Xia Hang followed Han Huaixiao through the three elevator shafts in Building 1. The victims had already been taken away, but the splattered blood left behind painted a brutal enough picture of what had happened.
When the property management heard they’d arrived, they sent someone over, the same traumatized young woman who introduced herself as Xiao Ye.
After finishing with Building 1, they moved on to Buildings 2 and 3. The elevators there were functioning normally, but not a single resident used them. Everyone climbed the stairs instead, still shaken by what had happened next door.
Han Huaixiao asked, “The elevator company came on the morning of the fifth to repair the elevator in Unit 2, right? After that, was it your people who asked them to service Units 1 and 3 as well?”
Xiao Ye shook her head. “No, that was their idea. They said while working on Unit 2, they noticed the sound of the elevators in Units 1 and 3 wasn’t quite right, so they offered to do some maintenance.”
“Both technicians said that?”
“No, only the older one.”
Han Huaixiao’s expression didn’t change. “Did they mention checking the elevators in Buildings 2 and 3 while they were at it?”
“No. I even asked, but the older one said they didn’t have time and had other jobs lined up. After they left, I came over to check. All three elevators were showing normal operation, so I reported that in the owners’ group chat. Not long after that, I heard three loud crashes… and…” her voice cracked. “Auntie Li and Grandpa Liu were such good people. They always smiled and said hello. Right before the accident, Auntie Li even gave me an apple…”
Tears streamed through her fingers as she buried her face in her hands, ignoring the glances from passing residents.
Xia Hang froze. He was never good at handling emotions like that, so his eyes darted toward Han Huaixiao.
Captain Han walked over to a woman passing by. “Could I borrow a pack of tissues?” he asked, then handed them to Xiao Ye. “Here. Wipe your tears and head back to the office for now. If we need anything else, we’ll come find you.”
After they left Building 3, they headed back into Unit 2 of Building 1. Xia Hang saw Han Huaixiao turn toward the stairwell and knew immediately where he was going: the victims’ apartment on the 15th floor.
Once, climbing fifteen flights would’ve been nothing for him. But after a month in the hospital, his body hadn’t fully recovered. By the time he reached the tenth floor, his breath was short.
Han Huaixiao, on the other hand, ascended effortlessly. When Xia Hang reached the eleventh floor and stopped to rest, Captain Han was already gone from sight.
He took a deep breath and pushed himself onward. On the fourteenth floor, he finally spotted Han Huaixiao once more, leaning casually against the railing and scrolling through his phone. Just as Xia Hang gathered his strength for the last flight, Captain Han suddenly moved, pushing open the fire door and knocking on the door of Apartment 1405, right below the victims’ home.
The door opened to reveal a woman in her early thirties.
Han Huaixiao flashed his badge, greeting her: “Good afternoon. We’re investigating the elevator accident. Do you have a moment for a few questions?”
“Of course,” she said, stepping aside. “Please, come in.”
The apartment was scattered with toys; clearly, there was a child inside.
“How was your relationship with the residents upstairs in 1505?” Han Huaixiao asked.
“Just normal neighbors,” the woman replied. “We’d say hello in passing.”
“What did you think of them, personally?”
“They were good people. Our kid was sick for a while and cried a lot at night. The neighbors below us complained, but the ones upstairs never said a word. In fact, they asked how our child was doing whenever we ran into them.”
Han Huaixiao asked, “Have you noticed anything unusual in the building recently?”
The woman in 1405 shook her head. “No, everything’s been the same as always. Officer, I heard the elevator accident was man-made. Is that true? Can we even take the elevators anymore?”
“The case is still under investigation,” Han Huaixiao replied evenly. “I’m afraid we can’t release details right now, but we’ll get to the bottom of it as soon as possible.”
After finishing with 1405, they questioned the residents across from 1505, on the fifteenth floor. However, their answers were almost identical.
As for when they finally entered apartment 1505, the elderly victims’ home, Xia Hang’s first impression was of quiet order. The entryway held two identical pairs of slippers, neatly placed side by side. On the TV cabinet sat a framed family photo, and everything looked normal; just an ordinary, peaceful household.
Han Huaixiao and Xia Hang both put on gloves and methodically went through every room before leaving.
Going down was easier than going up, and, within minutes, they were back on the first floor. However, there were still two more units to check, and the thought of more stairs made Xia Hang’s legs tremble slightly. He really needed to start rehab soon, since his body wasn’t what it used to be.
As for Xiao Ye, she hadn’t returned to the office and was still waiting downstairs.
“Do you have the key to the rooftop?” Han Huaixiao asked.
“Yeah,” Xiao Ye said, fumbling a heavy ring of keys from her pocket. “Each one’s labeled.”
Han Huaixiao took the keys and then led Xia Hang to Unit 3.
There had been a victim in that building too, a young nurse named Nong Yu, who lived in Apartment 1004 with her parents. Now, the girl was gone, leaving her elderly parents to face the kind of grief that hollowed people out from the inside.
Han Huaixiao offered a few words of condolence, but didn’t press for details as he didn’t want to reopen fresh wounds. Once outside, he turned to Xia Hang, ordering, “Call the hospital later. See if she’d had any recent conflicts with colleagues, or with any patient families.”
Xia Hang nodded and made a note.
Han Huaixiao then knocked on 1003, where a middle-aged woman opened the door and ushered them inside immediately. “Officers, have you figured out what happened?” she asked. “How could all three elevators break down at once?!”
