The Mansion’s Enigma Chapter Fifteen: The Mysterious Visitor

“What’s so important?”

Jin Yue stood in the shadow of the villa’s garage, her brow slightly furrowed as she stared at Wang Chao in his gray jacket. “At a time like this, don’t go stirring up more trouble. Isn’t the police’s attention on us already enough for you?”

“I already promised someone. It wouldn’t look good to go back on my word. Besides, I think this might actually be good for us…” Wang Chao took out his phone, opened a photo, and pointed at an old man in black. “When the old guy and the police came looking for you, I was nearby and saw everything…”

Jin Yue bit her lip, her gaze flickering with complicated emotions. “If you saw that, you should know how closely the police are watching us. Why can’t you keep a lower profile?”

“I’m not talking about them…” Wang Chao waved off the question. “Forget it. I’ll take care of what I promised, and then deal with the rest of the mess…” His eyes grew cold. “What I need to do is related to this old man. Once it’s done, he won’t be bothering you anymore.”

Jin Yue froze, stepping back in shock. “You’re going after him?”

“It’s not me…” Wang Chao explained. “I’m just passing on a message. That old man has a whole basket of enemies, so I don’t need to dirty my own hands. By the way, do you know his name?”

“I don’t,” Jin Yue shook her head. “The officer with the surname He called him Professor Zhang. He said he’s an advisor to the task force.”

“Here’s a hint: the old man was a professor at Dechuan University—retired now, of course…”

A name immediately flashed through Jin Yue’s mind. Cold sweat broke out on her back as she blurted out, “Zhang Xiaoman?”

“Smart,” Wang Chao looked at her meaningfully. “He’s the father of your old classmate, Zhang Yunxi—the renowned puzzle master. Bet you didn’t expect that.”

“I should have guessed… Zhang Yunxi came to see me before. She said the two people who broke into the villa were her friends—it was all a misunderstanding. She wanted me to talk to the police and get them released…”

“No wonder… I heard the old man keeps to himself after retirement and rarely goes out. Only his daughter could get him involved… Did your classmate say why her friends broke into the villa?”

Jin Yue shot Wang Chao a reproachful look. “Isn’t it all because of you? Every time you come at night, you use the window. When Zhang Yunxi visited, she noticed the window had been pried open and asked if there’d been a burglary. I blamed it all on Aunt Cai, but she still found it suspicious and asked those two to check if anyone had snuck into my house.”

“That makes sense. When I knocked out those two amateur detectives, they were in the living room checking footprints…” Wang Chao pursed his lips. “Knock out the rookies, and the big shots come out—what a troublesome bunch of busybodies.”

“You still have the nerve to joke,” Jin Yue said, her palms sweaty with anxiety. “Zhang Xiaoman isn’t easy to fool. The first time we met, he subtly tested me several times… And I think he noticed the signs of your break-in. We covered everything but that one window…”

“He definitely knows there was someone else that night. I followed him to a wholesale shoe market, and he bought a pair of women’s sneakers identical to the ones I wore—he’s got real skills…” Wang Chao tried to reassure her. “But don’t worry. He won’t be around much longer—his days are numbered.”

Jin Yue lowered her head, thinking for a moment. Her face showed a trace of unwillingness. “If possible… try to spare his life. He’s still Zhang Yunxi’s father. Back in college, Zhang Yunxi helped me a lot. And after meeting him, I saw how old he really is… There are many ways to silence an old man—no need to take his life. Just make sure he can’t talk.”

“You’re too kind, always thinking of others… I can’t promise anything.” Wang Chao’s smile was icy. “I’m just a messenger. Whether he survives depends on his enemies… and I hear their hatred runs deep.” He glanced at her with a hint of regret. “I should go. I’ll find you after it’s done…”

With that, Wang Chao turned, walked to the small garage door, twisted the handle, and with a creak, slipped outside…

As the door closed, Sun Tiantian let go of the handle, took the lollipop from her mouth, and handed a test report to Zhang Xiaoman. “Uncle Man, both tests are done. This one is from Nie Yi and Li Jun—they wanted me to test the blood on the cotton swab.” She tapped the top sheet with her black-painted nail. “I extracted some cell samples—the 23rd chromosome pair is XX.”

“So, a woman?” Zhang Xiaoman took the report, pondering. “Did you check it against the DNA database?”

“I tried…” Sun Tiantian spread her hands. “There’s no DNA record for this person in the database.”

“Not a local?”

