Chapter 834: Chapter 440: Breakthrough Progress, Phase 2
Then Jiang An added, "There’s one more thing you need to pay special attention to—while organizing old case files, we discovered that the White Bone case from five years ago might be linked to people from certain special locations."
"It might be necessary to ask the shop employees to help identify photos, and by the way, to ask the shop owner if there were any cases of missing employees five years ago, so we can follow up with identity verification."
He paused briefly and asked, "Do you have the photos?"
"Yes, I do,"
Jiang An quickly replied, "Back then, Mr. Wu specifically invited a teacher from the Fine Arts Academy to create a facial reconstruction based on the deceased’s skull."
"Do you think this reconstructed photo could be used for identification?"
"Yes, please send it to me as soon as possible. I’ll start arranging the investigation right away to see if we can find any clues from this lead."
Wan nodded while speaking, his tone revealing a sense of urgency.
Not long after, Jiang An sent the reconstructed photo preserved in the case file via his phone.
At this moment, Wan and several colleagues were standing at the entrance of Jinsheng Foot Massage Shop.
The phone alert sounded, and he lowered his head to open the image, taking a careful look before walking towards the women sitting on the sofa inside the shop.
"Excuse me, do you recognize this person?"
Wan turned the phone screen towards them.
The women on the sofa originally appeared tense—as their business was not exactly respectable, there was an instinctive sense of panic.
But upon hearing the clarification that it wasn’t about them checking for illegal activities, they relaxed a little.
The group leaned in close to the screen, staring at the reconstructed photo in silence for a long time.
Finally, one of the women hesitated and spoke, "This... looks somewhat like Li Lan, who left before?"
"Li Lan?"
The moment those words were spoken, another person revealed a look of sudden realization and started whispering among themselves.
"Yes, I remember Li Lan left here five years ago, and she suddenly became unreachable at that time, kind of like Li Shan’s situation..."
Wan immediately followed up with, "Are you sure? Is there a chance you might be mistaken, or have mixed her up with someone else?"
"I’m sure!"
The woman confirmed with a firmer tone, "Back then, there were only the three of us working here—me, her, and this little sister."
"Initially, the boss thought she was just going back home because of some family matters."
"Li Lan was quite young then, only in her early twenties, agile in her work, and well-liked by customers. When she left, the boss thought it was a real pity."
Hearing this, Wan’s mouth uncontrollably twitched slightly, a trace of barely detectable shock flashing in his eyes.
He indeed didn’t expect that this seemingly routine visit would uncover such a crucial clue.
He stood still for a moment to steady himself before turning his gaze to the young officer beside him, silently signaling with his eyes—be prepared to record everything, as every detail could be vital.
At 11 PM sharp, the Criminal Investigation Team’s office was still brightly lit.
As the door opened, a familiar busy atmosphere rushed in.
Jiang An and Zhang Yean, along with others, were indeed still at their posts.
For people like them, who have been dealing with cases for years, overtime wasn’t anything new, but rather a part of their duty.
Several desks were scattered with documents, while a few unopened box meals were neatly placed on the corner coffee table.
Seeing Wan and his team come in, Jiang An raised his head from a pile of files, his tone calm yet concerned, "Reserved some meals for you, have a bite while they’re hot, don’t work on an empty stomach."
Wan’s gaze fell on those steaming box meals, warming his heart, and he whispered, "Mr. Jiang, you’re very considerate."
However, he didn’t immediately walk towards the dining table but quickly went to his desk, opening his notebook and began reporting solemnly:
"Mr. Jiang, as expected."
"During our investigation at Jinsheng Foot Massage Shop, we found a key clue—two people identified the female deceased in the White Bone case from five years ago as a former employee of the shop."
Jiang An’s previously weary gaze turned sharp all of a sudden, "Can it be confirmed?"
"It can be confirmed,"
Wan affirmed with a nod, "And not just one person identified her. They each described the deceased’s physical traits which match the records in the files."
This statement acted like an adrenaline shot, instantly invigorating Jiang An.
He grinned, showing a rare smile, turning to exchange a glance with Zhang Yean beside him, "It’s true what they say—’wear out iron shoes in fruitless quest, yet find its trace by chance.’"
"If it weren’t for your insistence on re-examining from the social relationship aspect, we might still be stuck in a dead end."
He stood up, pacing the office a few steps, further probing the details: "Regarding these two victims, did the people from the shop provide any more information?"
Wan flipped through the notes, continuing his report, "They both worked at Jinsheng Foot Massage Shop for quite a long time."
"Especially Li Lan, she was well-liked due to her youth and vivacity."
"But around five years ago, she suddenly stopped coming to work."
"Initially, people thought she just returned to her hometown. After all, this industry has high personnel turnover, and over time, the matter was gradually forgotten."
Upon hearing this, Jiang An’s mouth twitched slightly, sharply capturing the critical point, "What’s the scale of that shop?"
"It’s not very big, two floors, seven or eight rooms."
"Is there surveillance installed?"
"No," Wan shook his head, "that kind of place... you know, typically wouldn’t have surveillance."
Jiang An’s brows gradually furrowed, fingers unconsciously tapping the table, "No surveillance means it’s difficult for us to reconstruct their activity trajectories back then."
"The only thing confirmed now is that both victims worked at this shop."
He paused, voice growing increasingly somber, "Besides them, does the shop have any other missing employees?"
Wan sighed, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness, "This point remains uncertain."
"During our visit, we learned that high turnover is common in the foot massage industry, with many people disappearing after working for a couple of months."
"The staff also can’t distinguish who left voluntarily and who might have experienced misfortune."
"No records, no filing, almost as if they never existed."
He nodded slightly, "Indeed, the industry they were in is inherently secretive, not seen in broad daylight."
"Once employees leave, they can’t just send a ’farewell, everyone’ message in the group chat like ordinary workplaces, nor will they leave clear clues about their whereabouts—this is dictated by the rules of that world."
After a long pause, Zhang Yean said, "Mr. Jiang, if indeed they were special industry women, what exactly was the motive behind the murderer’s actions?"
"According to our past experience handling similar cases, such homicides often stem from disputes over payment for services."
"But if you think about it, if that were truly the reason, would the perpetrator continually have disputes with two different victims?"
"Moreover, the crime methods are so similar, which doesn’t align with the characteristics of a crime committed on impulse."
He paused, looking around at his colleagues, voice growing heavier, "Also, if the perpetrator randomly selected targets, then where should we start?"
"There’s no clear suspect, no obvious motive, not even basic direction to focus the investigation."
These words echoed everyone’s thoughts, as the officers exchanged worried glances.
Some unconsciously rotated the pens in their hands, while others stared at open case files—the difficulty of the task ahead was clear to all.
Jiang An’s gaze slowly shifted toward the case analysis board at the front of the meeting room.
Packed densely with crime scene photographs, victim information, and social connection diagrams, two lines drawn with a red marker stood out glaringly.
His gaze hovered over the photos of the two victimized women, seemingly trying to see through the still images into the perpetrator’s true identity.
After a long while, he took a deep breath, exhaling slowly, his voice laden with barely concealed fatigue, "Indeed, even though we’ve confirmed their identities, the breakthrough point is still out of sight."
His fingers unconsciously tapped gently on the table, "If the perpetrator truly moved about transiently, having no fixed abode, then the case..."
He paused momentarily, struggling to say the conclusion everyone dreaded to hear, "It’s very likely it will become yet another unsolved case."
