Volume 1, Chapter 20: Searching for Evidence in the Dung Heap, the Ultimate Lucky Charm

Zhang Jun was kept under guard in a room, though he remained defiant, insisting that the police were incompetent and were framing him simply because they could not find the culprit.

Residents of the residential compound whispered among themselves. Some argued that Old Zhang could not possibly have killed his wife. They reasoned that no murderer would appear so calm, and besides, the couple had always seemed to get along well; it was inconceivable that he would commit murder over some trivial matter.

Director Xie was feeling immense pressure. Having made such a grand display, he knew that if they failed to find the evidence, it would be humiliating.

Five septic suction trucks spent an hour working, finally managing to drain a portion of the contents. Once they reached the pre-arranged site, the trucks emptied the slurry directly onto the ground. As the yellowish, foul-smelling waste spread across the area, the brothers and sisters from the Baiyun Police Station could not help but retch repeatedly.

Director Xie had managed to borrow a set of full-body rain suits and gas masks for everyone. It was 2:00 PM, and in the southern city of Yuezhu, the temperature was 32 degrees Celsius under the scorching sun. The stench exploded like a bomb; it was impossible to even approach the site, let alone start searching.

Seeing his team hesitant to step forward, Xie Changkun grew desperate. He pulled on his gas mask and shouted, "I'll do it!" He rushed into the muck first. Seeing their leader take the lead, the others had no choice but to follow.

They stepped into the disgusting yellow mire, but the heat made the gas masks unbearable—they would fog up instantly, rendering the wearer blind. In a fit of determination, Xie Changkun ripped off his mask. A wave of putrid odor slammed into him, causing him to feel dizzy; he nearly collapsed into the filth. Fortunately, Zhang Degen, right behind him, caught him, and several officers helped carry their leader out.

They were now in a dilemma: keep the masks on and be blinded by sweat, or take them off and be overwhelmed by the stench.

The gathered onlookers began to point and jeer. It is a universal truth that those who do nothing rarely understand the difficulty of doing something. To them, these police officers were simply being overly delicate.

"Afraid already? Back in my day, I used to carry night soil myself."
"Exactly! Back in our village, we used to fertilize the fields with it. My father did it all the time."
"Even thirty years ago, every household kept a bucket inside and had to dump the waste every morning."

Hearing the accusations from the crowd, the officers lowered their heads. It was not that they lacked the will, but the combination of the heat and the intensity of the smell was truly suffocating.

Xie Changkun was anxious and struggled to charge back in. If they failed to find the evidence, the Baiyun Station would be finished, becoming the laughingstock of the entire Baiyun district. They would even be held up as a negative example at the sub-bureau or municipal bureau meetings, criticized in every assembly. More importantly, they needed to uncover the truth.

Suddenly, a large hand pressed down on Director Xie’s shoulder, and a calm voice said, "Director, let me."

Xie looked up to see the face of a rogue, now appearing exceptionally sincere. The sincerity of a scoundrel. It was Ye Lin.

Ye Lin had entered earlier and realized he couldn't handle it either. However, he quickly found a solution. Opening his system, he flipped his palm to reveal a bottle of deodorizing serum. While everyone was focused on the Director, he downed the liquid. A strange sensation surged through his digestive tract to his nose; after a cooling sensation, he realized he could no longer smell the stench.

*Damn system, you really are something. It’s time for me to shine.*

To the utter shock of the crowd, Ye Lin walked into the waste in his rain suit without a gas mask, though he stuffed two paper plugs into his nose just to blend in. He searched through the golden mire, surrounded by yellow, foul-smelling vapors. In that moment, the disgusting sludge seemed to take on a golden glow.

"I’m going too." Inspired by the example, Lin Xianfeng jumped out, stuffed his nose with paper, and rushed in. However, he had clearly overestimated the power of the paper plugs. The moment he entered, the stench pierced through the gaps, making his head spin as if he had just opened the door to a new world. But seeing Ye Lin ahead, he held his ground, cursing to himself: "Show-off!"

The other younger officers, Xiao Xu and Shi Tou, realized they couldn't be cowards, so they followed suit. Finally, Zhang Degen patted Director Xie on the shoulder and resolutely stepped into the muck.

Under the blazing sun, a few lonely figures searched through the yellow waste. The fumes grew thicker, and the light blurred.

"Ugh—" Xiao Xu could not take it anymore and ran out to vomit. Soon, Shi Tou followed. They simply couldn't endure it.

"My turn." He Xinmin plugged his nose and went in. Director Xie, having recovered from his earlier dizziness, silently plugged his nose and followed. Officers kept coming out to retch, only to turn around and head back in.

*Clap!*
*Clap, clap!*
*Clap, clap, clap, clap—*

Applause erupted. It was from the onlookers. Those who had been mocking them were now clapping. There is no such thing as a peaceful life; it is only because someone is carrying the burden for you. It was these people's police officers whose sacrifices made their quiet lives possible.

Xie Changkun wept. After so many years as a policeman, this was the first time the public had truly understood them, and the first time he felt that being a cop was truly worth it.

Persistence always yields results. Finally, Ye Lin pushed aside a pile of yellow, viscous matter and pulled out an object. A small, severed finger!

"Found it!" Ye Lin held it up excitedly, no longer caring about the smell. After a quick rinse, he brought it to Xie Changkun.

Xie Changkun was so moved he nearly cried. *Damn, at critical moments, you have to rely on Ye Lin’s "lucky charm" constitution. To find something so small in this pile—he really is a lucky charm.*

"Send it for testing. Everyone else, keep searching."
"Understood!"

With the first discovery, the team's morale soared. Soon, several more items suspected to be human tissue were found and sent for analysis.

By this time, Zhang Jun had lost his composure. Sweat began to bead on his forehead, his legs turned to jelly, and he could barely stand.

Two hours later, at 3:00 PM, the test results arrived. Xie Changkun took the report with a mysterious smile on his face, walked up to Zhang Jun, and said calmly, "Zhang Jun, you are suspected of murdering your wife, Qu Xiaoli, and dismembering her body. You are now under arrest. Leniency for those who confess, severity for those who resist. We hope you will cooperate with our investigation."

As the silver handcuffs clicked shut, Zhang Jun’s legs gave way and he collapsed. So much for his cool, calm, and collected facade—in the face of absolute evidence, it all meant nothing.