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墨書 Inktalez
A bizarre video showed several people gouging out their own eyeballs. Could it really be as Luo Ding said, that everything is the work of ghosts? Did everyone who saw Lu Zhiqiu's corpse fall victim to these spirits? If so, does that mean Zhao Mingkun and I are in danger too?
Although I am a staunch atheist, believing there are no ghosts or monsters in this world, seeing this video made me start to doubt. But if it wasn't the work of spirits, what could possibly drive Xing Yafang to perform such a horrifying act in an empty elevator?
Regardless of my beliefs, the fact remained.
Zhao Mingkun spoke up, "Is it possible that this is hypnosis? In a specific environment, when the conditions for hypnosis are met, these people might act out by gouging out their own eyes."
His words reminded me of the old man locked away in the psychiatric hospital in Dongxing City. That old man could hypnotize others without them even realizing it. But he was still in the hospital—could the one seeking revenge be his disciple, Wu Zui?
"Anyone capable of such a thing is either locked up in a psychiatric hospital or being used by the state. How many such experts do you think there are in Dongxing City?" I turned to look at Zhao Mingkun.
After a moment, we both said simultaneously, "Wu Zui."
I shook my head again. "But would Wu Zui do something like this?"
Zhao Mingkun also shook his head. "I don't know. But if it's not hypnosis and not ghosts, I can't think of how the Murderer could have committed these murders. With so many of us watching, surely we can't all be mistaken? Just like with Liu Ruijie, it was the same situation in the elevator—a sealed room."
I furrowed my brow and asked, "Under what circumstances would you gouge out your own eyeballs?"
Zhao Mingkun waved his hand dismissively. "Unless someone held a gun to my head and told me that the only way to survive was to gouge out my own eyes. In that case, survival instinct might compel me to do it. Otherwise, that's not something a normal person could do."
I stared at the looping video with no sound and slowly said, "Can someone who gouges out their own eyeballs still live?"
Zhao Mingkun also focused on the screen and replied calmly, "Actually, it's not that easy to gouge out an eyeball. There are many muscles and nerves connected around the eye socket; this process would definitely damage nerves and cause bleeding. However, I've heard of criminal groups that specifically target children to remove their eyes for selling corneas."
"These people are too cruel," the security captain couldn't help but say.
Zhao Mingkun glanced at the security captain and replied, "That's true, but it seems they have professional tools. Those children who had their eyes gouged out were just thrown on the street, and in the end, they all survived."
I clicked my tongue twice and said, "But these people, without exception, are all dead, and almost all within a very short time."
Zhao Mingkun said, "That remains to be verified."
Then, Zhao Mingkun turned to the security captain and said, "We need to take all the surveillance videos with us today. Clear your video records to prevent this incident from spreading and causing panic, understand?"
The security captain nodded and asked, "Isn't it enough to just take the video of the dead?"
Zhao Mingkun shook his head and said, "We need to go back and thoroughly investigate every suspicious person. Do you understand?"
The security captain nodded again. "Then we need to turn off all the surveillance first; this will take some time."
Almost an hour later, the security captain transferred dozens of gigabytes of surveillance footage to my phone.
Zhao Mingkun casually asked, "How long will it take to restart the surveillance?"
"About five minutes," the security captain replied.
Zhao Mingkun nodded and said, "Thank you for your cooperation."
Zhao Mingkun pulled me outside, urgency evident in his demeanor.
"What's going on? Why are we in such a hurry?" I couldn't help but ask.
He pointed at the surveillance camera above us and said, "That thing will activate in five minutes. If you don't want us to be seen, we should leave now. I requested these videos, but do you really think they're just for spotting suspicious individuals? We might be the most suspicious people here tonight."
Suddenly, it clicked for me.
Seeing my expression, Zhao Mingkun shook his head. "Do you still see yourself as a cop? Pretending to be one is thrilling, but at least I know this is temporary. I'm just a fugitive, not some law enforcement officer. People need to recognize their own identities to avoid getting hurt, don’t you think?"
Thinking it over, he had a point, yet it felt like such a tragic realization.
I pulled out my phone and deleted most of the useless video files, keeping only the footage from when we entered until the cameras rebooted. Zhao Mingkun rode the motorcycle while I sat behind him, watching the videos.
To be honest, I was not cut out for this job. Searching for clues in surveillance footage felt as fundamental as laying a foundation at a construction site. All future investigative actions would build upon this groundwork. But what about cases without surveillance? Those relied solely on interviews and checking street cameras for any suspicious individuals.
