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墨書 Inktalez
The deep red, old-fashioned security door was as sturdy as when it first left the factory, with the lock secured from the inside. The suspect, Fang Dersee, was holding a hostage and hiding inside, possibly in the bedroom, the kitchen, or any corner of the house. Although Fang Dersee had a mild intellectual disability, he was not so foolish as to not know how to hide from a gun.
Shen Jie led his team of detectives outside the door, while armed police stood silently at the ready. Different voices crackled through the earpiece.
"Report, Captain Shen. No sign of the suspect or hostage on the balcony or in the secondary bedroom."
Shen Jie quietly ordered his team member Zhao Ziqiang, "Go outside and find a police officer to get the floor plan and owner list from the property management."
Zhao Ziqiang strode away, while Shen Jie fiddled with a pimple that had emerged on his chin, muttering to himself, "How did they get into a house that hasn't been lived in for so long?"
An intern officer quietly asked Shi Ya beside him, "Sister Shi, how did the captain know this house hasn't been lived in for a long time?"
Shi Ya pointed at the ground. "Look closely; dust has formed a perfect rectangle around the doormat. That's its shape, right? Such thick dust would take months to accumulate, indicating that this doormat hasn't been moved for quite some time. But look at its position and angle against the wall—if someone had been living here consistently, how lazy would they have to be to not even bother straightening out a doormat?"
The intern officer suddenly understood and then sheepishly said, "I only know theoretical knowledge; I freeze up in real situations."
"It's fine; you'll get used to it," Shi Ya reassured him.
The local police officers waited outside for instructions. Zhao Ziqiang stepped out and squinted as he scanned their faces. "Who among you will go to property management to get the community layout map, owner list, and tenant registration forms?"
"The hostage is named Pan Lang, 17 years old, a senior at Rongqing High School. Her mother, Pan Nianzhen, gave birth out of wedlock; her father is unknown. Apartment 101 in Building 9 is under Pan Nianzhen's name, but two years ago they moved out of this community. The apartment has been vacant and never rented out; Pan Nianzhen comes back every few months just to clean up a bit and leaves without staying overnight. As for the internal layout of the apartment, I can sketch a rough diagram."
Ji Qinchou genuinely disliked lengthy explanations but found that his mind worked just a bit faster than others. He couldn't let his own shortcomings allow criminals to escape; thus, he poured out all the information and reasoning he had that others lacked. After finishing each time, his mouth felt dry as if he had swallowed sand. Yu Liangcai knew this habit of his; as soon as Ji Qinchou stopped speaking, Yu Liangcai handed him a bottle of water.
Zhao Ziqiang crossed his arms and eyed Ji Qinchou up and down. The tall and lanky Ji Qinchou seemed like someone he could easily overpower with one punch; it annoyed him that such an unremarkable person was showing off in front of him. He questioned Ji Qinchou with an air of authority, "How do you know all this so clearly?"
"Based on timing, she should be Fang Dersee's first victim. However, due to insufficient evidence at that time, it wasn't classified as a criminal case. It was a deep night in May 2021 when she came to report it at the police station while I was on duty taking inquiries. I later sent her to the hospital for injury assessment and evidence collection. Since no male biological traces were found on her body and she was in extremely poor condition—both mentally and physically self-harming—she couldn't provide us with more detailed information. The case gradually got shelved."
Human emotions are often fickle. "Come with me," Zhao Ziqiang said.
At 3:17 AM on May 7, 2021, Ji Qinchou was on duty while two colleagues went to Wansheng Street to handle a domestic violence incident. Ji Qinchou sat behind the dispatch desk summarizing what four overweight middle-aged men and a young woman trembling in a corner had reported.
The men said, "We just had a few drinks and saw this beauty standing there in her spaghetti strap dress late at night by the bar entrance. We thought she was soliciting; we just wanted to make friends—no other intentions at all! It was such a small matter; why bother Police Comrade? It's always women looking for trouble!"
Ji Qinchou quickly typed on his keyboard. "Who’s your brother? Sit down properly! Ma'am, you don’t need to be afraid; this is the police station. Just tell us honestly what happened tonight."
The woman replied, "It was my friend's birthday; we rented a private room at the bar for her celebration. But it got too stuffy inside because some guys were smoking heavily. I couldn't take it anymore and snuck out for some fresh air when these old perverts saw me. They surrounded me and demanded my WeChat ID; when I refused to give it to them, they dragged me into a dark alley on Commercial Street, tore my clothes off me, groped me and pinned me down while biting and pinching me. I fought back desperately shouting 'Help! Help!' but no one came to my aid. I had no choice but to fight back—biting whoever I could grab hold of; one guy bled from my bite while another lost part of his finger when I bit him! One who tried to pull down my underwear got kneed in the groin by me while they screamed in pain—I quickly called 110."
