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墨書 Inktalez
“Lao Zhao! Come here!” I called, lifting my head.
“What’s going on?” Lao Zhao replied, looking a bit confused.
“Come see this!” I couldn’t help but pull him over to the computer.
“What am I looking at?”
“Can you figure out what’s happening?” I pointed at the screen, where Ah Huang was replaying the video.
“Is… is that hypnosis therapy?” Lao Zhao hesitated, his eyes barely on the computer screen for a few seconds.
“Keep watching! Can you tell if Professor Qin gave her any suggestions or hypnosis commands?” Ah Huang asked eagerly.
“He’s facing away from me! I can’t tell.”
“Just keep watching!”
Lao Zhao fell silent, focusing intently on the screen.
After a while, he said, “Now it should be Liu Qi entering the first stage of hypnosis: she’s somewhat hypnotized, but it’s very mild; she doesn’t realize she’s under hypnosis and thinks she’s completely awake. Her muscles are starting to be controlled, and her eyelids may show a sticky reaction in this state. You can see her eyelids getting heavier.”
We all leaned in closer to the computer as he explained, “This should be the second stage. Look, Liu Qi is lying down and relaxing more. At this point, larger muscles can start to be controlled; for example, her arms may show rigidity. This is when Liu Qi begins to enter a state of emptiness in her mind.”
“Alright, we’re at the third stage now: at this point, all her muscles can be controlled. She can be awakened but won’t be able to stand up or walk, and she won’t be able to count clearly. Even her sense of pain may diminish. Have you seen a hypnotist perform? This is when it happens. For instance, they might give a command: you can move, but you can’t step out of this circle. When he approaches the circle, he simply cannot cross over.”
I stared blankly at the screen; I could hardly see any difference. Glancing over at Ah Huang, it seemed he felt the same way!
At this moment, Lao Zhao was almost murmuring to himself, "This is really the fourth stage! Liu Qi should start experiencing memory loss or changes! At this stage, the hypnotized person will truly accept the commands of the hypnotist and forget numbers, names, addresses, and so on, or implant a new identity and memories for themselves. Even a virtual experience. Many Hypnosis Masters implant suggestions at this stage that will activate under certain circumstances!"
"Is it really that impressive?!" I whispered in astonishment.
"This is nothing; there are still two more stages. The fifth stage: Sleepwalking begins to show complete anesthesia, where one feels neither pain nor touch, meaning both pain and tactile sensations disappear. Positive hallucinations may occur, seeing people or things that do not actually exist; these hallucinations feel very real and can even coexist with the real world. The sixth stage: a very deep sleepwalking state where negative hallucinations occur, making one unable to see people or things that actually exist. According to clinical experience, about twenty percent of people can only reach the first or second depth of hypnosis, sixty percent can reach the third or fourth depth, and twenty percent can achieve the fifth or sixth depth."
Both Ah Huang and I were left speechless. "I wonder who can reach this stage?"
"Very few; perhaps only a handful of Hypnosis Masters can achieve it. My master might be one of them," Lao Zhao said with a hint of admiration.
After a while, Lao Zhao rubbed his eyes and said, "Yes, those should be the stages. What a Professor Qin! I initially thought he was just a bookworm; turns out he's quite remarkable!" Lao Zhao stood there in disbelief.
"But why would he hide this from me?" Lao Zhao pondered in confusion.
"Maybe he doesn't want others to know about his abilities," I replied casually but suddenly noticed an inconspicuous scene on the screen. In it, Liu Qi was turning to leave the Emergency Room while Professor Qin was accompanying her, slightly turning his face and saying something.
At first glance, it seemed unremarkable, but I caught a strange smile from Professor Qin. What did that mean? I rewound the video and played it again, subconsciously mimicking his lip movements: "Get your shot on time."
What does that mean? Does Liu Qi need a shot?
I felt somewhat puzzled but had an inkling that I had heard this phrase somewhere before as I racked my brain.
"Didn’t you just have contact with Professor Qin last time? Why didn’t you probe him then?" Ah Huang asked.
Lao Zhao looked a bit embarrassed. "Hehe, I misjudged him last time."
"There's nothing different in the recording!" Ah Huang muttered.
Recording? I was taken aback; it was indeed a recording! "Heart Dog. Get the shot on time." Those words had appeared during Professor Qin and Liu Qi's treatment!
But this time, those initial words were missing from the footage!
I felt a surge of excitement and stood up, grabbing Lao Zhao's hand. "Lao Zhao, can you use hypnosis to implant a suggestion signal through language?"
"Sure!"
"Lao Zhao, take a look at this!" I quickly replayed the footage, and Lao Zhao furrowed his brow as he watched it again.
"Is this a linguistic suggestion?"
"I'm not sure."
"Ah Huang, bring me the last recording!" In my excitement, I called on Ah Huang.
