during the day and afternoon. At night, I went to feed the night herons near the luxury hotel.”
Though the night herons lived in the river by the luxury hotel, G Province was a large southern province with plenty of rainfall and many rivers. Those two rivers were far apart, one east and one west, with no connecting tributaries.
“On the 28th, I went to the hospital to accompany my adoptive mother, then fed the night herons…”
He had planned extensively to deal a heavy blow to the fake young master. Through experiments, he had determined how many small fish the night herons needed to eat to be full, and how long it took for them to defecate after being full…
That level of dedication would have sufficed for writing a thesis!
Based on this answer, Zhang Zhengyang called the veterinary hospital and confirmed that Su Zhisheng did not have the time to commit the crime on the 27th. Since the primary crime scene hadn’t yet been found, they could only use the timeline to eliminate him as a suspect.
Meanwhile, his colleagues’ analysis of surveillance footage from multiple locations also showed that among the Su family personnel who appeared in the villa neighborhood on the 28th, Su Zhisheng was not included. He absolutely could not have been the person who sent messages from the victim’s phone.
“Congratulations, you’re cleared of suspicion.” Zhang Zhengyang looked relieved.
“Having lived in the Su family for a while, do you have any other leads on this case? Our investigation found that Wu Xiaotao was sweet-tongued, got along well with both her boss and colleagues, and didn’t seem to have any grudges with anyone.”
“The money in the victim’s bank account was untouched, so clearly the perpetrator wasn’t robbing her before killing.”
“Wu Xiaotao wasn’t in a relationship. Because her parents didn’t want another family taking a share of her money, she didn’t even have any blind dates arranged, so it couldn’t be a crime of passion.”
If not for the killer’s means of delaying the discovery—which revealed that he knew Wu Xiaotao—this case, lacking personal enmity, financial dispute, or romantic entanglement, would have been classified as a random murder.
Su Zhisheng thought for a moment. “To be honest, I didn’t know her well.”
She had been Su Mingjie’s accessory and echo. Only when Su Mingjie made a move did Su Zhisheng ever interact with her.
“However, I want to participate in the body recovery operation. The living her left me no information. But perhaps, where she now rests, I might find some clues.”
Hearing this, Zhang Zhengyang smiled. “The dive team just called to urge me. They’re waiting for you to come save them.”
“Now that the statement is done, come with me to the office,” Xing Tianwei said, putting away the documents.
Su Zhisheng thought the man was going to give him some case files to review, but instead, he found the office filled with takeout—milk tea and fried chicken covering an entire table.
Zhang Zhengyang cheered. “Thanks, boss! Treating us to afternoon tea again.”
Other officers laughed. “The delivery just arrived. You came back just in time—fried chicken’s best when it’s hot.”
Su Zhisheng was startled. He looked at the aloof man beside him. “Captain Xing, I didn’t expect you to like milk tea and fried chicken too.”
Given how often Xing Tianwei reminded him to stay safe and rest early, he had seemed like an old fuddy-duddy.
He never expected that Xing Tianwei had such youthful hobbies. Well… by age, Xing Tianwei was still young.
“No, this takeout is for you. I figured that after seeing the news, you wouldn’t have much appetite for lunch.”
Xing Tianwei didn’t think a college student who had just been “gifted” the status of prime suspect in a dismemberment case would be able to eat much.
Su Zhisheng: “…”
He indeed hadn’t had an appetite earlier. It was only because his stomach had growled loudly that he had forced down a bit of bread.
Zhang Zhengyang took out a plastic glove and handed one to Su Zhisheng. “Eat up. You’ve got a tough battle ahead. That river is so long—who knows how long the recovery operation will take…”
“Mmhm.” Su Zhisheng nodded and quickly started eating.
Before departure, Xing Tianwei also handed him a bag of candy.
“For a quick energy boost.”
They were pressed fruit candies, each in the shape of cute fruit. But the selection had clearly been filtered—there were no common red candies like strawberry or watermelon.
“Thank you, Captain Xing.” Su Zhisheng tucked the candy into his backpack.
Now, his backpack no longer contained only food for feeding animals—it also held food for feeding himself.
“My backpack has limited space. I need to bring more fish food over…”
“Logistics has already prepared it. They’ll drive along with you.” Xing Tianwei had arranged everything in advance.
The upstream of the river was a mountain, thick with trees and rarely visited by humans.
