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墨書 Inktalez
"Wang Yikai, Sun Shouwang..." The old lady slowly called out one name after another, as if taking attendance in a university classroom. When she mentioned Zhao Mingkun, he quickly focused the camera on that person's face.
At that moment, I understood why Zhao Mingkun had asked me to remember the positions of those thirteen individuals earlier. Compared to the camera, the human eye can perceive more colors and details. However, from a distance, the camera clearly had a better view than my eyes.
Initially, we only needed to locate those classmates who had interned with us at the construction site. Yet, it was evident that the old lady intentionally called out names of people who were not part of that internship. I smiled; it seemed that Zhao Mingkun and this old lady had a clever strategy.
This approach would disrupt the unique connections among those thirteen individuals, making it difficult for anyone to guess the pattern by which the old lady was calling names. If she only read out the names of those thirteen people, as time went on, they would become increasingly able to predict whose name she would call next and whose name she would not.
If someone figured out the pattern, they could prepare their desired reaction in advance when their name was called. What we wanted was the genuine response of someone unsure whether their name would be mentioned. This momentary reaction is the most authentic expression of one's feelings.
When a person is innocent and hears their name being called to stay behind, their immediate reaction is likely to be shock or confusion. A common expression of shock includes wide eyes and slightly parted lips, often accompanied by gestures like raising hands or pointing at oneself. While these gestures may last longer, the shocked expression itself will not endure for too long.
Conversely, if someone believes their name will be called, they will not be surprised. However, some may feign innocence for disguise. To someone knowledgeable in psychology, this pretense is as obvious as a child with chocolate smeared on their lips insisting they have never eaten chocolate.
Among these thirteen individuals, many exhibited such behavior.
Others clearly knew their names would be called. Upon hearing their names, some showed no reaction while others nodded slightly. This reaction indicates certainty about an event occurring and reflects their expression once it indeed happens.
There were also individuals displaying this kind of expression among the thirteen.
Additionally, some instinctively leaned back or crossed their arms upon hearing their names or covered their mouths with their hands. Psychologically speaking, this represents an unconscious avoidance response; these individuals feared being associated with whatever was happening.
So which type should be most suspected?
Some might think it’s the third type; however, the most suspicious group is actually the second type. An instinctive avoidance of something seemingly troublesome is human nature—something ingrained in our genes since our formation. Thus, we can understand why these individuals instinctively recoiled upon hearing about a classmate who had died seven years ago.
Yet those in the second group, who knowingly feigned ignorance about being called, must harbor some undisclosed secret.
By this time, the old lady had called out around twenty names. Among these twenty individuals were all thirteen students who had interned at the construction site. The others were confused about what was happening; some chose to leave early to avoid getting involved while others remained indifferent and continued eating and drinking.
The twenty individuals followed the old lady into a large room.
Zhao Mingkun glanced at me and then tapped on the camera set up on the second floor. "The expressions of those thirteen people at that moment were all recorded by this camera."
For the next hour, I was responsible for closely observing the recorded footage, committing each person's expressions to memory. At that moment, I turned to Zhao Mingkun beside me and said, "Let's go. Those people have been waiting for an hour; I think they're getting anxious."
Zhao Mingkun nodded and looked through the window of the large room from the second floor. "You're right. But who do you think is suspicious?"
I gently turned off the camera and replied, "Based on the expressions I captured in that instant and comparing them with what the camera recorded, many people raise doubts. However, psychology is just one way to analyze; it shouldn't be the most important basis. You have to understand that human emotions are complex. If we could read everything from a person's expression, there wouldn't be a profession called police."
In a matter of moments, Zhao Mingkun and I arrived at the door of the room.
I turned to Zhao Mingkun and said, "When we go in, remember to observe their expressions. If any of these people were indeed involved with the Murderer when they heard about Lu Zhiqiu's return for revenge and learned that someone had already died because of this matter, I believe the Murderer will show some unusual behavior. At that time, pay close attention to see who reacts most strongly. Those who have nothing to hide need not fear a ghost knocking at their door; sometimes, our ancestors' words are truly wise."
Zhao Mingkun winked at me before pushing the door open.
