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墨書 Inktalez
At my strong insistence, the police finally found the remaining pieces of the puzzle at Wang Yiman's house around noon. However, despite having turned her home upside down, we were still missing one piece.
The piece in the very center.
"Where is the last piece?" I couldn't help but ask.
Gu Chen wiped the sweat from his forehead and replied impatiently, "I moved all the furniture inside. If we're still missing a piece, it must have been left outside. It's definitely not here."
I tugged at my hair in frustration. "Would you take a puzzle outside to assemble it?"
"Are you crazy?" Gu Chen shot back.
"Exactly! No one would take a puzzle out to play with; that's clearly insane. But we are indeed missing a piece, which means someone took it," I said, looking at Gu Chen.
Guan Zengbin frowned and remarked, "It probably fell into a trash bag and got thrown away, or maybe it was flushed down the toilet. Even if it was Wang Yiman herself, there are still many pieces of the puzzle that haven't been found. Why are you fixating on this one? What does it have to do with solving the case?"
I sighed. "It matters—a lot. When you saw Gao Rui's body, did you notice if he was missing anything?"
"Missing something?" The two of them leaned in closer.
I nodded slowly and said, "Yes, he was missing something. The first time I saw the body, I knew right away, but I thought it didn't relate to the case, so I didn't mention it. But now that an important piece of Wang Yiman's puzzle is also missing, there might be a connection between the two."
"What exactly was Gao Rui missing?" Guan Zengbin asked urgently.
I raised my hand to gesture for silence. "A watch—a watch that seemed to have been given to him by Zhang Mingliang. Although we didn't meet him often, every time I saw him, he was wearing that watch. But when I looked at his wrist on the body, I didn't see that watch."
I continued, "The watch that Zhang Mingliang gave to Gao Rui, the puzzle left behind by Wang Yiman's daughter. Although these items may not hold much monetary value, to them, these must be the most precious things they possess. Do you remember I once said that some people simply haven't found the opportunity for suicide?"
I felt as if something deep within me had been touched.
"I must be an orphan or raised in a single-parent household; someone in my family has committed suicide. At first, I didn't understand why someone would choose to end their own life, but later I did. So I began to help those who wanted to end their lives. If a person can't even manage to die, what else can they succeed at?"
Closing my eyes, I murmured to myself.
What was taken away were actually their memories. Whether it was Gao Rui or Wang Yiman, whether it was the watch or the puzzle, all of these held far more value than their physical worth. Perhaps they had long harbored thoughts of suicide, but the appearance of one person solidified that idea for them.
This is the key to the case.
But who was this person that strengthened their resolve?
At noon, we casually ordered some food at a restaurant. It was just after school let out, and a stream of vibrant students passed by the entrance.
Loud and lively conversations filled the air—some were about handsome boys and beautiful girls, who confessed to whom, and who had secret crushes on whom. Others discussed which TV dramas were good or talked about League of Legends and Overwatch. The top students naturally spoke about incomprehensible topics like reactive metals and other advanced concepts. Of course, there were also some literary youths sharing sweet nothings and poetry about love.
Many wore uniforms from Yucai High School, while others donned uniforms from Dongxing Fourth High School. However, most students had changed out of their uniforms into their own clothes. Some even went so far as to doodle on their uniforms, showcasing various cartoon designs that reflected their personalities.
Rebellious and creative—this is a defining characteristic of students at this age.
Guan Zengbin looked at these students and said, "Being young is wonderful; all you have to worry about is your studies, and you don't have to think about anything else. Unlike when you grow up, where worries become overwhelming. It's a pity that we didn't cherish it back then; time just slips away so quickly."
Seeing Guan Zengbin's envious expression, I couldn't help but shake my head.
Are students' troubles limited to academics? Probably not. Age has never been a definitive marker of whether someone has grown up or matured; it relates more to a person's experiences and insights. The places you've been, the books you've read, the things you've encountered, and the people you love are all deeply embedded in your current demeanor.
No matter how well one disguises it, that demeanor cannot be hidden when a person is alone with themselves.
"Hmph!" I teased deliberately, "What do you have to worry about before you even turn twenty? I think your only concern is your chest size!"
Guan Zengbin slammed his chopsticks down on the table, gesturing dramatically, "It's either you die or I die today..."
