41. The female corpse in red
As dawn broke and the damp mist still lingered, the Shinan Slope on the western slope of the Hongshan Scenic Area was shrouded in a grayish-white, wet light. Ten years ago, this was a wild slope where tourists were forbidden to tread; ten years later, a boardwalk has been built, but warning posts have been put up again.
"Find a reference first," Fang Cheng said in a low voice.
"What were the exact coordinates of the place where your sister collapsed ten years ago?"
Zhou Yun looked up at the waist-high, bare, gray-white rock at the top of the slope. In the crevice of the rock, several new shoots of photinia were covered with raindrops from the previous night.
"The second photinia under the rock, on the shady side."
Fang Cheng nodded cautiously, took a step, but suddenly stopped and stepped aside to give way to Fang Cheng's view: "You go first."
Fang Cheng stood five meters away, like a precisely tuned instrument. The wind rose from the bottom of the slope, bringing three scents:
Zhou Yun looked up, her voice tight: "Really?"
Fang Chengjin didn't answer, but only raised his hand in a "shush" gesture. He took out the collection pump, aimed it at the soil around the base of the photinia, and extracted the soil at a flow rate of 200 milliliters per minute for 30 seconds, then quickly sealed it. Next, he squatted down, used tweezers to remove the surface layer of decaying leaves, revealing a dried brown mark the size of a fingernail.
Zhou Yun's pupils trembled slightly, and she almost lost her balance. Fang Chengjin raised his hand and firmly supported her elbow, but his voice was as calm as a scalpel: "Don't rush to break down, we still have a second crime scene."
"second?"
"The place where the murderer rehearsed." Fang Chengjin raised his eyes, his gaze passing over the top of the hill. "Last night, I smelled 'damp heather + rainwater' on the body in the new case. The proportions were different from here, which means he took the smell of the 'replicating the scene' to another heather slope."
He took out the glass tube that had been sealed the night before, inserted the needle, pushed out 1 milliliter of headspace gas, and handed it to Zhou Yun's nose: "Let's distinguish it."
Fang Cheng carefully put away the needle and closed the box lid: "Let's go. Before the scenic area opens."
...
Fifteen minutes later, at the viewing platform on the north slope. The morning mist was thin, and the distant sea shimmered with silvery light. The two climbed over the railing and descended to an abandoned wooden boardwalk. At the end of the boardwalk, a lone photinia tree lay fallen among the rocks, its roots showing signs of freshly turned soil.
Fang Cheng knelt on one knee, palm on the ground, closed his eyes for three seconds, and when he opened them again, all he saw was a chilling coldness.
He took out another sampling bottle and labeled it:
[Rehearsal Scene - 2025-08-14 06:42]
He stopped abruptly, his brows furrowing slightly as he pointed the bottle at the soil at the base of the photinia.
"Strawberry flavoring."
Fang Cheng raised his eyes, his voice so deep it was almost inaudible.
"He's enjoying the preview. Ten years ago, the cake your sister didn't get to eat, he's taking a bite for the person who died today."
Zhou Yun's knuckles turned white from clenching her fists too tightly.
The rain suddenly began to fall; the weather these past few days had been unpredictable, raining without warning, as if in response to a premonition. One drop, two drops… instantly forming a line, pattering loudly on the old boardwalk. Fang Chengjin opened his black umbrella, tilting it to shield her from half the wind and rain.
In the rain, the two figures, one tall and one thin, stood side by side like two scalpels cutting through the black fog that had been sealed for ten years.
**
Lin Long squinted at the flower basket, on which was a picture of Xiao Hongdou, the woman who had been murdered yesterday.
The streamer's name is "Little Red Bean," her real name is Liang Xueyi, she is 24 years old, a dance streamer on a third-tier platform, with 370,000 followers. Her last online appearance was three days ago, and the title of her last live stream was prominently displayed:
Tonight at 10 PM, I'm wearing my new dress to see my older brother!
Lin Long brought back the live stream replay and also called Fang Chengjin and Zhou Yun to inform them.
Soon, everyone arrived. Lin Long projected the live stream replay onto the large screen in the police station's conference room.
In the video, Liang Xueyi, wearing a white sweatshirt, opens a package in front of the camera, revealing a scarlet halter dress. The hem of the dress is trimmed with gold threads, which, under the light, resemble a pool of flowing blood.
"Family, the color of this dress was personally chosen by 'Big Brother'!"
The screen was instantly flooded with comments:
[Big Brother has a sharp eye]
Want to meet in real life?
[Red Bean has made something of herself!]
She smiled, revealing her canine teeth, and held the dress up against her body to show off. "See you at the North Gate of Hongshan Scenic Area at 10 PM tonight~ Don't be late!"
The video abruptly ends, with the time in the bottom right corner frozen at 21:47 on August 11.
What about IP?
“It served as a springboard overseas, going through three different levels, but its last appearance was in an internet cafe in Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong Island.”
Lin Long squinted: "Internet cafe surveillance?"
"What a coincidence, the internet cafe's surveillance cameras were out of service for three days, just like the ones in tourist attractions."
"I found it in the trash can downstairs from Xiaohongdou's rented apartment." Fang Chengjin looked up. "There were traces of cologne on the shipping label, the same one I smelled on the corpse."
She looked up, her voice hoarse: "'Night Shadow'... there was also a 'Night' ten years ago."
Lin Long pasted two express delivery slips, ten years apart, side by side on the glass plate, his gaze as cold as a knife.
"The killer chose the target, the dress, the location—everything was scripted. The sequel that wasn't filmed ten years ago is now in production."
Lin Long immediately dialed the number: "Check all medical cold chain packaging suppliers in Hong Kong for customers who have purchased red waterproof express bags in the past month and whose purchases exceed fifty bags at a time."
Zhou Yun clenched her fist.
Lin Long's eyes turned completely serious.
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