The moment Xia Hang heard Han Huaixiao mention the crime scene address, he knew another murder had happened, so he followed Han Huaixiao toward the parking lot.
The crime scene was at Lang Lake in West City. By the time they arrived, quite a few civilians had already gathered nearby to watch, and many reporters had shown up as well. Xia Hang spotted Su Cheng immediately, and Su Cheng spotted him too, smiling as he waved.
Lang Lake was enormous. A long bridge stretched across the middle of the lake, dividing it into two sections. North of the bridge was Lang Lake Park, the largest park in Lang City. It was filled with all kinds of rare plants and flowers, divided into several scenic zones, making it one of the city’s favorite leisure destinations.
South of the bridge, however, was an area closed to the public: the legendary wealthy district. Villas lined the lakeshore, hidden among dense trees. From a distance, the shimmering lake and rows of European-style mansions formed one of Lang City’s most famous photography backdrops.
Yu Wen, captain of the West District branch, walked over when he saw Han Huaixiao.
“Captain Han, Officer Xia.”
He already knew Han Huaixiao from before, and after the elevator case at Mingcheng Residential Complex, he’d also become familiar with Xia Hang.
Han Huaixiao got straight to the point, asking, “Captain Yu, what exactly happened?”
“Meng Qingjun’s body was discovered on the north side of Lang Lake by an elderly man visiting the park,” Yu Wen replied, “but after checking surveillance footage, we found she actually fell into the water from the south side.”
“In the footage, she was staggering along a small path in the villa district toward the lake. Then, as if she couldn’t even see the water in front of her, she stepped into empty space and fell straight in. There was no one nearby at the time, so nobody noticed her drowning.”
“We also found her phone not far from where she fell into the lake. From the browser history, we discovered multiple searches related to Dong Zijin. I heard the case you’re investigating also involves him, so I immediately contacted you.”
Han Huaixiao frowned. “Does she live in the villa district?”
“No. Her parents are ordinary salaried workers. They can’t afford property there, and she doesn’t have relatives or friends living in the district either.”
“Which villa did she come out of?”
“We checked the surveillance footage. The villa she exited is registered under Yang Ling’s name. Further investigation revealed that Yang Ling is the younger sister of Yang Yongfeng from the Children’s Hospital.”
At that, both Han Huaixiao and Xia Hang looked sharply at him, and Yu Wen gave a bitter smile, continuing, “That’s why I reported it to you immediately.”
Han Huaixiao instantly called the bureau and instructed them to investigate Yang Ling and Yang Yongfeng.
There wasn’t much recovered from the scene itself. They would have to wait for the forensic autopsy report.
After finishing the scene investigation and preparing to leave, Xia Hang noticed Yu Wen had stopped Han Huaixiao for another discussion, so he went over to greet Su Cheng.
Su Cheng had apparently already finished his work. He stood beneath the shade of a tree, looking like he had been waiting specifically for Xia Hang. He had a popsicle hanging from his mouth and a box of ice cream in his hand. When Xia Hang approached, Su Cheng handed it over.
“I bought this for my coworker, but she isn’t feeling well, so she didn’t dare eat it. Want it?”
Xia Hang peeled open the lid and scooped up a spoonful. It was cold and refreshing, instantly cooling him down.
“It’s so hot outside. Since you’re done working, why aren’t you heading back?”
“My coworker went to the restroom,” Su Cheng shrugged. “I’m waiting for her.”
In just three sentences, Xia Hang had already heard him mention this coworker twice, and his tone had been unusually gentle each time. Smiling, Xia Hang looked at him.
“Your coworker’s a lady? Trying to pursue her?”
Su Cheng blinked in surprise. “You haven’t even met her. How could you tell?”
“I can tell from your expression.”
“I really do like her,” Su Cheng said sheepishly. “We’re still getting to know each other slowly.”
“Good luck.”
Su Cheng glanced toward Han Huaixiao in the distance and noticed he was looking in their direction too. Just as Su Cheng was about to smile at him, Han Huaixiao had already looked away.
Su Cheng lowered his voice. “Hey… what’s up with your Captain?”
Xia Hang paused mid-scoop. “What do you mean?”
Su Cheng whispered, “I don’t remember offending him, but the last time at your place and now too, every time he looks at me, his eyes are freezing cold. Feels like he’s throwing knives at me.”
Xia Hang looked over toward Han Huaixiao. “Really?”
“Yeah. Like I stole some precious treasure of his.”
Xia Hang laughed. “He’s just naturally cold. You’re probably imagining things.”
“Maybe.”
Then Su Cheng suddenly noticed Xia Hang’s clothes.
