At three o'clock in the afternoon, they arrived at the village entrance under a blazing sun. Qin Feng got out of the car and looked around. The air was filled with a strong smell of burning. There were dogs barking, and soon a large yellow dog ran over, jumped onto the car window, and looked inside.

It whimpered, and Qin Feng, who had a deep impression of this dog, wanted to pet its head. The dog growled at him, baring its teeth and looking fierce. Qin Feng's heart sank. Could something have happened? He walked around to the other side, opened the car door, and called Lin Fan, "Lin Fan?"

Lin Fan opened her eyes, dazed for a moment, and stared blankly at Qin Feng for a few seconds. Qin Feng turned her face towards the other side, "Big Yellow is calling you."

Lin Fan saw Big Yellow, with its two paws on the car window, barking anxiously. Rubbing her eyes, Lin Fan quickly got out of the car. Big Yellow bit her pants leg and tried to lead her home. Lin Fan patted the dog's head, "What's wrong?"

Big Yellow whimpered and desperately tried to pull her towards home.

Lin Fan was confused for a moment and grabbed Qin Feng's hand, running towards her grandparents' house.

"Don't rush, slow down." Lin Fan almost fell, and Qin Feng quickly grabbed her collar. "You walk slowly behind me; I'll go check the situation."

Lin Fan's mind went blank. She only remembered that there was an Ouyang Yu at her grandparents' house. Could something have happened to him?

Qin Feng reached the scene first. The lights were on in broad daylight, and there was no one in the yard. The main gate was open. Qin Feng called out, but there was no response. The kitchen door was open, and so was the main house door.

Qin Feng pushed the door open and rushed in, finding no one inside. Lin Fan staggered to the gate, "Grandpa, Grandma?"

There was no one. Qin Feng came out of the house and walked quickly to the gate, "No one is here."

Big Yellow bit Lin Fan's pants leg and tried to pull her in another direction. Lin Fan, panting, said, "My house."

Her face was pale. Qin Feng picked Lin Fan up horizontally, and Big Yellow bit Qin Feng's pants leg. Qin Feng shook off the dog, "I know where it is. No need to lead the way."

Big Yellow whimpered and ran ahead, constantly looking back, afraid they would get lost.

Qin Feng, with his long legs, suddenly stopped. He put Lin Fan down and ran ahead. Lin Fan's house had been burned down, leaving only the earthen walls, still smoldering. Big Yellow howled nearby, barking desperately.

Lin Fan ran over and saw her grandfather lying on the grass. She called out and knelt down to pull him, "Grandpa! Grandpa, what's wrong?"

Qin Feng squatted down. From the touch of the skin, he knew the person was dead. Following protocol, he checked for a pulse, then looked up at Lin Fan, "… He's dead."

Lin Fan couldn't catch her breath, her eyes wide, her fingers trembling, and her lips turning purple. Qin Feng pinched her philtrum and held her in his arms, "Lin Fan."

Lin Fan suddenly burst into tears, wailing loudly.

Qin Feng took out his phone to contact the nearest police station. The person was already cold, with no chance of rescue. He covered Lin Fan's face with his hand. Big Yellow came over, biting Lin Fan's clothes and whining. It probably thought Lin Fan could save Grandpa.

Maybe it was asking why she wasn't saving him.

Qin Feng looked at the burning main gate, holding Lin Fan with one hand and flipping over the old man with the other. His head had hit a rock, causing external injuries, but they were not fatal. There was slight bleeding from the nose and ears, and rigor mortis had already set in, indicating he had been dead for over twenty-four hours. In the summer heat, the body was swollen.

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"What about Grandma?" Despite the cruelty, they had to face it. Just like Qin Yu's death, like Liu Juan's death, whether they wanted to or not, they were police officers. Examining the body and following standard procedures, they had to overcome their grief. They couldn't afford to be emotional during an investigation; only calmness could reveal clues. No matter who the victim was, this was their profession.

Lin Fan was crying so hard she couldn't breathe. Qin Feng wiped her tears away, "Don't cry. There might be someone inside. I'll go check the scene."

Qin Feng let go of Lin Fan, who immediately collapsed to the ground. Qin Feng couldn't bear it. Taking a deep breath, he looked at the burned house. Even if someone was inside, there was no chance of survival.

Qin Feng squatted down and picked Lin Fan up, holding her face with both hands, "Look at me."

Lin Fan was dazed, her face covered in tears. Qin Feng's thumbs wiped her tears away, "Crying is useless now. I need to see if there are other victims inside." His voice was deep, "We haven't found Grandma yet."

