Conserves fantômes

Chapitre 9

"Last night."

"Did you call the police?"

"I've submitted it."

"Okay, don't be afraid, I'll be right there."

After putting down the microphone, Lin Qiu quickly finished washing up and rushed to the dormitory that Lin Wenrui and Ding Xiang shared.

Chen Feng and a group of police officers had arrived at the scene, and the forensic doctor was examining the body. Ding Xiang was found dead in her own bed; it was immediately clear that she had been killed by having her throat slit with a knife or other sharp weapon, and blood had soaked the bed. Strangely, because Lin Wenrui was away on a business trip, Bai Yue had slept in the same bed with Ding Xiang the previous night, and Bai Yue was completely unaware of her murder.

At this moment, a police officer found a bloodstained kitchen knife in the kitchen. The forensic doctor immediately conducted a blood test, and the results came back quickly: Ding Xiang had been killed by the murderer who used this knife to slit her throat. The time of death was between 2 and 3 a.m., and the cause of death was almost identical to Liu Qian's. Without a doubt, both of them were killed by the same killer. From their distorted faces and terrified eyes, it was clear that they must have seen something extremely horrific before being murdered, and then, before they could even scream or struggle, they were brutally killed by the murderer.

Bai Yue's face was deathly pale, and she was extremely fragile. She nestled weakly in Lin Qiu's arms, her body trembling slightly. The successive heavy blows had almost driven her to a mental breakdown. To prevent her from being further traumatized, Lin Qiu took her away from the crime scene and personally escorted her home.

Currently, before the case is solved, the bodies of Liu Qian and Ding Xiang are temporarily stored in the morgue of the city hospital.

The next day, the fingerprint analysis results from the kitchen knives came back, showing Bai Yue's fingerprints, and they were all recent. This meant that Bai Yue was the last user of both knives. Therefore, Bai Yue was undoubtedly the murderer. However, what's puzzling is why, if Bai Yue killed both victims, she would automatically call the police? What was her motive? Furthermore, it seems that she only discovered the murders after dawn each time, then frantically called the police while crying and sobbing. This is clearly illogical and doesn't fit the typical psychological characteristics of a murderer.

Who is the murderer? Suddenly, Chen Feng remembered Tong Xingxing, who had mysteriously disappeared from the orphanage some time ago. Could it be him?

Just then, the phone on his desk rang urgently. Chen Feng grabbed the receiver:

Hello.

"Is this Officer Chen? I'm Director Jia from the Municipal Hospital. I have something to report to you."

"What's going on?"

"Here's what happened. This morning, when the hospital staff were conducting a routine check on the bodies, they discovered two blue skulls inexplicably appearing on the foreheads of the two deceased, Liu Qian and Ding Xiang."

"Oh, I see. Thank you, Dean Jia. I'll send someone over right away."

After putting down the microphone, Chen Feng exhaled a heavy puff of smoke. Amidst the swirling smoke, his expression became inscrutable…

The Mysterious Old Man (Chapter 3)

Around nine o'clock, Chen Feng's assistant, Yang Jian, arrived at the city hospital with two police officers. Accompanied by the hospital director, Jia Minkang, they went to the morgue. Jia Minkang lifted the white sheets covering the bodies of Liu Qian and Ding Xiang one by one, revealing the blue skulls imprinted on their foreheads, which looked sinister and terrifying.

Clearly, these two blue skulls were identical to the blue skulls that appeared on the foreheads of Lin Wangchou's father, Lin Yongfu, and Zheng Ansheng's mother, Zhao Guihua, when they died. Yang Jian stared at the two stiff corpses in front of him, pondered for a moment, then took out his camera and took two photos of the two hideous blue skulls.

After leaving the morgue, Yang Jian asked the hospital director, Jia Minkang, a few detailed questions. He then asked Old Zhang, the morgue keeper, and the hospital staff member who first discovered the blue skull a few questions, but he didn't get any clues. Yang Jian had no choice but to say goodbye to Jia Minkang and return to the police station.

