Forensic Doctor: Finding the Way Back to the Mystery of Ancient Realms

As the dust settled on the "Double Lover" case, S City did not seem to return to peace, but was shrouded in a deeper haze. Xu Youran and Situ Han knew that this was just the tip of the iceberg, and the real challenge had just begun.

The first rays of sunlight in the morning penetrated the mist, and Xu Youran and Situ Han once again stepped into the scene of a recent crime - a seemingly ordinary grocery store. The store was in a mess, with shelves overturned and goods scattered all over the floor. There was an indescribable sense of depression in the air.

"From the scene, this is a typical home robbery," Officer Zhang Wei made a preliminary assessment. "But what's strange is that there are no signs of struggle, and no obvious property is missing."

Xu Youran squatted down and carefully examined the footprints and the position of objects on the ground. Her eyes suddenly fixed on an inconspicuous corner, where there was a tiny piece of metal fragment, reflecting slightly in the sunlight.

"What is this?" She picked up the fragments and handed them to Situ Han.

Situ Han took the fragment and observed it carefully, frowning: "This is part of some kind of mechanical device. It doesn't look like a tool that an ordinary robber would use."

The two looked at each other, and both had an ominous premonition. They continued to investigate, not missing any details. Finally, in a hidden place behind the store, they found a tiny camera facing the entrance of the store.

"It seems that we are being monitored." Situ Han said in a deep voice.

Afterwards, they went to the hospital to visit the victim of the case, the grocery store owner, Mr. Li. Mr. Li was old and although he was physically fine, he was mentally traumatized.

"That night, I was sorting goods in the store when I heard some noise outside," Mr. Li recalled with a trembling voice. "I was about to go out to check when someone knocked me out from behind. When I woke up, I was already in the hospital."

Xu Youran gently soothed Uncle Li's emotions, while keenly capturing the hint of hesitation in his words.

"Uncle Li, do you have anything else to say?" she asked softly.

Uncle Li hesitated for a moment, and finally spoke: "Actually, I always feel like someone is following me recently. Also, I found that the goods in the store are occasionally missing for unknown reasons, but each time it's not much, so I don't pay much attention to it."

This clue made Xu Youran and Situ Han's eyes light up. They realized that this was not just a simple robbery, and there might be a deeper conspiracy behind it.

Based on the clues provided by Uncle Li, Xu Youran and Situ Han began to track down the mysterious stalker. They retrieved the surveillance video around the store and found a suspicious man who always appeared near the store in the dead of night.

However, when they tried to track the man further, they found that he seemed to have disappeared from the face of the earth, and all clues came to an abrupt end.

Just when the two were in trouble, an unexpected news came-the S City police found the same metal fragments as the grocery store at another crime scene. This case occurred in an antique shop, and the owner was also attacked, but fortunately, he escaped in time and called the police.

"There must be a connection between these two cases." Xu Youran said firmly, "We must find that man. He is the key to solving all the mysteries."

During the investigation, they also met several important guest characters. The first was Mr. Zhao, the owner of the antique shop, who was a collector with deep feelings for antiques. Faced with the damage to the shop and the loss of precious antiques, he seemed angry and helpless.

"Those antiques are the fruits of my life's labor!" Mr. Zhao said bitterly, "I must find that bastard and make him pay!"

Xu Youran and Situ Han sensed Mr. Zhao's strong desire for revenge from his words, but they also noticed a hint of panic in his eyes. This made them wonder if Mr. Zhao was hiding some secrets.

In addition, they also contacted several victims' families and witnesses. Each person's words revealed different emotions and psychological characteristics: some family members were heartbroken and vowed to find the real culprit; some witnesses were evasive because of fear and dared not reveal more information.

After a series of investigations and reasoning, Xu Youran and Situ Han finally found a clue. They found that the common point of all the victims was that they had directly or indirectly come into contact with a mysterious antique - a jade pendant engraved with complex patterns.

This jade pendant is said to be inextricably linked to the S City family murder case during the Republic of China period, and the "Shadow" organization seems to be looking for it. They create a series of seemingly unrelated cases to cover up their real purpose - to seize the jade pendant.

