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墨書 Inktalez
The Head Nurse's jowls shook as he spoke, making me wonder if they might actually squirt oil at any moment. His head bobbed like a rattle drum, and he seemed to be getting increasingly agitated about the "local support for the central authority."
"That place isn't for just anyone. You know how terrifying it is inside. Anyone with even a slightly weak will could end up brainwashed," the Head Nurse said warily. "In Area A, even we can’t stay in there for more than five minutes. What exactly do you want to ask? If any patients were to escape, that’s impossible; we maintain strict surveillance."
I smiled and replied, "So I'm not here begging you for anything; Captain Shao brought the documents."
The Head Nurse shot me a glare and said, "Then why are you still talking? Just go in."
Although I had been living in this psychiatric hospital for nearly a year, I had never actually been to Area A. The hospital was divided into three zones: Area A, Area B, and so on, with security levels decreasing progressively. People like me, who posed no threat to others and wouldn’t harm themselves, were in Area B. Those in Area B might not harm others but often inflicted self-harm; many had strong suicidal tendencies. Naturally, such patients required specialized care. As long as they were properly monitored, there wouldn’t be any issues—at least they wouldn’t attack others or cause panic.
In contrast, the patients in Area A could be described as demons trapped within human bodies. Most of them had twisted minds and viewed the world entirely differently from us. Some claimed to be reincarnations of Huang Chao, intent on killing eight million people. Others were delusional victims who believed they needed to kill others before being killed themselves—the list goes on.
Dongxing City is a large metropolis with several psychiatric hospitals, but only this one houses severe mental patients. The individuals confined here show no mercy to outsiders. Most of the time, these patients are locked in solitary rooms.
Their rooms contain no metal objects; meals are served without bones, and utensils are made of soft materials. After each meal, everything must be checked for completeness and damage before staff can take them away. When there’s nothing happening, these individuals are restrained to their beds, unable to do anything but stare blankly at the ceiling.
At this moment, we were heading toward Area A.
Area A is located deep within the hospital, separated from Area B by quite a distance and even a large iron gate. Outsiders entering through this gate require authorization from both the director and the Head Nurse—both of which we had—and the Head Nurse was accompanying us into Area A.
As the heavy iron gate slowly closed behind us, I noticed that the security guards were equipped with electric batons and wore helmets—fully armed.
After passing through the gate, we walked a distance before reaching a three-story building where those severe mental patients were housed. The building was predominantly gray with heavily weathered walls that suggested it had been around for quite some time. The large red letters above read "Dongxing City Second Psychiatric Hospital," though much of the paint had chipped away.
"This building has been here for years," the Head Nurse remarked. "Dongxing City used to have only this one psychiatric hospital—a single building."
Surrounding this building were several guard posts similar to those at the entrance. Looking further out, I noticed an electric fence surrounding the area, indicating how strictly it was secured. Pushing open the building's door revealed a small reception area where several security guards nodded at the Head Nurse as she entered.
On the opposite side of the reception area was a row of Closed-Circuit Television monitors that allowed us to observe everything happening within the three floors. I counted twenty screens in total; that meant there should be twenty patients inside. Glancing at the monitors revealed some patients restrained to their beds while others had some space to move around.
Gu Chen spoke up and asked, "Are these people treated differently?"
The Head Nurse glanced at the screens and noted that there were no abnormalities before responding, "Of course! You police officers may have encountered some twisted murderers, but you haven’t seen nearly as much as we have. Once you catch a murderer, you don’t concern yourselves with them anymore; however, our expertise lies in assessing their mental state."
The Head Nurse pointed at the television while speaking to us. "Although the patients in Area A have severe violent tendencies, there are distinctions among them. Here, we monitor eight rooms on the first floor."
Following the Head Nurse's gesture, we observed that none of the individuals on this floor were restrained. They could move around in their rooms, each about ten square meters, and all had bathrooms. I stared intently at the screen, hoping to catch a glimpse of any clues that might link to the Murderer.
As I scanned the rows, I noticed some individuals sitting silently on their beds, their heads bowed as if they were sculptures. Others faced the walls, laughing one moment and crying the next, seemingly lost in their own worlds. A few stood by the toilets, staring at their own genitals without blinking.
There were also two women: one was completely naked, rolling around on the floor, while the other slept soundly, her face hidden from view.
Their bizarre behaviors made them seem unapproachable, yet it appeared they had no intention of harming themselves.
"The next row is on the second floor," the Head Nurse continued.
We shifted our gaze to the closed-circuit television showing the second floor. This level lacked bathrooms; some individuals were tied to their beds while others were free. Among those restrained were both men and women—some struggled violently, their faces flushed, while others repeatedly banged their heads against the soft headboards to no avail.
Most of those who weren't restrained sat quietly, motionless—a sight that was oddly admirable.
However, as my gaze drifted downward, I realized that in such a place, it was the normal individuals who drew your attention most.
There were four separate televisions displaying four different people.
Each person exhibited distinct actions.
Two individuals were tightly bound to their beds, unable to struggle. One of them glared intensely at the camera, mouth agape as if trying to say something. His teeth were blackened and sharp like canine fangs—an unsettling sight.
The Head Nurse began his introduction by pointing at this man. "This individual killed an entire family of eight when he was younger. It all started when he was bitten by a Vampire Bat; he believed he had become a vampire himself. Convinced that he would die if he didn’t drink blood, he ended up biting his relatives to death in one night."
The Head Nurse gestured toward his mouth. "Look at his teeth; he has ground them down himself. He obsessively sharpens his teeth and often ends up slicing off pieces of his own tongue in the process. When he grinds his teeth against each other, blood flows from his mouth like a waterfall. Last time a nurse tried to feed him and accidentally got bitten; he nearly severed her hand. I've even seen him bite a hole through an Iron Bed."
"And what about this one?" I asked again.
This time it was a woman who had been shaved bald but still appeared formidable despite her quiet demeanor. She was also tightly bound to her bed but did not have her mouth open.
The Head Nurse replied, "Don’t let her calm exterior fool you; this woman is far more terrifying than the man we just saw. When she first arrived here, she showed no signs of aggression—she’s an expert at hiding her true nature. Last time, she secretly poisoned everyone’s food; if someone hadn’t been cautious, you might have been dead too."
I shook my head and asked, "What about this child?"
The Head Nurse looked at me helplessly and slowly said, "Get up, this child is the most terrifying one I've ever seen. He knows how to use sympathy to deceive others. Don't be fooled by his appearance; he can be much more ruthless than an adult when it comes to killing. He can hide a date pit during meals and then use the sharpened pit to kill someone the next time he’s fed. Anything in his hands can become a deadly weapon."
At that moment, Captain Shao spoke up, "I've seen a child like this before, but he’s already dead."
I looked over at Captain Shao, whose expression was serious, his gaze fixed on the child with an indescribable pity in his eyes. I wondered if this child had stirred some past memories for him.
However, among all these people, they were not the most eye-catching. The one who stood out the most was an elderly man who appeared cultured and refined.
In the last scene on the television, we saw a sight different from before.
A fifty-year-old man sat behind a desk with a book in front of him—an English book that was too far away to see clearly. Beside the desk stood a large bookshelf filled with many books, mostly in English, along with some Chinese texts such as the Book of Changes, the Analects, and Psychological Motivation and Deconstruction, all in disarray.
From the television, it was evident that this room was much larger than those of the others.
I found it hard to believe; he looked nothing like a mental patient but rather like an old scholar dedicated to research.
I asked, "You even monitor the director?"
The Head Nurse cursed, "Monitor my foot! This is the most terrifying person in our mental hospital; we certainly don't dare to go in."
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