Chapter 139 16

Chapter 139: 16

He Lin approached the table and meticulously removed each item from Jiang Lai's backpack, photographing them for Cheng Xiaoyi's records. The bag contained a phone, charger, cash, identification, tissues, intimate apparel, and other feminine hygiene products.

He Lin carefully examined the phone. It matched his own model, appeared undamaged, and was dry. There were no signs of water ingress in any of its ports. However, having been frozen on the glacier for a year, he was uncertain if it would still function.

After confirming that the tissues in the bag were also dry, he somewhat hesitantly plugged his charger into the phone’s port.

Then, he waited for the outcome…

Li Shang, wrapped in the blanket, propped himself up slightly and asked, “Can it charge?”

A moment later, the phone emitted a soft beep, and a charging icon appeared on the screen.

He Lin let out a sigh of relief. “Yes, it can.”

Li Shang instructed, “See if it maintains the charge.”

It was a Chinese-made phone. As long as it could charge and power on, the police could use technical means to extract the information within.

The situation should become much clearer then.

After this exhaustive effort, He Lin felt there was no need to continue investigating outdoors today. Firstly, they had made a significant discovery, and he needed to organize the existing clues. Secondly, he was genuinely worried about Li Shang.

He Lin turned to Li Shang and said directly, “Let’s rest this afternoon. We’ll put the case investigation on hold for now.”

Having said that, he took out his own phone to review updates and messages, handling team matters remotely.

Li Shang lay in the blanket for a while, feeling somewhat better. He secretly reached out and retrieved his phone from the bedside table.

Since He Lin wouldn't let him go out, he decided to use this opportunity to sort through the information they had.

Finding Jiang Lai’s belongings had finally advanced the investigation, yet Li Shang felt the case’s clues were now both convoluted and numerous.

For some reason, Officer Zhang from the local police station had not yet responded. He had promised yesterday to provide the case information but still hadn't sent it.

Li Shang had followed up once more, but Officer Zhang remained evasive.

Sensing something was amiss, Li Shang pondered for a moment and decided not to rely solely on one source.

He messaged Shi Ren, briefly explaining the case.

Shi Ren held higher clearance and could access all digital archives of case files submitted by the municipal bureau and local police stations. This would allow them to bypass the local station and directly review the case files.

Without hesitation, Shi Ren readily agreed: “Send me an email. I’ll have my secretary gather everything and forward it to you later.”

Shi Ren then cautioned him, “Be careful over there. As the saying goes, ‘barren mountains and harsh waters breed troublemakers.’ Outsiders like you might struggle against the local toughs. Contact me anytime if you need help.”

Li Shang thanked him and sent the email from his phone.

He worked for a while, but his body, still recovering from the cold, began to react. Li Shang felt a slight dizziness, and his joints ached. He dared not look at his phone any longer and closed his eyes for a brief nap.

After five o’clock, the sky grew dark, and a cold wind began to blow outside. Initially, only sporadic snowflakes fell, but soon the snow intensified, becoming an uncontrollable flurry. White flakes, carried by the wind, descended relentlessly. In no time, a thin layer had accumulated on the windowsill.

He Lin remained engrossed in organizing clues, while Li Shang, experiencing alternating chills and fever, couldn't sleep soundly. The two of them quietly listened to the wind and snow outside their room.

Fortunately, they had returned in time. Otherwise, they might have been stranded by the snowstorm.

As dinnertime approached, He Lin walked to the bedside. He leaned down to check Li Shang's temperature with his forehead. Sensing his approach, Li Shang guiltily turned his head slightly, but there was no escaping. The next moment, He Lin held him still.

He Lin could gauge Li Shang’s physical condition just by listening to his breathing. A touch to the forehead confirmed his suspicion: the person who had earlier insisted he was fine was now running a slight fever.

He Lin looked helplessly at Li Shang, who lay in bed. His face was pale, his eyelashes drooped, and he appeared utterly drained. He had clearly been feverish for a while, and his gaze now held a trace of confusion—a sight both pitiable and frustrating.

But seeing him so listless, He Lin couldn't bring himself to say anything harsh.

He took out a thermometer and handed it to Li Shang to check: 37.8°C.

It wasn't a dangerously high temperature, but it was one poised to escalate. He Lin knew without a doubt that it wouldn't subside on its own and would likely spike that evening.

He turned to Li Shang and asked, “Should I bring your food in here?”

Li Shang, suffering from a fever-induced headache, turned onto his side and shook his head. “No appetite. I’m not very hungry and don’t feel like eating.”

He Lin knew Li Shang’s appetite suffered when he was unwell, but he gently coaxed him, “You should try to eat a little. You might need fever medication tonight, and it can irritate your stomach if taken on an empty one.”

Although they had brought essential medications for the trip, the heavy snowfall and the village's limited medical facilities compared to the city made He Lin somewhat anxious.

Li Shang thought of the village clinic and, for some reason, also recalled the modern "charity hall" used for storing bodies behind it.

