Chapter 46: White Mist in the Woods 11
To be honest, this method of pursuit was not very sophisticated. First, get close, then confess, and throw in a bit of pity. If someone else had copied this entire routine, Zhuang Ningyu would probably have been struck by lightning and run ten miles overnight carrying a high-speed train. But Yi Ke was not “someone else.” He did have a special status right now, specifically manifested in the fact that after hearing “I like you,” Zhuang Ningyu did not think about carrying a high-speed train. On the contrary, he very naturally reached out and patted his head, “Sit up straight.”
His tolerance was such that, far away in the Dispute Resolution Department, Xiao Qian sneezed more than a dozen times in a row. He hugged the tissue box, his eyes brimming with tears, and asked for the umpteenth time, “Do you think that in his daily interactions with Xiao Yi, our boss will gradually love him more than me?”
Wu Tao propped up her head with one hand, pretending not to hear this outrageous statement.
At this moment, the office door was suddenly knocked. Qian Yue quickly stopped his half-finished antics, switching from a tragic male lead to a civil servant in a second. He pulled over a chair and sat upright, “Please come in.”
He had thought it was another member of the public coming in for water, but the visitor was surprisingly not an uncle or aunt, but a well-dressed urban elite in a suit. This type was rare in the Dispute Resolution Department. Even Wu Tao was a little puzzled. She stood up and asked, “Excuse me, who are you looking for?”
“Your Department Head Zhuang.”
“Oh, our leader has been seconded to the Order Maintenance Department. He’s still in a rule zone and we don’t know when he’ll be back.”
The man frowned slightly.
Tsk? Wu Tao’s sharpness was no less than Tian Luxin’s. After all, the Dispute Resolution Department’s job was exactly this, analyzing micro-expressions with perfect accuracy. Recently, under the tacit approval of her leader who turned a blind eye, she had eaten countless super delicious coffee, milk tea, and small cakes that were said to have long queues. It was time to give the gold master some due returns! So she spoke without hesitation, her words clear and articulate, “He’s with Yi Ke.”
Fu Han said unhappily, “His leg injury has never healed.”
Qian Yue suddenly had a flash of inspiration and said, “It’s fine. Xiao Yi will help him massage it.”
Wu Tao and Fu Han both turned to look at him.
Qian Yue was baffled by their gazes. “What’s wrong? Last time I called the boss to report on work, he was scolding me for writing nonsense on one hand, and on the other, scolding Xiao Yi to be gentler. He even had time to eat an apple, his mouth never idle for a second.”
Fu Han left rather hastily.
Wu Tao placed her hand on Qian Yue’s shoulder and solemnly announced, “I’ve decided not to tell him about you secretly sitting in the boss’s high-end office chair.”
Qian Yue was flattered. “But I couldn’t stand the scolding last night and already confessed to the boss that you were the one who wrote that department summary. The boss said you have to rewrite it and submit it within this week.”
Wu Tao’s smile vanished. She slapped him. “Traitor!”
…
The next morning, in room 207, Zhou Huanchang, Chu Feifei, Li Hao, and He Yu were gathered together, discussing and analyzing where the missing puzzle piece might be hidden. Li Hao said, “Feifei and I thought about it all night. There are two situations: with a conspiracy and without a conspiracy.”
For example, if Jiajia lost it while playing, or if the nanny accidentally missed a piece while cleaning up, that would be without a conspiracy. This situation would be easier to solve; they would just need to search high and low.
As for a conspiracy, it would be much more complicated. In any case, relying on Li Hao’s blank brain, which was still at the “How are you?” level after four years of studying abroad, he couldn’t list out four, five, or six possibilities. So he cast a hopeful gaze at the only “big brother” in the group of four. Zhou Huanchang said thoughtfully, “Since the rules had each of us bring a motorcycle in, could it be that we have to go out and look for it?”
