Zhou Huan took the blueprint from Old Zhang, examining it closely as he held his hand. "Master Zhang, based on my analysis, Yu Qiu must have crawled out of the car holding the child, and I suspect the manhole cover wasn't even in place then. In her desperate attempt to escape, she must have fallen directly into the sewer." Then, Zhou Huan pointed to a spot on the blueprint. "This is where we found the little beggar. If he came here every day waiting for steamed buns, then he must live in the sewer system near this location."

"Could he not be living somewhere else and just making the trip when it's time to eat?" Old Zhang inquired.

Dongzi couldn't help but chime in, "Yeah, yeah! If it were me, I'd live somewhere else. Worst case, I'd run a little further; at my speed, I can do a hundred meters in twelve-point-five seconds at least!"

"Shut up!" Zhou Huan snapped at Dongzi. "Know when to speak and when to keep quiet. Stop spouting nonsense all the time." He then turned his gaze back to Old Zhang. "Our main focus is this circle. I believe we will certainly find Yu Qiu's remains within this loop." Zhou Huan used his finger to draw a circle on the blueprint, starting from the manhole cover where the little beggar appeared and ending at the site of the accident.

Old Zhang nodded in agreement, then turned back. "Right, I looked through the maintenance records from back then. On the day of the incident, there was construction happening right here, and they had hired migrant workers. Our warning signs were all smashed then. Ah, so this must be the place where Yu Qiu fell into the sewer."

After the discussion, Old Zhang, carrying his tool bag, was the first to enter the sewer. Zhou Huan followed with his bag second, and Dongzi was the last to descend.

The beams from their three flashlights were like distant stars against the vast, dark expanse of the sewer, a stark contrast to the starless night sky. Three shafts of light swept back and forth through the tunnels. The sound of rushing water mixed with years of accumulated silt and mud created an unsettling atmosphere. Zhou Huan pulled out his compass and began taking bearings to establish north and south.

"Master Zhou, if we follow your planned route, we should take this path," Old Zhang said, pointing to a fork in the tunnel while holding the blueprint.

Zhou Huan checked his compass again; the needle pointed directly ahead. "Master Zhang, look where the compass is pointing. There’s a wall straight ahead in that direction. Is there any other path if we keep going this way?"

Old Zhang thought for a moment. "Yes, we need to pass through the fork on the right. There’s a chain-link fence there; we'll have to get through that. Beyond that is the main thoroughfare leading to the sludge settling tank. Then, through the opening up ahead, we’ll pass through another section of fence and loop back into the tributary network of the sewer system. That should be a long straight section, and from there, it leads exactly to the area where the little beggar has been seen."

"Good, it seems we should find Yu Qiu's remains there. Master Zhang, I’ll have to trouble you to lead the way!" Zhou Huan remained exceedingly polite.

Meanwhile, Dongzi trailed behind as if he were dazed, occasionally shaking his flashlight as if playing a game, completely unfazed by the grim surroundings, looking remarkably relaxed.

After walking for only a few minutes, they reached the chain-link fence Old Zhang had mentioned. Dongzi was the fastest. "Brother, how are we supposed to get past this?"

"Don't worry, I've got this; I guarantee we’ll get through!" Old Zhang pulled out a large pair of cutters and a new padlock from his bag. "I happened to be down here today to replace the locks on these filtration screens anyway, so this works out perfectly to clear our path." Old Zhang approached the fence, quickly snipped through the wires in a few cuts, replaced the lock, and the three passed through. They successfully crossed the second fence when Old Zhang suddenly stopped.

"Wait, I think I know one spot where the little beggar might have stayed, and it's the most likely place Yu Qiu managed to climb to."

"Where? Not here, surely? How could she have possibly climbed through a fence like this?" Zhou Huan’s doubt was understandable. It took three grown men using bolt cutters to make an opening to pass the fence, let alone an injured woman carrying a child.

Old Zhang smiled. "This fence didn't have a lock back then; it was probably rusted away entirely! Up ahead is a communications cable junction box. There’s a work platform there. If you consider the entire sewer network, that spot is the most unique—the driest area. The reason the child survived all these years might be because he slept there."

Zhou Huan’s expression grew excited. "Then hurry up, let’s go see it now!" He sounded terribly anxious, eager to be right there.

"Master Zhou, no need to rush; we’ll see it in less than two hundred meters," Old Zhang said, leading Zhou Huan forward. Dongzi stuck close behind, his flashlight beam still wobbling incessantly.

After walking a while and making a few turns, they reached a section that jutted out. This area appeared remarkably dry. Zhou Huan climbed onto this work platform; beyond the platform was a tunnel for the communication cables. Zhou Huan carefully examined the ground beneath his feet. "Master Zhang, there's nothing special about this area."

