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墨書 Inktalez
Following Officer Jiang, Unknown Truth went to identify the body.
The corridor stretched on for what felt like an eternity. In just a few days, Unknown Truth seemed to have aged significantly, as if he had fallen gravely ill—he even wished that it were he who was sick.
His wife, Li An, had finally been found after three months of being missing, in a small coastal town in the south.
However, what he never expected was that Li An had already turned into a lifeless corpse.
On the cold morgue table, a white cloth covered her body. Doctor Zhao gently lifted the cloth and said, "Look, it's her, isn't it?"
Unknown Truth glanced at her and immediately recognized Li An.
He stared at the woman he loved most for a long time. Due to prolonged immersion, Li An's face had become swollen and pale.
This unwavering gaze surprised Officer Jiang, who accompanied him. Typically, family members would break down in tears during such moments, but Unknown Truth appeared unusually calm, even somewhat frightening. The silence was finally broken by Officer Jiang as he patted Unknown Truth's shoulder and said, "It has been confirmed; it's a suicide."
A wave of dizziness hit Unknown Truth, and he suddenly collapsed to the ground. This scene startled both Officer Jiang and Doctor Zhao, who quickly helped him up and dragged him out of the morgue.
43 Fujiang Street was the apartment where Li An had rented at the time of her suicide. According to the coroner's report, the landlord found her after she had been submerged in the bathtub for three days and nights. Unknown Truth insisted on staying there for a while; he said he couldn't face the reality of losing his wife. Officer Jiang had no choice but to take him there.
It was a small, dimly lit apartment that faced away from the sun. Some of Li An's personal belongings were still quietly left behind, with certain areas marked by the police.
Unknown Truth sat despondently in the dim room, holding a paper bag filled with some of Li An's belongings that he had brought back from the police station.
A platinum wedding ring slipped out, and Unknown Truth quickly picked it up, holding it tightly and kissing it repeatedly, unable to hold back tears. Officer Jiang, watching from the side, felt a pang of sadness and quietly left.
Unknown Truth and Li An had only been married for four years, but they had loved each other for a full decade. Their happiest times were in college, where they shared common interests, often hiking together and going to the school cinema to watch cheap movies.
After graduation, they upheld their vows and chose to stay in the city that had given them three years of happiness. In the beginning, work was tough, but they persevered through the hardships, and life gradually took a turn for the better as they stepped into the realm of marriage.
However, in the second year of their marriage, Li An was diagnosed with uterine cancer during a routine check-up at work. Although the surgery was successful, four months ago, Li An's old ailment returned. This terrified Unknown Truth, who hurriedly contacted hospitals and sought out good doctors.
Li An remained calm, even discussing her new life after her death with Unknown Truth one day.
This left Unknown Truth in a state of panic. Unfortunately, just as he was getting everything in order, disaster struck—Li An went missing the day before her scheduled hospitalization.
Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the entrance, as if something had slipped through the gap under the door. Unknown Truth snapped back to reality from his memories. In just a few short months, he and his beloved wife had been separated by death.
He quickly opened the door, but the corridor was empty; there wasn't a single person in sight—only a brown paper envelope lay silently on the floor.
At that moment, the door across the hall opened, and a woman with delicate features stepped out to take out the trash. She looked somewhat startled at the sight of a strange man.
Seeing her hesitation, Unknown Truth lowered his voice and asked, "Excuse me, did you see anyone in front of my door just now?"
The woman shook her head to indicate she didn't know and hurriedly retreated back into her room. Unknown Truth picked up the envelope with suspicion, feeling an inexplicable sense of unease rising within him.
Inside the brown paper envelope was an old newspaper and several photographs. A news article had been circled in red ink; it reported on a man who had committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning in their small town last week. His swollen face was described as horrifyingly similar to Li An's.
The photos depict the crime scene mentioned in the news, revealing the deceased's living conditions to be quite humble, similar to Li An's apartment.
The last photo is a close-up of the back of the deceased's neck, where amidst the coarse black hair, a small azure blue number—"12"—can be faintly seen.
What does this mean? Why am I being shown these things? Are they meant for Li An?
Does the sender not know that Li An has passed away? Does "12" hold some special significance? What could it possibly mean? Should I show these to Officer Jiang? These questions swirled in Unknown Truth's mind, with no answers in sight.
As time ticked by, Unknown Truth stared at the photos, feeling an inexplicable connection to Li An.
Originally planning to return after Li An's body was cremated, Unknown Truth now felt a strong urge to stay.
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