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墨書 Inktalez
"Captain, the fourth body has been found." Just as we were interrogating Luo Min, a team taking over Zhao Wei's case called in. This time, the location was in a barren field, reported by a villager who noticed a scarecrow standing on the bare ground during the dead of winter. It struck him as odd, so he took a closer look.
The more he stared, the more he felt something was off. This scarecrow had no straw; it looked like a living person. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was indeed a human being propped up in the ground. The villager hurriedly called the police, and the officers at the station recognized that this case was serious and immediately reported it to the Police Department, which is how we received the call.
There was only one witness this time, and compared to previous cases, the methods seemed different. It appeared that this body dumping case was similar to the first one, while the second and third were alike. The first and fourth bodies were found in remote areas with few people around, making it easier to dispose of them with lower chances of being discovered. In contrast, the second and third cases showed the Killer's audacity, occurring in places with surveillance and crowds. If not for the Killer's potential schizophrenia, it could imply that there were two individuals involved.
Wang Kang and Zhao Wei. Zhao Wei knew how much emphasis the Police Department placed on this case, and naturally, Wang Kang was aware too. To tie both individuals closer together and drag Zhao Wei down with him, it was likely that each had committed two of the four body dumping incidents. So which cases did Wang Kang commit, and which ones did Zhao Wei?
Arriving at the crime scene, I surveyed the desolate landscape. With my eyes closed, I could almost envision the bustling scene of autumn harvests; it seemed endless. However, this picturesque view was obstructed by something resembling a scarecrow—dressed in tattered clothes with a straw hat atop its head. But upon closer inspection, it was clear that this was no scarecrow; it was a person.
The Forensic Team moved in to examine the body first while I followed behind them. I noticed a stick had been thrust into the corpse's rear end, propping it upright. The stitched limbs hung limply as if they could fall apart at any moment. Juan Juan remarked, "No need to ask; it's still those six victims. This is the fourth body now; rigor mortis has begun to fade again. If not for the cold weather, this body wouldn't be standing at all."
Everyone nodded in agreement. I glanced around at the vast emptiness and said, "To be honest, at this point, searching for clues on the body itself won't lead us to any breakthroughs in this case. The suspects are already identified: one is Wang Kang and the other is Zhao Wei. Our main task now is to apprehend these two."
Captain Gao nodded and replied, "That's right; that's our focus now. But where on earth have these two run off to? The entire Police Force has mobilized but hasn't found them yet. If they're hiding in the forest, it'll be troublesome to track them down."
I closed my eyes to organize my thoughts before saying, "Even if they're hiding in the forest, they'll have to come out eventually—for food or to continue disposing of bodies. Speaking of which, what could Wang Kang's motive be for doing this? If we can't glean anything from the bodies themselves, perhaps we can approach it from a broader perspective!"
As I thought about this, an idea struck me: if their body disposal sites weren't random but rather premeditated and purposeful, we might uncover something significant from that angle. "Get me a map of Beiyu City—quick!" I ordered.
Upon hearing this, everyone hurriedly handed me a map of Beiyu City. I unfolded it and laid it out on top of a police car while several people held down its corners to prevent it from blowing away in the wind. Lighting a cigarette, I took a drag and said, "Now that four bodies have been dumped, if the Killer is indeed premeditated in their actions, we should be able to analyze where the next two bodies might appear."
As I spoke, I pinched my cigarette between my fingers and continued, "The first dumping site is here; this is where the second occurred...the third..." As I spoke, I marked each dumping location with my cigarette until four holes appeared before everyone. "These are the locations of all four cases' dumpings—where do you think the next body will show up? Feel free to share your thoughts."
Everyone stared at the holes burned by cigarettes, as if gazing into a series of black holes, their eyes nearly drawn in. Thoughts raced through my mind as I pondered these points and couldn't help but exclaim, "By the river, the school, downtown, Farmland... Could this be a case of bodies being disposed of at different locations? Next time the killer disposes of a body, we might be able to rule out these places..."
"I don't think so!" At that moment, Juan Juan spoke up. "Perhaps we should consider it in terms of directions—north, south, east, and west. The Fifth Body should be in the center. But wait, there are six bodies in total. Where would the sixth body be? That doesn't seem quite right."
