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墨書 Inktalez
I caught up with Zhou Shu and helped push the cart, saying, "Zhou Shu, why are you closing up so early today? Isn't this the best time for business?"
Zhou Shu glanced at me and replied, "What do you know, young one? Can't you see the darkness creeping in from the west? A storm is coming."
I looked toward the western sky, which was just a dark blue expanse. It didn't seem that ominous to me.
The saying "Heed the words of the elders or suffer the consequences" turned out to be true. After helping Zhou Shu cover the Shaobing Cart with a rain tarp, it started to drizzle.
"Zhou Shu, you're quite remarkable," I said, hiding under the eaves while watching him shake off the rainwater.
Zhou Shu coughed a couple of times and said, "I've just lived a few more years, that's all."
As Zhou Shu turned to unlock the door, I followed him inside, hoping to chat and extract some information.
Once he opened the door and saw I hadn't left yet, he said, "I'm a bit tired today, so I won't invite you in."
With that, he opened the door just enough to slip inside quickly and then slammed it shut. However, out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of the room filled with black-and-white photographs.
Just as the door was closing, I faintly saw a serious-looking young man in one of those black-and-white photos. To my surprise, he smiled at me in a strange way, his eyes filled with blood.
I jumped back in shock, thinking I was imagining things. Rubbing my eyes and looking again, all I saw was a wooden door with faded couplets.
I pouted. If he didn't want me inside, then fine. In this kind of rain, I might as well go back to my Haunted House and sleep.
To prevent Yuan Hun from causing trouble in the middle of the night and disturbing my dreams, I set up a protective formation on my bed as soon as I got home. Addressing the air, I said, "I know what you're up to; there's no need for you to come out. Otherwise..."
I let out a cold chuckle and then turned over to sleep. Fo Zhang showed no signs of waking up.
“Bang, bang, bang…”
The door shook violently, as if it were about to be smashed down by the person outside. I lifted my eyelids irritably and asked, “Who is it? It’s so early in the morning!”
Outside, I heard Wang Jun’s stammering voice, clearly frightened and trembling as he said, “Ling Feng, help me…”
I sensed something was wrong and quickly got out of bed to open the door. Wang Jun nearly fell into my arms. Looking at his pale face and trembling body, I asked, “What happened?”
“There’s been a death. She’s back… she’s back…” Wang Jun kept repeating these words.
I murmured the Heart Sutra, pressing my index finger against Wang Jun’s forehead. It took a long time for him to recover, but his eyes were still filled with fear.
“What on earth happened? Tell me everything,” I demanded.
Wang Jun swallowed hard a few times before saying, “Last night, there was an urgent project at work that needed attention, so I stayed up all night with a female colleague to meet the deadline. Who would have thought that in the middle of the night…”
Wang Jun buried his hands in his hair and crouched down, almost unable to continue speaking.
I didn’t want to push him too hard and tried to comfort him. “It’s okay; you’re safe here.” I helped him sit on the bed and poured him a cup of hot tea. His hands felt icy against my fingertips; he must have been seriously scared.
“Zhai Junjun was sitting right across from me. I watched her die right in front of me, and I couldn’t do anything. It was like an invisible hand was choking her neck. She hung there like a rag doll, her clothes shredded like torn fabric. Her skirt had slipped down to her thighs. I was frozen in shock as I watched her face turn from red to purplish-red, her long pink tongue hanging down to her chest, swaying back and forth. Her eyes bulged almost out of their sockets from suffocation.”
“I’m not human; I shouldn’t have run away… If only I could have saved her…”
Wang Jun’s body shook violently, spilling some of the tea he held in his hands. With a terrified expression, he said, “Ling Feng, do you think the police will arrest me? I’m not even married yet… I…”
Wang Jun buried his head between his knees, his back trembling.
I frowned slightly and asked, "Did you not call the police?"
Wang Jun shook his head and remained silent. I took his hand and pulled him outside, saying, "Brother Wang, while it's still before work hours, take me to your company and then call the police. With me around, they won't wrongfully accuse you. Do you trust me?"
Wang Jun's eyes were red, unfocused, and he simply nodded in compliance as I led him along.
As we approached Wang Jun's company, I dialed 110 to report the incident. Then I followed Wang Jun up to the fourteenth floor.
The glass door of the office was wide open. Clearly, Wang Jun had been too frightened to think straight and had rushed back to find me.
Once inside the company, I was hit by a strong metallic smell of blood. As I walked further in, I spotted a woman lying on the floor, just as Wang Jun had described—she had been brutally strangled to death.
Seeing such a horrific scene again made Wang Jun unable to hold back; he leaned against a desk and began to vomit, letting out a desperate scream. A colleague he interacted with daily lay dead before him—no one could bear such a sight.
Fearing that I might disturb the crime scene, I took a distant glance and then smeared my fingertip stained with blood across my eyelids. Instantly, the scene before me darkened, filled with threads of crimson and black.
In the office, an extra pillar seemed to contain two faces of women desperately trying to break free, their expressions a mix of agony and resentment.
As I pondered this unsettling sight, the police arrived. The leading officer was a young man in a black jacket who instructed those behind him, "Immediately seal off the scene; no one is allowed to enter. Where are the Forensic Science Division and the coroner's team?"
"Did you call the police? I'm Solemn from the City Criminal Police Team," the young officer said after giving his orders. He extended his right hand toward me and glanced at Wang Jun, who was crouched on the floor.
I shook hands with Solemn and replied, "I called the police. This is my friend Wang Jun; he's an eyewitness."
Solemn raised an eyebrow and said, "Are you very brave? Aren't you afraid to see such a bloody scene?"
I clasped my hands together and replied, "I've seen things far more terrifying. Besides, with Buddha in my heart, I am immune to all evils. Amitabha..."
"It's not me, it's not me... Please don't grab me!" Wang Jun's tense nerves completely broke down after the police arrived, as he hugged his head and shouted.
A glimmer of doubt flashed in Solemn's eyes. Meanwhile, the forensic team and evidence collectors finished their work and called Solemn aside for a brief discussion.
Solemn returned and said, "You and your friend will need to accompany me to the police station to give a statement. It's nothing serious, just a formality."
I suddenly became interested in Solemn and asked back, "Are you so sure we didn't kill him?"
"My eyes don't deceive me. Just look at the dew on your hair; it tells me you must have rushed over from outside. And with him looking like that, heh..." Solemn pointed at Wang Jun and smirked.
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