"Whether it's self-defense or not isn't up to me; you can file a lawsuit..."
At that moment, 15-year-old Pan Lang pushed open the door—her hair disheveled and covered in blood—a tattered woven bag barely covering her small frame while exposing her bare shoulders and legs. She was bruised all over with blood streaming down her inner thighs as she walked barefoot toward the reception desk, leaving behind clear bloody footprints.
The young woman on the metal chair silently took off her coat and draped it over Pan Lang. Pan Lang was an incredibly strong child, possibly forcing herself to bury the horrific experience deep in her mind to protect her sanity from breaking down. Calmly and logically, she told Ji Qinchou that someone had broken into her bedroom while she was asleep and drove her to a desolate place, likely by the river, because after tearing her nightgown and underwear, the person carelessly tossed her clothes into the water, where they drifted away.
That person set her hair on fire, burned off her eyebrows, broke her nose, knocked out her teeth, pulled off her nails, and cut off her breasts. After a series of perverse acts, he sexually assaulted her and then used a fruit knife to slice open the skin of her abdomen, carving a bloody "Fan" character into her flesh. She felt as if she might faint from the pain and vaguely sensed that he was inserting the knife into her body.
He had originally intended to kill her, straddling her with his rough hands around her neck, pressing his thumbs against her throat tighter and tighter until she felt suffocated. However, he underestimated the human instinct for survival. Even though Pan Lang was a frail girl, she managed to grab a stone and swung it with all her might at his hypothalamus, knocking him unconscious.
Pan Lang was terrified and disoriented about where she was. She could only run in one direction until she reached a populated area—a night market filled with outdoor barbecues and hundreds of tables surrounded by diners. They stared at her strangely, some even standing up with their phones to record live videos. It was then that she realized she was completely naked.
In a panic, she hid behind a half-height trash can. Fortune smiled upon her as she found an intact rectangular cardboard box from a refrigerator. She wrapped it around herself and took a deep breath of relief. As she turned slightly, she noticed an old man with a woven bag collecting garbage standing half a meter away from her, his eyes gleaming as he "tasted" her body. This little vixen would be enough to satisfy his ravenous second brother for months.
Seeing her flustered only encouraged the old man further; he stepped closer and jabbed the cardboard with a metal stick he used to pick up bottles and cans. "This area is mine; that cardboard is mine too! Take it off!"
"Grandpa, I was attacked..."
"Don't talk nonsense; hurry up and take it off! If you stall any longer, I'll personally rip it off you!"
Begging was useless; crying only excited him more. Offering money meant nothing to him.
"Hurry up! There are at least three or four hundred people at that night market; if I shout out loud enough, everyone will see you naked!"
Pan Lang succumbed to his threats. She squatted down and grabbed the edges of the box, slowly revealing every inch of her smooth skin like an exquisite traditional painting... He almost reached out to touch her gently...
With nothing left to cover herself, Pan Lang hugged her shoulders tightly while squatting on the ground, anxiously watching her surroundings.
The old man disappeared into the darkness with his bag and cardboard. A few seconds later, there were sounds of items being loaded onto a vehicle nearby. Pan Lang panicked—was there going to be a car passing by? There wasn't even a place for her to hide!
Sure enough, someone approached in the dark. Heart racing, Pan Lang hid beside the trash can.
"Little girl," it was the old man's voice again. "I have a woven bag that can barely cover you; do you want it?"
Pan Lang peeked out. "Thank you, Grandpa!"
"Grandpa..." The old man savored this title clearly pleased by it. "You walk straight ahead to the road with streetlights; turn left, and less than a mile away is the police station."
"Okay!" Pan Lang reached out for the woven bag he offered and wrapped it around herself from chest to hips—it fit well enough. Unable to help herself, she thanked him again. "Grandpa, thank you so much!"
The police officers returned with two young boys who were bloodied and injured. This gave Ji Qinchou time to ask Pan Lang about the details of the case in the interrogation room. Wrapped in Ji Qinchou's coat and sitting across from him with a cup of hot water beside her, she finally felt like she had come back to life.
"What do you know about the assailant's characteristics?"
"I was too scared at that moment, and it was pitch black; I couldn't see anything."
"Did you notice any features during the physical contact between you and him?"
Pan Lang furrowed his brow slightly, painfully clutching his heart. "I don't know, really. I've told you everything I know..."
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