Chapter 98: A Case Within a Case

“Aofeng, what’s wrong?”

Song Changfeng looked at Aofeng with concern. When he came to open the door, Aofeng was lying in the kennel, sound asleep and completely unresponsive, nothing like his usual energetic self. Even after calling his name a few times, Aofeng only lifted his eyelids to glance at him before dozing off again.

Worried that Aofeng might be sick, Song Changfeng immediately called Xu Dong at the Training Base to ask how to tell if a police dog was ill. Xu Dong taught him a few methods, then asked with concern if Aofeng was sick. If they couldn’t find a suitable vet nearby, he suggested sending Aofeng back to the Training Base and picking him up again once he recovered.

Half-asleep and severely sleep-deprived, Aofeng heard their conversation and quickly jumped up, forcing his eyes wide open to look as alert as possible. He had no intention of being sent back. Every time Xu Dong gave him a check-up, he would look at him with that strange, unsettling gaze. It gave Aofeng the creeps, like he might end up on an operating table being dissected at any moment.

Song Changfeng was puzzled by Aofeng’s sudden burst of energy, but he still followed Xu Dong’s instructions and gave Aofeng a thorough check. Once he confirmed there was nothing wrong, he finally relaxed.

First, Song Changfeng took Aofeng to have breakfast. Once most of the team had arrived, Lei Liming announced they would head back to the landfill for another investigation. Everyone piled into the vehicle. Except for the driver, nearly everyone was catching up on sleep. While Aofeng had been out investigating the night before, the rest of the team had stayed indoors reviewing surveillance footage from the roads surrounding the landfill, hoping to find some clue that would help crack the case.

When they arrived at the landfill, Aofeng shook his head vigorously, trying to stay alert. Once Lei Liming gave the order to begin the search, Aofeng pretended to sniff around casually, then “accidentally” noticed something suspicious behind a discarded metal drum in the corner near a trash bin. He barked furiously to signal a warning.

Song Changfeng perked up and quickly moved the drum aside. He barely had to look before spotting a bloodstained piece of white cloth in the corner.

“Captain Lei, we’ve got something!” Song Changfeng shouted.

Everyone hurried over. Someone brought over tweezers and a sealed evidence bag, carefully picking up the suspected piece of evidence and sealing it inside.

Lei Liming was pleased. He patted Song Changfeng on the shoulder and said, “Nice work.”

Song Changfeng didn’t dare take the credit. “Aofeng found it,” he said quickly.

Aofeng didn’t dare take credit either. This was the result of Lao Jin’s desperate struggle. A landfill was no ordinary crime scene. The overwhelming and complex mix of smells made it nearly impossible to detect anything immediately unless he sniffed every inch like a plowing ox.

After a few words of praise, Lei Liming ordered the cloth to be sent back for analysis, including a DNA test on the bloodstains. Once the results came back, they would compare them with the database to see if there was a match. The rest of the team continued searching.

Striking while the iron was hot, Aofeng pretended to sniff around some more, then led Song Changfeng to the back door and started barking furiously at the padlock hanging from it.

Song Changfeng examined it closely but found no traces at all, not even a faint fingerprint. But Aofeng’s intense reaction meant that either the killer or the victim must have touched this lock at some point.

They had discussed how the killer got in the day before. Some thought he climbed over the wall, others said he slipped in while the door was open, and some even speculated he had been hiding there all along…

Now it was almost certain the killer had unlocked and entered through the back door. Song Changfeng never doubted Aofeng’s sharp instincts when it came to detection.

After reporting Aofeng’s discovery and sharing his own analysis, Song Changfeng watched as Lei Liming turned to Guo Zile and asked, “Guo Zi, have we found the landfill manager yet?”

Anyone with access to the keys had to be connected to the landfill’s management. A major incident had occurred here, and it was already the next day, yet the manager still hadn’t shown up. It was only reasonable to suspect he might have fled after committing the crime.

Guo Zile said, “Boss, word came in half an hour ago. They’ve found him and should be bringing him to the station soon. And he’s not alone!”

As he spoke, Guo Zile gave a suggestive look, making it hard not to think something shady was going on.

Lei Liming frowned. “Where did they find him?”

“Ahem… Letaotao¹ Foot Massage Parlor.”

“Is that place involved in prostitution?” Lei Liming had handled plenty of cases involving such establishments. The moment he heard that sketchy name and that a bunch of people were being brought in, his mind immediately jumped to a whole range of illegal activities.

