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墨書 Inktalez
The girl in front of me was almost as tall as I was, and when we both looked up, our eyes met perfectly! It was the same girl in the charming blue down jacket who had passed by me yesterday! What a coincidence, I thought to myself, but said out loud, "Ah, are you in such a hurry again? Are you going to be late today too?"
She didn't respond but smiled apologetically at me, her big eyes squinting slightly as the corners of her mouth curved into an enchanting arc. I was momentarily stunned, about to think of something to say when I heard her companion call out from behind, "Xi, hurry up! Otherwise, you'll be late again! You still need to do your makeup and change clothes!"
Xi? What a nice name. She simply sighed and glanced at me before quickly walking away with her head down.
I turned back to look but heard Ah Huang say, "Hurry up and get in! I've already pressed the elevator button for you! What are you lingering for?" I had no choice but to rush into the elevator. Ah Huang smiled at me oddly, and I retorted, "You've changed a lot since falling in love; you don't talk as much anymore."
Ah Huang smiled without saying a word and turned to press the button for our floor. All the while, I was wondering if I would have the chance to see that beautiful girl again. When we arrived at the Security Department and pushed open the door to the monitoring room, we found a police officer already sitting inside, reviewing surveillance footage.
Upon seeing us enter—well, more accurately, upon seeing Ah Huang—they all stood up. "Deputy Team Leader!" Ah Huang waved her hand for them to sit down. "So, what have you found?"
"Nothing particularly valuable, but there is one segment of surveillance footage that is quite special. You should take a look," said a guy with a buzz cut.
Ah Huang walked over to take a look, and I stood by silently watching. Ah Huang didn’t introduce me, nor did I speak up; I just stood there observing.
The buzz cut guy skillfully pulled up a video feed and began explaining as he operated it. "This video shows the victim taking the elevator down. The time is just past midnight this morning. Now, watch closely!"
The screen quickly displayed the interior of the elevator from a 45-degree angle looking down. At first, there was no one inside. The buzz cut guy pressed fast forward; the image jumped a few times until the elevator doors opened and a girl walked in.
"Pay attention!" he paused the fast forward and started playing it normally.
Ah Huang and I leaned closer, intently watching the screen.
It was that girl named Eagerly. First, she pressed the elevator close button and then selected a floor. I clearly saw that she pressed for the first floor instead of the underground garage located on level negative three.
Then the elevator began descending. She stepped back two paces and took out a makeup case, opening it to retrieve something before starting to apply it in front of the mirror inside—seemingly touching up her makeup?
The elevator continued its descent without stopping, while Zhao Xinran was busy applying her makeup, showing no signs of anything unusual.
After a few more seconds, Zhao Xinran suddenly halted her movements, as if something had caught her attention. She looked around, seemingly searching for something.
She shook her head and turned her body, taking a few steps within the elevator, appearing to be unable to find what she was looking for. Soon, she began to look up and scan her surroundings again. When she glanced at the camera, it captured her bewildered expression clearly.
What was she searching for?
Before long, Zhao Xinran abruptly stopped all movement, standing there in a daze. The makeup case slipped from her hand and fell to the ground, but she seemed oblivious to it, remaining motionless in front of the elevator doors.
At that moment, the elevator doors opened; they had reached the First Floor Lobby!
She slowly extended her right hand to press the close button and then pressed the button for the basement level three. The elevator doors began to close slowly as it descended again. Throughout this process, Zhao Xinran stood completely still, as if she had fallen asleep on her feet.
When the elevator doors opened once more, darkness greeted her; they must have arrived at the underground parking garage! For some reason, there were no lights.
Zhao Xinran stepped out cautiously, one foot after another. As the elevator doors gradually closed behind her, we watched as she slowly disappeared into the surrounding darkness.
After reviewing the surveillance footage, neither Ah Huang nor I spoke immediately. Honestly, this footage felt somewhat eerie. First of all, Zhao Xinran was alone in the elevator, which ruled out the possibility of someone forcing her down to the underground garage; any notion of a vendetta could be dismissed as well. Secondly, she initially pressed the button for the first floor, clearly intending to go to the lobby, yet at the last moment changed her mind. What could have prompted such a sudden change? We didn’t know, but it seemed unlikely that it was related to a crime of passion or robbery since her destination appeared to be a last-minute decision with no clear motive. Thirdly, what was she planning to do in the underground garage?
