Chapter Twenty-Four: The Unraveling Thread

What Ye Chen had not expected was to encounter someone acquainted with the victim so soon, saving a great deal of investigation time.

He urged, “Quickly tell us everything you know about Zhang Tufang.”

Xu Fan scratched his messy hair, recalling, “That guy’s pretty well-liked by the bar owners around here since he’s generous with his money. But I heard his skills aren’t much—always getting into trouble, never careful, accidents just happen…”

“Tsk, tsk, such a waste!” Xu Fan grew more animated as he spoke, but seeing the look Chen Bingfeng shot him, his enthusiasm cooled, and he quickly stopped.

…Was it because I wasn’t detailed enough?

“You said Zhang Tufang is generous—because he’s the deputy mine manager?” Ye Chen, always thoughtful, stepped in at the right moment, setting things straight and easing Xu Fan’s embarrassment.

He also realized something: Chen Bingfeng disliked Xu Fan’s chaotic lifestyle and constantly sought to correct his worldview.

“Of course! Just a few days ago, one of my old flames told me that Zhang Tufang has real power now—he’s become the head of the Green Crystal Mine,” Xu Fan thought for a moment before continuing, “Oddly enough, before he took over, he wasn’t at the mine for quite some time.

“They said there’d been a safety accident, so work was halted, and he hung around Bar Street instead.

“That period, the bar owners were thrilled, pampering him day and night.

“I heard one owner even arranged…”

Ye Chen silently pushed a glass toward him. “Drink some water.”

Xu Fan paused, then realized where he’d gone astray. Seeing Chen Bingfeng’s dark expression, he quickly swallowed back his lively anecdotes with tea.

Ye Chen inwardly marveled… Whenever the topic turns this way, you can’t help yourself.

“Mother Chen” wore an expression of exasperation, clearly at her wits’ end.

Ye Chen signaled to Chen Bingfeng, who immediately understood, picked up the communicator, and began searching the case database.

Xu Fan sipped hot water, mentally wandering.

Moments later—

“Got it!” Chen Bingfeng exclaimed in a low, excited voice.

Ye Chen and Xu Fan leaned in, carefully reading every word of the case details and final verdict, wary of missing anything.

When finished, the three exchanged glances, each reading the heaviness in the others’ eyes.

“You really guessed it. There’s another connection between the victims in these two cases,” Chen Bingfeng said, his tone full of admiration.

Ye Chen smiled, accepting the praise calmly.

The safety accident had played out as follows:

The former manager of the Green Crystal Mine outside the city was Zhang Jingye, an old miner who had spent years extracting stone for the inner city’s construction crews.

Many buildings in both the inner and outer city had used stone quarried by him.

With his extensive experience and meticulous work, he’d never had a mining accident. He was noticed by the inner city authorities and appointed to oversee the Green Crystal Mine.

Zhang Tufang had been his deputy for years, mainly responsible for equipment procurement and maintenance.

A month ago, during a blasting operation, a miscalculation in the explosives caused a collapse within the mine, burying three workers alive.

The accident severely disrupted mining progress.

During the investigation, deputy manager Zhang Tufang accused Zhang Jingye of misjudging the explosives, presenting approval documents signed by Zhang Jingye.

Zhang Jingye did not refute—after all, the signature was his, and he acknowledged his error, leading to the death of innocent workers. It was the greatest mistake of his mining career.

Disheartened, he shouldered all the blame.

In the end, Zhang Jingye was sent straight to the inner city prison.

Zhang Tufang, having exposed the mistake and with years of mining experience, was naturally promoted to mine manager.

The deputy manager’s role was given to Cao Yang, a town resident with years of mechanical maintenance and procurement experience.

And Cao Yang was precisely the victim in the first case.

Their discovery left the trio somewhat excited.

Yet Ye Chen felt something was still missing—a bit elusive, like glimpsing the crucial thread in a tangled skein, only for it to slip away just as he reached for it.

…

At that moment, the three patrolled the streets of the outer city, tasked by Captain Dai to inspect the inner city wall.

Ye Chen had suggested this yesterday, so their team would carry it out, meaning a full circuit around the city.

Upon hearing the assignment, Xu Fan’s face fell.

He was about to protest, but Chen Bingfeng silenced him with a look.

Now, as they patrolled, Xu Fan threw small tantrums, occasionally kicking trash scattered on the road.

In contrast, Chen Bingfeng, ever the meticulous executor, kept a constant watch on the inner city wall, afraid of missing anything.

The inner city wall was much taller and thicker than the capital’s outermost walls. Rough, black stone, quarried and processed, was stacked with precision, creating an overwhelming sense of oppression for outer city residents.

For those inside, it offered a reassuring sense of security.

Such walls sharply divided the inner city from the outer.

The stone surface had been polished, and the gaps between blocks tightly sealed.

No ordinary person or beast could scale such a wall unaided.

Meanwhile, some sections of the outer wall were made of sharpened logs—a crude comparison.

Was this the value of human life manifested so starkly?

Ye Chen kept sorting through his thoughts as he walked. Compared to previous doubts, a new one had emerged.

Why was there a layer of vested interests connecting both groups attacked by the unknown creature?

Was it mere coincidence, or was someone using the creature to murder?

Could it be revenge?

But Zhang Jingye, the mine manager, was already in prison. Was it someone else?

Perhaps they needed to investigate whether Cao Yang and Zhang Tufang had offended anyone—especially someone who hated both men deeply.

At this, Ye Chen sighed inwardly:

The workload is getting out of hand. I am just a wilderness hunter, not a detective.

With victims tangled in inner city affairs, he had no channels to gather information.

The deeper he thought, the tighter his brows knit.