Blutiger Handabdruck - Kapitel 33
"Make a copy of the film for your records, and then take us back to the police station," Xu Haicheng instructed the security guards. He then told Pan Xiaolu and the others, "Once we get back to the station, we'll have the technical department process it; it should be clearer then."
The three then went up to the elevator lobby on the second floor. The window was open, and they could see the elevator lobby of the adjacent Unit 2, which was very close. A more daring person could jump from Unit 2 to Unit 3. Peeking down, they could see several pipes, including water pipes and sewage pipes. It wouldn't be difficult for someone to climb up if they wanted to, but the windowsill was unusually clean.
The police officers on that floor then reported that they had not obtained fingerprints from the upstairs button. As for shoe prints, there were some, and they are currently collecting shoe prints from the second-floor residents for comparison and exclusion. Of course, people didn't have high hopes for fingerprints or shoe prints in the first place; if they were, the first three attempts wouldn't have yielded zero results.
Xu Haicheng, along with Deputy Captain Feng and Pan Xiaolu, arrived at Huang Yisen's house. His wife and children, unaware that he was the one in the accident, rushed downstairs upon hearing the news. Just then, the hospital ambulance arrived, and the whole family squeezed into the vehicle. As the door was about to close, Huang's wife shouted, "Wait!"
Everyone looked at her, and she said, "Something's happened. My husband told me last night that it seems like someone is following him."
Xu Haicheng and Deputy Captain Feng exchanged a glance, their expressions differing.
Xu Haicheng suddenly realized that everyone's attention was focused on the TV station because of Lei Yunshan and He Qing's deaths, unaware that the murderer had scouted the location beforehand and was waiting for Huang Yisen on his way home. Deputy Captain Feng, on the other hand, was filled with remorse for making such a grave oversight.
After searching the neighborhood and questioning the security guards, they showed them Lu Mingjie's photo. However, the community was not gated and had many residents, so the security guards said they didn't remember him.
So everyone returned to the municipal bureau with a bunch of surveillance videos, and Xu Haicheng followed them. He was anxious about what was hidden in the darkness of the slightly ajar elevator door, so as soon as they got back to the bureau, he pulled Pan Xiaolu and Deputy Captain Feng to the technical room.
The technical officers cut out the section of the elevator door that was slightly ajar, and then applied a series of light and shadow effects. Gradually, a very blurry shadow emerged from the dark background.
A face that's blurry.
Although I couldn't see it clearly, I vaguely felt that it was what He Qing described: scales on the face and teeth that took up half of the face.
This face has no hair; perhaps the black hair has melted into the darkness.
There are no clothes under this face. Could it be that the black clothes he is wearing have also melted into the darkness?
Or is this a face floating in the air?
The four people staring at the screen felt like they were struggling to breathe and their backs were ice-cold.
Section 63: Chapter Eleven, Part One of the Void Tribulation (1)
Chapter Eleven: The Void Calamity (Part One)
I thought I understood human nature well enough, but it still surprises me from time to time...
(Excerpt from "Police Detective's Diary")
For a moment, the technical room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The only sounds were the whirring of the wind rattling the glass outside and the pounding of their hearts. The lights were dimmer than usual, casting a cold, eerie glow on the surrounding instruments. After a while, all four of them simultaneously let out a long sigh, looked at each other, somewhat bewildered, unsure what to say.
Silently leaving the technical room, the three exchanged glances, still unsure what to say. The usually bright corridor seemed strangely dimly lit, and the night outside the window felt impure, as if harboring sinister intentions. A gust of wind blew in from the window at the end of the corridor, and Pan Xiaolu shivered, realizing that her back was drenched in sweat. The cold sweat clung uncomfortably to her underwear. Suppressing the urge to scratch, she couldn't help but break the silence, saying, "What's wrong with this face?" She didn't notice that her voice was three degrees lower than usual, as if afraid someone would hear.
Xu Haicheng frowned deeply and remained silent.
"I don't believe such a bizarre thing exists in the world," Deputy Captain Feng murmured, his expression still one of disbelief.
"I don't believe it either, but it was captured by the elevator's security camera, and it's not a composite." Pan Xiaolu was almost desperate with frustration. "Besides, if it wasn't a ghost that killed someone... then how could there be no fingerprints, no footprints, and how could it break into a heavily guarded police station to commit the crime?"
Xu Haicheng stopped and said, "Think about it. If it were truly a spirit, the elevator doors wouldn't have been able to stop it at all. But we all saw Huang Yisen press the close button, and it was blocked outside. Besides, if it were a spirit, shouldn't it be able to enter the elevator anytime, anywhere? There's no need for it to stop on the third floor."
