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墨書 Inktalez
Although the significance of going to the scene at this moment was minimal, as it was unlikely to yield any evidence, it was fortunate that the technical detectives had taken comprehensive photographs of the surroundings. Jiang He spread these photos across the table, covering it completely.
From these images, most were photographs of the body taken from various angles, while the remaining ones depicted the environment in which Qin Qingxue had hanged herself. Although these photos could not provide the same intuitive understanding as being at the scene, they at least gave Jiang He a clear concept in his mind.
These were much clearer than the previous photo.
Jiang He carefully counted; the green jump rope was wrapped around Qin Qingxue's neck three times. Due to its thickness, each loop overlapped with the next, tightly constricting her neck and embedding deeply into her flesh, leaving dark purple marks where the rope pressed against her skin.
Looking up along the jump rope, he saw that it looped over a clothes drying rack tied in a bowline knot. This type of knot is easy to tie and has the characteristic that it tightens with struggle. However, if one end can be loosened, then the knot can be easily undone, even with just one hand.
Ultimately, this was a slipknot, not a noose that would claim a life once tightened.
In an ideal scenario, Qin Qingxue could have stopped her suicide at any moment, but Jiang He could not speculate on that probability. He had no way of knowing whether she had any thoughts of survival during her attempt. If she wanted to abandon her suicide midway, would she have had the strength to untie herself?
During her suicide attempt, Qin Qingxue would inevitably lose consciousness and succumb to shock or death.
Even if at that moment she wished to give up on her suicide, she might no longer have had the strength to save herself.
Understanding a person's mind is incredibly difficult; Jiang He could not possibly know what Qin Qingxue was thinking. Perhaps she once wanted to stand up but found herself unable to do so. This had already become an established fact. However, based on the traces at the scene, Jiang He believed there was a sixty percent chance that Qin Qingxue had committed suicide.
What truly puzzled Jiang He were the items on the stage.
In the photographs, he noticed eight candles, all of which had burned down halfway. These candles surrounded Qin Qingxue in a circle. Additionally, he found some black powder near one of the candles—remnants of something that had burned. There were only a few traces beside the candle; if one did not look closely, they would hardly notice them.
But Jiang's observations were always meticulous. He saw that on one side of the table lay a cloth bag emblazoned with a brand logo; it appeared to be an ordinary bag that once held a shoebox. The jump rope and candles were items easily purchased at any convenience store.
There were no apparent doubts about these items; moreover, the files clearly stated that only Qin Qingxue's fingerprints were found on them.
The remaining photos depicted the overall environment of the stage. It was less of a stage and more like a storage room for the residents of the building. The items on the stage were all sorts of clutter; aside from a Clothes Drying Rack, there was an old bicycle, a discarded sofa, a washing machine, and so on, making it clear that the space was being utilized to its fullest.
"Someone is eating on the stage," Jiang He remarked as he spotted a large plastic bag on the worn-out sofa. Inside the bag, he noticed several snack wrappers, primarily desserts, along with numerous sundae cups from well-known brands, some of which cost over a hundred dollars.
Old Shao picked up one of the photos to take a closer look.
"This is an old building," Jiang He explained. "Most of the residents are long-time citizens with relatively low average incomes. However, judging by these snacks, they are quite expensive. For instance, this takeout Haagen-Dazs ice cream likely costs around two hundred yuan. Based on my observations, older people generally don't prefer these kinds of foods, especially imported ones."
Old Shao glanced at the brown Haagen-Dazs cup Jiang He pointed out and said, "Wait a moment; I'll check Qin Qingxue's Autopsy Report."
With that, Old Shao began to sift through the Autopsy Report. After a moment, he spoke up: "The report indicates that there was a significant amount of undigested food in Qin Qingxue's stomach, meaning she consumed all of this."
"But would someone eat so much before committing suicide?" Old Shao questioned as he looked at the photo.
Jiang He shook his head and replied, "I don't know."
Old Shao set down the photo and asked, "Did you notice any suspicious details?"
Jiang He nodded and pointed to some residual ashes in one of the photos. "Look here; next to this candle, you can see some ashes from burned paper. Judging by their position and quantity, the burned paper couldn't have been very large."
Old Shao lightly tapped the table. "A curse."
"What?" Jiang He asked.
