Po Sir's Police Affairs: The Hunter

Jiangcheng No. 1 Middle School is located in the old city area. The teaching building dates back to the 1980s, its exterior walls weathered and covered with ivy. Jiang Bo parked the car at the entrance and walked inside with Zhang Yuhang. Tangyuan was left in the car, lying on the back seat watching them. As they left, it barked once, as if to say "Be careful."

The campus was quiet; it was during class time. The sound of students reading aloud drifted from the classrooms, mingling with the teachers' explanations. Jiang Bo crossed the playground and went up to the second floor of the teaching building. The Chinese language teaching and research group was at the end of the corridor, the door ajar.

Knock on the door. No one answers.

The teacher next to her peeked out: "Looking for Teacher Huang? She took the day off and didn't come."

Jiang Bo's heart sank.

Do you know where she lives?

The teacher shook her head: "I'm not quite sure. It seems to be in Jinghu District, but I don't know the exact address. Who are you?"

Jiang Bo showed his identification, and the teacher glanced at it, his expression becoming concerned.

"What happened to Teacher Huang?"

"Routine investigation." Jiang Bo didn't elaborate. "Has she shown any unusual behavior recently?"

The teacher thought for a moment: "It seems like nothing. She just came to borrow a few books from me a few days ago, all about the local history of Jiangcheng. She said she wants to write a paper on it. Nothing else."

Jiang Bo walked out of the office, took out his phone, and called Liu Tong.

"Find Huang Binbin's address as soon as possible."

A few minutes later, Liu Tong sent the address—a residential area in Jinghu District, not far from Fang Min's home. Jiang Bo looked at the address, a strange feeling welling up inside him. Fang Min and Huang Binbin, they lived so close, and they were both investigating the same case.

Zhang Yuhang said from the side, "Officer, what if Huang Binbin also gets into trouble—"

Jiang Bo didn't wait for him to speak and quickly went downstairs.

The car headed towards Jinghu District. Jiang Bo remained silent throughout the journey, and Zhang Yuhang didn't speak either. Tangyuan shifted restlessly in the back seat, occasionally letting out a low whimper.

The apartment building was old, six stories high, and had no elevator. Huang Binbin lived on the fourth floor. They went upstairs and knocked on the door. No one answered.

Jiang Bo pressed his ear to the door and listened, but there was no sound inside. He gestured for Zhang Yuhang to go downstairs to find the property management, while he continued knocking. The door was an old-fashioned wooden door, and a sliver of light shone through the crack—the lights were on inside.

The property management arrived and opened the door. The house was tidy, but there was an inexplicable sense of emptiness—as if the owner hadn't been home for a long time. The living room light was on, and there was a glass of water on the coffee table, with a layer of dust floating on the surface.

Jiang Bo went inside and looked around. On the coffee table in the living room was an open notebook filled with dense writing. He walked over and looked down at it.

These are Huang Binbin's notes. They record her investigation into the Ah Zhen case. The handwriting is neat and orderly, just like her. The last page reads:

"I went to the archives again today to check some information and found a police report from 1998. The person who reported it was named Ma Xiuying, and she said that Azhen had gone missing. But strangely, the report was filed two months later than when Azhen went missing. Why? Also, the report included a photo, a picture of Azhen with two girls. One of the girls was named Xiaomei, and the other was named Xiuying."

Jiang Bo paused for a moment. Xiuying? Fang Min's mother?

He continued reading.

"Who is Xiuying? Why is her name blacked out? The archives say this is the original file, and the blacked-out part was probably done by the police officer who handled the case back then. Why?"

At the end of the notebook, a line was written in red pen:

"I found Xiuying. She's still alive. I have to tell Tianzhen."

Naïve – Yang Tianzhen.

Jiang Bo closed his notebook, a bad feeling welling up inside him.

"Bo Sir!" Zhang Yuhang called from the bedroom.

Jiang Bo strode inside. Zhang Yuhang stood in front of the wardrobe, pointing inside—the wardrobe was empty; all the clothes were gone.

"She packed her things and left?"

