TEFSCBSS Chapter 101

Chapter 101: Continuing the Investigation (Part 3)

No. 8 perked up. “So all we have to do is find the matchmaker, rough her up a bit, and we’ll figure out who’s behind this?”

“Torture?”

No. 5 gave him a strange look. Is this guy the descendant of some corrupt official or what?

No. 8 blinked innocently. What? Isn’t that how it goes in all the storybooks?

No. 2 chimed in from the side. “Just going after the matchmaker won’t cut it. The case files mentioned they had already questioned all the matchmakers involved. After comparing accounts, it turns out the person proposing the marriages was never the same.”

No. 1 added, “Could someone have bribed them? Given them a script to follow?”

“That was in the report, too.” No. 2 opened a few documents and pointed at a specific record. “Most of them used the same wording—asking to arrange a marriage for someone born in a certain month and date. That’s why the matchmakers accepted payment and went along with it.”

“The families approached were all legitimate households scattered around the southern part of the city. But not long after, they all suddenly came into money, buying new furnishings and such. So yeah, paying someone to do this seems likely.”

“But later on,” he continued, “as you’ve probably noticed, the matchmakers started getting suspicious. After all, so many girls vanished after being introduced by them. Even if they were innocent, it’d be impossible to clear their names. Most ended up quitting the business.”

“Still, money is a powerful motivator. Some kept at it despite the risk. Like in the Liu Xiaolan case, the matchmaker didn’t even bother saying who the suitor was. She just dropped off the money and left.”

“That suggests the person behind it realized using go-betweens was too risky and started bribing them directly with large sums.”

No. 8’s eyes lit up again. “Exactly! So let’s just find the matchmaker from that case, and we’re set! A little pressure and she’ll spill everything!”

No. 5 shook his head. “It’s not that simple. Because…”

“That matchmaker has gone missing.”

“Wait, what?” No. 8 was confused. “How do you know that?”

No. 5 rolled his eyes and pointed at Liu the Butcher, who was munching on sunflower seeds nearby. “Isn’t he a direct witness? He raised hell all over the southern district looking for his sister. You think he didn’t try to find the matchmaker?”

“When I asked him, he said by the time they went looking for her, she was already gone—her entire household had moved. If she were still around, this case would’ve been cracked already.”

No. 8 deflated. “So the lead’s gone cold again?”

No. 5 shook his head again.

“Oh, come on! If you’ve got a theory, just say it! Don’t be so dramatic!”

No. 5: …Can’t I enjoy a little suspenseful reveal?

Tsk.

“We should assume the worst-case scenario.”

“Assume all the missing girls are dead. Assume the matchmaker and her family didn’t move away—they were silenced. In that case, the bodies would be our best clue.”

“First of all, think about it. Someone able to orchestrate the targeting of specific birthdates on a large scale must be filthy rich.”

“That rules out common folk and small-time merchants. We narrow the suspects to wealthy merchants, landowners, or even officials.”

Everyone nodded. That made sense.

No. 5 continued, “Now, if the victims are all dead, where would the killer dispose of the bodies?”

“If it were me, I sure wouldn’t dump them at home. Aside from the smell, buried corpses could spread disease. You’d be infecting your own family.”

Everyone rolled their eyes. Obviously. Who’d stash bodies in their house? Trying to win a horror story award or what?

“So,” No. 5 said, “the question is: how could the killer dispose of bodies without getting caught?”

“Dumping them in a river? Eventually, someone will find them.”

“Leaving them out somewhere? That would cause panic.”

“There’s only one quiet way: destroy the faces, mutilate the bodies, and dump them in a mass grave.”

“No one visits those places. And once a body is rotting and faceless, who’s going to identify it?”

No. 8 clapped. “Damn, that’s twisted. You’re thinking way too deeply about this. Are you sure you’re not the killer?”

No. 1 rolled his eyes nearby. Idiot.

No. 2 didn’t bother with the side banter. He just kept nodding, clearly agreeing with No. 5.

“So, our next move is to search the mass graves. See if we can find any matching bodies. Also…”

He and No. 5 exchanged a look—eyes sharp, full of mutual understanding.

No. 8 saw them “exchanging meaningful glances” and waved impatiently. “Also, what? Just say it!”

“…Also, besides narrowing down the suspect list, we may have a more direct way of identifying the killer.”

“Exactly,” No. 5 picked up. “In short, there are three approaches.”

“One: Investigate Moon Immortal Pavilion! That scholar’s bizarre behavior before his death led us right to it. And that note you mentioned? I’ve got another take—it wasn’t an invitation to meet at midnight. It was a plan.”

‘Autumn comes, lanterns at midnight, walking slowly, I understand your thoughts.’

“Hidden in that awkward line is a code: ‘action at midnight.’”

“So clearly, Moon Immortal Pavilion is deeply tied to the case involving the scholar and Chun Ya. And that mysterious Madam Qin and Lord Sun? They’re looking mighty suspicious.”

“Two: Search the mass graves. Look for victims’ bodies and investigate the surroundings. If anything was dropped during the disposal—a trinket, a tool—we might trace it back. Track marks, footprints, witnesses… all could point us to the killer.”

“Three: Folklore, rumors, and the occult!”

No. 8 was stunned. “What does that mean?”

No. 5 turned to him. “If you were the killer, why would you go after girls born in specific months?”

No. 8 frantically shook his head. He had no idea.

No. 5 smiled faintly. “That’s a secret for now. Maybe you’ll understand after asking around about old legends and ghost stories.”

No. 8 turned to No. 2 for help, but No. 2 just shrugged and walked off. He had his theory, but it’d take too long to confirm, so he kept it to himself for now.

No. 8 turned to No. 1—only to find him clutching something and staring off into space.

Defeated, No. 8 slumped.

“All right,” No. 5 said, taking charge again. “We’ll split up. Some of us go to the Moon Immortal Pavilion. Some get Su Li’s help checking the grave sites. Others dig into local folklore.”

Meanwhile, No. 2 remained at his desk, poring over the case files.

…

In a private room on the second floor, Wang Bokao listened to No. 5’s analysis from upstairs and clicked his tongue in admiration.

“No wonder he’s a Wang family descendant. Brilliant!”

Han Yueyi rolled his eyes, not even bothering to respond.