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墨書 Inktalez
The Head Nurse was not someone easily frightened. During my previous treatments here, I had never heard him utter a word of fear. Yet now, he seemed genuinely afraid of an old man with graying hair, which struck me as rather amusing.
I studied the old man closely. He looked like an ordinary elderly gentleman, with wrinkles on his face and a pair of gold-rimmed reading glasses perched on his nose. At that moment, he was flipping through a book while occasionally jotting something down in a notebook with a fountain pen—an Old Parker Pen, a rarity these days.
Dressed in simple casual clothes, the old man exuded an air of understated elegance. Beside him, tea bowls emitted steam, and a thermos leaned against the wall on the table. Behind him was a neatly made bed, the blankets folded perfectly, and the sheets were spotless and tidy.
More importantly, there was a window behind him. Although it was narrow and partially blocked by something, it still allowed the old man to glimpse the outside world.
This old fellow appeared utterly frail; he seemed incapable of harming anyone and would likely be blown over by a gust of wind if he stepped outside.
However, if the Head Nurse was indeed mentally unstable, then it would be impossible for him to lie about this. Who would take the time to monitor an ordinary old man reading? It seemed such a tedious endeavor. And yet, the Head Nurse was clearly afraid of him for some unknown reason.
My curiosity got the better of me; I wanted to engage him in conversation. Humans are inherently curious beings.
If curiosity could be contained, humanity would never have ventured beyond Earth into space. If curiosity could be contained, we wouldn't discover countless deep-sea fish each year. If curiosity could be contained, we wouldn't have come this far.
I was genuinely intrigued by what capabilities this old man possessed that allowed him to remain peacefully ensconced in this psychiatric hospital filled with numerous Perverted Killers—reading books and sipping tea as if he were a retired official.
Unable to suppress my curiosity any longer, I asked, "Head Nurse, how did this old man kill anyone?"
"He doesn't kill," the Head Nurse replied after glancing at me, his tone oddly cryptic.
"He doesn't kill?" My brow furrowed deeply as I struggled to comprehend his words. "The A Block is filled with murderers—if it weren't for their Mental Illnesses, they would have faced Execution many times over. How could this old man have gotten in here without having killed anyone?"
Gu Chen continued staring at the television for a while before responding, "If he's the most terrifying person in this psychiatric hospital, why do you allow him to read books? Why give him porcelain cups and metal pens? Any one of those items could easily be used to kill or commit Suicide."
The Head Nurse looked at us with an air of secrecy before finally speaking again: "He doesn't kill directly, but everyone who has met him has ended up mentally unstable. Some come out raving mad; others become killers who won't stop until they are dead or have killed someone else. He may not kill himself, but he has indirectly caused many murders. That's why we have strict rules: no one can speak more than three sentences to him. If you ignore him, he won't talk to you either."
"Hypnosis?" Guan Zengbin stroked his face thoughtfully. "I once had the fortune of attending a Report Meeting on the Yang Juan Method where Sister Juan mentioned that during one case they solved, someone used hypnosis to control another's behavior and make them lose their sanity."
Captain Shao suddenly sighed heavily and said, "The ones who lost their sanity back then were probably from the Special Cases Unit themselves. However, that kind of hypnosis requires a special drug from Brazil that this old man certainly doesn't possess. So we can rule that out. But I've heard from Juan that some forms of hypnosis can indeed be subtle; you might not even realize you've been hypnotized."
"If you don't hear that keyword..." Captain Shao paused, as if recalling some painful past, his expression darkening. After a moment, he continued, "If you can't hear the keyword, you might spend your whole life in a hypnotic state. Or perhaps nothing will happen for a lifetime, but once you hear the keyword, you'll fall into hypnosis."
With that, Captain Shao fell silent.
I was about to ask for more details when Guan Zengbin grabbed my arm.
The Head Nurse urged us, "What do you want to do? If you have questions, just ask. Just don't cause any trouble. I won't go up there, but if something does happen, there are emergency buttons outside every corridor. The security will receive the alarm and come to help."
We nodded in agreement. Captain Shao said, "Wu Meng, you all go in. I'll keep an eye on the surveillance here; safety comes first."
The reason I came to this psychiatric hospital was twofold: on one hand, I wanted to understand the mental states of these patients to find insights into the Murderer's mindset; on the other hand, I aimed to uncover the meanings behind those English letters. Gu Chen's words reminded me that this could possibly be linked to a cult organization, and within the psychiatric hospital, there were many who claimed to be Satanists. I wondered if they would understand these matters.
