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墨書 Inktalez
After this case, the higher-ups granted our Special Investigation Team a long break, mainly due to my injuries.
Although Captain Gao's case had concluded, there were still some questions I couldn't understand. I thought I could gradually hear Captain Gao explain everything later, but I never imagined I would never have that chance. Afterward, I heard from Juan Juan that the Forensic Team had only extracted two types of DNA from the body fragments found in the cabin. This was strange; where did the sixth body go? According to Captain Gao's disposal plan, there should have been a sixth body in the cabin. Including Wang Kang and Zhao Wei, there should be eight types of DNA. Even if the bodies were severely damaged and unrecognizable, there should have been at least one more type of DNA found. Yet, there were only two.
This was one point. The second point was: where had Wang Kang's wife and child gone? It had been quite some time, and there was still no trace of them. Had they really left Beiyu City and vanished into thin air? But this case had nothing to do with them. From any angle, it didn't make sense. I suspected that Captain Gao had kept them under control, but now that Captain Gao was dead, all leads had gone cold. Where were we supposed to look?
At this stage of the investigation, it seemed like the case had already revealed its secrets. However, Captain Gao once said something that I could never forget: "I don’t believe it, but I have to show it to those who do." So who were those people that Captain Gao believed in? Moreover, he never mentioned what happened to his mentor. For this matter, I specifically asked the Director and learned that he was missing.
It was all quite perplexing; I couldn't distinguish between truth and falsehood. I always felt that there must be something behind this case, but given the current situation and clues, there was no way to delve deeper. To understand more profound issues, we needed to find some substantial leads.
"What are you thinking about?" Juan Juan asked as she noticed me staring out the window in a daze. She tapped my head and said, "The higher-ups have given our Special Investigation Team a break; you should just rest well. It's been over two months since the case closed; why bother?"
I knew that overthinking wouldn't help, so I decided not to dwell on it anymore and teased her instead: " Juan Juan, who would have thought you'd have a day like this? You're usually so imposing; come on, help me get my medicine and serve your master some water." Juan Juan tossed the medicine box at me and replied, "If it weren't for you being a patient, I'd have punched you already..." She made a fist and pretended to be a fierce tiger ready to pounce.
This side of Juan Juan was rare; I couldn't help but stare blankly at her. Was this her way of trying to be cute? Just as I was about to take my medicine, my phone rang. To my surprise, it was A-Bao calling. As soon as I answered, his lewd voice came through: "Xiao Shao, how's your injury healing?"
I dreaded that this guy might be calling while "working," so I quickly said, "Hey Bao Ge, can you put down whatever you're doing when you talk to me? I'm guessing you're calling because something's come up again? Don't worry; I'm almost better. As long as you don't send me out to catch a Drug Lord for a gunfight, I'm fine."
"Since you're doing better, let's talk business," A-Bao said solemnly.
"When do you ever not say that?" I lightly shook my cup and watched the water swirl inside before asking, "So what's it this time? Necrophilia or dismemberment?"
"Neither," A-Bao replied.
"Then what's going on?" I asked curiously.
"Suicide," A-Bao stated firmly.
I was completely baffled: "When did suicides become our concern? What's the specific situation? Are you messing with me? If it's already determined to be suicide, why do we need to investigate?"
"They say it's suicide, but the method is a bit strange. I've sent the details to Mary's computer," A-Bao explained. "I've already notified Yan Junde and Mary; you all can meet at Nangyun City Public Security Bureau later. That's all for now; I've got work to do—can't slack off on identifying yellow content or we won't know how many youths are being corrupted by foreign decadence! See you!"
Before I could respond further, A-Bao hung up. Juan Juan turned to me and asked, "What happened?"
“Special Investigation Team is on the move again,” I said, stretching my neck.
“Is your injury okay?” Juan Juan asked with some concern.
“No problem,” I replied.
Nangyun City is located in the southwest of Our Country, a third-tier city where the pace of life is much slower compared to Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. As soon as Juan Juan and I got off the plane, our colleagues from the City Public Security Bureau were already waiting for us outside the airport. Yan Junde and Mary were also there; they had arrived before us.
The colleagues at the bureau warmly treated us to local delicacies—fried Fried Insects. We looked at various kinds of insects, some with legs and some without, laid out in front of us. This was a local specialty, but I found it hard to accept. On the other hand, Juan Juan picked up a bamboo worm and put it in her mouth. She said, “Insects are rich in protein and highly nutritious. Didn’t Uncle Bei say they taste like chicken and are crispy? Especially for you, you should eat more!”
