Winter Returns

Chapter 80 The Last Straw That Broke the Camel's Back (Bonus Chapter, Please Vote!)

When they were still a few dozen meters from the restricted area, Zhang Shutong told Lao Song to stop the car.

"The place you're talking about is just ahead?" Old Song lowered the window, puzzled. "What are we doing coming to this godforsaken place in the middle of the night? It's like we could be filming a ghost movie here."

Miss Gu was also a little disappointed:
"where is this?"

Zhang Shutong thought to himself, "I'm sorry, I also want to die in a beautiful place."

But it happens to be a restricted area.

"What's so interesting about this?" Old Song poked his head out. "You guys don't fish here, do you?"

Zhang Shutong thought about it and felt that Qingyi's approach was still the most effective at this time:
He said that men are sometimes like that. On a freezing cold day, you suddenly crawl out of bed, hunch your shoulders, and turn on a flashlight. You really want to go somewhere, maybe a 24-hour convenience store, maybe an archway under a bridge, or even a dilapidated bench in a quiet park. Honestly, it's quite a hassle and a lot of suffering, but there's no reason. You just want to go there, and you can find a moment of peace there.

Zhang Shutong had initially been rambling, but as he spoke, he realized it didn't quite capture his current state of mind. He asked himself honestly, he'd only asked Lao Song to bring him here to scout things out. Logically, he should have gone back after scouting; he'd been to the forbidden zone several times before without finding anything, so it wasn't really worth exploring. But since he was already here, he felt uneasy if he didn't go and take a look.

Surprisingly, this nonsensical talk won over Song Nanshan, who nodded and said, "Go if you want to, we'll wait for you in the car."

Zhang Shutong had even prepared an excuse to "get off the bus to relieve myself," but he swallowed his words back.

Gu Qiu Mian originally wanted to go down and take a look, but Lao Song stopped her, saying that every boy has his own little secrets. In layman's terms, boys of this age will occasionally act a little crazy. Teacher, I'm used to it, so let him be.

Perhaps in their eyes, he really was acting crazy.

Zhang Shutong apologized, took his umbrella and phone, and got off the bus.

As soon as his shoes touched the ground, he realized something was wrong; there wasn't much snow around, which was strange.

He poked his finger down again; the soil was a little damp. Zhang Shutong remembered that it was the same last time he came to the restricted area. It had just snowed that day, and he had hoped to find the killer's trail by looking at the footprints, but the snow had almost melted away.

Is the geographical location of this land special?
Zhang Shutong really didn't understand this, and thought he should go back and ask his mother, who was an expert.

Now was not the time to study geography. He zipped up his jacket and, for safety's sake, tucked the umbrella between his neck and the back of his collar instead of using it.

Although he was killed eight years later, being stabbed twice would have left him with some psychological trauma.

Looking back, she saw a faint light shining from inside the car. Through the rear window, she could see Gu Qiu Mian, who was also looking over. Their eyes met, and she wrinkled her nose but then gently parted her lips and breathed out the window.

A thin layer of mist obscured her face, as if she deliberately didn't want anyone to see it. Zhang Shutong thought she was probably going to ruin the glass again. Looking at Lao Song, the man was leaning against the car window, smoking, his head raised, seemingly lost in thought.

Zhang Shutong turned around, tightened his coat, and walked alone towards the restricted area into the snow.

If possible, I hope this is the last time I come here.

He turned on the flash and shone it around. There was no one in sight, only the almost frozen night with snowflakes floating in it, making him feel like a tiny figure walking through a painting.

Watch your step; there are no footprints in the snow. It's impossible to be relaxed, but you're not exactly tense either.

Today is Thursday. He also came to the restricted area on Thursday in the previous timeline, staying until 8 pm, and then went to the shopping street to buy the switched scarf. The only difference is that there was snow today.

Zhang Shutong glanced at the time; it was around 8:30. He was already on his way back.

Just like I said, since I'm here, I might as well go and take a look.

He sighed, unsure whether to hope for something to happen or for nothing to happen. The latter would be best, of course, but on the other hand, if no clues could be found in the restricted area, he would be completely clueless.

The dispute in the commercial street has been resolved.

The villa belonging to Gu Qiumian has been investigated.

The fence, the side door, the elevator, the rooms—they were all gone.

I've also driven along the road from the villa to the restricted area.

Several possibilities were blocked, and surprisingly, there were no problems in the areas most prone to unforeseen events.

She didn't run there by herself, nor did the murderer climb over the wall, so what else is possible?
Logically speaking... but if judged solely by common sense, Zhang Shutong couldn't find the answer no matter how hard he tried.

The cold air jolted him awake, and he tapped his forehead with the edge of his phone, feeling a headache coming on.

Unsolved case, unsolved case...

In other words, this case hasn't made any progress in eight years.

What does it mean that it has been sealed off by the police?
Did Father Gu not want the secret to be revealed?

