“You got it right this time.” Yan Qing smiled. “The deceased has an oval-shaped wound at the 3rd to 5th ribs on the left side. The wound channel is regular and intact, the 3rd and 4th ribs are fractured, the entry wound is on the back, and the exit wound is on the front chest.”

Gu Zhen raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. “The entry wound is on the back — the deceased was shot from behind.”

“In theory, yes.”

“Let me make another bold guess.” A faint, barely-there smile played at the corner of Yan Qing’s lips. “The deceased’s abdomen was deflated — he must have just relieved himself.”

Gu Zhen was sharp. The moment Yan Qing said that, he immediately connected it to one possibility. “Sister-in-law means the deceased was attacked from behind while using the restroom.”

“Very likely.”

“Then I’ll notify the Director right away and have him focus the search there.”

After ending the call from the Military Police Directorate, Bai Jin said, “Seventh Brother, Bai Pang says sister-in-law deduced from the body that the victim was most likely killed while using the restroom — that would be the primary crime scene.”

Shi Ting turned toward the waiter who was leading them. “How many men’s restrooms do you have here?”

The waiter didn’t understand why they were suddenly asking about the men’s restrooms, but he answered obediently nonetheless. “There are three men’s restrooms in total — one in the casino, one in the ballroom, and one in the boxing arena.”

“Take us to see them.”

Shi Ting and Bai Jin inspected all three men’s restrooms separately, but the results were somewhat unexpected — they found no clues whatsoever.

“Could sister-in-law have made a wrong deduction? All three men’s restrooms are spotless, there’s nothing at all.” Bai Jin finished checking the casino restroom last, and to be thorough, he hadn’t left out the women’s restroom either.

“Seventh Brother, could someone have cleaned it in advance?”

Shi Ting furrowed his brow, lost in thought. Noticing the waiter still waiting nearby, he asked, “What time does the cleaning here start?”

“There are dedicated cleaners at night — they clean almost every ten minutes.”

Bai Jin pinched his chin. “If the killer really committed the crime in the restroom, there’s only one possibility — he cleaned up the scene himself after killing.”

“Are you certain there are only these three restrooms?” Shi Ting looked toward the waiter.

The waiter was pinned by his cold, sharp gaze, and instantly felt a chill down his back. His mind raced quickly. “Actually, there are more.”

He carefully glanced at Shi Ting. “On the second floor there are several private rooms, and each private room has its own separate restroom.”

“Why didn’t you say so earlier?” Bai Jin glared at him fiercely. “Take us there.”

The waiter led Shi Ting and Bai Jin up to the second floor. The moment they left, a figure slipped out from behind one of the pillars — it was Tian Jian, the manager of this villa estate.

After watching them head upstairs, Tian Jian immediately turned and went to a room. He knocked hard on the door several times before a man in a sleeping robe came to open it.

“Young Master Meng, the Military Police Directorate people are here.”

Meng Xiangli was tying his robe as he asked, “What did they come for?”

“I hear Young Master Xie is dead.” Tian Jian glanced cautiously at Meng Xiangli.

He had seen clearly the night before — after Xie Jun and Xiaoyan left the Qingyuan Villa Estate, Meng Xiangli had also left.

He’d heard that Meng Xiangli and Xie Jun had never gotten along, and had even come to blows over a woman. Wherever Xie Jun was, Meng Xiangli would always make things difficult for him, and likewise, Meng Xiangli’s women were ones Xie Jun would always try to steal.

The Xiaoyan that Xie Jun had brought last night used to follow Meng Xiangli.

Xie Jun was merely a dissolute young playboy, while Meng Xiangli was the Third Master of the Meng Family — the troops stationed in Shun Cheng were all under his command. There was almost no need to hesitate over which side to stand on.

“Xie Jun is dead — so what? Why come to me?” Meng Xiangli eyed him with suspicion, staring until Tian Jian broke into a cold sweat.

Tian Jian actually didn’t know whether Xie Jun’s death was connected to Meng Xiangli; he had only come to give him a heads-up.

“Who came from the Military Police Directorate?”

“I heard one of them call out ‘Seventh Brother.'”

Meng Xiangli knew — several of Shi Ting’s most capable subordinates addressed him that way.

His narrow eyes narrowed further. He hadn’t expected Xie Jun’s death to actually bring Shi Ting here personally. It was said that Shi Ting possessed the ability to cut through complexity and perceive the finest of details. Shi Guang and Shi Qian had always viewed him as their mortal enemy. Now that Shi Qian had gone to Mo Cheng, it was very likely a one-way trip. His elder brother’s intention was for them to do everything in their power to help Shi Guang ascend to the position of Marshal.

If he could use this opportunity to eliminate Shi Ting…

“Go do something for me.” Meng Xiangli whispered a few words into Tian Jian’s ear.

Hearing them, Tian Jian went pale with shock.

Meng Xiangli clapped him on the shoulder, his eyes full of warning. “Since you came to warn me, it means you intended to pledge your allegiance to me. Don’t worry — I’ve always been generous to my own people. Equally, I never spare those who are useless to me.”

