Chapter 4: The Case Has Reached an Impasse

After returning from the restaurant, Su Tianmu immediately filed an official investigation into the missing persons case.

With approval, the police conducted a search of the restaurant. They discovered that the building was a mixed-use property; apart from a single suite upstairs, most of the rooms were used for business purposes. The basement was cluttered with renovation materials and kitchen equipment, all covered in dust, likely due to long neglect.

At first glance, nothing unusual was found. Both the signs of business activity and the living environment seemed perfectly ordinary, revealing no suspicious traces.

Yet, this very ordinariness was suspicious. Three adults had vanished into thin air without any warning or preparation!

Su Tianmu believed the key lay in the surrounding information. He instructed Xiao Wang to question the restaurant staff in groups, while he himself focused on analyzing the scattered clues related to Xia Wuyou in hopes of delving further into the case.

“You said you sometimes see certain images—can you recall any now?” Su Tianmu called Xia Wuyou to the station, hoping to piece together the fragmented clues with her.

“This force isn’t under my control—it always comes suddenly! Sometimes it’s just a feeling, other times it’s an illusion triggered by external factors,” Xia Wuyou replied.

“Like that time I startled you—I was affected by some mysterious power in that house. It felt as if someone was calling me, though I wasn’t certain, because it was just a sensation, not an actual voice.”

Xia Wuyou tried to be as specific as possible to help him understand, but judging from Su Tianmu’s expression, he still couldn’t fully grasp what she was trying to convey.

“All right, let’s say I understand. Is there anything else? For example, murder? Someone being killed?” Su Tianmu gently guided the conversation, hoping to uncover a clue helpful to the investigation.

“I remember!” Xia Wuyou suddenly exclaimed.

“I once saw a scene in a mirror—now that you mention it, it looked like a murder site!”

“I saw someone chopping something with an axe—chunks scattered all over the floor, blood covering the table! There was also a red suitcase on the ground.”

As Xia Wuyou recalled, her expression was filled with terror.

“Try to remember—did you see the person’s face?” Su Tianmu asked anxiously.

Suddenly, Xia Wuyou covered her face in pain, as if she were reliving something truly horrifying. Seeing her like this, Su Tianmu couldn’t bear to press her further, and quickly changed the subject.

An axe, dismemberment, a suitcase—these were vital clues. But if this was truly a murder, where was the crime scene? Where were the bodies? And who was the killer?

A flood of questions churned in Su Tianmu’s mind.

“Xia, if you’re able, could you return to the restaurant once more? If it really is a murder scene, there must be some clues left behind,” he asked cautiously, worried his urgency might frighten her.

“No problem—I want the case solved soon too! No one wants to live every day with someone else’s memories,” Xia Wuyou’s bravery made Su Tianmu feel both pity and admiration. Yet, for the sake of the investigation, he had no choice but to ask her to endure a little more.

This time, Xia Wuyou was fully prepared, and with Su Tianmu by her side, she felt less afraid.

Together, they searched every corner of the restaurant, determined to uncover any clue related to the case.

“How’s it going? Found anything?” Su Tianmu noticed Xia Wuyou standing in a daze beside a large table used for chopping meat and hurried over to ask.

“I can’t say for sure—it just feels familiar. But it doesn’t quite match the scene I saw,” Xia Wuyou murmured, distracted.

Su Tianmu inspected the chopping board closely—it was clearly meant for meat, a thick rectangular slab of wood.

But if it were used for dismemberment, it was far too small to hold a person.

However, there were several such boards, likely to accommodate multiple workers during busy times.

Suddenly, an idea struck Su Tianmu. He painstakingly pushed several boards together, forming a large rectangular wooden platform.

“That’s it!” Xia Wuyou was startled by the sight, fearfully pointing at the platform.

“I saw the person in the mirror chopping something on a platform just like this!”

Hearing this, Su Tianmu quickly examined the area around the boards, running his fingers across the surface, hoping to find some clue.

But after so long unused, the boards were covered in dust and a thin layer of mold, likely due to the basement’s dampness in summer.

Despite searching, he found no traces of blood. Chopping marks were to be expected, as the boards were used for meat.

“We should have the technical team conduct a thorough investigation here,” Su Tianmu decided.

No matter what, this was a major discovery. If the murder weapon was found, the crime scene would soon be located.

“Let’s call it a day—you’ve worked hard enough,” Su Tianmu said at last, feeling sorry for Xia Wuyou. If not for the gravity of the case, he would never have involved her in such bloody, violent matters.

Xia Wuyou breathed a secret sigh of relief at his words.

Truthfully, she wasn’t fearless—she simply had no choice.

“All right, I am a bit tired. Let’s go,” she said, leaving the restaurant without waiting for him.

If one day it were possible, I would remove that special power from her—I wish she could be just an ordinary person.

Su Tianmu followed behind Xia Wuyou, silently reflecting.

He could not have known that one day, he would indeed lift the magic from her. Though he could not grant her an ordinary life, he did his utmost to give her the happiest life possible.

At this moment, Xia Wuyou had no idea that her true soulmate was walking right behind her. In fact, their fates had been entwined long ago, their destinies clasped together many years before.