The reason Huaicheng police immediately reported this case to the provincial level was because last summer, an almost identical case had occurred.

Zhao Feier, a fresh graduate from Huaicheng University, 23 years old, from Tong County in Hunan Province. Her parents were in their hometown, living in modest circumstances. Zhao Feier was ordinary-looking with a cheerful personality. After graduation, unable to find formal employment, she worked part-time at a bubble tea shop.

Like Liu Yisha, Zhao Feier also lived in the “slum” area near the university. The straight-line distance between their residences was less than 2 kilometers.

On that summer night when Zhao Feier disappeared, she was returning home from her night shift at the bubble tea shop. Due to the distant workplace, it was past 1 AM when she got off the bus. She needed to walk about 1.5 kilometers to reach home.

The next day, Zhao Feier didn’t show up for work. The bubble tea shop couldn’t contact her.

On the third day, she still hadn’t come to work. Her coworkers reported her missing.

Three days later, villagers discovered her body on a remote hillside in the countryside. Zhao Feier was packed into an identical 20-inch black suitcase, naked, joints broken, folded into the same neat but grotesque shape.

The fatal wound was identical – blunt force trauma to the head causing a skull fracture. The severe sexual assault circumstances matched. The body cleaning method was identical, thoroughly eliminating all fingerprints and DNA.

However, the killer from a year ago seemed slightly more careless. Forensics retrieved a valid fingerprint from the inside of the suitcase handle.

Yet no match was found in the police fingerprint database.

Police believed Zhao Feier was taken by the killer somewhere along that mere 1.5-kilometer route. They even had a precious fingerprint. But they couldn’t find the killer. Zhao Feier’s phone was ultimately found in a garbage bin in the busy district, making it impossible to determine her exact location and time of disappearance.

Huaicheng police were extremely tense for a while, having ruled out revenge killings and crimes of passion. They had reason to believe the killer was a stranger with such cruel and perverted methods. They worried a second body would appear.

However, as time passed, the killer vanished without a trace, and no new victims emerged.

Until today, one year later.

——

Like many third and fourth-tier cities, Huaicheng’s city center maintained a glossy, positive facade, with commercial housing developments everywhere, central gardens full of greenery and square dancing, and streets plastered with slogans promoting “tourism development” and “civilized city building.”

Peeling back this facade and walking deeper, gradually approaching the area where both victims had lived, the buildings became shorter, older, and dirtier. They crowded together densely, varying in height, their architectural style monotonous and rigid, reflecting that era’s poverty and haste.

The roads were also chaotic, some wide, some narrow, interweaving irregularly, but all dirty. Various shops – convenience stores, flower shops, bubble tea shops, fruit stores… along with markets, residential areas, street committee offices, elementary schools… all mixed without any apparent order. Scattered throughout were patches of shantytown.

This was the area with the highest population density and most chaotic lifestyle in the city, also its most primitive and vibrant part.

You Mingxu and Xu Mengshan drove to the building where Liu Yisha had lived. Yin Feng, now half an insider, naturally came along.

This was a five-story building, formerly collective housing for some work units, now converted to rental units. Each floor was densely packed with windows and doors, the corridors full of miscellaneous items and hanging laundry. You Mingxu frowned: this would fail a fire safety inspection. But this was the only way of survival for the city’s “ant tribe.”

Living unsafely was far better than having nowhere to live.

The three climbed up the spiral staircase on one side. Standing on the stairs, You Mingxu looked back – too many crowded buildings, too many windows. If a pair of eyes had once watched Liu Yisha from among them, it would be impossible to trace.

The old building’s stairway was narrow, with many damaged steps. As Yin Feng looked around curiously, he suddenly stepped into a broken spot and stumbled. You Mingxu, behind him, quickly grabbed his waist. But he was too heavy, and they both crashed against the railing. The railing was also decrepit, giving You Mingxu a cold sweat. Yin Feng reacted instinctively when he felt his balance slip, instead pulling You Mingxu into his arms protectively.

After they hit the railing, she was holding his waist, and he had her in a full embrace. Both froze for a moment, You Mingxu catching the scent of his shower gel, the familiar feeling of his tall male frame reminding her of their passionate kissing days ago.

“Are you alright, Ah Xu?” he asked softly.

“I’m fine.” You Mingxu broke free from his embrace, her expression neutral as she continued upward. Then she heard him mutter behind her: “Being handsome is fine too.”

You Mingxu maintained her poker face, though feeling inexplicably displeased inside.

They reached Liu Yisha’s door.

It was a corner unit on the fifth floor, probably the cheapest one. The door was sealed with police tape, with an officer on duty. Inside, they found a room no more than 15 square meters including a bathroom. White walls, cement floor, a small bed, table, wardrobe, and two chairs.

Though everything in the room was simple and cheap, it was kept clean and tidy. Clothes were neatly folded in the closet, and toothbrushes, toothpaste, and towels were all properly arranged. On the table were several books – besides two romance novels, there were “Introduction to E-commerce,” “Super Influencer’s Guide to Opening an Online Store,” and “Secrets to Making Millions on Taobao.”

You Mingxu picked up the books, flipped through them, exchanged a glance with Xu Mengshan, and put them down.

Through preliminary investigation, they gained a basic understanding of Liu Yisha. Compared to the first victim Zhao Feier, Liu Yisha was somewhat more attractive, also more introverted and fragile. According to teachers and classmates, Liu Yisha’s grades and abilities were unremarkable, and she showed little ambition. But she was honest. Coming from extreme poverty, her life had always been difficult and austere.

She had once dated a senior male student, but when he moved away after graduation, the campus romance fizzled out. After graduation, Liu Yisha had even less contact with her classmates, almost no one knew her recent situation.

Of course, she had a couple of close friends. They said Liu Yisha had mentioned wanting to open an online clothing store. However, startup capital had always been an issue, so nothing came of it.

The tiny room, like Liu Yisha’s brief life, could be taken in at a glance. You Mingxu went to smoke by the outdoor railing, pondering a question: How did Liu Yisha disappear?

According to one close friend, Liu Yisha’s last phone call with her was 5 days ago. A neighbor last saw Liu Yisha 4 days ago in the evening. Her time of death was confirmed as between 2 and 3 AM two days ago. Which meant she had disappeared and been killed between the evening of the 7th – four days ago – and the 9th.