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墨書 Inktalez
We nodded and put the files back into the folder, then followed the officer to the office. When Director Wang saw us coming out of the archive room, he asked, "So, did you find anything?" I shook my head and replied, "It's still uncertain whether this case from ten years ago is related to the same incident. We plan to find someone in the bureau who knows about this matter. What do you think, Director?"
"I'll go with you," the director said.
We followed Director Wang to the staff dormitory. He led us up to the second floor and walked straight to the end of the corridor, knocking on a door. He turned to us and said, "Once we go in, make sure not to touch anything carelessly; it could lead to trouble."
We nodded, and a deep voice came from inside. Director Wang pushed the door open, revealing an elderly man with white hair at his temples and a long white beard. At first glance, he looked like Santa Claus. Director Wang said, "Grandfather, these are the members of the Special Investigation Team I mentioned to you. They are here to learn about the case from twenty years ago."
While they spoke, I took a moment to observe the room. It was impeccably clean, almost unnaturally so. Most of the furniture was handmade with exquisite craftsmanship and precise cuts, showcasing the artisan's skill.
Grandfather scrutinized us carefully before nodding slowly and saying, "Have a seat, Sister, pour some tea."
A young woman emerged from the inner room and shyly smiled at us; she looked incredibly cute. As we settled down, I quickly said, "Grandfather, I heard you believe this case is related to the curse from twenty years ago. We came specifically to understand more about it."
Grandfather nodded and stroked his beard as he replied, "It was also my suggestion for Director Wang to bring you here. The reason for seeking you out is simple: I need a few people who aren't afraid of death. I've heard about the Special Investigation Team for many years; they say wherever there's danger, that's where you go."
Upon hearing this, we frowned in confusion, unsure of what he meant. He continued, "To be honest, this is a curse; it's actually a form of sorcery. Ten years ago, that girl used herself as bait to cast a spell on the people of Baili Village. Twenty years ago, fifty-five people died in that village; now we don't know how many more will die!"
"Oh? Casting spells?" we asked in bewilderment.
The old man nodded and explained further, "That girl was no ordinary person; she must have been a sorceress. For some unclear reason, she hid in Baili Village. It seems she didn't intend to harm anyone initially, but then things happened... It's tragic; this time it must be that the cursed insects have revived and started harming people again."
I could only believe part of what he said; it sounded too mystical for me to fully accept that a cursed insect could cause an entire village to suffer like that. If that were true, we wouldn't even need an army in times of war. Yan Junde was more straightforward than I was; he said, "Cursing? Where in the world does such a thing exist? I doubt it."
The old man remained silent while Mary interjected first: "You always say that! Don't be so dogmatic; just because you can't explain something doesn't mean it doesn't exist. The art of sorcery has nearly two thousand years of history and has been passed down in our country’s Yunnan-Guizhou region. Have you heard of the Three Evils of Xiangxi? Corpse driving, sorcery toxins, and women from Luohua Cave—many people have witnessed these firsthand. Although sometimes we can't explain their scientific principles yet, we can't simply conclude they don't exist. Even Li Shizhen's Compendium of Materia Medica contains explanations and treatments for sorcery toxins."
I knew these two well: one was a staunch atheist who never believed in supernatural beings while the other was a natural ghost hunter who firmly believed in unexplained phenomena. Every time they discussed this topic, they would bicker. I quickly intervened and turned back to Grandfather saying, "Grandfather, since you say it's cursed insects causing trouble, what should our next step be?"
The old man said, "I believe our primary task is to find out what kind of poison that girl used back then. Only then can we treat it accordingly. We need to understand what this creature is and how to eliminate it. Do you understand? However, dealing with cursed insects is extremely dangerous. A slight mistake could lead to a curse, and once cursed, without knowing the depth of the curse, it might be beyond remedy."
Hearing this, Yan Junde suddenly stood up from the bamboo chair and exclaimed, "I still don't believe there are any cursed insects."
His sudden movement was so vigorous that it caused the nearby cabinet to shake, and a small box on top fell down. Yan Junde seemed unaware of it. I reacted quickly and reached out to catch it, only to hear both the old man and the girl shout in unison, "Don't!"
