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墨書 Inktalez
Seeing our shocked expressions, Guan Zengbin began to explain, moving her wrists as she spoke. "Among the felines, cats are the perfect size for domestication without being lethal to humans. The larger ones, like tigers and lions, can kill a human in an instant. Even smaller ones, like lynxes and wildcats, can be deadly under certain circumstances."
She waved her hand dismissively and continued, "Then there are the domestic cats. If they scratch or bite you, it will only leave a wound; you won't die from it. If they were any larger, it would be a different story. Felines generally prefer solitude, are quick to react, suspicious by nature, and possess a strong curiosity."
"Perhaps it's this wildness that gives cats their elusive charm," Guan Zengbin said. "But what most people don't know is that if you suddenly die and your cat can't get out or find food, it will start gnawing on your mouth and eyelids because those are the softest parts of the body. Of course, if the corpse is exposed, there are softer areas below as well."
Zhang Qinrui nodded and gently pointed to the skulls of the two corpses. "Felines have barbed tongues that can scrape the remaining flesh off bones, which is why we see such clean skulls. They say there were dozens of wildcats inside."
As Zhang Qinrui removed his gloves, he added, "Wildcats aren't like house cats; they often go hungry. If they come across such a feast, they would definitely eat until full. Judging by the amount of missing flesh from the corpses, this seems accurate."
"However," he said while washing his hands nearby, "many wildcats are not very friendly towards humans. If you encounter a cat and a dog on the street and crouch down to greet them, the dog is far more likely to come over than the cat. But did you encounter the Murderer in that hole?"
I nodded. On the way back, I had shared this incident with a few people, and now it had reached Zhang Qinrui's ears.
Scratching his head, Zhang Qinrui remarked, "This raises a question. If there were humans around, then so many wildcats must have grown accustomed to his presence. This means that the Murderer must frequently be around these stray cats."
Zhang Qinrui was right; cats were indeed not very close to humans, especially stray ones that lived in the wild for years. Yet these strays seemed unbothered by the Murderer. Suddenly, I thought of the missing Boss Lady from the Adult Store—could she have been used by the Murderer to feed these stray cats?
Time passed.
I suddenly realized that both stories shared a common premise that made me think this case might have another possibility. The Murderer might not be killing randomly but rather with premeditation. In the first story, understanding the daily routines of both individuals would take time; for the Murderer to enter the Victim's room meant he had prepared for quite a while.
In the second story, even if he wanted to build a rapport with these stray cats, that too would require time. The narrative mentioned these strays had been around for over half a month; thus, the Murderer had at least been preparing for that long.
Moreover, between the first and second stories was only a short interval—time overlapped here. This meant that while executing the first story, the Murderer had already begun appearing with these stray cats. Therefore, how many people he intended to kill, how he would do it, and even when—all had been meticulously planned.
This was a Murderer who acted strictly according to his own plan; I should have realized that these stories could not be completed in an instant.
Gu Chen said, "I won't be able to look at those stray cats wandering around town anymore because I won't know which one has actually eaten human flesh."
As soon as Gu Chen spoke up, we all felt awkward. We hadn't considered this issue before and couldn't imagine those adorable-looking cats as creatures feasting on corpses in darkness. Gu Chen's remark made it hard for us to know how to continue.
Zhang Qinrui added casually, "It doesn't matter; I often see pet dogs eating poop with their front paws and then going to kiss their owners with their back paws..."
We were left speechless again.
Guan Zengbin spoke up, "It's not about that. We all exist within the food chain; it's either humans eating animals or animals eating humans. There's nothing wrong with humans consuming so many animal corpses. And there's still one more body to examine; you can lament after the autopsy."
With that, Guan Zengbin began the autopsy on the girl's body, while Zhang Qinrui donned gloves and assisted him.
Gu Chen and I looked at the girl's corpse, her head and torso separated, the head placed to one side and the body to the other. A heavy weight settled in my heart as I gazed upon her remains. Regardless of species, the loss of young life always brings immense sorrow.
