Chapter 233

The file contained information on over a hundred orphans; Gu Changzheng had everyone sort them by gender and age, then cross-reference with the photo taken with Zhou Hui, and besides the known Xia Fei, Su Yuqing, and Chen Mengyao, three more girls’ files were selected.

Lin Xiaoxue, born July 14, 1989, native of Zizhen City, Nanjiang Province; her parents died in an accident when she was five, and she was sent to Angel Orphanage by her aunt.

Yu Jiajia, born December 27, 1993, native of Yiling City, Nanjiang Province; abandoned at birth in the hospital, leaving only a pouch embroidered with the character “Yu.”

Fang Shengnan, born November 3, 1988, native of Lantian City, Yubei Province; found unconscious from hunger at Zizhen Railway Station by police at age six.

The person listed as handling the adoption paperwork for all three girls was the same name: Zhou Hui!

Similarly, Xia Fei, Su Yuqing, and Chen Mengyao were also adopted through Zhou Hui’s paperwork; among the six girls, Su Yuqing was the oldest, Yu Jiajia the youngest, Xia Fei and Chen Mengyao were the same age, followed by Lin Xiaoxue, one year older than Xia Fei, and Fang Shengnan, two years older.

Coincidentally, all six girls were adopted by Zhou Hui in the same year—February 5, 1994, the very day Yu Jiajia had just turned one month old!

Gu Changzheng repeatedly studied the three girls’ files; he selected them for two reasons: 1. All three appeared in the photo, 2. Their ages matched those of the murdered girls—Xia Fei and the others—and all three were quite beautiful.

From the photo, it seemed the six girls had a good relationship and were all favored by Director Zhou Hui; the killer must have some connection to the orphanage and these six girls! What kind of irreconcilable hatred drove him to slaughter these delicate girls with such cruelty?

As Gu Changzheng pondered, he continued flipping through the files. Suddenly, an unsealed file bag caught his eye—the bag bore a distinct mark, clearly left by gloves, with no fingerprints. The moment he pulled out a corner of the yellowed paper inside, his heart sank.

The top half of the registration form had been torn off! The photo and basic information were gone!

The outside of the file bag had also been torn away—clearly, a name had once been there. The owner of this file was deeply connected to the case, likely the killer himself!

DNA analysis of saliva on cigarette butts found at three crime scenes confirmed they all belonged to the same person, but the individual had no criminal record, so no match existed in the database.

The only lead—the orphanage files—had now been destroyed by the suspect. Gu Changzheng gripped the half-yellowed paper tightly, staring out the window at the steady autumn rain, a wave of frustration rising from his chest.

This damn weather! Perfect for crime.

———

Luo Fei woke up sixteen hours after being attacked; the first thing he saw was a face twisted in worry. Su Ruonan, who had kept vigil all night, finally let out a breath of relief and whispered softly: “You scared me to death! You’re finally awake!”

Seeing her exhausted face and dark circles, Luo Fei mustered strength to joke: “What? Afraid I’d just die and you’d never find anyone as excellent as me?”

Hearing him joke, Su Ruonan burst into laughter, raising her fist to hit him—but suddenly her eyes reddened, tears streaming down her cheeks. She had held back tears all night: when she saw Luo Fei carried off the ambulance covered in blood, she didn’t cry; when he lay unconscious in surgery fighting death, she didn’t cry. Now, this strong girl wept like a wounded child, tears pouring uncontrollably.

Luo Fei weakly raised his hand and gently stroked her hair; countless words of affection filled his heart, yet not one could escape his lips.

No words were needed—these two young people had already entrusted their entire lives to each other.

Then Luo Fei suddenly said: “Ruonan, contact Captain Gu right away—I have critical information to report!”

After hearing Luo Fei’s description of the gray hoodie man, Gu Changzheng asked strangely: “He was wearing a mask?”

Upon Luo Fei’s confirmation, Gu Changzheng fell into deep thought: Who exactly was the gray hoodie man? He even wondered—were all the killers seen at the crime scenes the same person?

But he was stunned by his own absurd thought.

Could there really be so many such cruel, deranged monsters in the world?

Yet regardless, the most urgent task now was to protect the remaining three girls!

This was also a gamble for Gu Changzheng—after all, everything was still based on his deductions.

But he trusted his judgment: the killer wouldn’t act randomly; his actions must follow a pattern—and that pattern, in his view, must be tied to the photo—the one of Director Zhou and the six girls.

Investigation reports on the other three girls soon appeared on his desk: Lin Xiaoxue, age 24, currently employed at a large supermarket chain in Zizhen City.

Yu Jiajia, age 20, the youngest dancer in the Zizhen City Dance Troupe.

Fang Shengnan, age 25, a reporter for the Zizhen City Radio and Television Station.

Gu Changzheng studied the collected intelligence; in his mind, the girls now shared another commonality: all had ultimately stayed in Zizhen City.

Who would be next?

Gu Changzheng silently pondered when his waistband phone suddenly rang.

The caller ID showed an unknown number; when he answered, a familiar voice came through: “Master!”

This was Luo Fei’s voice—ever since his master Lu Haoxuan was killed, Luo Fei had always called him “Captain.”

Gu Changzheng knew it was to spare him pain.

But today, he called him “Master” again—Gu Changzheng knew something was wrong.

Sure enough, Luo Fei said: “Master! I saw the killer’s face!”

Gu Changzheng’s heart leapt—he blurted out: “You saw his face clearly?”

Luo Fei paused, then said: “During our struggle, his hood fell off—but he was still wearing a white mask.”

“I wonder… was he disfigured?”