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墨書 Inktalez
"Master Shen, do you live here by yourself?" Ruan Xiaoshuang asked curiously as she looked around the small courtyard.
Shen Tong walked over to the stone table, poured a cup of tea, and handed it to Ruan Xiaoshuang. "Miss Ruan, you must have something important to discuss with me."
"Oh, right, take a look at this."
Ruan Xiaoshuang took out several unusual photographs and carefully spread them out on the stone table in front of Shen Tong. "These photos were taken at the funeral of businessman Zhu Xiheng yesterday. I only captured the memorial hall and the coffin, but after developing them... look at these. For some reason, the images of the deceased appeared in the photos, standing right next to their coffin. It's terrifying..."
"Has this happened before?"
"No, never! Otherwise, I would have come to see you much earlier."
Shen Tong stared at the photographs for a long time in silence before calmly asking, "Have you changed your developing solution recently?"
"Eh? How did you know?" Ruan Xiaoshuang was astonished; it seemed that this Wang Qi Master truly had remarkable abilities!
"I did change to a new developing solution. I bought it from a young apprentice named Qian Fu at Yongtai Photography Studio. He sold it to me secretly without his master's knowledge."
"Yongtai Photography Studio..." Shen Tong repeated softly as she gently picked up one of the photographs.
Ruan Xiaoshuang couldn't see it clearly, but she noticed right away when the photos were first taken out—there was a layer of cold, greenish aura surrounding these images, identical to what she had seen around Qi Songtao's body in Yongtai Photography Studio.
At that moment, footsteps approached from the courtyard entrance. A tall man strode in, carrying a file folder. He raised an eyebrow at Ruan Xiaoshuang before turning to Shen Tong and asking, "Miss Shen, do we have a guest?"
Seeing Lin Mingchang enter, Shen Tong showed no surprise. "Officer Lin, you're just in time. Miss Ruan, this is Detective Lin Mingchang from Spring City Police Station." She pointed at the photographs on the table. "Officer Lin, this is photographer Ruan Xiaoshuang. She bought developing solution from Yongtai Photography Studio and developed photos that reveal the deceased; you should take a look."
"What?" Lin Mingchang's attention was caught by Shen Tong's emphasis on "developing solution from Yongtai Photography Studio." After examining the photographs and listening to Ruan Xiaoshuang's account, he pointed at the portrait of the deceased in one of the photos and asked her, "The portrait of Zhu Xiheng looks good. Miss Ruan, as a professional, can you tell which Yongtai Photography Studio took this?"
Ruan Xiaoshuang was momentarily taken aback, clearly not expecting Lin Mingchang to ask such a question. "A posthumous portrait? Judging by the composition, lighting, and the material of the frame, it should have been taken by Yongtai Photography Studio. Every photographer has their own shooting habits, and I know a bit about Qi Songtao, so I can recognize it."
Lin Mingchang pulled out another stack of photos from the file bag. "Then could you please take a look at these as well, Miss Ruan?"
Ruan Xiaoshuang took the photos and was shocked to find that they were posthumous portraits of five other prominent figures who had suddenly died from acute illnesses in the past three months! Moreover, she recognized at a glance that these were also taken at Yongtai Photography Studio!
After receiving Ruan Xiaoshuang's confirmation, Lin Mingchang displayed an expression of "just as I thought." He then stood up and gestured for her to leave. "Thank you very much for your cooperation, Miss Ruan. We need to discuss matters related to the case now, and it would be inconvenient for you to stay. If there’s nothing else, please leave."
"Hey, hey, hey! Don’t do that! How can you just kick me out after using me?" Ruan Xiaoshuang's curiosity was thoroughly piqued; she was not about to leave quietly. She clutched the edge of the stone table tightly, pouting and looking pleadingly at Shen Tong. "Master Shen, Officer Lin, I'm quite familiar with taking photos, developing them, and using developing solutions... I can also gather plenty of insider information from various newspapers. I'm really clever... I’m sure I can help! Please don’t send me away; let me participate!"
Shen Tong chuckled at Ruan Xiaoshuang's adorable antics and poked Lin Mingchang with a finger. "Miss Ruan has a point; she might actually be able to help us this time. Let her join in."
Lin Mingchang felt as if Shen Tong's words had struck directly at his heart. The tall man's ears turned red instantly. "Ahem... Fine, fine. But you must promise that you won't reveal anything about the case to anyone else."
"I promise! I promise!" Ruan Xiaoshuang nodded vigorously and winked gratefully at Shen Tong.
Lin Mingchang shook his head helplessly and pulled out his investigation results. "I looked into the client list of Yongtai Photography Studio. In the past three months, six prominent figures who had their photos taken there have suddenly died. This includes businessman Zhu Xiheng, President Li from the Zhejiang West Chamber of Commerce, Boss Yang from Jintong Hotel, the Young Mistress of the Chengnan Wang Family, renowned surgeon Xiao Chengye, and famous historian Professor Hao Yun."
Ruan Xiaoshuang responded eagerly, "Yes, yes! I heard some old reporters mention this before. Apparently, all six died in similar ways—sudden acute illnesses."
"That's not all." Lin Mingchang pulled out a ledger from the file bag. "I found this hidden in Qi Songtao's personal safe; it’s clear he intended to conceal it. The transaction records show that Yongtai Photography Studio has had unusually high income recently, with several large deposits over the last three months. However, the payer column is marked only with a symbol; take a look."
Shen Tong and Ruan Xiaoshuang leaned in closer and saw that it was a Triple Spiral Pattern—a swirling design rotating counterclockwise three times, becoming more frantic toward the center as if stirred by an invisible hand in stagnant water, evoking a dizzying sensation of being pulled into an abyss.
"I feel like I've seen this symbol somewhere before..." Shen Tong frowned slightly.
"So... is it possible that Qi Songtao received money from someone and then somehow caused these wealthy individuals' deaths?" Ruan Xiaoshuang bit her nails and suddenly recalled something. "Then... could the developing solution used by Yongtai Photography Studio be related to this incident?"
Lin Mingchang glanced appreciatively at Ruan Xiaoshuang; she truly was quite perceptive.
He patted the still pondering Shen Tong on the shoulder. "Last time at the scene, Shen Tong discovered there was a problem with the developing solution, so I took a sample back for testing. It indeed detected a rare substance; we only know that it can be absorbed in small amounts through the skin, but we can't determine exactly what it is or if it's toxic yet."
Ruan Xiaoshuang suddenly thought of something, her expression changing. "Oh no, I previously came into contact with the developing solution from Yongtai Photography Studio... What if it's toxic? Could there be danger?"
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