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墨書 Inktalez
"You're right, but you lied," Old Shao said to Li Erdan. "On that night four days ago, after you returned to your rental apartment, you couldn't sleep, so you went to the crematorium. But that's not how it happened. You did go to the crematorium in the end, but before that, you never returned to the rental."
Old Shao finished his last sip of coffee and continued, "You went home, to the place where your daughter and wife are."
Upon hearing Old Shao's words, Li Erdan's expression changed. He mumbled something, but it took him a while to find the words.
"You told a lie," Old Shao stood up and stretched. He said to Li Erdan, "Around ten-thirty, you saw off Li Dabiao. Around eleven, you dug out your jewelry. Around twelve o'clock, you returned to your wife's home, took several thousand yuan, and left. That was the last thing you could do for your family."
"Can I understand that you put the jewelry back at home and then left? Otherwise, you can't explain where the jewelry went," Old Shao looked at Li Erdan.
Hearing Old Shao's words, Jiang He recalled a detail.
Li Erdan's hands were cuffed, and he became agitated. "No, I really don't know where the jewelry went. I admit I went back home, to my wife and daughter's home. But the jewelry is really not here. I know you need to recover it, but it's truly not with me."
"Is there only one person who knows that place?" Old Shao asked again.
Li Erdan nodded.
Jiang He rubbed his temples as something came to mind.
"Why did you divorce your wife?" Jiang He asked, staring at Li Erdan.
Li Erdan turned to look at Jiang He and slowly replied, "Three years ago, I lost all my savings. But I couldn't stop; I had no way to pull back. I knew if I continued like this, I'd probably lose everything. My daughter... in order not to touch the last bit of our assets, I had no choice but to leave."
"Are you sure no one knows that place?" Jiang He asked once more.
Li Erdan grew impatient and replied, "I'm absolutely certain that no one knows."
Jiang He nodded, already having an answer in his heart.
After a moment of silence, Jiang He spoke, "How long has it been since you last went back?"
"I rarely go back," Li Erdan replied. "Since the divorce, aside from seeing my daughter, I hardly return. My daughter deserves better; she shouldn't have a father like me. Honestly, I know what I'm like, and I really owe her an apology."
"What exactly caused the divorce? Was it because of this?" Jiang He leaned in closer, his face nearly touching Li Erdan's.
Li Erdan looked at the young man's face; his throat moved slightly, but he said nothing, only nodding.
"Then why did you run away?" Jiang He pulled back and sat down again, asking the question once more. "As far as we know, around ten o'clock that night, the female corpse was not in the refrigerator, and you returned home first before going to the funeral home. What did you actually see?"
After several rounds of questioning, Li Erdan finally spoke. "To be honest, I saw someone crawl out of the crematorium."
That was the night four days ago.
After sending off Li Dabiao, Li Erdan was left holding a bag of intestines, feeling lost. He stared at the blood on the ground and the mucus on the floor, remaining motionless for a long time. The car lights grew fainter until they became two dots disappearing down the road, indeed heading towards the Sponge Factory.
Li Erdan walked in the opposite direction but felt something strange in his heart. Feeling uneasy, he decided to check on his beloved corpse at the crematorium. The large iron gate was open and not locked with wire. He looked at the dark guardhouse and walked straight in. In the quiet environment, he faintly heard some rustling sounds.
The sound came from the cremation room on the other side. Though it was not loud, in the stillness of the surroundings, it reached Li Erdan's ears clearly. He thought it might be Old Wei; Old Wei often acted mysteriously and engaged in strange activities.
Old Wei's guardhouse was always pitch black; Li Erdan had no idea if anyone was inside that dark space.
Following the sound, Li Erdan walked through a long corridor, hearing it grow louder. The noise indeed came from the cremation room, which had been abandoned for many years; no one should be there. Feeling something was off, Li Erdan slowed his pace and cautiously approached the window.
He crouched down, exposing only half of his head to peek inside.
The scene that unfolded next nearly made him scream. In the darkness, he saw a vague, large creature writhing in the pitch-black environment. As his eyes gradually adjusted to the dark, his brain finally understood what was happening. That was not some monstrous insect; it was a person.
This person was crawling out of the Crematorium.
