The envelope was made of manila paper—plain, utterly ordinary, and highly standardized. It was the sort of nondescript item one could pick up at any post office without a second thought. Yet, what instantly arrested everyone’s attention was a singular detail—
The envelope was bulging.
There was something substantial packed inside.
What exactly did it contain?
The investigator on duty pulled on a pair of latex gloves and approached the artifact. Terrified of compromising any latent forensic evidence, he proceeded with extreme caution. He first flattened the folded edges of the manila paper, then carefully pried open the unsealed flap. Tilting the opening downward, he gently guided the contents out onto the examination table.
The first items to slide out of the manila pocket were two identification cards.
They were brand-new, forged IDs fabricated for Old Hu and Lan Lan.
Next came a folded sheet of paper. Unrolling it revealed a meticulously detailed log listing various applications, paired with accounts and passwords. A specific web address had been aggressively circled. An IT specialist quickly punched the URL into a secure terminal, analyzed the interface, and turned back to the room: “It’s a Bitcoin wallet.”
Zhao Wu’s brow knitted: “Untraceable, decentralized virtual currency. Forged identities and crypto assets—it appears Hu Kun was fully prepped to execute an emergency extraction and vanish at a moment’s notice.”
With these two primary components extracted, the once-bulky envelope flattened significantly, yet it still retained an underlying thickness.
Another flick of the wrist caused a business card to slide free.
The text on the card read:
Qin City Zhixian Import & Export Co., Ltd.
Manager: Huang Tianhan
“Zhixian Import & Export Co., Ltd.” Zhao Wu muttered, his brow tightening further. “Why does that name trigger a psychological familiarity? Have we flagged this entity in a recent file? But since the turn of the new year, our department has only processed a handful of major cases. Over the last forty-eight hours, there have only been two active profiles—one for Mei Lili and Lan Lan, and the other for Fu Baoxin…… Fu Baoxin!”
He abruptly slapped his thigh in revelation.
“Old Mai, execute an immediate retrieval of Fu Baoling’s archived files! When our unit was tracking the Fu Baoxin homicide, we formally reopened Fu Baoling’s missing persons file. Prior to her disappearance, the corporate entity that sponsored the community health evaluations at her school was named Leduo Health Equipment Corporation. Pull their corporate shareholder registry this exact second—cross-check their corporate network to see if Zhixian Import & Export Co., Ltd. is listed as an affiliated node!”
The database search was elementary.
Within minutes, the vice captain delivered the tactical confirmation: “Ha! The connection is verified. It’s right here!”
A hidden line of continuity was faintly threading its way back together.
Could Fu Baoling’s disappearance all those years ago be structurally linked to this business card concealed within Old Hu’s religious icon? Had this specific corporation and its manager been executing illicit underground operations behind a legitimate commercial facade?
“When Old Hu was liaising with Lan Lan via the dark web, he used an incredibly practiced tone, stating: ‘If anyone wants to execute a covert abduction in Qin City, they invariably utilize the waterways. I’m not boasting, but my maritime connections along the docks are second to none.’…… If he wasn’t merely attempting to deceive Lan Lan, but possessed genuine empirical data regarding the exact logistics of the operation, does it mean he was actively tied into these human trafficking syndicates?” Ji Xun proposed, mapping out a fresh analytical framework.
Before anyone could formulate a response, a sharp clink echoed across the room. The final object hidden inside the envelope slid free, bouncing onto the hard surface of the desk.
The team leaned in to inspect the artifact closely: “Is that…… a miniature fan?”
It was a small, bone-white fan.
It was roughly the dimensions of a child’s palm. At an initial glance, one might easily mistake it for a carved piece of jade or polished stone. However, a closer examination revealed it lacked the smooth warmth of jade and the flat regularity of stone. One could even distinguish the subtle, anatomical ridges of biological joint segments along its surface.
The physical profile suggested a far more macabre origin……
“A bone fan,” Huo Ranyin remarked, his face turning incredibly grim. “Though the biological origin of the bone remains unverified.”
Precisely—a bone fan.
A miniature fan meticulously carved from biological skeletal matter.
Was it harvested from an animal?
Or, more disturbingly, was it fashioned from human remains?
Ji Xun picked up the artifact with his fingers, lifting it directly into his line of sight to examine the details. The bone fan was remarkably thin, featuring fine engravings on both the obverse and reverse faces.
Peering closely, the front face was inscribed with the phrase “Smooth Sailing and Divine Protection,” while the reverse read “The Winds Calm, The Waves Subsiding.”
“Tang Jinglong,” Ji Xun murmured in a low whisper.
Inside the private safe of Tang Jinglong—the pharmaceutical representative from the Xi Lei homicide case—sat a miniature wooden vessel. Rested flat upon the deck of that model ship was a strand of traditional coins, and the exact same phrases were engraved across their faces.
“Is this artifact structurally linked to one of your historical active files?” Zhao Wu observed the shifting expressions on their faces, his sharp mind immediately deducing the correlation.
“There is an undeniable thread of continuity,” Huo Ranyin confirmed with a nod.
