At 1:21 PM, Ning Zhe finished giving his statement and left the station.
Within a single day, Gubei Town had witnessed three unexpected deaths: Ye Miaozhu, Gu Yunqing, and Xie Sining. Had Ning Zhe not hidden Zhang Yangxu's body and assumed his identity, it would have been four cases in one day.
All three victims displayed identical symptoms: no external injuries, no internal trauma, no signs of poisoning—yet their death sites were nearly five kilometers apart.
These inexplicable sudden deaths, leaving no trace of evidence, could hardly be classified as accidental and would leave any forensic examiner baffled.
"Before tomorrow's news even breaks, speculation and conspiracy theories about these bizarre deaths will flood online forums, message boards, and short video platforms by this evening," Ning Zhe mused.
He had always been confident in netizens' appetite for drama.
But then he reconsidered: "If by tomorrow there's still no online discussion about these three deaths—not even offline buzz—that would be interesting."
It would mean someone had suppressed the information immediately.
With time to spare before 7 PM, Ning Zhe briefly researched the land development situation in Gubei Town:
Gubei was a small place with no pillar industries to drive the local economy, no leading enterprises to stimulate employment. Heavy industries like coal or steel, cutting-edge sectors like automotive or digital technology—none had ties to this backwater.
Qin Prefecture's rare earth deposits were abundant, but such resources were strategic assets, banned from exploitation for nearly half a century. Illegal mining meant sentences starting at fifteen years.
The town's sole advantage lay in its pristine natural environment and spectacular geological formations—perfect for developing tourism.
Local authorities hoped to build a sizable tourist zone centered on "Suspended Kettle Waterfall" west of town, revitalizing the stagnant economy. Generous funding had attracted bids from multiple giant real estate developers.
Among all bidders, Zhang Yangxu's "New World Group" and Feng Yushu's husband Bai Fugui's "New Home Group" boasted the strongest capital—the two most likely to win.
In scope and scale, New Home actually surpassed New World, offering more attractive proposals.
But Zhang Yangxu was a Qin Prefecture native, while Bai Fugui hailed from Yong Prefecture. Local authorities preferred awarding contracts to hometown enterprises for better employment impact—giving Zhang Yangxu leverage against Bai Fugui.
On the surface, at least. But as the saying goes: "Fellow townsmen meet, eyes brim with tears." Personal connections were one thing, business another. Without offering appropriate concessions and stakes, Zhang's hometown status alone wouldn't sway the decision-maker at tomorrow's bidding conference.
After all, Yong Prefecture companies could also hire Qin workers.
The bidding conference was scheduled for 3 PM the day after tomorrow. Zhang Yangxu's agenda today included on-site inspection of Suspended Kettle Waterfall's surrounding geography and networking with influential contacts.
"Zhang Yangxu is interesting—someone of his status willing to personally conduct field surveys," Ning Zhe thought with mild surprise.
This worked perfectly, as he'd been wondering how to dispose of Zhang's corpse.
Southern China's June temperatures were sweltering; within hours of death, unpleasant odors would emerge, requiring considerable air freshener to mask temporarily.
Throughout the afternoon, Ning Zhe—accompanied by the driver and several locals—toured landmark sites around Gubei Town. New World Group employees had arrived earlier; Ning Zhe merely reviewed their submitted reports.
After completing all inspections, the time reached 5:47 PM.
Ning Zhe dismissed the driver to the reserved hotel while he, claiming he wanted to explore the scenic area further, drove alone up the mountain highway.
Naturally, a high school senior had no time for a driver's license—but Zhang Yangxu did. Nearly twenty years of driving experience.
Leveraging Zhang's veteran driving skills, Ning Zhe navigated steadily to the future scenic zone's centerpiece—Suspended Kettle Waterfall.
Suspended Kettle—more accurately "Suspended Lake"—referred to a barrier lake in the western mountain hollow of Gubei Town, elevated over ten meters above ground level. Torrential waters poured from a breach, resembling someone pouring tea from a celestial kettle—a spectacular sight from afar.
Ning Zhe parked on the mountain road a dozen meters from shore. Confirming no one was around, he opened the trunk, hoisted Zhang Yangxu's body onto his back, and entered the mountains via a side trail.
Having grown up here, he knew the Suspended Lake area intimately. Soon, in the deepening mountain twilight, he reached his destination:
A deep cave entrance enclosed by barbed wire fencing, surrounded by dense ferns. The murmur of flowing water echoed from within. A warning sign reading "DANGER!!!" stood in front.
Mountains near Gubei Town were mostly red soil and limestone geology. Years of water erosion created classic karst topography—deep underground rivers flowing through pitch-black caverns, with geological fissures and dark sinkholes plunging over a thousand meters deep.
"Throw Zhang Yangxu's body here, and no one will ever find it." Ning Zhe scaled the wire fence and expertly tossed the corpse into the cave. Seven full seconds passed before a splash echoed from within.
Having disposed of the body without a trace, Ning Zhe returned to the car and drove down the mountain.
With three deaths in Gubei Town today, holding an extravagant welcoming banquet at the hotel would be inappropriate—and even if held, expected guests would be reluctant to attend.
Ning Zhe welcomed the respite, returning to his lodgings. After a simple dinner, he entered his room and waited patiently.
Gubei was, after all, a small town. Its best hotel wasn't actually very good. Without business dealings, someone like Zhang Yangxu would never stay in such a place.
At 7:24 PM, the setting sun draped the town in darkness.
A buzzing vibration emanated from Ning Zhe's pocket—a phone call. Notably, the vibration came not from Zhang Yangxu's phone but his own.
Ning Zhe glanced at the caller ID and answered while sitting on the hotel bed.
Before he could speak, an urgent voice burst from the speaker: "Ning Zhe, are you okay?"
"Thanks for your concern—I'm fine." Ning Zhe chuckled. "Congratulations, Auntie. Looks like you also made it back alive."
Rapid breathing sounded from the other end. Feng Yushu's voice trembled with suppressed emotion: "Thank you, Ning Zhe. Without you, I… I couldn't have survived. I'm truly grateful…"
"If you really want to thank me, offer something valuable. Words are cheap." Ning Zhe spoke casually. "Let's meet. I need to know about your daughter Bai Zhi."
For instance—why had this girl repeatedly dreamed of scenes from He Village?
Chapters in advance there: patreon.com/Thaniel_a_goodchild
Reference Glossary
Karst topography – Landscape formed by the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, characterized by sinkholes, caves, and underground drainage systems.