For someone like me, who dreaded monotonous tasks, this was driving me crazy. Yet there was a chance I might find some clues, so I forced myself to stay patient and keep watching.
From the footage, it was clear that Huang's Garden Hotel had a significant flow of guests coming and going. Amidst the crowd, I successfully spotted Xing Yafang.
However, with so many cameras in the hotel, each with its own video file, I was fortunate that they indicated their locations. This allowed me to follow Xing Yafang’s movements through the various videos. It struck me that I felt like one of those creepy stalkers from movies.
What was certain was that Xing Yafang arrived at the hotel alone. She had only interacted with her former university classmates and hadn’t noticed any suspicious individuals during that time—except for some staff on the top floor like cleaners, security personnel, and bartenders; everyone else was there for the gathering.
From the moment Xing Yafang entered the hotel until her body fell out of the elevator, I had not seen any suspicious individuals in the entire surveillance footage. After the old lady brought thirteen people into that room, there was not a single person outside, not even a cleaner, visible on the video.
It seemed that during the time Xing Yafang walked into the hotel and eventually left angrily, there were no suspicious individuals who had any contact with her. From what I could see on the video, Xing Yafang appeared to be in a normal state throughout. I simply couldn't understand why a perfectly fine person would behave so strangely without any provocation.
The only time we couldn't see Xing Yafang was during her brief two-minute visit to the restroom. In that short span, she likely just washed her hands and face. Could it be that she was haunted by a ghost in the restroom?
After thinking for a moment, I put my phone back into my pocket.
It was bizarre—too bizarre.
As if sensing my movement, Zhao Mingkun turned to me and asked, "What’s up? Did you figure something out?"
I shook my head and replied, "No, Xing Yafang did not have any contact with suspicious individuals. This case is truly puzzling. I've never encountered such a situation before. What method did the murderer use?"
Zhao Mingkun asked, "Do you still think it was done by a person?"
Without much thought, I answered, "That is beyond doubt. Although sometimes it makes me uneasy, I still believe this was all done by a human. If there really were ghosts seeking revenge in this world, then all murderers would have been dead long ago."
My words seemed to strike a nerve with Zhao Mingkun; she focused on driving and stopped talking.
I realized my comment might have been inappropriate but couldn’t take it back, so I settled down to watch the road.
After some time, I noticed that Zhao Mingkun was driving on a road I had never seen before and couldn’t help but ask, "Where are we headed?"
Zhao Mingkun spoke up, "Of course we need to find Luo Ding. When we were in the room earlier, there were still some things he hadn't told us. We don't know when he might completely lose his mind from fear. I think it's better to ask him sooner rather than later. Otherwise, he might end up like Jiang Xiaochun."
At this point, I suddenly realized something and asked, "I find it quite interesting that Hu Pei died from fright, Liu Ruijie had his eyes gouged out, and Hu Xiaoxue, along with Xing Yafang, also died from having their eyes taken out. Now Luo Ding is terrified as well; given his current state, it's not impossible for him to die from fear too."
"You!" I looked at the vehicles continuously passing by and asked, "How does the murderer choose their victims? Why does this murderer use different methods on different people?"
Hearing this, Zhao Mingkun fell silent for a moment before responding, "It's clear that the murderer knows these people's personalities. It's like how some people believe in ghosts while others don't. If my guess is correct, it means the murderer must know these individuals and has a motive and reason for wanting revenge on Lu Zhiqiu!"
"Lu Zhiqiu's brother?" I said.
Zhao Mingkun twisted the throttle and continued riding the motorcycle, "Every new student has their information available with the instructor when they enroll. I know Lu Zhiqiu's home address; it's just that seven years have passed, and that address might have changed. Moreover, Lu Zhiqiu's family received a million in compensation back then. Seven years ago, a million could buy two apartments."
"Clearly, we need to pay a visit," I said to Zhao Mingkun.
"Do you see the district ahead?" Zhao Mingkun pointed to an area. "That's where Luo Ding lives."
At this moment, most of the residents in the district had already turned off their lights, and there was no light coming from Luo Ding's home either.
Zhao Mingkun turned off the motorcycle and asked, "Could it be that Luo Ding didn't go home after running away from the hotel?"
I shook my head. "From the looks of him, if he didn't go home, he probably has nowhere else to go. Judging by his previous clothing and condition, it seems he hasn't slept in a long time. I think he's reaching his limit."
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