The investigation has reached a stalemate, with no breakthroughs found. The police have questioned Bai Yue three times already, but haven't obtained any valuable clues. It's not that Bai Yue is denying everything or unwilling to confess; rather, she genuinely knows nothing about the case. Even more perplexing is that while there are clear fingerprints on the two kitchen knives, she firmly insists she never touched them, and her tone doesn't seem like she's lying. Currently, besides the fingerprints on the two kitchen knives, there is no other evidence to prove Bai Yue is the murderer.

Chen Feng silently chain-smoked in his office. After listening to Yang Jian's report on the situation at the hospital, he fell silent. After a moment, he suddenly stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, raised his eyebrows, and asked in an unusually stern tone:

"Any news about the child stars from the orphanage?"

Not yet.

"Investigate Tong Xingxing's background right now."

"Okay, I'll take care of it right away."

After Yang Jian left, Chen Feng closed the door tightly, leaned back in his chair, lit another cigarette, closed his eyes slightly, and fell into deep thought...

Overwhelmed by shock and grief, Bai Yue fell ill. Lin Qiu took leave from the newspaper to stay home with her. Bai Yue had just fallen asleep when Lin Qiu sat by her bedside, gently holding her hand. Looking at Bai Yue's noticeably thin and pale face, he felt a deep sadness in his heart.

"I'm not the murderer! I'm not the murderer! I didn't kill them, I didn't kill them!"

Bai Yue started having nightmares again. Her face was contorted in agony, and her body was writhing violently, clearly indicating the immense suffering she was enduring. Lin Qiu quickly grabbed a hot towel and placed it on Bai Yue's forehead, gently stroking her face. After a while, Bai Yue gradually calmed down.

At 3 PM, Lin Qiu received a call from Chen Feng, who asked him to come to the police station. Chen Feng wanted to talk to him about something. Lin Qiu gave Bai Yue her medicine, told her to rest at home, and then went to the police station.

By evening, Bai Yue felt much better; her headache had subsided, and she had regained some strength in her hands and feet. So, she got up, prepared dinner, and waited for Lin Qiu to return.

It was past eight o'clock, and Lin Qiu still hadn't returned. Bai Yue forced herself to eat a few mouthfuls of rice, then sat in the living room watching TV while waiting for Lin Qiu.

Before she knew it, it was already past ten o'clock, and Lin Qiu still hadn't returned. Looking at the dark night outside the window, Bai Yue felt a little panicked.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Without thinking, Bai Yue rushed to open it, only to find that the person standing outside wasn't Lin Qiu, but an old man. This old man gave off a very strange feeling; he wore a very old gray Zhongshan suit and worn-out cloth shoes, his wrinkled face expressionless. The moment Bai Yue's eyes met the old man's, her heart skipped a beat, her face paled, and her eyes were instantly filled with deep fear! The old man's eyes were so familiar and terrifying! Bai Yue suddenly remembered—the last time someone knocked on the door at night, the unusually cloudy, strange, and eerie eye she saw through the peephole was this old man's eye!

Looking at the strange old man outside the door, Bai Yue asked in a trembling voice, her voice filled with fear:

"Excuse me, who are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for Lin Zhengde."

The old man's tone was sinister and so cold it sent chills down your spine.

Lin Zhengde? Who is Lin Zhengde? Bai Yue suddenly remembered, wasn't Lin Zhengde Lin Qiu's father?

"He... he's no longer alive. Why are you looking for him?"

"I've come to return something to him."

As he spoke, the old man handed Bai Yue a plastic bag, then turned and walked straight upstairs. Bai Yue noticed that his footsteps were light and airy, making no sound at all. Watching the old man's gloomy and terrifying figure slowly disappear into the darkness of the stairwell, Bai Yue was filled with extreme fear. She hurriedly locked the door tightly, leaning against it and breathing heavily. She couldn't understand why the old man went upstairs. Did he live upstairs? That couldn't be possible; the upstairs was the rooftop. How could someone live on the rooftop? Could he be a ghost?

Bai Yue dared not think any further. After a long while, she finally calmed down and carefully examined the package the old man had given her. It was wrapped tightly in layers of black plastic and oil paper, giving it a very mysterious appearance. What exactly was this? What was the relationship between the old man and Lin Qiu's father? If this was truly a loan from Lin Qiu's father, why didn't he return it while he was alive, but only after his death?

