Zyklon-Säbel

Kapitel 112

"Grandma, where are you going?" Li Yang followed behind the old woman.

“Xiaoqiao, I’m looking for Xiaoqiao!” the old woman replied.

“But how are you going to find her now? She shouldn’t be in the village!” Li Yang said.

"Then...what am I going to do? My little one! Waaah...!" The old woman started crying as she spoke, leaving Li Yang dumbfounded. Fortunately, the rain came and went quickly. Li Yang looked at the house, which was no longer habitable, sighed helplessly, and helped the old woman up as they walked into the village.

Ignoring the stares of those around them, Li Yang finally managed to lead the old woman to the village chief's house. The village chief was a seemingly honest and kind middle-aged man, and upon seeing the old woman, he immediately sighed sadly.

After helping to dry the old woman off the rain and settling her down, Li Yang finally felt relieved. Fortunately, the old woman was quiet now, only muttering Xiao Qiao's name repeatedly.

"Excuse me, Village Chief Jiang, what's this old woman's name? Does she live alone?" Li Yang asked.

"Ah... her name was Su, and she was a widow. She raised her daughter, Zhou Xiangrong, all by herself. Later, her daughter married Jiang Hua from our village. Although they weren't rich, they were a happy family," said Village Chief Jiang. "They later had twin daughters, named Jiang Xiaohui and Jiang Xiaoqiao. Unfortunately, their happiness was short-lived. Xiaohui fell into the river and died when she was five years old. It was so tragic! Because it was Su who took them to play by the river, the old woman always felt guilty, thinking that she had caused her granddaughter's death, and her personality started to become strange."

"Is Xiaoqiao alright?" Li Yang asked.

"Hmm, it's alright! Although we went to play together, only Xiao Hui fell into the river," Village Chief Jiang replied. "Later, Jiang Hua and his wife went to university in the city, but unexpectedly, they both died in accidents, leaving the old lady alone in the world. What a pity..."

"Then... what about Jiang Xiaoqiao?" Li Yang pressed.

"Oh, that child! She's a good child! She started taking care of her grandmother when she was very young, and despite all the difficulties, she still got into university. Now she seems to be a doctor in the city, and she comes back to see her grandmother every week, bringing her some things. Otherwise, how do you think an old woman like that manages to live?"

She comes back every week? That means she's still alive? But then why does it seem like Mrs. Su doesn't remember her at all?

Perhaps sensing Li Yang's confusion, Village Chief Jiang shook his head helplessly and said, "It's a pity that Su's mind is no longer clear. She doesn't allow anyone to enter her house casually, and she only remembers that she has a granddaughter named Jiang Xiaohui, but she has completely forgotten about Xiaoqiao. It's hard on Xiaoqiao. Her own grandmother doesn't recognize her, and she still has to take care of her."

She doesn't recognize her own grandmother? Li Yang raised an eyebrow. This Jiang Xiaoqiao is truly tragic; her only relative is right in front of her, yet she can't acknowledge her. Who can understand that kind of pain?

Jiang Xiaoqiao...?

Li Yang scratched his head, feeling something was off... What was it...?

Small and compact...

The Su family...?

"Ah!" Li Yang suddenly jumped up from his chair. Could it be her...? What a coincidence, the psychologist... Coincidentally... Su...?

Su Qiao?

Those... murder cases... coincidences...?

Headache! Li shook his head, suddenly feeling a myriad of thoughts rushing into his mind, a corner of his memory beckoning him at this moment...

Forgot...who...?

ah……?

……precious……?

Who...who have I forgotten? It seems to be someone very important!

No! I'm dizzy! Li Yang pressed his temples with both hands. After a long while, the chaos seemed to have subsided, but he just couldn't remember the name of that important person...

If it's not a coincidence, then Su Qiao, she is Jiang Xiaoqiao. What is she doing on this campus? Just a business trip? No, that can't be! She hasn't said anything about her background, and she even changed her name. She must be trying to hide something.

What does she want to do?

