HH Chapter 94

“Excuse me, sir, do you know Qin Nan?” Chen Xiaonuan asked an elderly man.

The old man was hard of hearing, so Chen Xiaonuan had to repeat the question several times before he understood. She called out, “Captain Cheng, Qin Nan’s house is back there.”

She then walked ahead. The road was rough and uneven. When they reached Qin Nan’s house, they found it empty, showing no signs of recent habitation other than the musty smell of old wood.

With the help of search dogs, they quickly discovered a hidden cellar behind the house. When they opened it, a wave of putrid stench surged out, causing the search dogs to back away and some of the younger officers to gag.

Cheng Ye, wearing two layers of masks, climbed down the ladder. As soon as his flashlight illuminated the interior, even he, who had seen many corpses, almost vomited from the sight.

The bodies inside were in various stages of decomposition, some so badly decayed they were unrecognizable. Despite the coolness of the cellar, the summer heat had accelerated the decomposition. The most decayed body had bones partially exposed.

Yan Ya, who followed closely behind, leaned against the wall, taking a moment to steady herself. During the examination, she had to turn away several times to keep from vomiting.

The skin of the bodies had turned grayish-white, decomposing into a web-like pattern that exposed bones. Some parts of the skin, especially around the eyes, were infested with fat maggots. The girls’ limbs were twisted in grotesque positions, with broken bones almost completely decomposed.

At first, Yan Ya thought the decomposition was the cause, but upon closer inspection, she found that the internal organs of the bodies were almost completely removed.

Hearing this, Pei Qinghuai walked over. He lifted one of the corpses’ arms slightly and saw a clear letter carved on the inner side of the arm.

Pei Qinghuai examined several more bodies before turning to Cheng Ye. “Their methods have evolved.”

Suddenly, Yan Ya heard breathing from a corner. Her heart skipped a beat, and she ran toward the sound. There, in the corner, was a person huddled up. The area around her was relatively clean, with a white mattress that looked newly placed. The girl was weakly half-sitting on the mattress, one foot completely ruined, with maggots eating away at the decayed flesh.

“Sun Xiaoyu!” Yan Ya gently supported the girl’s head. “Sun Xiaoyu? Can you hear me?”

The girl slowly opened her eyes. Upon seeing the change in her surroundings, tears that had been held back for days streamed down her face. “Police…?”