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墨書 Inktalez
"Turn off all the flashlights," Jiang He said decisively. "Since the Criminal Consultant asked us to come here in the middle of the night, there must be a reason for it. What’s the difference between night and day? The difference is that there is light during the day and none at night. This means that if there is something in this coffin, it can only be seen in complete darkness."
Jiang He first turned off his flashlight, and upon hearing his words, Xu Yiman naturally followed suit. Instantly, the yard was enveloped in total darkness. At that moment, what had been an empty coffin began to emit a faint glow, a weak light that resembled a tiny speck of phosphorescence in the night.
Jiang He spoke again, "Just as I thought, when strong light shines into this coffin, it will overshadow the glow emitted by this phosphorescence. I am a hundred percent sure that this phosphorescence absorbs energy in bright conditions and converts it into light in the absence of light."
Xu Yiman glanced at Jiang He and said, "Well, isn’t this just phosphorescent powder? You make it sound like no one knows what it is. Let’s see what’s written on it."
"Countdown," Jiang He replied.
"What countdown?" Xu Yiman asked.
"Just the two characters for countdown," Jiang He clarified.
Guan Deng understood Jiang He's meaning and typed "Countdown" on the page. Soon, the page began to refresh and transitioned to another screen where, indeed, large white letters displayed the word "Countdown" along with a digital timer.
The entire countdown consisted of hours, minutes, seconds, and milliseconds. At that moment, everyone watched as the milliseconds ticked down at an almost imperceptible rate, creating a sense of unease about what might happen when the countdown reached zero.
Jiang He looked at the page while calculating in his mind and then stated aloud, "Seventy-two hours, forty-two minutes, thirty seconds—approximately 3029 days."
Xu Yiman remarked, "Three days is enough; do we really need to calculate it so precisely?"
Jiang He shook his head and explained, "No, if we push it forward in time, it lands exactly at midnight three days from now."
"New Year!" Xu Yiman exclaimed. "I've been so busy at the police station lately that I've almost lost track of time. Tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and the day after that is New Year's Eve! Midnight on New Year's Eve marks the start of a new year!"
"I can’t believe how quickly time has passed," Jiang He said.
"Yeah, it's almost a new year," Xu Yiman replied.
Suddenly, a burst of fireworks exploded in the distance, followed by continuous explosions of colorful fireworks lighting up the sky like beautiful flowers blooming. The fireworks were far away; they didn’t know who was setting them off, but they were magnificent.
At that moment, the three seemed to forget they were there to investigate clues. They leaned against the coffin lid and looked up at the sky.
Xu Yiman spoke up, "Our project team is made up of people without parents, who don’t know where to celebrate the New Year."
Jiang He replied, "I am ninety percent sure that we won’t be able to celebrate this New Year. The Countdown from the Criminal Consultant must have some deeper meaning; it can't just be a simple New Year’s countdown."
Xu Yiman said, "That might be for the best. Rather than being alone at home, it’s better to come out and solve cases. Every year during the New Year, I would go to bed early, not thinking about anything, not watching the Spring Festival Gala or the fireworks. It felt like just another ordinary day in my life."
Jiang He added, "Ever since my great-aunt passed away, I haven’t eaten dumplings on New Year's Eve or gone to the balcony to watch fireworks. Xu Yiman, you say that the Spring Festival is our country’s biggest holiday, but why is it that I don’t understand its significance?"
Xu Yiman sighed heavily and replied, "I think the meaning of the Spring Festival is something each person must find for themselves. I can’t express my feelings to you right now, but I believe there will come a day when you will understand all those emotions that cannot be described with words. I think that’s the essence of human existence."
Jiang He glanced at the computer screen of Guan Deng, where the Countdown continued ticking down. He said, "This time there is only this countdown, but there’s no number of people displayed below it. However, judging by this coffin, it hasn’t just opened once. This means that many people may have already discovered this secret, but we don’t know how many. We also don’t know what the Criminal Consultant plans to do when the New Year arrives."