Suddenly more concerned for his well-being, he climbed out of the blanket and said, “Then I’ll get up and go eat. It’s cold here, and with the snow, it would be inconvenient to carry food back and forth.”

Despite his low fever, he felt he wasn't so ill that he couldn't get out of bed.

His clothes had been warmed in the room. Li Shang got up and dressed. He Lin glanced at Jiang Lai’s phone charging on the table.

Given that this was accommodation provided by villagers and the situation was unclear, he dared not leave such a crucial piece of evidence unattended. If it were lost or something unexpected happened, all of Li Shang’s efforts would be in vain.

Just as he was about to unplug the phone, it lit up—the phone, previously shut down due to a dead battery, had now charged sufficiently to power on automatically.

This indicated the device was functional, and He Lin felt a wave of relief.

The phone displayed the lock screen, and everything appeared normal.

However, they didn't know the passcode.

Then, the signal connected automatically, and the phone emitted a series of chimes—various notifications and messages from the past year came flooding in simultaneously.

It seemed the phone was still active, hadn't been disconnected, and was operating normally.

Beside him, Li Shang had finished dressing and announced, “I’m ready.”

Seeing this, He Lin turned off Jiang Lai’s phone, slipped it into his pocket, then wrapped Li Shang from head to toe, leaving only his eyes exposed. He Lin leaned in and kissed Li Shang’s feverish eyes a few times before leading him out.

The snowy village night was exceptionally quiet, with only the wind whistling through, carrying fine snow particles across the village.

Outside, the sky was completely dark, and the snow continued to fall. The entire village—from the ground to windowsills and rooftops—was covered in a thick layer of snow.

The snow-covered mountain stood serenely in the distance, exuding a unique sense of mystery.

They had arrived a bit early today. The Ding family was still gathered in the dining room. Village Head Ding, seeing them, added two chairs and served them rice.

Although He Lin and the others had been staying there for several days, the initial warmth had cooled, replaced by a certain awkwardness.

No one spoke much at the table. Everyone ate in silence, which became somewhat uncomfortable. The Ding family members finished their meals and got up one after another.

He Lin was almost done eating when he suddenly noticed someone was missing from the table today—the Ding family’s second son, whose name seemed to be…

With so many people encountered over the past few days, He Lin couldn’t quite recall his name.

Although He Lin couldn't remember his name, he recalled that Ding Ming was a quiet young man who always kept his head down around them and ate very slowly. He asked Li Shang beside him, "What's the name of the one who's missing?"

Li Shang had also noticed and blurted out without hesitation, "Ding Ming."

Then he realized something, lightly frowned, and looked at He Lin.

He Lin nodded at him, put down his bowl and chopsticks, turned around, and asked Village Head Ding beside him, "Where did Ding Ming go?"

Village Head Ding said cheerfully, "Oh, that kid? He went to his grandmother's house."

He Lin cut straight to the point, looking directly at Village Head Ding as he asked, "Is Ding Ming... left-handed?"

As soon as he asked this, the smile on Village Head Ding's face froze, and the piece of meat he was holding with his chopsticks fell onto the table with a clatter.

He Lin decided to make the question even more specific: "Where was Ding Ming on the evening of the fourth day of the Lunar New Year last year?"

Village Head Ding's expression became odd briefly. He set down his chopsticks and lowered his hands.

Seeing Village Head Ding's reaction, He Lin knew he had guessed correctly. He didn’t beat around the bush any longer and said directly, "He knew Jiang Lai. On the evening of the fourth day last year, he saw Jiang Lai."

They had finally identified the person from the surveillance footage.

He Lin had just pieced it all together.

This was what they called "hiding in plain sight."

Zhou Xian had once given the surveillance video to Village Head Ding, who had seen its contents and recognized his son.

It was even possible that he never provided the video to the local police station and destroyed it himself instead.

He knew the video showed his son using his left hand to grab Jiang Lai, revealing that he was left-handed.

So, after He Lin and Li Shang arrived in the village, Ding Ming switched to using his right hand to eat in their presence. But since he had suddenly changed hands and wasn’t skilled yet, he ate particularly slowly.

When they weren’t around, however, Ding Ming could finish his meals quickly.

At first, He Lin hadn’t expected that the suspect in this case would be sitting right beside them during the welcome dinner.

And this was probably one of the reasons why Village Head Ding had approached He Lin on the very first day, hoping they would hastily close the case and leave early.

A couple of days ago, during the combined wedding and funeral event, Ding Sheng had deliberately let them identify the person who bullied Jiang Waner on the spot to gauge their skills.

As their investigation deepened, they uncovered more clues.

The Ding family was starting to panic.

Especially today, when they went into the mountains and found Jiang Lai’s backpack and phone at the foot of the snowy mountain. Xie Kaiyun was with them at the time, and this news probably spread throughout the village quickly.

They were afraid of the information on Jiang Lai’s phone.

Ding Ming must have realized that the investigation was closing in on him, so he took advantage of the heavy snow today to flee.