I fell into deep thought until Ah Huang broke the silence and asked me, “What do you think?” I furrowed my brow and expressed my confusion. Ah Huang nodded; he clearly sensed something was off as well but couldn’t find a reasonable explanation either. I suggested, “I think we should go talk to that Japanese person and see if we can uncover any clues.”
Ah Huang pondered for a moment and perhaps realizing there were no better options available nodded in agreement. He added, “After we meet with the Japanese individual, let’s check out the scene together; maybe your insights will help us crack this case.”
I nodded in response. “I hope I can be of assistance.”
Ah Huang instructed Buzz Cut briefly before we took the elevator back upstairs. The ride up was just for the two of us. After a moment of silence, Ah Huang spoke up again. “Old Wang, I can’t shake off this feeling that the surveillance footage is quite strange. The victim’s behavior at the end seemed mechanical and stiff; it didn’t connect with her earlier actions at all. It doesn’t seem like something someone would do while fully conscious; rather… it resembles sleepwalking?!”
I thought for a moment and said, "From a medical perspective, there is a possibility that could explain this—Hysteria! Or, using psychological terminology, a brief Dissociative Disorder. During this time, the patient becomes another person, with thoughts and behaviors detached from their original life, but it does not hinder their basic ability to communicate."
Ah Huang remained silent, murmuring, "Such a bizarre situation could only have this possibility."
I glanced at Ah Huang and then looked around the elevator, pausing for a moment before saying to Ah Huang, "It may not be the only explanation; actually, there’s another possibility you know about."
Ah Huang looked at me for a moment and suddenly shivered. "You mean... there are ghosts?"
I turned my head away and didn’t respond. After everything that had happened, I no longer felt the need to hastily deny many things. If we were going to solve this case, we had to consider all possibilities, right?
Perhaps the topic was too strange; Ah Huang didn’t pursue it further. Thus, we returned to the Performance Hall in silence.
As soon as we exited the elevator, Ah Huang and I walked a few steps to the side of the stage. The show had already begun; performers in costumes were singing and dancing to the music, creating quite a lively atmosphere.
I turned my head and looked around. It didn’t take long before I spotted the Japanese individual standing beside the director with some companions. It was quite effortless; I tapped Ah Huang and pointed in that direction. "There he is."
Ah Huang moved ahead towards the Japanese individual while I followed closely behind. When we reached him, his companion stood guard in front of him and looked at Ah Huang warily. "Officer, is there something you need?"
"Oh, I just have a few questions for this foreign friend. The director will be here tonight; we've been waiting for quite some time."
"Please wait a moment." He turned around and whispered a few words into the Japanese individual's ear. The Japanese nodded, and then he approached us again. "Mr. Busho is very busy; he still has to watch the performance and coordinate with the advertising team regarding commercial breaks. He can only spare you five minutes." After saying that, he checked his watch and stepped aside.
What a show-off! I thought to myself.
Ah Huang addressed the Japanese individual. "Mr. Busho, could you help us recall where you were around 1 AM last night and who you were with?"
Mr. Busho paused for a moment and calmly said something in Japanese. His companion translated, "Mr. Busho can understand Chinese but is not very proficient in expressing himself; I will convey his meaning on his behalf. Around 1 AM last night, Mr. Busho was discussing collaboration matters with me and this individual, Meng Dao."
Ah Huang turned to Meng Dao and said, "It's not just us; there are several staff members here who can confirm this. We talked until almost 1:30 before we dispersed."
Ah Huang took out a notebook and began to jot down notes while asking, "Mr. Busho, I heard someone saw you with a girl yesterday. What is your relationship with her, and what were you doing? When did she leave?"
Busho Akihiko chattered for a while, and his companion translated, "Mr. Busho wants to say that he was discussing an investment advertisement with the girl. They talked about that last night, and she probably left before 1 AM because he needed to discuss cooperation with the director."
Ah Huang continued writing as he said, "The girl you were discussing the advertisement with was found dead in the parking garage today."
"Ah!" Busho Akihiko clearly understood what had happened and looked somewhat shocked, quickly saying a few more words.
"Mr. Busho, I didn't expect the security in your country to be so chaotic," he expressed concern about his investment.
Ah Huang snapped his notebook shut and said seriously to Busho, "I hope this isn't a case of someone causing trouble here. But rest assured, we will solve this case as soon as possible and ensure it won't affect the opening of the art festival."
Busho Akihiko nodded, about to say something when suddenly a burst of Japanese music played.
(To be continued, more exciting content tomorrow!)
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