HH Chapter 28

Looking at Cheng Ye, who was deep in thought, Pei Qinghuai spoke up: “It can’t be the same person, that one was already executed, but we can’t rule out the possibility of a copycat.”

Cheng Ye glanced at Pei Qinghuai, then turned his gaze to Yan Ya and asked, “Any other findings?”

“Yes, the victim has struggle marks on the neck and the back of the knees, but they’re very faint. And there’s something else strange—I found a piece of skin missing from the victim’s body. Look.” Yan Ya frowned and said, “It’s a neatly cut piece of skin, located a bit lower on the back. It’s clearly caused by human factors.”

Just as Yan Ya finished speaking, Pei Qinghuai suddenly stood up, eyes fixed on the piece of removed skin. Before Cheng Ye could speak, Pei Qinghuai turned and ran out. Cheng Ye and the others exchanged looks for a second, then Cheng Ye followed him out.

“Where are you going?” Cheng Ye stopped him and asked.

Pei Qinghuai’s eyes flashed with panic, which he quickly suppressed: “To the scene. I want to find something.”

“I’ll go with you,” Cheng Ye said. “Wait for me.”

Pei Qinghuai stood by the roadside, unconsciously picking at his thumb, frowning. That case had been closed seven years ago, the culprit was long caught. How…

“Ah…” Pei Qinghuai gasped in pain and shook his hand.

“Get in the car, what are you daydreaming about?” Cheng Ye lowered the car window and said.

Pei Qinghuai responded with an “Oh,” and got in the car. Just a few seconds after sitting down, his thoughts wandered off again. Cheng Ye asked several questions in a row, but Pei Qinghuai only responded with “Hmm” or “Oh.”

“Pei Qinghuai!” Cheng Ye called out.

“Huh?” Pei Qinghuai snapped back. “What? I’m listening.”

Cheng Ye adjusted the steering wheel and asked, “What were you thinking about, so lost in thought?”

Pei Qinghuai smiled: “Nothing, just random thoughts.”

Cheng Ye raised an eyebrow but said nothing more, steering the conversation back on track: “What are you looking for at the scene?”

Seeing Cheng Ye’s persistent questioning, Pei Qinghuai paused for a few seconds before answering: “Letters.”

“Letters?” Cheng Ye was stunned for a few seconds, his expression changing from calm to surprised. “Are you talking about the 327 case from a few years ago?” His tone rose.

“Yes.” Pei Qinghuai leaned back, looking at the overly surprised Cheng Ye. “What’s the matter?” he asked.

“Were you involved in the case?” Cheng Ye asked his question first.

“I was, but I quit in the end.” Pei Qinghuai answered truthfully.

Cheng Ye became excited, a spark of light in his eyes. The 327 case had been a sensational nationwide event. It involved a well-organized crime group that took pleasure in stealing or harvesting victims’ organs. The officers who worked on that case became examples for cautionary tales. Cheng Ye had heard about it so much his ears felt numb.

He realized he was in the presence of an expert, gripping the steering wheel tightly. “Do you know about the ‘Female Corpse Butterfly Case’? It was said that it took almost half a year to solve.”

Cheng Ye wanted to say more but was cut off by Pei Qinghuai, who leaned back in his seat, looking out the window. “I know. That was the case I quit.”

He paused. “The victim was my sister.”

Instantly, the charged atmosphere in the car plummeted. Cheng Ye’s smile twitched and disappeared. Uncomfortably fiddling with the steering wheel, he cleared his throat and apologized, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

“No need to apologize.” Pei Qinghuai smirked. “It was the last case, after all. It’s normal to be concerned. What do you want to ask?”

Cheng Ye felt a bit uneasy, pressing down on the accelerator a bit harder. “Never mind, we’ll be at the scene soon. Let’s talk about this case next time.” Pei Qinghuai shrugged, saying nothing.

The once-bustling snack street was now almost entirely shut down for rectification. The trash cans behind the snack street still emitted a pungent odor, with black grease slowly oozing on the walls and ground.

“Which trash can was the body found in?” Pei Qinghuai turned and asked.

“The one on your left.” Cheng Ye walked up to Pei Qinghuai.

As soon as he spoke, Pei Qinghuai put on gloves and approached the trash can, searching for something inside. Cheng Ye squatted down, peeking into the trash can with a look of disgust. “Do you think they’ll leave the letters here?”

Pei Qinghuai shook his head: “I’m not sure, but based on their modus operandi, they initially throw the letters in your face. Later on, the letters get harder to find, so they are often mistaken for copycat crimes.”

Cheng Ye was startled: “What about this time?”

This time, what’s going on? The task force had long been disbanded. They just happened to come across this case. Logically, if it were really the same perpetrators, the letters should be obvious to the first officers on the scene.

Pei Qinghuai’s eyes flashed with a glint, his hands slowing their search. “There are two possibilities. One, I’m overthinking it. Two…” He looked up at Cheng Ye, his smile a mix of sarcasm and surprise. “It’s aimed at me.”

Cheng Ye swallowed, putting on gloves: “I actually hope it’s the first.” He then began searching the wall behind the trash can.

An hour passed. The small scene had been thoroughly searched. Cheng Ye turned to Pei Qinghuai: “Congratulations, it’s the first possibility.”

Pei Qinghuai glanced at Cheng Ye, then at himself. Recalling how they had both been busy earlier, one rummaging through the trash can, the other feeling the walls, he laughed, raising his dirty hands. “Anyone who didn’t know might think we’re dealing with gutter oil.”

Cheng Ye snorted: “Let’s go back to the station. Erbao should have finished reviewing the surveillance footage.”

“Okay.” Pei Qinghuai smiled slightly. Just as he turned to leave, his gaze was drawn to a cat in the distant corner.

Pei Qinghuai walked over, squatting down, and froze. Cheng Ye sensed something was wrong and approached, asking, “What’s wrong?”

“The letter appeared.” Pei Qinghuai moved the cat aside, revealing a red mark in the corner.

Cheng Ye immediately perked up, bending down to take a closer look. The letter in the corner was a capital ‘R’, small and painted in red. Having only heard about the case, Cheng Ye didn’t feel much at first, but now, a strange sense of eeriness washed over him.

As soon as they got in the car, Cheng Ye called Zhang Deli: “Director Zhang, the 327 case has reappeared.”

Zhang Deli’s hand holding the water cup froze. Outside, the sky was gloomy. He twisted the lid back on: “Come back, we’ll talk.”