Chapter 50: Chapter Fifty: After the Catastrophe

The vertical shaft is about four meters deep.

Beneath the chiseled concrete floor lies a rough layer of soil.

The shaft is narrow enough for only one person to climb up or down; its narrowest point allows just enough space for a single person to pass, and only at the bottom does the space widen slightly—likely for construction convenience.

The horizontal tunnel has a much larger volume of earth removed, sloping downward about two meters, while the main part of the basement is two meters high and roughly ten square meters in area, with a ventilation system fashioned from a chimney; though the air remains foul, it is sufficient for long-term survival.

More astonishingly, there is a computer inside the dungeon. It cannot connect to the internet, but it could be used for entertainment.

Jiang Yuan recalled the three women who had just crawled out—disheveled, trembling, their expressions dazed—and felt every inch of his skin and veins tighten.

Jiang Yuan glanced at the entrance for a few moments, then wisely stopped in his tracks.

He was still curious, yes—but right now, this dungeon of less than ten square meters held nothing but evidence, and in his hands he had nothing but a flashlight and a cellphone, not even a single evidence board, and stepping inside now would leave his footprints all over the scene.

For an ordinary small case, lacking specialized equipment, there are still ways to collect evidence: a bedsheet caked in strange substances could be rolled or torn by a police officer and tossed into a plastic bag as proof.

But today’s case has nothing to do with a small case; even a single footprint on the ground could be critically important. Wen Ming may have rushed in to rescue the victims and simply not noticed, but he already walked the entire scene—though if only his footprints remain, the impact won’t be too severe.

Still, the footprints must be limited to Wen Ming’s alone. Otherwise, if three or five people enter this ten-square-meter dungeon, the footprints, fingerprints, and other traces will be hopelessly scrambled—effectively destroying the entire scene.

So Jiang Yuan, though eager to conduct his own scene investigation, halted at the doorway, took photos, then sealed the entrance with caution tape.

Afterward, he began collecting fingerprints and footprints from the door lock and other points on the spot.

To Wen Yong or Wei Zhenguo, today’s case may already be a closed case against Tan Yong—but to Jiang Yuan, it’s far from certain.

If this were a minor case, Tan Yong would be nailed down easily; but once a case reaches the potential level of a death sentence, the rigor required for evidence becomes epic. Even if the final outcome is favorable, the interrogation phase will leave every investigating officer with an unforgettable memory.

In many cases, the gap between police and criminals lies in information disparity. Many cases go wrong precisely because of this gap. For instance, right now, everyone assumes Tan Yong’s DNA will be scattered throughout the dungeon—but such an assumption is absolutely unrigorous. What if Tan Yong always wore protective gear whenever he entered the dungeon?

Someone might retort: But what about when he has sex? First, he might not have sex at all—what if he can’t get hard? Second, what if he enjoys having sex while wearing protective gear?

Someone might object: No one’s that perverted! But then they should look back at this dungeon.

After collecting a few basic fingerprints and footprints as minimal safeguards, Jiang Yuan carefully withdrew from the dungeon and climbed back to the surface.

At this moment, four officers from the Changyang City Criminal Investigation Team arrived at the scene.

……

“Damn, Li Liang!”

“Holy shit!”

The arriving officers, seeing the deep vertical shaft and the three trembling women, were utterly shaken.

It’s said police officers have seen much of society’s darkness and possess great endurance—but ordinary officers aren’t trained to witness such darkness; their exposure comes gradually, one step at a time.

Today’s scene, however, had clearly shattered their understanding of societal darkness.

“This is just….”

“There are really people like this?”

The four detectives stood in the four-bedroom house, glancing left and right, every cell in their bodies cursing.

Jiang Yuan’s mood was even worse.

Compared to the detectives, he had experienced less but understood more—and the scene in the basement made it easier for him to mentally fill in countless gruesome details.

“How’s Mu Zhiyang doing?” Jiang Yuan, speaking past Wei Zhenguo, could see Ding Lan trembling—but didn’t know what to say.

Wei Zhenguo quickly pulled himself out of his grim mood and said, “I’ll call and check.”

As he spoke, Wei Zhenguo pulled out his phone and headed toward the bedroom to make the call.

The three women followed him instinctively, step by step.

Wei Zhenguo paused, then smiled: “It’s fine, I’m just making a call.”

Ding Lan lifted her head slightly, gazing at Wei Zhenguo with pitiful eyes, tears falling one by one.

“Alright, first drink some water, then wait a bit longer—when the car arrives, we’ll head back.” Wei Zhenguo hurried to reassure them.

“We want to call home… we want to call our families,” Ding Lan seized the chance to make her request.

“We’re already contacting your families. Given the scale of this matter, I think it’s better to tell them face-to-face. What do you think?” Wei Zhenguo’s veteran detective instincts were slowly kicking in.

The three exchanged glances and fell silent, hesitating.

Indeed, after being kidnapped for so long, suddenly calling home—what might the outcome be? None of them could guess.

This uncertainty immediately dampened their urge to make the call.

Wei Zhenguo exhaled softly. The case was too big, the scene too complex—it was best to take statements first before handing them their phones.

Taking advantage of the pause, Wei Zhenguo sent a message to Mu Zhiyang and waited for a reply.

Not long after, Mu Zhiyang called back, breathless: “Master, the uglier one’s been caught.”

“Good! Caught is good—any complications? Any danger?” Wei Zhenguo fired off questions.

“No, everything went smoothly. All four of us charged in and cuffed him immediately,” Mu Zhiyang said. “Everyone is safe.”

“Good. Watch the procedures—this case, the prosecutor’s office might step in directly…” Wei Zhenguo whispered a few final warnings, then hung up, feeling a wave of relief.

With that, the main body of the case had been successfully completed.

Wei Zhenguo turned back to look at Ding Lan and the others, still trembling with unease—and for the first time, he too felt the weight of survival after disaster.