“I just realized…” he started, “that outfit’s from a luxury brand. Don’t you usually just buy random cheap clothes? Since when do you wear stuff this expensive?”
Xia Hang answered simply, “Bought it at the airport during the business trip.”
“How about the clothes I bought for you last time?” Su Cheng grinned. “Did they fit?”
Xia Hang remembered the brightly colored outfit he had only worn for half a day before Han Huaixiao complained it was too flashy and made him change out of it, answering, “Haven’t really worn it much.”
“Xia Hang. We’re leaving.”
Caught off guard, Xia Hang hadn’t noticed that Han Huaixiao had already finished talking with Yu Wen and driven the car over. The vehicle stopped three meters away. Han Huaixiao sat behind the lowered window, looking at him coldly.
Thinking Han Huaixiao had gotten impatient waiting, Xia Hang quickly waved goodbye to Su Cheng and jogged over to the car.
Su Cheng raised his hand, intending to greet Han Huaixiao as well, only to watch the car window slide shut before the vehicle drove away.
Xia Hang climbed into the car, still holding the ice cream, with about two-thirds left. After fastening his seatbelt, he took another bite.
Han Huaixiao’s car had excellent air conditioning, sealing the blazing heat outside. The ice cream that had felt perfectly refreshing outdoors now became almost too cold by the last few bites. Xia Hang scooped up another spoonful and let it melt slowly in his mouth.
Ever since Xia Hang got in the car, Han Huaixiao had looked at him several times. But Xia Hang remained focused entirely on eating his ice cream, not saying a word to him, not nearly as cheerful as he’d been chatting with that reporter earlier, smiling so brightly.
Finally, Han Huaixiao couldn’t hold back anymore when he saw Xia Hang scraping the last little bit from the container, unwilling to waste even a drop.
“Can’t bear to finish it?”
Xia Hang noticed him staring at the ice cream and replied honestly, “Do you want some too? If you do, pull over at a shop ahead, and I’ll buy you one.”
Han Huaixiao answered stiffly, “No need.”
He’s angry again, Xia Hang sighed internally. Han Huaixiao’s temper seemed much worse than before, always suddenly getting irritated for no reason. And he was only thirty-two. Surely he wasn’t already hitting male menopause, right?
Because the case involved Dong Zijin and Yang Yongfeng, Meng Qingjun’s case was transferred to the Major Crimes Unit.
When the autopsy results came back, they confirmed that Meng Qingjun had drowned. However, her body was covered in horrific injuries: binding marks, whip marks, burns, puncture wounds from an unknown sharp object, and, most severe of all, tearing injuries from sexual assault. Yet no semen was recovered, making it impossible to identify her abuser through that.
“Yang Ling claims the villa hasn’t been occupied in a long time,” Zhang Tianhua reported. “She says she doesn’t know Meng Qingjun and has no idea why she came out of her villa.”
“The strange part is, surveillance footage really only captured Meng Qingjun leaving the villa. There’s no footage of her entering.”
Ling Yue frowned. “Could the footage of her entering have been deleted?”
Wen Yu shook her head. “I already checked. The surveillance system hasn’t been tampered with.”
Kong Qinmao asked, “What about the indoor cameras?”
“There were no indoor cameras,” Zhang Tianhua said. “Not a single one. Yang Ling said surveillance systems nowadays aren’t safe as they can easily become tools for creeps to spy on people’s privacy, so she never installed any inside the house.”
Ling Yue frowned. “Then that’s weird. Did Meng Qingjun just fall from the sky into Yang Ling’s villa?”
“And it gets stranger,” Zhang Tianhua continued. “Yang Ling’s family and Yang Yongfeng’s family all have alibis.”
“Wen Yu,” Han Huaixiao ordered, “check whether Dong Zijin owns property in that villa district.”
At that, Ling Yue snapped his fingers, remembering, “Right! Meng Qingjun searched for Dong Zijin on her phone, and Dong Zijin is close to Yang Yongfeng. Could Dong Zijin have brought her there?”
“But then how do you explain there being no footage of him entering the villa?” Zhang Tianhua asked.
As for Wen Yu, she quickly pulled up the information, reporting, “Captain Han, there’s nothing under Dong Zijin’s name, but his mother owns a villa there.”
“How far is it from Yang Ling’s villa?” Han Huaixiao asked.
“Right next door.” Wen Yu checked again almost immediately.
“Check the surveillance footage from the villa under Dong Zijin’s mother’s name,” Han Huaixiao continued. “See if Meng Qingjun appears in it.”
