Kann nicht atmen

Kapitel 3

Lu Yingqi smiled, picked up her bag, and walked past Lan Qi. Suddenly, she heard Lan Qi say softly, "Why do I feel so cold?"

"You're practically naked, how can you not feel cold?" Yingqi teased.

The four of them rushed out the door and headed towards the bar.

The four women meticulously applied their makeup in the car, like warriors about to go into battle. The atmosphere inside was heavy and fraught with danger; they were determined to capture every lecherous man. Qin Jin, lacking the red satin to complement her look, naturally felt a little guilty. Seeing the three women still applying their elaborate and exaggerated makeup, she became even more disheartened, feeling that the proportions of the red flowers and green leaves were too unbalanced. However, she could do nothing about her dissatisfaction and could only remain silent.

The moment Qin Jin stepped out of the car, she finally understood what it meant to be the center of attention. She understood why so many people wanted to be stars, why so many were obsessed with power. She realized how wonderful it felt to be the center of attention. All eyes were fixed on the four of them. Lan Qi's graceful turn left a trail of stares on her smooth back, while Tang Shishi's sleeveless cheongsam seemed to be pierced by their gazes. This was success; all the hardship was worth it. Even the women were mesmerized. Several ladies of high society even went so far as to rudely approach and ask, "Where did you order this dress? It's so exquisite!"

The four men simply smiled and remained silent. As they entered, the men on both sides made way for them, and several even stepped forward to act as gentlemen. The four men felt even more proud, and Lan Qi secretly sighed, "I used to be a fashion guru, but I've never been so glamorous, and I've never seen anything like this before."

More and more people gathered to watch; they became the darlings of the venue, attracting attention from every angle. The glitz and glamour seemed to have been created solely to highlight these women.

Some men cautiously probed, while those with less favorable circumstances automatically stepped aside, not wanting to become the target of all the men in the room. The men who came forward to chat were all rich and powerful, and they had some prior acquaintances with each other. The four women smiled radiantly.

Only Lan Qi was somewhat distracted; she had her sights set on a target. It was her long-desired prey: the chairman of the city's largest diamond store, a family heirloom, young, handsome, charming, and wealthy. What beautiful woman wouldn't want to pounce on him and take a bite? She had wanted to take advantage of this talented young man for a long time, but she had never had the chance before. Men like him were arrogant and haughty; normally, even if Lan Qi were as beautiful as she was, they wouldn't give him a second glance.

Today was clearly different; that wealthy young man was keeping a close eye on him.

This outfit is amazing; it actually makes your wishes come true.

She sat quietly, waiting for the man to come over. Sure enough, he did. His fingers gently traced her smooth back, the scratches from his nails stinging slightly. In an instant, desire ignited like a match striking phosphorus paper, and their breaths became erratic. One hand gently encircled her slender waist, holding her tightly, and he said in a magnetic voice, "Be careful not to slip."

The voice was like a knife, piercing Lan Qi until she felt numb. The man said softly, "This place isn't suitable for you. There are too many people. Let's find a quiet place!"

She actually let the man take her away, her heart surging with joy. Cinderella had suddenly become a princess, or perhaps a long-awaited daydream had finally come true. She was overwhelmed by this sudden happiness.

She left quietly, without even Qin Jin noticing. Everyone was having fun and had no time to think about their friends.

Above the glitz and glamour bar was a five-star hotel, accessible directly by elevator, where the service staff were extremely courteous. In that extravagant presidential suite, Lan Qi and the young nobleman were almost irrepressibly entangled, their passionate kisses blurring the night, the night consumed by lust. As they passionately undressed, the young nobleman wouldn't let her remove her red undergarment, saying she was more alluring that way.

The two made love passionately, and one orgasm after another made them scream with excitement in the room. The whole room was filled with passion, moans and panting everywhere.

The battle finally subsided, and the man rolled off Lan Qi, panting softly to the side. He murmured as if in a dream, "I've never felt so good before. Making love with you alone feels like entering the bodies of two completely different women. You are truly an exceptional woman."

Lan Qi smiled slightly. It seemed she was determined to win over this young master. What was the point of being an advertising company director? Marrying into a wealthy family was her greatest wish.

Seeing Tang Shishi's privileged family background, who wouldn't be envious? Who wouldn't want that kind of wealth?

Lan Qi chuckled smugly, her hand gently stroking the piece of red satin. A woman's beauty is truly a treasure! She was quite pleased with herself, so she downed the glass of red wine by the bedside and walked into the bathroom, still laughing. The young nobleman outside the door watched her, almost ecstatic.