"Now that you mention it, I also feel my idea might be flawed." Captain Gao frowned and said, "I initially thought it was about the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Think about it: the first case happened by the river—that's water; the second case was by a tree on the school playground—that's wood; the third case occurred by a railing on a tall building—that's metal; this case involved someone being buried in the ground—that's earth. So according to my theory, the next should be fire. But there are six bodies! What happens to the sixth body after fire?"
With six bodies, everyone felt that there should only be five based on any analysis. I suggested, "What if we are overthinking this? What if the killer only disposed of five bodies?"
Everyone fell silent. It seemed like a paradox—there were clearly six bodies, yet why would the killer only dispose of five? Our analysis led us to believe there should only be five; it was quite perplexing.
After a moment of silence, Mary's voice broke through as she pulled a pen from her backpack and began drawing on the map. "Maybe I understand the killer's unique method of disposing of bodies."
As Mary drew lines on the map without looking up, she continued, "Although we currently know only four points, if I add a point here, it forms a standard Pentagram."
We watched as adding one point connected by lines created a very standard Pentagram shape on the map. Mary explained, "The recognized origin of the Pentagram symbol comes from Underworld Buddhism; it's a type of talisman. Different countries interpret the Pentagram differently. For example, in Egypt, it's seen as the womb of the underworld; in Japan's Onmyōdō, it's used for exorcism; and Western witches use it for healing."
"Are Wang Kang and Zhao Wei using it for exorcism? How superstitious!" Yan Junde remarked.
Mary shot Yan Junde an annoyed glance before continuing, "I haven't finished yet. Exorcism and blessings are associated with a regular Pentagram—pointed upwards—indicating north on this map. But look at this Pentagram; its point is facing downwards. This is an inverted Pentagram, which typically represents demons and hell." As she spoke, Mary marked a point in the center of this Pentagram and added, "If someone dies at this point, their soul will fall into eternal darkness. In our terms, they would never be reborn and become wandering spirits tormented by extreme darkness and evil. The killer placing these bodies at the five points of the Pentagram shows just how deep their hatred runs; they want these six people to find no peace even after death!"
I fell silent for a moment as I seriously examined this Pentagram—no, this inverted Pentagram. What Mary said seemed true; it didn't appear to be a coincidence. Although the scale—the lengths connecting intersection points—varied when drawn on the map, everyone clearly recognized this Pentagram shape and could basically conclude that it was intentional on the killer's part.
Knowing how the killer disposed of bodies made determining where the Fifth Body appeared much easier. I pointed to the map and said, "The location of the Fifth Body should be right here; it won't exceed a radius of five hundred meters. We need to send people to monitor this area immediately; tonight the killer will definitely come to dispose of another body."
Based on the locations marked by Mary, we determined that the next body disposal site should be within a circular area defined by Baixing Road and Changfeng Street. Within this range, there are several shops and a small hospital. We carefully studied the map, and if the Killer were to dispose of a body on these two streets, the most likely place would be this small hospital.
Mary immediately checked the basic information about this hospital. She said, "If the Killer is going to dispose of a body, it's very likely to be in the hospital's Morgue. The Morgue is separate from the main hospital, so patients wouldn't pass by it when seeking treatment. It's quite concealed and convenient. Moreover, this hospital rarely handles major surgeries, so the risk of death isn't very high."
I nodded and then said to Captain Gao, "Immediately dispatch people from the Police Department to monitor this area. Focus on this hospital, but we can't let our guard down elsewhere. Based on past situations, the Killer might do the opposite of what we expect and dispose of bodies in places we can't imagine!"
Captain Gao quickly arranged specific actions. Within half an hour, Changfeng Street and Baixing Road were under surveillance. As Captain Gao put it, not even a fly could escape; as soon as the Killer arrived, we would catch him red-handed. Our Special Investigation Team also disguised ourselves and entered the hospital.
"Dear, even though you haven't been pregnant for long, your belly is quite big," I said while talking to Juan Juan, who was disguised as a pregnant woman, all the while observing for any suspicious individuals around us. "I told you to eat less, but you wouldn't listen. You have to eat this and that; it looks like you've been pregnant for sixteen months..."
Juan Juan flashed a shy smile but secretly pinched my waist.
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