Chapter 130: Overnight in the Snowbound Village

By the time we returned to the village, night had already fallen. The clouds overhead finally gave way, releasing thick flurries of snow, blanketing everything. It looked like this snowfall would last for hours. As soon as we got back, the Village Chief hurried to arrange a courtyard house for us.

The main house was split into two suites. Since Guan Zengbin was a young woman, she naturally got a room to herself while the three of us men squeezed into the other. Thankfully, the bed was more than big enough for all three. The only problem—none of us knew how to work the coal stove.

Luckily, Captain Zhou grew up in a rural village and knew exactly what to do. In no time, he had both stoves burning bright in our rooms. “You city folk probably haven’t even seen coal stoves like these,” Captain Zhou remarked, glancing our way. “Pretty soon, these’ll be history. Give it a few years and they’ll be gone for good.”

As we talked, we were already stretched out on the bed.

But it was only a little after seven, way too early for people our age who never sleep before one. Trying to fall asleep now felt like torture, so we ended up chatting to pass the time. Captain Zhou was especially invested in the case and kept peppering me with questions.

“I don’t think this case is as simple as it seems. If the killer was really a butcher, someone like that would stick out in this village,” Captain Zhou said. “Is it possible the killer’s deliberately disguising themselves as a butcher?”

Lying on my back, I stared at the ceiling, listening to Captain Zhou’s reasoning. He was serious, and his logic was on point. Maybe the killer was imitating someone else’s method, trying to send us down the wrong path right from the start.

“That’s possible,” I answered earnestly. “The killer might not be a butcher at all. Maybe they saw a case somewhere with a butcher as the murderer and decided to copy the technique.”

“Copycat murder?” Gu Chen asked.

I tugged at my hair, thinking aloud. “People copy murders to pay tribute to the killers they admire. But in a place like this, would there really be such a copycat? It reminds me of crazed celebrity fans—no matter what their idols do right or wrong, they stay loyal. Say one word against their idol, and you’re instantly their enemy.”

They both responded with a quiet “mm.”

I continued, “It’s just like those die-hard fans. Some serial killers have them too—people who mimic their murder methods. Even now, there are folks who try to replicate Jack the Ripper’s techniques, more than a hundred twenty years later.”

Captain Zhou shook his head. “It’s hard to imagine anyone in this village would get that obsessed. Yumu City hasn’t even had a murder in years. Accidents and suicides are rare, too. If someone like that did exist here in Tougouzi Village, they probably wouldn’t have waited till now to strike.”

I closed my eyes and said quietly, “But if the killer was just an ordinary person, why go to such extremes to mutilate the victim’s arms and legs? So far, we’ve only found an arm and a leg—the rest of the body parts are still missing.”

Gu Chen asked, “Do you think the next body part will turn up in a different way? And what about the other arm and leg? Will they be disposed of differently too?”

Gu Chen’s words painted a new picture in my mind.

I imagined the victim tied to a bed, helpless and unable to struggle. To the left stood a butcher gripping a bloodstained, blunt knife. On the right, a hunter with a dog at his side.

The thought jolted me. If that’s really what we’re up against, this case is far more severe than we thought. Judging from the evidence, maybe there are two killers: a butcher and a hunter, one dismembering the body while the other disposes of the parts.

That way, they could dump several body parts in a short time.

But the most brutal murder cases often end up being the work of just one person. Even serial killers hate the idea of being caught. Some of them send taunting letters, but that’s just for show—not because they actually want to be arrested.

Two killers would be far less stable than one—who knows when one might betray the other?

Gu Chen’s suggestion reminded me that focusing too much on a single person was risky, but if two people really worked together to kill, that was just as unreliable.

I was caught in a fog—was it one person with too many killer traits, or two people colluding to murder the victim?

I shook my head. It was impossible to say for sure.

I sighed. “The Village Chief will gather everyone tomorrow, so we’ll have a chance to see if anyone acts suspicious. But it’s already the third day, and we still don’t have even the most basic information—we don’t even know who the victim is.”

Captain Zhou rested his arm behind his head. “Yeah, people come and go in Tougouzi Village. Most villagers are disabled, and outsiders almost never come here. But Yumu City’s so small, they never even got around to putting everyone’s info online.”

A gust of wind howled outside, startling me. I peeked through the curtains; snowflakes piled up on the windowsill, covering the older snow. It looked like the snow might fall all night. I couldn’t help worrying. By morning, the whole place would be blanketed in white, wiping out any traces.

I curled under the quilt again and asked, “So, you mean all the info isn’t online yet?”

Captain Zhou nodded. “Right. I remember twenty years ago, everything was still on paper. It wasn’t until the 21st century, when the internet took off, that we started uploading those records.”

I wasn’t even born twenty years ago—I was still in my mom’s belly back then.

Captain Zhou continued, “A lot of the data wasn’t even verified. People could change their age or ethnicity at will. There was no strict screening. But I’ll admit, once the internet boom hit, catching fugitives got a lot easier.”

Gu Chen laughed. “But Captain Zhou, you’re in your forties and we’ve been in Yumu City for three months—haven’t heard you mention getting married or anything. Didn’t you have a local girlfriend, that girl Xiaomei? Haven’t seen you talk to her in a while. I mean, come on, you’re not getting any younger.”

I perked up to listen. Captain Zhou gave a heavy sigh. “Who knows what’s up with me? Maybe I’ve made her mad. My phone’s been dead silent for a week.”

He pulled out his call log to show us.

Sleeping next to him, I craned my neck for a look. Sure enough, the last caller was me.

Gu Chen sat up to check too. “Looks like you’re out of luck, Captain Zhou. I’m not trying to be mean, but I think you got dumped. I mean, your girlfriend? She’s a real beauty. How old was she again?”

“She’s thirty,” Captain Zhou replied.

Gu Chen clapped his hands. “See? She’s a decade younger. There’s room for plenty of problems. If you don’t keep in touch, you might get blocked just like that. If I’m right, you’ll be crying to us soon enough.”

“That can’t be,” Captain Zhou protested. “I’ve got a case to work…”

I grinned. “Having a case is just an excuse. Look, you’ve got all night—why not give her a call?”

After enough heckling from me and Gu Chen, Captain Zhou, usually so tough for a guy his age, finally blushed and gave in. He called his girlfriend, and we made him put it on speaker. His cheeks were red, but whether from embarrassment or something else, who could say?

No one answered. Finally, a woman’s voice came through: “Sorry, the number you’ve dialed is busy. Please try again later.”

Captain Zhou’s face fell, the sadness and resignation plain in his eyes. Gu Chen and I, who’d been laughing, suddenly didn’t know what to say.

Maybe Gu Chen’s joking prediction came true—Captain Zhou really had been blocked.

Gu Chen mumbled, “I remember Xiaomei used to stick to you all the time. She clearly liked you. I was just joking earlier.”

Captain Zhou looked at us, his lips twitching as if he wanted to say something.

At last, he spoke. “Gu Chen, Wu Meng, there’s something I want to tell you…”

I waved it off. “Forget it. There are plenty of women out there—why get hung up on just one flower?”

“No, that’s not it,” Captain Zhou shook his head.

“Stop thinking about it. Let’s get some sleep,” Gu Chen said.

No one said anything more.