Chapter 15: Cellar

Chapter 15 The Cellar

—When did she leave? Was it last October? Or November? Anyway, it was around that time.

—Zhang Cuimei's place is way out, past the woods, and hardly anyone goes out that way.

—Once, a few aunties went to forage for mushrooms in the woods. When they passed by her house, they noticed the place was in disarray. They knocked, but no one answered. Inside, they found a layer of dust on the furniture, and that's when it hit them—she was gone.

—Did you spot anything out of the ordinary when you were there? Not sure, haven't heard a thing...

Ma Laizi's words hung in the air, and it dawned on everyone—something was off. They didn't even bother to rest, grabbing their gear and heading out.

Shen Qingye had just wrapped up organizing the next day's tasks and had clocked out a while ago. Pushing open the office door, she saw Yue Lingchuan leading a group of men her way, barking orders as they moved:

"Kaiyang, get Captain Qin and the team on the line. I’ve got a hunch Zhang Cuimei’s place is key."

"On it!"

"Brother Zhengyi, ring up Captain Xu and check if they’re back. If not, tell them to stand down."

"I’m on it!"

Shen Qingye caught their brisk pace, blinked, and it hit her—

"Little Shen?"

"Was that Ma Laizi on the phone?"

Two voices almost spoke at the same time. Yue Lingchuan paused, taken aback by the sudden spark in her eyes, and nodded slowly, 'You...'

Shen Qingye said, "I’m coming with you."

Yue Lingchuan glanced at the sky and said, "It’s late..."

Shen Qingye stood her ground, "I’m coming!"

Yue Lingchuan hesitated, met her unwavering stare, and finally gave in: "Alright, keep up."

Shen Qingye broke into a smile and jogged after them.

-

Second floor, Captain's office.

Song Lianfeng had been glued to his chair all afternoon, his back screaming in protest. Work finally wrapped up, he grabbed his teacup and headed to the window for a breath of fresh air.

It was already off-duty hours, and there weren’t many people left in the team. He gazed at the bare trees, sipped his tea, spat out the leaves, and mused about dinner and his daughter’s homework load. Just then, he saw a group of men quickly exiting the building and getting into the big jeep parked in the yard.

Song Lianfeng gave a nod of approval. Young, driven, and on the ball—good stuff.

Before he could even finish his thoughts, he caught a glimpse of a slender figure also quickly getting into the car. He was startled and leaned closer to the window to look—that fair and clean profile, wasn't that Shen Qingye?

His eyes widened instantly, and he quickly opened the window and called out, "Xiao Shen!"

But the car had already sped off, leaving only a trail of exhaust.

"This... this girl!" Song Lianfeng slammed his teacup down on the windowsill, but he used too much force, and water splashed onto the back of his hand. He yelped and fumbled around.

-

In the car.

Shen Qingye hesitated, "I think I just heard someone calling me?"

"Did you hear that?" Yue Lingchuan, who was driving, glanced at Wei Zhengyi in the passenger seat. "Did you hear anything?"

Wei Zhengyi shook his head. "No."

Luo Kaiyang also said, "I didn't hear anything either."

"Oh," Shen Qingye said, blinking. "Then maybe I misheard."

She didn't think much of it.

There were too many people to fit in the car, so Zhou Qiming and Jiang Cheng took Shen Qingye's vehicle, while she stayed behind to hear Wei Zhengyi's update.

When she heard Cai Limin had confessed, she was briefly stunned but not entirely surprised. She just didn’t expect Captain Yue to resort to such tactics.

Yue Lingchuan noticed her gaze through the rearview mirror and gave a light chuckle. "What, surprised?"

Shen Qingye was silent for a moment, then shook her head. "Not exactly. I’ve heard about Captain Yue’s... unconventional methods."

When she first joined the force, she had already heard of Yue Lingchuan's reputation.

At first, the Major Crimes Division only had two teams, and the officers in those teams were all seasoned veterans of the bureau, with enough manpower to handle the workload. However, as the economy grew, so did job opportunities, and people from surrounding cities naturally flocked to Pingjiang. More people led to more chaos, and chaos bred crime. For two years, the detectives were so swamped they barely had a moment to breathe. Finally, Detachment Leader Song realized the situation couldn’t continue and requested to hire a few new detectives.