"Okay." Although he didn't know what we were discussing, Ah Huang was a reliable assistant. Soon, he found the voice recorder.
I turned it on and sped up the playback. "Heart Dog. Get the shot on time." That phrase appeared.
I played it three times in a row and then replayed the footage once more. At that moment, I crossed my arms and looked at Lao Zhao and Ah Huang.
The two of them grew increasingly serious; Lao Zhao even leaned closer to the computer. After a while, he finally looked up and said, "This is a suggestion!"
I suddenly stood up. "Let's hurry and find Professor Qin!"
"What do we need him for? There's no evidence," Ah Huang said, still looking worried.
"There's no point in looking for Professor Qin; why not just find Liu Qi?" Lao Zhao chimed in unexpectedly.
"Huh?!" Both Ah Huang and I turned to look at him.
"If you want to know whether this is a linguistic hint, just go to Liu Qi's shop, find her, and see how she reacts to that statement," Lao Zhao said with a grin.
"That's right!" We suddenly felt enlightened!
Half an hour later, we had parked outside Liu Qi's shop and walked into her Pet Store. The place was still empty, with not many customers. I wondered how she managed to make money with so few patrons, considering all the cats and dogs and the cost of hiring staff.
Through a few cages, I could see Liu Qi inside washing a dog with a girl. "Who should go and test the waters?" Ah Huang asked.
"Of course it should be Lao Zhao!" I looked at him.
"I can't do it! I need to watch her expression from the side. Besides, I have no connection with her; she won't pay me any attention if I go in."
"Then you should go, and Lao Zhao can follow you," Ah Huang suggested.
"I have no reason to go!"
"You can ask her something; I'll buy you a dog as a reward!"
"What the hell!" I groaned, but there was no choice but to walk inside.
"Qiqi?!" I called out.
"Who is it?!"
"It's me, here to buy a dog!"
"Coming!"
Liu Qi emerged from inside, taking off her gloves and placing them in the sink. She wiped her hands and turned around, dressed like the girl next door. "Oh, it's you?!"
"Hey, I'm here to buy a dog for Jing."
"Huh? You're giving her one?" Liu Qi looked at me as if I were a monster.
"Is that a problem?" I felt a bit frustrated.
"Oh my, what does Jing even see in you?!" Liu Qi teased.
"Whether it's for sale or not is up to you."
"Well, take a look for yourself! Which one do you like?"
I pretended to browse, while Lao Zhao beside me also acted like a bystander, looking around. Fortunately, Liu Qi didn't pay much attention to him.
"That one!" I pretended to point in a direction.
"Which one?" Liu Qi walked past me.
"Regular injections!" I suddenly whispered in her ear. At that moment, I couldn't see Liu Qi's expression, but I felt her pause for a moment before she quickly continued walking away from me.
She pointed at a Su Mu and asked, "Are you sure about this?!"
I glanced at Lao Zhao, who winked at me. I knew he had noticed the change in her expression. "Uh, let me check. The school wouldn't allow us to raise a big dog, right?! I'll ask Jing when I get back." I found an excuse and started to head outside.
"Are you kidding me? Are you messing with me?" Liu Qi began to lose her temper.
I hurriedly apologized while running out of the shop, and Lao Zhao followed closely behind. I could still vaguely hear Liu Qi's curses behind us. Are all northeastern girls this fierce?
Once we got into the car, Ah Huang eagerly asked, "How did it go?"
I looked back at Lao Zhao, who wiped his face. "No doubt about it, that was a hint. I saw her eyes change for a moment, but then she quickly returned to normal."
"What should we do now? Should we go find Professor Qin directly?" Ah Huang asked.
"We'll observe tonight!" This time it was my turn to speak. "Let's see what this hint really is!"
"Sounds reasonable!" Ah Huang replied.
"I need to head home now," Lao Zhao mumbled.
"Go ahead, if you need anything tomorrow, just let me know." Ah Huang seemed quite happy.
"Is it just you and me again?"
"Many colleagues think the case is closed; they probably all went home, including the leaders who believe this case has been solved. It’s not appropriate to report to higher-ups at this moment. Besides, we don’t have any solid evidence yet, so let’s keep a low profile and observe for now."
I had no choice but to pick up the phone and brief Old Tang. It seemed I would be working late again tonight.
After grabbing a quick boxed meal, Ah Huang and I waited at a distance until 8 PM. Once the waitress in the store left, it took a while for the lights to go out, and then we saw Liu Qi gracefully walk out and pull down the shop's door.
"Look at how she's dressed," Ah Huang whispered.
From a distance, it wasn't very clear, but I could make out the general idea: a fitted A-line skirt and an off-the-shoulder top that revealed part of her fair shoulder. I watched as she waved down a taxi.
Ah Huang immediately drove after her, and we followed Liu Qi as she left.
(To be continued, more exciting developments tomorrow!)
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