The Crematorium was a place where bodies were incinerated, turned to ashes. The dead were sent in, and what came out were the remains. But Li Erdan had never heard of a living person crawling out of a Crematorium. He was so shocked that he could only stare blankly at this living being.
If it had been a corpse, Li Erdan would not have felt afraid; he might even have approached to check the gender of the body. But in a place that should contain the dead, a living person emerged, and nothing could frighten Li Erdan more than this.
Li Erdan remained silent, just staring at the figure.
Suddenly, the figure turned its head and looked toward the window. A jolt of fear shot through Li Erdan as he realized he had been discovered. He crouched outside the window, unsure whether to stand or run. He couldn't see the person's face clearly, but he could feel their gaze piercing through him like a venomous snake, sharp as two knives cutting off his escape.
"Li Erdan," the person spoke.
"Who are you?" Li Erdan asked, his voice trembling with fear.
"You don't need to know who I am," the figure replied. "Just remember one thing: you must keep this secret for three hours. Otherwise, your daughter will be in danger."
In the darkness, Li Erdan couldn't make out the person's face, and he had never heard this voice before; he was certain he did not know this individual. Yet somehow, they seemed to know everything about him.
"After three hours, all secrets will be revealed. We can just sit back and watch the show," said the man as he stood up. "Remember to keep this secret."
Li Erdan nodded.
"Aren't you leaving?" the man added. "Do you want to come inside and play in the furnace?"
Hearing those words snapped Li Erdan back to reality, and he ran away as if possessed.
Back in the rented room, Li Erdan placed the intestines into the pot and lay on the bed, unable to sleep. He couldn't stop worrying about his daughter and decided it was time to go back and see her. This was the first time in six months that he had made such a decision. On the way, he noticed a claw machine filled with plush bears and suddenly recalled his daughter's words from when he last left: "Daddy, are you going to be gone for a long time?"
Li Erdan had replied, "Daddy will be away for a while, but when I come back, I'll buy you a Teddy Bear."
He took out the only ten yuan he had on him and exchanged it for game tokens. The claw of the machine felt loose, seemingly lacking any strength. It was already late, and Li Erdan stood alone in front of the claw machine. Finally, after exhausting his last token, a bear fell out.
At that moment, it was the happiest instant Li Erdan had experienced in five years.
His daughter was still sleeping at home as he placed the bear beside her. Watching her, he suddenly felt an overwhelming wave of emotions. He had taken several thousand yuan from his wife and left home without saying a word. The moment he stepped out of the house, he felt an immense restlessness; he was lost, like a stray dog without a home.
He returned to the rented room but found himself unable to sleep. Sometimes Li Erdan felt that life was incredibly dull; despite having a wife and child, why did he feel so empty? Tossing and turning, he decided to go to the funeral home. He wanted to see that person because he sensed that this individual did not truly wish to kill him.
Upon arriving at the funeral home, events began to unfold. He discovered a new corpse, noticed the hole in its abdomen, and saw the person standing in the hallway.
"What exactly are you?" Li Erdan questioned, unsure whether he feared the corpse, this person, or his own life.
The person replied, "That's something you don't need to know."
"Please don't harm my daughter," Li Erdan almost begged, especially after seeing the gaping hole in the corpse's abdomen.
"As long as you keep this secret," the person responded.
"I won't tell anyone," Li Erdan said firmly. "Not a word."
"Good."
With that, the person left the hallway.
"Do you think your life is interesting?" Halfway through, the person suddenly turned around and asked.
Li Erdan looked at the underwear in his hands and suddenly felt a sense of boredom.
Upon returning home, Li Erdan packed up all his belongings and left the rental apartment. At that moment, he felt that everything was meaningless; his life had been reduced to gambling.
Until the police investigation began, he had completely immersed himself in the casino. He lost all his money and had nothing left.
Jiang He and Old Shao exchanged glances, both knowing that the person must be the Criminal Consultant.
At that moment, Xu Yiman suddenly called Old Shao.
"Xu Yiman?" Old Shao asked. "Why aren't you sleeping?"
"The investigation has yielded results," Xu Yiman replied. "We found two types of blood in Zhu Liang's body. One is naturally Zhu Liang's own, while the other is a small amount of blood mixed within her. The two blood types are completely different; if forced into her, it would actually accelerate her death."
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