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墨書 Inktalez
At three in the afternoon, the weather was unusually sultry. Before long, dark clouds gathered ominously, indicating that rain was imminent.
A white Santana police car pulled over to the side of the road. Two officers in uniforms stepped out of the vehicle.
The Tall Police Officer frowned and complained, "If it weren't for this case, my wife and I would be vacationing in Thailand right now."
"Getting married and going to Thailand for a vacation? To see ladyboys? I really don't understand what you two are thinking. You should go to a romantic place, like the Maldives, Bali, or Jeju Island," the Short Officer teased.
"Mind your own business! You're just envious and resentful. The mindset of a single person is always abnormal," the Tall Officer raised his voice.
"Single people are still people. Showing off your affection is just cruel dog abuse," the Short Officer retorted.
As they joked, they arrived in front of a shop called "Quick Rental Agency." The store was small, with a few cars scattered around the open space in front.
As soon as they entered the shop, a chubby man approached them with a broad smile and said, "Officers, how can I help you?"
"We're from Chengnan District Police Station. Here are our credentials. We're here to investigate and verify some information. We need to speak with your boss," the Short Officer said seriously, adopting a formal demeanor.
"I am the boss. Please feel free to tell me what you need," the chubby man said, nodding eagerly.
"Is the vehicle with license plate Ji C020AB one of yours?" the Tall Police Officer pulled out a notebook and began writing something down.
"Yes, what's wrong?" the chubby man asked nervously, his tone anxious.
"This morning at 9:20 AM, someone drove this white Toyota SUV with license plate Ji C020AB and attempted to murder a young woman at Haitang Intersection," the Tall Police Officer said casually.
"Then what about my car?" Boss blurted out, immediately feeling it was an inappropriate question, and quickly added, "How is the young woman?"
Short Police Officer glanced at the fat man with a somewhat meaningful look and then said, "The woman is seriously injured and is currently undergoing emergency treatment. The perpetrator has abandoned the vehicle and fled. Your car has been found not far from the accident site. However, we need to temporarily seize your car until the investigation results come out. Please provide us with the rental records for this vehicle over the past week. We ask for your cooperation."
"Of course, we will fully cooperate," the fat man turned around and immediately adopted a stern expression, saying to Sister at the counter, "Xiao Li, according to the officer's request, please provide him with the rental records for the vehicle with license plate Ji C020AB for this past week."
"Okay, Boss," Sister replied cheerfully. She then pulled out a thick record book from the drawer, found the rental records for Ji C020AB, and handed them to the police officer.
After reviewing the rental records, they confirmed that the Ji C020AB vehicle had been rented by a man named Li Wenbin the day before the incident, and his identification number was listed in the records. Upon verification, it was discovered that the ID was forged.
"Can you recall what that man looked like?" Tall Police Officer asked as he looked up at Xiao Li.
Xiao Li thought carefully and said, "The man seemed to be in his forties, very tall and thin."
"I see you handle so many rental records every day; why do you remember him so clearly?"
"Because it was extremely hot that day when he came to rent a car, and he was wearing a black baseball cap. I specifically took a closer look at him."
"What was his face shape? How were his features?"
"His hat covered his face completely; I couldn't see clearly," Xiao Li shook her head.
Tall Police Officer felt somewhat disappointed but still unwilling to give up, continued to ask, "Was there anything else distinctive about his appearance?"
Xiao Li pondered for a moment and suddenly exclaimed, "Oh right! I remember now; he had a scar on his lower left cheek. When he took out his wallet, a business card fell out. I bent down to pick it up for him, and from that angle looking up at him, I saw that scar."
The Short Police Officer, a bit agitated, signaled for everyone present to remain quiet, hoping that Xiao Li could recall more.
"What was that business card?"
"It seemed to be a hotel business card."
"What hotel?"
"I couldn't see it clearly; I just caught a glimpse. It looked like the name of the hotel had 'Four Flowers' printed next to it."
Four Flowers? What kind of hotel has a logo with Four Flowers? This was an important clue, and the next step was to search for this scarred man in all hotels across the city that had a flower logo.
