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墨書 Inktalez
At this moment, we had no idea when the Killer would strike, but we knew it would be soon. If we couldn't find the Killer quickly, the remaining individuals would be in danger. As it stood, there were five people left, corresponding to the zodiac signs of Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, and Aquarius. Their associated organs were the uterus, heart, small intestine, waist, and calf.
We were uncertain whether the Killer would continue using their previous methods or simply kill these individuals outright.
Time slipped away rapidly. All we could do was wait; there was no need to rush. We had already issued a citywide manhunt for the Killer in North City. It was only a matter of time before they were caught. However, whether we would apprehend the Killer before or after they committed another murder made all the difference.
We waited until afternoon without any news from the Captain. Meanwhile, Zhang Xiaoli had gathered all the information about the victims and connected their stories. After hearing Zhang Xiaoli recount this tale, we fell silent, unable to find words to express our feelings.
Through her research online, Zhang Xiaoli discovered an old post that had been buried for a long time. The content of the post read: "Seeking kind-hearted individuals to help me find my three-year-old child." The replies to this post were few and quickly faded into the vastness of the internet, but one image surfaced above all.
This image was a group photo of Twelve People.
The post told a story:
About five years ago, the poster's child was three years old. While taking their child out to play in a park, they were abducted by a trafficker. At that time, the poster had gone to a Convenience Store to buy ice cream for their child while their child played on a swing in the park. When they returned, they found their child missing.
The swing had not been unattended for long; within just a few minutes, this father's happy life had crumbled into despair. Before leaving, he caught sight of someone entering the park. Based on such a short timeframe, this person must have been the trafficker. The poster only remembered one side of their face and nothing else.
The poster reported the incident to the police; however, due to the nature of mobile crimes, law enforcement had little evidence and no idea where the trafficker had fled. Although a case was opened, there were no leads for a long time. A year later, the Killer somehow obtained this photo and recognized one person as the trafficker they had brushed past that day. Thus, they posted online hoping to find any one of those Twelve People.
By doing so, they believed they could track down the trafficker through that individual. However, the post quickly sank without yielding any useful clues.
For parents whose children have been abducted by traffickers, these criminals are beyond redemption. Every newborn is an angel—a product of parental love and hope for the future. Yet these traffickers destroy families and shatter happiness, leaving behind sorrow that lasts a lifetime.
If it were me in that situation, what would I do? Would I also harbor thoughts of wanting to tear those traffickers apart?
But this was crucial for us because it might reveal information about the Killer or even lead us to their address. With that thought in mind, I set aside my sympathy for them; I could understand their feelings but knew that any form of vigilante justice disrespects both law and oneself.
I said to Zhang Xiaoli: "You need to continue investigating what connection exists among those Twelve People. If one of them is indeed a trafficker, why would the Killer want to kill them all? Could it be that all Twelve People are traffickers and this photo is some sort of commemorative picture?"
Zhang Xiaoli chuckled at my suggestion and replied: "It's amusing that you think of it as a commemorative photo for traffickers. I believe there must be some hidden connection among them. Our team will keep investigating this matter further; however, what do you think about the person who posted?"
I replied: "I suspect that poster is actually the Killer."
Zhang Xiaoli nodded seriously and said: "I think so too; that's why I shared it with you. We found this photo online and traced it back to this post. The post is quite lengthy; I've selected an excerpt where most of it consists of the poster denouncing traffickers."
"From the tone of this poster, it is clear that there is a tendency towards wanting to kill," Zhang Xiaoli continued. "Moreover, based on the timeline, this person has likely been investigating for five years, finally uncovering the movements of these individuals, and then controlling them one by one to kill."
I furrowed my brow. As a father, the pain of losing a child can indeed transform into an obsession with those who traffic children. Zhang Xiaoli was probably right; this meant that the Killer had not found their child. Could it be that the Killer joined that organization with this ulterior motive?
Joining that large organization was likely a way to leverage its power to track down those traffickers from years ago. After locating them, the Killer intended to exit the organization, which led to a month of planning before initiating this killing spree. On one hand, they were evading the organization's pursuit, and on the other hand, they were eliminating those traffickers from the past.
