There were no distinct features in the footprints, and nothing could be deduced from them.
Greenleaf didn't seem inclined to analyze or draw any conclusions from them.
As usual, Ye Qing walked at the front. Her pace was unhurried, and she showed no sign of caution.
Her leather shoes crunched over the grain.
Rustling sounds came from behind the pile of sacks.
As Ye Qing drew closer, the sounds changed. They could hear a girl's suppressed breathing and quiet sobs.
Ye Qing rounded the corner and went around the pile of sacks.
The camera followed, capturing what lay behind them.
A girl in her teens was crouched behind the sacks, curled up and covering her mouth as she cried. She stared at the camera in terror, her body trembling.
"Xie Liu?" Ye Qing asked, though her tone sounded certain.
The girl stopped crying and looked at Ye Qing in surprise.
"We're here at your friend's request to investigate this farm. You..." Before Ye Qing could finish, she whipped her head around.
A loud thud came from offscreen.
The camera swung around, shaking as it moved toward the granary entrance.
The doors were shut.
"Boss!" Liu Miao called out.
A moment later, Wu Ling entered the frame to inspect the door.
When she pushed against it, it didn't budge.
Wu Ling pressed her ear to the door.
The camera moved closer.
The video's audio was amplified. Outside, they heard chains dragging. It sounded as though someone was chaining the doors shut.
"Who is it?" Liu Miao asked, turning the camera.
Ye Qing pulled Xie Liu out. Xie Liu didn't resist; her body was limp.
"Who is it?" Ye Qing asked, looking down at Xie Liu.
Tears streamed down Xie Liu's face, and her body began to tremble again.
"I smell gasoline,"