Mud Tracking

After three days of heavy rain, two strangled female bodies were discovered in an abandoned brick kiln in the eastern suburbs. Moss of unknown origin was embedded in the hair of the deceased, and fragments of dead oak leaves remained in the gaps between the fingernails. Under the tarpaulin wrapping the bodies, the soil they were buried in was a strange reddish-brown color—this kind of soil is only found in Xishan in this city. Criminal investigation captain Lin Zhao is keenly aware that these inconspicuous soil and plant debris are drawing a map of the murderer's activities accurate to five square kilometers. When news comes that a third woman is missing, the pressure to solve the case within seven days is overwhelming. Lin Zhao must follow the weak clues provided by the soil in the rugged mountains and forests of Xishan to find the shadow hidden in the dark before the rain washes away all evidence. But the closer she gets to the truth, the more she discovers: the murderer did not leave no traces. The traces he left are everywhere - the key is who can read them. Dirt never lies. Plants remember every touch. And Lin Zhao happened to understand their language.