"It seems that the 'Shadow' organization is much more cunning than we thought." Situ Han said in a deep voice, "They not only want the jade pendant, but also want to take this opportunity to eliminate all those who may know the truth."

Xu Youran nodded in agreement: "We must find the jade pendant before they do and expose their true identities."

Just as the two were preparing to conduct a further investigation, an unexpected news came: the famous meat bun shop Lao Li's in S City had also been harassed by unknown persons in recent days. It was said that someone was wandering around the shop late at night, and there were even rumors that unknown objects appeared in the buns in the shop, causing panic among customers.

"The Li family?" Xu Youran's heart tightened when she heard that. She had seen this name before on the edge of an old newspaper. Although she only glanced at it, she couldn't ignore the inexplicable sense of familiarity.

"We have to go and take a look." She almost blurted out, looking at Situ Han with a firm gaze.

Situ Han didn't ask any more questions, just nodded slightly, and the two of them immediately drove to Lao Li's meat bun shop. When they arrived, the shop was closed, but there were still a few curious residents gathered outside the door, whispering about the recent strange things.

"Have you heard? Metal pieces were found in the filling of Lao Li's buns. It's so scary!" a middle-aged woman said to her companion.

"That's right. This bun shop has been open for decades and has never seen such a thing. Could it be that it offended someone?" another man guessed.

Xu Youran and Situ Han exchanged glances and approached the shop calmly. They knocked on the door, and after a moment, a haggard middle-aged man opened the door. It was Lao Li himself.

"Who are you? What's the matter?" There was a hint of vigilance in Lao Li's voice.

"We are the police, and we are here to investigate the recent events around your store." Situ Han showed his ID, his tone calm but forceful.

Old Li hesitated for a moment, but finally let the two in. The shop was in a mess, and it was obvious that it had not been open for business for a long time. Old Li sat at a shabby table, holding his head in his hands, his eyes full of fatigue and helplessness.

"You must help me find out the truth. My small business can't stand such a torment." Old Li said almost in tears.

Xu Youran said a few words of comfort, and then began to carefully check every corner of the shop. She noticed that there was a yellowed photo hanging on the wall, which showed a young woman with a gentle smile, who looked a bit like Lao Li.

"What is this?" she asked, pointing at the photo.

"That's my daughter, Xiaomei." Old Li's eyes instantly turned red. "She disappeared a long time ago, and I have never given up looking for her."

Xu Youran's heart moved. She felt that this photo was related to a clue she had seen before. She decided to ask further: "Did anything special happen before your daughter disappeared? For example, did she have an argument with anyone, or did she come into contact with anything unusual?"

Old Li pondered for a moment and shook his head slowly: "No, Xiaomei has always been very well behaved and never caused any trouble. The day she disappeared, she just said she was going to the market in town to buy some things, and then she never came back."

Although there was no direct clue, Xu Youran felt an inexplicable connection. She secretly decided to connect the Li family's affairs with the "Shadow" organization and the recent serial cases.

Before leaving Lao Li's house, she deliberately wrote down the features of the woman in the photo and secretly vowed to find Xiaomei's whereabouts and the truth behind it all.

As the night deepened, Xu Youran and Situ Han walked side by side on the way back to the police station. Their hearts were filled with doubts and uneasiness, but more of a desire and persistence for the truth.

"Do you think that the affairs of the Li family are related to the 'Shadow' organization?" Xu Youran suddenly broke the silence.

"It's hard to say, but my intuition tells me that there must be a connection between them." Situ Han said in a deep voice, "Also, I always feel that the metal piece is not just a simple prank. It may be a warning, or part of a larger conspiracy."

Xu Youran nodded in agreement. Her eyes pierced through the night, as if she had seen the intricate web slowly tightening.

"No matter what, we will get to the bottom of this matter," she said firmly, "for the peace of S City and for justice for those innocent victims."

Just then, a gust of wind blew by, bringing with it the aroma of meat buns. Xu Youran and Situ Han stopped at the same time and looked towards the closed meat bun shop not far away.

“Meat buns…” Xu Youran muttered to himself, “Perhaps the clue to the next case is hidden there.”

To be continued, the first part of the mystery of the S City Meat Bun Case in the Republic of China will be revealed soon, and more mysteries are waiting for you to solve...