Qin Feng turned to stare at Lin Fan. "Did you see something wrong?"

Lin Fan blinked and looked back at Qin Feng. He put down the file he was holding and reached out to ruffle her hair. "If you're tired, take a nap. We didn't have a break this afternoon."

Lin Fan’s mind raced, realizing that those two were not human. Lei Weiyu also laughed, saying, "Yes, you must be tired. Who would be walking outside in such heavy rain?"

Lin Fan nodded, rubbing her eyes. "I must be tired. Who knows when this rain will stop."

Those two people never got any closer. If they were real, they should have walked up by now. Lin Fan bit off the dry skin on her lip. The mountain air was dry. She took a sip of water and closed her eyes, leaning back in her seat.

Qin Feng and Lei Weiyu were discussing the case, but Lin Fan's mind was a mess. What did the appearance of those two mean? Who were they? She opened her eyes again. There was nothing on the road ahead; those two had disappeared. The rain gradually lessened, and after half an hour, it stopped completely. Lei Weiyu opened the car door and stepped out. The fresh air, mixed with the scent of soil, hit him. He walked to the edge of the road and looked into the distance. The sun began to peek out, and he shouted, "There's a rainbow."

Qin Feng responded, turning to Lin Fan. "What did you see just now?"

"Two men, one old and one young, walking slowly in the rain with their heads down. I found it odd, so I mentioned it." Lin Fan felt a bit embarrassed, rubbing her ear. "I didn't realize they weren't human."

After the heavy rain, a rainbow did indeed appear in the sky. Qin Feng opened the car door and stepped out, opening the back door as well. "Be careful about what you say outside. The fewer people know about these things, the safer it is."

Lin Fan nodded.

The sky was bright blue after the rain, and standing by the roadside, they could see the rainbow hanging in the air. Qin Feng held Lin Fan's hand, his other hand in his pocket, standing straight.

"Have you seen a rainbow before?"

Lin Fan nodded. "I grew up in the mountains."

Qin Feng looked back at her. Lin Fan's eyes were focused on the distance, her palm sweaty. He squeezed her hand and couldn't help but laugh. "Nervous?"

"What?" Lin Fan quickly looked up at Qin Feng, her heart pounding. "No, I'm not."

Qin Feng's lips curved into a smile. His originally stern features softened with the smile, becoming quite charming. Lin Fan, for some reason, thought of the dream she had last night where Qin Feng was taken away by a seductive woman, making her so angry she wanted to cry.

Taking a deep breath, she hooked her pinky around Qin Feng's.

Qin Feng squinted slightly. "Hmm?"

Lin Fan looked down at the damp ground and pinched his pinky.

Enough of that talk. She still had some pride. Qin Feng chuckled. Ahead, Lei Weiyu turned back and saw them holding hands. He was momentarily stunned before forcefully turning away to continue looking at the now-fading rainbow.

Qin Feng smoothed Lin Fan's hair and withdrew his hand.

"Are we heading back this afternoon?" Lei Weiyu asked.

"The case isn't solved yet. We need to investigate those four people again, so we'll split up."

"Okay."

Lei Weiyu didn't want to be the third wheel anymore. Lin Fan and Qin Feng were obviously a couple, and he felt very awkward being there.

Lin Fan and Qin Feng headed to Ma Tou Village. After Lei Weiyu left, Lin Fan finally moved to the front passenger seat. As the car weaved through the mountain roads, she asked, "Can I see the files?"

Qin Feng handed the files to Lin Fan. "There are four people who fit the criteria, but none have six fingers. Two are mentally disabled, and the other two are... One is named Liu Hu. His parents divorced early, his mother remarried, and his father ignored him. He reportedly left home five or six years ago and hasn't been seen since. The other is Dong Xin, whose parents also divorced. His mother remarried, and his father died twenty years ago. He was raised by his uncle and went out to work six years ago but hasn't been heard from since."

Lin Fan flipped through the files and saw the information on the two mentally disabled people. "Actually, people with obvious hereditary intellectual disabilities who can't take care of themselves shouldn't be allowed to marry. Look at Dong Xiaopang's family; all four children have intellectual disabilities." She pulled out one of the missing persons' files. "It's the children who suffer."

"The law does have regulations, but it's hard to enforce." There were many children with intellectual disabilities in this area. The place was poor, and when people are poor, they place a higher value on continuing the family line. Marrying an idiot and having a bunch of idiot children perpetuates the cycle. "In rural areas, many couples don't even get a marriage certificate, so it's impossible to prevent it."

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

They arrived at Ma Tou Village at 5:30 PM. They first went to Zhang San's house. Zhang San had been missing for five years.

"He said he was going to work, so we let him go, but he never came back."

"Did you look for him?"

"We did, but we couldn't find him no matter what. We spent a lot of money—" The old man was wiping away tears when he saw his young grandson fall in the distance. He shouted and ran over quickly.

Zhang San was the third child in the family. He had two older brothers who also seemed not very bright. The eldest paid to marry a woman with eye problems and had two children, mainly supported by the grandparents. The second was still single. When he came back from the fields, he sat on the doorstep smoking.

Qin Feng went over to ask him questions, but he immediately buried his face in his arms, refusing to say a word to Qin Feng.

"The second one doesn't like to talk," the old man said, holding his grandson. Lin Fan noticed the child didn't seem very bright either, looking dazed. "Where were we?"

"How tall is Zhang San?"

"About the same height as the second one." Qin Feng glanced at the second brother, who was bending over and almost tucking his head under his armpit as he hurried into the kitchen. He was less than 1.7 meters tall. "What was he wearing when he left? What season did he disappear in?"