Zhou Qiming and Jiang Cheng joined in 1994, while Yue Lingchuan came later, in 1997. All three were graduates of reputable police academies, trained in professional criminal investigation, which set them apart from the older detectives who relied more on experience.

At first, the experienced and the educated were meant to work together, with no hierarchy or superiority between them. But their training was so different that clashes were inevitable. At first, these were minor conflicts that could be worked out, but Yue Lingchuan was a troublemaker when he first graduated—refusing orders, taking unconventional approaches during investigations, and acting on his own, infuriating the older detectives. Still, he was undeniably sharp, with a knack for solving cases. In the end, his ideas were always proven correct.

His mentor was so frustrated he eventually gave up on him. Detachment Leader Song realized times were changing and that the team couldn’t remain stuck in old ways. It was time to embrace new ideas, so he decided to promote Yue Lingchuan, along with Zhou Qiming and Jiang Cheng, to form a third team. He also appointed a mild-mannered veteran detective as the figurehead team leader, planning to let Yue Lingchuan take over once the veteran retired and Yue had accumulated enough merits.

Later, two more newcomers were recruited: Wei Zhengyi and Luo Kaiyang.

Maybe becoming team leader or having subordinates changed him, but according to Ms. Yun, Yue Lingchuan seemed much more composed than before, not as reckless as he used to be.

Yue Lingchuan said, "I guess it’s not a flattering reputation."

Shen Qingye replied, "Captain Yue, you're too modest. You’re practically a legend around here."

Yue Lingchuan laughed.

The banter lightened the mood, and Shen Qingye asked, "What did Ma Laizi say when he called?"

...

The group was in such a rush that they cut the one-hour trip to just over half an hour.

Shen Qingye had been frowning the entire way. Yue Lingchuan glanced at her through the rearview mirror. "You think something's off too, don't you?"

Shen Qingye shook her head. "It’s too coincidental."

It wasn’t just the timing or the person—it was Cai Chengyong’s involvement that made the coincidence seem too convenient.

"Whether it's a coincidence or not, we'll find out when we get there," Yue Lingchuan said as the car came to a smooth stop. "Let's go."

The car stopped right in front of Ma Laizi's house. The man clicked his tongue as he watched a dozen people pile out of the car, growing even more curious about what Cai Chengyong had done.

He was clever enough not to ask too many questions, instead putting on a flattering smile and stepping forward. "Officers, would you like to come in for some tea?"

Yue Lingchuan raised a hand. "No need. Where is Zhang Cuimei's house? Take us there."

"Hey, everyone, come with me!" He quickly stepped forward to lead the way, introducing as they walked: "Most of the villagers live along a stretch from the west end to the east end, with a few scattered households living further away. Take Widow Zhang's house, for example; it's right next to the woods to the north."

After a short walk, Ma Laizi came to a halt: "Here we are."

Everyone looked at the not-so-dense woods in the distance and the courtyard next to it, exchanged glances, and then walked in.

This place closely resembled Cai Chengyong's house, both having been abandoned for quite some time, with weeds outside the courtyard reaching almost knee height.

Since someone from the village had previously come to inspect, the courtyard gate was merely ajar, not locked.

With a sharp creak, the gate swung open, revealing the courtyard to everyone.

At first glance, the overall area here was smaller than that of Cai Chengyong's house. Ma Laizi explained: "Cai Fushun's family was quite poor in those days. His mother was always sick, and all the family's earnings went towards medical expenses, so the house wasn't built large. Later, the reason he could marry was because Zhang Cuimei's family was desperate to marry off her elder brother, so they sold her to raise the dowry."

Shen Qingye frowned at this: "So, Zhang Cuimei didn't have a good relationship with her family?"

"How could it have been good? Once, her parents brought her nephew over to mooch off her, and Zhang Cuimei directly chased them out with a broom. It became a running joke in the village."