Or is there something else?

He wasn't sure how far criminal investigation had progressed in 2012, but fingerprint and DNA testing should have been available, even if not on the island, at least in the city.

He slowed his pace, hoping for a sudden flash of inspiration.

In reality, he was just startled by the snow that landed on his nose.

He was getting closer and closer to the lake, but he couldn't see the shore from here; it was blocked by thick reeds that were almost as tall as him.

He pushed aside the reeds blocking his way. All around was quiet, except for the rustling sound of his body passing through the reeds.

It was difficult to find anything on the ground this time; the reeds were intertwined and filled with snow.

This scene, however, reminded Zhang Shutong of another question: from which direction did the murderer who killed him approach?
Why did I only realize it when the other person was right next to me both times?

The phone's flashlight was simply not enough in this environment. It was pitch black all around. He tried to shine the light forward, but the light was completely blocked by the reeds, and only a tiny halo of light emanated in front of him.

Darkness was eroding the last glimmer of light in his hand.

As Zhang Shutong walked, he almost tripped, only then remembering that he had tied fishing lines here before.

He looked down and saw that the fishing line was almost completely covered by snow. He couldn't remember the exact location because there were several buried at the time, and he only had a vague direction, so he raised his feet a little.

The endless reeds pressed in front of him, making him feel irritable. He was forced to slow down, and when he finally pushed aside the last clump of reeds, he felt as if the clouds had parted and the sun was shining through.

Finally, we can see the view from the shore.

But...why...

Zhang Shutong moved his phone and silently opened his mouth.

...There will be someone.

There is a person on the shore.

A person was squatting on the shore.

That person has been squatting on the shore since just now!

They just squatted on the shore!
They acted as if they hadn't heard of his arrival!
A chill ran through Zhang Shutong's body in an instant. He shivered and didn't know whether he should turn and run or stay still, whether he should make a sound or shut his mouth.

Because it was completely different from the image of the murderer he had imagined! The person had long hair and was actually a woman, squatting on the ground in a bizarre posture… Zhang Shutong was utterly stunned, his mind went blank for a moment, because the other person had already turned to look at him, the flashlight beam shining on her face, half of her face completely obscured by her long hair, deathly pale—

road! green! pity!
It's Lu Qinglian!
But why was she in the restricted area? Zhang Shutong subconsciously took a step back, but Lu Qinglian had already quickly stood up. Before Zhang Shutong could speak, she darted into the reeds beside her at lightning speed. The tops of the reeds swayed gently, accompanied by the sound of snow being trampled underfoot, before falling completely silent.

Everything happened in an instant. By the time Zhang Shutong took another step to chase after her, the girl named Lu Qinglian had already disappeared.

—Old Song and the others are still up there!

He froze for a moment, not having time to think further, and quickly turned and ran back. Zhang Shutong plunged into the reeds. At this moment, he didn't even care about the fishing line or the reeds. He relied entirely on brute force to break out. His vision was pitch black. He rushed to the road step by step and saw the Ford Focus in the distance. He immediately waved.

The inside of the windshield was pitch black; he couldn't see anything. Neither the Focus's headlights nor the interior lights were on. Zhang Shutong's heart skipped a beat, and he shouted:

"Hey!"

He rushed towards the car to open the door, but before he could reach it, the horn beeped twice.

"What happened?" Old Song asked, still shaken. "Shutong, you suddenly yelled like that in the middle of the night. Did you scare us to death?"

"You...are you alright?"

"What could possibly happen to us in the car with the air conditioning on? The question is, are you alright?"

"Did you see anyone else just now?" Zhang Shutong asked anxiously.

"What do you mean 'other people'? You just went down by yourself. Don't scare the teacher!"

Zhang Shutong turned around in a daze. Above the sky, snowflakes continued to fall slowly, and the night was peaceful, as if everything he had just seen on the shore was just an illusion.

"What did you see?"

"It's nothing..." Zhang Shutong exhaled a breath of stale air. "I thought something had happened to you... Why aren't the lights on?"

"Who knows how long you'll be staying? Teacher, the car battery isn't very good; it runs out of power after a while. Just now, Qiu Mian asked me why her dad's car wasn't afraid, but the Audi certainly isn't... Are you alright?"

Song Nanshan noticed that Zhang Shutong's hair was completely soaked and couldn't help but worry:

"They were fine on the way here, what happened all of a sudden?"

He frantically pulled a rag from the car, not caring whether it was dirty or not, "Let's wipe this first, we can talk about it in the car, otherwise I'll definitely catch a cold..."

Zhang Shutong had no idea how he got into the car. He only knew that when he came to his senses, the headlights of the Focus had turned back on, and the air conditioning was on full blast, blowing directly into his face.

Old Song and Gu Qiumian asked him worriedly what was wrong. Zhang Shutong only said that he had seen a shadow down below and was startled. He quickly ran up and then saw that the car lights were not on, so he thought something bad had happened.

