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墨書 Inktalez
"Bring it in!" Ah Huang shouted, pulling out a walkie-talkie.
Before long, a police officer walked in carrying a dog cage. He placed the cage on the ground and quickly began to dismantle it. After taking apart the sides, he carefully pulled out a knife and gently traced a circle around the bottom of the cage. The solid base was lifted, revealing a thin layer of transparent plastic underneath, containing a white powdery substance.
"Thank you, Captain Zhang!" Ah Huang nodded at the officer.
The man called Captain Zhang smiled briefly before quickly adopting a serious tone as if reciting from a textbook.
"Heroin, also known as Diacetylmorphine; in Taiwan it's referred to as 'Number Four,' and in Hong Kong as 'Fourzi,' is one of the purest refined products in the opiate drug series, commonly known as white powder. It has a bitter taste, and users typically inject it into their bodies, although some may take it orally, snort the powder directly, or smoke it. Snorting heroin is colloquially known as 'chasing the dragon,' and it is often referred to as the king of drugs.
Initially, it induces feelings of pleasure and tranquility, making it difficult to concentrate and causing dream-like states. After about an hour, the body cannot function normally without the narcotic, leading to withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, insomnia, sweating, gastrointestinal discomfort, limb pain, and spasms. These symptoms can last from three to five days. The longer one abuses it, the longer the withdrawal symptoms persist. Overdosing can lead to acute poisoning with symptoms including drowsiness, respiratory depression, low blood pressure, and constricted pupils. It has a high potential for psychological and physiological dependence; addicted individuals will continually increase their dosage to achieve the same effects. Long-term use followed by cessation can result in cravings for the drug, restlessness, tears, sweating, runny nose, irritability, shaking, chills, cold sweats, loss of appetite, diarrhea, body cramps, and other withdrawal symptoms. Therefore, once addicted, it is extremely difficult to quit. Medically, it was widely used for anesthesia and pain relief but is highly addictive and difficult to withdraw from. Prolonged use can damage immune function and harm major organs such as the heart, liver, and kidneys. Injecting or smoking can also spread diseases like HIV."
"Yellow Team, can I take him away now?" Captain Zhang turned to ask.
"Wait a moment; thanks," Ah Huang replied.
"Professor Qin," he continued. "I think there's something you haven't disclosed besides drug trafficking."
Professor Qin was slumped in his chair; he weakly replied, "What else do you want to know?"
"Your relationship with Liu Qi."
"We met online; I thought she was innocent and easy to deceive. I lured her here and then hypnotized her before sleeping with her. Later on, we started living together. Eventually, my wife became suspicious so I had to find a place for her and gave her fifty thousand yuan to open a pet store," Professor Qin said straightforwardly.
"There was someone who found me wanting to engage in drug trafficking together. At first I was hesitant but eventually succumbed to temptation and agreed. However, I really didn't have the courage to show my face; I had no choice but to stash the goods in Liu Qi's store and then notify buyers to pick them up."
“Do you know the identity of Li Ping?”
“I don’t know, but I know he’s not simple. I discovered that this Cleaner had installed a camera in my place. I’m not sure if he recorded anything of mine or what he wants, so I’ve been keeping an eye on him. Later, I noticed he seemed to have some interest in Liu Qi. I wondered if he was trying to pursue her or if he had his sights set on my goods. Either way, it was bad for me, so I resolved to eliminate him first. Not long after, I uncovered one of his secrets. One time when he was taking a nap and didn’t close the door, I went to the bathroom and heard him shouting in his sleep about something related to drug trafficking, drug use, and revenge. At that moment, I thought the best way to get rid of him was to expose him and let the police find out. He was too cautious; I couldn’t get close to him, so I had to target Qiqi instead. I deliberately leaked hints to him. Sure enough, he would use Liu Qi to lure in drug users for a kill. Unfortunately, you guys were a bit slow in your investigation.”
I sighed deeply, never expecting that this seemingly cultured yet actually sleazy Professor Qin was the mastermind behind the deaths of Liu Fei and three missing persons. Thinking back on Professor Qin’s easy surrender and contrasting it with the rebellious Liu Fei made me feel sorry for him; the person behind it all was truly despicable.
After Zhang took the person away, he left a remark: “I’ll provide you with a statement later for the case closure.”
Ah Huang didn’t mind much, but Lao Zhao sighed and lamented for quite some time.
I curiously asked Ah Huang, “How did you think to check Professor Qin’s accounts? That seems like quite a leap.”