Yue Lingchuan asked: "How was Zhang Cuimei's relationship with her husband?"

Ma Laizi said: "Hey, being bought as a wife, what kind of relationship could they have had? They merely coexisted. They lived far from us, and we didn't have much interaction, so no one really knew what their life was like."

Yue Lingchuan asked again: "Was Zhang Cuimei sad when Cai Fushun died?"

"Sad? Of course she was sad!" Ma Laizi curled his lips: "Back then, it wasn't like today with factories everywhere, making money easily. Her husband died, and with him, the family's breadwinner. Zhang Cuimei, being a woman, wasn't good at farming, had no education, and even putting food on the table was a struggle."

Yue Lingchuan looked around the courtyard: "Alright, we get it."

He turned to Zhou Qiming: "Old Zhou, take Brother Zhengyi and Ma Laizi to the households where Zhang Cuimei was first reported to have run away. Ask them if they noticed anything out of the ordinary at the time."

Zhou Qiming agreed and turned to leave.

Before leaving, Ma Laizi didn't forget to chuckle: "Officers, if you need anything else, just holler for me. I'm always in the village."

Yue Lingchuan waved his hand, and after they left, he paced around the courtyard again, asking Xu Yanting: "Found anything?"

Xu Yanting frowned and slowly shook his head: "There are no signs of trampled grass outside the courtyard, and from the gate to here, it doesn't look like anyone has been here."

Luo Kaiyang thought for a moment and said: "Don't weeds grow quickly? It's been over three months since his last crime in November last year. Could it be that the grass has grown back?"

Xu Yanting shook his head: "This place hasn't been maintained, so if anyone passed by, there would be some traces. But I just focused on the grass near the entrance, and the soil and grass shape are no different from the surrounding area."

Luo Kaiyang fell silent, and Jiang Cheng said: "Then it means he didn't come in through the gate."

"Exactly," Shen Qingye nodded, then turned to Yue Lingchuan: "Captain Yue, we extracted the DNA of all the victims from that van, right?"

Yue Lingchuan looked at her: "Yes."

Shen Qingye said: "Then it can be proven that Cai Chengyong came in the van every time he committed a crime."

Yue Lingchuan's eyebrows raised slightly, vaguely realizing what she was getting at—

"But, where did he park such a big van?"

Luo Kaiyang opened his mouth to say something, but Shen Qingye looked at him and said: "Admittedly, Cai Chengyong committed his crimes at night, and this place is remote, so the chance of being discovered is small, but not impossible—isn't Ma Laizi the best example? And the van is too big, not as inconspicuous as a person. Parking it at Zhang Cuimei's doorstep is quite risky, which doesn't match Cai Chengyong's cautious nature."

Luo Kaiyang frowned: "Then where else could he have parked the van—"

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly paused, his gaze swiftly shifting outside the courtyard.

Jiang Cheng calmly said two words: "The woods."

Luo Kaiyang clapped his hands. "Right, the woods! That’s a natural hiding spot, isn’t it?"

Yue Lingchuan glanced at Shen Qingye, a faint smile flickering in his eyes.

Luo Kaiyang didn’t object and turned to leave.

"Boss, I’ll go check out the woods!" he said excitedly.

Xu Yanting replied, "Let Xiao Zheng go with you. For trace examination, they’re the experts."

Luo Kaiyang nodded and left.

Jiang Cheng frowned and asked, "Assuming Cai Chengyong parked his car in the woods, how did he get in alone with the victim...?"

He glanced at the walls on either side and then at the group. "Climb over the wall?" he mused. "A two-meter-high wall? He could handle it alone, but with an adult woman? Is that even possible?"

Xu Yanting thought for a moment, then suddenly marched toward the wall, leading the Trace Examination Unit up the ladder to the top.

Shen Qingye and Yue Lingchuan watched them work. After a while, Xu Yanting shook his head, climbed down, and said, "No signs of climbing on the walltop."

The group fell silent.

Yue Lingchuan narrowed his eyes. Unlike grass, a wall wouldn’t easily recover its original state after being climbed. He trusted Xu Yanting's professionalism.