"I thought you were having a fit." Old Song breathed a sigh of relief. "It's good that you're alright. It's good that you're alright. I'm not saying this to be mean, Shutong, but even though you're usually pretty quick at catching bad guys, you really need to work on your courage. What could possibly happen to me here? A teacher is over six feet tall, so hurry up and take off your coat..."

As he spoke, he started the car, turned it around, and began his journey home.

At this moment, Zhang Shutong was in no mood to speak. It had nothing to do with his courage; he simply felt something was amiss, or rather, something that was terrifying upon closer examination. Why was Lu Qinglian in the forbidden area? Where was she on Thursdays before? Did it have anything to do with the snow?

Also, what was she doing squatting by the lake?
Zhang Shutong then remembered that he should go to the water's edge to investigate, as he had been too busy running back.

But he glanced at Song Nanshan and knew it was too late to speak now, so he sighed inwardly, touched his pants, and suddenly said that his phone had just popped out and he had to go back to find it.

Old Song reluctantly shifted into reverse again, this time refusing to let him go down alone. Zhang Shutong didn't object. He glanced around again, and the two of them went into the reeds one after the other. Zhang Shutong pretended to look for his phone, but actually went to the water's edge.

He quickly glanced around; the visibility in this area was very low. Just then, Old Song rang his phone, and he pretended to pick up his phone from the water's edge and shine it on the lake.

Nothing at all.

Nothing at all……

He kept his brow furrowed the whole way.

Back in the car, water droplets from her forehead fell onto her face, but Zhang Shutong was completely unaware. Lu Qinglian was involved in this matter more deeply than she had imagined, but why did she go to the forbidden zone...? What was in the forbidden zone?
Then I remembered what Du Kang had said: outside the funeral home, according to the official investigation, Lu Qinglian died from accidentally falling into the water.

But he had just checked; there was nothing in the water. That area was always like this—the lake was calm, without a ripple, and the water seemed viscous in the night. There wasn't even a single fish to be found.

Also, didn't she go home after school? Did she come down from the mountain again? Or was she still outside?

Zhang Shutong knew that tonight was destined to be fruitless. Not to mention that Lao Song had already been exhausted by him, even if he wanted to find Lu Qinglian, he didn't know her whereabouts. Even if she had returned to the mountain, with the heavy snow blocking the mountain roads, he couldn't get up there.

We can only wait until tomorrow.

Lu Qinglian...

Temple keeper...

Green Snake Temple...

Could it be that the final clue points to one place—

Is it that mysterious little temple?
The car wobbled along, and Lao Song even asked him if he wanted to practice driving, but Zhang Shutong was in no mood for that.

Everyone went off in high spirits, but barely exchanged a few words on the way back.

Even after driving onto the path in front of the villa, he still didn't have a definite answer.

The snow was still falling. Fox stopped in front of the villa and turned to look. The lights were still on in the windows, making it feel warm.

"Then let's do as we agreed before. I'll come pick you up tomorrow morning." Song Nanshan yawned as well. "See you tomorrow, Qiu Mian. Sleep well tonight, don't be afraid..."

"What do I have to be afraid of, teacher? You should worry about him first. You got scared again." Gu Qiumian pouted and asked Zhang Shutong if he wanted to go inside to get a towel to dry his hair.

He was about to shake his head, but before he could speak, the car suddenly veered to one side.

All three were startled. The previous encounter had put them on edge. Zhang Shutong immediately opened the car door, and Lao Song followed closely behind with a frown. The two went around to the right side, and the other man stared at the bottom of the car for a while before suddenly scratching his head:
"Oh no, the tire is flat."

"How could the tire have blown out?" Zhang Shutong asked.

"Do you remember when we went over a pothole on the way back with Qiu Mian? It jolted a bit, and I guess that's when it started to leak air."

Old Song kicked the right rear tire and examined it carefully:

“We forgot to check it at the time, we were in a hurry to go inside and eat, and we just drove around again. Oh, you even practiced driving for a while. You drive slowly in the snow, and the road feel is different from usual. I didn’t notice. It must have been slowly leaking air the whole way, and then it suddenly reached a critical point. You know, the last straw that broke the camel’s back, it just burst.”

Is it easy to replenish?

"It won't do." Old Song straightened up and sighed. "It's all burst open. It's hard to fix. Besides, we don't have any tools. I don't know if it's bad luck or good luck. At least we weren't abandoned halfway. It's so late, and the location is remote. That would have been truly a case of being helpless. At least we made it back."

"Sigh, what a coincidence, that's why I'm the one to make the judgment..."

At this point, Old Song suddenly smiled sheepishly and looked at Gu Qiumian, who was getting off the car with him:

"Hey Qiu Mian, I guess I won't need to pick you up tomorrow morning..."

(End of this chapter)