He Lin had pressed the matter this far, and Village Head Ding didn’t try to justify or say anything else. He whispered a few words to his family, and everyone else went back to their rooms, closing the dining room door behind them.

Seeing that there were no outsiders left, Village Head Ding sighed and said, "I anticipated that you might uncover this. Anything I say now would sound like I’m making excuses for him, so I won’t say much. But I still want to tell you, my son is not a bad person. Jiang Lai’s death has nothing to do with him. He and that girl have known each other for a long time—you could even say they grew up together. He would never do anything to truly harm Jiang Lai."

"What a coincidence, Zhang Cheng said the same thing yesterday," He Lin retorted. "Village Head Ding, we’re investigating a missing person case, yet you’re already certain Jiang Lai is dead? Are you implying this is a murder? If it has nothing to do with your son, then who is it related to?"

Ding Sheng shook his head: "I can only say this much. For the rest, you’ll need to ask Ding Ming. You can try to find him. If he committed a crime, I won’t protect him."

He Lin asked Village Head Ding, "Where exactly did Ding Ming go?"

"I don’t know," Village Head Ding shook his head. "What he did, what happened that night—you’ll have to ask him yourselves."

With the suspect absent, they couldn’t just detain the family members to take the blame. Everything would have to wait until tomorrow to be handled.

The good news was that another piece of the case had finally fallen into place.

But strangely, He Lin didn’t feel the usual satisfaction of a breakthrough. Instead, he felt a faint sense of unease. He turned to look at the wind and snow outside. How much farther were they from the truth of this case?

Thinking of this, He Lin stood up and motioned to Li Shang, "Let’s head back to our room for now."

Li Shang followed him, and the two exited through the back door, returning to their room.

Just as they took off their coats, Li Shang’s phone suddenly lit up. He opened it and saw that Cheng Xiaoyi had sent the detailed information he had asked her to gather about Hanhua Village.

Before he could open it to check, his phone chimed again—Shi Ren had also sent the information he had collected.

Li Shang had just finished downloading the files and was about to review them carefully when He Lin suddenly spoke up, "Li Shang, there’s something I want to discuss with you."

"What is it?" Li Shang looked up at him.

He Lin’s expression was serious as he said, "Once the snowstorm passes tomorrow, I want to take you away from Hanhua Village first."

***

Meanwhile, not far away at Jiang Waner’s home, she had just finished dinner and helped her parents clear the tableware. She picked up her phone and noticed several unread messages. She frowned—who would be messaging her so late at night? And so many messages at once?

Were they ads or spam?

Also, the situation with Zhang Cheng had left her unsettled. Could it be that something had changed at the local police station?

Jiang Waner unlocked her phone. When she saw the content of the first message, her eyes widened in shock.

"Don’t come home! Waner, whatever you do, do not come home! This place is no longer what you remember…"

And the sender was… Jiang Lai!

There were several more messages.

Jiang Waner’s hands trembled as she read through them one by one. Her eyes widened in disbelief…

Could it be true? The things mentioned in the messages…

No wonder…

She quickly pieced everything together, and it matched what she had seen in the village over the past few days.

A chill ran through her body. Jiang Waner felt suffocated, even nauseous. Her heart raced, and her face paled. She turned around, grabbed a coat from her room, put it on, and rushed out the door, almost fleeing in panic.

Ye Huiyi noticed her daughter’s strange behavior and called out, "It’s late, and it’s snowing. Where are you going?"

"Ah… I…" Jiang Waner looked at her mother, let out a frightened cry, and then hurriedly made up an excuse, "I’ve got my period. I’m going to the village store to buy something…"

She no longer trusted them. Even though they were her parents who had raised her, they now felt unfamiliar to her.

She fled as if running for her life, heading in the direction of Village Head Ding’s old house.

Snowflakes drifted around her. The road was slippery, and she stumbled and fell, but she quickly got up, not daring to rest, and continued running forward.

Along the way, she passed a few people, but she had no time to see who they were.

Jiang Waner was gasping for breath, her breath forming white puffs in the air, her eyes glistened with tears.

Her vision was blurred.

Was this still the same home where she had been born and raised?

Why did it make it so unfamiliar, so cold?

Her heart felt as icy as the unmelted snow, completely numb to warmth.

She clenched her phone in her hand; it had just received text messages from Jiang Lai, sent before her disappearance.

She resented the fact that these text messages had arrived a year too late through some mix-up, yet she was also relieved that she had finally learned the truth.

Fear pushed her onward—she had to tell the two police officers everything she knew. Only by their side would she be safe...

The lit house was right in front of her; she could see the bright light. She was about to reach the door!

Just then, a figure suddenly rushed out from her side. The person grabbed her, covered her mouth, and pinned her down.

Then, the man yanked her phone away, unlocked it with her fingerprint, and looked at the contents...

Jiang Waner struggled desperately, but she was powerless, could only sob helplessly as she watched everything unfold.

Shortly after, someone made a call: "It's time to act."

Amid the wind and snow, the lights of the village's signal tower flickered out.

In the midst of the heavy snowfall, the entire village became a stranded, helpless island.