"If bloodstains were left on the van," a clear voice spoke in his ear, "then if Cai Chengyong climbed the wall with dismembered remains, there’s no way the wall wouldn’t show traces."

Yue Lingchuan glanced down at Shen Qingye, her brows furrowed, her expression calm and analytical.

Jiang Cheng followed her logic: "So Cai Chengyong didn’t come over the wall."

If he didn’t climb the wall, how did he get in?

Yue Lingchuan scanned the wall, his gaze halting abruptly. "If not above, then below."

Below?

Shen Qingye’s eyes lit up as she realized something. She hurried to the wall, Jiang Cheng catching on and following close behind.

—Who said you had to climb the wall? Coming in from below would be way easier, right?

The two inspected the wall area while Yue Lingchuan and Xu Yanting went outside.

The wall area was overgrown with weeds, and at first glance, nothing seemed out of place. Shen Qingye carefully pushed aside the weeds, her fingers pressing against the bricks, applying pressure bit by bit. Before she found anything, Xu Yanting’s excited voice rang out from outside: "Footsteps in this patch of grass—and faint prints!"

Shen Qingye’s face lit up—this confirmed their theory.

She sped up, then suddenly froze.

Near the base of the wall, close to the house, a brick shifted slightly!

Jiang Cheng noticed the shift and turned to her. "Find something?"

Shen Qingye didn’t speak, focusing intently, applying more force. The brick moved outward slightly.

Her eyes brightened, and she turned to him. "Found it."

Jiang Cheng's eyes filled with joy, and he quickly walked over. From the other side of the wall, Xu Yanting heard the commotion and asked, "Did you find something?"

Shen Qingye shouted, "Over here!"

As soon as she spoke, a dull thud echoed nearby, startling Shen Qingye. She looked up to see Yue Lingchuan had climbed directly over the wall.

"Where is it at?" he asked in a deep voice as he strode over.

Shen Qingye stepped aside, "Here, this brick is a bit loose."

Xu Yanting was also briefly stunned by Yue Lingchuan's swift action. After recovering, he quickly said, "Don't touch anything carelessly!"

After saying that, he jogged in from outside, hurriedly putting on gloves, and said, "I'll take care of it!"

Shen Qingye stepped aside without protest, watching as he carefully pried out the bricks, eventually revealing a hole about half a meter tall and seventy to eighty centimeters wide.

Jiang Cheng muttered, "Cai Chengyong is 181 cm tall and weighs 75 kg. He could easily crawl through this hole."

Xu Yanting called out seriously, "Xiao Liu, the evidence bags."

Xiao Liu rushed forward, clutching several large evidence bags.

Xu Yanting inspected each brick one by one, then suddenly paused.

"Here," he pointed lightly, "there's a small bloodstain."

Shen Qingye perked up and quickly leaned in to look. Indeed, the brick's outer side bore faint dark red bloodstains, which were hard to see clearly due to their similarity to the brick's color.

Xiao Liu carefully bagged the brick. Xu Yanting kept inspecting the pile of bricks, finding several others with bloodstains.

"Unfortunately, bricks don't hold fingerprints well," Xu Yanting stood up and said regretfully, when suddenly there was a noise from the bedroom:

"Captain Xu, we found a long hair here, probably from a woman!"

Everyone hurried over to see Liu Wenkang from the Trace Examination Unit holding a long, thin black hair, pushing his glasses up, and saying, "Found in the crack of Zhang Cuimei's wardrobe. Luckily, it has a complete follicle. It's uncertain if we can still extract DNA after so long."

Xu Yanting said, "The light and humidity in the wardrobe aren't too extreme, so the hair should be fairly well preserved. It shouldn't be a big problem. Secure it and check for any other hairs, especially short male hairs. Also, check for any fingerprints on the wardrobe and the headboard."

The hair offers hope for DNA extraction, and with DNA, they can match it with the discovered bodies.

The time of Zhang Cuimei's disappearance roughly coincides with the discovery of the first body. They suspect Zhang Cuimei might be the first victim, but they need evidence.