Jiang Bo squatted down and opened the drawer at the bottom of the wardrobe. Inside was a photograph, pressed under old clothes. He took it out and looked at it—the photo showed three girls standing by the river, smiling brightly. It was exactly the same as the one he had found before, but the names were written on the back: A-Zhen, Xiao-Mei, and Xiu-Ying.

The entry for Xiuying was crossed out and replaced with "Huang Binbin's mother".

Jiang Bo was stunned.

Is Huang Binbin's mother Xiuying?

He recalled what Huang Binbin had said: "My cousin, Ah Zhen, has been missing for over twenty years." She called Ah Zhen her cousin, so Xiuying must be her mother? No, Xiuying is her mother, and Ah Zhen is her cousin, so Ah Zhen and Xiuying are sisters?

Jiang Bo's mind started to get tangled. He needed to sort things out.

Just then, the phone rang. It was Liu Tong calling, and she sounded very anxious.

"Police officer, Huang Binbin's cell phone signal has returned. It's on the old pontoon bridge."

Jiang Bo hung up the phone and rushed out of the room. Zhang Yuhang followed behind.

The car sped towards the old pontoon bridge. Jiang Bo gripped the steering wheel, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. His bad premonition grew stronger. Old pontoon bridge, it was Old pontoon bridge again. This place name seemed like a curse, appearing repeatedly in the case.

The old pontoon bridge demolition area was a scene of utter devastation. Bulldozers stood there like giant monsters. Bricks and rubble were piled up everywhere, and in some places, half-demolished walls remained. Jiang Bo parked his car on the side of the road and jumped out.

Tangyuan came too—it jumped out of the car window and ran after them.

Liu Tong's location was in a dilapidated house near the river. Half of the house had collapsed, and the other half stood crookedly. There were still New Year pictures from the 1990s pasted on the wall, faded and white. A chubby baby was holding a fish and smiling eerily. The edges of the New Year pictures were soaked and rotten by the rain, and the baby's face was distorted.

Jiang Bo rushed in.

The room was dark and smelled musty. A straw mat was spread on the floor, and a person was lying on it.

Huang Binbin.

She was wearing the clothes she'd worn in the office that day, her eyes closed, her hands clasped over her chest. There were two deep, purplish-black marks on her neck. Her face was calm, as if she were asleep.

Just like Fang Min. Exactly the same as Fang Min.

Jiang Bo squatted down and felt her pulse. It was cold. She'd been dead for a long time.

He stood up and looked at Huang Binbin's face. Thirty-six years old, a middle school Chinese teacher, with a cousin named Azhen and a mother named Xiuying. She only wanted to find out about her family's past, but she died here.

Tangyuan sniffed around inside the house and suddenly barked wildly at a corner. Jiang Bo walked over and saw a plastic bag on the ground containing a cell phone.

Huang Binbin's cell phone.

He picked it up, pressed the power button, and saw that it still had power. He checked the call log; the last call was at 9:20 PM last night, to Yang Tianzhen.

Yang Tianzhen.

Jiang Bo's bad premonition turned into fear. He dialed Yang Tianzhen's number, but the phone was off.

"Zhou Xiao!" he shouted, "Contact Yang Tianzhen immediately and confirm her safety!"

Zhou Xiao made a few phone calls, and his expression changed.

"Officer, Yang Tianzhen's phone is off. Her roommate said she went out last night and hasn't come back."

Jiang Bo stood in the ruins, staring at the cell phone. Huang Binbin had called Yang Tianzhen before he died. Yang Tianzhen was currently out of contact.

The third person.

He turned and ran outside. Tangyuan followed behind.

"Notify Director Dong and request backup. Review all surveillance footage and track Yang Tianzhen's movements last night."

As the car drove back, Jiang Bo's phone rang. It was Dong Jianjun calling.

"Xiao Jiang, I understand the situation. I've had someone check the city's surveillance footage, and we found that Yang Tianzhen appeared near Jinghu Park around 9:40 last night. She entered the park."

Jiang Bo's heart sank.

"Send people to search Jinghu Park."