Old Shao gathered up the photos. "We can conclude that Qin Qingxue's death is definitely related to these three individuals. You've always wondered why Qin Qingxue chose such a ritualistic method for her suicide; now I have a strong lead. What you’re puzzled about is why she felt the need for such ceremony in her final moments."
Jiang He nodded lightly.
Old Shao continued, "According to folklore, wearing red clothing and placing white candles all around the site of a suicide is a practice that can lead to becoming a vengeful spirit. If someone intends to commit suicide and wishes to become a vengeful spirit, her motivation is rooted in curses and revenge. That piece of paper contains the list of her targets for revenge, which is why Shih Wenshan was vague on the phone!"
He went on, "On Qin Qingxue's right wrist, there are three wounds. And now three people are dead; this corresponds with those wounds. Furthermore, I found that the killer always takes the victim's phone, but for some reason, they did not take Shih Wenshan's phone. This indicates that they no longer need to contact anyone; there won't be any more deaths."
Jiang He watched as Old Shao put away the photos and shook his head. "I don't quite agree. It's like how Qin Qingxue had the rope wrapped three times around her neck; it’s unrealistic to wrap it any more than that due to the length of the rope. So if she made three cuts on her wrist, statistically speaking, it’s likely random."
"No," Old Shao gently waved his hand and stood up. "Every seemingly random choice made by a person is largely driven by subconscious commands. While I can't guarantee it, I would say there's an eighty to ninety percent chance I'm right."
Old Shao stood tall. "So we need to find out what happened between these four individuals. Once we understand their connections, we can uncover the truth. However, no matter how Qin Qingxue committed suicide or how much preparation she made beforehand, she will not become a ghost."
His gaze was intense as he looked out at the relentless rain outside. "She is not a ghost; ghosts are people."
"Who is this person?" Jiang He asked.
Old Shao sighed. "It's almost dawn; let's go back and rest. Around seven or eight o'clock, we’ll investigate further. In any case, we are getting closer to the truth."
Jiang He nodded.
Just as they left the conference room, Xu Yiman approached them, her eyes red and puffy, clearly exhausted.
"Old Shao, Jiang He," Xu Yiman said. "We have new leads. The footprints we collected earlier have been analyzed. Based on the size of the shoe prints and their depth in the mud, we can estimate that this person's height is around one hundred seventy-eight centimeters and their weight is approximately one hundred thirty pounds."
"There are too many men like that," Xu Yiman continued. "However, if we can narrow down a range, it might be possible to identify them. Additionally, we've analyzed the red silk thread found under Shih Wenshan's fingernail. After identification, it turns out this thread is made of ordinary silk material; if made into clothing, it would probably cost around a hundred yuan. This means such dresses can be bought anywhere."
Old Shao waved his hand. "It seems that the killer's thoughts are quite meticulous. He uses the ghost's revenge to cover up his true identity. However, if he is willing to kill for Qin Qingxue, this person must have a close relationship with her, and he knows what has happened."
Xu Yiman scratched her head. "If I were to guess, could it be Qin Qingxue's parents?"
Old Shao shook his head and replied, "Qin Qingxue's parents are ordinary citizens who run a shop and work hard from dawn till dusk. The store has surveillance cameras, so investigating their actions would be very simple. Therefore, they are definitely not the killers. From the files regarding their attitude towards Qin Qingxue, it is clear that they do not pay enough attention to her."
"Your daughter committed suicide in such a bizarre manner." Old Shao sighed helplessly before continuing, "They even thought their daughter took her own life due to poor grades. Although they love their daughter, their way of showing it is misguided."
He then shook his head lightly with a bitter smile. "However, they have worked hard to earn money for her education; where would they find the time to spend with her? They have already given Qin Qingxue everything they could. Now we need to understand what kind of person Qin Qingxue was and what could have driven her to suicide."
Old Shao stretched his body and said, "I'm getting old; some nights I can't hold out anymore. Look at you two—one has bloodshot eyes, and the other has dark circles almost reaching your cheeks. You should go back and rest for a while. We still need to continue investigating later."
The group returned to their rooms to rest.
"I want to become a vengeful spirit."
Jiang He pondered this matter in his mind. He didn't understand; ghosts clearly do not exist, yet if a person seeks revenge by placing their hopes on the spirits after death, he wasn't sure whether to find that sad or laughable. Humans can sometimes be foolish and tragically naive beings.
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