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墨書 Inktalez
The night had grown deep, and aside from the light shining from our house, all the others were dark. I could hear nothing but the sound of the wind outside. We returned to our respective rooms, wrapped in thick blankets, listening to the wind and falling into a warm sleep.
Early the next morning, I was awakened by the sound of the wind outside. The heating in the house was still sufficient, and looking out the window, I saw Captain Zhou leading the detectives from the Police Force as they shoveled snow. The snow outside wasn't as heavy as last night's, but if we didn't clear a path soon, cars would have trouble getting out.
I stepped outside, thinking of lending a hand to Captain Zhou and the others.
Seeing me come out, Captain Zhou said, "You're up early! How did you sleep last night?"
"I slept well," I replied honestly.
While talking to me, Captain Zhou continued shoveling snow. Despite the cold air, beads of sweat dotted his forehead. "Of course! Our Yumu City Public Security Bureau is well-equipped; that heating is quite sufficient. Sleeping at night is really comfortable."
I smiled and looked around. Everything was covered in silver-white snow, with occasional sounds of branches snapping under the weight of it. The police car parked by the wall was piled high with snow, looking like it had accumulated over ten centimeters. This weather would definitely hinder our investigation, and I expressed my concern: "The road to Tou Gou Zi Village probably hasn't been cleared. We still need to check if there are any scattered remains at the crime scene."
Captain Zhou paused his shoveling, planted his shovel in the snow, and leaned on it while looking up at me. "Yeah, we probably won't encounter such eerie weather for another decade or so. I don't know if it's good luck or bad luck for you all. The snow on that village road must be pretty thick."
"We're dealing with a rare dismemberment murder case after decades," I replied while looking up as well. "Encountering such heavy snowfall after so long isn't surprising. Last night it probably snowed another ten centimeters, nearly covering a person's leg. With the accumulation from previous days, there must be about twenty centimeters of snow by the village."
Captain Zhou exhaled a puff of warm air. "I think it's at least thirty centimeters deep. If this snow keeps falling, it might reach our knees!"
"Let's eat," Captain Zhou said as he set his shovel aside and called out.
Everyone hurried back inside to warm up and eat. Captain Zhou turned to me and said, "Given this weather, I'm afraid we’ll receive quite a few emergency calls today. The station is short-staffed; regarding finding body parts, do you think we can manage with just us? Should we request more personnel?"
I shook my head. "No need; I'll have Captain Shao help us request more people—he's much more effective than either of us. Let's head to Tou Gou Zi Village today to inquire about any recent disappearances. Right now we only have one leg—it's unclear whether it's male or female. I think we should gather more information."
Captain Zhou nodded and patted my shoulder, signaling for us to go eat.
After a simple meal, Captain Zhou drove us out. A few detectives put anti-slip chains on the tires of the car, but even so, Captain Zhou didn't dare drive too fast. Everyone was not overly optimistic about today's search; first due to insufficient manpower and second because of how thick the snow was—it likely covered even our footprints from yesterday.
However, we were overly optimistic because the car could only make it halfway down that road before the snow completely covered it again. Captain Zhou couldn't distinguish where the road ended and where the fields began anymore. Continuing forward could easily lead us into a ditch if we ended up on a field.
None of us wanted to gamble with our lives; Captain Zhou got out of the car and stood beside it for a long time before finally saying, "This is indeed just one road; however, we can't just wander off now. The village roads twist and turn; with all this snow covering them, it's hard for anyone unfamiliar with them to find their way."
Captain Zhou sat back down and pulled out his phone. "Let me call the village chief of Tou Gou Zi Village and have him send someone to meet us."
With that, Captain Zhou began dialing.
It seemed that Captain Zhou was quite familiar with the village chief of Tou Gou Zi Village.
About ten minutes later, Captain Zhou said to us, "The village chief has already spoken to me. He'll send Old Xia over to guide us shortly. But you all know how Old Xia is; I can't let him drive us. I estimate it's only a short walk to the village. How about we just walk there?"
Captain Zhou seemed to have developed a bit of a phobia regarding Old Xia's previous behavior. Driving in such terrible conditions, especially on this snowy road, was indeed too dangerous. Walking was a reasonable option, even though it would take some time. I suddenly thought of a question: in that kind of environment, the Murderer wouldn't have been able to use any transportation either; he must have been walking as well.