Bai Yue wanted to see what it was, so she slowly unwrapped the layers of plastic and oil paper. When only the last layer remained, Bai Yue's heart tightened; her hands trembled, filled with both curiosity and fear. After hesitating for a moment, she slowly unwrapped the last layer of oil paper. In that instant, Bai Yue suddenly screamed, her eyes widening in terror, her face turning deathly pale, and her whole body trembling uncontrollably!

Bai Yue never dreamed that the mysterious thing was actually the hideous, terrifying human skull that Tong Xingxing had carved last time...

Chapter 4: Ghostly Appearance

When Lin Qiu came out of Chen Feng's office, it was already past 11 p.m. The entire police station courtyard was shrouded in a deep night, and all was quiet. A few streetlights emitted a dim, yellowish light, which appeared hazy and eerie in this desolate winter night, casting an ominous shadow on people's minds.

As Lin Qiu walked, he recalled Chen Feng's words. If Chen Feng's analysis was correct, the series of strange and complex cases, from Lin Wangchou's mysterious disappearance to Ding Xiang's mysterious murder, were all committed by the same killer. Of course, it couldn't be ruled out that there were two or more killers working together. And in this series of complex cases, the blue skull was a crucial clue. Every time the blue skull appeared, it foreshadowed the beginning of death; everyone who saw it would meet their demise.

Thinking of this, Lin Qiu unconsciously recalled the terrifying blue skull he had first seen in the bathroom mirror at home. Just thinking about the blue skull's sinister and ferocious face sent chills down his spine.

He still couldn't understand how that terrifying blue skull had appeared on the bathroom mirror in his own home. Suddenly, he remembered that horrifying website, the terrifying phone call, and the woman's crying. Ever since his computer automatically shut down, he had never been able to find that terrifying website called "Gates of Hell" online again.

Could all of this be related to that horrible website?

The police station compound was quite large, with a considerable distance between the office building and the main gate. Just as Lin Qiu was lost in thought and feeling unsettled, he suddenly noticed a figure not far from the main gate. The person was walking towards him, but due to the darkness and dim lighting, he couldn't make out who it was.

Lin Qiu was somewhat surprised. After a moment's thought, he quietly hid in the flower bushes by the roadside. The person slowly approached, the streetlights casting long shadows. She wore a blue dress, her long, disheveled hair fluttering in the night breeze. Her pale face, illuminated by the dim light, appeared exceptionally desolate and terrifying.

Lin Qiu, hiding in the flower bushes, felt her heart pounding and her scalp tingling.

She was the terrifying woman in blue that Lin Qiu had seen a few times before—no, perhaps she was a ghost in blue. Whether she was human or ghost, Lin Qiu still couldn't figure it out; he just found her very frightening.

As she passed by the flower bushes where Lin Qiu was hiding, Lin Qiu clearly felt the chilling aura emanating from her, and a shiver ran through him.

The woman in blue walked towards the police station building. Watching her receding figure, Lin Qiu was puzzled. Who was this woman? Why was she in the police station?

Lin Qiu stood up from the flower bushes and glanced at the towering police station building. The entire building was pitch black, giving it a gloomy and desolate feel from a distance.

Lin Qiu didn't want to linger any longer, so he quickly walked towards the police station entrance. Upon arriving at the duty room, Lin Qiu asked the officer on duty, "Who was that woman from earlier?"

"Woman? What woman?"

The police officer on duty stared at Lin Qiu with a blank expression and a puzzled look.

"Just now, I saw a woman in a blue dress go inside. Didn't you see her?"

"No, I've never seen a woman wearing a blue dress."

That's strange. I clearly saw her come in through the main gate. Police stations are always heavily guarded; outsiders aren't allowed in without permission. That means she could only get in if the officer on duty gave her permission. However, the officer on duty didn't see her come in, so how did she get in?

Filled with suspicion, Lin Qiu couldn't help but look back at the police station building. Suddenly, he noticed a dim light shining from somewhere in one of the rooms. The light wasn't from an electric light; it was a ghostly blue, and from a distance, it looked like a string of will-o'-the-wisps in the night.

After hesitating for a moment, Lin Qiu resolutely turned around and ran towards the police station office building.