Lin Fan clenched her fists, unable to suppress her grief.

Qin Feng said, "Something else happened. I'll tell you later. Grandma is also in danger. Don't cry for now."

He entered the house. A body lay at the door, not severely burned. It was prone, and from the figure, it was clear it was a woman. Qin Feng frowned, his face dark. He turned the body over. The chest had a wound, but the front was not burned, mostly intact.

Qin Feng gritted his teeth and went into the yard. The side rooms were severely burned. The main room had only one wall left, with beams still burning and smoking. He could confirm that there were no bodies inside. He stepped on the burning beams and checked both side rooms. Concluding, he saw the fire started from the middle, indicating it was likely the ignition point. Ouyang Yu was a madman, and so were his people. Qin Feng surveyed the scene. At seven o'clock, the provincial team arrived. The forensic expert was Lao Liu.

He put down the toolbox and started examining the bodies, "Is there light? Or any power nearby?"

"Let's go to the front yard."

The village had only a few elderly residents, living scattered. Otherwise, someone would have noticed such a big fire.

The two bodies were carried to their yard. The yard light was dim. Qin Feng went to get another bulb. Lin Fan stood dazedly aside. Big Yellow was tied up, barking hoarsely.

Qin Feng prepared the light and called Mr. Chen. The call connected quickly.

"Mr. Chen." Qin Feng walked out the door. "Did you see the bodies when you picked up Lin Fan?"

"Yes," Mr. Chen didn't deny it. "The bodies were at the door."

Really calm, Qin Feng said, "What time did you arrive?"

"Around ten o'clock. The main room had already started burning."

Qin Feng: "..."

"Anything else?"

"Was there anyone else at the scene?"

"No."

"Thank you."

Qin Feng hung up, pinched his eyebrows, and looked up to see Lin Fan squatting at the door. The yard was conducting a forensic examination. Qin Feng walked over, lit a cigarette, and took a deep drag, feeling irritable.

"They didn't have any children?"

"No."

Qin Feng squatted down too, "Do you remember what happened before you fainted?"

Lin Fan shook her head. Qin Feng put his hand on Lin Fan's head, sighed, and pressed her head into his chest, his voice lowering, "Alright, if you want to cry now, just cry."

Lin Fan turned and buried her face in his chest. Qin Feng extinguished his cigarette on the ground and held Lin Fan. "When I arrived, you were already unconscious. Ouyang Yu and another person were at the scene."

"His driver," Lin Fan said hoarsely.

Qin Feng's Adam's apple bobbed, "You were in a very bad state at the time. I didn't care about the others; I just took you away. I'm sorry."

"Am I a jinx? Whoever is good to me ends up in trouble. How could such good people die—"

Qin Feng ruffled her hair, "Don't talk nonsense."

The autopsy was finished by one o'clock in the morning. They sat in the yard, sorting through the evidence.

"Victim number one, male, aged sixty-five to sixty-seven. Intracranial hemorrhage, very typical of an elderly condition. No obvious external injuries. There was a bump on the head, matching the stone found at the scene. Excluding homicide, the time of death is estimated to be around nine o'clock the night before last. Based on the food residue in the victim's stomach, death occurred about three hours after dinner, which aligns with the time Lin Fan mentioned."

"Victim number two, similar age. The fatal injury was a bullet to the chest, which penetrated the heart, causing immediate death. Burns occurred post-mortem. No dust was found in the mouth or nasal passages, and there were no other external injuries. The body was likely face down when it fell, causing extensive burns on the back. The time of death is close to that of victim number one. This body can be confirmed as a homicide."

Qin Feng sorted the evidence. It was either Ouyang Yu or his driver. Qin Feng continued, noting that the driver had a gun. No fingerprints were left at the scene, but shoe prints were found in the soft mud at the exit, indicating a hasty escape after the murder.

"Captain Qin, you were at the scene too?" asked Liu Song, a man in his thirties from the Ying County Public Security Bureau, who was part of the team assisting from the Jiangcheng criminal police unit. "Who else was at the scene? Why were you there? Lin Fan was also at the scene, right? What's your relationship with Lin Fan?"

"I was at the scene before the incident. I came to pick up Lin Fan; she's my girlfriend. Some things happened in between, and Lin Fan almost died, so I took her away first," Qin Feng explained. "The one with the gun was Ouyang Yu's driver, and his identity is still being investigated."