Dongzi was fidgeting with his fingers, repeating Zhou Huan’s words under his breath. It was truly the first time he’d paid such close attention, having clearly memorized the four names Zhou Huan had just mentioned.

Zhou Huan was quite surprised by Dongzi’s performance. Having known him for many years, he genuinely sensed a shift in Dongzi. “Very good, you remember those people. Now, let’s reconstruct the sequence of events.” Zhou Huan held the stone in his hand, stepping backward until he was near the driveway, his back to it. He used the pointed end of the stone to represent the front of a car: “This vehicle must have been approaching here at about one hundred and forty miles per hour…”

“The driver must have been severely fatigued or intoxicated. When reaching this spot, he likely swerved to avoid something, turning sharply to the right. But the speed was too great; braking was impossible, and so he struck this rockery.” Zhou Huan continued to explain based on his imagination to Dongzi.

At this hour, many people usually frequented the rockery to exercise. Seeing Zhou Huan drawing various shapes on the ground, they grew intensely curious, and soon a crowd gathered around. Dongzi felt a surge of panic as the crowd thickened. He focused intently on Zhou Huan’s words and, at this point, asked, “Brother, if the car was moving as you described, what do you think it was trying to avoid?”

“What it was avoiding remains unclear, but one thing can be deduced, because the scene at the time must have looked like this.” Zhou Huan tossed the stone he was holding toward a shattered corner of the decorative wall. “Look here, this corner has been damaged; it must be residue from that time. This car exploded and caught fire right here. The driver and the front passenger, Fang Jue, were killed instantly. But Yu Qiu and his son, who were in the back seat, should have had time to crawl out of the vehicle. Look here.”

Dongzi followed Zhou Huan’s demonstration and looked down at the ground. Zhou Huan then pointed to a curve extending from the wall corner, tracing it with his finger all the way to a manhole cover located relatively close to the rockery. “See this line? This should be where Yu Qiu, holding his son, crawled to this spot—this is a manhole cover. But since the child was young, he was likely cradled in Yu Qiu’s arms, so it’s highly probable he survived. Yu Qiu could have forced himself to crawl here to save his son, but the line of travel breaks here. Just beyond is the fast lane. This…” Zhou Huan paused mid-sentence, deep in thought.

Dongzi was thinking along with him, applying himself with a focus he’d never known before. Finally, he slapped his forehead and said with irritation, “Brother, why can’t I figure it out? They made it this far—what could they possibly do next? They couldn’t have run down into the sewer, could they? I really can’t think of anything.”

The onlookers were murmuring amongst themselves, and one person shouted loudly, “Are you two police officers? Investigating a case?”

Dongzi’s casual remark sparked a realization in Zhou Huan. Dongzi had once mentioned that when he was chasing the little beggar, the child had jumped into a sewer. Could this incident also be connected to the sewer system?

Dongzi, now alert, heard the random comments and replied, “We are investigating a case, but we aren’t the police. What, are you looking to interfere?”

“Aiya, if you aren’t police, you’re useless. I thought you were cops, and if you were investigating, I could give you a lead for a reward!” the man from the crowd said again.

Hearing this, Zhou Huan immediately turned toward the crowd. “Are you serious? We aren’t police, but we need to learn something. If someone can provide effective clues, I, Zhou Huan, am willing to offer compensation!”

At this, many in the crowd turned their gazes toward the man who had spoken. He was a middle-aged man, unremarkable in appearance, speaking in a stuttering voice. “Let me tell you, if anything happens here, there’s nothing Old Xu Six doesn’t know. I sit here every day, and I don’t leave until almost midnight, winter or summer. I never miss a day.”

“So you’re a long-time resident here?” Zhou Huan tested cautiously.

“Of course. I’ve lived here my whole life. I simply have a good memory. What you say today, I’ll remember this time next year.” This Xu Lao Liu was quite bold in his claims, yet his expression didn't suggest he was lying; he seemed entirely self-assured.

Zhou Huan moved closer to the man and whispered, “Then do you know about the traffic accident that happened here three years ago? Even this corner was left by that accident. People died!”

“Hmm, wait a moment, let me think.” A flicker of surprise crossed his face. “Hey? You’re asking the exact same questions as someone who came here to inquire about this a few days ago. Are you together?” This man was truly inquisitive; he seemed to know everything. Based on that alone, it was likely there was nothing he didn't know about this place.

Zhou Huan smiled slightly. “Is that so? What did that person look like, and what exactly happened here?”

