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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 08: Midnight Howls
On ordinary days, Bao Hui was terrified of her imposing Stepfather, who had spent years hauling timber. She dared not leave her room, barricading the door and sitting in silence until dawn. She thought Stepfather was still asleep, but to her surprise, he approached her bedroom door, knocking and calling for her to open up.
Startled, she couldn’t bring herself to answer.
Seeing his first attempt fail, Stepfather resorted to another plan, but when that didn’t work either, he left in a huff.
Bao Hui locked the door and intended to find her mother-in-law to discuss the matter. However, she didn’t expect that Stepfather had already rushed to tell her mother-in-law a twisted version of events.
“I regret not listening to both sides. That old man came to me saying his daughter-in-law refused him food, that she dumped the meal out, and only after he begged did she let him in to sleep. He was so hungry he couldn’t rest well and ran to Cousin’s house early in the morning to complain.”
“And then your feelings toward your daughter-in-law worsened, becoming even more cruel and oppressive toward her?”
Zheng Kai's Mother nodded with tears in her eyes and continued, “That’s true. Also, after Bao Hui married Kai Er, she didn’t get pregnant for a long time. I surely resented her and urged Kai Er to divorce her. When she refused, I tried every means to drive her away.”
“And then you brought Potassium Cyanide and put it in her medicine bottle, letting her ingest it little by little until she was poisoned to death?”
“No, no! It wasn’t me; I didn’t poison her! I didn’t…” Zheng Kai's Mother trembled as she stood up and suddenly knelt before us. “Please, just let my son be okay. I’ll take all the blame!”
“Auntie, your story isn’t finished yet. I don’t know how to help you.”
Qin Jian grew impatient and urged, “Ma Qi, what are you doing? Stop wasting time listening to stories!”
“Only by hearing the whole story can we save Zhang Section Chief.”
“Why?”
I didn’t respond to Qin Jian but encouraged Zheng Kai's Mother to share what was on her mind. “Auntie, you didn’t poison Bao Hui. Her issues stemmed from long-term exclusion by family members and unfair treatment that led to severe depression, causing her to develop distorted thoughts of using her death as revenge against the family.”
“You… you’re like a living deity! I don’t understand how she could die. The old man drank heavily and left home countless times. She and Kai Er tried sincerely to change him, but he only became more abusive toward her. I’m at fault; I thought my son was unreliable and could only depend on that old man. I went along with his wishes and made things difficult for both children. One stormy night after the old man left, he never returned. Alone and fearful of losing my son, Kai Er is a dutiful child; under my pressure of threatening to die, he finally agreed to divorce Bao Hui. But then she fell ill with an incurable disease; we had no choice but to put the divorce on hold… I thought once she died, everything would fall into place, but she ended up dying in such a place.”
“Auntie, do you know why Bao Hui chose that place to die?”
“I don’t know. That’s a shadow in your heart that can’t be released,” Zheng Kai told me about an incident during construction when he saw one of his Stepfather’s shoes. Though he didn’t kill Stepfather himself, he was one of the direct links leading to Stepfather’s disappearance. The corpse found in the bathroom belonged to your partner—Zheng Kai's Stepfather—and Zheng Kai might have known about the remains being unearthed…”
Before I could finish my sentence, Qin Jian’s phone rang urgently.
The caller was Chief Tang.
Chief Tang called to inform us that there was a situation at the hospital.
We couldn't leave Zheng Kai's mother behind, so we rushed to the hospital together.
On the way, Zheng Kai's mother finally admitted, "The girl who had the incident in the restroom was Zheng Kai's new girlfriend."
I exchanged glances with Qin Jian, speechless.
This matter with Bao Hui wasn't resolved yet; the body was still in the morgue. Zheng Kai showed no signs of grief or sorrow and, under his mother's influence, was already considering finding a new love. Was it true that women were merely accessories to men, tools for reproduction, devoid of any emotional connection, existing solely for the purpose of continuing the lineage?
Zheng Kai's mother treated him like her possession, akin to a giant baby. Women wield their maternal love to bind their children, and as a mother's controlling desire grows, she treats her grown son—who she carried in her womb—as an infant, controlling every word and action he takes.
Maternal love is great but can also be terrifying.
During our journey to the hospital, Qin Jian and I communicated silently through our eyes.
Zheng Kai's mother seemed entranced, staring blankly at one spot while muttering, "Amitabha, Amitabha, may my son be safe."
From beginning to end, her concern was solely for her son, showing no sorrow for the girl who was about to become her daughter-in-law and serve as a vessel for childbirth.
At the hospital, Zheng Kai's girlfriend was hanging by a thread, her face ashen and lying stiffly on the bed.
The examination results showed that she had not succeeded in her suicide attempt; there were no signs of excessive blood loss or any lasting effects. Her physical symptoms were mostly normal; there were no complications from excitement. In short, she lay there stiff as a corpse.
Chief Tang was awakened by the police stationed at the hospital and rushed over. Upon seeing the situation, he felt helpless and reluctantly contacted Qin Jian to see if we could do something.
"You all need to step out for a moment; I can handle this alone."
Qin Jian was worried and reluctant to leave. He whispered, "Are you sure you can manage?"
"Yeah," I replied. As Qin Jian turned away, I muttered again, "You need to find Chi Xinrong quickly." He looked at me in confusion, and I nodded. "I'm afraid something might happen to her; just help me out!"
"Ah! You've come to your senses?"
"Go now; there's no time for explanations. Hurry up and find her."
With the assistance of the police, the ward was free of any idle onlookers. The walls were pure white, the bed was pure white, and the person lying on the bed was also white. It resembled a transparent Porcelain Doll, except that at the wrists of the Porcelain Doll, there was a slight pulse, still beating rhythmically.
I focused my mind, recited incantations, and let my Primordial Spirit leave my body. I witnessed my own Primordial Spirit departing from its physical form, seeing a vast expanse of whiteness. This world felt empty, as if I had stepped into the Sands of the Ocean. I wandered through the Sands of the Ocean, unable to find my direction, feeling lost.
"Child, you have come to the wrong place. This is a Pure Land; the person you seek does not have the qualifications to be here. Therefore, the place you need to go is not this clean."
I couldn't see who was speaking to me; the voice was gentle and filled with concern.
"Oh." I slightly closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again. Upon opening my eyes, a completely black curtain blocked my line of sight. Instinctively, I reached out to pull it aside, but my hand passed through the Black Curtain. My fingers couldn't touch anything; I felt a cool breeze brushing through my fingertips.
Before I could retract my hand, something resembling an Icicle wrapped around my wrist. Without having time to scream, I was dragged inside.
Had I been pulled into hell?
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