"What, he was here just now?" Zhao Yan's voice, though suppressed, carried a clear shock.
The murderer had appeared?
Liu Antong pointed to the small grove on the left. "I saw him walk into the grove, then come out, and finally go that way."
Following the direction Liu Antong indicated, the final destination was the path Qin Lao had taken her on.
However, Zhao Yan hadn't encountered anyone on her way back.
Why would the murderer return to this place? Based on the evidence Zhao Yan had gathered, it was highly likely that the killer had come to inspect their handiwork. Such a masterpiece might have brought them excitement and a sense of accomplishment.
Liu Antong continued speaking to Zhao Yan while eating. "He was here three days ago too."
"He's been here a total of ten times."
Zhao Yan asked for the specific times of the first eight visits. Liu Antong couldn't recall the exact dates, but she remembered the years. Every year, her mother would come to the riverbank, not only to burn offerings but also to chat with her. Her mother would say something, and she would reply, even though her mother couldn't hear her.
According to Liu Antong, the murderer had visited three times in 1998, twice in 1999, once in 2000, and once in 2002. After that, he came once three days ago, and again today. The number of visits surprisingly matched the number of crimes.
The more Zhao Yan thought about it, the more she wondered if the murderer visited this place before each crime. And by returning here again, might he be planning to commit another crime tonight?
"How long has he been gone?" Zhao Yan asked grimly.
"It should be less than five minutes since you arrived," Liu Antong replied.
Zhao Yan first glanced towards the factory building. The river was wide, and its sound could be heard from the small hill a few hundred meters ahead. If the murderer was still in the factory, her voice might be drowned out by the river's flow. Most importantly, there was the flashlight beam. If the murderer was standing on the factory's corridor, they would surely have seen the light.
"We didn't encounter anyone during our arrival, so perhaps the murderer is still inside the factory."
"Call Officer Jiang and the others. It takes at least half an hour from the police station to here. By then, the murderer would have long escaped."
"If we can't catch him tonight, the next victim might appear."
Zhao Yan paced back and forth, making a decision. She handed the car keys to Wu Jiaxin. "Xinxin, you ride the electric scooter back first."
Wu Jiaxin understood Zhao Yan's intention and nodded. "Then be careful, Sister Zhao."
Fearing that Wu Jiaxin might encounter trouble on her way back, Zhao Yan escorted her. After watching her ride away on the electric scooter, Zhao Yan, holding her flashlight, crept towards the factory entrance in the dark. She squatted down and shone the flashlight on the ground. There were only the footprints of her and Qin Lao's group, no others. Anyone who walked on the overgrown path would have their soles stained with mud. Even without mud, touching the iron gate would leave marks on the iron bars. None of these were present.
"Besides the main entrance, is there a second way into the factory?"
"When I climbed over the factory gate, Qin Lao didn't mention a second entrance."
"If the murderer knows about the second way in, could the murderer be an employee of the tin factory?"
Zhao Yan bit down on her flashlight and gripped the iron bars of the gate, pulling herself up. She quickly climbed over and landed softly on the ground. Holding her flashlight, she tiptoed towards the tin factory.
Entering the tin factory, Zhao Yan saw a long path over two meters wide. Looking down this path, there were seven-story old buildings on both sides. Neglected, the walls were covered in ivy and vegetation, and the ground was littered with dead leaves and fallen branches. The old buildings on either side of the path were once employee dormitories.
Zhao Yan's footsteps led her to the base of the dormitory buildings. She found the entrance to the dormitory on the left was tightly locked. Hurrying to the entrance of the dormitory on the right, she saw that the lock had fallen off. She turned on her flashlight and shone it quickly at the building's entrance.
"Girls' Dormitory, Boys Keep Out."
Zhao Yan turned off her flashlight. This was the girls' dormitory. The walls were a faded yellow, and the stairs had iron railings that felt cool to the touch. In this dark environment, if the murderer wanted to act, they would surely turn on a light. Zhao Yan didn't need to check every room; she only needed to look for any source of light. Fortunately, her profession had made her more accustomed to the dark than others.
Searching floor by floor, she reached the fourth floor and clearly noticed a faint light emanating from a room in the middle of the floor. Her heart began to race. She pressed herself against the wall, her footsteps as light as possible. As she got closer to the middle room, her body slowly crouched.
Reaching the doorway, Zhao Yan found the door was ajar. Peeking inside, she saw a kerosene lamp. Unlike the other rooms, which were emptied of their contents, this room still had many things. There were plush dolls on the bed, and the sheets and duvet cover were clean. She crouched down and looked under the bed, finding a plastic box containing bowls and chopsticks and other daily necessities. However, these bowls were covered in a thick layer of dust. Zhao Yan noticed a large trash bag behind the door. Opening it, she found it filled with old bed sheets and duvet covers, with more trash at the bottom of the bag. The murderer had been cleaning this room during their previous visits, replacing the old bedding.
Zhao Yan stood up and looked around the room. By the window, there was a table covered with a glass steel top. Beneath the glass steel were several photographs. Looking down, Zhao Yan discovered they were all photos of the deceased, Zhang Wenwen. The glass steel top was free of dust, indicating that this area had also been cleaned. Zhao Yan opened the drawer under the table. Inside was a glass bottle filled with paper cranes and small stars made of paper. Beneath the bottle were several books. Zhao Yan opened one of the books.
Halfway through reading, Zhao Yan felt something was amiss. Her gaze shifted downwards, and she noticed her shadow had split into two. One shadow was shorter, the other taller. The shorter shadow was gradually moving closer to the taller one. She glanced to her left and saw that the shorter shadow was holding an axe in its right hand. Her breath caught in her throat...