The Police Code in the Dusty Case

Fifteen years ago, the teacher’s daughter died in the “Blue Bridge Case,” and the real killer got away with it. Fifteen years later, a platinum earring that should have been buried with her reappears at a crime scene. The ghost is back. This time, his blade is pointed at someone within our own ranks.

I’m Zhao Dagang, a detective with the city criminal investigation squad. Fifteen years ago, I was a rookie, working alongside my mentor, Wang Dayong, on the “Blue Bridge Case,” the case that shattered his life. The third victim was his only daughter, Wang Xiaoya. The killer left no useful clues, like a ghost. The only piece of physical evidence was a platinum earring my mentor caught a fleeting glimpse of, but it mysteriously disappeared while being transferred. The case went cold, becoming a wound that never healed for the two of us over the next fifteen years.

That all changed today, when a woman’s body was discovered. When I found the platinum earring engraved with “WXY” in a crack in the floor, I knew he was back. My mentor, now retired from frontline duty, was called in, and the partners we used to be joined forces once again.

But it was as if the killer could predict our every move. Clues kept drying up at crucial moments, while invisible resistance mounted from within. As every sign pointed to someone inside the police force, trust began to crumble. While hunting the ghost, my mentor and I had to scrutinize everyone around us. This was a race against an unseen opponent, and a final test of the faith and sense of justice we had held for fifteen years.