Roses in Flames

Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps sounded.

Xiao Lin returned, his jawline taut, his expression incredibly cold and stern.

He glanced at Ye Yuntang and said in a deep, cold voice, "Put your bag on and jump down."

Ye Yuntang glanced at the man's outstretched hand and nodded, "Okay."

I jumped down from the crevice, nearly a meter high, to the hot spring below. The rocks were a bit slippery.

Using the force of the man's large hand, Ye Yuntang jumped down without hesitation.

She almost fell because her foot slipped, but the man quickly reached out his other hand and caught her around the waist.

Ye Yuntang placed her fingers on the man's chest, and even through the fabric of his clothes, she could feel the texture of his strong, muscular muscles.

She slightly closed her fingers and took the opportunity to touch his chest.

Xiao Lin noticed her movement, his body tensed abruptly, and his eyes held a hint of unfathomable depth. "What are you doing?"

Ye Yuntang showed no shame or embarrassment at having taken advantage of a man. "You just put your arm around my waist, so I'm just touching your chest muscles in return."

Xiao Lin, "..."

He supported her waist to prevent her from falling, wasn't he?

This woman took advantage of him and yet she was so self-righteous and assertive.

After Ye Yuntang jumped down, Yan Xu crawled into a crevice in the rocks. When he saw the two about to leave, he screamed in fright, "Second Brother, Ye Meiren, have you forgotten about me?"

Xiao Lin turned to look at Yan Xu, "Stay there and don't move."

Yan Xu shook her head, her face pale, "No, no, I'm afraid of ghosts."

Xiao Lin's facial features were taut. "There are no ghosts in this world."

"I'm scared! Waaah! Second brother, Ye Meiren, I want to go with you!"

Seeing that Yan Xu was about to cry, Ye Yuntang nodded to him, "Then jump down."

She reached out to catch Yan Xu, and seeing this, Xiao Lin stepped forward and extended his large hand towards Yan Xu.

After Yan Xu jumped down, he grabbed Xiao Lin's arm and asked, "Second Brother, have you found a way out?"

Xiao Lin didn't speak; he led the two forward.

After walking for a while, the rock face suddenly opened up, revealing a larger cave.

Xiao Lin raised his hand, signaling the two to stop.

He shone the flashlight beam into a corner of the cave.

Both Ye Yuntang and Yan Xu were stunned by the photo.

Yan Xu, in particular, was so frightened when he saw a skeleton curled up there that his legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground.

"Holy crap... there are dead bodies in this cave?"

Yan Xu was so frightened that her teeth were chattering and her face was deathly pale.

Xiao Lin glanced at Yan Xu. "I told you not to follow me."

Yan Xu scrambled to Ye Yuntang's side, grabbing her legs with both hands. "Beautiful Ye, you'll protect me, right?"

Ye Yuntang gently patted Yan Xu's shoulder, "Don't be afraid."

Seeing Yan Xu's pathetic state, Xiao Lin raised his long leg and kicked him away, saying, "Don't delay Forensic Doctor Ye's autopsy."

Ye Yuntang took out a toolbox from her bag, put on a mask and gloves, and walked towards the skeleton.

It was a complete skeleton, covered in dark brown dust, with grayish-black bones. The limbs and torso were slightly scattered, with only the skull and cervical vertebrae connected. There were a few strands of blackened cotton fibers at the pelvis, which were probably rotten clothing fabric.

Xiao Lin and Ye Yuntang arrived at the remains. Xiao Lin shone a flashlight on Ye Yuntang, while Ye Yuntang began to examine them carefully and attentively.

"It is a female skeleton. Based on the degree of wear on the pubic symphysis, it is consistent with the age range of 23-25 ​​years old. The height calculated from the femur length should be over 168 cm, and the time of death is at least four years."

Ye Yuntang lifted the hyoid bone with tweezers, frowning slightly. "The greater horn of the hyoid bone was fractured, which was the fatal injury before death. The preliminary cause of death is strangulation. The pubic ramus was fractured, which was caused by violent external force. The deceased should have been sexually assaulted by the perpetrator before death, and his limbs resisted violently."

Xiao Lin frowned, his dark eyes narrowed slightly, as if deep in thought.

"Based on your preliminary autopsy results, the remains are very likely those of Jiang Yao, a volunteer teacher."

Ye Yuntang nodded, "That's what I think too."

Xiao Lin stood up and began searching for other evidence inside the stone wall.

Suddenly, he found a black button not far from the remains.

The buttons are an old-fashioned style of men's clothing, matching the clothes Ji Chen wore back when he was still in Daweishan.