As the door swung open, the chatter inside ceased abruptly, and everyone turned to look at me and Zhao Mingkun.
The elderly woman explained, "These two are Officers Wu and Zhao, responsible for investigating this case. You all know what you know about what happened seven years ago."
After a pause, she continued, "Now that you're all around thirty years old, you're no longer naive youngsters. You should understand the seriousness of this matter. By the way, Wang Ruo..."
The elderly woman nodded at us and led away those who had no connection to the case, leaving only thirteen individuals who had interned together at the construction site back then.
There's a saying: "Don't judge a person by their appearance." While this can be somewhat extreme, it's true that we can glean some insights from a person's exterior. For instance, among the three gentlemen seated on the sofa dressed in designer clothes, careful observation reveals that one of them stands out from the others.
The other two wore watches and rings indicating their affluent lifestyles; however, judging by the watch worn by the third man and his mismatched tie, it seemed likely that his designer suit was rented. The two wealthy individuals were named Zhang Yi and Cheng Lu.
The man in the rented suit was called Wang Xin.
Another individual sitting nearby was a woman with an LV bag and black silk stockings named Wang Qianduo. I could smell a strong scent of perfume emanating from her. At thirty years old, if she still dressed like this for such a formal occasion, we could infer that she had another purpose for being here—looking for a lover.
These four were the most suspicious individuals I had seen on video. They clearly knew about Lu Zhiqiu's situation but pretended as if they were completely unaware.
Wang Yikai, standing in the room, spoke first: "Officer, you don't look very old. I'm curious about what you want to ask. You should know that for many of us sitting here, every minute wasted is a loss. It's clear we're all part of that group who interned at the construction site seven years ago; there's no need for you to beat around the bush—just speak plainly."
I looked into Wang Yikai's eyes as he met my gaze directly.
Through the camera, it was clear that Wang Yikai showed signs of evasion upon hearing about Lu Zhiqiu, indicating his strong discomfort with the matter. However, we still couldn't understand why Wang Yikai felt this way. Was it because he had killed Lu Zhiqiu and was unwilling to face it again? Or was it because he had once pursued Lu Zhiqiu, and her tragic death made him reluctant to hear her name again?
"That's right," Wang Qianduo chimed in. "Everyone here is someone of importance. Cheng Ge and Brother Zhang are involved in million-dollar deals every minute. If you keep us locked up here without any explanation, what are we even doing here? It's dark now, which is quite frightening. It's too late; who will take me home? I'm a woman living alone; how dangerous is that?"
Wang Qianduo spoke in a flirtatious tone, twisting her body on the sofa. Admittedly, she had a decent figure, quite curvy. As she moved, her chest swayed, but I found myself unable to tolerate her antics any longer.
I spoke up, "Seven years ago, the thirteen of you along with Lu Zhiqiu went to intern at a construction site. Towards the end of your internship, someone lured Lu Zhiqiu to the site. After a brief conversation, the murderer brutally killed Lu Zhiqiu. Afterwards, the murderer did not stop there but dismembered her body, cruelly severing her head and limbs. For seven years, the police have had no leads on the murderer."
"And the most suspicious ones," I continued slowly while observing their expressions from my seat directly across from them, "are the thirteen of you."
I deliberately spoke slowly, watching their faces closely. Each person wore a grim expression. This made me feel that all thirteen were indeed suspicious—and highly so. Although they tried to conceal their emotions, their various movements betrayed them.
Fidgeting hands, rubbing noses, shaking legs, eyes darting around or fixating on one spot, feeling hot yet cold at the same time, and nervously stroking the armrests of the sofa—all these signs revealed their tension and anxiety while they attempted to hide their inner turmoil.
"Have you ever thought," I asked, "about why there were originally twenty of you but only these thirteen are here now? Hu Pei—you all should know—recently died at home under mysterious circumstances. Strangely enough, he died from fright."
I slowed down further, scanning the group: "Hu Pei's phone was swapped out. On this swapped phone was a photo of Lu Zhiqiu's head, and on one side of the photo was written—'I have returned.'"
"Recently, have you encountered anything strange?"
I inquired. "Something that made you feel like you could die at any moment?"
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