"There's more than one work platform like this; there should be three or four more ahead."

Zhou Huan's compass spun restlessly, pointing directly to his right. The instrument was showing high tension; any expert would know the target object was less than ten meters away.

"Dongzi, take out the bone box you brought for me last night."

Dongzi blinked repeatedly, his face turning slightly pale. "Brother, I… I forgot to bring it!"

"What? Dongzi, I really don't know what to do with you. Well, if you didn't bring the box, you’ll just have to carry the remains in your arms later!"

"Huh? Brother, I’ve never touched anything like that before." Dongzi's expression immediately shifted back to panic, suddenly recalling the time Li Zhi had played a trick on him.

Zhou Huan’s eyebrows shot up in anger. "Can you show some backbone? You’ll carry them whether you like it or not, it’s not up for debate!" As he spoke, Zhou Huan pulled out a pair of rubber gloves from his bag, then produced three talismans, burned them, and smeared the resulting ash onto all three of them.

"Master Zhou, what is this for?" Old Zhang asked.

Zhou Huan chuckled. "This is a precaution against any malevolent, lingering spirits who might try to interfere with us. It's just being thorough." Old Zhang chuckled too and led Zhou Huan onward.

Several thick cables blocked the path of Zhou Huan and the others. Zhou Huan cast his flashlight beam past the cables. Ahead was a concrete floor, scattered with debris from cable workers: severed cable ends, rolls of tape, and so on. Further in, overhead, was a dry well with a floor drain in the concrete, indicating that water would drain away here during heavy rain.

"Oof!" Dongzi, trailing behind Zhou Huan, tripped and landed face-first on the ground with a thud.

Zhou Huan immediately shone his light on Dongzi. He looked around and saw that Dongzi had been tripped by a tattered quilt, propped up by two protruding objects. Beneath the quilt was a pile of dry straw, and under the straw, a thick mat.

"This must be it," Zhou Huan thought, confirming his location just as the compass in his hand stopped moving, pointing rigidly at the quilt Zhou Huan was observing.

Old Zhang leaned in and helped Dongzi up. "Come on, young man, it’s dark in here; watch your step." Then, Old Zhang’s flashlight beam hit Dongzi’s face, making him recoil in shock. "Heavens above, what happened to you?"

Dongzi’s nose was bleeding profusely, covering his entire face, which had thoroughly frightened Old Zhang.

Zhou Huan took a packet of tissues from his pocket and handed them to Dongzi. "Here, wipe it clean." Then Zhou Huan knelt down and slowly lifted the old quilt on the ground. The objects supporting the quilt turned out to be two leg bones stuck into the ground. Zhou Huan shone his light closely at them. "Yu Qiu's remains," he exclaimed.

"Master Zhou, how can you be so certain these are Yu Qiu's remains?" Old Zhang asked, bewildered.

Zhou Huan raised his flashlight to its brightest setting, pointing at the scene on the ground. "Look, the two leg bones sticking out of the ground are what’s holding up this rag of a quilt. Look at this thing resembling a pillow; it's two arm bones. And next to the pillow is the skull. The breastbone and the spine are resting right beside the pillow. In other words, this is a complete human skeleton, arranged in the posture of a mother sleeping while embracing her child. Combined with the faint cucumber scent permeating the bones, I am certain this pile of remains belongs to Yu Qiu, and this place has been the little beggar’s home for years."

Zhou Huan’s detailed analysis left Dongzi and Old Zhang utterly confused; they couldn't grasp the specifics of what he was saying, only understanding that the bones were Yu Qiu’s and this was the little beggar’s location.

Dongzi, gathering his courage this time, edged closer to Zhou Huan. "Brother, are these really Yu Qiu’s bones?"

"Yes. Here’s a bag. You must pack up every single bone; if even one is missing, don't come crying to me if Yu Qiu causes trouble," Zhou Huan stated firmly.

Dongzi’s eyes widened, staring unblinkingly at the skeleton before him. He shook his head repeatedly, then clasped his hands together and murmured aloud, "Don't be mad, I'm just collecting your bones for you. Don't come looking for me if you’re alright!" He then took the bag from Zhou Huan and began picking up the skeleton, bone by bone, counting as he went. He stopped when he reached two hundred and one.

"Keep counting, why did you stop?"

"Brother, that’s all of them. I’ve checked around many times!"

"That’s not right; the count is wrong. Look again, there must be more."

Dongzi began searching around the quilt again, while Zhou Huan used his finger to draw a Heart-Clearing Talisman in the dry circle—a measure to prevent any future supernatural occurrences. Meanwhile, Old Zhang was prying at a manhole cover beneath the cable junction.