Inside the county's forensic lab, Sun Bingxin adjusted her gloves and leaned over the forensic table, carefully examining a pile of reconstructed human bones. The atmosphere was dense with a mixture of antiseptic and the chill of unresolved mystery.
"These bones belong to a female in her early twenties," she said, voice calm and professional. "Judging by the pelvic structure and the angle of the femur, she likely stood around 165 centimeters tall. Her death occurred at least six months ago."
I stepped forward, glancing over the fragments she hadn't yet pieced together.
"She had a prior leg injury," I added. "There are signs of stress healing in the left fibula, likely from a fracture a year before death. That could help narrow down her identity if we cross-reference hospital records."
Sun Bingxin looked at me, slightly surprised. "Good catch. I missed that."
I smiled. "It's easier when you're not buried in the technical details."
The conversation between us wasn't just professional—it was seamless. But behind our quiet exchange was something far more disturbing.
"Whoever did this was meticulous," I continued. "The body was dismembered postmortem, but the cuts were clean. Almost surgical."
"That's not all," Sun Bingxin said, flipping a page in the preliminary report. "There are chemical traces on the bones—strong detergents and preservatives. Someone tried to remove all biological traces before disposal."
I frowned. "So this wasn't just about killing someone. It was about erasing them completely."
Later, I followed a tip to the site where the remains were discovered—an abandoned grove on the edge of Qinglian County. It was eerily quiet, with the winter wind rustling dry branches above a blanket of brown leaves.
Local officers told me it was the third time human remains had been found in this area.
Three times.
All female victims. All in their twenties. All wearing red dresses. And all with their faces destroyed beyond recognition.
I knelt beside the shallow pit where the bones were uncovered.
"This isn't just a killing ground," I muttered. "It's a message."
Back at the station, I shared my theory with Officer Chen.
"This may be the work of a serial killer," I said plainly. "Someone targeting young women. The red dress is either symbolic or ritualistic. Either way, this is no isolated case."
Chen remained expressionless. "No similar cases have been reported in the county."
"Then they were missed," I said. "Or someone chose not to connect the dots."
From that moment on, I knew Qinglian County wasn't the sleepy town it appeared to be. Somewhere in its silence, a predator was hiding—methodical, calculating, and still at large.