The inquirer Xu Lao Liu mentioned was Li Tianxiong. Zhou Huan couldn't fathom Li Tianxiong’s background; how could he know things Zhou Huan couldn't dig up? It seemed Li Tianxiong indeed knew a great deal. Lao Liu continued, “Three years ago, a private car crashed into this spot. Normally, a regular car should be fine, but that time, something truly went wrong. I still remember it vividly!”

“So you didn’t leave after the accident happened?” Zhou Huan asked cautiously.

Xu Lao Six scoffed dismissively. “Tsk, brother, I’ll tell you, I’m always hoping for some excitement; I just don’t get the chance often. Well, seeing how you’re asking, it must be urgent. You need to pay first, and then I’ll tell you everything, without holding back.”

Dongzi immediately stepped forward upon seeing this kind of person and spoke fiercely, “Hey, are you going to talk or not? If you can’t, shut that foul mouth of yours. All you talk about is money, money—is that interesting? What, can’t you save someone if they don’t have money?”

“Heh heh, that’s right. I live off the money you people don’t know how to spend. Pay up, and I’ll tell you the details.” Before the middle-aged man finished speaking, Zhou Huan pulled a few hundred yuan from his pocket and forcefully stuffed it into Lao Liu’s pocket.

“Big brother, please just tell us. We know you saw the whole thing happen; this matter is really important to us.”

Xu Lao Six pulled out the corner of the money Zhou Huan had given him, discreetly counted it with a nod, then looked around cautiously, pulling Zhou Huan away from the crowd. “Let me tell you, three years ago, I happened to be here drinking and sobering up when I was throwing up behind the wall. I saw a car slam right into the decorative wall, followed by an explosion. Out of curiosity, I went closer to watch the excitement. As the fire started, I saw a person crawl out of the car, still clutching something in their hands. They crawled and crawled, then plop, they fell into the sewer.”

“How do you know the car I described is the one you just saw?” Zhou Huan pressed.

Xu Lao Six puffed out his chest. “Hmph, if I, Xu Lao Six, say it’s the car you described, it’s the car you described. Because this is a straight road, traffic accidents happen very rarely. You mentioned the accident three years ago, and there hasn't been another one here since. Besides, I took your money; I won’t cheat you. After those two fell into the sewer, several people—I don’t know where they came from—came and replaced the manhole cover. Then I heard the police arrived, so I went home.”

Zhou Huan nodded. “Oh, I see. That’s enough information. Thank you, Brother Xu. We’re done here.”

Xu Lao Six grinned, pulled out the money Zhou Huan had given him, and counted it again. He then looked at Zhou Huan and said, “Let me be clear, this is only three hundred yuan, just for this one interrogation. If you ask me again next time, heh heh, you’ll have to add a bit more.”

“All right, don’t worry. I won’t waste the three hundred I spent. You should go home and rest early; we’re leaving too!” With that, Zhou Huan stopped paying attention to the money-grubbing Xu Lao Six and called Dongzi toward the patch of grass opposite the rockery. The two picked up a curbstone and sat down, saying nothing.

Seconds ticked by, and the summer night air grew progressively cooler. The exercise crowd around the rockery slowly dispersed. Zhou Huan then said to Dongzi, “Brother, tonight is when I need you!”

“Brother, just tell me what to do, and I’ll certainly complete it seriously!”

Zhou Huan pointed to the manhole cover they had discussed. “Brother, in a moment, you’re going to open that manhole cover, move it aside, and stand guard by the opening. I want to go down and take a look.”

“You want to go down into the sewer? Okay, rest assured, I will definitely complete the task you assign me, Brother.” Dongzi said, hurrying to the manhole. He reached out to pull the cover, but even using all his strength, he couldn’t budge it.

Zhou Huan followed behind Dongzi and started laughing at his struggle. “Brother, have you released the locking mechanism?”

Dongzi felt around the edge of the cover and found two protruding steel bars running across the cover’s ventilation slots. Dongzi grabbed the locking mechanism with both hands, strained, and slowly released the latch. “Brother, it’s really hard work; you should lend a hand.”

Zhou Huan laughed heartily. “Dongzi, didn’t you say you wanted to complete the mission well on your own? I want to see just how strong you are. I believe in you. As long as you open this manhole cover, I’ll handle the rest.”

“Alright,” Dongzi responded resolutely. With a muffled shout, “Ah!” the manhole cover was ripped out by Dongzi’s two hands. He then slowly moved the cover aside and sat down next to the rockery, gasping for breath. “Done, Brother. I really used all my strength. I’m out of energy!”