Ah Huang chuckled lightly. “Remember how we visited Liu Qi’s Pet Store a few times? Each time there were very few customers, right? Where did the money come from? How does the store stay afloat with so many pets? At that time, I started to have some doubts. Then that night when you mentioned drug trafficking, I wondered why Liu Qi would seek out drug users specifically. You must have given Liu Fei some kind of hint or order; how would Liu Qi determine if someone was a drug user? You should know that unless they’re familiar with each other, it’s rare to tell. So I thought maybe Liu Qi had encountered them before? With those two thoughts in mind, I decided to check Liu Qi’s accounts. When I did, it turned out she hardly had any money in her bank card and rarely made deposits. So then the question arose: how does Liu Qi’s Pet Store keep running? I recalled that five thousand she used to open the store and went through quite a bit of trouble before finally finding the remittance proof. It turned out it was Professor Qin who funded her; once I found that out, things became much easier.”
“You sent people to search the Pet Store?” I asked.
“Last night, I had my colleagues from the narcotics team work overtime,” Ah Huang said casually.
Ah Huang’s thinking was quite thorough as well; I couldn’t help but sigh. “What about Liu Qi?” I asked next.
“If Professor Qin confesses, we can consider Liu Qi as unknowingly involved in drug trafficking; she probably won’t face jail time but may be forcibly sent for mental treatment,” Ah Huang replied.
“However, there’s still one problem!” Ah Huang added. “Before sending Liu Qi for treatment, who will remove the Hypnosis key from her?”
We both looked at Lao Zhao.
"Is it me again?!" Lao Zhao said with a grimace. He was on duty.
"Go on, it's time for you to get to work, Liu Qi."
"Then you should come with me!" Lao Zhao insisted.
Reluctantly, we made our way to Liu Qi's shop. Lao Zhao told me to wait for a moment and walked inside. The shop was empty, and I noticed Liu Qi sitting idly in a chair, seemingly doing nothing. The police were quick and efficient, erasing all traces; she probably hadn't noticed anything amiss.
After a long while, Lao Zhao emerged looking exhausted. Just as I was about to ask him what happened, he waved his hand dismissively. I had no choice but to hail a taxi, and we both got in.
After some time, Lao Zhao finally spoke up in a low voice, "The key has been unlocked."
I smiled, "That's good news! But aren't you supposed to be quite capable? Why do you look so worn out?"
Lao Zhao remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you suddenly realize you've been overestimating yourself all along?"
"What do you mean?"
"I'm afraid we were both wrong!"
"I still don't understand!"
Old Zhao turned to me, uncertainty flickering in his eyes. "Do you remember the stages of Hypnosis I told you about?"
"I remember. You only reached the fourth stage at most; very few can hypnotize someone to the fifth stage."
Lao Zhao hesitated. "It seems there is someone now who might be able to."
"Lao Zhao, don't joke around. It can't be you!" I chuckled.
"It's not me." A flash of fear crossed Lao Zhao's eyes.
"Who is it?" As soon as I asked, it felt like a thunderclap; I shuddered. No way!
I looked at Lao Zhao in horror. "Is it her?" Lao Zhao nodded slowly.
She was the one standing at the end?! The thought sent a wave of fear through me. How could a person hide themselves so deeply?
"I... I still don't quite understand," I said, utterly confused. How could this be happening?
"When I was doing Hypnosis on Liu Qi, during that time, I discovered her inner secrets and glimpsed into her heart. She recounted a failed relationship... In short, it was very rough and tragic; I won't go into detail. But soon, I noticed Liu Qi's subconscious began to wrap itself tightly around her. I saw many fragments of her memories." Lao Zhao suddenly paused.
"All of them were moments related to Professor Qin, Liu Fei, and various men she had interacted with. She has already entered the fifth stage of Hypnosis; she harbors hostility towards all men, hates them, and wishes to destroy every man who comes near her. I believe she has formed a heightened consciousness that can emerge at any moment. I also suspect that Li Ping, Professor Qin, and those men from the nightclubs are likely all her victims," Lao Zhao said seriously.
I swallowed hard. "So what you're saying is that this knife, which others see as a weapon, has actually used everyone around her to achieve her revenge while evading legal consequences? All those men who approached her have fallen into her trap."
"I’m not sure, maybe it is like this; maybe I got it wrong," Lao Zhao said, looking bewildered.
What is the truth, after all? I fell into deep thought. Unfortunately, I had no way of knowing.
On my way back to the unit after breaking up with Lao Zhao, my mind was restless. I felt that I couldn't tell Ah Huang about this outcome. Even if I did, there would be many things that couldn't be verified. Besides, Ah Huang might not believe us. More importantly, a fear began to grow within me. I didn't know what I was afraid of—human nature? Or was it the increasing sense of defeat I felt? Just like the setbacks I had faced recently? Perhaps this case should end here. I told myself that it was time to get back on track, and I made up my mind.
To my surprise, as soon as I returned to the unit, I was confronted by the Company Commander at the entrance of Company Headquarters.
"Zai! Enough with the nonsense, get to work!"
"What?" I replied absentmindedly.
"Military Training!"
(To be continued, more exciting content tomorrow!)
Postscript: What do you think of the ending of Hypnosis Duel? Was it unexpected yet reasonable? Did it make you think?
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