Based on the victim’s time of disappearance, river hydrology data, and the weight of the bag of body parts, the police professionals had roughly calculated the possible dumping site upstream.
As soon as Su Zhisheng arrived on the scene, he received a warm welcome.
“Consultant Su! Finally, we get to see you. Without you, looking at this long river, I wouldn’t even want to go on living.”
“Consultant Su, you’re so handsome. You could get rich just off your face, but on top of that, your skills are incredible…”
“Consultant Su, are you interested in switching jobs?”
“Get lost!” Zhang Zhengyang kicked a familiar colleague.
The dive team’s string of flattery made Su Zhisheng a bit embarrassed.
He cleared his throat. “I’ve brought the fish food. While it’s still light out, let’s get to work.”
Su Zhisheng walked to the riverbank and used fish food to lure a tilapia.
“If you help me find black plastic bags containing things like this, I’ll give you more fish food. These bags might already be torn, exposing the human remains inside…”
He explained clearly, point by point, what they were looking for.
The tilapia flicked its tail. “Okay, I’ve got it.”
It still found the situation surreal. “I never thought I’d not only meet a human who can talk to fish but also receive a commission from one. This is amazing.”
“In the past, I was a free and easy fish. Today, I’m a hardworking, struggling working fish!”
This tilapia had a strong tendency toward playful complaining.
“Humans evolved to live on land and had to work to earn money. Who knew that even though my ancestors never made it ashore, I still can’t escape work and overtime? This fish feels like its scales are losing their shine.”
Hearing this, Su Zhisheng couldn’t help but let out a quiet laugh.
Steadying himself, he then tried to motivate the fish.
“We want to recover all the remains as quickly as possible. I hope you can call your friends to help. If we finish today, I’ll give you 20 bags of fish food. If we finish tomorrow, it’ll be 19 bags…”
Seeing the small mountain of fish food bags stacked on the shore, the tilapia was indeed tempted.
As long as the pay was high enough, even a fish could tolerate overtime.
“Don’t worry. There’s nothing more abundant in this river than us fish and shrimp. Those useless anglers—every time they throw in a bunch of bait but barely catch anything. We eat our fill, breed lots of little fish, and even the big fish in the river don’t have to worry about their offspring having nothing to eat…”
Su Zhisheng: “Pfft…”
What kind of dark joke was that?
“By the way, to improve search efficiency, you can form lines and formations…” Su Zhisheng transformed into an aquatic military strategist, directing the fish army.
After receiving their “orders,” the tilapia swam off to notify the other fish and shrimp in the river.
Soon, all the fish, shrimp, and crabs in the river were on the move. Like an army, they filled the width of the river, advancing in unison.
The spectacular sight left everyone at the scene utterly dumbfounded!
Even though they knew of Su Zhisheng’s ability, witnessing this firsthand was still beyond belief.
“Whoa, the King of the Aquatic World!”
“So cool. I want this skill too.”
“I’ve lived for decades and seen plenty of things, but this—this I’ve never seen.”
“So many crabs. They’re making me hungry.”
“I feel like Consultant Su is the Dragon King of the river. The moment he gives an order, the shrimp soldiers and crab generals spring into action!”
“Aquatic army, heed my command! Scour the riverbed—leave nothing behind!”
Su Zhisheng: “…”
What do you do when a colleague’s brain suddenly breaks on the job?
The dive team watched the commotion in the water, filled with anticipation but also patient.
“More than half a month has passed. The bags have probably drifted quite far. We’ll likely have to wait a while before getting good news.”
Just then, a group of tiny red shrimp swam up to Su Zhisheng.
Zhang Zhengyang exclaimed in surprise. “Look! Cooked shrimp swimming in the water!”
These shrimp couldn’t just be called resilient despite their condition—they were clearly necromancers!
Su Zhisheng’s mouth twitched. “These are black-shell shrimp, a common type in streams. The red ones are a rare color variation…”
These two-to-three-centimeter shrimp looked like miniature toys—adorable to death!
Their bodies were bright red, indistinguishable from common children’s toy colors, radiating cuteness!
One of the adorable little red shrimp spoke up first.
“Human, we didn’t find any body parts. We’re too small and can’t swim fast enough, so we won’t join the search.”
“But we do remember that when that pile of black plastic bags was thrown into the water, two red stones were thrown in along with them…”