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墨書 Inktalez
Jiang He’s words left everyone in shock. The members of the project team knew that Jiang He was a meticulous person; if he wasn’t completely sure, he wouldn’t be so decisive. This meant that the second game played by the kidnappers and the project team had started almost simultaneously with the first.
“Let’s go immediately!” Old Shao didn’t hesitate.
The project team members piled into one vehicle while Xie Chunlan took her child in another. The two cars sped toward the location, one following the other.
It was clear that this location was on the outskirts of Jingzhong City. If one wasn’t a local, they wouldn’t be familiar with it. The area was surrounded by mountains, and due to the lack of geographical advantages, there were hardly any residences nearby. The only thing around was a cemetery, and the address Xie Chunlan provided was one of its sites.
Old Shao said in the car, “This means that since yesterday, while the murderer has been playing the Ding De Run Game with us, he has also been playing this game with Xie Chunlan. If Xie Chunlan is worried about checking it out, it won’t take long to uncover the truth.”
As he spoke, Old Shao glanced at the car following them through the rearview mirror. “But it’s obvious that Xie Chunlan trusts her husband deeply. The kidnappers are counting on this, knowing that Xie Chunlan won’t go looking for her husband. Guan Deng, check Han Liqun’s information and remember my previous point.”
“That is, someone who has clearly broken the law but hasn’t faced punishment for various reasons,” Old Shao added.
Guan Deng sent a text to Old Shao: “I can’t do it right now; I don’t have the tools.”
Seeing this, a smile crept onto Old Shao’s face. “Check if there’s a laptop bag in the trunk; it’s meant for you.”
Guan Deng turned to look behind his seat and indeed spotted a laptop bag. He retrieved it and unzipped it to find a metallic laptop inside. Its black exterior gleamed coldly, but when he lifted the bag, he noticed it didn’t feel as heavy as metal usually would; it seemed to be made of some special material.
Old Shao spoke again, “Boy, this laptop was left for you by one of your aunts. She heard about your severe Social Anxiety Disorder and decided not to meet you after all. She left this laptop for you in hopes that you can step outside your comfort zone. Sometimes people can be as reliable as computers.”
Guan Deng didn’t respond; he didn’t have time to text back. He quickly opened the laptop.
This was the first gift Guan Deng had ever received in his life, and he felt a surge of happiness. He wanted to share this joy with others but found himself unable to speak up.
Han Liqun also couldn’t share his feelings.
Han Liqun poured the last bottle of mineral water over his head, trying to calm himself down, but he found it impossible. Locked in this room, he felt less than human. Suddenly, he understood why many animals would rather die than live when confined in a cage. He had previously thought these creatures possessed some kind of integrity, but now he realized it was simply because being trapped in a narrow space without the ability to communicate with others of their kind was a fate worse than death.
He looked up and through the small opening, he could see the stars twinkling above. The dim starlight spilled onto the ground, faintly illuminating the empty mineral water bottles scattered around, the phone he had smashed underfoot, and the bed with a large hole in it.
Han Liqun had always found philosophers annoying; they pondered abstract concepts of life and death, existence and nothingness, seemingly oblivious to real-world issues. He believed they were simply well-fed individuals with too much time on their hands. Yet now, in his dire situation, thoughts of life and death, of belonging and those ethereal matters flooded his mind.
He knew that after his death, he would surely descend into hell; perhaps he would catch a glimpse of his son in the afterlife.
Gently running his hand along the iron wall, he felt its hardness. Behind it was likely a concrete wall. If he slammed his head against it, everything would be over.
All his anger and sorrow eventually turned into silence as he stood dazed before the iron surface.
“It's just up the mountain,” Jiang He pointed forward into the darkness.
“Are you sure?” Old Shao asked as he looked at the pitch-black path.
Jiang He nodded.
Old Shao glanced around and said, “Well then, we definitely can't drive up there. I'll stay here with Guan Deng and Xue Liu. You all take Xie Chunlan up the mountain to look for her. If anything happens, contact me; we'll be waiting here.”
“Let’s go.” Jiang He didn’t hesitate and spoke up directly.
The mountain path wasn’t particularly narrow but consisted entirely of stone steps that were impassable by car. Along the way, faint yellow lights lined both sides of the steps, casting a hazy glow over everything around them. There was not a sound to be heard; not even a single bird was present—it felt desolate.