Lin Xiao and Fang Lei are still at that school. Is there any danger for them?

No, I need to go back and tell them as soon as possible!

Thinking of this, Li Yang said to Village Chief Jiang, "Village Chief, I'm entrusting the old woman to you. Her house collapsed, could she stay with you temporarily? Her granddaughter will definitely come again. I have some things to do and must rush back to the city."

"You want to go back?" Village Chief Jiang looked at his watch and said, "But it's already five o'clock. You won't be able to catch the bus back at five o'clock."

"What!?" Li Yang jumped up. Sure enough, it was already 5:03. There was still a distance to the bus station. Even if he flew, he couldn't get there.

“You can take the bus back at eight o’clock tomorrow morning,” said Village Chief Jiang.

Tomorrow? Is there enough time? It seems I'll have to wait until tomorrow to tell them! I wonder if anything will go wrong overnight? Probably not! Li Yang comforted himself, hoping tomorrow would come quickly.

Volume Three: Delicacies of Hell, Chapter Fifty-Six: Taboos

Volume Three: Delicacies of Hell, Chapter Fifty-Six: Taboos

The archives are located at the very top of the building, which was originally the school's staff hospital. It was converted into a self-study building after a new hospital building was built, and the last floor is used to store all the school's archives.

I don't know if it's psychological or an occupational hazard, but I always feel a slight smell of disinfectant in my nose. The cold, damp air makes me feel gray, and everything before my eyes is gray.

Especially the white ceramic tiles on the first and second floors, just looking at them sent chills down my spine and gave me goosebumps. I unconsciously reached out and touched the tiles; they were cold and damp, glistening with droplets like human sweat. Slowly, the water slid down the gaps between the tiles, leaving a wet patch on the dark gray cement floor, the water looking like a devil's careless graffiti.

Although it was still daytime, the indoor lighting was quite dim. I saw a few students sitting quietly in the classroom, reading. But... their eyes...?

I stood in the corridor... looking at the classrooms around me.

Why are there always some strange students in the classroom, all wearing thin white shirts even though it's not very hot? I quietly walked into a classroom, and a boy was sitting in the corner. His black hair seemed to have no luster at all; instead, it was a strange, withered black, as if... the hair of a dead person...? Had it lost its luster?

How could this be? I shook my head. It's still broad daylight! Are ghosts that easy to appear?

Despite thinking this, I couldn't help but get closer. His exposed arm had frighteningly white skin, and I could even see bluish veins floating under his skin.

Quiet... unusually quiet... the only sound in the study room was my breathing... heavy... panting... the boy seemed not to move at all, not even his chest rising and falling with his breath?

Am I overthinking it?

As I got closer, the blue veins on the boy's arm suddenly turned black, and his once dry, black hair turned a waxy yellow in an instant! I only heard a sound like a snake flicking its tongue, and a withered face suddenly appeared in front of me!

What?! I gasped, nearly falling backward. The boy gave a cold, mocking laugh! Then I noticed the book he was holding—it was a traditional Chinese character, vertically formatted edition!

"Hey! Hey, get out of here!" I shouted to the other students in the classroom.

“Leave…” The female student closest to me looked up, her blank eyes seemingly gazing into the distance…

Several students were still quietly reading, and none of them paid any attention to me. Their hair was dry and black! Could it be...? I dared not think any further?

I rushed out of the classroom as fast as I could, only to see a short-haired girl standing quietly in the hallway by the classroom door. Strangely, she neither went in nor left.

"Get out of here!" I rushed forward.

The short-haired girl didn't move. But I saw red...water...blood...slowly seeping from under her feet...?

What...where exactly is this place? I felt my head suddenly spin; this place was like a gathering place for ghosts.

"Lin Xiao!" Fang Lei's voice rang out behind me. I turned around, but still only saw Su Qiao's face.

I instinctively lowered my head: "What are you doing here?"

"I came with you." Fang Lei smiled apologetically and said, "And this place... is filled with resentment. I've never seen such a strong resentment before, enough to make ghosts appear in broad daylight."

