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Chapter 104: Dead Loop (Part Twelve)
Chiang found Lin Tai, who was busy working hard. "Lin Tai, she... she isn't..."
Lin Tai looked up with a lewd smile and said, "She’s not a virgin, so what? Why are you still holding such high standards?"
Chiang trembled as he pointed at the Girl on the ground, his voice hoarse. "Look at what she is."
Lin Tai squinted at the cold light from Chiang's phone screen, gazing at the Girl beneath him. A decaying corpse writhed under his vigorous movements. The sight made him jump back as if bitten by a venomous snake, nearly going mad. He stumbled over his pants that hadn’t been fully pulled down; if it weren't for Chiang, he wouldn’t know what to do.
Chiang helped Lin Tai up and they both fled in a panic. He thought to himself that this ghost didn’t want them to die immediately but intended to torment them slowly until they were exhausted and dead. This was confirmed when they returned home.
Under the pitch-black night sky, the two boys fled in a hurry, jumping into the car and driving straight home without daring to stop. Chiang's mental fortitude was clearly stronger than Lin Tai's; the latter was so scared that he was nearly out of his mind, yet Chiang managed to stay calm enough to drive Lin Tai home.
I followed closely behind Chiang as he nervously glanced back multiple times, his face reflecting sheer terror. He took one step back and then turned to enter the house—bang! The heavy sound of the door slamming shut followed by a flash of white light made everything before my eyes disappear, plunging the world into darkness. I vaguely heard discussions: "Ma Qi won’t be in trouble, right?"
When I opened my eyes, the cat in my arms jumped away. With the cat gone, I could no longer follow Chiang’s subsequent actions.
"Ma Qi, you’re awake."
I instinctively nodded but couldn’t comprehend what terrifying thing the cat had seen that made it leap from my embrace. And what about Chiang? It seemed he had also seen something dreadful—was it the Girl?
I walked out of the mourning hall with Chi Xinrong and Fatty. Mi sat there with her chin resting on her hands, waiting for me. When she saw me come out, she looked furious and turned her head away, ignoring everyone. I had plenty of ways to appease her; Fatty was busy with other matters, and Mi had already gotten used to rolling her eyes at him. It was best for him to shrink back and leave.
Chi Xinrong didn’t walk away; she leaned over to look at Mi.
I rummaged through my pockets and pulled out a crumpled twenty-dollar bill, handing it to Mi with a serious expression. "Here’s the money I owe you."
Mi was taken aback, as if trying hard to recall something. She asked, "When did you borrow money from me?"
"Did you lend me money? Why are you acting like this?"
"Hahaha, Ma Qi, you really have a way with words." Chi Xinrong laughed heartily, completely unconcerned about how others perceived her. Her laughter was so infectious that it made Mi feel embarrassed and at a loss for words. Eventually, the two girls left me behind to chat, and only then did I manage to calm down.
I called for Chiang's mother.
This middle-aged woman, with an impressive demeanor, firmly denied any allegations that Chiang had harmed any girls. "Xiao is disobedient, but she hasn't done anything harmful. Sigh! If something were to happen, it would be..." She was clearly a typical protective mother. However, just as she was about to continue, she suddenly hesitated. I was about to ask her what was on her mind when the phone rang loudly. I picked it up and saw it was a call from the Station.
I was puzzled; it had been a long time since the Station had contacted me. I wondered what urgent matter they needed my help with. It was Zhang Ke on the line, asking me to rush over to the Station immediately because there was something very urgent that required my assistance.
What on earth is going on!
Everyone on Earth seemed to be busy; one thing after another. The situation with Chiang wasn't resolved yet, and now there was an unexpected call from the Station. I thought this couldn't be good news.
I quickly briefed Fatty on what needed to be done next and hurried off to the Station.
Han Mi accompanied me to the Station.
"Hey! Long time no see! You've made progress; you've even brought your girlfriend!" Zhang Ke greeted me while standing next to a tall, imposing young man with an extraordinary presence and striking features.
