Chapter 275: Searching for the Demon Witch—Have You Heard… About That Case?

Lin Tian’s question made Xu Yilin freeze for a moment. Then she quickly collected herself, nodded, and replied.

“Yes, I know her.”

“Back then, I was swamped with work, so I asked her to help take care of my daughter. She worked for me. Later, she said she wanted to return to her hometown and resigned.”

“Officers, are you asking about her all of a sudden because something happened to her? Did someone… do something to her?”

Clearly, in Xu Yilin’s memory, Zhang Lifang was still that honest rural woman—hardworking, diligent, and extremely reliable on the job.

Aside from being a little superstitious and prone to muttering strange things now and then, she was basically the perfect nanny.

If Zhang Lifang hadn’t quit on her own, Xu Yilin would likely still be employing her to help care for her daughter.

After all, as a single mother who needed to work to support her family, juggling both her job and childcare was simply too much.

So when Lin Tian brought up Zhang Lifang, Xu Yilin’s first thought was… had something happened to her? Had someone killed her?

The idea that Zhang Lifang might have killed someone herself—that was something Xu Yilin found utterly impossible.

Lin Tian wasn’t surprised by her reaction.

Never mind that Xu Yilin’s impression of Zhang Lifang was frozen in time from two years ago—even the seasoned captains of the Criminal Investigation Brigade had been fooled during the interrogation.

That kind of simple, honest-looking middle-aged woman really did come with a built-in filter.

Lin Tian let out a quiet sigh, then looked seriously at Xu Yilin.

“Ms. Xu.”

“It’s not that something happened to Zhang Lifang. We suspect she may be involved in a homicide case. I’m sorry, but we can’t share all the details with you.”

Those words made Xu Yilin immediately understand—Zhang Lifang wasn’t the victim, but the perpetrator of a serious crime.

She opened her mouth as if to say something more, but in the end, she just nodded firmly.

“I understand, officer.”

“I won’t ask questions I shouldn’t.”

“But the reason you called me here is to ask about Zhang Lifang, right?”

“It’s just… I haven’t been in contact with her for the past two years. I don’t really know what’s going on with her now. Is there anything I can help with?”

Lin Tian didn’t waste time and got straight to the point.

“We currently suspect that Zhang Lifang evaded police capture by imitating your clothing style. So we need you to…”

“…tell us in as much detail as possible what you liked to wear during that season, around the time she was working as your nanny.”

This request clearly surprised Xu Yilin, but she quickly responded.

“Officer.”

“I don’t know how you plan to find Zhang Lifang, but I’ll fully cooperate with the police.”

“Two years ago, I was still under thirty. Around late March, when it was still a bit chilly, I usually wore those ‘bare-leg illusion’ tights, a thin sweater with a fake collar, and a small crossbody bag. That look made me appear younger and more energetic.”

“Otherwise, I’d wear a light blazer with simple cropped trousers—my typical work outfit.”

At this point, the brigade captains present all looked a bit confused.

After all, they were all men, and it was hard for them to picture what exactly a “younger-looking” outfit like that would look like.

Xu Yilin seemed to notice their confusion. She turned to the Traffic Police Captain beside her and said,

“Officer.”

“Could I borrow your phone for a moment?”

“I have a habit of taking selfies and sharing them, so I should have photos from back then on my phone. That might give you a clearer idea.”

Raising a child alone and still managing to live well spoke volumes about Xu Yilin’s capability.

So now that she knew the police needed her help, she was eager to assist in any way she could.

Of course, another reason was… if the Chief of the Criminal Police Station, dressed in a white shirt, had personally come to question her, then this case must be very serious.

Full cooperation was the only option.

Without hesitation, the Traffic Police Captain took the phone from his jacket pocket and handed it to her. At the same time, Lin Tian gently reminded her,

“Ms. Xu.”

“Please turn on airplane mode as soon as you power it up, just to avoid any unexpected issues.”

Xu Yilin nodded, took her phone, and powered it on.

The moment it booted up, she switched it to airplane mode, then carefully scrolled through her photo album until she reached the section from two or three years ago.

After a few seconds of filtering, she handed the phone to Lin Tian.

“Officer, these are the two outfits.”

“When Zhang Lifang was working at my home during that season, this is basically how I dressed. I hope it helps.”

Lin Tian nodded and took the phone.

After examining the photos closely and confirming that they matched the outfits Xu Yilin had described, he handed the phone to Wang Qi.

“Chief Wang.”

“Have the Criminal Investigation Technology Section start analyzing this right away.”

“If we’re short on manpower, get officers from other districts in Jinling to assist. We need to find any trace of the Demon Witch as quickly as possible.”

Wang Qi stood up, took the phone, and replied sharply,

“Understood, Chief Lin.”

“I’ll have them start immediately.”

With that, he walked briskly out of the meeting room, clearly to make calls and instruct the Criminal Investigation Technology Section to use these outfits as a reference template.

They would run a rapid intelligent comparison against the Sky Eye surveillance footage from the past few hours in Luan County.

After Wang Qi left, Lin Tian turned back to Xu Yilin and apologized again.

“Ms. Xu, I’m very sorry.”

“Could I trouble you to stay a little longer? Once we get the results, you can leave. With all the Criminal Investigation Technology officers in the city helping, it shouldn’t take long.”

Xu Yilin didn’t respond verbally, just nodded again in agreement.

Though Lin Tian and the others were polite, sitting in front of so many criminal investigators still made her feel a bit uneasy.

To avoid wasting time just sitting around—and to dig deeper into the Demon Witch’s background, perhaps even uncover the true culprit behind the Red-Clothed Boy Case, the one who had been manipulated—Lin Tian gathered his thoughts and continued in a calm tone.

“Ms. Xu.”

“I believe you’re a local of Luan County, correct?”

“Then let me ask—have you ever heard of a once very famous case… the Red-Clothed Boy Strangulation Suicide Case?”