Chapter 7

Chang Ting rushed forward, only to find a lock on the iron gate. The old-fashioned iron gate, with a simple copper lock, was exceptionally sturdy.

He kicked it again and again, but couldn't open it.

The corridor seemed to have turned into a fire tube, and the flames were approaching rapidly. He wanted to kick it a few more times, but the flames burst out.

Someone grabbed him from behind and dragged him down the stairs.

It was the firefighters who rushed up.

The firefighters left him in the yard and rushed back with demolition tools, but the fire had already spread to the floors below and they couldn't get to the third floor at all.

They had no choice but to retreat while fire trucks put out the fire from outside.

Amidst the roaring flames, Chang Ting lay on the ground, recovering from his semi-conscious state, with smoke coming out of his mouth: "Teacher Feng is still in there..."

A slap on the face knocked him unconscious.

Lao Xiao pointed at his nose and cursed: "You little bastard, who told you to go up there? Are you trying to kill yourself?"

As a newly graduated college student, this was his first time to follow him on a mission. If he died here, it would not only mean he would have to take responsibility and take off his police uniform, but it would also be a hurdle that he would never be able to overcome in his life.

Lao Xiao was planning to rush up and step on his chest twice, but at this time the firefighters who were putting out the fire in the building suddenly retreated. They were wearing masks and could not speak, so they gestured rapidly as they retreated.

Old Xiao's face changed and he dragged Chang Ting's legs away.

Chang Ting's head banged against the uneven ground, making him even more dizzy. He tried to look up, and through his blurred vision, he saw the building collapse.

The students were terrified by the incident and called their parents one after another. Without exception, the parents asked their children to go home immediately.

The students came from all over the country. Those from nearby homes were picked up by their parents on the same day, while those from far away homes were sent to the airport and train station in batches by local authorities.

No one cares about the missing Qiu Yue.

As the students were extremely emotionally unstable and confused, the police were unable to keep them for questioning one by one, nor were they able to learn more about Qiu Yue's situation.

The students returned to their hometowns and scattered across the country.

The follow-up investigation of the fire took a long time. The results showed that the reason why the building collapsed quickly was that it was built in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Although the aging building had been repaired, it could not withstand such a fire.

Another reason is that judging from the speed at which the fire spread, it was not simply arson, but gasoline was poured in advance, causing the fire to spread rapidly.

The building's surveillance camera, which was originally capable of capturing footage of the dormitory area, was located in the duty room on the third floor. It was probably doused with gasoline, and the hard drive was completely burned and could not be recovered.

The body of arson suspect Feng Xumei was found several days later. It had been burned to charcoal and was smashed to pieces by the floor.

However, Qiu Yue was never found.

Given Qiu Yue's condition at the time of her disappearance, it's highly likely she was trapped inside the building. Police continued to excavate, uncovering every scrap of debris, but found no trace. Later, they expanded the search to the nearby mountainous area, but still found nothing.

No one is seen alive, and no body is seen after death.

The biggest suspect, Teacher Feng, has died in the fire. If Qiu Yue was really killed by her, then the burial place will become even more of a mystery.

However, Mr. Feng's guilt has never been confirmed due to insufficient evidence.

A student once saw Teacher Feng "going crazy and setting fires." An autopsy of Teacher Feng's charred and broken body revealed large amounts of soot in her mouth, nose, airways, and lungs, proving she had indeed been burned to death.

Everything points to the possibility that she committed suicide out of fear of punishment, but this does not mean that she harmed Qiu Yue.

More concrete evidence is needed to convict.

Moreover, there is no motive. Why would Teacher Feng harm a weak girl?

Several students responded: "Teacher Feng was mentally disturbed and had a bad temper. The students called her 'Feng the Prisoner' behind her back. Qiu Yue must have woken up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, disturbing her sleep, and she must have killed her in a rage."

The students also said that the life teacher had the keys to all the access doors and had unimpeded access, so it was effortless for him to take the body out and bury it.

This kind of assumption cannot serve as evidence.

Even though the police haven't convicted the missing girl, the family of the missing girl won't let it go. Qiu Yue's parents haven't let Teacher Feng's family off.

…

In the studio, the screen of the mobile phone placed aside lit up, waking Chen He from his deep thoughts.

She reached for her phone and clicked on the message.

Yu Aiai: [Dear, it’s been a while since we’ve gotten together. Are you free this afternoon? Let’s go out together.]

Chen He looked at her phone with a slight smile on her lips.

Whatever you think of, inspiration comes to you.

She replied: [Okay.] and sent the address.

Yu Aiai: [I'll be there in half an hour! (Smiling face)]

Chen He put down his phone, moved his gaze to a name on the whiteboard, and tapped it lightly with his pen.

At two.

Half an hour later, a figure passed by the side of the black car at the intersection and walked towards the small building where Chen He lived.

Zhou Zhengzheng stopped reciting in the car, and Chang Ting looked over, only to see the back of a girl in a Chanel-style skirt.

The girl walked into the gate of the small building.

They had learned in the morning that Chen He only rented the third floor of the building, and the first and second floors were rented out by the landlord as a homestay.

The girl just now might be a guest of the B&B. Chang Ting looked at the small building through the windshield and muttered, "This Chen He is completely silent."

Zhou Zhengzheng said, "Master, as far as I know, most comic book artists are very homebound and may not go out for a month."

Chang Ting was surprised and asked, "How does she eat then? Does she order takeout?" He then remembered something, "Oh, right, she has a boyfriend who can cook."

He stared blankly at the roof of the car. "If she doesn't leave the house for a month, what's the point of waiting here? Are people like her isolated from the world?"

"That's not the case. Most of their social interactions are online."

Chang Ting sat up straight and said, "Let the technical department monitor her online communications!"

Zhou Zhengzheng patted his master's head with the folder. "Without sufficient evidence, we can't arbitrarily monitor citizens' internet access and communication content!"

Chang Ting touched his crew cut, feeling very angry: "This is disrespectful! No respect for elders!"

Zhou Zhengzheng did not back down: "Director Xiao said that you are good at solving cases, but you are too unruly. He made me your apprentice just to put a bridle on you."

"Who are you calling a donkey?"

Seeing his master getting angry, Zhou Zhengzheng quickly changed the subject: "Chen He is also a student at the base. Did you meet her at that time?"

Chang Ting recalled and shook his head, "I have no recollection. The situation at the time was...too chaotic. The subsequent investigation was also very bumpy. Although the principal provided a list of students, because most of the students were from other places and most were high school seniors facing the college entrance examination, their parents didn't want their children distracted by this matter and were very uncooperative. We only met with a few students in person.

"Parents with a slightly better attitude allowed us to inquire about the situation over the phone. Some didn't even allow us to make phone calls. This is understandable. In the eyes of parents, the college entrance examination is more important than the sky falling. As for this Chen He, I have no impression of him at all and I definitely have never met him."

At this point, he suddenly became a little confused. He murmured, "It seems... I haven't even seen the name."

For five years, although Qiu Yue's disappearance remained an unsolved case, he had read the case file countless times, but he could not remember the name Chen He among the list of more than 200 students.

Did I remember it wrong?