Chapter 5

After Lu Zhixing left, the office fell silent for a few seconds. “Prosecutor Lu's presence is as intimidating as ever,” Liu Mingliang said, breaking the silence. “Lu Zhixing is one of the top talents at our city procuratorate,” Sun Xiaomei said. “I heard he graduated from a university of political science and law and used to serve in the military before transferring to the procuratorate. “He's known for being extremely meticulous when handling cases. Whenever he's involved, the chain of evidence has to be airtight. We've had our case materials returned for supplementary investigation several times.” Liu Mingliang continued, “He's practically an old acquaintance around here. He's been the one handling coordination for most of the major cases over the past two years.” Sun Xiaomei leaned closer and lowered her voice mysteriously. “I heard… his father is a military officer.” She continued, “His mother is a middle school teacher. Just think about it. He's got a good family background, he's capable, and he looks like that…” She clicked her tongue twice and glanced toward the doorway, as if Lu Zhixing might suddenly return. “Plenty of women in our system have their eyes on him.” Su Man kept her head lowered as she flipped through the case files, but her ears had quietly perked up as she listened to Sun Xiaomei's gossip. “You know Liu from the sub-bureau, right? Every time there's a meeting, she finds an excuse to stand near him. And there's Zhou from the court. Last time she had to deliver some documents, she deliberately took a detour to the procuratorate just so she could exchange a few words with him.” Sun Xiaomei counted on her fingers, becoming more enthusiastic with every example. “And the result? He didn't pay attention to a single one of them.” Su Man couldn't help asking, “He's single?” “Completely single!” Sun Xiaomei slapped the desk before quickly lowering her voice again. “At least, I've never heard of him dating anyone. Gossip spreads so fast around here. If he had someone, we'd have known by now. That man is practically a monk. It's cases, cases, and more cases.” She leaned even closer and lowered her voice to a whisper. “I heard someone tried to set him up once. It was arranged by one of the senior women in the procuratorate's Political Department.” “The woman was also in the legal system. She was pretty, had a good family background, and was quite a catch. But guess what happened?” “He went. Sat there for half an hour. Kept this cold expression on his face and barely said a few words. The poor woman actually started wondering whether he'd taken a dislike to her!” Su Man couldn't help letting the corners of her lips curl upward. “You think it's funny too, don't you?” Sun Xiaomei laughed as well. “But seriously, he's just too cold. He's like a block of ice. I really wonder what kind of woman could ever melt him.” Su Man lowered her head and continued reading the case files, but her thoughts lingered on Sun Xiaomei's words. _Lu Zhixing._ She silently repeated his name. It was a rather nice name. _But I shouldn't let my thoughts run wild._ She quickly shook her head, clearing the distracting thoughts from her mind before returning her attention to the case files. “All right, everyone, back to work.” Zhao Gang clapped his hands. “Liu Mingliang, take Su Man to the machinery factory dormitory area. Let her get familiar with the surroundings, and see if you can find any witnesses while you're there.” “Yes.” Liu Mingliang nodded. Su Man stood up and straightened her police uniform. The light olive shirt looked particularly striking in the evening glow. As they left the office building, Liu Mingliang handed her a notebook. “Take this. For your notes. Let's start by visiting the building where Wang Lijuan lived.” The setting sun stretched their shadows long across the ground. Su Man followed Liu Mingliang, but her thoughts drifted elsewhere—the dark red silk fragment, the suspected machinery factory work uniform, and the strange emotional noise she had sensed that morning at the entrance to her residential compound, filled with voyeurism and twisted desire. _Could all of these things be connected?_ She didn't know the answer. But she had a feeling… This summer was destined to be anything but peaceful. The heat of summer had yet to fade, and the entire machinery factory dormitory area seemed to shimmer beneath the oppressive warmth. Su Man and Liu Mingliang were going door to door, questioning Wang Lijuan's neighbors. “The machinery factory has more than three thousand employees. Add all their families, and there must be over ten thousand people here,” Liu Mingliang said, wiping sweat from his forehead. “At this rate, we'll still be investigating when the Year of the Monkey rolls around.” “Fat Brother, don't you find something strange?” Su Man flipped through her interview notes. “The three victims were different in age, occupation, and place of residence. Their social circles didn't overlap either. So