Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
I nodded at Zhang Xiaoli and said, "Well done. Find out the identities of the remaining people and see what connections they have. Also, figure out why the Killer targeted them. Once this case is over, I'll take you out for a meal. You can order whatever you want."
Zhang Xiaoli smiled and replied, "I think I've heard you say that more than once while we were at the department. I hope you keep your word this time!"
Just as I was speaking with Zhang Xiaoli, Captain hurriedly approached me, saying he had intercepted the garbage truck and brought both the vehicle and its driver back to the Police Department. According to the driver, when he drove onto a small road, he heard persistent knocking from behind, so he got out to check. That was when he discovered a person inside the Garbage Bin.
We immediately went outside to meet the driver. He appeared to be in his forties, looking quite simple and even somewhat awkward. Upon seeing us, he seemed flustered and didn't know what to say, standing there unsure whether to sit or remain standing.
I asked, "So someone did indeed fall out of your garbage truck?"
He nodded and replied, "Yes, when I was driving around Yangjiapu, I heard someone knocking on the back of the truck. I got out to check and saw someone standing on top of it. I told him to get down. When he did, he gave me a hundred yuan and said it was a thank you; if it weren't for me, he would have died."
It seemed this was indeed the driver in question. He continued, "I didn't understand what was going on but went along with it. Then he handed me a notebook that looked like it had been dug out of the trash. He told me that if anyone came looking for me, I should give them this."
"But I don't even know what this thing is; I didn't look at it," the driver added. "I only earn a few dozen yuan per trip; it's not much in a day. But this guy just handed me a hundred, so I agreed. I don't even know how you guys stopped me; can I just keep this hundred yuan? I haven't done anything illegal..."
At this point, the middle-aged man looked like he might cry. I quickly reassured him, saying, "We understand that making money isn't easy; just keep that hundred yuan."
As I took the notebook from him, I felt it was slick with grease, clearly soaked in the Garbage Bin for a long time; it seemed likely that the Killer had dug it out of the trash. A foul odor wafted from it as I flipped through its pages while asking, "Did that person say anything else?"
"No..." he replied. "Actually, those words weren't directed at me; he was talking to himself but let me hear it. I'm not sure if it's useful."
"What did he say?" I inquired.
He scratched his head and said, "He mentioned something about being quick; I didn't catch it all clearly but that's what it sounded like."
Quick? What did that mean? Was he feeling like he was about to be caught or thinking he could still hold on? Regardless, we were indeed closing in; we already had multiple leads from our investigation. This included information about the kidnapped individuals and their connections to the victims as well as descriptions of the Killer's appearance. According to the Killer's previous plan, he was supposed to eliminate all twelve people in that photograph, but now having only killed seven made it increasingly difficult for him to continue.
Killer thought he could control everything, but little did he know that those who believe this often end up controlling nothing at all.
The car owner, seeing me silent, timidly asked, "I won't have to go to jail, right? Can't I just pay back the money?"
I sighed, unsure whether to laugh or cry. I replied, "It's fine. We're just here to understand the situation. You can leave now, and you can keep the money. Just go back and work hard; we won’t arrest a good person."
"Thank you, thank you!" The car owner said as he walked away, expressing his gratitude.
After he left, I examined the notebook closely. It was originally a biology assignment book belonging to a Junior High School student, discarded in a pile of trash after use. The pages were filled with assignments, indicating a heavy workload. I flipped through the pages; many were completely ruined by rotten vegetable leaves and leftover soup, turning into a mushy mess upon opening.
After flipping through dozens of pages, I finally found a relatively clean sheet. On the back of this paper was a message that looked entirely different from the previous handwriting. This was not an assignment from a high school student but rather words left for us by Killer. Written in pencil, it read:
"Today I survived, but you saw my face. I know it's only a matter of time before I'm caught, and I also know that once captured, I'll likely be sentenced to Death Penalty. Fine, if I must die, then so be it. But before I die, I will kill those people. Come and catch me; I'm waiting for you."
From the handwriting, it was identical to Killer's—still impeccably neat. I furrowed my brow; from this note, it seemed Killer had decided to go down fighting. After killing the others, he would take his own life. If that were the case, then those others were in grave danger; they could very well be killed by Killer soon!
