During construction at a suburban site in Linjiang City, workers unearthed the remains of an unidentified person buried underground for more than a decade. The unusual binding marks on the bones and a rare old injury immediately caught forensic pathologist Yue Xin's attention. As she worked through the autopsy, she pieced together the death's hidden clues from the bones, only to find that the victim wasn't anyone on the missing-persons register.
Jiang Yan of the major crimes unit formed a task force to identify the remains. Following a trail of scattered clues, the team dug into a long-closed case, one that had been ruled an accidental fire. The blaze had consumed an entire house, and everyone believed the whole family had died in it. But the bones proved that someone had been murdered before the fire.
As the investigation progressed, people connected to the old case began meeting with misfortune one after another. Threats and deliberately staged accidents followed. The person behind it all laid traps at every turn, fabricating evidence to frame others and trying to bury the truth in the dirt once more. Jiang Yan traveled around, interviewing witnesses and peeling away layers of lies. Yue Xin stayed by the autopsy table, speaking for the dead through bones, trace evidence, and damaged objects.
Working together, they had to solve a series of new murders while confronting the mastermind lurking in the depths of the city, a person who held the secrets of the old case. Even more troubling, the killer knew police procedures inside out and was familiar with the details of the investigation from years ago. They could very well be someone among the acquaintances connected to the old case.
When all the pieces finally came together, Jiang Yan and Yue Xin realized that this long-delayed revenge had been set in motion back when the fire first ignited more than a decade ago. The darkness had never truly lifted, and those who carry the light will never stop searching for the truth.
Unidentified remains buried for more than a decade are unearthed at a suburban construction site. Forensic pathologist Yue Xin finds suspicious marks on the bones, and detective Jiang Yan reopens an old fire case. Together, they pursue the truth as people connected to the case suffer one attack after another. The mastermind knows police procedures and keeps setting traps to misdirect the investigation. Bridging the gap of time, they expose an old murder hidden beneath the ashes and layers of deception.
Theme: Mystery and investigation