The shower water in the five-star hotel was strong, and it felt so good all over her body. She didn't want to take off her bodice; it clung to her body after being rinsed by the water, feeling as comfortable as if a new layer of skin had grown. She gently stroked the garment with her hands.

Lan Qi wondered, when did things become this smooth? Everything changed after she encountered this dress, proving that wearing red can indeed change one's luck. She closed her eyes and thought of the blind old woman, the tailor Hu. If she could see such a beautiful dress, she probably wouldn't have objected anymore.

She stood under the showerhead, water droplets falling from the sky, the entire bathroom becoming misty. The steam slowly enveloped her, when suddenly the water turned cold. She screamed, jumped back, and cursed under her breath. "Five-star hotel! How can they turn on cold water halfway through a shower? I'll just complain about the hotel's poor service later."

Lan Qi walked angrily to the bath towel because the wet undergarment made her feel cold and she just wanted to change. When she turned around, she looked up and saw something hanging on her body in the mirror over the water mist.

She was startled and looked down to see that she only had a bodice. When she looked up at the mirror again, she saw something still hanging on her body. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was a person. Overwhelmed with fear, she couldn't react for a moment, staring blankly, a chill running up her spine.

She stood frozen in place. The cool water poured down, and the hazy mist slowly dissipated, revealing a clearer image of a long-haired woman. Her hands were draped around her neck, and her legs were wrapped around her waist; her entire body was red. Lan Qi slowly moved her hand over, touched it, and confirmed it wasn't a hallucination.

It feels very soft and smooth to the touch, cool to the touch, and so familiar.

An even more horrifying question flashed through Lan Qi's mind. This woman was the one wearing that red bodice! Sure enough, the woman's hands were the two straps of the bodice, hanging around her neck; her legs were wrapped around her waist; and her head was buried deep between her breasts.

Lan Qi had never been so afraid. She wanted to scream, but the hands around her neck were already tightly gripping her neck, making it hard for her to breathe. She wanted to run, but the legs seemed to be wrapped around her legs. In despair, she lowered her head and saw a head buried in the chest, long hair wet and blood on the exposed red skin.

At this moment, the woman who had been keeping her head down slowly raised her head, and Lan Qi could no longer look away as the face slowly emerged from among the black hair.

Two bloodshot eyes, gushing blood, she had no eyeballs.

This was Lan Qi's last thought. She saw that bloodied face and it smiled gently at her. The corners of its lips turned up.

The sound of running water echoed from the bathroom again. The young master waited outside for a long time, but Lan Qi still didn't come out of the bathroom, and he was getting impatient. The excitement of suddenly encountering such a stunning woman made him a little dizzy. He gently pushed open the bathroom door and saw Lan Qi wearing a damp red bodice, her head down washing something at the sink. Her long hair hung down, covering her face, but she wasn't wearing anything underneath.

He quietly walked behind Lan Qi and gently wrapped his arms around her waist. At that moment, she looked incredibly sexy, which ignited a burning desire in his lower abdomen.

As he stroked Lan Qi's body downwards, he asked in a dreamlike voice, "Baby, what are you washing?" A slippery, bead-like object fell into his hand. He curiously withdrew his hand to take a look, and in just one glance, he froze.

It was an eyeball, the whites swollen from being washed by water, but the pupil remained dark and bright, gleaming under the fluorescent light, as if staring intently at him. He screamed and looked up at Lan Qi's hand, where she held another eyeball, rinsing it under the tap. Her fingers gently caressed the eyeball, which appeared clear in the water. The force of the water made it incredibly smooth, as if it were still alive within the eye, and the pupil within it, like the one in his hand, stared intently at him.

He stood there, unable to move, but Lan Qi slowly turned around. Blood was gushing from two bloody holes, and blood was dripping from his face onto his red undergarment. Lan Qi remained expressionless and slowly put her hand to his mouth, saying, "Wash your eyes."

The eyeball slid smoothly toward his lips. He was almost out of consciousness, only knowing that the two eyeballs that Lan Qi had gouged out himself were still staring at him.

Lan Qi raised her right hand, which held a toothbrush. She forcefully snapped the toothbrush in two.

The young nobleman tried to run, but it was too late; he had already seen it.

He saw that Lan Qi's bodice was gone, and in its place hung a blood-soaked, long-haired woman around Lan Qi's beautiful, jade-like neck. The woman's hands were crossed behind Lan Qi's neck, her legs were wrapped around Lan Qi's waist, and her head was buried deep in Lan Qi's smooth breasts, while her hair was wrapped around Lan Qi's body like vines.

The woman was raising her right hand and repeatedly making a "digging" motion in the air with her index and middle fingers.