“We’re still investigating,” Han Huaixiao said, his tone steady. “We’ll have answers soon. For now, I just need to ask a few questions. Did you know the girl who lived across from you?”
“She was such a gentle, polite girl,” the woman said. “Completely different from her parents.”
“Different how?” Captain Han prompted.
“Oh, they’re not bad people,” the woman clarified quickly, “just… stubborn. I wanted to install a camera by my door for safety, but they were completely against it, saying it would invade their privacy if it captured their doorway. I tried to reason with them, but they wouldn’t budge.”
“Have you noticed anything unusual about them lately?”
She paused to think, then shook her head. “No. Everything seemed normal.”
After leaving 1003, they went up to the 11th floor. Han Huaixiao had planned to visit 1104, but the door was coated in a fine layer of dust, looking like no one had lived there for a while.
So he turned and knocked on 1103 instead, but when the resident heard them mention Apartment 1004, his expression soured immediately. “I don’t know anything! Don’t ask me,” he snapped. “You cops do nothing but ask questions! Last time I reported losing ten thousand yuan, you people interrogated me for hours, and what happened?! Still haven’t gotten my money back!”
With that, he slammed the door in their faces.
As the door clicked shut, Xia Hang faintly caught a muttered curse through the wood: “Two families dead, what a damn curse! Should’ve never bought this place.”
Both Han Huaixiao and Xia Hang assumed he was referring to the families involved in the elevator accident, but since the man clearly didn’t want to cooperate, there was no point pressing further.
Instead, they knocked again on 1104, though there was still no answer, still no sign of anyone living inside. Xia Hang turned to head downstairs, but Han Huaixiao kept walking upward, tossing a curt order over his shoulder.
“Keep up.”
The building’s top floor was the 16th. When they reached it, the rooftop access door was locked, so Han Huaixiao took out the ring of keys, examined the tags carefully, and opened it.
As he did, however, his brow furrowed slightly, noticing that the key to that door was newer than the others.
The lock had been changed recently.
It was late spring, early summer, and a cool breeze swept across the rooftop, crisp and refreshing. Xia Hang thought Han Huaixiao had come up to inspect the area, but Captain Han only gave the rooftop a cursory glance before heading toward the other end, toward the rooftop door of Unit 1.
Halfway there, Han Huaixiao suddenly stopped and crouched by the base of the outer wall near the railing.
“What’s this?”
Xia Hang crouched beside him. A small pile of ashen paper fragments lay scattered at the wall’s edge, half-burned and still brittle with soot.
“It looks like joss paper,” Xia Hang said after a moment, “for the dead.”
Han Huaixiao frowned. “Someone burned offerings… up here?”
“Maybe an owner came to pay respects,” Xia Hang guessed. “It’s almost Qingming Festival.”
And yet, Han Huaixiao shook his head. “Residents shouldn’t have keys to the rooftop,” he said.
“Then maybe someone from property management? But why would they burn offerings? Unless someone jumped from here?”
“If that were the case,” Han Huaixiao said flatly, “they’d have burned it downstairs where the body fell.”
“Then… could it be for the victims of the elevator accident?”
Crouching closer, Han Huaixiao studied the ash, answering, “There’s dust on it, and the color’s faded. This wasn’t burned recently.” He took out his phone, snapped a photo, then pulled a small evidence bag from his coat. Wearing gloves, he carefully collected the unburned fragments and sealed the bag.
“Let’s go.”
Xia Hang stood up quickly to follow, but after crouching for so long, the blood rushed from his head. His vision went black, and a wave of dizziness crashed over him.
But a firm hand caught his arm before he could stumble.
He steadied himself, gripping Han Huaixiao’s wrist. When the spinning subsided, he met Han Huaixiao’s frowning gaze and muttered, “Got up too fast. My head’s spinning.”
Han Huaixiao released him. “For a second there, I thought you were trying to throw yourself at me.”
Xia Hang met his eyes calmly. “I wasn’t.”
Han Huaixiao stepped in close, so close that Xia Hang could see the sharp reflection of himself in those falcon-like eyes. “Xia Hang,” he said quietly, voice low and cutting, “before you transferred to Lang City Bureau, you knew I was here, didn’t you?”
“I knew,” Xia Hang admitted.
“Then why come?”
Xia Hang’s lips parted, but no words came. Eight years ago, he was the one who ended it, the one who’d said those cruel words that still stung to remember. After vanishing for years, he’d now come back without warning. If he said it was for Han Huaixiao’s sake… Captain Han would probably throw him off the rooftop.
When the silence stretched too long, Han Huaixiao gave a short, cold laugh. “I don’t care whether you asked for this transfer yourself or someone higher up arranged it,” he said. “Just remember, don’t play weak in front of me. I’m not stepping into the same trap twice.”
With that, he turned and strode ahead, pushing open the rooftop door to Unit 1.
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T.N: Please consider reading this novel on my website, here
It’s the exact same translation, but it would help my new website grow. Thank you!
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T.N: Hello everyone, for those of you who might have followed my other novel, “When Youth Fails to See the Demon Lord’s Greatness”, unfortunately, it can no longer pe posted here, on Free Novels. I will continue to translate it and post the chapters on my , so you can check it out there if you’re interested. As of now, chapters 1- 41 have become free for everyone, and starting next week, I will continue to post one new chapter each Tuesday, also for free. Advanced chapters will continue to be available for those to chose to become my Patrons. Thank you for your time! ❤️
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