"Uncle Zhang, hello."
"Hello, Qi. And this beautiful lady—hello!"
Zhang Ke had graduated from the forensic department and had been assigned to the Station for several years now; he was quite familiar with both me and my grandfather.
"Hello," Mi said confidently for the first time, greeting them without shyness. I felt that after going out with me and experiencing those events, Mi had completely transformed into a different person.
Whether in words or actions, she was bold enough to leave me speechless.
Right now, Zhang Ke had her waiting in the lounge while we were going to check a corpse, but she insisted on coming along.
What’s so interesting about a corpse?
Most girls would be scared, worried that seeing a dead body would give them nightmares at night!
Yet she seemed unafraid: “I’m Brother Qi’s assistant; I must follow.”
What kind of place is this? How could she just waltz in here and expect to see anything? Zhang Ke didn’t agree and left her in the lounge while introducing me: “Qin Jian, responsible for the Cold Case Unit.”
The Cold Case Unit—cases that remain unresolved, those that defy scientific reasoning and involve abnormal circumstances.
I remembered last time Uncle Luo wanted me to form a cold case team. Could it be that this young punk, Qin Jian, was going to take on that responsibility? I noticed that Qin Jian looked younger than me, and sure enough, Zhang Ke later told me he had just turned twenty.
He was only slightly older than me.
But could that really compare? I had already taken over all affairs at Ma Wu Funeral Home and experienced many things that ordinary people hadn’t. If Qin Jian was to take on the responsibility of forming a cold case team with me, should I underestimate his abilities?
Zhang Ke was responsible for bringing me over and introducing me to Qin Jian before leaving to complete his task. Now it was up to me and Qin Jian to exchange ideas and debate the conclusions regarding the truth behind this corpse's death.
This was a Male Corpse, an unnatural death. The deceased had been a driver with over ten years of experience as an Old Driver. According to Qin Jian’s introduction, this Old Driver had dozed off at Baymax, causing his vehicle to veer off course and crash into the roadside railing.
Preliminary checks indicated that the cause of death was due to the deformation of the front of the car, which trapped him inside and led to excessive blood loss.
However, upon closer inspection, it was discovered that the deceased did not die from blood loss but rather from being scared to death during his injuries. An even stranger phenomenon was that a terrifyingly large face appeared on the deceased's phone—a face belonging to someone who had long since died. That body was currently at the funeral home because the family hadn’t shown up to sign for it, delaying the cremation process. Now that body had mysteriously gone missing and was still being searched for.
Knowing there was something off about this situation, I couldn’t help but voice my thoughts: “Isn’t this more of a matter for the traffic department? Why is it being investigated here?”
Qin Jian stared at me seriously, his sharp eyes looking familiar, and his demeanor strikingly similar to someone I knew. "Because he died under unusual circumstances, they sent him to us for investigation."
Fine, I didn’t understand all these details. Dealing with the dead was my job; whether it was the traffic bureau or whoever else didn't matter as long as the Station deposited money into my card on time. I could care less about the rest.
This section had surveillance footage, and I sat up straight as Qin Jian pulled up a clip showing the moments before and after the Old Driver's accident.
Cases at the Station were subject to confidentiality rules, including this surveillance footage, which was classified evidence. Only Qin Jian and I could view it; others, including Zhang Ke, were not allowed to interfere. He was only responsible for determining the time of death and the type of fatal injury.
In the quiet, dark room, Qin Jian suddenly asked me, "Did you see that shadow in the driver's cabin clearly?"
Yes, I saw it—a vague shadow in the Old Driver's cabin. It looked like a hunched figure crawling on the Windshield. Seriously? What could possibly be crawling on that smooth glass besides a windshield wiper?
Qin Jian zoomed in, and finally, I could see it clearly. The figure on the Windshield was none other than the Girl who had appeared at Chiang's house. She was the same Girl that Chiang had taken to that Thicket. I was momentarily stunned, unable to hear Qin Jian's questions clearly.
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