Especially given the tragic circumstances of this girl's death.
Guan Zengbin gently said, "Before we proceed with the autopsy, let's first see what these English words mean."
At that moment, Zhang Qinrui suddenly gritted his teeth and spoke slowly, "From the words carved on the girl's abdomen, it’s evident that she was alive when this was done. The wound's flaps are still bloodied, which means—"
Zhang Qinrui abruptly fell silent.
We all turned to him, and at that moment, Guan Zengbin said, "This means that before the girl died, the murderer carved these English letters into her."
"Damn it!" Gu Chen gritted his teeth. "Damn it."
We fell into silence. Guan Zengbin must have realized this long ago but chose not to voice it. The girl's abdomen was covered in crooked English letters carved deeply into her flesh, exposing raw tissue. It was akin to what Guan Er Ye had done during his bone scraping treatment; even adults would be in excruciating pain—what could a girl of barely ten endure?
How could any murderer with even a shred of humanity target such a defenseless girl who understood nothing?
"Let's translate it," I said, suppressing my overwhelming sense of helplessness and sorrow.
I regretted not being able to catch the murderer back in the cave. What if the next victim were an even younger child?
After a moment of contemplation, Guan Zengbin began translating: "Darkness Endures in Eternal Night, Soul-Eating Beast; O washed-away people's sins—expand, vanish, finally obliterated in the endless void. Tremble, those who still shiver in fear; The Killing Has Begun."
As before, these twisted and profound words left us puzzled about what the murderer truly wanted. However, it was clear that these phrases held significant meaning; we just didn’t know whether they were meant to convey something to us or if they were merely a record for the murderer himself.
I nodded as the autopsy commenced.
The entire process was shrouded in silence; all we could hear was the faint sound of surgical instruments clashing, scissors opening and closing, muscles being sliced open, and our own breathing. As we watched a girl transformed into this state before our eyes, what else could we do but remain silent?
She might have been an exceptional pianist destined to become a renowned musician or a superstar someday. But at this moment, she lay here as a body undergoing an autopsy—her future filled with hope extinguished, reduced to nothing but a corpse.
At one point, Guan Zengbin spoke up, "The time of death was around four-thirty this afternoon. The cause of death was a stab wound inflicted from behind the neck with a dagger, which severed the arterial blood vessel in her neck. She died within almost two minutes."
As he spoke, Guan Zengbin showed us the girl's head, the dagger still embedded in it, having pierced through from the back of her neck and exited from the front. I suddenly recalled the scene I had witnessed in the cave; it was precisely because the dagger had penetrated her neck that her already severed head remained attached.
Guan Zengbin continued, "After the girl died, the murderer used a fishing line to loop around her neck and slowly tightened it, causing her head to separate from her body."
Hearing these words sent chills down my spine. I could imagine a scene in a pitch-black environment where countless cats were already feasting on two corpses while the murderer leaned against the wall, continuously strangling the girl's head with a fishing line. This event unfolded in darkness, contrasting sharply with the bright white outside. A wave of bloodiness assaulted my senses; those cats, accustomed to the taste of human flesh, were drawn to this fresh blood and rushed to feed.
It was all too twisted, but why didn’t the murderer target me?
I furrowed my brow and remained silent.
Guan Zengbin continued, "There’s nothing more to say. The girl was in excellent health... what a pity."
The final step for forensics was to return each organ to its corresponding position in the deceased's body and then stitch her up. We watched as the girl underwent an autopsy and then was sewn back together; it felt as if we had experienced her entire life, as if life itself spanned only this brief moment of autopsy and stitching.
Guan Zengbin covered the girl with a white cloth and said, "By the time this case is closed, her family will be able to cremate her, and they can finally rest."
I turned to the two of them and said, "Now, let’s go investigate some basic information. I believe that although the murderer is a perverted killer, he is different from typical perverted killers. He doesn’t kill randomly; it seems he has his own method for selecting victims."
"And we!" I said earnestly, "must find the connections within this."
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