Chapter 215: A Ray of Hope

Lin Dongxue called and said, “Old Chen, I checked the household records for Chen Guang and Yin Wen, but found nothing. Not even similar names. They probably aren’t locals.”

“They’re not from here? Then they must have temporary residence permits or something.”

“We’d need to check the local police stations for that. Records from thirteen years ago might be hard to find.”

Chen Shi glanced at Xu Xiaodong, who understood immediately and said, “Okay, Chen, I’ll go check.”

Chen Shi continued on the phone, “Anything else you found?”

“Captain Peng has some potentially significant discoveries. He wants you back.”

“I’m on my way!”

Chen Shi and Xu Xiaodong parted ways. As Chen Shi drove, he saw the young monk walking slowly along the road. He slowed down, rolled down the window, and said, “Young master, get in. The bureau has new findings.”

The young monk, still seeming upset, silently got into the car, sat in the back, and clasped his hands together, “Benefactor, I was wrong earlier.”

“You’ve realized your mistake? Good, good!”

“No, monks should not break the precept of anger. I will fast tonight to reflect.”

Chen Shi sighed, “I’ve lived longer than you and encountered countless situations where two people argue about the same thing, one saying it’s round, the other saying it’s square. Memory changes over time, but everyone trusts their own memory the most. Think about it, is your version correct, or is my theory?”

“Benefactor, you admit it’s a theory, not a fact. How can it stand?”

“How’s your memory?”

“Very good. I can recite Buddhist scriptures after reading them three times.”

“Alright, let’s set this aside for now.”

When they arrived at the bureau, Lin Dongxue greeted them, “Captain Peng is waiting for you!”

“No rush. Is the sketch artist here?”

“He is. Why?”

“Come with me,” Chen Shi said to the young monk.

They found the sketch artist, and Chen Shi asked him to reconstruct a face. The young monk shook his head, “It’s been too many years. I can’t remember the culprit’s face.”

“I’m not asking you to recall the culprit’s face. I want you to reconstruct Captain Peng’s face. You saw him at dinner just three days ago.”

“You doubt my memory?”

“Memory comes in many forms: textual, logical, and visual.”

The young monk, feeling challenged, reluctantly accepted. He selected features that resembled Peng Sijue’s from the sketch software. When the final image was ready, the sketch artist shook his head and smiled, “This doesn’t look like Captain Peng at all.”

“The nose is off. Let me try again,” the young monk persisted.

Lin Dongxue pulled Chen Shi outside, “What are you doing?”

“Breaking his confidence in his memory.”

“You usually don’t care much about testimonies.”

“This is different. Given the time that has passed, the young master’s testimony is crucial. I need him to face his memory… If that doesn’t work, there’s another way,” Chen Shi said darkly, “Hypnosis!”

Finally, the young monk produced what he thought was the closest likeness to Peng Sijue. The sketch artist printed it out, and the three of them took it to see Peng Sijue. The young monk was taken aback when he saw the real Peng Sijue; the face he had recalled was completely different.

Chen Shi patted the young monk’s shoulder, “Do you still trust your memory?”

The young monk stayed silent. Peng Sijue asked, “What are you looking at?”

“You!” Chen Shi showed him the sketch and explained.

Peng Sijue adjusted his glasses, “Isn’t this actor Zhang Ruojun?”

“Are you complimenting yourself?” Chen Shi joked.

“Rubbish. Why would he confuse me with Zhang Ruojun? Zhang Ruojun played forensic scientist Li Ming. Did you see him somewhere and get memory contamination?”

The young monk was stunned into silence. Lin Dongxue showed him a still from the show Forensic Scientist Li Ming. The young monk admitted, “I saw this person on TV while begging for alms at a small restaurant.”

“That’s memory contamination for you. Old Peng is a forensic scientist and somewhat stern. You subconsciously recalled him as Zhang Ruojun,” Chen Shi concluded, “Human memory is unreliable.”

“Forget memory for now. Let’s look at solid science,” Peng Sijue said, handing over a DNA test report. “We found a close relative of his in the hospital’s paternity test database. Her name is Yin Lin.”

The young monk was shocked, “That’s my aunt!”

“Your mother’s surname is Yin?” Lin Dongxue was surprised. “If you had told us earlier, we could’ve saved some trouble.” She quickly posted this update in the special investigation group to prevent Xu Xiaodong from wasting effort.

The young monk looked ashamed, “I couldn’t read back then. I only remembered my parents’ names phonetically, so I thought they were Chen Guang and Yin Wen.”

Chen Shi asked Peng Sijue, “Can we contact this Yin Lin?”

“Her number is here.”

Chen Shi dialed Yin Lin’s numbers—landline and mobile—but they were either disconnected or had new owners. Fortunately, the hospital records included a secondary contact: Yin Lin’s husband. Chen Shi called with high hopes, but still, no answer.

Lin Dongxue was disheartened. Just when they had a promising lead, it went cold.

Chen Shi said, “She has an address listed. Let’s go check it out!”

The young monk said, “I’ll come too!”

Chen Shi told Peng Sijue, “We found the crime scene from back then. I rented the house. Do you want to come collect evidence?”

“What does the scene look like?”

“I took pictures.” Chen Shi showed him the photos.

Peng Sijue stared at the pictures for a few seconds, “What do you think you’ll find besides the ash from your cigarette?”

“Peel back the floorboards, tear off the wallpaper.”

“You’ll pay?”

“I will… If it becomes an official case, the team will pay.”

Peng Sijue shook his head, “I strongly disagree with this unlimited waste of police resources. It’s thankless. I have other work to do.”

“Oh, come on, Old Peng!”

“Alright, alright, I’ll go!” Peng Sijue instructed his subordinates that he would be at the scene investigation the next morning. Those without tasks could join him.

A subordinate asked, “Captain, is this a new case?”

“No, it’s an old case with little hope of resolution,” Peng Sijue said, looking at Chen Shi. “Someone likes challenging work.”

Chen Shi, Lin Dongxue, and the young monk arrived at Yin Lin’s old address, finding a brand-new housing complex. Chen Shi grumbled, “Why does China keep building houses?”

Lin Dongxue said, “It looks like a redevelopment area. We could ask the old residents.”

“No need. If Yin Lin lived here, she must have a household registration. Let’s go to the local police station.”

They went to the local police station. The officer there found Yin Lin’s information, and along with the printout, there was also a dossier. Lin Dongxue asked, “What’s this? Did something happen to her?”

“She’s been missing for ten years, never found,” the officer replied.