Before long, they arrived at the foot of the office building. Lin Qiu looked up and saw that the strange light was shining from a window of a room on the fifth floor.

That room was Chen Feng's office.

Looking at the eerie blue light shining through the window, Lin Qiu felt a nameless fear. He wanted to call Chen Feng, but realized he had forgotten his phone.

After hesitating for a moment, Lin Qiu decided to go upstairs himself. He found that the iron gate to the corridor was unlocked. Was Chen Feng still working there? Where had that woman in blue gone?

Lin Qiu didn't have time to think and pushed open the iron gate to go upstairs. The stairwell was equipped with motion-sensor lights, and you had to step on the light heavily on each floor to turn it on. With each step, it seemed as if the whole building echoed, and the echo was long and dull, making one's heart pound in the dead of night.

They quickly reached the fifth floor; Chen Feng's office was on the far left. The light shining through the window was a pale blue, almost blinding. Lin Qiu took a deep breath and tiptoed towards Chen Feng's office.

Slowly, Lin Qiu arrived at the office window. The window was open, and Lin Qiu slowly peeked out. He found that there was no one in the room and the lights were off. The computer on Chen Feng's desk was on, but its position had been moved by someone. The computer screen, which was originally facing inward, was now facing the window, and the bluish light was coming from the computer.

Suddenly, the image on the computer screen struck Lin Qiu like a heavy hammer on the back of the head, making him feel dizzy. After a long while, he came to his senses, his eyes showing great surprise and panic.

Lin Qiu could hardly believe his eyes. The image on the computer screen was the homepage of that terrifying horror website, "Gates of Hell"! The four strange characters "Gates of Hell" were flickering with eerie blue flames, and the hideous blue skull looked exceptionally terrifying, its pair of dark, hollow eyes staring intently at Lin Qiu.

Suddenly, drops of bright red blood began to slowly flow from the Blue Skull's mouth, nose, eyes, and ears, gradually staining the entire computer screen red. A terrifying scene of flowing blood instantly appeared before Lin Qiu, sending chills down his spine!

Just then, an unusually deep and terrifying woman's voice drifted out from inside the house:

"You've come!"

Upon hearing that familiar yet terrifying voice, Lin Qiu's head swelled several times larger. He looked around in terror, but there wasn't a soul in the empty corridor.

"You're next—"

A moment later, the terrifying voice rang out again. Lin Qiu was already ashen-faced, cold sweat pouring down his back, and his legs trembling slightly. The words, "You're next," seemed to pierce his eardrums, drilling directly into his mind, striking every nerve with devastating force. They echoed in his mind for a long time, like a devil's summons, driving him to the brink of madness!

As soon as the woman finished speaking, the computer in the room suddenly shut down automatically with a "snap," and the screen went completely black...

Lin Qiu ran downstairs as if fleeing, heading towards the gate without a care in the world.

At that moment, he never imagined that a woman in blue was hiding in the darkness of the stairwell, coldly watching his disheveled figure, a sinister smile on her face...

Section 5: The Song on the Rooftop

Lin Qiu finally returned home, still shaken. Upon arriving at his doorstep, he suddenly sensed something was amiss; a thick, eerie atmosphere seemed to permeate the area.

He couldn't help but glance at the stairwell leading to the rooftop; the entire stairwell was pitch black. Suddenly, Lin Qiu saw what seemed to be a pair of eyes in the darkness, those eyes staring at him menacingly.

His heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly remembered the mysterious old man, whose strange and eerie eyes immediately came to mind.

Lin Qiu unconsciously walked towards the stairwell. In the darkness, a pair of terrifying eyes were flashing with a blue light, staring at him without moving.

Lin Qiu slowly climbed the stairs, step by step. Finally, he could see clearly that they were a pair of cat eyes. A black cat was crouching in the shadows of the stairwell, staring at him with hostility.

For some reason, Lin Qiu felt a strange fear of this black cat he had never seen before. Meeting the black cat's hostile gaze, he unconsciously took a step back.

"Meow--"

Suddenly, the cat let out a shrill cry, then with extraordinary agility, it leaped into the darkness of the rooftop and disappeared without a trace.