Chapter 17: The Headless Female Corpse Case (Part 5)
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The squirrel smiled brightly, “Xiao Man is truly knowledgeable! Unlike this big guy, strong limbs but simple mind, he doesn’t even understand our little mouse habits!”
Blade clawed fiercely at the dirt, “Come say that to me face to face!”
The squirrel wagged its fluffy tail, “Mouse won’t be a sucker now. No way! No way! I won’t come! If you’ve got the guts, come climb the tree!”
Xiao Man listened to their bickering and said, “You two, stop it! What should Xiao Man do now to notify Dad?”
She glanced around; the towering trees blocked the sky, making it impossible for her to find a way in.
If she went in alone, she’d surely get lost.
But thankfully, she had Blade and the squirrel accompanying her.
Blade sniffed sharply again, “The scent confirms it’s a corpse. Man, call Zhou Lin immediately!”
Xiao Man shook her head, “Xiao Man doesn’t have a phone, nor Dad’s number.”
The squirrel jumped among the branches, “Man, mouse will go get your grandmother.”
Blade snorted coldly, “Grandma won’t understand your mouse language!”
The squirrel frowned, its fluffy little face scrunched, “True! If anyone could understand, this poor headless body wouldn’t have been buried under the tree for so long.”
Blade raised his head, “I’ll go find Li Shun.”
Xiao Man patted his head, “Brother Blade is so smart. Grandpa Li will come and call Dad.”
Before leaving, Blade warned her, “Don’t wander around. I’ll be right back.”
Xiao Man waved at him, “Got it, Brother Blade, hurry!”
She watched Blade leap into the air and disappear in an instant.
The dense trees blocked the sunlight, making Xiao Man feel a chill, so she moved around and picked up a few pine cones.
“Mouse, here, all for you!”
The squirrel happily accepted them, “Thanks, Man!”
As Blade ran out of the forest, he met Li Shun coming to find them.
Li Shun was fifty years old, his strength waning; he panted heavily, leaning against a big tree to rest. He saw Blade but not Xiao Man, his face turning pale.
“Blade, where’s Xiao Man?”
Blade barked twice toward the direction he came from.
Li Shun didn’t understand; he feared Xiao Man was lost in the forest or worse, taken by someone.
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You must understand, although the little girl had just come to the Zhou family, everyone there treated her exceptionally well, doting on her as if she were their own.
Not biological, but better than blood.
If something happened to her, what would they do?
“We must hurry and find her.” Li Shun took a few steps but soon realized he was lost too.
He had no sense of direction — how could he find her?
The longer it took, the more danger Xiao Man was in.
“No, I have to call the Second Young Master and have him come quickly!”
Blade, who had been leading the way, stopped upon hearing this.
It thought that calling Zhou Lin now made sense, saving time to quickly find the head.
Li Shun dialed the number, “Second Young Master, Xiao Man is missing in the forest. Please come quickly to help…”
Zhou Lin was busy with the headless woman’s case, having stayed up all night. The clock was ticking; he and his team wanted to close the case before the New Year and were overwhelmed.
Hearing that the little princess was missing suddenly made his mind go blank.
“Uncle Li, send your location. I’m on my way.”
Zhou Lin grabbed his keys and headed out. Gu Ye followed him, “Captain Zhou, is there a clue?”
“Uncle Li called—Xiao Man is missing in the forest. I need to go.” Zhou Lin said anxiously while walking out.
“Ah?” Gu Ye also liked the little girl. “I’ll bring people to help. What if she encounters a large animal or gets hurt?”
Though Zhou Lin was worried, his mind was clear, “It’s not the animals I fear, but bad people. The case is important now; you all keep investigating. Call me if you find anything.”
Xiao Man could communicate effortlessly with animals; she could make friends with them. But human hearts were the hardest thing to read in the world.
She was still young, and the bad guys hadn’t been caught yet.
Gu Ye nodded, “Understood! Captain Zhou, don’t worry too much. Xiao Man is a little lucky star. She won’t be harmed. She’s smart and will turn danger into safety.”
Zhou Lin reached his jeep, patted Gu Ye’s shoulder, and drove off hurriedly.
He rushed to Yuanbo Garden, parked, and ran inside.
The elderly woman resting halfway up the mountain saw him, “Zhou Lin, why are you here?”
Zhou Lin didn’t want to worry his mother, who still didn’t know Xiao Man was in trouble, “Mom, it’s work. Sit on the stone, be careful not to get sick.”
The old woman nodded, “I know. Uncle Li went to find Xiao Man and Blade but hasn’t come back. I’m worried…”
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“I’ll go check.” Zhou Lin strode into the forest.
When he found where Li Shun was, he saw Blade rushing toward him.
Blade was a rigorously trained police dog; it would never leave Xiao Man alone. Zhou Lin trusted this completely.
Before Zhou Lin could ask, Blade tugged at his pant leg, urging him toward the burial site.
Li Shun hurried forward, “Sorry, Second Young Master, I didn’t watch the child well…”
Zhou Lin raised his hand to stop him, “We’ll go with Blade.”
“Woof!”
Blade led the way; Zhou Lin and Li Shun followed.
Blade reached Xiao Man first. As she scattered the pine cones she had gathered, Blade said, “Man, your dad is here!”
“Dad…” Xiao Man dropped the pine cones and ran swiftly to Zhou Lin.
Winter sunlight was already scarce, and beneath the dense forest canopy, it felt even colder and damper.
Zhou Lin’s mood was no better. Hearing the little girl’s voice made his worry vanish in that moment.
Li Shun, trailing behind, was too exhausted and simply sat on the ground, panting heavily.
Zhou Lin hugged the little girl tightly. Before he could say a word, Xiao Man’s mouth opened like a machine gun, nonstop.
“Dad, the squirrel helped us find a head, but we don’t know if it’s the headless woman’s yet. Brother Blade went to notify Grandpa Li, and then Grandpa Li called you…”
She looked around—only Zhou Lin was there.
“Why are you the only one here? Uncle Gu, Uncle Jiang, Aunt Lin—aren’t they coming?”
Zhou Lin’s face remained stern. If Xiao Man had truly gone missing, how worried would he be?
He never raised children himself. Though he’d handled cases of missing children before and sympathized with parents’ agony, there was still a subtle difference.
Only after experiencing it personally did he realize how terrifying it truly was.
Zhou Lin’s grip tightened as he held her close.