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墨書 Inktalez
Su Jin'er glanced at the clock; it was already 7:40, and there were still twenty minutes until her meeting with Cheng He. She was unsure how to explain this to them. If Chu Feifan found out she was meeting Cheng He, he would definitely disapprove. What excuse could she come up with?
"Hey, you guys head back first! I have something to take care of," she said, turning away and not giving them a chance to respond.
"Hey! Where are you going?"
"I have something to do; just go back! I'll be back soon." With that, she started running, her figure disappearing into the night.
Chu Feifan watched her vanish and sighed. Even if she hadn't said anything, he could guess what she was up to. Although she hadn’t invited them along, he decided to follow her for her safety.
"Hongmei, are you going back to the dorm or coming with me to find Jin'er?"
"Of course I'm going to find Jin'er, but it seems like she doesn't want us to go with her."
"I know, so we'll sneak after her. I'm worried she might be in danger."
Ruan Hongmei frowned and asked, "Do you know where she's going?"
"She doesn't have many good friends in this school, aside from the three girls in her dorm and then me and Zuo Yi. Now they're all gone, Zuo Yi is missing, and with you here, who else would she be looking for at this hour? There's only one person."
"You mean Cheng He?"
Chu Feifan nodded.
"Then let's hurry! If we take too long, Jin'er could be in danger," Ruan Hongmei said anxiously.
"Yeah!"
Seeing that Chu Feifan and Ruan Hongmei weren't following her, Su Jin'er slowed down. She didn't want to arrive too early; her mind was still occupied with the story the administrator had told earlier. She couldn't be sure if the story was true or if Li Mei was the same girl from Professor Zhang's story about Xiao Mei. If so, why were the two stories separated by nearly seventy years? Unless one of them was false?
Before she knew it, she had arrived at the Old Laboratory. Every time she came here, she felt the temperature drop even before getting close. She suspected it was psychological. The dark Old Laboratory loomed before her like a monster waiting for its prey. She noticed a faint light coming from a third-floor window, resembling candlelight. That window was the same one where the mysterious person had emerged from during their last encounter.
Could Cheng He be inside?
Although she knew that Cheng He would not easily reveal everything he knew to her, she decided to approach and check it out. She gripped the dagger hidden in her sleeve, which she had slipped in before dinner. Taking a deep breath, she slowly walked forward step by step.
In the darkness, people often feel the need to make some noise to bolster their courage. Su Jin'er was no different; although she feared awakening the terrifying creatures lurking in the shadows, she tried to make her footsteps heavy to signal Cheng He, who might already be waiting for her, that she had arrived.
She slowly made her way up to the second floor, the sound of her heavy footsteps echoing painfully in the quiet Old Laboratory. Her heart raced as if it would leap out of her chest.
"You've come."
The sudden voice startled Su Jin'er. She pressed a hand against her pounding chest and took a deep breath. "If you know I've come, why don't you show yourself?"
After saying this, she regretted it. Upon reflection, the voice didn't seem like Cheng He's. Although he was despicable and ruthless, his voice lacked such coldness. The voice just now was devoid of warmth and, more importantly, spoke without any inflection.
"Who are you?" she called out from the second floor, gripping the dagger firmly in her hand.
"I am Cheng He! Have you forgotten me?" His tone remained flat and emotionless; even a mechanical voice would have some variation.
"You are not Cheng He. What have you done to him?"
No response came, and silence returned to the Old Laboratory. She anxiously scanned her surroundings, wary of a sudden attack.
About a minute later, a harsh sound suddenly echoed through the hallway, like someone dragging a metal shovel across the ground. The noise reverberated loudly in the corridor and seemed to come from upstairs. Covering her ears, she quickly ran up the stairs.
"What are you doing? Stop it now!"
She seemed to forget her fear and only wanted that unpleasant noise to cease.
"Haha!"
At the end of the hallway came Cheng He's laughter. Su Jin'er stared at him in surprise. "Was that sound really you?"
"Yes! I used this." Cheng He smiled as he held up a small red object in his hand and brought it to his mouth; as he spoke, it transformed into the voice of that person from earlier.
"What are you doing scaring me?"
Cheng He chuckled and said, "I wanted to see just how brave you are for pursuing this case so relentlessly."
Su Jin'er smiled and replied, "Sorry, I'm not very brave, but I will definitely find those who kill without a second thought."
