Chapter 234: The Wingless Angel

Gu Changzheng found Luo Fei’s wild ideas perfectly normal.

Someone hiding behind a wide-brimmed hat and still wearing a mask on their face—unless their face was disfigured, no other reason could explain it!

Gu Changzheng pondered: extensive facial disfigurement, outside of rare cases, was most likely caused by fire.

Perhaps the man’s body, hidden beneath his clothes, was equally horrific, burned beyond recognition!

“Gao Ye!” Gu Changzheng pulled out his phone: “Immediately check: since 1994, has there been any fire at Angel Orphanage or similar institutions?”

Protective measures for the remaining three girls had already been implemented, but he couldn’t just wait for the killer to strike again—protection couldn’t last forever. Finding and capturing him was what truly mattered!

An hour later, Gao Ye’s response came back: in 2006, Angel Orphanage suffered a fire; according to records, it occurred on Children’s Day that year, when the orphanage’s main dining hall caught fire. Aside from one boy sustaining burns, there were no other serious casualties.

A burned boy?! Gu Changzheng immediately went alert: “Have you found the burned boy’s records?” He sensed the scent of prey.

“We only found a name and age from the hospital that treated him,” Gao Ye said. “Zhang Xiaodong, age seventeen at the time. Nothing else.”

“Good. Who was the attending physician back then? Contact them—we’re going to visit in person right away,” Gu Changzheng ordered.

———

Jiangnan District, Mingzhu Park, Zizhen City’s largest wetland park.

The home of Shang Qimin, retired chief surgeon at Zizhen City No. 1 Hospital, was situated beside this scenic park—within the park’s residential compound.

After arriving at the compound, Gu Changzheng and Gao Ye found the old man waiting at the gate. The continuous autumn rains, which had lasted nearly a month, had temporarily ceased. Seeing the silver-haired, vigorous elder, Gu Changzheng quickened his pace and called out: “Professor Shang, I’m Gu Changzheng from the Zizhen City Criminal Investigation Brigade. Thank you for your time today!”

The old man chuckled and invited them inside. It was a first-floor house with a courtyard, where osmanthus flowers bloomed fiercely, filling the air with rich sweetness.

After briefly stating their purpose, Shang Qimin frowned slightly and said slowly: “Hmm, I remember this case clearly.”

Hearing this, Gu Changzheng’s spirits lifted instantly—he stared at Shang Qimin with hopeful eyes.

The old man sipped his tea and said: “The boy’s injuries were severe—burns covered forty percent of his body. Almost no part of his face remained intact. And most tragically, he lost normal sexual function forever—those fires destroyed his reproductive organs.”

“What?!” Gao Ye exclaimed, eyes wide.

Shang Qimin glanced at him curiously. Gu Changzheng cleared his throat and said: “Yes. Such a pity—he was only seventeen then. Truly heartbreaking.”

Gao Ye lowered his head, embarrassed. The serial killer they were hunting always sexually assaulted his victims. Yet Shang Qimin had just said Zhang Xiaodong had lost all male sexual function after the accident—did that mean they’d wasted their time again?

But they couldn’t reveal case details to outsiders, so Gao Ye’s reaction seemed odd to Shang Qimin—luckily, Gu Changzheng’s words diffused the awkwardness.

Still, he was surprised and asked: “Professor Shang, is there any chance of recovery for Zhang Xiaodong’s condition?”

Shang Qimin’s expression turned strange. “Ah—his case was similar to ancient eunuchs. Recovery? Modern medicine simply can’t achieve it.”

Gu Changzheng understood. He too felt disappointed. Was his theory wrong? Did the killer have no connection to the orphanage? Then what about the missing half of the file?

“This happened six or seven years ago. How do you remember it so clearly?” Gu Changzheng asked.

Shang Qimin smiled. “I’ve treated countless patients—many worse than him. But this boy left a deep impression because of one thing that happened during his treatment...”

One week after admission, Zhang Xiaodong’s condition stabilized and he was moved to a general ward. One morning, during his routine rounds, Shang Qimin saw a young girl standing beside Zhang Xiaodong’s bed—her age seemed roughly the same as Zhang’s.

But strangely, unlike other patients who warmly welcomed visitors, Zhang Xiaodong’s eyes filled with rage. His throat hadn’t recovered yet—he couldn’t speak—but his agitation was unmistakable. He clearly hated the girl. The on-duty nurse noticed his distress and rushed to calm him. He pointed at the girl, signaling for her to leave.

His emotions grew increasingly intense. We had to quickly urge the girl to leave—when suddenly, she knelt before Zhang Xiaodong’s bed, weeping: “I know we’re to blame for what happened to you. I’ve come today to apologize, Zhang Xiaodong. Please forgive us!”

Her kneeling and crying drew onlookers from other patients. Zhang Xiaodong became even more agitated—I saw him trying to pull out his IV tube. I immediately ordered nurses to drag the girl out. Only after she left did Zhang Xiaodong slowly calm down.

After hearing Shang Qimin’s recollection, Gu Changzheng asked: “Do you remember what that girl looked like?”

Shang Qimin looked uneasy. “I can’t be certain—it’s been too long. But I recall she was slender, with refined bearing—like someone who’d trained in dance.”

Gu Changzheng glanced at Gao Ye: “Xiao Gao, show Professor Shang the photo.”

Gao Ye pulled out the group photo of Xia Fei and the other six girls, plus Zhou Hui, and handed it to Shang Qimin. The old man put on his reading glasses and studied it carefully.

After a long moment, he pointed at one girl: “If I remember correctly, that girl was her.”

Gu Changzheng and Gao Ye turned to the girl he indicated—Yu Jiajia! The youngest of the six girls!

———

At Zizhen City Dance Troupe, during the investigation of Ge Manli’s case three years ago, he’d visited often—but back then, he hadn’t noticed whether there was a girl named Yu Jiajia there.

But when he met Yu Jiajia, she immediately recognized his identity—he realized she’d joined the troupe in 2010, and her mentor had been Ge Manli.