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墨書 Inktalez
It was just like what you see on TV; when everything was over, the police arrived.
I sat dazed outside the front door, watching Ah Huang bring people in, setting up police tape, taking photos for evidence, and examining the body. Tian had also been carried away for emergency treatment, and it seemed his injuries weren't serious. The air was filled with the sound of sirens, the chatter of people, and a faint metallic smell of blood that made me feel uneasy and nauseous. I really didn't want to stay there for another moment, nor did I want to see the scene of that person lying dead with a dog. I stepped back a few paces and sat down against the wall, staring blankly at the stars above.
"What happened?" After a while, Ah Huang came over, patted my shoulder, and sat down beside me.
"Do you have a cigarette?" I asked wearily.
Ah Huang looked at me in surprise, pulled out a cigarette, handed it to me, and lit it. I took a deep drag and immediately started coughing, tears streaming down my face without me realizing it.
Ah Huang patted my back. "What's wrong?"
"Li Ping did it," I said, turning away from him to wipe my tears. "He admitted it himself."
"Oh? What else did he say?"
I shook my head, deciding not to tell Ah Huang what Li Ping had said. As for Tian, he could deal with that himself. I changed the subject. "What happened on your end? Why did you come so late?"
"Oh, there's a reason for that. We were monitoring things when we suddenly saw Liu Qi come out of the shop all made up. We quickly sent someone to follow her and found out she went to a nightclub! We thought something might happen tonight, so we kept an eye on that place. We didn't expect something would happen here instead. Luckily, you all are fine; otherwise, I would feel guilty as hell," Ah Huang said, looking somewhat remorseful and frustrated.
I let out a sigh. "Hey, don't worry; I'll be fine. But now that the case is solved, I should head back."
Before Ah Huang could respond, I saw two police officers coming out from inside, carrying the body of Big Black the dog. As they walked by, one of them joked, "Wow, this dog is huge; how much can it eat?" The other laughed and replied, "If anyone's going to eat it, it won't be you; it'll probably go to the coroner!"
Hearing this made me feel uneasy inside. I turned to Ah Huang and said, "Can you do me a favor?"
"What?"
"This dog is of no use to you, just give it to me. I want to bury it. You know? It used to be a Military Dog," I said sincerely to Ah Huang.
"Military Dog?" Ah Huang looked at me skeptically.
"I suspect Li Ping was likely a retired soldier, and this dog was probably brought out from the army by him. Really, do me a favor; this dog is of no use to you, right?"
"Well..." Ah Huang hesitated for a moment. "Alright! But where do you plan to bury it?"
I stood up and looked at the busy crowd inside the door. "Here, where it lived, let it be buried here! Just help me put the dog aside; once you're done with your work, I'll take care of the burial myself."
Ah Huang called over the two police officers and instructed them to place the dog by the door. The two officers seemed a bit surprised and mumbled as they set the dog down, as if lamenting missing out on a delicious meal.
"Sigh, if this case ends like this, I still won't feel right. It just seems like there are so many things left unclear," Ah Huang said with a furrowed brow.
"Take your time investigating; there will always be clues," I replied lightly. For some reason, I suddenly found myself losing interest in this case.
"You seem a bit down?" Ah Huang remarked, puzzled by my reaction.
I shook my head and ignored him. I asked Ah Huang for a cigarette and squatted down to smoke on the side.
Seeing this, Ah Huang had no choice but to focus on his own tasks. After what felt like a long time, the surroundings gradually quieted down. Ah Huang came out with his team and set up a cordon in front of the door. He asked me, "Do you want to leave together?"
I shook my head. "I still have things to do."
Ah Huang had no choice but to leave with his team first.
After the convoy drove away, I slowly stood up, pulled aside the police tape, and walked in. Inside the door, there was a police officer at the scene. He paused when he saw me and then smiled. I recognized him; he was an old officer who had once worked with Ah Huang.
I ignored him and quietly stood inside the door, looking at the large pool of blood on the ground, reflecting on what had happened not long ago. I felt a deep sense of emotion, wondering what Li Ping had gone through to become so violent and filled with hatred. Before he died, I clearly remembered the faces of my brothers; they were so genuine and so stubborn.
I shook my head and called for the old officer to help me drag Big Black inside. Where should I bury him? I looked around and finally spotted the dog bowl in the yard, that dirty big ceramic bowl. Well, I'll bury you where you used to eat. Aren't you called Taotie?
I wondered if he was named Taotie because he was such a good eater and greedy. I also pondered how many battles he had experienced alongside Li Ping. Could a Tibetan Mastiff serve as a military dog?
I shook my head and chuckled bitterly. Where did all these questions come from? When did I become so sentimental and imaginative?