"Captain Xiao, there are fibers and skin fragments stuck in the deceased's finger bones. They were probably left by the deceased when he grabbed the murderer during the struggle."

When Yan Xu first saw Ye Yuntang at work, she was amazed by her courage and professionalism; she was incredibly cool.

Yan Xu didn't dare to go forward, so he leaned against the stone wall.

My finger accidentally touched something.

He picked it up and saw that it was a fountain pen.

"Second brother, there's a fountain pen in the cave."

Xiao Lin quickly walked over and took the pen from Yan Xu's hand with his gloved hand.

Two characters were engraved on the pen.

Jiang Yao.

This is Jiang Yao's fountain pen.

After Ye Yuntang completed the on-site examination of the body, Xiao Lin collected the evidence, and the two began searching for an exit.

After searching for nearly half an hour, Xiao Lin discovered that the exit was firmly blocked by several huge rocks.

Xiao Lin, Ye Yuntang, and Yan Xu pushed outwards with all their might.

After a great deal of effort, they finally managed to push open a gap in the stone.

After exiting, Xiao Lin's dark eyes swept coldly over the cave entrance.

No wonder Ji Chen was so confident. Such a hidden place, with the entrance sealed off, would have been hard to find if Yan Xu hadn't accidentally fallen into the cave with the quicksand.

There was no signal in the mountains, so Xiao Lin took out a signal flare from his bag.

Tear off the safety pin and throw it into the air.

A blinding red light pierced through the mountains and forests, its long tail flame shooting straight into the sky.

……

Upon returning to Yecheng, Xiao Lin received a call from the New District Police Station informing him that Jiang Yao's mother was dying.

Jiang's mother conceived Jiang Yao when she was middle-aged, and now she is almost seventy years old.

The disappearance of her daughter, coupled with her husband's death from a heart attack due to online bullying, accelerated her aging.

His hair was already gray, his face was full of wrinkles, his eyes were cloudy and empty, and his hands, placed on the quilt, were withered and emaciated.

She knew she was nearing the end of her life.

She was about to reunite with her husband, but she hadn't received any news from her daughter yet.

If my daughter were still alive, wouldn't she be heartbroken if she came home one day and couldn't see her and her husband?

A hot tear slid down the corner of her eye.

Yao Yao, will Mommy ever see you again in this lifetime?

Yao Yao, you will always be your mom and dad's most precious daughter!

Yao Yao, I'm sorry, Mommy can't wait for you to come home.

Just as Jiang's mother's eyelids were about to slowly close, a series of hurried footsteps came from the door of the ward.

"Auntie, we've found Jiang Yao."

The captain of the New District Police Station led Xiao Lin and Ye Yuntang quickly into the ward.

Jiang's mother's cloudy eyelashes trembled violently.

She opened her mouth with difficulty, her voice barely audible, "Yao Yao, Yao Yao..."

Ye Yuntang felt a pang of sadness. She stepped forward and took out the pen and the piece of cloth, which were in a white transparent bag.

"Auntie, these are Ms. Jiang Yao's clothes and her usual fountain pen."

Jiang's mother stared wide-eyed at what Ye Yuntang handed her.

She recognized the pen; it was a gift Yao Yao and her husband had given her before she went to teach in the rural area.

The old man himself carved the two characters "Jiang Yao" on it.

"Miss, may I touch the pen?"

Ye Yuntang turned around and glanced at Xiao Lin, who nodded at her.

Ye Yuntang took out the pen from the evidence bag.

After Jiang's mother took it, her withered fingers gently stroked the two characters "Jiang Yao" on it.

She didn't ask the officer why only her daughter's pen and clothing fabric were found.

Because she knew in her heart that her daughter had been murdered.

Jiang's mother touched the pen in her hand again and again, then placed the pen on her heart, and turbid tears slid from the corners of her eyes onto her deeply lined face.

She closed her eyes and whispered, "Yaoyao, it's good that you're back, it's good that you're back."

Seeing this, Ye Yuntang couldn't help but tear up.

Jiang's mother slowly opened her eyes. She looked at Ye Yuntang and said, "Young lady, you will seek justice for my daughter, right?"

Ye Yuntang nodded. "We have caught the murderer who harmed your daughter."

"Thank you." Jiang's mother's eyes were filled with tears and deep gratitude. "I believe in the law and that the murderer will be severely punished. After the case is closed, please give my daughter's remains to the Jiang family relatives. They will bury my daughter, me, and my old man together."

As she said this, a faint smile slowly appeared on Jiang's pale and weak face. "Our family of three can finally be reunited."

"Yaoyao, old man, I've come to find you."

After saying that, he closed his eyes forever.