Guo Zile nodded and said, “Exactly. That place was shady to begin with, and on top of that, it was involved in two other illegal activities.”

Besides prostitution, the other two were obviously gambling and drugs. Who would have thought a seemingly ordinary foot massage parlor could be hiding such deep waters? It was hard to believe. But how did they even discover it?

“Ever since we got the call yesterday, we’ve been trying to get in touch with the person in charge of the landfill, but his phone just wouldn’t connect. With no other choice, we started asking around the neighborhood to see if anyone knew anything about him.”

From the information gathered from nearby residents, they learned that the manager of the small landfill only showed up once every three days. Apparently, he had been there yesterday, so he definitely wouldn’t be around today. He didn’t really manage the place closely, and no one knew where he actually lived. People didn’t interact with him much, so there wasn’t even a reason to say hello.

However, one resident had seemed hesitant during the interview. After the officers left, he hurried after them with a bag of trash in hand.

“Officers, did that Huang Tianbo do something wrong? Why are you looking for him?” Huang Tianbo was the name of the landfill manager.

Guo Zile replied calmly, “We just have a few questions for him. If you know where he might be, we’d appreciate it if you could tell us. Thank you.”

The resident glanced around, then lowered his voice and said, “I’ll tell you, but you can’t say it came from me. I’ve seen Huang Tianbo at the Letaotao Foot Massage Parlor. People there say he’s a regular, goes five or six times a week. Pretty impressive, huh? If you go there, you’ll definitely find him.” As he spoke, there was even a hint of envy on his face.

“Thank you for the tip,” Guo Zile said. “However, if that foot massage parlor is involved in any illegal or immoral activities, as a responsible citizen, you really shouldn’t be going there anymore.”

Hearing that, the resident gave an awkward laugh. “I only went once. Someone insisted on taking me. Just a simple foot massage, nothing else.”

Leaving the landfill area, they headed straight for the Letaotao Foot Massage Parlor. Unfortunately, when they arrived, Huang Tianbo wasn’t there. The plainclothes officers staked out the place overnight before finally spotting him.

The guy was acting all sneaky, and the moment the officers approached, he bolted like a guilty thief. Seeing that, of course they gave chase. In no time, Huang Tianbo was pinned to the ground, unable to move.

During the scuffle, something fell out of his pocket. When the officers picked it up and took a look, their expressions changed instantly. They had seen this stuff during briefings before – it was a new kind of drug circulating on the market. For Huang Tianbo to be carrying it here, there had to be a reason. This place must have been a hub for his criminal activities, and there might even be accomplices involved.

Just arriving at the scene, the officers were thrilled, practically glowing with the excitement of a big bust. Without wasting time, they began “persuading” Huang Tianbo to come clean.

Huang Tianbo wasn’t exactly tough. In no time, he spilled everything and even offered to take them downstairs himself.

Two plainclothes officers flanked him as they entered the massage parlor and stepped into the elevator. Huang Tianbo pulled out a card and pressed it against the reader inside. The elevator, which had only shown one floor before, suddenly revealed a second.

There, they uncovered all sorts of depravity hidden beneath a polished surface. Gambling, drugs, and prostitution weren’t taboo here – they were just part of everyday life, no more shocking than smoking or drinking. The wild, unrestrained behavior was downright inhuman.

Once the Letaotao Foot Massage Parlor was completely shut down, everyone involved in the case was taken to the Municipal Bureau. When Lei Liming and his team returned, they were met with a scene of utter chaos, the place packed wall to wall.

Still, they didn’t let the spectacle distract them from their real purpose. Lei Liming found the interrogation room where Huang Tianbo was being held, explained the situation, and went right in.

At that moment, Huang Tianbo looked completely defeated, head hanging low, eyes dull. It was hard to tell if he was going through withdrawal or just lamenting his fate.

After Lei Liming explained why he was there, Huang Tianbo was stunned. So the reason he got caught wasn’t because someone had been watching him during a deal, but because something had happened at the landfill he was responsible for?

If he’d known, he would’ve just acted normal. Then maybe he wouldn’t have ended up in cuffs.

However, he seemed to forget a simple truth: if you don’t want others to find out, don’t do it in the first place. Beneath this light, all darkness will eventually be exposed—it’s only a matter of time.

Translator’s Notes