In the following week, they checked every hotel in the city, but unfortunately, none of them had a flower logo.
At the same time, news came from SkyNet Surveillance that there were no cameras installed at the intersection where the incident occurred, and there was also no surveillance along the route the perpetrator took while fleeing. This indicated that the criminal had meticulously planned their escape route before committing the crime.
The case's clues were at a standstill...
In a quiet and spacious room, there was a large red lacquered office desk in the center.
On the desk lay a clean black square cloth without dust. A pair of slender black hands skillfully shuffled the smooth surfaces of Tarot Cards.
The term "Tarot" is derived from the Egyptian words tar (path) and ro (king), meaning "the path of kings." Therefore, "Tarot" itself refers to the correct decision-making ability that a ruler should possess, which is also the origin of this divination method.
Originally, Tarot was not used in card form for divination but originated from the ancient Egyptian text The Book of Thoth. Thoth is the Egyptian moon god and god of culture and education. The Book of Thoth is a mysterious book specifically used to convey the will of the gods, and Pharaohs made various decisions based on it. When the Egyptian Dynasty faced destruction, to prevent foreign tribes from obtaining this book, it was illustrated as cards and handed over to priests. Later, it was introduced to Europe through Alexander and evolved into modern Tarot Cards during the Middle Ages.
On the table lay the Tarot Cards, after a series of complex and skilled shuffling, cutting, selecting, and revealing by those hands, the final card came into view.
It was the Devil Tarot Card.
The Devil had a pair of antlers, with a pair of bat wings behind it. Its body was covered in thick fur, and its toes had sharp claws. The Devil sat on a black base, with its left hand hanging down, engulfed in flames. On either side of the Devil stood a pair of slaves, one male and one female, both with shackles around their necks.
However, when he revealed the card, the Devil was in the reversed position. The reversed Devil card symbolized that he was actively freeing himself from his troubles. Nothing could stop his wicked actions anymore, including using some extreme means to achieve his goals.
"Everything should come to an end; I will complete my mission," he said to himself as he put the card back into the box.
He raised his head thoughtfully; a man in his fifties of East Asian descent, with a square face, small eyes, a flat nose, and scattered white hair at his temples.
There was a polite and rhythmic knocking at the door.
"Come in," he said as he tidied everything up and sat up straight.
A young and beautiful Secretary walked in. "Chairman, there is an international long-distance call from China. They say it's urgent and must be answered by you personally. May I transfer it to you?"
He did not respond immediately but instead raised his wrist to check his exquisite Patek Philippe watch. The world's top-ranked watch is known for its long history and perfect design.
The timing was just right; the action should have concluded. Now that this call had come in, would it bring good news or bad news? He felt both anticipation and fear.
She survived an attempted murder at birth; that stroke of luck allowed her to live.
He had only one opportunity left: to kill her on her 24th birthday.
If he failed this time, he would be unable to destroy her, only able to watch as she grew stronger, breaking the curse and changing the fate of a once-great family that had fallen into obscurity.
He steadied himself and nodded at the Secretary.
After she left, he waited a few seconds before the call connected, and he picked up the receiver.
On the other end of the line was a man who was not very strong, particularly with skin that appeared sickly pale, making this roughly six-foot-tall man seem quite frail.
His eyebrows were light, his eyes narrow, and the curve of his nose was not particularly straight but rather gentle. In short, his features had a somewhat effeminate quality that matched well with his pale skin.
If someone were to pass by him on his left side right now, they would notice he wore a smile, but it was an oddly unsettling one. In fact, it was an illusion; from the corner of his left eye extending down to his lips was a terrible scar.
"The operation went smoothly; the mission has been successfully completed," the scarred man said leisurely.
"Yes, very good."
The East Asian man nodded in satisfaction and hung up the phone.
He pondered for a long time before standing up from his comfortable chair, running his fingers through his hair, lightly rolling up the sleeves of his shirt, and standing in front of a massive transparent floor-to-ceiling window, enjoying the view of the bustling city below...
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