If DNA can be extracted from the hair, that would be best. If not, they'll have to seek DNA matching from Zhang Cuimei's family.

However, according to Ma Laizi, Zhang Cuimei didn't have a good relationship with her family. If they are willing to cooperate, that's great; if not, it will be another hassle.

Influenced by Zhou Meihua's family, Shen Qingye is now quite wary of such difficult victim families.

Liu Wenkang acknowledged and went back to continue his work.

Yue Lingchuan said, "Let's go, check the kitchen."

That was their main task for the day.

In the kitchen, members of the Trace Examination Unit were already busy with flashlights. Seeing them enter, Xiao Lin looked up and greeted, "Captain Xu, Captain Yue."

Xu Yanting looked around. It was getting late, and the outside was dim. The kitchen's setup was only vaguely visible. To the left of the entrance was a stove with three large pots; in the middle was a waist-high counter, likely for chopping and preparing food; to the right was empty, probably used for storing miscellaneous items.

He asked, "Any findings?"

"Yes," Xiao Lin stood up, looking serious, "We found a large number of bloodstains on the walls and floor around the counter."

A large number of bloodstains.

Everyone noticed the key word, exchanging looks, and Xu Yanting stepped forward: "Show me the photos."

The member responsible for photography brought up the photos and said, "When we first came in, the walls were very clean, but it was too clean, which made Brother Lin suspicious of something being off. After spraying luminol, sure enough, the walls were densely covered with blue bloodstains."

After all, this is a kitchen. No matter how poor Zhang Cuimei's family was, they must have eaten chicken, duck, fish, and meat. As long as they had eaten meat, there would be traces of chopping meat and bones on the counter and walls. It would be abnormal if there were no traces at all.

Shen Qingye looked at the densely packed fluorescent blue traces in the photos, her brow slightly furrowed, feeling uneasy, as if she could see the cruel scene of Cai Chengyong raising his knife and blood splattering in the dark night.

Xiao Lin added, "In addition to here, we also found a lot of bloodstains in the open area nearby. It's likely that this is where Cai Chengyong dismembered the victim's body."

Everyone looked around the dim and cramped room, faintly smelling the damp, fishy odor of blood mixed with rainwater, sticky and uncomfortable.

Yue Lingchuan asked, "Where's the murder weapon?"

Everyone also looked over, Xiao Lin pushed his glasses with his wrist and said, "That's the problem."

He spread his hands and said, "When we came in, there was no kitchen knife on the counter."

Xu Yanting frowned, "The murder weapon is missing?"

Xiao Lin said, "We think the murderer likely hid the weapon. In addition to the weapon, there should also be a chopping board. On one hand, there is a rectangular mark on the counter left by long-term use of an object, and the dust in that area is thinner than elsewhere; on the other hand, if the body was chopped into such small pieces, it must have required a lot of force, so the surface under the body would definitely have corresponding knife marks, but there are no such marks on the kitchen floor or counter."

Luo Kaiyang sighed, "So, we have no idea where the murder weapon and chopping board are, right?"

Xiao Lin nodded, Xu Yanting asked again, "Have you searched the whole kitchen?"

Xiao Lin said, "We have, and found nothing."

Everyone went silent again.

Where might Cai Chengyong have hidden the murder weapon?

Shen Qingye frowned, there was still one thing on her mind—

Whether it was in the yard earlier, or in the bedroom next door and now in the kitchen, she hadn't heard any supernatural sounds.

But now all signs point to this being the crime scene, so why can't she hear anything? Is it like the sound in Cai Limin's house, refusing to speak? Or did they really get the wrong place?

Could it be that Cai Chengyong killed and dismembered the victim in different places?

Shen Qingye felt a headache coming on. On one hand, doubting the accuracy of her ability, on the other hand not wanting to rely too much on it. The knowledge she gained and the teachings she received in college were all about being practical, not relying on something mystical.

She took a deep breath to calm herself. The most crucial thing now is not her ability, but how to break this deadlock.

