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墨書 Inktalez
Zhou Guo had planned everything meticulously, taking all the responsibility upon himself. Although five people had died, the case barely stirred any ripples in this large city. Those living in big cities seemed to have grown accustomed to the idea that anyone could end their life at any moment.
The pace of life in the city was so fast that everyone seemed eager to conclude their lives prematurely.
It was the first time I encountered a case without a Murderer. I could only hope that those young people, who were burdened with expectations, could carry on with the wishes of those who had passed.
Guan Zengbin saw me standing outside in a daze. He snapped his fingers behind me and said, "What are you thinking? The case is already closed. Besides, it was all Suicide anyway, and Zhou Guo is dead. Whether Zhou Guo incited them to commit Suicide is no longer important."
I felt as if I had punched a sponge, realizing that I had made no impact at all. However, considering that both Gao Rui and Maliang left Suicide Notes, it was clear they were trying hard to prove their deaths were indeed Suicides, not wanting to implicate Zhou Guo.
So regardless of Zhou Guo's involvement, these individuals would have ultimately chosen to end their lives. It was just that Zhou Guo had made them perform one last so-called good deed before they died.
But while the Suicide case had concluded, many other matters remained unresolved.
I reported the incident of Zhang Xue's father sexually assaulting his daughter, which stirred quite a commotion in Dongxing City. Zhang Dequan, Zhang Xue's father, was the director of the finance office at the Planning Bureau; some said it was a lucrative position.
The leader who had raped Zhang Xue years ago had since "honorably" retired, and Zhang Dequan had taken over his position. During the arrests and investigations, Captain Shao took us to the scene. Zhang Dequan appeared to be a robust man with somewhat dark skin, not someone who looked like he spent too much time in an office.
During the investigation, Zhang Xue also came to the scene and identified her father along with others involved. It was a long and complicated process, but there was still hope to be found.
According to people from the Planning Bureau, Zhang Dequan only became a civil servant around thirty years old; prior to that, he seemed to have been a sailor. It was hard labor that required no formal education or skills. Zhang Dequan had spent his teenage years at sea until he settled down in his twenties after getting married.
However, Zhang Dequan lacked any skills beyond physical labor. Realizing he couldn't support his family this way, he decided to work while studying for civil service exams. But it wasn't easy; he failed for several consecutive years. During this time, another family member arrived.
Zhang Dequan's daughter, Zhang Xue, was born on a snowy night, making him feel even more burdened. He understood that manual labor jobs were easily replaceable; there would always be younger and stronger individuals than him. Thus, he needed to pass the civil service exam.
Changing his social status was Zhang Dequan's only way out. Like many high school graduates hoping to change their fate through exams, this was his sole path forward. During this period, he graduated from a vocational college.
However, things did not go as planned. When Zhang Xue was three years old, Zhang Dequan's wife fell seriously ill. They exhausted their savings but could not save her; she ultimately passed away. At that time, Zhang Xue was only two years old and couldn't even remember her mother's face. Zhang Dequan loved his wife deeply—the one who stood by him when he had nothing.
Two years later, Zhang Dequan, through his own perseverance and self-study, stood out among a group of candidates and was selected to join the Planning Bureau. By this time, Zhang Dequan was already thirty years old. However, he had never been part of the system before; he couldn't navigate the subtle rules and had no expectations of finding greater opportunities.
Under normal circumstances, holding onto his stable job would have been enough to support himself and his daughter.
That was until the incident occurred. The moment Zhang Dequan put down the kitchen knife, he also let go of all his bottom lines. Suddenly, he transformed from an inconspicuous clerk into a prominent figure within the unit, leveraging the support of his superiors to secure his position.
His colleagues commented on him, saying that he was neither good nor bad. Many in the unit were known for backstabbing others, and those who had bullied Zhang Dequan in the past were numerous. Yet, after rising to a higher position than them, he never sought revenge. Whenever someone faced difficulties at home, he would lend a helping hand.
One female colleague remarked, "Director Zhang was once my prince charming; I even considered confessing my feelings to him. But when I learned that his wife passed away over ten years ago and that he had never remarried, I realized no other woman could enter his heart. I never expected him to be this kind of person..."
Some colleagues took pleasure in his misfortune while others shook their heads in sorrow. Zhang Dequan found himself in a predicament, and everyone distanced themselves from him. As he was being taken away in a car, he looked at Zhang Xue standing in the distance, tears streaming silently down his face. Perhaps Zhang Dequan loved his wife so deeply that he saw Zhang Xue—who increasingly resembled her—as a reflection of her.