As she spoke, Juan Juan unceremoniously picked up a piece and stuffed it into my mouth. I forced a smile and took a few bites. To my surprise, it was indeed crispy and fragrant, tasting quite good. I couldn’t help but exclaim, “These insects have suffered an injustice for their taste…”
Seeing me say that, Mary and Yan Junde were eager to try as well, and soon enough, the plate of insects was cleared.
Director Wang chuckled and said, “Many people find it hard to eat them because of their appearance. They don’t realize they’re missing out on one of the rare delicacies in the world! Haha, that’s just how the Special Investigation Team is—truly possessing a grandeur that ordinary people lack…”
I couldn’t believe that eating an insect could lead to such flattery. I quickly said, “Director Wang, let’s talk about this case. I heard from above that it’s a suicide case? What’s going on?”
Upon hearing this, Director Wang stopped joking and looked at us seriously. We straightened up in our seats as he continued, “This case is indeed a suicide, but if we call it that, it’s too strange. Everyone says it’s possessed. This matter goes back more than a week ago. In an area we oversee called Baili Village, there was a villager named Li Rong. He was a tea farmer who was over thirty but still single. He was hardworking and kind-hearted, with nothing particularly special about him.”
Director Wang took a sip of water, glanced at us, and continued, “Just a week ago, Li Rong seemed like he had become a different person. He used to hide in his house; when people called him out to play cards, he would come out. But now he wouldn’t even do that. Until two days ago when Li Rong came out of his house and ran towards the Mountain. People chased after him and saw him charge towards a slanted bamboo pole and impale himself on it—his head was pierced through completely, with brain matter splattered everywhere.”
“Is that really all?” I asked. “What happened to him a week ago? Did he meet anyone?”
Director Wang sighed and said, “If it were that simple, we wouldn’t have come to you.” He looked around cautiously before whispering, “This matter isn’t simple. There are some things that as a police officer I can’t really say openly. But do you believe in witchcraft?”
“Witchcraft?” I questioned.
“Keep your voice down!” Director Wang said mysteriously. “You know about the uniqueness of our area; there’s a legend that Baili Village has been cursed. Twenty years ago, there were suicides in Baili Village, with fifty-five people dying in total before it ended. At that time, I hadn’t been transferred here yet so I’m not familiar with it. We didn’t plan to seek you out for this case either; however, someone from the bureau brought up what happened twenty years ago and said this is just the beginning. I’m not sure about it either; we have to respect what they say…”
We nodded as Director Wang continued, “At first, I didn’t believe it either. But just yesterday, another suicide occurred!”
"Another one?" Everyone realized that Director Wang was not exaggerating.
Director Wang nodded heavily and said, "Another villager from Baili Village was found hanging from his own door frame."
"Suicide? Could it be murder? Someone might be using this rumor to kill," Yan Junde asked first.
"No," Director Wang shook his head. "You don't know the situation at the time. His legs were bent backward, as if he were kneeling—only he was kneeling in mid-air. This means that if he had just let his legs down, how could he possibly have died? Yet he died without letting his legs down. Don't you think that's eerie? After this case, I realized how deep this matter goes. If it's not witchcraft, then what else could it be?"
Upon hearing this, we all fell silent. Was it really suicide? Could it be true that Baili Village was cursed, as Director Wang said? Thinking of this, I asked, "What did you mean when you said Baili Village was cursed?" Director Wang waved his hand and replied, "I'm not very clear on that either. As I mentioned before, I wasn't assigned here at the time. There are some files left from back then; why don't we go to the archives and take a look?"
We nodded and a few of us drove to the archives. Upon seeing the archive room, I felt an indescribable fondness; after all, I had worked as an archive manager for a year. But since I left, the room had been managed by a young girl alone. While I was lost in thought, a police officer had already found the files from that year.
The file hadn't been touched for years and was covered in dust, with even a spider weaving its web on top. The officer shook it to remove the outer layer of dust, but there was still a layer of stains that couldn't be cleaned off. He handed it to me, and upon receiving it, I saw several large characters on it—File No. 1: Baili Village Poisoning Case.
I hadn't even opened it yet, but just looking at the title sent chills down my spine. File No. 1 indicated its seriousness; the subsequent title showed that this case ultimately couldn't be classified. A-Bao was right; this case was indeed tricky. However, based on the current situation, we still couldn't determine whether this case was related to the one from twenty years ago.
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