Wen Yu’s fingers flew across the keyboard. After a while, she frowned as she answered, “The surveillance footage was deleted using extremely professional methods. Recovery’s very difficult. We can’t tell whether Meng Qingjun was captured on it.”
“What about the cameras covering the public areas between the two villas?” Han Huaixiao asked.
“The footage there wasn’t tampered with,” Wen Yu replied, “but there’s no trace of Meng Qingjun.”
With that, Han Huaixiao immediately assigned tasks. “Brother Hua, investigate whether Yang Yongfeng, Dong Zijin, and Meng Qingjun had any prior contact. Ling Yue, look into Meng Qingjun’s social relationships. Qinmao, find the workers who handled the original villa renovations and check whether there’s an underground passage.”
………………
Back at Dong Zijin’s house, he slapped Yu Jing across the face, shouting, “You bitch! Was it you?! Did you let that little slut out?!”
Yu Jing covered the corner of her bleeding mouth and denied it: “It wasn’t me!”
“When I left, that little bitch was still locked in the basement just fine! I locked the door behind me. Did you steal my key and let her out?”
Yu Jing trembled beneath his murderous gaze, but fear still made her desperately deny it: “I didn’t take your key! I really didn’t let her go!”
Dong Zijin raised his hand and slapped her again. “You thought you were clever? You thought I wouldn’t notice just because you put the key back exactly where it was? Idiot!”
Yu Jing’s ears rang violently as she staggered backward. “I left a pair of earrings there last time…” she finally said. “They were my birthday gift from our son! I took the key because I wanted to retrieve it. I didn’t know how she escaped.”
Dong Zijin looked at her with a chilling smile. “Were you really retrieving your precious birthday gift from your son… or were you secretly trying to install cameras so you could record evidence to destroy me?”
Yu Jing froze.
He had struck directly at her true intentions.
Looking at his smiling face that carried no warmth at all, terror swallowed her whole. She lunged forward and begged, “Husband, I was wrong! I won’t dare do it again! The police haven’t come after you yet, which means they still don’t suspect you! For our son’s sake, please let me go. I swear I won’t do it again.”
“You still have the nerve to mention the police?” Dong Zijin sneered. “If you hadn’t been so incompetent at cheating, would the police even be watching me now?”
If time could be reversed, Yu Jing would never have had an affair. After Dong Zijin caught her leaving a hotel with Li Jinpeng, he never confronted her about it. She thought he had believed her excuse, that she had merely treated Li Jinpeng to dinner to thank him for taking care of their son during his hospitalization.
Since Dong Zijin showed no suspicion, she later couldn’t resist meeting Li Jinpeng several more times.
But one day, Dong Zijin returned home in unusually good spirits and said he wanted to take her somewhere. Excited, she followed him, only to realize he had brought her to the villa by Lang Lake.
At the time, she had asked happily, “Honey, is this your new house? Are we moving here?”
Dong Zijin merely smiled ambiguously and led her downstairs. The moment she entered the basement, she was horrified.
The entire room was lined with thick soundproof padding, and inside were all kinds of tools designed specifically for torture. That same day, Dong Zijin played videos of her most recent hotel meetings with Li Jinpeng for her to watch. Then he used those instruments on her one by one.
From that day onward, Dong Zijin completely tore away the mask he had worn for years and revealed his true self. Only then did she finally understand why he had stopped touching her after she gave birth to their son.
He was a sadist.
Only by abusing his sexual partners could he feel excitement and pleasure.
After dropping the façade, Dong Zijin frequently brought her to the lakeside villa. Eventually, she couldn’t endure it anymore. She secretly planned to install cameras there and gather evidence of his crimes, intending to use it to exchange for the videos of her affair with Li Jinpeng and demand a divorce.
That day, when she went there, she saw Meng Qingjun covered in injuries from Dong Zijin’s abuse. Unable to bear it, she took pity on the girl. Knowing there was a hidden door in the basement, she let her escape, but she never expected the feverish, heavily injured Meng Qingjun to accidentally fall into the lake.
Just as Yu Jing trembled in fear over what Dong Zijin might do to her next, his phone rang.
Dong Zijin abandoned her and went to the study to answer it. “Yongfeng.”
On the other end, Yang Yongfeng sounded furious, screaming, “What happened with that woman?! Why did she come out of the villa under my sister’s name?!”
“Relax. It’s not a big problem,” Dong Zijin replied calmly.
“The police have already questioned my sister!” Yang Yongfeng snapped. “They’re following the trail step by step, they’ll trace it back to me soon, and you’re telling me it’s not a problem?!”
