Bai Yanliang remained silent, slightly turning his head to look out the car window.
The bright sunlight spilled into every corner of Ye City, making even the tiniest speck of dust clearly visible.
"Thank you, Uncle Yang."
"What are you saying, silly boy?" Yang Wanlong couldn't resist, holding an unlit cigarette in his mouth, satisfying his craving.
"It's been ten years." Bai Yanliang's voice was soft as he quietly watched the towering skyscrapers. Ye City had changed immensely from ten years ago.
But, some things remained the same.
"Uncle Yang, why have you always believed that Yanren's case from ten years ago has nothing to do with me?"
Bai Yanliang finally pulled his gaze back and looked at Yang Wanlong, who was concentrating on driving.
"Tch... if I have to say why." Yang Wanlong scratched the back of his head with his right hand, "It's probably because I saw a similar case when I was a kid."
"When you were a kid, Uncle Yang?" Bai Yanliang had considered many possibilities, like Yang Wanlong having found some clues, but had never thought of this reason.
This middle-aged detective was already forty-two years old, which meant his childhood was at least thirty years ago. A case from thirty years ago...
"Yes, that kid's experience was much like yours, but that time, I witnessed it with my own eyes." Yang Wanlong finally lit the cigarette, and through the rearview mirror, Bai Yanliang saw Yang Wanlong's pupils slightly constrict, as if recalling something that terrified him.
What could make a middle-aged detective, who is accustomed to all sorts of bizarre murder cases, display such fear?
Bai Yanliang was somewhat curious.
"Back then, I was nine years old, my family was poor, went to school for half the day and herded cows the other half. That afternoon, just like usual, I went to the hillside to herd cows, and then... I witnessed a bizarre murder." Yang Wanlong's hand trembled slightly, clearly though many years had passed, the incident had not faded with time, but rather, like vintage wine, its aroma was discernible even before the seal was broken.
"In the village, Yang Erwa used his bare hands to tear apart his father, Yang Laocheng, on the mountaintop! I still remember how he looked, his face was twisted grotesquely, his movements strangely odd, just as if... possessed by a ghost."
Upon saying this, Yang Wanlong extinguished the cigarette, swallowed his saliva, seemingly parched.
Bai Yanliang also noticed his lips were very dry, so dry they appeared white.
"I don't know how a person could have such immense strength, to actually tear someone apart? Yang Laocheng's fingers and toes were tossed everywhere by Yang Erwa, and the flesh on his body was torn off piece by piece. I hid behind the cow, too frightened to even breathe, abandoned the cow and rushed home."
"And then... Yang Erwa was captured. When he was caught, he looked exactly like you did back then—dazed, sitting in his father's corpse, dumbfounded, neither crying nor laughing, not responding to questions. Later, I heard that kid hanged himself in prison." Yang Wanlong glanced at Bai Yanliang in the rearview mirror, but couldn't discern anything from his expression.
"So, Uncle Yang is afraid that I'll also commit suicide, which is why you make time to visit me in the mental hospital every year, right?" Bai Yanliang asked with a smile. Content originally comes from novel★fire.net
"Something like that." Yang Wanlong was noncommittal.
Bai Yanliang knew what Yang Wanlong wanted to ask, how could a human have such strength to tear a whole person apart?
In Yanren's case, although a fruit knife was found at the scene, could such a vicious dismemberment be accomplished by a minor with just a small fruit knife?
Moreover, from the scene and later autopsy report, Yanren's body didn't seem cut by a sharp tool, but rather... torn apart by an irresistible huge strength...
This was almost identical to the case Yang Wanlong witnessed in his childhood, as if Bai Yanliang, like Yang Erwa, became the one who suddenly went mad and killed his closest kin.
Bai Yanliang also wanted to know what had really happened, but... he didn't remember any of it at all.
His mind held not a single memory of the crime scene from that year.
"Oh, by the way, like his father Yang Laocheng, your brother was confirmed dead, but his head was missing." Yang Wanlong suddenly mentioned, "Still not found to this day."
Yang Wanlong seemed to glance at Bai Yanliang, intentionally or otherwise.
"Yanren's head?" Bai Yanliang was unaware of this news.
"Yes, your brothers' rental place was thoroughly searched, even the sewers and trash cans in several nearby streets, without any discovery."
Bai Yanliang remained silent.
Yang Wanlong said nothing more and drove in silence.
Twenty minutes later, the car stopped in front of a relatively upscale residential area.
"Wait for me here, I'll go park the car."
Bai Yanliang nodded, got out with his luggage, and stood at the entrance of the residential area.
Bai Yanliang glanced at the name of the community, it seemed to be a bustling neighborhood, next to Ye City Jiangbei District's famous commercial center, pedestrian street, and entertainment venues were all available.
It didn't take long before Yang Wanlong returned.
The two lifted their luggage and headed towards a thirty-story residential building one after the other.
"This is it. Your aunt died early, so the big house only has me and my two daughters living in it. The elder one studies at a university in Jiangnan District and doesn't come home on weekdays. Now it's just me and Yang Yiyi, she's in her final year of high school this year, busy with studies, and won't come home until nine at night." Yang Wanlong said, pressing the elevator button for the eighteenth floor.
Bai Yanliang listened quietly. When mentioning his two daughters, Yang Wanlong's tone was noticeably higher, clearly cherishing them deeply.
Although he didn't say it aloud, Bai Yanliang had already decided to find a job and leave Uncle Yang's home as soon as possible. After all, he wasn't family, Uncle Yang was busy with work, and staying long-term with another's daughters in the same house felt inappropriate.
Soon, they reached the eighteenth floor.
Yang Wanlong opened the door, turned on the living room light.
"Take a seat as you like, I'll get you your brother's things."
Bai Yanliang nodded, examining the room.
Three bedrooms and a living room, about over 120 square meters, which was quite a decent home in the expensive city of Ye City.
"Here, your brother worked as a private investigator ten years ago, seemed to be investigating something before he died, but it's not directly related to his case. Take a look, these are your brother's work documents, and also this." As he spoke, Yang Wanlong handed over a piece of something.
Bai Yanliang first accepted the documents, then took the small object Yang Wanlong handed over.
He felt a cold sensation in his palm, looked down, and was stunned.
What place is this key for?
Seeing his puzzled expression, Yang Wanlong also shrugged: "I don't know, no one has tried to see what it opens."
Bai Yanliang held the key, closely inspecting it. It was entirely silver, with a round, intricately carved pattern handle on one end, and three small protrusions on the other.
It was evident that although it was finely crafted, it seemed somewhat old, not the key to a modern door lock.
Bai Yanliang furrowed his brow, unsure why, but holding this exquisite yet peculiar key, an unfamiliar sense of unease surged within him, as if... something had been unlocked.