SFTD -Chapter 234 Hidden Gate

Zhou Hai paused for a moment, trying to recall every detail of what had happened.

Last week, when he went to the Lu family, Lu’s father and mother had mentioned someone they used to book the wedding photography studio. But at this moment, he couldn’t bring himself to ask—after all, they still didn’t know anything had happened to Lu Xi.

He turned back toward the staff and spotted the female waitress he had questioned earlier. He walked toward her.

The waitress looked terrified. Seeing Zhou Hai—covered in blood—approach, she immediately stepped back several paces.

“How did you know our names? Lu Xi and I never gave our names when we came in.”

The waitress pointed at a computer on the bar counter.

“When we take reservations, we always require a photo of the couple. So Miss Lu Xi’s photo was already stored in the system.”

“Who handled the booking?” Zhou Hai’s voice sharpened. “Find out who arranged our shooting schedule.”

The waitress quickly searched and pulled another woman over.

“This is handled by our store manager. She organizes all appointments.”

The manager, trembling all over, broke free from the waitress’s grip, her face full of panic.

“Don’t ask me! I know nothing!”

Zhou Hai’s eyes were already red. He would not let go of the only lead. He grabbed her collar and dragged her straight to the counter, throwing her in front of the computer.

“Stop wasting time. Pull up the original reservation record.”

At that moment, Huang Team Leader arrived as well. He motioned for his people to begin checking all the staff. Since the incident had happened in this shop, the mysterious owner had also been urgently summoned to arrive immediately.

Seeing Zhou Hai’s situation, Huang Team Leader walked over quickly and slapped the counter twice. Cups, pens, and the keyboard all jolted slightly.

He leaned forward, eyes wide with anger. “Well? Do you remember how to do it now?”

The manager shut her eyes tightly and bit her lip, too frightened to make a sound.

She quickly opened the system, located the reservation record for Zhou Hai and Lu Xi, and then checked a large handwritten logbook. Finally, she found the original entry.

“Found it. This reservation was made on April 6th at 16:40. The contact person left was Mrs. Hu, and the phone number is 1390xxxxxxx.”

Zhou Hai pressed his lips together. Mrs. Hu must be Lu Xi’s mother. She had been the one arranging everything. The phone number, however, was Lu Xi’s own.

He closed his eyes, forcing himself to stay calm. He couldn’t panic now.

“Who can see this information?”

The manager pointed at everyone present.

“It’s public. All staff can access it. We also publish available booking slots in advance so people can avoid peak hours.”

“The internet?” a voice asked.

“Do you have a website? Can people book and view information online?”

It was Xu Biao who had come over at some point, standing behind Zhou Hai.

Zhou Hai glanced back at him, then fixed his gaze on the manager. Xu Biao’s question was crucial—if the information was publicly available online, then the trail might be completely exposed.

“I don’t really understand the internet,” the manager said nervously, “but all our information is public. Many clients adjust their shooting times, and our business is affected by weather and seasons.”

Xu Biao opened his laptop and logged into the wedding studio “Paris Time.”

Sure enough, the studio had actually made all client information public. Although full names weren’t displayed, surnames of “Mr. So-and-so” and “Miss So-and-so” were clearly visible.

Xu Biao showed the results to Zhou Hai.

Zhou Hai narrowed his eyes and looked at the manager again.

“Who didn’t come to work today? Or who took leave?”

The manager thought for a moment, then checked the staff roster again.

Suddenly, she said, “One temporary cleaner didn’t come. He worked half a day yesterday, but didn’t show up today.”

“Is he registered?”

She flipped through the records and found a name: Zhou Yu, and handed it over.

Zhou Hai frowned.

“A man?”

“Yes. A man in his fifties, gray hair, thick glasses. He has a slight limp and walks slowly, a bit unsteady. But he works very diligently, so we kept him on.”

“But he didn’t show up this morning. We were too busy with you and Miss Lu…”

Hearing this, Zhou Hai’s eyes lit up. He turned immediately.

“Xu Biao, come here. Check the surveillance footage. I need to see what that cleaner looked like yesterday.”

The manager quickly raised her hand again, hesitating. All eyes turned to her.

“Um… wait. Yesterday… there was a power outage.”

“Power outage?” everyone repeated.

“Yes. It was a sudden outage. No notice from the property or power company. We just posted a paper notice on the glass, and all cameras were down.”

Xu Biao had already approached and heard everything. The three of them exchanged glances.

No need for further explanation—this was not normal.

A single half-day appearance. A sudden power outage. Was this reconnaissance? Or preparation?

Or… was this case really connected to the same serial murder case involving “Mi Gao”?

Everything made them uneasy.

If it really was the same mastermind, this person was terrifying. He had escaped before, manipulated a driver before—and could do it again.

Zhou Hai recalled what Zhang Mingquan had said before his death, and the more he thought about it, the more possible it seemed.

Someone who could know his relationship with Lu Xi… who knew their workplaces, schools… and could easily find the photography appointment…

“Team Leader Hu,” Zhou Hai said, “send someone to sketch the cleaner.”

Then he turned to Xu Biao.

“Did you check the passage behind the dressing room? Any marks on the corridor or door? Any signs of forced entry?”

Xu Biao patted Zhou Hai’s shoulder.

“When we arrived, I already checked. The passage is very narrow, about three meters long. It was likely designed to separate this dressing room.”

“So it was sealed off. Otherwise the layout would be strange. The design itself is fine.”

“Also, I found two layers of wallpaper on the door, and beneath that, another layer of latex paint. There were probing knife marks around the door. The killer clearly knew there was a door here and tried several times to find it.”

“The lock is very old, but there was a key inserted into the inner lock cylinder. I think that’s what the killer used to go in and out. The wear on the key and lock match, and the inserted part is relatively new—meaning the owner likely always left the key there.”

“But what puzzles me is—how did the killer know this door existed?”

“This door has likely been sealed for at least five or six years. It’s not a normal structure; it was a hidden fire passage connecting to the residential complex behind it. So who would know about it?”

Xu Biao had made everything very clear. The investigation was thorough.

Zhou Hai slowly turned his head and looked at the manager again.

“When will your boss arrive?”