"A man? Was it this person?" I showed the owner a photo of Zhang Jiye."No, it wasn't him. The man was older. I was heavily drunk at the time, so I didn't get a clear look," the owner replied vaguely. After questioning him for a while, I couldn't get any additional useful information.Leaving the restaurant, we wandered the area to continue our investigation when suddenly we noticed someone lurking in the bushes, watching us intently.Xiao Yuande and I gave chase. The man shouted, "Don't come any closer!" and turned to run, but I quickly closed the gap, grabbing him from behind."Why were you watching us? What are you up to?" I demanded after catching him."I was just… uh… passing by to relieve myself when I happened to see you.""Passing by? Your eyes were locked on us for a good ten minutes!""Who are you? Why are you detaining me? Do you want me to call the police?""We are the police!" I said, flashing my badge.The man froze in fear upon realizing my identity. He was clearly hiding something."Name.""Han Xuelin.""Age?""Twenty-two."I handed him a cup of ice water. Using cold water can sometimes increase anxiety in suspects."You're so young, yet already engaging in shady activities like spying on people. Why?""I wasn't spying! I swear, I was just passing by!""Lies! Shall I pull up the surveillance footage from the road leading into Jiaoyu Town? It'll show you hiding in the bushes, staring at us for a full 13 minutes!""Alright, alright! I admit it! I got suspicious when I saw you guys and didn't dare leave.""Suspicious of what? We didn't suspect you of anything!" I said, carefully observing his reaction.Han Xuelin lowered his head, silent. I barked at him, "Look me in the eye and answer clearly! Remember, every detail you provide can and will be used as evidence in court!"Shaken by my stern tone, Han Xuelin began trembling even more."Officer… don't push me! I… I saw a man driving a white Porsche past the town entrance while I was heading home from the internet café. Something fell out of the car, but the driver didn't notice. So I picked it up.""What was it?""This!" Han Xuelin pulled out a gleaming gold watch from his pocket and handed it to us.A watch!I took the watch and inspected it closely. It was an expensive Swiss timepiece, likely worth tens of thousands. Clearly, it didn't belong to someone like Han Xuelin.I sent the watch to Zhao Simeng in forensics for analysis before returning to the interrogation room. Han Xuelin pleaded, "Officer, I was just tempted by greed for a moment! I've handed over the watch—please don't charge me with theft!""That depends on your cooperation moving forward. Can you identify the driver of the white Porsche?""I didn't get a good look. It was just before dawn, and there was a light fog. I'd been playing games all night and was exhausted, so I just wanted to get home quickly. But then this happened…"The restaurant owner claimed to have seen a man, though he was drunk at the time, while Han Xuelin, tired and navigating through fog, also saw a car pass by.Both accounts were blurry and unreliable. Without surveillance footage, they couldn't serve as concrete evidence.I had already confirmed there were no cameras covering the section of the road the Porsche had passed.With no further leads from Han Xuelin, I instructed Xiao Yuande to escort him and the watch back to the station for further processing while I stayed behind to continue investigating.Wandering further, I came upon a yellow-walled estate with a graveyard. The property was surrounded by withered sunflower trees, and the steps leading to the house were ancient and cracked. The whole area exuded an eerie, sorrowful atmosphere, with visibility hindered by the dense overgrowth.Outside the estate, a woman in a Winnie the Pooh pajama set was feeding her dog. The moment she saw us, she dropped her bucket of feed in surprise. Beside her was a black-furred German shepherd, barking ferociously.The woman's hair was unkempt, and her face looked pale and exhausted, as if she hadn't slept in days. Her dog, clearly uncomfortable around strangers, wouldn't stop barking until she kicked it.Seeing the dog instantly reminded me of the paw prints we had found on the Porsche's windshield. There had to be a connection.I approached the woman cautiously and asked, "Police. I have a few questions. Are you the owner of this house?"After a brief hesitation, she replied, "Y-yes."Her response felt calculated, as if she had carefully considered her answer.I asked, "On the morning of the 19th, did your husband drive off in a white Porsche?""What are you talking about? My husband's been away on a business trip since the 16th and hasn't returned.""Oh," I said nonchalantly, glancing around the estate. "You've lived here a long time?""Yes. Our family has been here for generations. We don't have much income, so we've stayed put."As she spoke, I used my sharp observational skills to scrutinize her demeanor and surroundings.Nodding, I left the estate and called Xie Deguang, instructing him to investigate the owner of the property and his family. Shortly after, Xie informed me that the owner, Li Xiude, was an electrician who frequently traveled for work. Surveillance confirmed he had been in Haogang City since the 16th and hadn't returned.It seemed the woman's story checked out, so I decided not to pursue her further. Still, I couldn't shake the suspicion nagging at me.Nearby, I noticed some tire tracks on the ground. Kneeling down, I touched the tracks and brought my fingers to my nose. My enhanced sense of smell identified it immediately: coal.It hit me—this vehicle must have passed through a coal site, perhaps a coal yard or factory. I instructed Xie to look into any coal facilities near Jiaoyu Town while I took photos of the tracks for evidence.