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墨書 Inktalez
"Captain Wu said that Chen Ming was killed by the claws of an animal, and his insides were pulled out. Besides that, Chen Ming's heart is missing."
I felt a shock wash over me, planting many doubts in my mind.
I turned my gaze back to Chen Ming's body. To be honest, I felt very distressed; it was hard to accept such a thing. It was as if someone I had spoken to just today had suddenly died.
Noticing my pale face, Captain Wu patted my shoulder and comforted me, pulling me aside to sit down. "Little brother, I feel that your classmate's case is not simple. Although the coroner concluded that Chen Ming was killed by animal claws, there is a strong scent of perfume on him—perfume typically used by women."
Captain Wu's words immediately caught my attention. I asked him if there were any other special findings at the scene.
He shook his head just then when a police officer approached, holding a transparent bag containing a woman's high heel.
The officer informed Captain Wu that this was found nearby. Since the high heel was a brand name and didn't seem to belong to anyone from the small village, it might be related to Chen Ming's case, so they had collected it.
Captain Wu acknowledged this and took the transparent bag, asking if I had any thoughts.
Looking at the high heel in the bag, Xiaomei suddenly came to mind. Could it be...?
Seeing that I was deep in thought without any conclusions, Captain Wu nudged me gently. "Little brother, let's find a place to stay for the night. It seems we won't be leaving today; it's already late, and this small village is too winding and unsafe."
I nodded and followed Captain Wu to the village chief's house. We explained our situation, and the chief warmly welcomed us, arranging accommodations and even preparing some delicious food for us.
Captain Wu told me that the first person to discover Chen Ming's body was the village chief in front of us, who also reported the case. If I had any questions, I could ask him.
I started chatting casually with the village chief. Initially, I didn’t directly question him but asked about the village's situation.
The chief said that this village used to be very beautiful—clear mountains and waters—and many people wanted to come here. Moreover, everyone in their village was wealthy and prosperous. However, things changed; it became what it is now—a lifeless shell.
As he spoke, the chief sighed deeply, his face filled with helplessness and regret. I glanced at Captain Wu before turning back to the chief and asking if something had happened.
Suddenly, the chief fell silent. He stood up cautiously and walked to the door to take a look outside. Captain Wu and I exchanged puzzled glances before standing up from our chairs to follow him.
I quietly asked what was wrong. The chief immediately showed a look of terror on his face and urged me not to speak loudly, saying that she had come.
The series of strange actions from the chief instantly drew our attention. After a moment, he closed the door and windows as if he were afraid of her.
After everything was settled, the village chief let out a sigh of relief and finally spoke to us. "You two shouldn't think my earlier actions were strange. It's quite normal in our village. Every night, we must keep our doors tightly shut, or else she will come to claim our souls. Once she has you, it's all over."
His words sent a chill down my spine. Could there really be something terrifying lurking here?
The village chief continued, explaining that the reason their village had fallen into such disarray was due to a woman—a monster disguised in human skin.
Captain Wu and I exchanged surprised glances at the mention of a monster in human form. For some reason, the image of Xiaomei flashed through my mind. Without thinking, I pulled out a photo of her and showed it to the village chief, asking if this was the woman he spoke of.
I hadn't expected much, but when the village chief saw Xiaomei's photo, his reaction was intense. It was as if he had seen something horrifying; he threw the photo away and declared, "That's the woman!"
I was taken aback and asked him if he was sure. He shook his head and replied with certainty that it was indeed the woman in the photo. "A year ago, everyone in the village lived happily, but after she arrived, the men changed—becoming lecherous, greedy, and selfish. They plotted against their own families just to compete for her attention. Soon enough, the village was ruined, and those who fought over her ended up dead on the mountainside, their insides ripped out."
Later on, the villagers decided they needed to bind her and burn her alive because they believed she was an ill omen. But they never expected that she was a monster.
I hurriedly asked the village chief what kind of creature she was.
He sighed deeply and said, "She is a fox spirit in human skin. I saw it with my own eyes by the pond on the mountainside. When all this chaos erupted in the village, I felt so restless that I went out for a walk at night. As I wandered behind the mountain, I heard splashing water and found it strange—no one bathes at such an hour in our village. Out of curiosity, I approached and saw a woman bathing in the water. Just as I was about to leave, I caught sight of her shedding her human skin to reveal her true fox form. It terrified me; I nearly got caught! Ever since then, every night there have been strange noises coming from that pond. You two must be careful—lock your doors and windows at night. Even if you hear something unusual, don't go outside."
Captain Wu and I nodded in response as the village chief left.
"Do you think it's true?" Captain Wu asked me.
I paused for a moment before nodding. "Captain Wu, did you notice something? The chief said that woman arrived here a year ago, while Xiaomei died exactly a year ago. Don't you think there's a connection?"
Captain Wu shook his head as if he hadn't considered that angle. After a moment of realization, he turned to me excitedly and said, "So you're suggesting that Xiaomei is indeed the woman the chief mentioned?"
I nodded but then hesitated—what if we were wrong? Verification was necessary. "It's possible; we need to confirm this. We can find out where Xiaomei is buried."
Captain Wu seemed to agree with my reasoning and nodded. We chatted for a bit longer before settling down for some rest.
The next morning, someone knocked violently on our door. I frowned slightly; I wasn't pleased to be disturbed after having slept well.
Captain Wu got up and opened the door to find one of his colleagues looking frantic.
Breathlessly, his colleague reported that one of their officers had been murdered last night—and in a manner identical to Chen Ming's death.
Upon hearing this, Captain Wu and I immediately dropped any concerns about appearances and rushed to the crime scene—it was just behind a tree not far from where they had stayed last night.
As we arrived, there were already many police officers gathered around, and I also spotted the forensic expert who had accompanied us yesterday.
When they saw Captain Wu arrive, they reported to him one by one. They explained that last night, a male colleague had gone out for some reason. They hadn’t asked him where he was going, as personal freedom was important. However, by late at night, he still hadn’t returned. They assumed he was on the phone with his girlfriend all night, so they didn’t go looking for him. After all, they had all graduated from the police academy and knew how to take care of themselves. But unexpectedly, the next morning, an early-rising colleague found him dead behind a tree.
After hearing this, I took a special look at the body. It was identical to how Chen Ming had died. Could it be that the murderer of Chen Ming was still here?
While I was racking my brain trying to piece things together, Captain Wu suddenly leaned over the body as if he were sniffing something. Moments later, he exclaimed in surprise that there was the same scent of perfume on the corpse.
This revelation shocked everyone. They hadn’t expected the murderer to be so bold—not only had he not left but he was lurking nearby, having killed a police officer.
Yet I felt as if something was missing.
I began to recall what the village chief had said to us last night. The woman in his story had also removed organs from the villagers—not just any organs but their hearts. Both Chen Ming and this police officer were missing their hearts as well. Could it be that the murderer wasn’t human but rather the fox mentioned by the village chief?
At some point, Captain Wu stood beside me and nudged me, asking what I was thinking about.
I glanced at those nearby and pulled Captain Wu aside. This matter was quite sensitive; if everyone around knew, it could have repercussions. Seeing me act so mysteriously, Captain Wu smiled and whispered, “You don’t really think it was that fox who did it, do you?”
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