As the three of us walked a short distance inside, Gu Chen asked, "What’s going on with Yang Juan? You all seem a bit mysterious."
Guan Zengbin glanced back at Captain Shao standing at a distance before replying, "Yang Juan is Captain Shao's girlfriend and a well-known forensic expert in the country. She was part of the Special Cases Unit established ten years ago. Captain Shao, Yan Junde, Mary, and Sister Juan solved many major cases."
Her expression turned somber as she continued, "About seven years ago during an operation, Yang Juan was shot and became a vegetable. Because of this incident, the Special Cases Unit was disbanded for a while. That operation was considered a great success except for one person who got away—a woman named Zhao Mingkun."
Hearing Zhao Mingkun's name made my expression change slightly; my heart skipped a beat, but I remained silent. I had only heard about Zhao Mingkun from the latter part of her story and never the beginning. All I knew was that she was Shi Huacheng's adopted daughter and had committed numerous crimes alongside him. Captain Shao's purpose in forming the Special Operations Group was also to capture this elusive target.
Now that I had heard Guan Zengbin mention the earlier part of her story, I wanted to learn more.
Guan Zengbin continued without hesitation: "Sister Juan took the bullet meant for Captain Shao; that bullet should have hit him but struck Sister Juan instead. The shooter was Shi Huacheng, who was then the captain of the Criminal Investigation Team in Yuzhou City working with Captain Shao on cases. Currently, Shi Huacheng is still in custody."
"In custody?" Gu Chen didn't know Shi Huacheng and had no connection with Captain Shao. He exclaimed, "He should be executed! What kind of person is he to have taken such a path? He deserves death!"
Guan Zengbin shook her head and said, "There are considerations behind this matter; having Shi Huacheng alive is far more useful than having him dead. At that time, it was a large organization with many unresolved issues and clues yet to be uncovered. It's not that simple; besides Zhao Mingkun, there are likely others still out there."
I suddenly felt an urge to see what kind of person Shi Huacheng really was. I had heard from Captain Shao that he took this path to save his daughter. So where had Shi Huacheng's daughter gone? Was she ever saved in the end?
"Seven years have passed since she fell into this state." Guan Zengbin walked ahead of us, her voice steady. "Even now, Sister Juan hasn't woken up. And Captain Shao has been unable to let go of this inner demon for all these years, which is why he must capture Zhao Mingkun, to give some closure to what happened back then."
Suddenly, I realized something and spoke up. "Wait a minute, Guan Zengbin. If Sister Juan has been in a coma for seven years, but you're only nineteen this year, that means you were just twelve years old seven years ago. How could you have possibly heard about Yang Juan's hypnosis report meeting?"
Gu Chen, hearing my question, also chimed in.
Guan Zengbin stopped in her tracks.
When she turned around, her face was already streaked with tears. She said, "That's right. My grandmother and Yang Juan's mother are sisters, so according to our family hierarchy, I should call Yang Juan 'Aunt.' And Captain Shao is actually my uncle by marriage."
Guan Zengbin continued, "Back then, I often followed my aunt around. I listened to her report meetings, and it was from that moment that I vowed to become a top forensic expert, to help the deceased find justice and uncover the truth. So seven years later, without hesitation, I joined the Special Operations Group. I must capture Zhao Mingkun, who is still at large! I want to give my sleeping aunt some closure."
It was the first time I had seen Guan Zengbin cry like this—without any pretense or restraint. Yang Juan must have played a significant role in her life; for Guan Zengbin, there would never be any compromise regarding this matter. As for me, I was the one who had once let Zhao Mingkun slip away. I could hardly imagine how much she wanted to kill him when she saw him after all this time.
But for the sake of the plan, she endured it while Zhao Mingkun escaped.
I suddenly realized that everyone was acting in their own way; no matter how they appeared on the surface, there were many sides of them that remained hidden deep within. Perhaps it was because we had spent so much time together or perhaps seeing Captain Shao's sorrow reminded her of her own aunt.
She revealed her innermost secret to us, which meant she trusted both of us deeply.
As for me, how should I choose? If given another chance, would I stand by Guan Zengbin's side or would I let go of Zhao Mingkun—the one person in this world who might truly understand me?
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