“Go look in the mountains?” Chu Feifei listened, a look of hesitation on her face. In the end, she couldn’t hold it in and spoke with some difficulty, “Do you guys think that the missing puzzle piece might be in Jiajia’s hands? Not the Jiajia in the rule zone, but the Jiajia from over ten years ago. Captain Zhuang and the others haven’t confirmed this family’s identity yet. That, could Jiajia have had an accident in the mountains back then, and the puzzle piece has been with her… remains, all this time? Are we being asked to find the puzzle piece, but actually to find the remains?”
Her voice became more and more ethereal as she spoke. Not just Zhou Huanchang and He Yu, but even Li Hao was scared into a cold sweat by her talent for telling ghost stories. The four of them looked at each other. The room was frighteningly quiet. At this moment, the door was suddenly knocked on, thump, thump, thump. Chu Feifei screamed, and He Yu also grabbed Zhou Huanchang’s sleeve. Li Hao stammered, “…Who is it?”
Zhuang Ningyu’s puzzled voice came from outside the door, “Are you guys okay?”
The group breathed a sigh of relief. Zhou Huanchang opened the door. Chu Feifei looked on the verge of tears. “Captain Zhuang, you scared us to death.”
Zhuang Ningyu innocently raised his hands. “I just knocked on the door.”
“We were discussing the puzzle,” Zhou Huanchang said, stepping aside to let him in. “Feifei just happened to be talking about suspecting the little girl from over a decade ago had died a violent death when the knock on the door came.”
“A violent death?”
Li Hao repeated his girlfriend’s theory from just now. Zhuang Ningyu said, “We also suspected this before, so the investigation team immediately retrieved all the child disappearance and death cases in Jincheng from the past twenty years. But so far, none of them seem to be related to Jiajia.”
Of course, there was another special hypothesis—if the murderer was the guardian, then the situation of “Jiajia died a violent death on Qingquan Mountain, but the police received no report” would be possible. After all, taking care of a special child often requires parents to expend several times the energy and financial resources. In this situation, abandonment, neglect, or harm to children is not uncommon. But, Zhuang Ningyu added, “According to the current clues, Jiajia’s family environment is very good. The rules also mention that ‘Grandpa likes Jiajia very much.’ She herself was raised fair and clean, and there was a grand tenth birthday party. So, the possibility of the child being actively killed or abandoned by her family is not high.”
Chu Feifei released her tight grip on her boyfriend’s hand. “That’s good. I’m most afraid of children who died tragically.”
Zhou Huanchang asked again, “So what’s the plan for the next step?”
“The nanny is in the kitchen right now, and Jiajia is drawing in the yard,” Zhuang Ningyu said, looking at the time. “Zhong Mu will take the rabbit downstairs to attract Jiajia’s attention. Xiao He, you go to the kitchen to hold up the nanny. Xiao Yi and I will go to the third floor. The rest of you, act according to the situation. Whether it’s keeping Jiajia company or finding something for the nanny to do, in short, don’t let her leave the kitchen and try to buy us as much time as possible.”
Ten o’clock in the morning.
The winter sun passed through the white fog and the old window glass. By the time it reached the corridor, only a layer of dim light remained, unable to even illuminate the walls. Yi Ke took out a wire and quickly picked the lock of 301. The curtains were still tightly drawn. There were no signs of anyone having lived there. He Yu hadn’t had time to record the wardrobe and desk last time. Now, looking at them, they were empty, with nothing to record. Zhuang Ningyu looked around, then casually pulled open the small drawer of the bedside table. A small, pink diary lay quietly inside.
The two exchanged a look. Yi Ke took out the diary. It was a common style from boutique stores over a decade ago. When opened, there was no text, only a drawing—a rider on a motorcycle, speeding through the mountains. In his hand, was the missing puzzle piece!
“Captain Zhuang, how much longer do you and Teacher Yi need?” He Yu’s voice came from the earpiece. “The nanny is almost done.”
“Ten minutes.” Zhuang Ningyu put the notebook in his pocket.