But no matter what kind of person he was, he could not impose his happiness upon others' suffering.
Perhaps Zhang Dequan would betray his accomplices, and Zhang Xue would have to cooperate with the investigation.
As Zhang Xue was leaving, I called out to her.
The sound of sirens filled the air as Zhang Xue and I stood still.
Tears welled up in Zhang Xue's eyes; she had once told me that before she turned twelve, Zhang Dequan treated her very well. But we both knew that people change. They change because of their positions and different environments. Yet those beautiful memories that Zhang Dequan once gave her must now be causing her great pain.
"After this is all over, are you planning to go somewhere where no one knows you?" I looked into Zhang Xue's eyes and spoke slowly.
Zhang Xue seemed taken aback for a moment; she was a smart person and should have guessed that I already knew the whole truth.
She took a deep breath, rubbed her eyes to hold back her tears, and said, "Yes, thank you. Once my father's situation is resolved, I'll go somewhere where no one knows me. I don’t have much to give you, but here’s a book for you."
Zhang Xue took out a worn copy of "Alive" from her shoulder bag and placed it in my hands. The book was heavily worn, looking as if it had been read many times, with some pages yellowed, indicating it had a few years of history. I casually flipped through it and noticed that Zhang Xue seemed to have made some notes inside.
"Is life only painful sometimes, or is it always like this?"
Zhang Xue said this lightly to me before turning away and leaving.
A group of people got into a car and quickly drove off.
Soon, only a few of us were left at the entrance of the Planning Bureau. Captain Shao approached and said, "People are all suicidal, but who would have thought we caught a fly? Is there really no lead on that twenty million?"
I shook my head and replied, "No leads. What about Mary? Have you traced the source?"
Captain Shao sighed and said, "If we want to investigate, it involves too much. Plus, applying for an overseas investigation would cost enough to cover that twenty million. If we can't find anything, then we can't find anything. By the way, where's Liu? Why haven't I seen him around?"
I slapped my forehead, almost forgetting about Liu. I had sent him to investigate Zhou Guo's parents earlier, but he hadn't returned last night and there was no news today; he must have found something.
We returned to the City Bureau, and after a while, Liu rushed back in, looking exhausted.
"Damn it, I'm swamped with work, and you guys are just here drinking tea?" Liu Dao exclaimed.
I looked up and asked, "What did you find out, Liu the Great Detective?"
Liu rolled his eyes and said, "I did find something out. Zhou Guo's father ran off after his wife became paralyzed, leaving his son and wife behind. No one knows where he is now."
Guan Zengbin shot Liu Yi a glare and said, "So what was the point of your investigation?"
"Just wait for me to finish," Liu Yi retorted as he snatched my cup and gulped down some water before continuing. "But I did uncover something strange: Zhou Guo's mother died under suspicious circumstances."
"What does that mean?" I hurriedly asked.
Liu Dao replied, "Last night, I got a clue from Zhou Guo's neighbor. It turns out that Zhou Guo's mother also committed suicide. At that time, she was very ill, and if she wanted treatment, it would cost a fortune. So she mentioned wanting to commit suicide several times to her neighbor, who tried to persuade her using her son."
Shaking his head, Liu Jixu said, "In the end, she still chose to commit suicide. Do you know how she died?"
Liu's expression was conflicted, as if he couldn't believe it himself: "She was scalded to death."
"Scalded to death?" I couldn't understand how that was possible.
"That's right." Liu pulled out a document. "At first, I didn't understand either, but according to the old lady neighbor, it seems she died from eating soybeans—specifically, freshly boiled hot soybeans. She wrapped them in a bit of rice and swallowed them whole. Once the rice was in her stomach, the hot soybeans would burn a hole in her stomach."
Hearing Liu's words sent chills down my spine.
Liu Jixu continued, "His mother swallowed a lot at once; the rice on the outside was cool, but the soybeans were scalding hot. Once they landed in her stomach, it didn't take long for them to cook her insides. This happened around four or five in the afternoon while Zhou Guo was still at school. When the neighbor found her body, she only had one breath left."
"When they found her, she still had a towel clenched in her mouth, which indicated she didn't want to be discovered. But how could anyone endure that kind of pain? In the end, she couldn't help but scream. But before they could get her to the hospital, she couldn't hold on any longer..."
Liu scratched his head. "When they found her, she was alone in the house, so it was deemed a suicide because it's just unrealistic to think someone would use this method to murder someone else..."
"Then the problem arises!" I suddenly stood up.
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