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墨書 Inktalez
I looked at the two of them, and Gu Chen and Guan Zengbin exchanged glances, seemingly oblivious to the details.
"What is a USB converter?" Gu Chen scratched his head and asked.
I explained, "It's a USB port that converts to a network interface used on computers. These ports were only found on older computers and printers, which you hardly see anymore. If there's a USB interface, there should at least be a computer or a phone. Although I haven't been to other rooms, we can infer from the old man's words that the grandmother doesn't have these devices."
I turned back to the dilapidated wooden door, tugging at my hair as I said, "So there are two explanations: either the grandmother is lying and she does have these devices, or she is telling the truth and doesn't have a phone or computer, and it was left behind by someone else."
"That makes sense," Gu Chen replied.
I raised a finger and shook it. "The problem is that I later asked the grandmother if any relatives or friends had visited her, but her answer was no; no one had been to her house in a long time. However, this contradicts what was said earlier."
Guan Zengbin analyzed, "So either someone has been to the grandmother's house and left this cable behind, or the grandmother has a computer or phone."
I snapped my fingers and said, "Therefore, regardless of the situation, this old woman is lying to us."
"But why?" Guan Zengbin asked.
I shook my head as I walked outside. "That's still unclear, but I believe it must be related to the case. What a coincidence that the grandmother's brother's family consists of three people who correspond exactly to the Chicken, Dog, and Pig Zodiac signs. It seems like this family is clearly marked for murder."
Guan Zengbin questioned, "But even if this family corresponds to the Chicken, Dog, and Pig Zodiac signs, how would the murderer know that? The real question is whether the murderer intends to kill these three people. Even if they do plan to kill all three in one go, how hard could it be to find a family of three with those Zodiac signs?"
At this point, Guan Zengbin paused and added, "Aren't we also in that situation?"
"So what reason does Liu have to believe that the murderer will definitely kill this family?" I said. "It can't be that simple; Liu must have some clues we are unaware of."
"Then will the murderer go after them?" Gu Chen looked up at the dimming sky.
I also looked up at the gray sky, feeling as if dark clouds were pressing down on us with an impending sense of doom. The longer I stared, the more it felt like the sky was about to crush us, making it hard to breathe.
Guan Zengbin was also watching but remarked, "However, whether the murderer is one person or many doesn't really matter regarding who they intend to kill."
Guan Zengbin's words hit home; regardless of how many murderers there were or whether they had clear roles in their collaboration, who they intended to kill had already been decided. In Liu's estimation, once one murderer was caught, it would naturally lead to capturing the others.
"Should we go take a look?" Guan Zengbin suggested.
I shook my head and replied, "It's already five in the afternoon. By the time we get back to the city, it'll probably be around nine. At that point, I suspect the fourth story will appear online. If the murderer intends to kill that family of three, Liu is already prepared; it wouldn't matter whether we go or not. But if they're not targeting that family, we only have this afternoon left to investigate."
"And," we arrived at the car, I said, "since we already know that this old man is lying, and liars always have a purpose, it ultimately boils down to covering up the truth. A person has no reason to lie about something they consider unimportant, but once someone lies, whether intentionally or unintentionally, their subconscious has already made a judgment for them."
I got into the car and said, "If this matter is indeed related to the old lady, tonight is the night the Murderer intends to kill. I believe the old lady will make some move. As for the Twelve Bowls, we have only found four so far, and we have no idea where the rest are. I wonder if there are any clues on those remaining bowls."
Gu Chen got into the car but did not start it. Instead, he asked, "So what should we do now?"
I pondered for a moment and replied slowly, "We need to find the village chief and settle down in the village. Of course, we mustn't alert the old lady. If we are present, any actions she takes will make her a hundred times more cautious than usual. So we need to create a false impression of leaving and then observe her secretly."
Guan Zengbin lightly tapped on the car door and said calmly, "However, I still don't quite believe that this old lady can do anything. Could she really be colluding with the Murderer?"
