Chapter 137: An Ambush in the Snow

I shared everything I knew with the group, then said, “It all depends on the lab results now. If they line up, then…”

I paused for a moment. “Then there’s no doubt—the victim has to be Luo Sumei.”

Going by all the evidence so far, I was almost certain the victim was Luo Sumei. But with Captain Zhou standing here, I couldn’t state it so definitively. Maybe it was better to offer him a sliver of hope, even if that hope was barely there. At least then he could come to grips with the truth himself.

After all, not everyone can accept the truth so easily.

Maybe hoping to get Captain Zhou’s mind off everything, Guan Zengbin grumbled, “This is taking forever. Back in Dongxing City, we got results in an hour. Now it’s already been three days and there’s still nothing from the first batch we sent for testing.”

Captain Zhou was still clearly grieving, but he seemed better than before. He stood up, gave us a small smile, and started working on the stove. “No matter what, life goes on. It’s freezing in here—why didn’t any of you remind me to light the fire?”

Watching Captain Zhou skillfully stoke the fire, I couldn’t help but feel a twist of guilt. He’d just lost someone so important to him, but still, he made sure we were warm. If it were anyone else, I doubt they’d even have the energy to lift a finger. His thoughtfulness ran deep.

Someone as good as him—Luo Sumei’s loss felt all the more tragic.

When no one spoke, Captain Zhou picked up where Guan Zengbin left off. “Honestly, our city here in Yumu is just too small. They have to send everything out for testing, and we get bumped to the end of the line. We just have to wait our turn.”

Guan Zengbin shrugged, sighing. “Just doesn’t seem very efficient.”

Captain Zhou replied, “It’s just the way it is. No use complaining. I don’t know why you all got sent here, but I bet the pay’s not great in this place.”

Money stuff never mattered to me. I didn’t even know how much was left in my own account. I ate at work most days and rarely bought anything for myself. I figured my situation was pretty decent compared to many.

Gu Chen shook his head. “You only earn as much as you’re worth. If you make more you’ll spend more, make less you’ll spend less. Back in Dongxing City, you might get higher pay but everything costs a fortune—a bowl of noodles goes for twenty yuan, but here you get a giant beef noodle bowl for just ten, and it’s packed full.”

Captain Zhou sighed, “You’re still young, Gu Chen. One day, you’ll see—there’s a lot more weighing on your shoulders than just yourself. Why do so many people flock to big cities? It’s not like they don’t realize that higher pay comes with higher prices.”

He shook his head. “That’s not why. Sure, a bowl of noodles might be twenty, but a pack of instant noodles costs the same no matter where you are. At the end of the month, compared to folks here in smaller cities, you still take home an extra thousand. In some places, that thousand means everything.”

Talking about money always seemed to stir something in him. “Like, say, fifty thousand—do you think I’ll ever earn that in my whole life here? With all my salary, benefits, and allowances, I barely bring home three thousand a month. To save up fifty thousand, I’d have to work fourteen years without spending a cent. But what in life doesn’t cost money?”

“Let’s say I manage to save a thousand a month.” He looked almost worked up. “That’d take forty years!”

They say even a hero is stumped by money problems, and Captain Zhou had clearly faced his share. I remembered Liu Yinyan back in Dongxing City telling me how ten million would only buy him a bathroom-sized condo there. People are strange like that.

After Captain Zhou got the stove running, we spent the whole night in silence.

The next morning we got up, washed up quickly, and got ready for the day.

There was no snowfall last night, so the killer didn’t make a move. We took the chance to finally sleep well for once, but looking at the sky, it seemed snow was on the way.

Like always, we headed to the old Village Chief’s place for breakfast. On the way, we bumped into Sun Kangning and his dad.

“Where are you off to, little guy?” My spirits brightened as soon as I saw lively Sun Kangning—he swept away that gloomy feeling the case had left behind.

Sun Kangning spotted me and grinned. “We’re going to play chess with Uncle Li! Since bad guys hurt Uncle Li’s eyes, I’m being his eyes for him now.”

“So Uncle Li must be really awesome then?” I asked with a laugh.

Sun Kangning nodded seriously. “Yeah, even though he can’t see at all, it’s like he sees everything anyway. He even makes lunch for himself.”

He turned and asked, “Are you guys going to stay here a long time, like last time?”

“Last time?” I wasn’t sure what he meant.