"Since we’ve found this clue, should we destroy it? If more people find out about what the Criminal Consultant intends to do, we’ll be at a disadvantage."
Jiang He pondered for a moment as fireworks continued to bloom and fade in the sky. The glowing words inside the coffin appeared and disappeared repeatedly. At that moment, Jiang He was only focused on one question: what exactly does the Criminal Consultant want?
From the moment they found this page from Guan Deng, the Criminal Consultant had been guiding his followers step by step through what seemed simple but was actually quite troublesome tasks. What people find most annoying isn’t a heavy burden but rather trivial matters. A word flashed in Jiang He’s mind: selection.
Yes, it was clear that the Criminal Consultant was trying to find certain individuals among these followers.
Jiang He’s mind raced as he became oblivious to his surroundings; it felt as if he were alone in this place. The clues in his mind began to spin and eventually converged into one thought that made him break into a cold sweat.
What kind of world does the Criminal Consultant desire? The Countdown ends precisely at the beginning of a new year; this cannot be a coincidence. Jiang He understood that this must be what the Criminal Consultant ultimately aims to achieve.
"Selection!" Jiang He chose to voice his speculation. He said, "I finally understand what the Criminal Consultant wants to do. He is selecting his followers; first with masks—those who purchased those criminal masks essentially acknowledge his methods; otherwise, they wouldn’t buy them."
Leaning against the coffin lid, Jiang He continued earnestly, "This is a major premise; it shows that these people support the Criminal Consultant's methods and are loyal supporters. Next, he wants us to go somewhere to find a code; this is also his way of selecting people. He needs individuals who will follow his instructions so that he can use them for future plans."
"Finally," Jiang He tapped on the coffin lid and said, "this part tests what? Ordinary intelligence and courage. If someone fears the dark night but comes here during the day and opens the coffin when sunlight shines in, they won’t see the key and thus cannot proceed. If someone has courage but lacks intelligence and cannot find the key deliberately left by the Criminal Consultant, they also cannot enter."
"In summary," Jiang He concluded, "the Criminal Consultant is looking for individuals with independent action capabilities who possess a certain level of courage and intelligence—ultimately supporters who align with him."
Upon hearing Jiang He's words, Xu Yiman asked, "So what does he want with these people? What does it have to do with the New Year? Are they not going home for the holidays?"
At that moment, Jiang He finally spoke up, "I finally understand why the Criminal Consultant asked us to fill out those three pieces of information at the beginning: name, ID number, and home address. He is also looking for locals from Dragon City. These people are all residents of Dragon City; on New Year's Eve, they can go home at any time or come out as they please. Guan Deng, check immediately if there are any large events happening in Dragon City on New Year's Eve."
Guan Deng nodded.
Jiang He continued, "This is the ultimate goal of the Criminal Consultant. He has been entangled with us for half a year now, and his final scheme must be something significant."
"Xu Yiman, see if you can find something around to scrape off this fluorescent powder," Jiang He said. "I’ll call Old Shao right away to see how things are on his end."
"Okay."
Xu Yiman found a branch in the yard and went to scrape off the two large characters inside the coffin.
Jiang He dialed Old Shao's number and directly said, "Old Shao, by the time we traced everything here step by step, it became clear that the Criminal Consultant wants to do something at the moment of the New Year. However, we still don't know exactly what he intends to do. What I do know is that this matter will definitely involve many people. If the Criminal Consultant succeeds, the number of casualties could be in the thousands."
"Understood," Old Shao replied. "We'll head back to the City Bureau shortly. If it's about New Year’s, we only have three days left. Let's hold out as long as we can during these days."
"What about you over there?" Jiang He asked. "Any leads?"
Old Shao responded, "We've confirmed with Zhang Shan's family that after being dismissed, Zhang Shan chose to go travel and relax. He promised to return a week before the New Year, but now that so many days have passed, he still hasn't come back. In fact, since yesterday, they haven't been able to reach him at all. They've already reported it to the police; we can confirm that Zhang Shan is missing."
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