I looked at Guan Zengbin and realized that although she appeared cold and tough on the outside, she was actually quite soft-hearted. She often felt moved by various things and believed that those who seemed good were truly good people. In reality, however, one could only lament how unpredictable human nature can be.
Seeing Guan Zengbin's expression, I sighed and said, "The Murderer certainly cannot be this old lady. But the problem is that if she is unaware of what is happening or if it has nothing to do with her, there would be no reason for her to lie at all. This means that even if she isn't colluding with the Murderer, she must have lied to us about something."
"But why would she do that?" Guan Zengbin asked again.
I replied, "Well then, that's what we need to investigate."
We called Mary and had her contact the village chief under the name of the City Bureau. Within half an hour, we received a response. We parked our car in the village chief's yard and explained everything to him; he assured us he would cooperate.
Sitting in the yard, while the village chief's wife prepared a meal for us, we chatted casually.
After some simple pleasantries, I cut straight to the point and asked, "Actually, we're here on official business. Since you're the village chief, there's no need for me to hide anything from you. A murder case occurred in Dongxing City, and our investigation has revealed that the Zodiac Bowls created by Moulin Rouge seem to hold significant meaning for the Murderer."
"What?" The village chief appeared puzzled and seemed unfamiliar with Moulin Rouge.
I frowned; this village chief was over fifty years old—he should know about Red Mill Factory—but judging by his expression, he seemed unaware. Suddenly, I recalled something: Mary had only provided one person's address; Red Mill Factory was located near this village.
Thinking of this, I quickly asked the village chief, "Isn't there someone in your village named Wu Xiufen? Wasn't she from your village decades ago? Was there ever a factory called Moulin Rouge making bowls in Xingdong Village?"
"No," the village chief shook his head and offered a cigarette to Gu Chen and me. "There really wasn't any such thing. I've lived in this village my whole life and have never heard of a workshop called Moulin Rouge; that’s definitely not true. I'm over fifty now; if it had closed down fifty years ago, my parents should have known about it—I’ve never heard of it."
Hearing this made my heart skip a beat; I felt something flash through my mind but couldn't grasp what it was.
I continued to inquire, "If that's the case, then Wu Xiufen isn't from your village? She must have moved here later?"
"Yes," the village chief nodded while smoking. "Wu Xiufen can be considered one of us since she married into this village. That was over thirty years ago when Wu Xiufen came here. The village chief back then was my father; I even attended her wedding."
Upon reaching this point, the village chief let out a soft "hmm" and then said, "Are you suspicious of Wu Xiufen?"
I shook my head, lighting a cigarette. "It's not that we're suspicious of Wu Xiufen; it's just that we found out she was one of the glazed performers at Moulin Rouge back in the day. We wanted to clarify a few things."
The village chief nodded and continued, "Well, when she got married back then, it did cause quite a stir in our village."
"A stir?" I asked.
He nodded again and slowly recounted, "That's right, it was quite the sensation. Wu Xiufen was relatively wealthy compared to our village. Of course, we outsiders never inquired about her family's background. But when she came to marry, she arrived alone without any relatives accompanying her. During the wedding ceremony, there were only people from our village present; no family from her side. That’s rather strange, don’t you think?"
I nodded. It seemed that after her father's death, her relationship with her brother was indeed not very good.
"And you know," the village chief continued while taking a drag from his cigarette, "Wu Xiufen was quite beautiful when she was young. With both wealth and beauty, finding a partner in City wouldn’t have been an issue for her. Even if she were to look for someone in the village, she could have found someone with decent prospects. Yet, this Wu Xiufen chose to marry someone from our village; that’s what makes it odd."
"Who did she marry? Why is that strange?" I asked curiously.
The village chief coughed lightly, glancing up and around as if checking for something: "Although discussing a deceased person isn’t ideal, we must cooperate with the police in their investigation. It's the truth after all; if I offend anyone, I hope for your understanding."
As I watched the village chief speak, I felt an eerie sensation creeping over me, as if someone in the darkening distance was watching me.
"What exactly happened?" At that moment, Gu Chen couldn't help but ask.
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