302 was Jiajia’s room. Yi Ke also opened the door with ease. It was a very cute room, belonging to a little girl. The wardrobe was filled with countless beautiful princess dresses. On the desk were scattered some drawing paper and crayons. Because of her intellectual disability, it was difficult for her to complete a work independently without an adult’s company. The drawing of the white-haired old man on the paper was crooked, and the two characters for “Grandpa” were also written haphazardly, but one could see that she was trying her best to fill her beloved “Grandpa” with warm colors, with little flowers, candies, and ribbons representing happiness everywhere.
303, the nanny’s room, was simple and tidy, with nothing unusual. On a shelf was a black coconut shell toy with “Happy Mother’s Day” carved on the bottom.
304 was Grandpa’s room. Yi Ke pressed his ear against the door and listened for a moment. There was a rustling sound inside, clearly someone was moving around.
“Should we go in?” he asked with his eyes.
Zhuang Ningyu shook his head. “Retreat.”
Half an hour later, everyone was gathered in 203. After seeing the drawing in the diary, Zhou Huanchang was the first to speak. “What does this mean? Do we really have to go out on our bikes to look for it?”
This time, Li Hao was the first to raise his hand. “I want to be in a group with Brother Qing!”
Chu Feifei gave him a speechless look. Li Hao quickly added, “I’ll ride my own bike. You can ride with Brother Qing. The three of us will be together.”
But Zhuang Ningyu said, “No teams this time. Everyone will be separated, randomly, to search in the mountains. There’s only one motorcyclist in the drawing. We have to replicate it as much as possible.”
Hearing this, Li Hao’s face turned pale. He couldn’t forget his last madness, which was comparable to a professional racer’s, after being mentally contaminated. Especially now that he was in a rule zone, what if he got high on riding and no one was there to control him? What if he died?
“If you’re really not confident, you don’t have to participate in this operation,” Zhuang Ningyu said kindly. “Zhong Mu will stay in 201 to do the puzzle. You guys—”
“We promise to stick close to Sister Zhong and not cause any trouble,” Li Hao took over, raising his hand to promise. On one hand, Chu Feifei felt that her boyfriend was so spineless. On the other hand, she felt she was quite spineless herself. No one was looking down on anyone else, which was great.
He Yu couldn’t ride a bike, so of course, she didn’t have to participate in this activity. So in the end, the “puzzle-finding squad” consisted of only Zhuang Ningyu, Yi Ke, Qing Gang, and Zhou Huanchang. At two in the afternoon, the white fog in the mountains showed no signs of thinning, still rolling in a dim, billowy mass. Visibility was extremely low everywhere.
The monster nanny did not stop these four people. Guests who had already been successfully invited could not leave without the owner’s permission. So she just glanced at them and continued her work, washing set after set of beautiful cartoon-gilded tableware in the “splashing” water, continuing her preparations for the birthday party two days later.
The throttle roared. Before setting off, Zhuang Ningyu reminded, “Be careful.”
“Don’t worry, Captain Zhuang, I have experience now,” Zhou Huanchang said, buckling his helmet and confirming once more, “No destination, just ride randomly?”
Zhuang Ningyu nodded. “No destination, just ride randomly.”
The four motorcycles shot out like arrows from a bow, one after another, into the fog.
Jiajia stood at the door, craning her neck to watch curiously. She only reluctantly returned to the yard after their figures had completely disappeared.
The fog in the mountains grew thicker. Zhou Huanchang glanced at his wristband. The mental contamination index was 229, severe. But because he was well-protected, he did not lose control of his emotions like last time. He could still hear the sound of Qing Gang’s motorcycle throttle just now, but now the forest was so quiet that only the lonely chirping of birds remained. It was his first time in a rule zone. He rubbed the goosebumps on his arms, gritted his teeth, and continued to ride into the depths of the white fog.