how did the killer choose them?” Liu Mingliang lit a cigarette. “Random targets? Or… maybe the killer has his own criteria for choosing victims.” Su Man fell into thought. Based on her experience, serial killers rarely chose their victims completely at random. There were usually common characteristics—appearance, occupation, behavioral patterns, or perhaps… some kind of symbolic significance. When they reached the building next to Wang Lijuan's, a crucial lead finally emerged. “I think I saw that person.” The elderly woman living in the neighboring building hesitated before speaking. “On the night of the murder, sometime around nine, I saw a man wandering around near our building. He was wearing dark clothes and looked pretty thin. About one meter seventy tall, I'd say. He kept his head down, so I couldn't see his face clearly.” “Did you notice anything distinctive about him?” Su Man quickly began taking notes. “Anything distinctive… Oh, yes!” The elderly woman suddenly remembered. “He walked strangely. His right foot seemed to drag a little.” She frowned as she recalled the scene. “I remember thinking at the time, ‘He's so young. How come he's already having trouble with his leg?’” _His right foot dragged._ Su Man carefully recorded the detail. After finishing their interviews, Su Man and Liu Mingliang rode their bicycles back to the bureau. The setting sun stretched their shadows across the road. People sat outside their homes in the evening cool, lazily waving palm fans, while the theme song from _Yearnings_ played from a nearby radio. After returning to the bureau, Su Man retrieved the interview records from the previous two cases. In the first case—the murder of laid-off female worker Li Xiuying—one neighbor had also mentioned seeing a man who “walked with a slight limp” in the area on the night of the murder. Su Man's heart began beating faster. “They didn't think that detail was important at the time?” “There were too many interview records, so that detail got buried,” Liu Mingliang explained. “If we hadn't compared your notes with the old records this time, we might have overlooked it again.” Su Man said, “Then this characteristic—the dragging right foot—is very important to us.” Liu Mingliang nodded. “Exactly. I'll report this to Captain Li.” He glanced at the darkening sky outside. “Things haven't been peaceful lately. It's not safe for a young woman to be out after dark. You should head home early.” Su Man nodded. “All right, Fat Brother. I'll be going, then.” By the time she reached the entrance of the machinery factory residential compound, the sky had already darkened. Su Man parked her bicycle in the compound's bicycle shed. “Manman, you're back!” Downstairs, Aunt Luo was sitting outside enjoying the evening cool, gently waving a palm-leaf fan as she smiled at her. Su Man smiled and called out, “Hello, Aunt Luo!” “Manman-jie!” At that moment, Zhou Xiaoxiao came bounding over in a pair of pink slippers, her ponytail swinging wildly with every step. Zhou Xiaoxiao had a pair of round, almond-shaped eyes. Whenever she smiled, the corners of her eyes lifted slightly, revealing two adorable dimples. She was lively and cheerful, with an unmistakably youthful energy about her. She lived directly across from Su Man and had grown up together with the original owner of this body. The two had always been very close. Unfortunately, Zhou Xiaoxiao’s biological mother, Feng Sufen, had passed away from illness a few years earlier. Less than six months after her death, Zhou Xiaoxiao’s father, Zhou Honglin, remarried Li Yunyun. Li Yunyun had brought her own daughter, Wang Xiaoli, into the marriage. After Zhou Xiaoxiao had suffered several setbacks at Wang Xiaoli’s hands, she developed a deep dislike for the mother and daughter. And it wasn’t without reason. In Su Man’s opinion, if Li Yunyun were described using modern terminology, she would be the ultimate “white lotus”—sweet and innocent on the surface, but manipulative underneath. In front of outsiders, she was always soft-spoken and gentle, every frown and smile carrying an air of delicate vulnerability. But behind closed doors, she subtly sowed discord and schemed against others at every opportunity. Fortunately, Zhou Xiaoxiao had a dependable older brother, Zhou Haibo. Otherwise, the mother and daughter might have taken advantage of her until there was nothing left. Zhou Xiaoxiao circled around Su Man once, her eyes widening. “Wow, Manman-jie, you look absolutely gorgeous today! If you weren’t wearing that uniform, who would think you were going to report for work? You look like you’re heading straight to a calendar photoshoot!” Her interruption made Su Man burst into laughter, and the fatigue she had accumulated from the day’s interviews seemed to disappear. “Ahhh, Manman-jie, you look even prettier when you smile! Heaven is seriously unfair! Why couldn’t I have been born this beautiful too?” Everyone around them burst out laughing at Zhou Xiaoxiao’s words. Su