The Special Crime Unit had another quiet spell. They had been investigating only minor cases during this period.
One morning, the police received a report of a homicide at "Star Home," a private welfare institution in the old town district.
Fang Rui and his team followed the navigation for a while, turning onto a bumpy small road. After several twists and turns, they finally saw two small buildings.
"Star Home" was located on the edge of the old town district, consisting of two three-story buildings and a large lawn. The entire complex was enclosed by high red brick walls, with the entrance being a black iron gate. The gate had colorful paint writing: Star Home.
The outer walls were covered with moss and vines, giving it a vibrant appearance.
Outside the walls was a large wasteland, unpaved with cement. It had rained the previous day, leaving the ground full of puddles.
"Boss, there are footprints by the wall," Wang pointed to the muddy area not far away, which had many messy footprints. He estimated, "That shoe print is at least size 42, looks like an adult male's footprint."
Fang Rui looked over and noticed mud on the wall as well, suggesting someone might have climbed over during the heavy rain.
Wang quickly went to collect footprint samples with his equipment.
"Officers, you're finally here," Acting Director Chen Xinran greeted them at the door. She wore a black long dress, had shoulder-length short hair, and a cross on her chest. She looked young, but was actually nearly fifty years old.
"Where's the deceased?"
"The victim is our director Zhang Xuemei. She died in her office, stabbed multiple times in the chest," Chen Xinran said nervously. "There's blood all over the floor, it's terrifying."
She steadied herself and continued, "Officers, I've locked that room and contained the news. I hope during your investigation, you won't tell the other children about Director Zhang's death. These children were very close to her, and they'll need time to accept this. I plan to have the teachers give them a lesson on the meaning of life first. Once they understand what death means, we'll break the news to them."
"We understand. We'll keep it confidential from them throughout."
Director Chen led Fang Rui and his team into the welfare home.
The exterior walls were colorful, painted with many dreamy scenes: colorful whales swimming through clouds and stars, various colorful mushrooms waving on the ground, a giant wooden house filled with adorable children...
The interior walls were also covered in paintings, with childish brushstrokes lacking clear lines but bold in color use. The content was imaginative and full of creativity, likely drawn by the children.
Mu Mian quietly explained to everyone, "That whale is called Alice, also known as the 52-hertz whale. Whales communicate with each other through sound frequencies, usually between 15 to 25 hertz. This one's voice is always around 50 hertz, meaning it can never contact its companions. It's the loneliest whale in the world."
Mu Mian used to be like this lonely whale, unable to find the frequency to connect with the outside world. But her sister found her frequency and connected with her. She was no longer a lonely whale.
Mu Mian once had someone create a 52-hertz sound. When her father took her to the beach, she put the recording in a drift bottle and secretly threw it into the sea. She hoped that the whale could hear this sound, so it wouldn't be so lonely.
"Yes, that's why this whale can also represent autistic children," Chen Xinran observed Mu Mian for a moment and quickly realized that Mu Mian was also an autistic person. But Mu Mian was a fortunate autistic individual, at least able to work normally now.
"Are all the residents here autistic?" Mu Mian asked.
"Seven or eight years ago, yes. That's why it's called 'Star Home,' because autistic individuals are also called star children. But now, with improved economic conditions and treatment options, it's rare for parents to abandon autistic children. So we now accept all kinds of children, focusing on those with disabilities."
At this moment, a handsome little boy came bouncing over. He said to Chen Xinran, "Mama Chen, why hasn't Director Mama woken up yet? Woof, woof, blah blah blah," the little boy's neck twitched, and he made some strange noises. Then he scratched his forehead and continued, "Didn't Director Mama say to sleep early and rise early? Woof, how can she lie, woof, and secretly sleep in? Blah blah blah."
While speaking, the boy made faces and occasionally let out strange noises, then continued talking.
Chen Xinran crouched down and explained to the little boy, "Guoguo, Director Mama is sick. She needs to rest well, and you shouldn't disturb her, okay?"
"Okay. Mama Chen, I'll tell the others not to disturb Director Mama's rest," Guoguo nodded obediently. His neck twitched, but this time he tried hard to suppress his strange noises.
Guoguo thought these uncles and aunties were here to donate money or goods, so he wanted to leave a good impression.
Mu Mian looked at the little boy and asked, "Does he have Tourette's syndrome?"
Tourette's syndrome (also known as Tic disorder) commonly includes symptoms such as muscle spasms, involuntary movements, repetitive muttering, distorted movements, and facial muscle spasms.
Chen Xinran nodded, "Yes. It's also because of this that his parents abandoned him at the train station. Later, the police contacted our director, and she, being very kind-hearted, took him in. He's a very smart and sensible child, with no intellectual problems, but because of this condition, he can't attend school. We tried sending him to school before, but he was bullied by classmates and teachers, so he had to drop out. The children here, for various reasons, can't live normal children's lives..."
The institution housed over thirty children, ranging from three to twenty years old, all with various disabilities. At the moment, they were sitting on the lawn, drawing or playing with toys, with several staff members accompanying them.
The murder case hadn't affected their lives yet.
"Sister Chen, it's terrible, Yuanyuan is missing," volunteer teacher Li Min ran over, saying anxiously, "Could something have happened to him? He can't speak, so he can't call for help if he's in danger..."
Chen Xinran's expression also became worried, "Yuanyuan likes to hide in closets, have you checked there?"
"We have! We've searched the game room and rest area, but we can't find Yuanyuan anywhere."
"Don't panic, go to the security room and check the surveillance footage to see where Yuanyuan is."
"Okay."
Fang Rui asked, "Director Chen, do you need our help to search?"
"It's alright, Yuanyuan is an autistic child, and he often hides like this. Our place isn't that big, we'll be able to find him quickly with the surveillance footage."
Zhang Xuemei's office was on the second floor of the first building.
Chen Xinran unlocked the door with a key. As soon as it opened, Mu Mian smelled the scent of blood, then saw a woman lying in a pool of blood, with a knife stuck in her chest.
The woman's face was pale due to excessive blood loss, but her wrinkled face wore a kind smile, as if she hadn't been murdered but had died naturally.
Zhang exclaimed, "This is too bizarre, why did she die with a smile?"