Just then, my phone suddenly rang. Looking at the screen, it was an unknown number. I answered and asked, "Hello, who is this?"
"Who am I? I'm Killer!" came the reply from the other end.
"Killer?" I immediately switched to speakerphone and handed the phone to Mary.
Everyone held their breath, terrified that even the slightest sound would cause Killer to hang up. Mary connected the phone to her computer and began tracking its location.
I deliberately stalled for time and said, "Really? Which Killer are you?"
"Killer," he said, "there's no need for us to beat around the bush. The fact that I didn't die upstairs today is just luck on my part, but I know that being seen by you means it's only a matter of time before I'm caught. Even if I manage to escape North City, I can never live like a normal person again."
"Then what does this phone call mean?" I asked. "Are you justifying your actions or making a declaration before your death? Once you kill someone, you must face the law. Do you really think it's possible to live like a normal person? I've already told you, prison is inevitable! You can choose to rot in there, but at least you'll still have your life."
I continued, "As long as you reveal everything about the organization, you can live."
"Haha! Those people," Killer replied. "The ones I've killed are all deserving of it. You don't know what they've done, so you preach to me from a moral standpoint. But if you knew who they really were, you wouldn't think that way."
"What kind of people are they?" I pressed.
"That's something you'll have to investigate yourself," Killer said. "The reason I killed these people is that you were too slow to do it! Some people don't deserve to live in this world; I know that for sure. Compared to them, I believe I deserve to live here more. People talk about good being rewarded and evil being punished; to me, that's all nonsense!"
Killer scoffed and continued, "Those good people are at the bottom of society, helpless and without support. They have no way out, while those who do evil thrive in this world, indulging in luxury and excess. Why should that be? The greatest evil in this world is watching these people go unpunished."
"So, I took it upon myself to do something about it."
I frowned; this was the first time I'd had such an extensive conversation with Killer, and it felt like he was revealing his true feelings. Previously, most of the messages Killer left us, including the Human Skin Map notes, were written in a provocative tone, exuding confidence and certainty.
But now, all I could hear from Killer was his discontent with society.
Many times, people become cynical after experiencing one or two unfair situations and believe the world is entirely dark. Yet they often overlook the many bright aspects of life. In darkness, they too gradually become dark. Ji Ye once said something that resonated with me deeply:
If the sky is always dark, then survive in the dark; if making noise is dangerous, then remain silent; if you feel powerless to shine, then curl up in a corner. But do not grow accustomed to darkness and defend it; do not take pride in your own mediocrity; do not mock those who are braver and more passionate than yourself. We can be humble as dust but must not twist ourselves into something vile.
And Killer had clearly twisted himself into something vile.
"Then tell me what these people have done. They will get the punishment they deserve!" I said.
"It's too late, and I don't want to say anything more," Killer replied with a cold laugh. "I know you have advanced equipment that can track a person's phone. I can't say much more now. That's it, goodbye."
With that, Killer abruptly hung up the phone.
Mary sighed and said, "We were so close. If we had just one more minute, we could have roughly pinpointed his location. Killer really timed that perfectly; I thought we were going to find him."
I ignored Mary's words and pondered what Killer had said. According to him, the people he killed must have done something wrong, something heinous; otherwise, he wouldn't target them for murder. So what exactly had these people done?
What about that old photograph? When was it taken?
These individuals shared a common trait: they seemed to have no relatives at all. Did they truly lack family, or were they hiding something? If we couldn't figure this out, even if we caught Killer, the case wouldn't be resolved.
While we knew that Killer was a murderer, we also needed to understand why he killed them. Perhaps leading us into a trap was just one of Killer's objectives; he might have other motives related to punishing these individuals. It seemed simple—just catch Killer—but it was complicated by the underlying issues involved.
Human nature can be both simple and complex at times.
A Senior High School Student was kidnapped along with a Leggy School Beauty and a Busty Third-Tier Celebrity, trapped in an Abandoned Cabin after mistakenly eating Unknown Wild Fruit, feeling feverish in the middle of the night.
Comment 0 Comment Count