Just as she gathered her thoughts, footsteps approached from outside the door. Looking back, it was Luo Kaiyang and Xiao Zheng returning.

"Boss," Luo Kaiyang said, then looked at Shen Qingye with some admiration, "Xiao Shen guessed right, we found traces of a car stopping at the edge of the woods."

Shen Qingye's expression remained unchanged, Xiao Zheng added, "Based on the tire tracks still visible at the scene, it's most likely the van Cai Chengyong drove."

"Besides, we also found sporadic bloodstains on some tree trunks and fallen leaves, presumably left by the victim when Cai Chengyong was moving the body."

Everyone perked up a bit, Yue Lingchuan asked, "What's beyond the woods?"

Luo Kaiyang said, "Beyond the woods is wasteland, and further on, a small hill, all deserted, no one lives nearby. But there is a small path that can lead to the main road."

Yue Lingchuan listened and was silent for a moment, pacing back and forth, analyzing, "Let's figure this out."

Shen Qingye raised her eyes to look at him.

"First, Cai Chengyong secretly duplicated the van's key when no one was looking, and taking advantage of Cai Limin's work, he drove the van out at night when the factory was empty.

"He got to Caipo Village, parked the van in the nearby woods, brought the victim in through a hole in the wall, carried out the murder and dismemberment in the kitchen, hid the murder weapon and chopping block, then exited through the hole and used the van to dump the body.

"The blood on the kitchen wall, the blood on the bricks, and the tire tracks in the woods are all solid evidence."

Luo Kaiyang pondered, "So, the current problem is that we don't know where Cai Chengyong hid the murder weapon?"

The forensic technician Xiao Zheng couldn't help but speak up, "Could it be buried underground again, maybe?"

Before Yue Lingchuan could respond, Xu Yanting smacked him lightly, "Are you kidding me?"

Xiao Zheng covered his head, looking innocent, "Captain..."

Xu Yanting said, "How long ago was his last crime? Check the dirt in the yard—any signs it's been dug up recently?"

Xiao Zheng opened his mouth but said nothing.

Yue Lingchuan suddenly said, "No, it's not out of the question."

Xu Yanting looked up at him, Yue Lingchuan's gaze slowly lowered, "Underground... underground..."

Shen Qingye had a flash of insight and murmured, "The cellar in the countryside."

Xu Yanting turned sharply to look at her.

Yue Lingchuan said, "Cai Chengyong has only two places in the city, one is his home, and the other is the employee dormitory assigned by his factory. We've checked both spots and found no weapons or chopping blocks. Plus, stashing weapons there would be too risky for Cai Chengyong."

Shen Qingye followed up, "So, there are only two possibilities: one is to stash it somewhere random on the way here, which is too hit-or-miss for us; the other is to hide it right at the crime scene."

After saying that, she felt something was off, paused, and instinctively looked at Yue Lingchuan.

Yue Lingchuan, with his arms crossed, leaned lazily against the wall, looking at her with a clear smile in his eyes, full of indulgence and encouragement.

He gave a slight nod, encouraging her to go on.

Shen Qingye pursed her lips and continued, "The first option covers too much ground, so we'll rule it out for now and focus on the second option."

She looked up at everyone, "If it's hidden here, as Captain Xu said, there's no sign of digging in the yard, and we've searched the bedroom and kitchen without finding anything unusual, so where else might it be?"

Luo Kaiyang said, "So... you suspect it's in the cellar?"

Shen Qingye nodded, glancing at Yue Lingchuan, "Earlier in the yard, what Captain Yue said made sense. If it's not above, why not consider below? Brother Zheng's words also reminded me, could it be buried in the ground—if Cai Chengyong really had that kind of relationship with Zhang Cuimei, then knowing about her family's cellar wouldn't be strange?"

After speaking, she asked, "Do rural areas here have the habit of digging cellars?"

Xiao Lin, who came from the countryside, answered, "Yes, after harvesting sweet potatoes every year, every household keeps some in the cellar. And in winter, radishes and cabbages are usually stored there too."

Everyone pondered for a moment, thinking carefully, and felt that what she said made sense.

