City: Bailin | Town: Jingluan
The bus hissed as it pulled into Jingluan Central Station, steam rising like breath from beneath its wheels.
Through the foggy window, the town unfolded slowly — not in noise, but in silence. Jingluan, the famous heart of bailin city , sat cloaked beneath a curtain of light rain and late afternoon haze. Its ancient stone alleys curled like secrets. Its rooftops stacked tightly, whispering stories that never left the town line.
The door opened. And Jasper stepped out.
Tall. Quiet. Coat sharp and dark like the rain soaked street beneath him. His steps didn't echo they landed like he belonged here, though he'd never been.
A pair of black earphones clung to his ears.
"I'm here," he said softly.
No emotion. No rush.
The line went dead with a faint click, and he slid the phone back into his coat pocket.
Jasper didn't look around. He didn't ask for directions. He walked with purpose as if the map of this place was already in his bones.
He reached the cafe by instinct or instruction.
Nanshui Liuyin cafe ,tucked at the end of a narrow back street, leaned beneath the rusted awning of an old bookstore. Its faded gold sign barely caught the light, and its windows glowed from within warm, fogged, alive.
He pushed the door open.
The bell above chimed once.
Inside, the cafe breathed softly with quiet conversations, the low clatter of cups, and the hum of music old enough to be forgotten. The scent of dark roast and worn wood lingered in the air.
Jasper's eyes didn't wander.
He walked straight to the back where a man in a black suite waited at a table set for two.
The man stood.
The man's handshake was brief firm, impersonal.
He gestured to the seat across from him.
Jasper sat down without a word, removing his coat and folding it neatly in his lap. His posture was calm, but his eyes were sharp, focused — taking in everything.
The suited man leaned forward. His voice was low, almost inaudible under the murmur of the cafe
"Three victims. Three different days. All within this week."
He paused.
"Different streets. No pattern in time or place. But one thing connects them."
He slid a photo across the table — its edges damp from the rain outside.
"They all had the same mark carved into their foreheads."
Jasper looked at it.
Just a blurry image but the words stood out, even in low resolution.
RIP(rest in peace)
"Rest in Peace," the man said quietly. "Three letters. Cut deep. Like someone wanted to leave a message… or a curse."
Jasper didn't blink.
"No evidence?"
The man shook his head, frustrated.
"Not a single footprint. No DNA. No forced entry. No sign of struggle."
He looked out the foggy cafe window, like the answer might be out there in the streets of Jingluan.
"Whoever's doing this they're not killing for rage. It's deliberate. Precise."
Jasper leaned back slightly, the photo still in his hand.
"Then I'll be precise, too."
I'll take care of this case. Know
The low murmur of voices filled the cafe. Cups clinked. Steam curled from ceramic mugs. Outside, the rain thickened soft, but constant.
Jasper said nothing more.
Just then, the front door swung open.
A girl in a maids uniform entered quickly, her ponytail dripping rain. She didn't bother to dry her shoes or take off her coat. Her expression was pale, eyes tight with worry.
She moved past the customers and went straight behind the counter — toward the small kitchen door where the chef chef a middle aged woman with graying hair tied in a low bun, was wiping her hands on a towel.
"Chef," the girl said, her voice slightly shaking but firm.
"I'm resigning. I have to go to Chicago. My aunt's… she's seriously ill."
The chef blinked, stunned.
"Today?"
"Tonight. I already booked the train. I'm sorry I couldn't wait."
There was a pause — one of those long, heavy silences that fills a place with invisible weight.
The girl untied her apron and folded it neatly, placing it on the counter without waiting for permission.
The chef didn't argue.
"Take care of her," she said quietly.
"I will," the girl nodded, eyes glassy. "Thank you for everything."
She turned and left just as quickly as she came, the doorbell jingling in her wake.
In the corner of the cafe someone noticed but didn't looked at her
noticed Not the words.
Just the energy shift like the air had folded a little differently around them.