He had accompanied Granny Li to throw out her trash and watched her walk down to the first floor, where she stood by the stairwell and simply tossed the bag down.
Since the first floor had been blocked off, people often used it as a dumping ground, and Granny Li was no exception.
"She has a very strong smell of medicine on her, along with a fishy stench. I have no idea what she’s eating."
"The scent of incense ash is also quite heavy."
Nan Yue had indeed seen a shrine in Granny Li's home, which matched everything Gu Xiang Kai was saying.
"That old woman's gaze is a bit off."
Gu Xiang Kai added, "When she looked at me on the first floor, it was like looking at an animal."
Granny Li was indeed the most mysterious person they had encountered so far, second only to the mute, but the problem was that her health really was poor.
Gu Xiang Kai had even waited for her a few times while climbing the stairs; the idea that someone in her physical condition could be up to something seemed like pure fantasy.
They had wontons at Sister Deng's place for lunch, and in the afternoon, Nan Yue went out to scout the surrounding area.
The construction site Shi Xiaojie had found was the same one where the dead bodies had been unearthed; many workers had fled at the time, which was why they were hiring again.
It was quite a walk away. Nan Yue and the others asked for directions and took a twenty-minute bus ride to get there.
It appeared to be a large-scale residential project, and because it was still under construction, anyone could walk in.
The surrounding environment was much better than the Oasis Community. Across the street was a bustling, established commercial district, and the urban villages on this side had already been demolished, which likely meant property prices here would be even higher.
Gu Xiang Kai took some cigarettes to go find people for information, and Yin Qian had his own methods; the others remained back at the dilapidated building.
Jiang Siyan followed Nan Yue. A girl on a construction site always drew too much attention, and while Nan Yue was far too strong to be afraid, Jiang Siyan disliked those kinds of looks.
A group of men were resting and smoking under a makeshift sunshade. Nan Yue walked in and claimed she was there to bring lunch to her younger brother. On a site this large, no one knew everyone, so no one doubted her.
A few scruffy men initially wanted to tease her, as the girl looked timid and was quite pretty.
However, their gaze shifted to the man standing behind Nan Yue, and they immediately lost interest, not even daring to ask who he was.
"Your brother? Hah, the site is so big, I wouldn't know where he is. Head toward the back; the masons should be at Building 3."
"But little girl, don't go toward the north side. That area is cordoned off."
Nan Yue asked curiously, "Why?"
An older man lowered his voice. "People died there."
Nan Yue looked terrified, her eyes welling with tears. "P-people... people died!?"
Seeing her like that, the men ignored the man who hadn't entered the shade and shared a bit more gossip.
"You didn't know? Ah, your brother probably didn't want you to worry. A while ago, they dug up four bodies from the site. Man, it was a terrifying sight."
Nan Yue said timidly, "Dead people... are always scary."
By now, the men were getting into the story, no longer interested in teasing her, and they all chimed in with gossip.
"It’s different. Their faces were all slashed up! You couldn't tell who they were at all!"
Nan Yue shrank back, looking even more frightened.
"S-slashed up?"
A man with a square face nodded. "Yeah. Normally, finding a body in the ground isn't that strange—wild graves are everywhere, right? And this used to be an urban village, so a death here and there is normal."
"But these ones were dug up wrapped in plastic sheeting, like mummies. Their bodies had rotted normally, but their faces were slashed so badly you couldn't even see their features!"
Nan Yue squatted on the ground, looking small and overwhelmed, wanting to ask more but seemingly afraid to.
"Did you see it with your own eyes?"
The square-faced man patted his chest. "I did. These cowards didn't dare go, but I've seen dead bodies before, so I went to look. I'm telling you, those were no ordinary corpses!"
"Because of the plastic wrap, the bodies rotted slowly, but two of them had been half-eaten by insects. God, it was disgusting."
Nan Yue bit her lip, a look of anxiety crossing her face.
"He didn't tell me anything and just kept working here."
The men now felt a bit of shared sympathy for her. "Don't blame your brother. He just wants to earn money."
"Dead people are scary, but they aren't as scary as being poor. We're all still working here; with so many people around, nothing will happen."
Nan Yue's eyes were red as she sniffled. "Where were the dead people from?"
The square-faced man shook his head. "Couldn't tell. They were all taken away. Even if there was a result, they wouldn't tell us, would they?"
"Though, with their faces slashed and no clothes on... I did notice one of the fresher bodies had very rough hands. He was likely a manual laborer."
"Hey, Old Zhang, you didn't mention that before."
"I only just remembered..."
"So it really could have been workers from here?"
"Hah, people come and go from construction sites all the time. If you worry about every little thing, how are you going to get any work done?"
Seeing that there was no more information to be gained, Nan Yue thanked them and said she was going to find her brother before slipping away.
Once outside the tent, the red in her eyes remained, but she returned to her usual cold expression.
Jiang Siyan looked at the faint redness at the corners of her eyes and rubbed his fingertips together.
He didn't like seeing Nan Yue unhappy, even if she was just faking it.
Maybe he should be the one to act next time?
Tsk, he was a man; the effect probably wouldn't be as good.
How annoying.
Nan Yue and Jiang Siyan circled around to the northern part of the site.
Red caution tape had been stretched across the ground, but no one was guarding it. While Jiang Siyan kept watch above, Nan Yue leaped down into the pit.
This was likely where the foundation was being dug when the bodies were discovered. The machinery had been moved away after the discovery, leaving nothing behind but dirt.
The investigators had probably dug deeper to see if there were more bodies, but found nothing else.
Another person jumped into the pit. Gu Xiang Kai, seeing that Nan Yue had already found the spot, quickly shared what he had learned.
It was mostly consistent with what Nan Yue had heard, but he had discovered one more thing: people really had disappeared mysteriously from the site.
Normally, worker turnover was high, but the departure of two men was particularly suspicious.
"One of them was in the middle of a heated dispute over back pay. It's strange that he would just leave without getting his money."
"The other had always worked alongside a fellow villager, and that person never heard him mention any other plans. It’s strange that he just vanished."
Nan Yue knew Gu Xiang Kai was always thorough, so she followed up, "But?"
Gu Xiang Kai knelt down to touch the soil and sniffed it. "But their luggage was gone too. That’s what’s very strange."
There was no scent in the dirt; Gu Xiang Kai simply had a sharp nose, but he wasn't a sensor. The two stood up and climbed out of the pit with ease.
"So, if those four bodies really were workers from this site, the killer was someone very familiar with them. Someone who knew exactly where their luggage was and took it away to make it look like they had simply moved on."
Rate on N.U.