“I already had someone seal off the passage immediately,” Dong Zijin said. “As long as your sister insists she has no idea how that little bitch got out of her villa, the police won’t be able to trace it back to you.”
“Those children’s cases still haven’t been solved,” Yang Yongfeng warned. “The police might still be watching us. Lie low for a while.”
“How’s the lab doing?” Dong Zijin asked. “Any new orders from above?”
“Things are too sensitive right now,” Yang Yongfeng replied. “Don’t contact them for the time being.”
“Don’t worry,” Dong Zijin chuckled softly. “You’ll definitely keep your hospital director position until retirement.”
The two chatted for a while longer before hanging up.
The four child victim cases still hadn’t been solved, and now another homicide had appeared. The case was becoming increasingly tangled and confusing, and everyone in Major Crimes was running around nonstop.
Xia Ling knocked on Han Huaixiao’s office door, saying, “Captain Han, I spoke with Wu Qiaoran’s and Cai Yingxia’s parents. Neither of them took vitamins, but Wu Qiaoran was shorter than other children her age and had been taking calcium tablets. Cai Yingxia was nearsighted and had been taking carotene supplements. I already brought both the calcium tablets and carotene to Brother He for testing.”
Han Huaixiao asked, “Where did they buy them?”
“All four sets of parents said they bought them online. We didn’t find any problems with the stores they purchased from, but I’ve already placed identical orders from those same shops.”
“Good.”
Very quickly, He Zhengye returned with results.
“I tested the vitamins Tang Yueqian took,” he said. “The actual ingredients didn’t match what was listed on the bottle. I detected the same unidentified drug component that we found in Wen Mingxu’s body. Then I tested Tang Yueqian’s vitamins together with the medicine prescribed by the Children’s Hospital. Guess what happened?”
Han Huaixiao immediately understood. “The unidentified ingredient in the vitamins reacts negatively with one of the prescribed medications?”
He Zhengye slapped the table. “Exactly! That reaction was the trigger for their acute respiratory failure. We also detected the same unknown substance in Wu Qiaoran’s calcium tablets and Cai Yingxia’s carotene supplements.”
Ling Yue asked, “So if we find the girls’ bodies and detect the same substance in them too, we can confirm their cause of death?”
“That would only confirm the three girls’ cases,” He Zhengye shook his head. “It still wouldn’t confirm Wen Mingxu’s.”
Xia Hang frowned, asking, “Why not?”
“I tested Wen Mingxu’s vitamins,” He Zhengye explained. “Their ingredients were completely normal and didn’t match the unidentified substance found in his body. I still tested the vitamins together with the medication prescribed by the Children’s Hospital, but there was no adverse reaction at all.”
“If there’s nothing wrong with Wen Mingxu’s vitamins,” Xia Hang said, “then where did the unidentified drug in his system come from?”
He Zhengye spread his hands, indicating that he didn’t know either.
“Xia Ling, make another trip to Wen Mingxu’s house,” Han Huaixiao ordered. “Bring back all the vitamins they currently have, along with any other medicine Wen Mingxu took before.”
Xia Ling nodded. “Got it.”
“If only we could find the three little girls’ bodies,” He Zhengye sighed casually. “Maybe there’d be other clues.”
He had only said it offhandedly, but the very next day, a police station under the East District Bureau reported good news. Three young girls’ bodies had been discovered on a barren mountain in the eastern outskirts.
The Major Crimes Unit immediately perked up and rushed over. East District Criminal Investigation Captain Li Xinghui was waiting for them at the foot of the mountain.
As they climbed uphill, Han Huaixiao asked, “Captain Li, how did the officers discover the bodies?”
Li Xinghui replied, “It wasn’t the officers. Some young people filming short videos in the mountains found them.”
Xia Hang glanced at the waist-high weeds around them, asking, “What kind of short videos can you even film here?”
“Nowadays, videos need a gimmick,” Li Xinghui laughed. “Those three wanted to film content reenacting ancient life. They bought Hanfu online, built a little thatched hut at the foot of the mountain, and rented a patch of land to grow vegetables and fruit. Didn’t it rain heavily yesterday? They decided to shoot an episode about foraging mushrooms in the mountains, so they came up here.”
Xia Hang, who neither played with his phone nor watched short videos, stood there carrying the forensic’s work bag, listening in bewilderment.
“These kids are bold, too,” Li Xinghui continued. “No equipment whatsoever, just a basket and a camera. When they got up here, they noticed a shallow pit in the middle of the overgrown hillside. The yellow mud inside looked loose, like it had been dug up recently. One of them casually joked, ‘Don’t tell me this is a dump site dug by some criminal?’ They were genuinely fearless. They grabbed a few branches and started digging to check. Yesterday’s rain had already washed away a thick layer of dirt. After digging for a while, they uncovered clothing, so they panicked and called the police.”
