Chapter 84: Three Missing Persons (Bonus Chapter)

Huang Xiaotao grinned. "I like that idea. Let's start hunting for prey!"

We got to work quickly. By using the killer's standards, we ruled out anyone over 35 or under 15, anyone with chronic illnesses or disabilities, and anyone who was extremely underweight or obese.

Thinking like the killer made me sick to my stomach. It was like we were browsing for prime cuts of pork in a supermarket—except these were living, breathing people.

We tossed the discarded files on the left side of the table, and the ones that passed our "filter" went to the right. As time passed, the left stack grew into a mountain, and the right pile thinned out—until only eight case files remained.

"These eight could be the killer's potential victims," Huang Xiaotao said.

"Wait, let me double-check."

I flipped through them carefully, then set one aside. "This one has a history of mental illness. He was institutionalized. Exclude him."

"Why?" she asked.

"People on heavy antidepressants who don't exercise tend to have poor-quality meat."

Her expression twitched when I said that.

"This one's got bad teeth and looks malnourished. Poor appetite. Probably hasn't eaten well in years."

"This one had cosmetic surgery. Her body's full of fillers and silicone—definitely not edible."

"This guy worked in sewer maintenance. He probably reeks of waste. Too smelly."

I knocked four more files off the list. Huang Xiaotao muttered, "The way you're talking… for a second there, I thought you were the twisted butcher making people into baozi."

"If I were him," I said, glancing at her with a smirk, "the first person I'd want to eat is—"

"Who?" she asked, puffing out her cheeks. "Come on, say it!"

"Never mind."

"Hmph!"

Just then, I focused on the fifth file. The man's name was Ma Yaozu. He had once worked at a slaughterhouse and was from a rural village under Nanjiang City's jurisdiction. Age: 32.

Huang Xiaotao peeked at the file. "He looks pale and skinny. Doesn't really fit the gourmet's standards. Let's exclude him."

She reached for the file, but I stopped her. "Wait. I've got a feeling—this guy might be Ma Jinhou."

"But the file doesn't mention a meat processing plant, and the names don't even match."

"Someone with slaughterhouse experience wouldn't have trouble getting work at a meat plant. And people from rural towns often have official names and nicknames. Ask HR at the meat plant if Ma Jinhou's real name is Ma Yaozu."

"On it." She took the file from me.

Of the remaining three, one was a female textile worker. Based on the details, she matched the corpse I'd just examined. That left two.

One worked at a supermarket, aged 24. The other was a car washer, aged 26. Both male.

"These two," I said, "are either the next targets—or already dead."

"Let's go visit their last known residences," Huang Xiaotao suggested.

"Yeah."

She called her team to look into Ma Jinhou's real name, then we went to grab the car. Our first stop was the supermarket where the missing young man, Xiao Zhang, had worked. The manager told us Xiao Zhang had vanished without warning a month and a half ago. His phone was off, and after 48 hours, the manager had reported it.

"Didn't his family come looking for him?" I asked.

"Apparently he cut ties with them years ago. His landlord stopped by once asking me to pay his unpaid utilities. Can you believe that? Like I'd be the sucker to cover for him."

"Do you know where he lived?"

"Hang on. I'll copy it from the employee records."

He handed over the address. He even offered us bottled water, which we politely declined.

Xiao Zhang's place was three blocks from the supermarket. We found the landlord—a middle-aged woman—who immediately launched into a tirade about how Xiao Zhang had been messy and inconsiderate. She said that when he vanished, the lights and TV had stayed on for a week straight, and she had to cover the electricity bill herself.

"Did you rent the place out again?" I asked.

"No, I've still got it listed on 58.com. Oh! Officers, if you're working a case, could you help me advertise it too?"

Huang Xiaotao cut her off. "Sorry, we're detectives, not real estate agents."

"Detectives?!" the landlord gasped. "That guy must've done something shady. He was always so antisocial."

Her chatter was endless. To cut her off, Huang Xiaotao asked to see the apartment.

The place had been cleaned top to bottom. I glanced around. "You said the lights and TV were still on when you entered?"

"Yes," she said quickly.

"And the door?"

"Closed, but not locked."

"Do you remember what he was wearing when he left?"

"His shoes were by the door, and his jacket was on the chair."

There was a cigarette tray on the window ledge. Judging from that and the rest of the scene, I guessed Xiao Zhang had stepped out to buy cigarettes and got abducted. Moving a grown man like that would've required a car.

The visit wasn't pointless. I wanted to figure out whether the killer planned ahead or acted on impulse.

Under the bed, Huang Xiaotao found a box of military magazines. I also saw several model tanks he had built. He was clearly a homebody.

I looked out the window and spotted an abandoned building. "What's that?"

"A half-built mess. The developers fell out. It's been like that for years. Bums crash there all the time. It's a public nuisance. The neighborhood committee can't do a thing! You guys should report it up the chain."

I nearly laughed. She was treating us like her personal complaint hotline.

"Want to check it out?" Huang Xiaotao asked.

"Let's do it."

We said goodbye to the landlord and crossed the street to the rotting skeleton of the building. It had been a month and a half—finding evidence now would be a miracle.

At each floor, I paused and looked back at Xiao Zhang's apartment. From the fourth floor, the view was perfect—I could see his place clearly.

On the ground, I noticed cigarette butts. Three different brands. No way to know if they belonged to the killer.

I sniffed the air. There was a faint, strange odor. My gaze drifted toward a large cement pipe nearby…