In his terror, he suddenly felt a sharp pain as a broken blue toothbrush was plunged into his left eye. Bright red blood flowed down, and he collapsed to the ground. Lan Qi bent down and gently dug into his eyeball with the toothbrush, rhythmically chanting as she did so: "Dig, dig, dig."

His right eye saw the woman on Lan Qi's chest slowly turn her head. The woman had no eyes, but a strange smile appeared on her blood-covered face.

Then, another sharp pain struck, and everything went black; I couldn't see anything anymore.

Chapter Four: Vicious Murder (1)

Qin Jin stood in the center of the bar and looked around, but didn't see Lan Qi anywhere. She pulled Shi Shi aside and asked, "Where did Lan Qi go to show off?"

Shishi was surrounded by a large group of men, so densely packed that they couldn't hear her questions at all.

Sigh, it seems they've all gone mad. Strange, how come they all look different after putting on those clothes? Qin Jin shook her head as she walked out. For some reason, she felt a strong sense of unease, as if something was about to happen. She had to go find Lan Qi.

She thought, "Lan Qi is probably flirting with a man on the rooftop of the bar!" Anyway, it wouldn't hurt to go and see. Qin Jin took the elevator to the rooftop. Inside, a long-haired woman was crouching, clutching her stomach, looking like a woman suffering from menstrual cramps. Her face wasn't visible. Qin Jin wanted to ask if the woman needed help, but the atmosphere in the elevator felt oppressive, making her a little uneasy. Then she thought, "Women always have cramps for a few days. I've had cramps myself. This woman is probably just resting."

She pressed the button for the top floor, and the elevator lurched upwards. Qin Jin felt a chill run through her. Suddenly, the elevator stopped, and the woman stepped out slowly, her long hair flowing down, obscuring her face. Qin Jin glanced curiously at the thirteenth floor. Several people were already waiting at the entrance, seemingly about to come down. They stared blankly at Qin Jin. Qin Jin wondered where she was; everyone there was expressionless.

The woman walked slowly. Qin Jin held the elevator door button to prevent it from closing. As the woman was about to step out of the elevator, she lowered her head and turned slightly to Qin Jin, softly saying, "Thank you, welcome to the thirteenth floor." Qin Jin smiled politely, watching the woman's departing figure, feeling an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

The rooftop was deserted; the open-air bar had closed, and there was no one there. She went to look for something, only to find it empty. She cursed inwardly, "Where did that damned Lan Qi go?"

Qin Jin glanced at the elevator's display numbers out of boredom and suddenly noticed that the number for the thirteenth floor wasn't showing up. Thinking there was something wrong with the elevator, Qin Jin casually asked the waiter who had come in with him, "Why isn't the elevator showing the thirteenth floor?"

The waiter looked at her strangely and said, "Why did you think of asking that?"

"No, I just saw a woman go up to the thirteenth floor. I don't know how she'll get down when there's no elevator."

The waiter's strange gaze suddenly fell on Qin Jin, as if he had seen a monster or heard something absolutely impossible.

Qin Jin panicked and asked cautiously, "What's wrong?"

The waiter coldly replied, "The thirteenth floor used to be a company, but that company was cursed. Many people died within a month, all by jumping off the building. Our building was scared, so we sealed off the thirteenth floor. To prevent unsuspecting guests from accidentally entering this floor, this elevator never stops on the thirteenth floor."

Qin Jin hurriedly said, "But I clearly saw someone go up to the thirteenth floor just now, and there were many people standing at the elevator entrance."

"Miss, you're either seeing a ghost, or you should see a psychologist." The waiter's disdain was obvious.

Qin Jin was immediately confused. She clearly saw that woman go up to the thirteenth floor, so how could everything she saw suddenly be a lie?

As soon as Qin Jin stepped out of the elevator, she heard a commotion. Her heart tightened, and she asked, "What happened?"

"I heard someone died in one of the guest rooms."

Qin Jin had a bad feeling. She called Tang Shishi and Ying Qi over, and then ran upstairs by herself.

When Lu Ziming arrived at the hotel, almost all the bureau's elites were already there. Firstly, the deceased was the young director of the city's largest diamond store, from a powerful and influential family. The sudden loss of his only son had overwhelmed the bureau's phone lines. Secondly, the case was truly brutal. He overheard his former chief's excited voice on the phone from his bed. This chief was retiring next year; he should have seen all sorts of gruesome cases. What case could possibly surprise him?