Man smiled. “Xiaoxiao, did you put honey on that little mouth of yours? How did you get so sweet? Have you eaten yet? If not, come upstairs and eat with us.” “No need, Manman-jie. I’ve already eaten. You’d better hurry home and have dinner.” After saying goodbye to everyone, Su Man hurried upstairs, taking three steps at a time. The door was slightly ajar, and the aroma of food had already slipped through the crack. “Mom, I’m home!” Su Man called cheerfully as she pushed open the door. “Ah!” Lin Huimin’s voice came from the kitchen, accompanied by the crisp clatter of a spatula against the wok. “Manman’s home! Go wash your hands. I made your favorite braised pork ribs today.” Su Man gave a little cheer and hurried over to hug her mother’s arm. “Thank you, Mom! You’re the best!” “Oh, Manman, let go! I haven’t even taken off my apron. It’s covered in oil.” Although Lin Huimin complained with her lips, the smile in her eyes was impossible to hide. Su Jianguo was carrying dishes out of the kitchen. He glanced at his daughter, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly before he quickly suppressed the smile and waved his hand. “Go wash your hands and eat.” The table was filled with dishes: braised pork ribs, clams mixed with cucumber, and a bowl of seaweed and egg-drop soup. Lin Huimin untied her apron and sat down. She first put a piece of ribs into Su Man’s bowl before asking, “How was your first day at work?” Su Man was chewing on a rib and answered vaguely, “Pretty good.” “Which department did they assign you to?” Su Jianguo asked. “The Criminal Investigation Unit.” Lin Huimin’s chopsticks paused. She glanced at her husband, then back at her daughter, her voice becoming softer. “Criminal investigation…” Su Man knew exactly what her mother wanted to say. She swallowed the meat and softened her voice. “Mom, don’t worry. Everyone on our team is really nice. Besides, I’m a newcomer. The captain said I’ll just follow them around for a while, go to crime scenes, and get familiar with the work. He won’t let me rush to the front.” “But even so…” Su Jianguo coughed lightly and said, “Our Manman knows what she’s doing. Besides, no matter where she’s assigned, she’s serving the people. Every position is honorable.” Lin Huimin was momentarily at a loss for words. After a while, she put another piece of ribs into her daughter’s bowl and muttered, “Fine, fine, fine. I can’t win against you two.” The room fell quiet for a few seconds. Only the faint clinking of chopsticks and bowls could be heard. Then Lin Huimin suddenly sighed. “Oh, right,” she said, putting down her chopsticks. “Did you two hear? Wang Lijuan from the third workshop… something happened to her today.” Su Man’s chopsticks paused. The speed at which news traveled through the residential compound was truly astonishing. Su Jianguo also looked up. “I heard. The whole factory was talking about it this afternoon.” “What exactly happened?” Lin Huimin frowned. “I ran into her outside the hospital a few days ago. She was wearing a new dress and showing it off to me. She said she’d had someone bring it back from Shanghai. “That girl really loved beautiful clothes. Among all the young women at the factory, she was probably the most fashionable.” Su Man said nothing, but the image of the overwhelming smell of blood from that afternoon flashed through her mind. Su Jianguo glanced at his daughter and pushed the plate of ribs closer to her. “Eat your food.” Lin Huimin continued murmuring, “…She was only twenty-three, wasn’t she? What a shame.” “All right,” Su Jianguo interrupted her. “Manman just got home. Don’t keep talking about things like that.” Lin Huimin came back to her senses and quickly waved her hand. “Right, right. We won’t talk about it. Manman, have some soup. It’s getting cold.” Su Man snapped out of her thoughts and lowered her head, taking a sip of the soup. Her mother had added a little sesame oil to the seaweed and egg-drop soup, giving it a wonderfully fragrant aroma. Outside the window, the dim yellow glow of the streetlights filtered through the gauze screen, casting long shadows across the floor. Suddenly, Su Man spoke, her voice firm. “Dad, Mom, don’t worry. No matter how well the murderer hides, we’ll catch him.” Su Jianguo nodded. “That’s right, Manman. Those girls are pitiful. It’s up to you police officers to seek justice for them. Go ahead and investigate. You don’t need to worry about things at home. We’ll always be behind you.” Lin Huimin reached out and gently stroked the back of her daughter’s hand. Her eyes were filled with both worry and pride. “Mom knows you’re capable, and that you carry justice in your heart. But when you’re handling a case, you must be careful. Nothing matters more than coming home safely.” Su Man smiled and held her mother’s hand. “Don’t worry, Mom and Dad. I know what I’m doing. I’ll protect myself while investigating the case. But I have to find the murderer and give the victims the justice they deserve.”