Jiang He led the way as they ascended with Wang Chao, Xu Yiman, and Xie Chunlan following closely behind.
After climbing about a hundred meters in elevation, rows of tombstones began to appear on either side. Each tombstone was illuminated by a white light that highlighted the inscriptions carved upon them.
A few people continued to walk upward while observing the tombstones on either side.
Xu Yiman tightly grasped Xie Chunlan's hand, both of their hands trembling slightly. As a Forensic Doctor, Xu Yiman was not afraid when seeing corpses. It was Xie Chunlan who trembled; looking at the rows of tombstones and thinking about her husband being in such a place filled her with fear and worry.
Xu Yiman squeezed Xie Chunlan's hand, offering her some comfort.
Wang Chao followed behind Jiang He and asked, "How much longer do we have to walk? Shouldn't we check these tombstones?"
Jiang He shook his head, continuing to walk without looking back. "Xie Chunlan gave us a very specific address. At our current speed, we should reach that location in about five minutes."
Jiang He pointed into the distance.
But all that could be seen ahead was darkness.
As one nears death, they often reflect on their life. Han Liqun closed his eyes, listening to the profound silence, yet his mind was filled with countless voices—those he knew and those he didn't—all rushing into his consciousness in an instant. He had made up his mind; he was ready to end his life.
"This is it," Jiang He said.
A dull thud echoed.
Han Liqun lay on the ground, feeling that this sound was not just in his head but a real noise. He looked up at the sky, and from that vast expanse, a head emerged. However, the light was blocked, preventing him from seeing the person's face.
Soon after, his vision was obscured by red blood; everything before him turned crimson, and finally, he could see nothing and hear nothing at all.
"Is anyone there?" Xie Chunlan's anxious voice called out.
Jiang He replied, "You heard that sound too? It's too dark for me to see clearly. Hand me the flashlight."
Wang Chao turned on the flashlight and shone it down, revealing a man covered in blood.
“Li Qun!” Xie Chunlan shouted.
“The house is about four meters high; it’s difficult to get down without a rope,” Jiang He said. “Let’s look around for something like a rope.”
The group split up to search.
Jiang He observed the unusual tomb. At first glance, it looked like any other grave, but as he approached, he noticed a window about one square meter in size at the front of the tombstone. The window was open, and one could easily fall in if not careful.
Although the window was small, the underground space was not; it appeared to be over twenty square meters, resembling a very secretive private prison.
Before long, Wang Chao returned. “I found a rope!”
Jiang He turned to see that it was indeed a length of hemp rope.
“Where did you find it?” Jiang He asked.
“Just on the ground nearby,” Wang Chao replied.
In an instant, Jiang He had an idea. As he tied the rope around himself, he said, “There’s nothing in the grave that requires a rope, and this rope is right here. I have an eighty percent chance of believing this rope was left by the kidnapper. If we can find a way to use it, we can rescue him.”
With that, Jiang He looked down again. “We don’t know if Han Liqun is alive or dead. You hold onto the rope while I go down. I’ll tie the rope around him and bring him up.”
Wang Chao glanced at him. “Maybe I should go instead.”
Jiang He shook his head. “You weigh about one hundred fifty pounds; I only weigh one hundred twenty. You can hold me, but I can’t hold you. Just grip the rope tightly and lower me down slowly.”
Wang Chao wrapped the rope around himself and Jiang He had already descended from the window.
As the rope slowly lowered, Jiang He, holding a flashlight, finally got a clear view of the situation below.
Jiang He untied his rope and went to observe Han Liqun, who was lying on the ground. He saw that Han Liqun's forehead was covered in blood, and on the corresponding wall, blood had splattered from a single point, leaving a bloody flower mark. Jiang He easily connected this with the muffled sound he had heard earlier.
Jiang He reached to feel Han Liqun's neck and could still sense a faint pulse.
He immediately tied the rope from his body around Han Liqun. Wang Chao first pulled Han Liqun up before pulling Jiang He up as well. During this time, Xu Yiman had already notified Old Shao, who arranged for an ambulance that was on its way. The vehicles should meet on the road.
At this moment, everyone was in a rush; Wang Chao ran down carrying Han Liqun, while Xie Chunlan protected him from both sides, fearing any further injury to Han Liqun.
Jiang He followed them down and turned back to look at the tombstone.
The tombstone had already been inscribed—"Here Lies the Fraudster Han Liqun."
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