Sun Kangning pointed at Captain Zhou. “Yeah. This uncle used to come over a lot. Sometimes he’d even stay here, but not for this long before.”

Captain Zhou smiled and patted Sun Kangning’s head. “That’s right, your Village Chief grandpa and I are old friends. Just like how you look out for Uncle Li, I care about your grandpa too.”

Sun Kangning asked with wide eyes, “Are you Grandpa Village Chief’s eyes too?”

We laughed and waved goodbye to Sun Kangning, then headed into the old Village Chief’s house.

Over breakfast, I chatted with the others. “Hey, Village Chief, you and Captain Zhou must be at least ten years apart. How’d you get to be such good friends? I remember the first time I came to Tougouzi Village, Captain Zhou kept talking about you.”

The old Village Chief took a sip of porridge and looked over at Captain Zhou. “Well, our village is a bit… special. Most folks wouldn’t want to come here. But after Captain Zhou visited once, he kept coming back. He’s a good man. He knows things aren’t easy for our villagers, and he often brings people over to help out.”

Captain Zhou waved his hand. “Yumu City is so peaceful—decades without a single murder. I come here to lend a hand, that’s all.”

Seeing Captain Zhou’s genuine smile, we couldn’t help but smile back. Still, even though he came to Tougouzi Village so often, the villagers never seemed all that warm to him. If he was so approachable and helpful, it didn’t add up that the villagers acted so cold.

The whole day passed uneventfully.

Towards dusk, Mary messaged me on WeChat. I went through her texts one by one.

Mary let me know they’d tracked Luo Sumei’s phone number. Her last call was four days ago, at noon. That meant the last person who spoke with her likely played a part in her death.

Whoever met her that day was now the prime suspect.

But when Mary traced that number, she hit a dead end—the SIM card was bought on the street, and the registered owner lived so far away it may as well have been on the other side of the planet. Basically, even before meeting Luo Sumei, this person planned to kill her. Using an untraceable number was all part of the plan.

I frowned.

Mary messaged me again.

Early this morning, Mary had been to that nail salon to confirm the details. The nail tech, Tony, said Luo Sumei walked there on her own. When she left, she didn’t take a taxi. She claimed some fool was coming to pick her up, but Tony never saw who it was or what kind of car.

Mary had checked the camera footage nearby and spotted Luo Sumei stepping into an alley, but she never came back out. The footage didn’t catch what kind of car picked her up—clearly, the suspect chose that spot on purpose.

Based on Mary’s guess, it takes over an hour to drive from that spot to Tougouzi Village. If you follow the timeline, the “fool” Luo Sumei mentioned had to be the last person who saw her—the top suspect.

But I hadn’t seen a single car in the whole village. Only Erxiao has a delivery truck, but would Luo Sumei arrange a date with him?

Plus, the killer managed to keep their car hidden from every camera. That proves they’re good at evading the police and must know this city like the back of their hand. Besides, Luo Sumei’s manicure seemed like a spur-of-the-moment plan.

I already had a theory in mind, and now the facts were starting to fit together.

After putting my phone away, I told Captain Zhou, “Sorry if this sounds a little harsh, but I have to ask.”

Captain Zhou nodded. “Go ahead. Don’t worry about me.”

“Did Luo Sumei care a lot about money while she was with you?” I asked.

“Care about money?” Captain Zhou frowned. “She wasn’t that money-hungry. If she was, she’d be dating someone richer. I told you before—I send most of my pay home, so there’s barely anything left for myself. I don’t think she was after my money.”

That’s what confused me. If Luo Sumei wasn’t greedy and wasn’t especially pretty, why would a fool hand her half a million yuan? Was he really just a fool?

Gu Chen looked out the window. “Wu Meng, it’s time. With this heavy snow tonight, I bet the killer moves the body.”

I peered at the sky—he was right.

“Let’s go.” We all stood up.

One by one, we filed out of the house.

Guan Zengbin called after us, “Leaving me to hold the fort? I’m coming too!”

I turned and raised my voice. “What good would you do outside? Just stay home and behave!”

By now, the others had already stepped outside.

I lowered my voice and handed Guan Zengbin my phone. “I’m giving you a task—just follow the instructions I wrote down on my phone. With any luck, we’ll catch the killer very soon.”

Guan Zengbin studied my phone, clearly baffled and about to ask something, but I’d already dashed into the courtyard.