The contamination index in Qing Gang’s area was even higher. The wind whistled in his ears. He leaned forward, staring intently at the mountain road, constantly taking one turn after another. Racing did indeed cause a surge of adrenaline, which was very thrilling. But besides the thrill, there was no sign of the crucial puzzle piece.
Around four o’clock, the sky slowly darkened. Zhou Huanchang and Qing Gang returned to the starting point one after another, only to see that Yi Ke was already waiting there. Looking at their expressions, the three of them knew without asking that none of them had found the puzzle piece.
The hope of the whole group rested on Zhuang Ningyu alone. Half an hour later, he finally appeared on his bike at the end of the road, covered in grass and leaves. He looked like he had taken a fall. When he got off the motorcycle and walked, he was limping. “Didn’t find it.”
Qing Gang wanted to go forward to support him, but Yi Ke had already helped him up—he had originally wanted to carry him directly, but Zhuang Ningyu obviously wouldn’t be willing. So he just put his arm around his waist, letting him lean most of his weight on him to walk more easily.
The four of them returned to the house together. He Yu was waiting in the yard. Chu Feifei and Li Hao heard the commotion and also ran down from upstairs, asking impatiently, “How was it?”
Looking at their expectant eyes, Qing Gang said helplessly, “Nothing.”
“Nothing?” The most promising path was cut off just like that. Chu Feifei inevitably began to panic and couldn’t help but guess wildly, “Then, the meaning of that drawing, could it be that it’s not for us to find it ourselves, but that a motorcyclist will bring the last piece of the puzzle to Jiajia? Didn’t the guest of 301 never appear? Could it be this mysterious puzzle knight?”
Zhuang Ningyu glanced at Zhou Huanchang and said, “Let’s go back to the room first.”
Li Hao and Chu Feifei wanted to say something else, but Yi Ke had already helped Zhuang Ningyu upstairs. Qing Gang also put his arm around Zhou Huanchang’s shoulder. “Boss Zhou, let’s go.”
Faced with this sudden arm around his shoulder, Zhou Huanchang couldn’t help but be startled. But his physical strength was not on the same level as Qing Gang’s. Before his brain could react, he had already been dragged upstairs, stumbling.
Chu Feifei sensed something was wrong and asked uneasily, “Are they alright?”
He Yu untied her apron and also hurried after them.
In room 202, Zhuang Ningyu sat on the edge of the bed. His pant leg was already rolled up. His slightly swollen and hot knee was an abnormal red, looking a bit bruised and swollen. Because he hadn’t taken NO.9 anymore, the sharp pain in his joints was particularly obvious now. As soon as Zhou Huanchang entered the room, he saw Yi Ke applying medicine to Zhuang Ningyu. The atmosphere in the room was a bit oppressive. He hesitated for a moment, then tentatively asked with concern, “Captain Zhuang, did you fall off your bike?”
“No,” Zhuang Ningyu said, looking at him. “I didn’t ride at all.”
The expression on Zhou Huanchang’s face froze for a moment. He instinctively recalled the scene on the day he first met Zhuang Ningyu, the figure that moved through the forest with the speed of a feline, faster and lighter than a motorcycle. He could judge Qing Gang’s distance from him by the sound of his throttle, but Zhuang Ningyu’s legs made no sound when he ran.
The environment became even more deathly silent.
A few hours ago, after the four of them separated at the parking lot, Zhou Huanchang rode his motorcycle, moving through the dense forest like a ghost with ease. He was the most familiar with Qingquan Mountain among all of them. Therefore, it didn’t take him much time to reach his destination—Iron Pot Pit. This place didn’t actually have an official name. Because it looked like an iron pot, the mountain people all called it that. It wasn’t a scenic spot, and no crops were grown there. Few people usually went there. Zhou Huanchang parked his bike, took out a retractable pickaxe from his storage bag, and slid down the slope. Zhuang Ningyu stood in the shadow of a tree high above, quietly watching him dig for more than two hours, finally sitting down, panting heavily.
