Volume One, Chapter 18: Not Missing, But Dismembered

When Ye Lin and the others arrived, Zhang Jun was at home, being interviewed by a television station. “I don’t really know what happened. There was just a bit of bickering earlier, but that’s normal for couples. We’ve argued before too,” he said.

“Who would have thought that when I woke up, she was gone—and her phone disappeared too.”

“Look, the police officers are here as well. They know the latest updates.”

Zhang Jun, annoyed by the reporters, quickly ushered He Xinmin and Ye Lin outside.

The reporters from the Minsheng Channel of Yuezhou TV immediately turned their microphones toward Old He. He hurriedly straightened up.

“Uh, the case is still under investigation. No comment for now.”

“What exactly is the police focusing on now? Can you confirm that she’s still in Yuezhou? Is there a chance she’s been harmed? Could this be the work of a roaming criminal?”

The reporters bombarded Old He with questions, leaving him dumbfounded. He had only been called back this morning and wasn’t privy to such details. Trapped by the reporters and unwilling to offend these unofficial kings of the media, he could only respond evasively.

Ye Lin, however, did not want to be like Old He. He slipped swiftly into Zhang Jun’s home.

The apartment was a two-bedroom, one-living-room unit, allocated to Zhang Jun’s wife, Qu Xiaoli, through a housing relocation scheme.

Zhang Jun was an outsider, while Qu Xiaoli was a local. After marriage, although Zhang Jun wasn’t technically a live-in son-in-law, it was almost the same—they both lived in the wife’s relocation housing.

Zhang Jun earned a modest living through small trades, barely making enough.

A few years ago, Qu Xiaoli retired and began enjoying a happy retirement life at home with her close friends. Zhang Jun retired just last year.

They had a daughter who was already married and didn’t live there.

Their retirement was supposed to be peaceful—until this unexpected incident occurred.

These basic details were briefly introduced by Zhang Degen during the department’s morning meeting.

After dealing with the reporters, Zhang Jun sat alone in the room, smoking quietly, his face etched with worry.

It seemed these past few days had been quite distressing for him.

Old He finally managed to send two reporters away and came over.

“Old Zhang, why’d you go to the reporters when your wife went missing? Shouldn’t you have gone straight to the police?”

Old He, being an old acquaintance, complained straightforwardly.

Zhang Jun looked sorrowful and handed Old He a cigarette. “He, I didn’t want to. I had no choice. If I had known, I wouldn’t have argued with her. Sigh.”

“I thought if I just gave way, everything would be fine. It’s been three days, and I don’t even know if she’s okay.”

The honest man’s voice cracked as tears welled up.

They say a man’s tears can be more piercing than a woman’s. Ye Lin felt that for the first time.

Several neighbors gathered as well. “Old Zhang, don’t panic. We’ll all look together. There’s no way we won’t find her.”

“Yeah, Yuezhou isn’t that big.”

“And there are so many police officers searching too, it’ll be fine.”

Ye Lin silently encouraged himself. He had to live up to the hopes of the people.

The layout of the two-bedroom apartment was clear. One bedroom was theirs; the bed covers were messy, showing that since his wife left, Zhang Jun hadn’t bothered to tidy up.

On the main bedroom wall hung their wedding photo—somewhat aged, but it was apparent they had been a handsome couple.

In the photo, Qu Xiaoli appeared quite sturdy and wasn’t any shorter than Zhang Jun.

The guest bedroom was simple, with a single bed and some miscellaneous items, nothing else of note.

The kitchen was small but surprisingly clean—the floor and countertops spotless, contrasting with the disorderly bedroom.

Ye Lin excused himself to use the bathroom. The small space had wet and dry separation—a shower room and a toilet.

Like the kitchen, the floor was immaculate; even the tile grout was spotless, without a single hair.

Ye Lin quietly activated the “Howling Skyhound’s Nose” device.

A faint sniff revealed a strong smell of disinfectant that made him cough, mingled with a subtle metallic tinge of blood.

Sure enough, something was amiss—there had clearly been a large amount of fresh blood cleaned up here.

Without a sound, Ye Lin moved toward the kitchen.

There, a faint scent of blood lingered.

Ye Lin pinpointed an unremarkable, thick-bladed kitchen knife—the blood odor emanated from it.

Judging by the intensity, the bathroom’s blood scent was stronger.

A bold guess formed in Ye Lin’s mind.

He tugged at He Xinmin, signaling to return to the station together. Old He, unsure of the situation, comforted Zhang Jun briefly before leaving.

“Master, let’s head back to the station,” Ye Lin said solemnly.

Old He was confused. “What’s wrong? We still need to continue the interviews. Why go back now?”

“Just come with me,” Ye Lin insisted, firmly pulling He Xinmin along.

The station was now empty, with only Chief Xie and two officers on duty.

Chief Xie stood before the large map of their jurisdiction, drawing something continuously.

“No trace at home, none in the neighborhood, no surveillance footage. Where could she have gone?” Chief Xie murmured.

“As soon as I came in, I went straight to Chief Xie.

“Speak.”

“Could it be possible that Zhang Jun killed his wife?” Ye Lin dropped the bombshell directly.

Old He, who was sipping tea, spat it out with a “pfft.”

“Xiao Ye, don’t say things like that lightly. The couple seemed to have a good relationship. Besides, just look at how sad Zhang Jun was earlier—is that an act?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Even a guess needs some basis; making wild accusations is a big no-no for a cop.”

Old He solemnly lectured Ye Lin.

Chief Xie was less direct, understanding that Ye Lin was young and eager. He was more tactful:

“Xiao Ye, I know you want to contribute to the station.”

“But grassroots policing isn’t like the movies—there aren’t many mysterious cases.”

“Most are pretty straightforward, like this missing person case. The station has handled similar before. It may seem strange now, like no one can find her, but when the truth comes out, it’s often something simple.”

“It’s good to think boldly, but you have to consider things carefully.”

Ye Lin listened patiently to the advice from his two seniors.

He understood they spoke truthfully and shared valuable experience—things he needed to learn for the future.

“Chief, Master, there’s a blood smell,” Ye Lin said.

“What do you mean?” Chief Xie asked.

“I went to Zhang Jun’s house earlier. The bedroom was messy, which is normal chaos, but the kitchen and bathroom were spotless—clearly cleaned thoroughly.”

“In the bathroom, I smelled disinfectant and blood. The kitchen had a faint blood odor, too.”

Ye Lin recounted everything slowly.

“That can’t be. I went there earlier and didn’t notice anything,” He Xinmin doubted.