If the Murderer was walking, then he must be close to Tou Gou Zi Village, but not too close. If he were too far away, it would be difficult for him to act; if he were too close, he would surely be noticed.
We waited in the car for about an hour before Old Xia finally arrived.
Through the car window, we could see Old Xia's figure swaying as he approached. He wore a heavy hat that covered his ears, but his mouth remained exposed and looked disturbingly out of place without any form of warmth. When Old Xia spotted our vehicle, he stopped and waved at us from a distance, signaling us to come over.
Captain Zhou locked the car and glanced at Old Xia before looking back at us. "Let's leave the police car here and follow Old Xia. When we get to Tou Gou Zi Village, we'll first find the village chief; perhaps he can provide us with some details about the village."
Old Xia continued walking ahead silently and swiftly. He seemed to have a unique way of navigating through the snow without leaving any trace behind. Each step we took required caution; we had to test the ground first to avoid slipping and falling awkwardly. It was as if Old Xia had eyes in the back of his head—when we slowed down, he slowed down too; when we picked up our pace, so did he.
He maintained a distance of three or four meters from us, seemingly unwilling to mingle with our group.
What an odd person he was! But surely anyone who had a face like Old Xia's would become taciturn and stiff regardless of how cheerful they might have been otherwise.
The journey would likely take over an hour. While Old Xia could manage silence, we couldn't do the same. Along the way, we discussed our thoughts on the case and whether the portrait of the Murderer was accurate. Somehow, our conversation shifted back to Old Xia.
Guan Zengbin lowered his voice and said, "To be honest, when I first saw Old Xia, I was really taken aback. I've seen many people with severe burns before, but this is my first time seeing someone with such severe facial burns. Honestly speaking, it's quite remarkable that he's still alive."
Guan Zengbin deliberately kept his voice low, fearing that Old Xia might overhear him. However, judging by Old Xia's indifferent demeanor, it seemed unlikely that he could hear.
Gu Chen glanced at Old Xia's back and remarked, "There's an online game called Dead by Daylight where a killer hunts survivors. The moment I saw Old Xia, I thought he looked just like one of those killers in the game. But Wu Meng, there's something noteworthy in your profile—do you think the Murderer is a killer?"
I nodded slowly and said, "From my intuition, the Murderer is likely a butcher, and he has been in this line of work for many years. He has become accustomed to such bloody matters; in his mind, killing and dismembering is no different from slaughtering other animals."
I wasn't sure if there was a misunderstanding between me and Gu Chen, but Captain Zhou kept staring at Old Xia's back, as if he wanted to see through Old Xia's skin and into his heart. Seeing Captain Zhou like that made me realize he might be starting to suspect Old Xia.
Thinking of this, I quickly said to Captain Zhou, "Captain Zhou, although Gu Chen and Old Xia look like butchers, that doesn't necessarily mean anything. A big head and thick neck could either mean a wealthy man or just a laborer; it's just a saying."
"Old Xia is over six feet tall," Captain Zhou began to analyze point by point. "Wu Meng, several of your criteria fit Old Xia quite well."
Clearing his throat, Captain Zhou became serious. "Just now, we all saw that Old Xia is over six feet tall, and you can see his physique is indeed solid. He wears rain boots and leather gloves. Although he isn't dressed in any uniform or sporting a big belly, he doesn't have a blood-stained apron on his stomach or carry a cleaver in his hand."
"But a murderer wouldn't reveal their true self, would they?" Captain Zhou said, staring at Old Xia's back. "They can't just walk around with a cleaver looking like a murderer, can they?"
I nearly laughed at Captain Zhou's words. "Of course not. What I'm describing is merely the appearance of the Murderer while committing the act. When the Murderer isn't killing, they might change their appearance. After all, every person's heart is unfathomable; everyone has many different facets. Perhaps it’s only when they kill that they truly become themselves."
Captain Zhou nodded.
At that moment, Gu Chen handed each of us a cigarette and lit one for himself. "But Old Xia's profession isn't that of a butcher; just because he looks like one doesn't mean he has to work as one. If that's the case, should I go to the gym and become a fitness trainer?"
Captain Zhou suddenly stopped in his tracks and looked at us with an unusual expression. He quietly pointed at Old Xia ahead and said in a low voice, "But what if Old Xia was a butcher before?"
We all turned our attention to Captain Zhou.
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