I found a hoe at the base of the wall. Ah, how did a hoe end up here? But I didn't think too much about it. I moved the dog bowl aside and began to dig.
For some reason, the more I dug, the stronger a foul smell became. Had it decayed this quickly? I glanced in shock at Big Black beside me; this was not scientific!
I had no choice but to speed up my digging. Who would have thought that just as I struck down again with the hoe, I uncovered something!
At that moment, dawn was breaking, and in the dim light, I vaguely saw a white object. I dug a few more times, and suddenly a human skull popped out!
Caught off guard, I jumped back in shock and yelled, startling the officer on duty who rushed over with his own startled cry.
Next came another call to Ah Huang. He returned with forensic experts and a group of people. The hole kept getting bigger, revealing more discoveries. In addition to scattered human bones, there was a plastic bag containing a non-commissioned officer rank insignia, a retirement certificate, some miscellaneous items from the military, and several CDs. Through the plastic bag, I could see a photo—a young soldier posing with Big Black. The soldier was Li Ping; of course, in the photo, Li Ping had not yet been disfigured and looked bright and handsome.
Ah Huang treated these findings like treasures, instructing everyone to preserve them carefully for transport. Turning to me, his eyes were filled with admiration and disbelief. "Just now there were so many things we couldn't figure out—what the hell! Now we have physical evidence! Old Wang, sometimes I wonder just how incredible you really are!"
I wasn't in the mood for jokes, so I just shrugged. "It's luck, I suppose. Let's hope this wraps up."
"Yeah," Ah Huang nodded. "We'll go back and investigate thoroughly, then call you with the truth."
The truth? Wasn't this it? What more could there be?
I nodded slightly, took one last look at the courtyard, then turned and left.
As I stepped out of the yard, I noticed the edges of the sky were already lightening; night was fading away, and dawn was approaching. This place had once been steeped in evil, but soon it would be laid bare. Yet what about those hidden corners? Were there tragedies still unfolding there?
I wasn't a police officer; I couldn't find the answers. All I could do was return to the barracks with a tinge of melancholy.
Perhaps it was exhaustion or perhaps my mood was simply poor, but once I got back, I buried my head under the covers and fell into a deep sleep, only to be awakened by a phone call around three in the afternoon.
"Ah Huang?"
"Are you awake? I've called you several times!"
"What’s going on?" The case was nearing its conclusion, but I suddenly found myself uninterested in the outcome.
"We were busy until noon. We've figured out a lot of things. Let me give you the details." Ah Huang sounded a bit excited. After all, he had cracked three cases all at once; it was no surprise he was thrilled.
"His name isn't Li Ping; his real name is Liu Fei. He's from Hunan. His parents passed away early, and he only has a grandmother. He served in a border defense unit in Guangxi as a reconnaissance squad soldier. During an operation two years ago, they were ambushed, and Liu Fei was severely injured, disfiguring him. Later, an investigation revealed that there was an insider leaking their operational plans. Subsequently, a large amount of cash was found in Liu Fei's locker, and he couldn't explain its source. The unit forcibly discharged him as a conscription soldier. As for those bones, after comparison, they were confirmed to belong to three missing persons mixed together. Moreover, traces of the victims' blood were found in the dog's food bowl. It's unbelievable; we never thought to check the dog's bowl back then!" Ah Huang spoke rapidly.
"So you're saying the dog ate the victims and buried the remaining bones?"
"That's how it is."
I fell silent, unsure of what to say.
"The information provided by the military indicates that Liu Fei took a military dog with him before he disappeared without a trace. No one knows where he went. So you see, this matches up, but we didn't expect them to show up here and commit such a serious crime."
"Regardless, the dog is dead, and so is the person. I suppose that's the end of the case?" I said gloomily. Liu Fei's death affected me deeply; I couldn't shake off my involvement in it.
"I'm afraid it's not that simple." Ah Huang said slowly and deliberately. "That's also why I called you. We found an outgoing call on Liu Fei's phone. This call was made to Liu Qi, and based on the timing, it was after this call that Liu Qi went out to the bar. It was precisely Liu Qi's outing that drew us all in, allowing Liu Fei to return home safely. Our conclusion is that Liu Fei took a risk to take the dog away."
"What does that have to do with anything?" I asked, somewhat distracted.
"It has everything to do with it. Liu Qi has hardly interacted with anyone outside; she has no connection with Liu Fei. Do you think someone with her personality would obediently listen to someone like Liu Fei? Listen, you've had the most contact with Liu Fei. After your confrontation with him, do you feel like Liu Fei is someone capable of hypnosis?" Ah Huang asked seriously.
(To be continued, more exciting content tomorrow!)
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