Even Han Huaixiao hadn’t expected the bodies to be found in such a way.
Next to him, He Zhengye scraped the heavy mud stuck to his shoes against the grass, complaining, “These bastards really knew how to pick a place! If it weren’t for these imaginative kids coming up here to film videos, and if it weren’t for yesterday’s rain, give it some time, and weeds would’ve grown over the grave pit. Who would’ve known there were three bodies buried here?”
Liu Yan from forensics was also accompanying them, mud coating her shoes. Xia Hang found her a branch, and she bent over to poke the mud off while saying, “That’s what they mean by heaven’s net: vast, sparse, but impossible to escape.”
When they arrived, Xia Hang noticed the three young people dressed in Hanfu, one girl and two boys, with elaborate ancient-style hairstyles of an indeterminate dynasty. All three stared at them with shining eyes.
“What’s your video account called?” He Zhengye said to them. “I absolutely have to follow you guys.”
The three youths enthusiastically shouted out their account names.
Li Xinghui looked at them and told Han Huaixiao, “When they heard the Major Crimes Unit was coming, they insisted on staying to meet you, Captain Han. They’d heard about some of the major cases you solved and really admire you.”
Han Huaixiao walked over and took the initiative to shake their hands, praising, “You three did well.”
The youths immediately lit up. “Thank you for the praise, Captain Han!”
“I’ll have someone escort you down the mountain,” Han Huaixiao said.
The three had already stayed for quite a while and knew any longer would interfere with the investigation, so they answered, “No need, we can head down ourselves.”
“Sorry to ask,” Han Huaixiao continued, “but did you record the process of discovering the bodies?”
The young man holding the camera replied, “We did, but we deleted it just now.”
Han Huaixiao nodded. “Thank you for cooperating with the police.”
By the time Han Huaixiao walked over, He Zhengye and Liu Yan had already started working. Although hearing that the three bodies belonged to girls around ten years old had already made them suspect they were Cai Yingxia, Wu Qiaoran, and Tang Yueqian, there was still a chance otherwise. Now, seeing the bodies themselves, they could finally confirm it.
Neither Han Huaixiao nor Xia Hang could help with the forensic work, so they could only stand nearby watching. Su Chao from the trace evidence team was carefully sifting through the mud at the bottom of the pit, bit by bit, when he suddenly found a small object that was both soft and hard.
“Huh? What’s this?”
Everyone turned to look.
Su Chao slowly wiped the mud away, mumbling, “Chewing gum?”
“Yeah.” Xia Hang leaned closer. “It’s been chewed.”
“Can this be tested for DNA?” Han Huaixiao looked toward He Zhengye and asked.
“In theory, yes,” He Zhengye replied.
That instantly turned it into a crucial piece of evidence, lifting everyone’s spirits.
The autopsy results for the three girls came back quickly. The same unidentified drug found in Wen Mingxu’s body was also detected in theirs.
The problematic vitamins Wen Mingxu had taken were also finally located. The bottle his father had initially provided had been leftovers from when Wen Mingxu first started taking them. But in the vitamins Xia Ling later retrieved, He Zhengye detected the unidentified drug.
“What exactly is this unidentified substance?” Zhang Tianhua asked.
He Zhengye replied, “I’m still trying to identify it.”
“Did the identical products I ordered from the same online stores as the parents’ purchases contain the unidentified substance?” Xia Ling asked.
He Zhengye shook his head. “No.”
Xia Ling frowned. “Then why did the ones the children took contain it?”
“If the original products were fine and the stores were fine,” Han Huaixiao said, “then the problem happened during shipping. Investigate every courier handler who came into contact with those packages during delivery.”
“What was the purpose of swapping their medicine with drugs containing this unidentified substance?” Zhang Tianhua asked.
“Once Brother He figures out what kind of drug it is and what it does, we’ll know,” Han Huaixiao replied.
“But since the acute respiratory failure in all four children was triggered by this unidentified drug,” Kong Qinmao continued, “does that clear Dong Zijin’s company, the Children’s Hospital, and Li Jinpeng of suspicion?”
“And if Dong Zijin’s no longer a suspect,” Ling Yue added, “should Meng Qingjun’s case be transferred back to the West District Bureau?”
“Li Jinpeng can be released,” Han Huaixiao concluded. “We also don’t need to dig further into the Children’s Hospital for now. But Dong Zijin and Yang Yongfeng still need to be investigated in Meng Qingjun’s case.”
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