"That's interesting," Gu Chen continued to eat heartily. "If you don't eat, I'll finish it all myself."
Upon returning to the police station, I saw Liu squatting at the entrance with a troubled expression. After asking him about it, I learned that he had hit a bottleneck in his investigation at Yucai Middle School. The teachers who had good relationships with Gao Rui had neither the time nor the motive to commit the crime.
"If your good friend wants to commit suicide, your first reaction must be to stop him. I don't think any friend exists solely for the purpose of enabling someone else's suicide, so maybe you should change your approach. If someone would do that, it might just be an enemy of Gao Rui," I suggested while patting Liu on the shoulder, signaling him not to be so gloomy.
Liu stood up and said, "Damn, that's a wake-up call..."
Watching Liu walk away, I felt a sense of relief.
Before I could step into the building, Mary came out from inside the police station. Before I could say anything, she said, "That Wu... someone else has committed suicide."
Upon hearing this, the three of us wore expressions of helplessness. Gu Chen asked, "Is it the same method? A dignified and quick way to die?"
Mary shook her head and replied, "Quick it may be, but definitely not dignified."
"What does that mean?" I asked.
Mary replied, "Earlier this afternoon, a commuter jumped off the platform while waiting for the subway and was instantly crushed. We're still checking the deceased's information, but it might take a while to get results. You should head over to the Dongxing City subway Line 1 and take a look."
Gu Chen scratched his head and asked, "Does this have anything to do with our investigation? It may sound disrespectful to the deceased, but Gao Rui and Wang Yiman had much more dignified deaths than this; there's hardly anything left of him."
"We're not sure yet," Mary shook her head. "Just go to the scene first. If it’s related, continue investigating; if not, hand it over to someone else. Data analysis shows that in the past three years, Dongxing City has had a Suicide rate of one in every two people. Whether there's a connection is hard to say."
I nodded.
Mary continued, "It's possible; the police are already on their way."
An hour later.
When we arrived at Line 1 of the subway, operations were still suspended. Firefighters were laboriously gathering the shattered remains of the body from a distance of about a hundred meters. The larger, more intact pieces had already been placed on the platform and covered with white cloths, surrounded by a Crowd.
Looking around, there were no screen doors or guardrails beside the platform, so if someone wanted to commit Suicide, there was almost no obstruction.
As we approached, a complex odor hit us. The strong smell of blood mixed with something foul, reminiscent of burning feathers—this was the scent of protein being scorched. It seemed that after being struck, the body had burned from friction against the ground.
I lifted the white cloth to take a look and felt an indescribable sensation in my heart.
It was truly horrific; I didn't even know how to describe it. Just a fleeting glance revealed a shattered body. What I saw should have been body parts, but this could hardly be considered a body anymore. From the waist down, the corpse was split in half; both legs were missing, and only half an arm remained.
The head was merely an empty sac connected by a tiny bit of skin; it was utterly unrecognizable. Compared to how Gao Rui and Wang Yiman died, this was far more brutal.
Looking around, the walls, the subway, everywhere was stained with blood and shattered flesh, making one feel as if they were standing inside a meat grinder.
Could this be related to the previous case?
"At that time!" I displayed the identification that Captain Shao had given me.
A police officer brought a witness who had seen the entire incident unfold before me. The witness said, "I had just gotten off work; it was rush hour at the subway. We were waiting for the train like usual when it arrived. Although it slowed down, it was still moving quickly."
The witness continued, "At that moment, a figure suddenly leaped from the platform, holding a briefcase in his arms, and jumped down."
"Is it possible he was pushed or accidentally fell?" I asked.
The witness scratched his head and replied, "I'm not sure about that. First, I heard someone scream, and when I looked over, I saw a person flying through the air. Before I could react, he crashed onto the subway tracks. At that moment, I felt a flash of red in front of my eyes, as if blood was raining down from the sky, and then a strong smell of blood filled the air."
I nodded and said, "Alright, thank you for your help. Let's check the surveillance footage."
In the footage, we saw the individual. From various angles, we could conclude that this person had indeed committed suicide; it wasn't a push or an accident. The surveillance clearly showed him taking a running leap as the train approached, tightly clutching a briefcase against his chest.
"Why was he holding onto the briefcase?" I asked in confusion.
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