The car stopped at the entrance of Jinghu Park. Jiang Bo jumped out and ran into the park. It was already dark, and the streetlights were dim, casting heavy shadows. Tangyuan ran ahead, sniffing around, and suddenly disappeared into a grove of trees.

Jiang Bo followed him inside.

The woods were dark; the flashlight beam only illuminated a few meters ahead. The ground was covered with a thick layer of fallen leaves, soft and silent underfoot. Tangyuan stopped in front of a large tree and barked wildly.

Jiang Bo walked over and saw a person lying under the tree.

Yang Tianzhen.

She was wearing a white T-shirt and jeans, curled up on the ground with her eyes closed. There were two pressure marks on her neck, exactly the same as Huang Binbin's. Her glasses lay beside her, the lenses broken.

Jiang Bo knelt down and felt her pulse. It was cold. She had been dead for a long time.

He stood up, took two steps back, and looked at the young face. Twenty-four years old, with a ponytail and glasses. That day in the coffee shop, she smiled and said, "I guarantee I'll complete the mission." Now she lay here, just like Huang Binbin, strangled to death and dumped in the woods.

Jiang Bo's hands were trembling.

He had been in this line of work for over a decade and had seen countless corpses. But at this moment, a long-forgotten anger welled up inside him—anger at the murderer, anger at fate, and anger at himself.

He remembered his master's words: "In this line of work, what you fear most is not dead people, but watching people who shouldn't die die."

Yang Tianzhen shouldn't have died. She just wanted to investigate a 30-year-old case and seek justice for Ah Zhen. What did she do wrong?

Jiang Bo took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He squatted down and carefully examined Yang Tianzhen's body.

Like Fang Min, and like Huang Binbin, they placed their hands folded over their chests. The killer was letting them "rest in peace."

He reached for the notebook beside Yang Tianzhen—it was the one she always carried, half-soaked in blood. He opened it; inside were records of the investigation into Ah Zhen's case. The handwriting was messy, clearly written under pressure. The last page read:

"I found Ma Xiuying today. She's the Xiuying in the photo, Azhen's sister. She told me a lot. Azhen was killed by Ding Laosan, and so was Xiaomei. But she doesn't know why Ding Laosan is still alive. She said Ding Laosan has connections, he has people in the Public Security Bureau. Who is that person? I must find out."

The following are several names that have been crossed out. The last one is "Dong—".

The handwriting is blurry and illegible.

Jiang Bo stared at the character "Dong," a complex feeling welling up inside him.

Dong Jianjun? Impossible.

He put his notebook away and stood up. Tangyuan came over and rubbed against his leg. He squatted down and stroked its head.

"Let's go."

As we walked out of the woods, Zhou Xiao came to greet us.

"Officer, the forensic pathologist has arrived."

Jiang Bo nodded without speaking. He walked to the lakeside and looked at the dark surface of the lake. Mirror Lake wasn't large, nor was the water deep, but at night it looked like a bottomless well. The moon's reflection in the water was shattered into pieces.

The sound of police sirens grew louder and louder in the distance.

Zhang Yuhang walked over and stood beside him.

"Inspector Bo, three cases, all with the same modus operandi. Fang Min, Huang Binbin, and Yang Tianzhen. They are all investigating Ah Zhen's case."

Jiang Bo nodded.

"The murderer is silencing them."

Zhang Yuhang was silent for a moment, then said, "What do you think of the character 'Dong' on Yang Tianzhen's notebook?"

Jiang Bo turned his head and looked at him.

How did you know the character "董" was in it?

Zhang Yuhang paused for a moment: "I just glanced at it."

Jiang Bo stared at him for a few seconds. Then he said, "Maybe it's just a coincidence."

Zhang Yuhang didn't say anything more.

Jiang Bo turned and walked back. Reaching the car, he opened the door, and Tangyuan jumped in. He got into the driver's seat and started the engine.

The car drove out of Jinghu Park and onto Changjiang Road. Neon lights flashed outside the window, pedestrians hurried by, and everything seemed so normal.

But he knew that this was only on the surface.

Beneath the river, even deeper sins await to surface.