Tian Jian’s legs trembled. He regretted it so deeply he could have died. If he hadn’t thought to curry favor with Meng Xiangli by coming to tip him off, how would he have ended up saddled with a task like this?

But faced with Meng Xiangli’s cold, hawk-like eyes, he knew he couldn’t refuse. If he did, only one fate awaited him.

“Go.” Meng Xiangli smiled softly.

Shi Ting and Bai Jin inspected the restrooms in several of the private rooms but found nothing unusual. Just then, Tian Jian strode over with a professional, false smile plastered on his face. “Two officers, I hear you’ve been checking the restrooms on the estate. There’s actually another place — even the waiters here don’t know about it.”

“Oh?” Bai Jin showed a flicker of excitement. “Where?”

“Behind the ballroom there’s a storage room, and inside that storage room there’s another restroom.”

“Then what are we waiting for? Take us there.” Bai Jin urged.

“Of course, of course.” Tian Jian smiled and made a welcoming gesture. “Right this way, officers.”

Shi Ting glanced at Tian Jian walking ahead. A fleeting look of suspicion passed through his eyes.

The four of them passed through the ballroom and arrived at the storage room in the back. Tian Jian led the way throughout, until he stopped in front of a small door.

“This is it.” He opened the door, and immediately a foul stench hit them. “This is used by the staff — ordinary people don’t know about it.”

Bai Jin pinched his nose and stepped in first. Seeing the filthy interior, he immediately grimaced in disgust. “Seventh Brother, it really reeks in here.”

Shi Ting scanned the concealed restroom. It was surrounded on all four sides by solid walls with no windows — naturally the smell was suffocating.

“Seventh Brother, is that blood?” Bai Jin crouched down and shone his flashlight on a diluted reddish stain on the floor.

Shi Ting had just crouched down when he suddenly heard the sound of the door shutting. The door through which they’d entered was shut from outside.

“Damn it.” Bai Jin dashed to the door in a few strides and yanked hard at the handle, but the door didn’t budge — it was clearly locked from outside.

Bai Jin kicked it hard several times, with no effect.

“Stop kicking. There’s something blocking it from outside.” Shi Ting took the flashlight from his hand and shone it at the base of the door.

“They locked us in here — what are they trying to do? This is obstructing the Military Police Directorate from conducting an investigation. When I get out, I’m going to smash that bastard Tian Jian’s head in.” Bai Jin furiously kicked the door a few more times.

“They dared to lock us in — they never intended to let us back out.”

Shi Ting’s flashlight beam fell on the bottom of the door. A white wisp of smoke was drifting in from beneath. Bai Jin was alarmed. “They’re trying to smoke us to death? They’ve got some nerve — openly trying to murder officers of the Military Police Directorate. That Tian Jian — I knew something was off about him.”

“He is indeed suspicious.” Shi Ting’s expression remained calm. “When we went upstairs earlier, he slipped away somewhere in a hurry — clearly to tip someone off. Then he conveniently turned around and offered to show us a hidden restroom. What else could that be but scheming against us?”

“If he was tipping off the killer, then the killer is still on this estate. Is it the killer who wants us dead? Aren’t they afraid of exposing themselves?”

Shi Ting said, “Military Police Directorate officers perishing in a fire during the course of an investigation — how does that sound as an explanation? And besides, this is a storage room; a fire breaking out here would be entirely natural.”

“Damn it.” Bai Jin began searching for a way out, but the space was completely sealed — nothing but walls on all sides. “Seventh Brother, what do we do? Are we really going to be trapped here?”

“Of course not.” Shi Ting put away the flashlight. “Just wait.”

Outside the door, Tian Jian placed a lit pile of firewood in a copper basin by the entrance. Watching the flames catch and grow rapidly, sending thick smoke pouring through the gap beneath the door, he felt a dark satisfaction.

The waiter standing nearby was too frightened to move.

After finishing everything, Tian Jian looked at the waiter. “You know what should be said and what shouldn’t, right?”

The waiter nodded frantically, though cold sweat was already pouring off him.

“You’re a sensible one. As long as you keep your mouth shut, I’ll promote you to floor supervisor.”

“Thank you, Manager Tian.”

The waiter followed behind Tian Jian, wanting to ask something but swallowing it back down. Given the current situation, what was there left not to understand? Manager Tian intended to kill these two officers.

But these two officers had no grudge against him — why would he do this?

“Manager Tian, I’ll go prepare some water. If the fire really spreads later we’ll need to put it out quickly, otherwise the whole building could be affected.”

“When the smoke has done enough, put the fire out. The fire is contained in the copper basin — it won’t spread just yet.”

“Understood.”

Tian Jian dragged a chair over near the doorway and sat down, pulling a cigarette from his coat and lighting it.

What Tian Jian didn’t know at this moment was just who he had actually locked up inside. He had merely assumed they were two low-ranking officers — otherwise Meng Xiangli wouldn’t have been so bold.

Inside that sealed room, the smoke grew thicker and thicker. Fortunately there was water. Bai Jin found two worn pieces of cloth, soaked them in water, and pressed them over both their mouths and noses.

“Seventh Brother, really not going to do something? If we just keep waiting like this, we’re going to end up smoked into dried meat.”