But before they could finish their warning, I had already caught the box. Suddenly, I felt a sharp sting at my fingertip, as if I had been pricked by a needle. Instantly, blood oozed from my fingertip and dripped onto the box. I looked it over but saw no needle-like object.
At that moment, the old man sighed and said, "I told you not to touch it."
"What's wrong with it?" I asked.
The girl set her tea down and walked over to me, taking my hand in hers. I was bewildered by her actions as she said, "You've been affected by my love curse. From now on, you can only love me. If you dare to like someone else, the cursed insect will devour your heart, and you'll die."
"What kind of story is this?" I hurriedly touched my heart, feeling its normal rhythm without any abnormalities. The girl looked at me shyly and added, "I've never been in love before." What? If you've never been in love, then why are you holding my hand so tightly? Are all the girls here this bold?
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Juan Juan glaring at me with an expression that seemed ready to devour me whole. I thought to myself that this was truly unfair—like an African elder jumping high—scaring me half to death! I quickly said, "Please release me; I'm already a married man!"
The girl looked quite disappointed and replied softly, "There’s no way to break this curse. You either wait for your divorce or you die!"
That can't be true! I tried to imagine an intimate scene with Juan Juan in my mind and felt a pang in my heart! I quickly suppressed those thoughts and said, "Let's discuss this later. Right now, we need to focus on resolving the curse affecting Baili Village. Just now, I suddenly thought of a breakthrough: fifty-five people died in total; are there any witnesses left? Those who experienced the whole incident that night—the Ma family father and son—or the other four individuals involved, as well as the villagers who dug up graves."
Old man Director Wang fell into deep thought as everyone fell silent. It took some time before he finally spoke up: "As far as I know, there are indeed three people who were involved. Given how significant that incident was, many people confessed long ago. Over about a year’s time, we arrested four main culprits from back then. By the way, the Ma family kid came forward with his father to confess; he was sentenced to life imprisonment but was released a few years ago for good behavior while in prison. There’s also someone named Min You who was an accomplice back then."
"The Ma family kid and his father, along with Min You—should still be around; it's just that after being released from prison, I don’t know where they went. You should be able to track them down," the old man continued.
I nodded and replied, "They all have criminal records; finding these individuals shouldn't be a problem." As I spoke, I glanced at Mary; she nodded in agreement. Then the old man began discussing curses and poisons again—what kind of curses there were and how to break them. My heart raced with fear as if I couldn't see tomorrow's sun anymore; however, Mary seemed quite interested. If I hadn't stopped her, she might have directly sought out a master to learn those arts right then and there.
After finally getting outside, I supported Yan Junde, who glanced at me and said, "What kind of nonsense is this? I don't believe it."
Mary chimed in, "Didn't you hear what the old man just said? It seems like you'll only be able to like that little girl from now on. Otherwise, the more people you think about, the faster you'll die."
"Really, I feel like my heart is breaking right now," I replied. "Could it be that it's acting up? Listen to me, I'm actually a playboy. I can't handle this. Back in elementary school, I had several girlfriends—Lily, Lili, and Lili. In Junior High School, I had a few more—Lulu and Luru. You should hear about my high school days..."
Juan Juan shot me a cold glance and said, "Changing your heart isn't exactly a complicated procedure anymore. Don't worry; once this case is over, I'll replace your treacherous heart!" With that, she turned and walked away without looking back.
Mary was quick; not long after returning to the office, I saw her fingers dancing across the keyboard like she was playing the piano. Before long, the addresses of the Ma Family Father and Son, Father Ma Wei Shan, and his son Ma Hengdong appeared on the screen along with Lin Minyou's address. A map was automatically generated. We noticed that the Ma Family Father and Son had already moved to Shengzhou City, while Lin Minyou was still in Nangyun City but quite far from Baili Village.
I pointed at the map and said, "Today we'll go find Lin Minyou first, then take an overnight flight to Shengzhou City to look for the Ma Family Father and Son. I think we can gather some information from them."
"I just wonder if they still remember what happened twenty years ago," Mary murmured softly.
I smiled and shook my finger reassuringly. "Don't worry; some things once done will haunt one's conscience for a lifetime. They can't possibly forget."
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