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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 46: Human Skin Puppet (Part 26)
"Uncle, you still haven't remembered who I am. What I have is beneficial for you."
"Who are you? You're just Ma Wu, and you still expect me to pay you? I only recognize money, not people." The uncle turned hostile, his demeanor fierce as he shouted at me.
The breakfast vendor stepped out, as if he had anticipated this situation. He gleefully remarked, "Indeed, today's youth are unbelievable, full of malice. They're nothing but exploiters who will devour you whole."
I shot a cold glance at the vendor, who hurriedly added, "Don't get me wrong; I don't know you either. So don't take it to heart. Also, the meal earlier is on the house for this old brother here."
The vendor's instigation worked; the uncle was furious and looked like he wanted to tear me apart. He rolled up his sleeves and angrily shouted, "Damn it! You better give me the money and leave. If you don’t, just try me! I don’t care if you’re Ma Qi or Ma Ba; I only recognize money!"
Soon enough, due to the uncle's ruckus, a crowd gathered around us. Seeing that this was going nowhere and that the uncle was impervious to reason, I decided to bite the bullet and pulled out all the cash I had on me. I even turned my bag inside out for everyone to see. In total, I managed to gather three hundred twenty dollars and eight cents, which I handed over to the uncle with both hands: "Here you go, take care."
Upon receiving the money, the uncle's mood lifted instantly. He happily organized the cash and stuffed it into his pocket while thanking all his supporters with a fist salute. It felt like a scene of class struggle where I was cast as the evil capitalist oppressor.
In front of the restaurant was a north-south Main Road. Due to its proximity to Riverside, many private cars rushed over to buy fish and shrimp. Although I had given the money to the uncle, I still felt a bit uneasy as I watched him leave while the crowd began to disperse.
With cash in hand, the uncle grinned widely and ran across the street. Once he reached the roadside and saw no cars coming, he confidently continued running.
However, I sensed danger approaching; my eyelids twitched anxiously. Feeling something was off, I hurried after him just as a car sped toward us. Seeing the uncle run, I shouted at him, "Don’t run..."
People move quickly, but cars move faster—there was a loud crash as the uncle’s hefty body was thrown into the air before crashing down hard. He convulsed briefly and let out a painful scream before falling silent. In that instant of the accident, everyone froze in shock—including that mocking restaurant owner and Qin Jian and Ling Juan, who rushed over just in time to witness what had happened.
I was the first to reach the uncle.
He was foaming at the mouth and rolling his eyes back. Qin Jian was calling for an ambulance while Ling Juan rushed over to ask how he was doing.
I shook my head; soon enough, there was no movement from the uncle anymore. The pain lingered in that moment as his pupils dilated. When the ambulance arrived along with traffic police, the driver looked pale with fright, crouching on the ground holding his head in disbelief.
I glanced at the car driven by him; it seemed there was still someone inside. At the officer's signal, that person got out of the vehicle.
I didn't realize it until I got out of the car, but suddenly I felt he looked very familiar.
Indeed, he was the elusive Chen Pi I had been searching for.
Seeing my guilty expression as I turned my head away, I hurriedly said to Qin Jian, "That's Chen Pi."
Chen Pi had a shifty appearance, with a face full of misfortune and beady eyes that darted around restlessly. It was clear he was the type who thrived on scheming and opportunism. I couldn't help but wonder what kind of deal Gousi had struck with him, which ultimately led to such a mysterious death.
Noticing me staring at him, Chen Pi shot me an annoyed glare before stepping to the roadside. He held a phone in one hand and a cigarette in his mouth as he squatted down by the curb without lighting the cigarette, instead making a call.
Qin Jian recognized that the person was indeed Chen Pi but couldn't do anything about it; apprehending someone required evidence and justification. Moreover, the incident at Jiang'an Family Bridgehead Hotpot Restaurant had occurred so suddenly and bizarrely that there were no suspicious clues left behind. The only thing found was a fingerprint on a coffee cup left by a waiter. There were no signs of murder or poisoning on the body; it appeared to have suffered violent death caused by external forces. Even more astonishing was that the body showed multiple fractures and internal bleeding, suggesting an unimaginable force—one that no human could possess—had unleashed tremendous violent energy, shaking everyone in the private room to death.
However, this possibility seemed implausible; it couldn't have been Slug. Although Slug's arrival was strange and its death equally bizarre, if Slug had the ability to kill those living people, it could have easily devoured them one by one with its row of sharp teeth. Yet there were no bite marks on the bodies, indicating that there was little connection between the deceased and Slug.
Perhaps Slug's appearance was merely coincidental; Gao Sheng's Evil Sorcerer was stirring behind the scenes, testing my limits. I couldn't act against Chen Pi, which left me feeling helpless as I stood at a distance, my eyes blazing with frustration as I clenched my fists in boredom.
Qin Jian cast a deep glance at Chen Pi before whispering something to the traffic police. Turning back to me, he said, "Alright, I've noted him down. Now let's prepare for the next steps."
What good would noting him down do? In the blink of an eye, he was gone. Where would we find him later? Qin Jian shot me an exasperated look and handed me a package. I touched it; it felt warm and seemed to contain food.
I couldn't muster any words of gratitude—I was genuinely starving.
Regardless of what happened with Chen Pi, it was clear he wasn't a good person; debts would eventually need to be repaid.
The fragrant rice topped with sauce made my mouth water just from smelling it. Ling Juan's words reminded me: "Hey, you really have a heavy taste; can you eat in a place like this?"
Yeah, if this uncle didn't court disaster, he wouldn't meet his end.
I forced a smile, instantly losing half my appetite as the restaurant owner regarded me differently due to this uncle's incident. He hurriedly invited me with enthusiasm: "Come eat at my place! It's clean over there."
I didn't go to the restaurant owner's establishment but walked in the opposite direction of the accident while eating. By the time I finished my rice bowl, I had reached the banks of Branching Stream. Qin Jian truly followed through; I noticed that Branching Stream's water level had dropped significantly.
In about half an hour, the water would likely stop flowing.
I am someone who only cares about the outcome and not the process, so I didn't ask how Qin Jian managed to implement the flow cessation measures.
The Branching Stream was about to be cut off, marking the first time in history this had happened. People nearby heard about it and rushed over to see what was happening. Qin Jian promptly dispatched several police officers for assistance and set up a cordon to keep onlookers at a distance.
Along with Qin Jian, Ling Juan, and some temporarily assigned personnel, we headed towards the stairs after the brief cessation of flow. Soon, someone brought specialized leather suits for fishing, which meant we wouldn't get covered in mud when we went down, and we could closely observe the condition of the Riverbed.
As we walked, Qin Jian was retrieving details about the body that had been washed ashore. The deceased had no fatal wounds; it seemed he had died from long-term use of a toxic substance that caused his organs to fail prematurely.
This deceased individual was Gao Sheng, the person mentioned by Li Luwen's Mother.
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