Pan Xiaolu thought for a moment and said, "Captain Xu, I admit you have a point, but what you've said is based on ghosts described in legends or novels. Who can be sure that spirits are truly invisible and can walk through walls anytime, anywhere?"
Xu Haicheng paused for a moment, then said, "That's true, after all, I've never seen it before."
The three continued walking towards the Criminal Investigation Team's office, remaining silent once more. The events that had occurred were completely beyond their comprehension, leaving them bewildered and increasingly troubled. They felt that everything was absurd beyond belief.
A mouse scurried past, squeaking, in the corridor. Xu Haicheng's eyes lit up; he suddenly remembered someone. He stopped and asked Pan Xiaolu, "Is Xiao Wu still in Jingyun Songlang Village?"
"No, he was in Jingyun City yesterday, going to Lu Mingjie's house with the Jingyun City police officers."
"Notify Xiao Wu to go to Panlong Village and find a Granny Chunhua. She might know what's going on with this face. Look at my brain, I actually forgot about her?" Xu Haicheng regretfully blamed himself. Granny Chunhua, who looked just like an old rat, that eerie meeting under the pine torch, and every word she uttered from her empty gums, all vividly surfaced in his mind.
"Okay." Pan Xiaolu immediately took out her phone to notify Detective Wu.
Xu Haicheng glanced at his watch; it was nearly midnight. Things were different now; he couldn't stay overnight at the police station. He knew Deputy Captain Feng would interrogate Lu Mingjie that night, but given his current position, he couldn't just sit in. Reluctantly, he left the police station. Back home, he turned the calendar page, staring blankly at the large red November 8th. The cultural festival was only two days away, yet the case had made no progress.
He spent the whole night dealing with cases, and the next morning he couldn't contain himself and called Pan Xiaolu to ask about Lu Mingjie's interrogation.
Pan Xiaolu sighed and said that catching Lu Mingjie this time was a futile effort. He admitted to sending threatening emails simply because he didn't like seeing these people using Mansi Culture for publicity; as for Du Junfeng's ID card, he just found it in a garbage dump.
When asked why his appearance had changed so drastically, he replied...
He said that six months ago, while he was contemplating in the deep mountains of Jingyun, his face was poisoned. The poisonous gas damaged some nerves, causing localized facial paralysis and muscle atrophy.
Then he asked how he survived in the deep mountains of Jingyun.
He said that after he rolled down the hillside, he lost consciousness and was rescued by a man named Lao Chuntou from Tongtian Village.
When Xu Haicheng heard this, a thought struck him. There was indeed a man named Lao Chuntou in Tongtian Village; he remembered someone mentioning him. The village chief of Tongtian Village had said that after the expedition team, led by the Ghost Master, went to Tongtian Ridge, Lao Chuntou and his young wife disappeared.
When asked why he didn't return to Nanpu University, he replied...
He said that because of his facial injury, he stayed at a relative's house in Tongtianzhai, collecting medicinal herbs from the mountains for treatment. He stayed there for nearly half a year, and now that he is feeling a little better, he has returned to Nanpu City to seek better medical treatment. Afraid of upsetting his parents, he didn't even dare to go home, only daring to secretly visit his sister.
When asked what he was doing wandering around the TV station last night, he replied...
He countered with a question: Is it not allowed to wander around near the TV station?
In short, he was very cooperative, but his testimony was impeccable. Even if people suspected him, they couldn't find any evidence to prove it. Besides, Huang Yisen was already in the police car when he was frightened. Left with no other option, Deputy Captain Feng decided to release him.
Pan Xiaolu clearly remembers that when she told Lu Mingjie he could leave, he curled his lips and smiled again, just like he had on TV that day, as if he was fearless and had nothing to hold him back.
Xu Haicheng listened quietly to her finish speaking. Lu Mingjie's answer did indeed sound impeccable. Given his status, it was perfectly reasonable for him to visit Ma Junnan, after all, they were in the same expedition team and had gone through life and death together. But the question was, what exactly did he do about their sudden recovery after the visit? However, neither of these events could be proven to be related to the Ghost Face murder case.
Lu Mingjie was already somewhat eccentric, and this major upheaval has changed his appearance, making the extent of his inner transformation immeasurable. Rushing to seize him this time is a very poor strategy, almost like grasping at straws in desperation.
Pan Xiaolu sighed deeply and said, "Captain Xu, we all know, but this case is completely hopeless. The higher-ups are urging us every day, and we're all burning with anxiety. We'll do whatever it takes, even if there's only the slightest hope."