"Alright! Since you're so confident, I'll tell you everything I know." He smiled at her and then added, "Follow me!"
Su Jin'er hesitated for a moment but followed him. Cheng He led her into a room lit by candles. In the center of the room was a square table surrounded by four chairs. As soon as she saw the arrangement, Su Jin'er felt as if there were four people sitting in those chairs, all looking at her curiously the moment she entered.
She closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them again, she realized that there was no one sitting by the table—only Cheng He, who had just entered, and herself standing at the door.
"What is this place?"
Cheng He smiled and said, "This is where I met that person. He always contacted me here, but unfortunately, I don't know who he is."
Su Jin'er frowned. There was a faint fragrance in the room that was not overpowering; instead, it gave a sense of comfort.
"What is that smell?" she asked, showing no intention of stepping inside.
Cheng He frowned and asked, "Why don't you come in?"
Su Jin'er pouted and replied, "You're not exactly a good person. Why would I go in?"
"Haha, you're still so straightforward; I like that." Cheng He laughed while stroking his chin with a lecherous look.
"I'm not here to listen to your nonsense. If you're not going to talk, then I'm leaving." Su Jin'er turned to leave.
"Don't go!" Cheng He grabbed her hand and pulled her forcefully into the laboratory.
"Let go of me!" She struggled to shake off his grip.
"Hmph! I know you've always hated me, but I still like you. It's been over ten years, and I've never stopped liking you. Do you know how I've lived? Hmph, you can't even imagine. I'll tell you now, those people were all killed by me. How about that? Are you satisfied?"
Su Jin'er glared at him. "You're lying. Although I don't know why you're covering for that person, you are definitely not the real Killer, and I know who the Killer is; I just don't have the evidence to expose him."
"You actually know who the Killer is? Hmph! How is that possible? Even I don't know."
Su Jin'er sneered and said, "Actually, even if you don't tell me, I can find a way to send him to the gallows, and you will become an accomplice. As for the matter of you killing Qiangzi, I will also find evidence."
Cheng He felt his eyes turn red upon hearing her words, then he smiled and said, "I really don't know whether to call you smart or foolish. Since you already know who the Killer is, why are you still looking for me? Don't you know what kind of person I am?"
"Of course I know. I'm only here to get something. Now that I've got it, there's no need for further conversation. Goodbye!"
After saying that, Su Jin'er quickly ran toward the stairs. Cheng He was momentarily stunned before chasing after her, but he didn't seem nervous at all; instead, he wore a strange smile as he watched Su Jin'er flee.
Just as she reached the stairway, she suddenly stopped and looked down in terror.
A figure wrapped entirely in black clothing was slowly approaching her. Although she couldn't see his face, she could clearly feel that he was glaring at her with a fierce intensity, as if he wanted to swallow her whole.
The air around them grew cold with this person's arrival. He walked slowly but made no sound; it was as if he were floating, and his black clothing moved without wind.
"Aren't you trying to run?" Cheng He came up from behind and grabbed Su Jin'er.
"Let go of me!" Su Jin'er struggled fiercely.
"It took me so long to catch you; how could I let go so easily? I can only say that you're too clever and know too much."
Cheng He covered Su Jin'er's mouth with a handkerchief soaked in ether. The smell rushed into her nostrils; she held her breath, but some ether still seeped in, gradually making her lose consciousness.
Chu Feifan and Ruan Hongmei had been hiding outside the Old Laboratory. They had no idea what was happening inside. After a long time without seeing Su Jin'er come down, Chu Feifan anxiously said, "Let's go check on her! It's been so long; why hasn't she come out yet?"
"Okay, let's go!" Ruan Hongmei immediately walked inside without hesitation, followed closely by Chu Feifan.
The Old Laboratory was very quiet, with not a sound to be heard. They slowed their pace, trying not to make any noise as they reached the third floor, but they did not see any sign of anyone, and Su Jin'er seemed to be nowhere in sight.
"It seems like there's no one here!" Ruan Hongmei whispered.
"That's impossible; I saw Jin'er walk in," came the reply.
"Something must have happened to her."
Chu Feifan punched the wall in frustration. "I shouldn't have let her come here alone; it must be Cheng He!"
He took out his phone and immediately called Captain Xing. In fact, he should have called much earlier, but he had held off because Jin'er mentioned she could still get clues from Cheng He.
But now that Jin'er was missing, he hated himself for it.
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