As soon as he entered, his colleagues from the bureau came to greet him. Although Lu Ziming was not yet thirty years old, his case-handling skills were among the best in the bureau. He had won countless awards and made many contributions. However, Lu Ziming was a stubborn person. He did not care much about fame and fortune. He only had a love for his work and hoped to handle every case well.

The room was clean, with no signs of a struggle, not even blood. It was completely different from the brutal crime scene he had imagined. It was a warmly lit suite where everything seemed very peaceful, making him feel very comfortable.

But his professional instincts told him that this was not the crime scene, so he walked toward the bathroom where the forensic doctor was busy.

Some were taking photos, others were taking fingerprints, and they discovered that the waiter involved in the murder was trembling on the sofa outside, unable to answer any questions.

He entered the bathroom wearing gloves. He saw a man lying on the floor and a woman sitting against the mirror, both dead. Their eyes had been gouged out. The murder weapon, a blue toothbrush, lay nearby, bloodied and smeared with pieces of flesh. What bothered him most were the four gouged-out eyeballs, soaking in a hotel water bottle. It seemed the killer had removed the eyeballs, rinsed them under the tap, and then placed them in the bottle.

The eyeballs slid up and down in the water bottle, making them seem alive, and the pupils seemed to be staring at him.

He had never felt so uncomfortable before. He took a step back, and Xiao Wu behind him stepped forward and said, "Isn't it strange? Those eyeballs were like they were alive. Even I couldn't stand it and had to back out. The staff here can't stand it for long and have to go outside to catch their breath. Those eyeballs could even move! It's unbelievable!"

Lu Ziming waved his hand, signaling Xiao Wu to stop talking, and went back into the bathroom.

The woman died leaning against the mirror, her body facing inwards. She was probably in great shock when she died, which stiffened her muscles and allowed her to maintain the position.

A forensic doctor gently laid her down, exposing her chest. The forensic doctor also gasped in surprise; it's rare for even a forensic doctor to gasp like that.

Lu Ziming felt dizzy because he saw a blood-red undergarment, and it was indeed blood. It turned out that the skin on her chest was completely gone, revealing the muscle, and that layer of skin looked as if it had been cut off by something, cut into the shape of an undergarment.

After a careful examination, the forensic doctor deduced: "This woman may have first removed her own eyeballs, then used a toothbrush to gouge out the man's eyeballs, and finally cut off the skin from her chest. Both of them died from excessive blood loss. What is most incomprehensible is why that woman could do so many things under such intense pain?"

Photos were taken, and the hotel's CCTV footage showed that no outsiders entered the scene, proving that the forensic doctor's conclusion of suicide was correct.

Lu Ziming was about to call it a day and return to the station to investigate when a woman bumped into him in a panic. He helped her up and saw a pair of tearful eyes. Those eyes were incredibly beautiful, and she was struggling to suppress her fear as she asked, "Did a murder really happen here? Was the dead woman really named Lan Qi?"

He helped the woman up, and it was clear that she recognized the deceased woman.

Two more women rushed up behind them. One shouted, "Qin Jin, don't run so fast! You didn't even wait for the elevator!" The other shouted, "Have you found out? Did something happen to Lan Qi?"

All three women were dressed very fashionably, and one of them was wearing a striking red sleeveless cheongsam.

The woman in his arms straightened up and replied, "I don't know, I'm asking the police."

A woman rushed up to him, making him dizzy: "Is it Lan Qi? We are all Lan Qi's good friends. We went to a party, and she disappeared halfway through. Later we heard that something happened at this hotel, and the woman's name is Lan Qi. Is it true?"

He couldn't answer any of the questions, and the woman's face held an air of arrogance that seemed to take it all for granted. He turned his head, and the woman named Qin Jin said softly, "Just tell me, how is Lan Qi now?"

Although he felt a little reluctant, he still said, "He's dead."

A woman wearing a red headscarf collapsed nearby.

Two women rushed over, crying, "Yingqi, Yingqi, what's wrong?"

Fortunately, there were police cars below. Lu Ziming carried Yingqi straight to the hospital, with Qin Jin and Shishi following behind.

Chapter 5 Ghostly Shadows (1)

When Yingqi woke up, all she saw was white, and she smelled a strong odor of disinfectant. Someone was gently holding her hand. She turned her head and saw Qin Jin. Tang Shishi was standing by the window of the ward, gazing sadly into the distance.

As soon as Yingqi woke up, Qin Jin rushed over with delight and asked, "You're awake? Do you want some water?" Tang Shishi also came over and gently helped her up.

Yingqi asked, "Is it really Lanqi? Is she really dead?"

Qin Jin's eyes were filled with tears, and Tang Shishi hugged her tightly, saying, "Don't think about it so much, it was an accident."