Chapter 42

“Let’s go.” Lin Guoliang put away his phone.

“Did the little girl specify an exact location?”

“She said it was a curved building—I think it must be the commercial tower in the northeast corner,” Jiang Xiyue said.

As a police officer, she was quite familiar with her surroundings, even knowing the layout of abandoned buildings.

Lin Guoliang walked forward, carefully observing both sides.

“Master, what’s wrong?” Jiang Xiyue asked.

“If this really is a murder, the killer may have escaped this way too—there’s only one exit here. Keep an eye out; see if you find anything.”

Jiang Xiyue’s eyes lit up at once. “Master, you always think ahead—I never thought of that.”

“It’s just experience. With time, you’ll learn these things too,” Lin Guoliang said dismissively.

Although Jiang Xiyue had studied these in police academy, not everyone is a natural detective, nor can everyone apply what they’ve learned to their work.

As they walked forward, they found traces of footsteps on the path, but nothing unusual.

“If a murder really happened, did the little girl discover it herself, or did someone else find it and send her to report it?” Lin Guoliang asked.

“I think someone else found it and sent her to report—this place is too remote. I don’t believe a little girl would come here alone,” Jiang Xiyue said.

“How old is the little girl? What are her features?” Lin Guoliang asked.

“About twelve or thirteen, frail-looking, very wary…”

Jiang Xiyue recalled and described Yin Xingyue’s features one by one.

At that moment, they finally reached the commercial building. Due to long abandonment, it was filled with trash and overgrown with weeds; in summer, it emitted a foul stench.

“Be careful,” Lin Guoliang warned.

They turned on their body cameras and cautiously ascended the stairs.

“Huh?”

At that moment, Lin Guoliang seemed to notice something and crouched down.

Jiang Xiyue remained alert beside him, yet curious about what he had found.

After a few glances, she realized it was just a few cigarette butts.

Lin Guoliang glanced up the steps a few more times, then said: “Someone sat here smoking—recently, within the last few days.”

He said this because the cigarette butts looked clean.

Lin Guoliang did not touch them—if a murder had occurred upstairs, forensic technicians would collect them later and might find clues to the killer.

So he warned Jiang Xiyue to watch her step, and they continued upward, soon reaching the fifth floor.

Since it was a commercial building, the entire fifth floor was very large.

“Master, should we split up to search?” Jiang Xiyue asked.

“Split up? Better to move slowly than put yourself in danger.”

Lin Guoliang drew his extendable baton; Jiang Xiyue pulled out her pepper spray.

They each covered one side, cautiously scanning forward, and soon truly discovered a woman tied to a chair at a corner.

Lin Guoliang stepped forward carefully, checked the woman’s breath, then met Jiang Xiyue’s questioning gaze and nodded—she was dead.

Lin Guoliang retracted his baton, pulled out his phone, and began taking detailed photos, while Jiang Xiyue stood guard nearby, curiously scanning the surroundings.

At that moment, they suddenly heard police sirens from outside.

They hurried to the building’s side; since it was an abandoned structure with no cover and they stood high up, everything below was clearly visible.

Several police cars were parked by the road, and six or seven officers stepped out.

Lin Guoliang thought he spotted a familiar figure among them, standing straight in the sunset’s glow.

“Looks like the city criminal investigation team.”

“Did they also get the alarm?” Jiang Xiyue asked, puzzled.

Clearly, they were here for the corpse—someone must have reported it to them.

“Let’s go down,” Lin Guoliang said.

The two descended the stairs and walked toward the group.

Meanwhile, Xia Baokun, captain of the first squad of the criminal investigation team, was leading his men into the building from the entrance.

When they saw Lin Guoliang and Jiang Xiyue approaching, both sides showed surprise.

Xia Baokun was astonished that two police officers were here—clearly, someone had given them a tip.

Lin Guoliang was surprised they’d brought a forensic doctor—clearly, they had already confirmed a murder had occurred, not just received a general alarm.

“Captain Xia,” Lin Guoliang greeted first.

Lin Guoliang knew Xia Baokun, but Xia Baokun didn’t recognize him—only felt he looked somewhat familiar.

Lin Guoliang introduced himself and Jiang Xiyue: “Captain Xia, I’m Lin Guoliang from the Yuxiu Police Station. This is Jiang Xiyue.”

“Oh, your station chief is Guan Xueming,” Xia Baokun vaguely recalled.

Lin Guoliang smiled and nodded. “Yes, Captain Xia, you’ve got a good memory.”

With over a hundred police stations in Haibin City, it wasn’t easy for Xia Baokun to remember their station chief’s name.

“Why are you here?” Xia Baokun asked with a smile.

Behind him, several detectives remained silent, watching them closely with a hint of caution.

Lin Guoliang explained to Xia Baokun everything about their arrival—the cigarette butts on the stairs, the discovery of the female corpse—all in detail.

Since the events were simple, he finished quickly.

He added: “Our body cameras have been recording the whole time. If you want to see the footage, I’ll send it to you when we get back.”

Xia Baokun nodded, but his expression grew serious.

“You said a little girl reported it. Do you remember what she looked like?” Xia Baokun asked Jiang Xiyue.

“I remember.”

“Then describe her later—I’ll have someone sketch her likeness.”

“Actually, no need—it’s easier. I saw her at the police station entrance. There’s surveillance there; we can just check the footage when we return.”

Xia Baokun chuckled. “Right, I forgot about that. By the way, you’re Jiang Xiyue—what’s your relation to Jiang Haitao?”

“He’s my father,” Jiang Xiyue said.

Hearing this, Xia Baokun’s gaze softened slightly. “You two go back. I’ll visit your station chief later.”

“Understood, Captain Xia. We won’t delay you,” Lin Guoliang said, pulling Jiang Xiyue away quickly.

With the clues provided by Lin Guoliang and Jiang Xiyue, Xia Baokun’s team moved much faster.

The cigarette butts found on the stairs were collected and sent to the evidence unit.

When they reached the fifth floor, they finally saw the female corpse.

The forensic doctor stepped forward—taking photos, searching for clues—and everyone became busy.

But Xia Baokun had nothing to do—he walked to a nearby window, lit a cigarette, and watched the retreating backs of Lin Guoliang and Jiang Xiyue.

Looking at their backs, Xia Baokun fell into thought.

They had come here today with full manpower because someone had given them reliable information confirming a murder had occurred.

And this wasn’t the first—this was the third this month, with nearly identical methods.

But in this third case, the body had been discovered early—was that really just coincidence?

This place was so remote, even vagrants avoided it—how had the person who reported it even found out?