"Winter, wearing black clothes, I think."

"Where did he go to work? Were you worried?"

"Well, what could we do? There were many kids at home. He just ate and did nothing. We couldn't afford it. He ran away after we scolded him and never came back."

"Alright, we understand. We'll let you know if we find anything about Zhang San."

"Was Zhang San six-fingered?"

"No."

"Thank you."

Leaving Ma Tou Village, Lin Fan asked, "That skeleton should be taller than Zhang San, right? And not six-fingered, so it's not him, right?"

"Right."

As dusk fell, the mountains were enveloped in darkness. They continued to the next village to meet up with Lei Weiyu. After driving for half an hour, the car suddenly stopped. Lin Fan quickly grabbed the handle and looked at Qin Feng. "What's wrong?"

Qin Feng tried to start the car again, but it wouldn't start.

He unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car. Lin Fan quickly got out from the other side. The mountain night breeze was cool, and Lin Fan shivered. "What's wrong? Is the car broken?"

"Let me check."

Qin Feng opened the hood to check the circuits, and Lin Fan helped light the area. Finding nothing wrong, Qin Feng checked again and still couldn't start the car. He got out again and took out the toolbox to dismantle some parts. Lin Fan stayed beside him. "What's the problem?"

Qin Feng took the flashlight from her. "Wait in the car; it's cold outside."

"I'm not cold." The mountain crickets were chirping, and occasionally an unknown bird's cry pierced the night, sharp and eerie. Lin Fan's spine tingled. "Should we call someone to repair it?"

Qin Feng put down the toolbox, giving up. He really couldn't find what was wrong.

Qin Feng made the call and explained the situation. Lei Weiyu said, "Leave the car where it is for now. Walk for about half an hour, and you'll reach a village. The third house on the south side of the ditch is a distant relative of mine. You can spend the night there, and we'll pick you up in the morning. There's been a car accident here, so I can't come over right now."

"Is everyone alright?"

"Yes, everyone's fine, but the car is badly damaged. The mountain roads are tricky at night; accidents happen easily."

"Got it."

Qin Feng hung up the phone, put the toolbox back, and handed Lin Fan a jacket. "Put this on. There's a village ahead. We can stay there for the night."

"Is no one coming to tow the car?"

"The mountain roads are tough. The car from the county had an accident." Qin Feng explained.

Lin Fan hugged the big jacket, her lips turning white from the cold. After a few seconds of hesitation, she put it on. Qin Feng walked slowly, seemingly waiting for her. Lin Fan quickened her pace to catch up with him. "Do you often run around villages like this?"

"Any environment could become a crime scene. That's how it is with investigations."

Lin Fan nodded, looking at the tall figure beside her. "Have you ever encountered a particularly tricky case that you couldn't solve?"

"Yes, the heart extraction case." Qin Feng's tone was calm, but Lin Fan felt a jolt in her heart, realizing she had touched on a sensitive topic. She walked ahead with her head down, feeling uneasy. Suddenly, her arm tightened, and when she looked up, she saw that Qin Feng had grabbed her hand. "I don't believe in perfect crimes. There are always flaws; we just haven't discovered them yet."

Lin Fan nodded. His palm was broad and warm but rough with calluses, which felt prickly.

They both fell silent, the topic too heavy.

"Is Qin Yu your cousin?" Lin Fan had only learned after visiting Qin Feng's father's company that he was an only child. The sister he mentioned, with the surname Qin, should be his cousin.

"Yes."

"When's her birthday?"

"March. Why?"

"What day?"

"I don't remember exactly. I'll ask when we get back. Does it have any special significance?"

"No, I was just curious."

Unpatterned killings were the most terrifying, without specific targets or restrictions on age, occupation, or gender. They didn't know when the killer would strike next and could only wait.

Half an hour later, they saw lights. It was a small road. Qin Feng flashed his light. The village was split in two by a ditch, with houses scattered on either side and sparse lights.

Lin Fan took out her phone to check their location. This was Xiliang Village.

"Slow down, the road is rough." After the rain, the road ahead suddenly narrowed, probably due to a landslide. Qin Feng quickly helped Lin Fan to a safe spot before letting her go. Lin Fan didn't know where to put her face.

"I can watch where I'm going; you don't have to worry about me."

Qin Feng glanced at her. With legs so short, could she have jumped over that ditch by herself?

"Okay."

At the third house, a dog ran out, a small but loud Pekingese. A woman came out and, seeing Qin Feng, asked, "Are you Xiao Yu's friend? Come in quickly."

Lin Fan, with mud on her feet, scraped them off on a brick at the door.

"Sorry to trouble you." Qin Feng led Lin Fan inside. There was a cherry tree in the yard.

"Dinner is ready."

Finally, they had a hot meal. After dinner, Lin Fan took a flashlight to find the restroom while Qin Feng was pulled aside by the host for a chat. Lin Fan had been out for a while, and Qin Feng was getting distracted. He wanted to check on her but didn't want to seem too intrusive, considering it would be inappropriate for a man to follow a young woman to the restroom.

As Lin Fan came out of the restroom, she saw the two people she had seen during the day. She was so startled that she almost fell back inside. She slipped but managed to catch herself on a tree nearby, inhaling sharply as the thorns pricked her.

The young man kept his head down, while the older man looked at Lin Fan. "Are you a police officer?"

Lin Fan, holding the flashlight, steadied herself and moved her hand away, pursing her lips. "Do you need something? Why are you looking for me?"

The old man in front of her suddenly dropped to his knees, bowing deeply and crying, "Officer, please help us! Help my poor son. He died so tragically."