“Understood. In that case, this physical evidence must temporarily remain secured within this jurisdiction’s custody log. However, I will authorize a complete digital duplicate of the files and telemetry to be routed to your terminal. I’ll also have the forensic pathologist run a laboratory analysis to determine the exact species of origin for this bone structure.”
“Thank you.”
“It’s a minor administrative detail, no need for formalities. It’s pushing noon now……” Zhao Wu checked the time on his terminal. “The medical team at the hospital confirms that Lan Lan has reached full cognitive awareness and her vitals are stable. To prevent any external variables from complicating the situation, let’s bypass the afternoon schedule. We move immediately, record the interrogation, and close out this phase.”
When Ji Xun and Huo Ranyin re-entered Lan Lan’s perimeter, she was propped up against the pillows of her hospital bed, staring blankly out the window.
Her neck was heavily wrapped in thick layers of sterile medical gauze. Likely due to severe, near-lethal blood loss, her complexion was devoid of any natural color or vital energy.
Prior to granting them entry, the attending chief physician had clearly outlined her physical constraints: the laceration to her neck had inflicted trauma on her vocal cords. Expecting her to articulate audible responses or vocalize a formal confession was medically unrealistic. However, she could communicate via digital input using a mobile device or a laptop terminal.
The police presented both options for her evaluation. Lan Lan cast a detached glance over the devices and selected the laptop. Ji Xun calculated that her choice wasn’t driven by any specific psychological preference, but simply because the terminal was staged closer to her hands.
Zhao Wu seated himself directly adjacent to the hospital bed: “The police apparatus has already reconstructed the entire sequence of events. Hu Kun’s termination was executed by Mei Lili. You systematically assumed the identity of Luo Sui, but your biological designation is Lan Lan. Furthermore, the individual utilizing Hu Kun’s medical insurance credentials to secure treatment is named Lan Cungang—your biological grandfather.”
Lan Lan’s eyelashes flickered slightly—a single, minute reflex.
The cessation of cellular life does not automatically equate to the immediate dissolution of the spirit. However, when psychological death occurs, the physical shell invariably follows suit; it is merely a question of chronological progression.
“We have a series of critical queries that require your disclosure. I expect you to comprehend that fabricating data at this juncture is entirely futile,” Zhao Wu stated, his eyes locking onto her. His demeanor was devoid of warmth—the police force did not waste emotional currency on confirmed perpetrators.
However, the subsequent phase of the interrogation was not spearheaded by him.
It was Huo Ranyin who broke the silence.
“Were you aware of the specific assets concealed within Old Hu’s Mazu statue?” Huo Ranyin inquired.
[ Yes. ] The single word was typed onto the white screen by Lan Lan’s fingers.
“Detail the contents,” Huo Ranyin commanded.
[ A fresh set of identification credentials, a sum of capital, and a business card. ] Lan Lan typed. [ He stated that if I ever encountered a structural crisis I couldn't resolve, I should utilize them to establish a fresh identity in a new sector. ]
She made zero mention of the bone fan.
Did Old Hu intentionally withhold the existence of the bone fan from her knowledge? The exact same thought flashed through Ji Xun and Huo Ranyin’s minds simultaneously.
“If the statue functioned as your emergency extraction kit, why didn’t you demand the woodworking studio ship the Mazu icon along with the rest of your assets?” Huo Ranyin observed her closely, leaving the underlying deduction unspoken: Why did you strictly demand the preservation of the small wooden doll he carved for you? When both assets were within your reach, a binary choice was completely unnecessary.
Yet, Lan Lan’s facial expressions remained locked in a state of absolute stasis.
She remained frozen for several seconds before her fingers drifted across the keys: [ I sensed that the perimeter was closing in. I was exhausted. I didn't want to run anymore. ]
“Did you possess data regarding the specific text on the business card?” Huo Ranyin pushed.
Lan Lan shook her head.
“Then, are you familiar with this specific artifact?”
A high-resolution photograph was placed directly before her eyes—it depicted the miniature bone fan that had slid from the manila envelope.
Lan Lan shook her head once more. However, Huo Ranyin’s tracking systems registered a minute, lateral shift in her ocular focus—the classic physiological signature of deep cognitive retrieval.
“You possess data on it,” Huo Ranyin stated, his tone flat and unyielding. “Disclose the information. What utility is there in maintaining operational security at this juncture? Hu Kun is dead, and you have expressed a desire for your own termination. If these secrets are withheld now, they will simply be buried in the dirt alongside you. They will permanently entomb the memory of Luo Sui—and the countless others who shared her identical fate.”
The pale, bloodless hands hovered static over the keyboard for a long moment before gently striking the keys.
Lan Lan’s disclosure materialized as a sequence of perfectly aligned, mechanical characters, generated line by line where the blinking cursor dictated:
[ I have no empirical data regarding the business card, nor do I recognize the physical bone fan. I only ever heard rumors concerning the hidden contents of Old Hu's Mazu icon; I never verified them visually. But I retain a vivid memory of a specific narrative Old Hu recounted to me in the past. ]
[ It was a story concerning a myth about Holy Mother Mazu. ]
[ The narrative framing he utilized was deeply anomalous, intensely disturbing, and it remains burned into my mind to this very day…… ]
