"A villa? No, I've never left here. My ancestors have guarded this place for generations, watching the boats!" The man was disheveled, wearing a sweater that had clearly been mended countless times. His face was etched with wrinkles, and though he appeared to be only in his fifties, his haggard look was clearly due to overwork.
I had observed his micro-expressions closely and found no sign of deception. Liu Yu Ning continued, "We're here to investigate a suspect. Have you seen any suspicious individuals entering the town recently?"
"Now that you mention it, I do have a recollection. Just last night, while I was on duty, I was surprised to find a small boat missing from the dock after returning from fishing. I thought it was a thief at the time!"
"Did you not see anyone take the boat away? Do you have surveillance here?" Liu Yu Ning asked.
"Couldn't see anything. The boat was gone when I got back. Of course, there's no surveillance; where would I get the money to install it!"
"You've guarded this place for generations? How do you make a living? Isn't this place abandoned?" I asked suddenly.
The man replied, "It is abandoned, but our ancestors told us not to leave. I don't really understand what it means, but I suppose after my generation, there won't be any descendants. I'm already dozens of years old and still single, so I doubt anyone would be interested in someone like me!"
As he spoke, he became sentimental and added, "It makes me very happy to have someone here talking to me today!"
The man revealed a mouth full of yellow teeth. Though his smile was somewhat unpleasant, it came from the heart. He seemed truly lonely. One could imagine how difficult it would be for anyone to stay in such a desolate place.
The man stared at Liu Yu Ning with an almost fiery gaze. If we hadn't been there, he might have lunged at her.
Liu Yu Ning, inadvertently noticing his intense gaze, showed a flicker of disgust. She quickly left the lighthouse. After we came down, we observed the vicinity of the dock. The ocean was vast, and it would be impossible to search for the boat at sea.
There was no choice but to leave the town for now. As we were leaving, the man invited us to stay for a meal, but we politely declined.
Back at the police station, the autopsy of the body had begun. Once the victim's identity was confirmed, various test results were also released.
However, there was no progress in the current situation. I asked He Xin to investigate the town. She informed me, "This place was originally called Kang Fu Town. In 1993, due to a tsunami, almost everyone in the town died. The survivors moved away, which is why the town became abandoned. Over the years, many developers have wanted to acquire the land, but every time a construction team started work, various problems would arise. Either workers would go missing mysteriously, or people would commit suicide in the town's houses. There were even rumors of people drowning themselves at sea. Because the town was so eerie, no one dared to disturb it anymore. You two are quite brave to have gone into the town to search."
"That's really strange. We also found someone acting as the lighthouse keeper," I said.
"There are all sorts of people in this world. But if you say the murderer escaped there, could the lighthouse keeper be the murderer?" He Xin speculated.
"His height and weight don't match the previous profile, and we didn't find any significant items in his home. He wouldn't know about Qian Kun Ba Gua!"
"Is that so? It's best to have someone keep an eye on him!"
I accepted He Xin's suggestion, as it was all we could do at the moment.
I asked Liu Yu Ning to send someone to find out more. We learned that the man's name was Cong Han Xue. He was originally from Kang Fu Town, and his ancestors were ship owners. They were once quite well-off, but for some reason, his generation saw a decline.
This fellow was actually only 35 years old. We tracked his movements using Tian Yan. He hadn't left the town recently. His build, education, and personality all indicated that he was incapable of committing the crime. We thus ruled out Cong Han Xue as a suspect.
We investigated the victim's personal relationships but found nothing unusual. At the criminal case discussion meeting, Gao Ming Qiang stated, "The murderer is definitely killing indiscriminately for their sacrifices. They just need to find the right place. I don't think they have many requirements for their targets!"
"I agree. Their choice is the location, not the person. Even if it's related to people, it's only women. Oh, right, what was the character of this victim?" I asked.
"Her name is Teng Ru An. Take a look at her photos from before she died!" He Xin turned on the projector, showing us Teng Ru An's appearance.
The woman was quite attractive, with an excellent figure and dressed very luxuriously. Her profile stated she worked as a designer at a graphic design company, but with her salary, she probably couldn't afford such expensive clothes.
"That bag is also LV. Was her monthly salary very high?" I inquired.
"It seems to be around 8,000. We visited her home and found that she used branded goods, which is inconsistent with her income!" Liu Yu Ning replied.
I carefully examined a frame on the screen. There seemed to be a heart-shaped mark in one spot. "Please zoom in on the mark to the left of the chest on the red dress!"
He Xin complied immediately. Soon, a pink heart appeared before us. Gao Ming Qiang asked curiously, "What is that?"
"Haven't you been to a club? I remember that looks like the emblem of the Fu Gui Club in Fu Ming City."
"Do you go often?" Gao Ming Qiang inquired.
I coughed. "I only saw it once by chance. It seems this Teng Ru An also had such side jobs."
"No wonder she was so wealthy. Considering the findings so far, Teng Ru An was also a woman with a rather chaotic private life, sharing the same characteristics as the previous victims," Liu Yu Ning said.
"In other words, the murderer still has a selection process. First, they are female. Second, their backgrounds involved sex work. Their ages are also similar," I summarized.
"But even so, we can't pre-emptively identify and protect potential victims. In Fu Ming City, even in the southern district, there are so many such women. The most representative building in the south is only the Nan Hua Palace, a tourist attraction in our city. There are many clubs and hair salons nearby. We don't know who the murderer will target next," He Xin analyzed, twirling her pen on her middle finger, lost in thought.