“I’ve already synchronized the coordinates with Captain Ye,” Zhuang Ningyu continued. “Boss Zhou, do you think my colleagues will find anything in that pit?”
Zhou Huanchang stared at him without a word, his facial muscles twitching slightly. After a long time, he gritted his teeth, “It’s—”
“It’s me!” The door was slammed open with a “bang,” and the wind rushed in.
He Yu’s dry hair was blown even more messy. She was thin and frail. She looked straight at Zhuang Ningyu and repeated, “It has nothing to do with Boss Zhou. I asked him to help me find the puzzle piece in Iron Pot Pit. I thought… it was still there.”
Zhuang Ningyu gestured for her to “come in and talk.”
He Yu walked into the room and closed the door behind her. Her chest heaved up and down, and she looked highly tense. Qing Gang returned to 201 and switched places with Zhong Mu. She brought over a chair and placed it. “It’s okay, Xiao He. Come on, sit down first.”
He Yu obediently sat down.
Zhuang Ningyu picked up the pink diary on the table. “You put this here, right? And you drew the picture too?”
He Yu’s brow twitched. She had been wondering where she had slipped up, but then she quickly reacted. “Before I put the diary there, you guys had already been in 301?”
Zhuang Ningyu nodded. “Yes.”
Yesterday afternoon, while he was informing everyone about the missing puzzle piece one by one, Yi Ke had already climbed into 301 from the window, completely undetected by the nanny in the corridor. He had searched every corner meticulously but hadn’t found the missing puzzle piece. Of course, he hadn’t seen this diary either. The bedside table drawer was empty at the time. He had thought he would return empty-handed, but just before leaving, his peripheral vision had keenly caught a slight anomaly—on the wall right next to the bed, there were some mottled marks, like the obvious color blocks left after a sticker that had been on the wall for a long time was torn off.
Although the specific content of the sticker was no longer known, a few could be identified by their outlines: a bow, a rabbit, and the English letters “Bugs Bunny.” The popular cartoon Bugs Bunny from the early years had almost disappeared from the Chinese internet, but Yi Ke had just seen it a few days ago—on the large canvas bag that He Yu had handed over to the joint law enforcement team, there were similar cloth patch patterns: Bugs Bunny, red bow.
Zhuang Ningyu continued, “You are the owner of room 301, or rather, the you from over ten years ago. The nanny didn’t prepare a room for you on the second floor, but coincidentally, Chu Feifei and Li Hao are a couple, so you naturally arranged for them to stay together, which just happened to cover up the fact that you are actually the ‘owner’ and should be living on the third floor.”
He Yu held the water cup, the surface of the water trembling slightly. After a long time, she finally spoke in a hoarse voice, “That’s right, I should indeed live in 301, but not as the ‘owner.’ I am also a ‘guest’ here, just a ‘guest’ from over ten years ago.”
“The coconut shell sculpture unique to Lucheng is in the nanny’s room. You’re from the same hometown, right? What’s your specific relationship?” Zhuang Ningyu asked.
He Yu replied, “Second aunt.”
“What’s her name?”
“He Yuanhua.”
The phone on the table buzzed. The caller ID showed Ye Jiaoyue. The voice coming from the receiver was quite noisy, with human voices, mechanical sounds, and the barking of police dogs. Zhuang Ningyu asked, “How’s it going?”
“We found a skeleton in Iron Pot Pit,” Ye Jiaoyue replied. “But it’s not a child’s, it’s an adult’s.”
Zhuang Ningyu hung up the phone, turned around, and asked He Yu, “What was Jiajia’s cause of death?”
“She died of illness. She had a severe hereditary disease and passed away before her tenth birthday. The First People’s Hospital of Xiaoguan County, Jincheng, Mu Rongjia. You can go and check,” He Yu said. “There should still be records.”
“Then who is the deceased in the pit?”
He Yu lowered her head, and a teardrop fell onto her knee.
