Chapter 101: Where Is the Body Hidden?

A taxi screeched to a halt in front of the entrance to Silver Bay Villas. Chen Yu flung a handful of bills at the driver, not bothering to check for change, and pushed open the door, bolting out into the night.

Ahead, red and blue police lights flashed in silence, bathing a luxurious villa in daylight-like brilliance. Multiple layers of police tape cordoned off the scene, keeping the eager reporters and curious onlookers firmly at bay. The air was thick with the tension unique to major criminal cases.

Chen Yu’s face was grim as he strode straight toward the cordon. A young detective reached out to stop him, but caught sight of a familiar figure inside the tape. Yan Zheng stood at the villa's entrance, his square face darker than the bottom of a pot. Upon seeing Chen Yu, he merely lifted his chin in acknowledgment.

The young detective immediately understood and deftly lifted a corner of the tape. Chen Yu ducked beneath it, rushing to Yan Zheng’s side, wasting no time with pleasantries.

“Well? Any discoveries inside?” he asked.

Yan Zheng shook his head, his voice rough. “Nothing so far. Everything in the house is as usual—no signs of a struggle, no evidence of forced entry.”

“Damn!” Chen Yu muttered under his breath.

This was the worst possible scenario.

“Check everything thoroughly! The carpet, wallpaper, ceiling—don’t miss a single corner! I refuse to believe a living, breathing person could just vanish into thin air!”

From nearby, a clear yet anxious female voice rang out.

Chen Yu turned to see Su Qingzhu, a striking figure, hands on her hips, barking orders at a team of forensic detectives. The sight made him want to laugh.

Well, well—wasn’t this policewoman once so high and mighty? Always finding fault with him, thinking he was just a maverick, unfit for the official stage. Yet ever since he showed up, her intelligence seemed to slide downhill. Was the case simply too strange, beyond her understanding?

Internally, Chen Yu grumbled about the damned, inhuman system.

Damn it! You really overestimate me! Before crossing over, I was just a police academy graduate, unemployed and lounging at home—a certified loser. Apart from gaming and chasing girls, I had zero professional experience! And now you throw me straight into detective work, each case more twisted than the last. To top it off, you’ve banned my only cheat?

Where am I supposed to find this missing person for you?

Though, technically, that masked man already declared him dead...

---

A storm of thoughts raged inside Chen Yu, yet outwardly he remained composed, stepping into the villa.

A wave of opulence swept over him.

Damn!

The brilliance almost hurt his eyes.

Was this the secretary’s home?

He’d believe it was a royal palace.

The hall soared seven or eight meters high, a massive crystal chandelier overhead, bigger than his entire rented apartment, dazzling in its splendor. The floor was polished marble, reflecting his image, and the walls bore abstract paintings whose value was a mystery but clearly expensive. The air itself carried a faint blend of premium cigars and some rare perfume.

A secretary living here?

Either his boss was a saint, or the secretary himself wasn’t exactly clean.

Dozens of forensic detectives padded about in shoe covers, carefully working throughout the “palace.” Some crouched with magnifying glasses, inspecting every inch of tile grout; others swept walls and furniture with multi-band lights. Sweat beaded on their brows, faces grave.

Clearly, they too were baffled by the eerie nature of this case.

Yan Zheng’s phone never stopped ringing, one call after another.

“What? Still nothing downstream?”

“Expand the search! Get the sonar scanners over there! I want the person alive or dead!”

“The current’s too swift? I don’t care how fast it is—find them!”

He barked into the phone, barely restraining his frustration, but anyone could hear the impotence in his voice. The moat was wide and long, the current fierce—fishing a person out of there was like searching for a needle in the sea.

The case had reached a deadlock. Everyone was at a loss, the atmosphere so oppressive it was hard to breathe.

Then—

“Woof! Woof woof!”

Suddenly, urgent and piercing barks from police dogs shattered the villa’s stillness. The sound was aggressive, instantly drawing every eye.

“What’s happening?!” Su Qingzhu was the first to react, striding toward the source.

In the center of the hall, two German shepherds were barking wildly at an ordinary marble tile, digging furiously at the surface, growling deep in their throats.

---

The handler struggled to restrain them.

“The police dogs have found something!” An experienced forensic detective’s eyes lit up. He immediately knelt and began examining the tile with his tools.

Yan Zheng, Su Qingzhu, and Chen Yu quickly gathered around. Their gazes met in midair, and each saw the same shock and confusion in the others’ eyes.

“There’s something here!”

The veteran detective inspected the tile for a long moment, then looked up, excitement in his voice.

“Captain Yan, this marble tile—it’s loose!”

He pointed to the edge, where a hair-thin gap was visible.

“If you don’t look closely, or without the dogs’ alert, you’d never notice!”

A loose tile? In the center of the villa?

This was bizarre.

A sense of foreboding enveloped everyone.

The police dogs kept barking at the tile, as if something beneath it unsettled them deeply.

Everyone’s heart was in their throat.

Yan Zheng’s expression grew grave. He stared at the tile for several seconds, then abruptly waved his hand.

“Open it!”

The command was brief but forceful.

The forensic team sprang into action. One brought a slender crowbar, another a set of professional suction tools.

They worked with utmost care, fearful of destroying any possible evidence.

The suction cup was pressed firmly against the one-meter-square marble.

The crowbar slipped delicately into the barely visible gap.

Everyone held their breath. The only sounds in the hall were the dogs’ anxious panting and the faint creak of metal on stone.

The forensic technician took a deep breath, slowly applying force.

The heavy marble tile began to lift, inch by inch...

Upon seeing the soil beneath, Captain Yan ordered in a low, commanding voice:

“Dig!”