This scenario seemed quite plausible. However, if viewed from this perspective, the actions of the Killer appeared less cynical. Human emotions are truly contradictory. Yet there is one principle I have always held as truth: there are no righteous murderers in this world, nor are there killers who should escape justice. The very reason we establish a nation is that we delegate part of our power to create a set of agreed-upon regulations. Under a consistent baseline, we determine whether a person is guilty and what punishment they should receive; this is what we call law.
If someone openly violates all of this and creates their own standards for judgment, failing to apprehend them at that moment would lead to more such incidents occurring. This door cannot be opened because standards vary between individuals; some believe thieves should be executed while others think that infidelity deserves imprisonment.
However, doing so deprives a person of the chance for redemption. Many times, people make mistakes, and that does not mean they are beyond saving.
Not wanting to dwell further on this issue, I turned to Mary and asked, "Can you find this person's address?"
Mary nodded and replied, "The address can indeed be found. In fact, I've been searching for it both earlier and now. However, given that five years have passed, it's uncertain whether they still live there."
"Go ahead and check," I said. "People like this tend to be nostalgic."
About half an hour later, Mary located the address. When we arrived at the location, we found it was an old building; the community's walls were in disrepair, with crumbling bricks exposed through cracked concrete. The entire place resembled a dangerous structure that seemed like it could collapse at any moment.
It appeared that this place had been disconnected from the internet for quite some time; I wondered if the Killer still lived here. I felt a mix of anticipation and skepticism about its likelihood. Before going rogue, the Killer was a very cautious person; they probably wouldn’t continue living at their original residence. But then again, considering that the post was made five years ago without drawing much attention—essentially sinking into obscurity—the Killer might not have been meticulous enough about it.
With a conflicted heart, I ascended the stairs and knocked on the weathered door. To my surprise, there was someone inside.
An elderly woman opened the door; she looked to be in her sixties or seventies. Upon seeing us, her eyes briefly lit up with surprise before she asked, "Who are you looking for?"
I imagined various scenarios: perhaps the room was already empty and we had come up short; or maybe the Killer opened the door and we ended up in a scuffle where we captured them on the spot; or perhaps the Killer managed to escape again, leaving us furious.
But I never considered this possibility.
We exchanged glances momentarily at a loss for words until Juan Juan quickly responded. "Grandma, we're here looking for someone. Have you seen this person?" She pulled out the photo of the Killer that I had taken earlier and handed it to the elderly woman.
The old lady examined it closely before saying, "Isn't this my grandchild's photo? Why are you looking for him?"
We exchanged glances, as if we had stumbled upon something after a long and fruitless search. The clues that Captain had been working tirelessly to find all day, the person that the computer had failed to identify, were suddenly revealed through a post from five years ago, leading us to the mother of the Killer.
I quickly asked, "Is he at home? We are police officers and need to speak with him."
The elderly woman shook her head and replied, "No, he hasn't been home for a long time. I haven't seen him in ages. He's still searching for his child. You probably don't know this, but five years ago, my grandson was kidnapped by human traffickers. His mother couldn't bear the shock and committed suicide. Since then, my son has been looking for my grandson, but five years have passed with no news at all."
As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes. I had seen that same expression of despair on the Killer's face before—a look of hopelessness that suggested a heart already dead. The ancient saying that there is no greater sorrow than a dead heart holds true. Some people may be physically alive but are already dead inside.
In this sense, the Killer was already dead; he just hadn't been buried yet.
"Do you know who the trafficker is?" I continued to ask.
"We know, but no one cares. The child can't be brought back!" the elderly woman lamented.
"Can you tell us more specifically?" I pressed on.
A senior high school student had been kidnapped along with a Leggy School Beauty and a Busty Third-Tier Celebrity, trapped in an Abandoned Cabin, and mistakenly consumed Unknown Wild Fruit, causing them to feel feverish in the middle of the night.
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