Chapter 299: Chapter 297: The Song Resounds Again

Su Miaoyi and the other two were in the village committee office, discussing various possibilities in the case, hoping to find a breakthrough.

They then worked on profiling the killer.

In her vision of Tian De and Gao Hui, Su Miaoyi had seen the killer wearing a long black robe and a demonic mask, giving her a rough idea of their appearance.

Male, around five-foot-nine, weighing between 130 and 145 pounds.

The footprints the Chang City police found at Tian De’s house led to a similar estimate of the killer’s height and weight.

No other footprints had been found since.

"Male, around five-foot-nine, 130 to 145 pounds," Chu Xingrou recited.

"And very strong," Lu Zhishen added.

"He has a certain understanding of human anatomy. His dismemberment technique is practiced—he cuts through the joints," Su Miaoyi said.

"He has some counter-surveillance skills," Chu Xingrou said.

"And he has at least three types of poison," said Su Miaoyi.

"The more we list, the more he sounds like a professional killer." Lu Zhishen tied up all of his hair.

After several sleepless nights, he looked a bit dazed, but his mind was still sharp.

"He knows this village inside and out—the terrain, the people, the beliefs, and the customs," Su Miaoyi said. "Wan Shuang must have known him, which is why her guard was down."

"A professional killer who knows this village..." Lu Zhishen trailed off, then rephrased it. "Or did someone from the village become a killer?"

"Huh?" Chu Xingrou blinked her red-rimmed eyes. "Is that possible?"

"I suppose so," said Su Miaoyi. "Some people have left the village and moved away."

"So that’s why Brother Lu was asking if many people have left the village?" Chu Xingrou asked.

"Yes." Lu Zhishen nodded.

Su Miaoyi glanced at the two of them, then at the time. It was almost midnight. "Let’s go. Back to town to get some sleep."

"Alright." Chu Xingrou and Lu Zhishen both stood up and headed out.

When Duan Wenrui and his team went on patrol, they had left their car keys for them.

A wind picked up in the night.

The breeze sobered them up a little.

"I’ll drive."

Lu Zhishen tossed her the keys.

Su Miaoyi unlocked the car.

Lu Zhishen opened the front passenger door while Chu Xingrou opened a back door.

Just as they opened the doors to get in, another sound cut through the wind.

DONG DONG DONG, DONG DONG DONG.

Punishment is now descending.

The guilty will not be spared.

The goat’s horn has been sent to your home.

DONG DONG DONG, DONG DONG DONG.

Punishment is now descending...

The three of them froze mid-motion.

A shiver went through Chu Xingrou. It was so late, the wind was howling in her ears, and suddenly, an ethereal, mechanical voice—its trailing notes laced with a hint of a smile—rang out beside her.

She felt as if a silent thunderclap had just exploded in her chest.

"It’s coming from the southeast," said Lu Zhishen.

The three of them scrambled into the car.

Su Miaoyi executed a sharp turn, peeling out of the courtyard.

As she drove out of the village committee courtyard, Su Miaoyi glanced at the car’s clock. Exactly midnight.

With the windows down, they sped toward the southeast.

’Turn right at the next intersection,’ the voice in her head said.

Following the directions, Su Miaoyi quickly drove to the southeast corner of the village.

By the time they arrived, the nursery rhyme had stopped.

Duan Wenrui and a few others were already there.

The speaker playing the rhyme had been turned off.

Duan Wenrui was knocking on a door. "Is anyone home?! Is anyone home! Police!"

Su Miaoyi and the other two quickly got out of the car and approached. "Are all the officers patrolling this street here?"

A few were police officers with Duan Wenrui, but the rest were the ones assigned to patrol this street.

"Yes."

"Three of you stay. The rest, get back to patrolling the street," Lu Zhishen ordered. "Be thorough. Pay attention to any sound or movement, and stay safe."

Three people stayed, and the others left.

Duan Wenrui was still knocking.

But no one came to the door.

Su Miaoyi looked around. The nursery rhyme had been playing from a speaker that was sitting right at the front door of this house.

’This seems to be Tian Min’s house,’ the voice in her head said.

Zhao Yongliang had told her where Tian Min lived; this looked like the place.

"Hop the wall," Lu Zhishen said.

Duan Wenrui knocked twice more, then vaulted over the adjacent wall.

He opened the gate from the inside, and everyone filed into the courtyard.

They swept their flashlights across every corner of the yard as they walked toward the house.

The lights in the house were off, and the door was locked.

"Police!" Duan Wenrui knocked on the door again.

Still no answer, but Su Miaoyi heard a faint, choked sob.

She pulled Duan Wenrui aside and kicked the door open.

As the door burst open, someone inside screamed.

"Police," Su Miaoyi said, moving toward the source of the scream.

Chu Xingrou found the switch by the entrance and flipped on the lights.

Only then could everyone see the people in the room.

Two people were huddled together, hiding inside a large cabinet.

One of the cabinet doors was either broken or couldn’t close properly; whatever the reason, it was ajar, making the two people inside clearly visible from the entrance.

Su Miaoyi and Chu Xingrou approached.

The woman inside yelled, "Stay back! Stay back!"

"It’s okay, we’re the police," said Chu Xingrou.

But the person inside didn’t believe them and kept shouting, "Stay back! Stay back! Don’t kill me! Don’t kill me! I didn’t do anything! I didn’t do anything!"

Su Miaoyi opened the other cabinet door, gently patting the woman on the back and lowering her voice. "We’re the police..."

Before she could finish, the woman suddenly shrieked and shoved the person beside her out of the cabinet. "If you’re going to kill someone, kill her! Not me, don’t kill me! I didn’t do anything!"

Because the two had been crammed together, squatting in the cabinet, the woman who was pushed out stumbled and fell to the ground.

Su Miaoyi and Chu Xingrou both reached out to help, but the woman still ended up sitting on the floor.

It was Tian Min.

After she fell, she tried to crawl back into the cabinet.

Su Miaoyi and Chu Xingrou grabbed her by the arm. "Don’t be afraid. We’re the police."

Panicked, Tian Min turned and glanced at them.

"We’ve met before, remember?" said Chu Xingrou.

Tian Min looked at them, and upon recognizing the two officers, she suddenly burst into tears.

The two of them quickly helped her up.

Tian Min started making gestures with her hands.

But neither of them could understand what she was trying to say.

The woman in the cabinet was still shouting.

Su Miaoyi waited for her to stop shouting before saying, "We’re the police. Don’t be afraid."

After a moment, the woman finally glanced back at them.

"Police." Chu Xingrou showed the woman her badge.

"How do I know if you’re real or fake?" the woman said.

"If we were fake, after all this time, do you think you’d still be alive?" Su Miaoyi retorted.

The woman went silent. After a moment, she climbed out of the cabinet on her own.

Duan Wenrui and Lu Zhishen took some officers and checked the courtyard and the other rooms.

"No one else is here," Lu Zhishen said upon returning. "And nothing seems to have happened."

"Other than the door we opened, all the other doors and windows are secure," said Duan Wenrui.

"It’s just the two of them in the house. Where’s Tian Ming?" Su Miaoyi asked.

...

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