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“Officer, what I just said is the truth. We really picked up this vehicle; it doesn’t belong to us,” Chen Zhanliang said earnestly.

“You say you picked it up, but how can you prove that?”

“I... I...”

Chen Zhanliang thought for a moment. “Yesterday, when I found the electric tricycle, Sun Minjie from our village was nearby as well. He was the second person to see it. I even gave him a hundred yuan to keep quiet about it.”

“Where does Sun Minjie live?” Han Bin asked.

“Right at the east end of the village, the house opposite the gas station. There’s a utility pole in front of his door,” Chen Zhanliang replied.

“I’ll go ask him,” Zhao Ming said, then walked out of the yard.

“Where did you find the vehicle?” Han Bin pressed on.

Chen Zhanliang recalled, “If you walk north from the east end of the village, there’s a two-meter-wide dirt road. My field is right in that area. The electric tricycle was parked beside it. It was already there when I arrived, and it was still there after I finished my work.”

“So, you just stole the vehicle and brought it back.”

“It wasn’t stealing; it was picking it up,” Chen Zhanliang protested, raising his wrist and pointing toward the front of the electric tricycle. “The key was in the ignition, and it wasn’t locked at all. I thought the owner abandoned it, so I drove it home.”

A rapid clatter of footsteps sounded as Zeng Ping entered with officers from the local police station.

“Well, caught them, have we?”

“Captain Zeng,” everyone greeted him.

“Sir, I’ve been wronged! I really wasn’t involved in the kidnapping case!” Chen Zhanliang called out.

Zeng Ping beckoned Han Bin aside. “What’s going on?”

Han Bin gave a brief summary.

“Do you think these two are connected to the case?” Zeng Ping asked.

“It’s unlikely. I’ve sent Zhao Ming to confirm their story,” Han Bin replied.

“In that case, since he claims the electric tricycle was found, let’s have him take us to the scene and see if we can find any clues,” Zeng Ping suggested.

“Yes, sir,” Han Bin agreed.

...

The group set off toward the east end of the village. Halfway there, Zhao Ming called to confirm that Sun Minjie had indeed witnessed Chen Zhanliang picking up the vehicle. Both men described the same location, and their statements matched.

Guided by Chen Zhanliang, the group arrived at a small path at the village’s eastern edge.

“This is my field. The electric tricycle was only thirty or forty meters from here,” he said.

“Everyone else wait here. Han Bin, let’s go take a look,” Zeng Ping instructed.

“Yes, sir.”

Following the direction Chen Zhanliang indicated, Han Bin and Zeng Ping hadn’t walked far along the path before they spotted the traces left by the electric tricycle’s wheels. Since some time had passed, the tire marks were partially obliterated.

They followed the tracks for about thirty meters until the marks disappeared completely.

Both men wore shoe covers. Han Bin surveyed the area—there were many footprints, large and small, clear and overlapping, left by at least four or five people.

Among them, two parallel marks, each about the width of a finger, caught Han Bin’s eye. “Captain Zeng, don’t these look like suitcase tracks?”

Zeng Ping examined them. “Possibly. On the smooth part of the path, there are two finger-width, parallel impressions. On rougher ground, there’s a sixty-centimeter-wide drag mark.”

Following the traces, they entered a watermelon field. Unlike the dirt road, there was much less interference here.

They could still see a row of footprints, likely left as the suspect dragged the suitcase.

They continued for another forty or fifty meters until both the footprints and the suitcase tracks vanished, as though everything ended there.

They stopped to look around.

Han Bin pointed ahead. “Captain Zeng, the soil over there looks like it’s been disturbed.”

“Ah…” Zeng Ping sighed. “I’ll notify the technical team and forensics. You lead the others around from another direction—don’t disturb the suspect’s tracks.”

“Understood,” Han Bin nodded.

...

An hour later, Zheng Kaixuan arrived on site with his team.

Under Zeng Ping’s direction, they dug up a black suitcase.

Zeng Ping gave a brief account of the situation, then handed the scene over to the technical and forensic teams.

After photographing and collecting evidence, including some nearby soil, the technical team opened the black suitcase. A foul stench wafted out—a small, thin woman was packed inside.

Her clothes were gone. Her body had been contorted into an unnatural position to fit into the suitcase.

Zhao Ming leaned in, comparing photos for a long time. “It’s He Yan.”

“How long has she been dead?” Zheng Kaixuan asked.

Forensic Doctor Wu crouched down, carefully inspecting and palpating the body. “The corpse is stiff, maggots have appeared, and the abdomen is rotting and discolored. Rough estimate: about forty hours.”

“How did she die?”

Doctor Wu examined the victim’s jaw. “From the visible injuries, she was strangled. Further confirmation will require an autopsy.”

“Any signs of sexual assault before death?”

“No obvious signs of sexual penetration. Whether there was sexual activity will require further examination,” Doctor Wu replied.

“Let me know what you find,” Zheng Kaixuan said, then stepped aside. “Tian Li, inform the victim’s family to identify the body.”

“Yes, sir.”

...

An hour later.

Qindao Branch Bureau, Group 2’s office.

Li Hui gulped down a glass of water, flopped into a chair, and sighed. “After all our efforts, we still couldn’t save her.”

“It’s not our fault. The victim had already been dead for forty hours. We only got the report a little over twenty hours ago, so she died before anyone called the police,” Zhao Ming analyzed.

“That may be true, but it’s still disappointing,” Tian Li said.

“She has a child. Imagine how heartbroken they’ll be when they hear,” Li Hui added.

“All right, enough sentimentality. Instead of sighing, let’s focus on catching the suspect,” Zheng Kaixuan said, entering the office and pouring himself some tea.

“Captain Zheng, did last night’s stakeout spot the suspect?” Zeng Ping asked.

“No,” Zheng Kaixuan shook his head. “After today, the chances of a successful stakeout drop sharply.”

“I just visited forensics. They found white genetic material inside the victim,” Zeng Ping reported.

“That’s helpful,” Zhao Ming commented.

“We now have evidence for conviction,” Li Hui said with a smile.

“Don’t get too excited yet. We need to find the suspect first. If he flees Qindao, goes into hiding for three or five years, what are we supposed to do?” Zheng Kaixuan grumbled.

“Captain Zheng is right. It’s been a while since the crime; the suspect may have already fled,” Zeng Ping said, worry etched on his face.

“Any other leads?”

“Footprints, and the phone number,” Han Bin answered.

“Bin, any progress with the footprints?” Zheng Kaixuan pressed.

“Male suspect, early twenties, about 1.75 meters tall.”

“And the phone number?”

“The police in Pengcheng contacted me this morning. They’ll visit the Bubble Company headquarters today and have the company’s manager get in touch,” Han Bin replied.

“Push them to move faster. If the suspect leaves Qindao, we’ll need to locate him by tracking his phone.”

“Yes, sir.”

Half an hour later, Han Bin’s phone rang. It was a call from an unknown number in Pengcheng...