“To be precise, not registered in A City. The population here is 21 million—9.5 million are migrant workers. Lots of couriers, security guards, cleaners, nannies… jobs locals don’t want, mostly filled by people from nearby towns and villages. These migrants don’t have their DNA in the database.”

Zhang Xiaoman stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Any unidentified bodies recently?”

“Plenty…” Sun Tiantian counted on her fingers. “Some burned to a crisp, some run over, some buried in cement… Oh, right.” She pointed at the autopsy table. “There’s a dismembered one right here—missing a third of the body. No DNA match in the database either.”

Zhang Xiaoman walked over to the autopsy table, gazing at the two-thirds of a corpse Sun Tiantian had stitched together. He bent down and inhaled. “There’s the smell of bleach… and sulfur. The bleach probably came from cleaning the crime scene. As for the sulfur… that’s a marker of the dumping site. The body’s damp—either near water or soaked in it. The dumping site must be somewhere quiet, so rule out hot springs and factories. It must be Chunjiang—the river there is heavily polluted by factories and has a high sulfur content.”

Sun Tiantian’s eyes sparkled. “Uncle Man, you’re amazing! Even Nie Yi couldn’t deduce that—I told him myself! The dumping site was indeed Chunjiang, and the body parts were found under the bridge.”

“A woman…” Zhang Xiaoman glanced at the soles of the corpse’s feet. “She looks older. Did you do a bone age test?”

“Yes, she was around 45 to 47—give or take a bit.”

Zhang Xiaoman straightened. “Let’s start with her. Run a DNA comparison.” He checked his watch. “Will an hour be enough? I’d like to stay until you get the results.”

Sun Tiantian wagged her finger. “It won’t take that long. The samples are ready—just a quick computer check. A few minutes tops.”

Zhang Xiaoman pulled up a stool and sat by the autopsy table. “Good. I’ll read the soil analysis while I wait—and have a chat with our dismembered friend…”

Sun Tiantian nodded and slipped into the back room. Her black nails danced swiftly across the keys.

A few minutes later, as Zhang Xiaoman squatted by the autopsy table, peering at a particular piece, Sun Tiantian came out with a fresh report, her face incredulous. “Uncle Man… this is unbelievable—it matched!”

“Uncle Man doesn’t want to see ghosts just yet…” Zhang Xiaoman pursed his lips. “I already guessed. She told me herself, just now…”

“Oh?” Sun Tiantian was taken aback. “What did you discover?”

He pointed to the edge of a fragment. “There’s something special here…”

She leaned in, peering at the purple-black flecks at the edge. “Just some residue, isn’t it? Nothing special…”

“No.” Zhang Xiaoman picked up a pair of tweezers from the table and lifted a purple-black fragment. “This isn’t ordinary residue—it’s a piece of pansy petal. The murder site was a pansy flowerbed.” He held up the earlier soil report. “That’s why I had you test that dirt. My nose is sharp—especially for the scent of blood. I can smell even a trace…”

Sun Tiantian’s jaw nearly dropped. She swallowed. “Uncle Man, your brain is a supercomputer… Don’t tell me you’ve already deduced the killer?”

“Not quite. I have my suspicions, but I still lack the key evidence—the kind that leaves no room for doubt…” Zhang Xiaoman sniffed. “But I believe the truth will come out soon. Wherever someone goes, they always leave a trace…”

When they left the morgue, it was evening. Sun Tiantian drove Zhang Xiaoman to the nearest taxi stand before hurrying back—she’d already received over a dozen calls from Chang Gong Luohong, urging her to return and help.

Watching her rush away, face twisted in exasperation, Zhang Xiaoman’s lips curved with warmth. The little girl from years ago could now handle things on her own—something that filled him with pride. He hailed a taxi, but instead of giving his home address, he simply said, “Dechuan University.”

He wanted to go home, but he couldn’t—not until his own problems were resolved. Going home now would only expose him and worry his family unnecessarily.

So, Zhang Xiaoman returned once more to Dechuan University, to the tiny faculty apartment he’d once lived in. Though retired, his years of service had earned him the honor of having his room preserved, a reminder that he would always be family to the university.

He pressed the switch on the wall. The warm yellow glow of the lights flickered to life overhead with the faintest electrical hum. Shutting the door behind him, Zhang Xiaoman coughed twice and turned—only to see a figure standing by his desk, cloaked head to toe in a black raincoat, rummaging through his things.

The figure clearly hadn’t expected anyone to come in. Startled by the sudden light, they whirled around with terror in their eyes, staring straight at Zhang Xiaoman…