Luo Kaiyang asked, "Where is Zhang Cuimei's family cellar? It can't be in the yard, right?"

Xiao Zheng shook his head, "This place is so small, and we've just surveyed it, didn't find any similar entrance."

Everyone fell silent.

Yue Lingchuan waved his hand, "Alright, there are no other clues now, waiting here is useless, let's all go search around the yard. Kaiyang," he instructed Luo Kaiyang, "Go find Ma Laizi again, ask if Zhang Cuimei's family has any close acquaintances who know where her family's cellar is dug."

Luo Kaiyang acknowledged with a "yes" and quickly turned to leave. The others also dispersed, using flashlights to search the perimeter of the yard.

It was already past seven, and being February, it was already dark. Zhang Cuimei's home was remote, with no surrounding lights, making visibility poor even with flashlights. The dense grass around the yard further obstructed their view, making the search difficult.

After half an hour of searching around, they found no clues but disturbed many insects. One person did find a hole, but before they could feel any excitement, shining the flashlight inside revealed a dense cluster of snakes, causing a shiver and a scream that made everyone else proceed more cautiously.

Meanwhile, Liu Wenkang found a short, coarse hair in the bedding on the bed and managed to extract a small fingerprint from the side of the bed. Zhou Qiming and Wei Zhengyi also returned. They visited several elderly women's homes who first noticed Zhang Cuimei's disappearance. According to one of the women, when they entered, the house wasn't particularly messy, but valuables were obviously gone, and there were no unusual signs. However, she mentioned a faint, odd smell in the yard that day, which she initially thought was due to the rain the previous day, but now reconsidered.

Hearing this, everyone understood better and sent a few people back to analyze the hair and fingerprint they found, while the rest continued to search the area.

About an hour later, Luo Kaiyang returned, disappointed, and reported that Zhang Cuimei's home was too isolated, and her reputation was poor, so few people interacted with her, and no one knew the location of her cellar. A few elderly people had good relations with Zhang Cuimei's in-laws, but they had either passed away or moved away with their children, and their contact information was unknown.

The situation was at a standstill again.

Xu Yanting walked over to Yue Lingchuan and shook his head, "It's pointless. The visibility is too low at this time, and searching like this is futile. Let's have two people stay here to keep watch, and the rest should go back. We stayed up all night yesterday; we can't do it again tonight." He himself was feeling the pressure.

Luo Kaiyang also suggested, "Boss, I'll stay here. I got some sleep yesterday. You, Brother Qiming, and Brother Jiang should go back and rest. We can pick up tomorrow; it won't change much."

Yue Lingchuan rubbed his temples and looked around, noticing that many looked tired and worn out.

They hadn't rested well these past few days, and continuing like this would be too much for their bodies. Moreover...

He glanced at Shen Qingye in the distance. It was one thing for the men to stay, but they couldn't have a young woman staying out all night.

He told Luo Kaiyang, "Tell everyone to go back and rest. We'll come back tomorrow morning."

Luo Kaiyang quickly acknowledged and ran off to inform the others. Shen Qingye was momentarily stunned, then slowly nodded, "I understand."

Her lips tightened, her expression grim.

If there were no clues, it would be one thing, but now that they had a lead, having to give up due to the darkness was frustrating for Shen Qingye.

Most importantly...

She wasn't sure if she could come back tomorrow.

The office couldn't afford to have her absent for half a day again. Although she could complete her work on time, it still didn't look good. Especially since Detachment Leader Song had just reminded her yesterday; once or twice was fine, but more than that might reach his ears.

Shen Qingye wasn't afraid, but...

She herself hadn't yet formed a clear plan.

Taking a light breath, she knew the current situation wasn't suitable for further investigation. Watching everyone slowly gather, Shen Qingye composed herself and walked over.

The group gathered in front of the yard, the earlier noise replaced by the quiet of the night, the sound of footsteps on the grass unusually distinct.

As Shen Qingye walked forward, a faint, almost imperceptible sound reached her ears:

"Is anyone there..."

She paused in her steps.