Chapter 5 The Discovery of the Body

After leaving the restaurant, Xia Wuyou sat on a bench by the roadside, utterly drained, as if she had just recovered from a serious illness.

"Are you alright? If it's too much for you, you don't have to come next time," Su Tianmu said as he handed her a bottle of water he had just bought from a nearby stall.

The two of them sat quietly together, neither speaking. The evening glow cast its gentle light upon them, painting a harmonious scene.

Ever since the source of the case had been discovered, the fragments of consciousness lingering on Xia Wuyou seemed to have quieted. It was as if she sensed that her tragic experience was about to be redressed, and now she simply waited, patiently, for justice to be dealt to the murderer.

"Sweet Bean, do you also feel it's been quieter lately? How wonderful it would be if there weren't so many evil people in the world. Then we wouldn't see so many lingering souls, would we?" Xia Wuyou stroked her beloved dog's head as she spoke to herself.

She had bought this Alaskan Malamute when her parents passed away. At the time, she was living with her uncle's family. Although they treated her well, she was still an outsider in their home. She was young and couldn't let go of her grief, and this dog had been a gift from her uncle to comfort her.

Since then, Sweet Bean became her dearest companion, the first loyal listener in times of sorrow and pain.

Feeling his owner's affection, Sweet Bean stayed quietly in Xia Wuyou's arms, tail wagging, as if he could understand her words.

Life seemed to return to its former peace, until Xia Wuyou received another call from Su Tianmu.

He told her a body had been found and asked her to come at once.

It turned out the chopping board Su Tianmu had discovered was indeed used for dismemberment. After forensic technicians brought it to the station and subjected it to a series of complex analyses, they finally found traces of human DNA embedded in the wood. But since no body had been found yet, the identity of the dismembered victim remained unknown.

No fingerprints were found either. It seemed the board had been cleaned. If not for the deep cuts left by the cleaver in the wood, even this clue might have been missed.

Afterward, the police conducted another meticulous search of the basement.

The first time, nothing unusual had been found. They turned the place upside down but found no clues. However, when Su Tianmu entered the basement again for further investigation, he noticed that one wall seemed newer than the others. Upon closer inspection, he realized this wall was thicker than the rest.

Su Tianmu immediately ordered the wall to be examined.

The moment they broke open a corner, a terrifying sight appeared. Behind the newly broken section, red earth spilled out, and within that crimson soil emerged a pale, white arm. Perhaps because it had been sealed away for so long, the stark whiteness set against the dark red dirt was especially jarring.

As the excavation continued, two bodies were unearthed.

One was a middle-aged man, the other a little girl of about five or six years old. Judging by their physical condition, both had been struck by a blunt object. They must have already been dead when they were entombed in the wall.

After receiving the call, Xia Wuyou hurried to the scene.

Seeing her rush over, Su Tianmu felt a pang of genuine sorrow for her. He went forward to greet her and, noticing she was unsteady on the gravel, reached out to support her.

"If you can't handle it, don't force yourself," he reminded gently.

The bodies had been decomposing for a long time, and with the severe trauma they had suffered, the sight was not something most people could bear.

"It's alright, don't worry," Xia Wuyou replied, clearly overestimating her own resilience.

At her first sight of the corpses, a wave of nausea overwhelmed her and she rushed aside to vomit violently.

After a moment to compose herself, she mustered her courage and approached again, striving to maintain her composure.

"Mama..."

The cry of a child echoed in Xia Wuyou's ears once more.

"Mama, help me, there's a bad man chasing me..."

Her vision blurred; she seemed to see a little girl running, while a man lay motionless on the ground, blood pooling around him.

"Xia? Xia?" Only Su Tianmu's voice brought her back from her daze.

"Did you sense something again just now?" Su Tianmu asked, noticing her change in demeanor. If not for having witnessed it before, no one would believe what Xia Wuyou was about to say.

"I saw it. The little girl and the man— they must be the woman's husband and daughter," Xia Wuyou said, ignoring the looks of surprise from others and speaking only to Su Tianmu.

"The husband died first, and the little girl was killed while trying to escape after discovering him."

After hearing her words, Su Tianmu turned his attention back to the bodies, studying them in hopes of finding more clues.

They were in the basement; if both victims had been killed at the same time, the primary scene wouldn't be here. It was unlikely that both, especially a five- or six-year-old child, would be in the basement together.

So where was the first crime scene? And where was the murder weapon?

If the killer had walled up both bodies, it would have taken considerable time. How did he manage it without drawing suspicion? Could it be the work of someone familiar?

These questions spun through Su Tianmu's mind. He glanced at Xia Wuyou and remembered he should take her home.

"That's enough for today. Let me take you back," he said, grabbing her by the arm and hurrying her out of the restaurant before she could reply.

"Is this your unique way of showing concern for someone?" Xia Wuyou asked, casting a sidelong glance at his hand as she was pulled along.

"Is this how you all protect people?"

All Su Tianmu cared about was getting her away from the crime scene—he hadn't noticed his own manner.

"Oh, sorry! That was a bit rough," he said with an embarrassed smile. Once they were outside, he quickly let go, lest anyone mistake Xia Wuyou for a suspect.

Though she seemed to be complaining, Xia Wuyou actually felt a warmth in her heart. In all their time together, he had never been one for kind words, but his actions always spoke for him.

She smiled quietly to herself, silently thanking the heavens.