73: Zhang Wei is missing

Lu Jianchuan and Old Zhang drove to the "Li Jian" Gym located in the urban-rural fringe. The gym owner and the receptionist had a deep impression of the missing fitness coach Zhang Wei because of his tall stature; he was one of the star coaches here.

"Zhang Wei? He got off work around nine the night before last. I even greeted him, and he said he was going straight home. There was nothing unusual," the receptionist recalled.

Old Zhang and Lu Jianchuan retrieved surveillance footage from the gym's entrance and surrounding roads.

The surveillance showed that Zhang Wei left the gym alone around 9:10 PM that night, walking towards the old residential complex where he lived, which was about a fifteen-minute walk from the gym.

However, after entering a small path in a surveillance blind spot, he never appeared on the cameras at the next intersection.

"This is the section where something went wrong." Old Zhang pointed at the surveillance screen, his brow furrowed.

The two immediately headed to the residential complex where Zhang Wei lived, intending to conduct a field investigation in the area where he was last seen. The complex's environment was somewhat cluttered, with various small advertisements pasted in the hallways. Just as Lu Jianchuan and Old Zhang were questioning several chatting elderly residents in the complex, trying to gather clues, a familiar figure appeared by the complex's green belt.

It was Lin Wan. She was squatting on the ground, carefully pouring cat food onto several sheets of clean newspaper, with a few stray cats affectionately circling and rubbing against her feet.

She also saw Lu Jianchuan, and a smile immediately broke out on her face. She stood up and clapped her hands. "Officer Lu? What a coincidence. You guys are...?"

"Working, investigating a case," Lu Jianchuan replied succinctly. He looked at the cat food by her feet and asked casually, "Do you often feed the cats here?"

"Yes, there are a few regular 'little friends' here." Lin Wan nodded, then as if remembering something, she lowered her voice. "Officer Lu, are you looking for someone? Did something happen?"

Lu Jianchuan didn't reveal the specifics of the case, only following up on her previous words. "Mhm, just getting a sense of the situation. Have you noticed... anything missing around here lately? Or seen any unusual people or events?"

"Anything missing?" Lin Wan tilted her head and thought for a moment. A few seconds later, her eyes widened slightly. "Ah! Now that you mention it... there actually is! Before, when I came to feed the cats, two or three stray dogs would always run over to snatch the food. They were very aggressive, and I had to be careful to guard against them. But..." She paused, her tone carrying a hint of uncertainty. "It seems like just in these past few days, those dogs suddenly vanished and haven't appeared since. Does that count?"

Stray dogs... missing?

Lu Jianchuan's gaze instantly sharpened.

If this had been a few months ago, he might have just dismissed such news as a common ecological change in the city.

But after experiencing a series of events like the warehouse monster, the aquarium's White Whale, and the hospital Parasite, his nerves were already taut to the extreme regarding any "unusual disappearances."

A physically strong young man disappearing in a surveillance blind spot, while the aggressive stray dogs that frequently appeared nearby also vanished collectively... Individually, these two events might seem like isolated cases, but at this moment, they sounded like two alarms of different frequencies being triggered simultaneously, emitting a piercing harmony.

This was definitely no coincidence. A familiar, cold premonition quietly crept up his spine.

He remained expressionless and nodded to Lin Wan. "Yes, that counts as information. Thanks for the tip." He glanced at Old Zhang, who was questioning other residents nearby, and said to Lin Wan, "We need to continue our work. You... go back early after you finish feeding the cats. Stay safe."

"Okay, Officer Lu, I'll leave you to it!" Lin Wan responded obediently, squatting down again to tend to the cats.

Lu Jianchuan turned and walked towards Old Zhang with steady steps, but his mind was already racing, juxtaposing the disappearance of the stray dogs with that of the fitness coach, trying to outline the vague silhouette of an unknown threat hidden in the city's shadows.

Then, Lu Jianchuan and Old Zhang walked into the alleyway that connected the gym and the residential complex, which happened to be the surveillance blind spot. The alley was narrow and dark, with the wall of the old complex on one side and the back doors of some shops on the other, cluttered with miscellaneous items.

The two had been wandering in that dim alley for nearly twenty minutes.

The ground of the alley was uneven, and the walls on both sides were covered in moss and old stains.

They used high-powered flashlights to carefully illuminate every corner, checking every pile of clutter and even rummaging through several sour-smelling trash cans, trying to find a trace of a struggle, a strange footprint, or any item belonging to the missing Zhang Wei, but they found nothing.

"Old Zhang, over here." Lu Jianchuan knocked on a window facing the alley, and a bleary-eyed middle-aged man poked his head out.

"Police. May I ask if you heard or saw anything unusual in this alley between nine and ten the night before last? For instance, cries for help, arguments, or if you saw anyone?" Lu Jianchuan showed his ID and asked in a calm tone.

The man yawned and shook his head blankly. "No, didn't hear a thing. It's pitch black here at night, who'd notice?"

They asked several more households, and the answers were largely the same. The only common point was that they all mentioned the stray dogs deep in the alley hadn't been barking much these past few nights.

The clues seemed to have completely dried up. As the two stood at the alley entrance discussing their next move, a young man wearing a windbreaker, clutching a small camera and acting somewhat suspiciously, caught Lu Jianchuan's attention. The person was peeking into the alley and trying to take photos with his phone.

Lu Jianchuan immediately recognized him—it was the energetic young male reporter from the Police Station yesterday. He stepped forward quickly, blocking the way between the reporter and the alley entrance, his voice carrying an unquestionable authority. "This is a crime scene investigation. No approaching or photography allowed."

He stared sharply at the other man. "What are you doing here?"

The young reporter was startled by Lu Jianchuan's sudden appearance and instinctively hid his camera behind his back. After seeing who it was, his face immediately broke into a smile that was a mix of fawning and excitement. "Oh! Off—Officer Lu! It's you! What a coincidence!"

He lowered his voice, speaking with a sense of boastfulness as if sharing a secret. "I... I'm not just wandering around. I'm tracking a real big case! Murder-case level!"

"A murder case?" Lu Jianchuan's brow furrowed, a faint alarm ringing in his heart. Old Zhang also noticed the commotion and walked over.

"Absolutely true!" Seeing that he had caught the attention of the two officers, the reporter became even more enthusiastic. He stepped closer, speaking almost in a whisper, "Inside info! This morning, the guys from the Narcotics Squad went to bust a junkie's den. Guess what happened? The moment the door opened, it looked like a bomb had gone off inside! Blood splatter everywhere on the walls and ceiling! It was smeared all over! But the weird thing is—"

He paused intentionally for dramatic effect, his eyes shining with excitement. "The Forensics Department has done a preliminary comparison. The blood on the walls... the DNA matches the junkie they were going to arrest perfectly! That was his blood, splattered all over the room!"

"Given that amount of blood loss, the person is definitely dead, but they couldn't even find a decent-sized scrap of flesh! Isn't it strange? No living person, no corpse. It's like... like he exploded in his own room and then evaporated! This is definitely a sensational exclusive!"

He seemed to already see his future of rising rapidly through the ranks thanks to this news, his tone becoming somewhat dreamy. "As long as I dig to the bottom of this case and uncover the truth... hehe, by then, fame and bonuses will be easy to get. Maybe I'll even marry a rich beauty, become a CEO, and reach the Peak of my life!"

He suddenly snapped back to reality and quickly made a 'keep it secret' gesture to Lu Jianchuan. "Officer Lu, I've only told you about this! Please keep it a secret for me. My source of information is... well, special, you know! Don't let other colleagues get a whiff of it!"