After saying that, she suddenly reached out and grabbed my hand tightly, saying, "Come out with me first."

"Mmm." I didn't say much, feeling the warmth from her familiar hand so natural. She was still my Fang Lei. Nothing had changed, really nothing had changed! Maybe only I had changed?

I silently lowered my head and let her carefully lead me around the ghosts that roamed freely in broad daylight. As long as we didn't touch them, they shouldn't attack us. But why were there so many ghosts in this place? Could it be because of the Big Dipper?

Upon closer observation, the ghosts all appeared to be students, and seemingly from various eras. Even stranger, their hair was uniformly a dry, black color. And, perhaps it was just my imagination, their forms seemed much fainter than before, as if their essence had been drained away.

But who is it that can absorb the essence of ghosts?

"Fang Lei..." I was about to ask when Fang Lei interrupted me.

"Shh...! Don't speak," Fang Lei said softly.

Although I was curious, I held back from speaking. Slowly, Fang Lei and I walked out of the archives building unharmed.

"We're actually alright?" I was extremely surprised. There were so many ghosts in this building, it was like we could have a conference, yet we managed to walk out unscathed.

Turning to look at Fang Lei, she didn't seem happy; her expression was much more serious than before.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"You..." Fang Lei stared at me and asked, "Are you hiding something from me?"

Hiding it? Yes! I gave a bitter smile, but seeing her Su Qiao face made it impossible for me to tell her everything! A strange voice kept asking me, "Who is she? Who is she? Is she Fang Lei? Or Su Qiao?"

This struggle raged within me repeatedly. The words I wanted to say were swallowed back down.

"Please don't do this," Fang Lei hugged me and said, "What is there left for us to hide?"

Between us? Hidden secrets? Even the closest lovers have secrets from each other; everyone has their own secrets.

Gently, I hugged Fang Lei. No matter what, she loved me. And me? For the first time, I began to doubt myself; perhaps I had never truly been certain of myself.

"I'm sorry," I apologized. "I should have told you many things sooner."

After taking a deep breath and thinking it over and over again, I decided to tell Fang Lei everything about Su Qiao.

After I finished explaining, I didn't see any surprise or fear from Fang Lei. Instead, she suddenly hugged me tightly, so tightly that I couldn't breathe.

"What's wrong with you?" I asked.

"Thank you!" Fang Lei suddenly blurted out.

"What are you thanking me for?" I asked curiously.

"Thank you for still trusting me, for still loving me. Even though you no longer see me in your eyes." Fang Lei's words made me give a guilty, bitter smile, and then I hugged her tightly. Yes, we need to be grateful, grateful for each other's trust and love. Even if how we see each other has changed, our loving souls should remain the same.

“Now…” Fang Lei raised her head and wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes. She was crying?

"how?"

“I think there’s at least one thing we can do,” Fang Lei said.

"What?"

“Find Abao,” Fang Lei replied. “If the hypnosis wasn’t broken with magic, then why did she make Li Yang and me forget that Abao and we were close?”

Yes! Since Su Qiao's hypnosis is so powerful, even Fang Lei was hypnotized into forgetting A Bao. Hypnotizing A Bao shouldn't be difficult. Why didn't she do it? And where is A Bao now? Perhaps she's already in Su Qiao's hands. Instead of hypnotizing her, she captured her! Or perhaps… killed her…?

"No, that won't happen!" Fang Lei noticed my worry and said, "Abao shouldn't be dead yet!"

"Are you sure? If she's not dead? Where is Su Qiao keeping her locked up?" I asked hurriedly.

“I don’t know where it is, but think about it! Since Su Qiao gave you the round necklace and told you that it contained a secret, and you have uncovered that secret, namely that the Big Dipper symbol on it and several murder scenes can be connected to form a Big Dipper, it means that seven people need to die to achieve the same similarity between it and the other six locations.”

"Seven? You mean Abao will be the seventh to die?"

"Perhaps, at least for now, this is the only way we can understand why she took Abao away."

"When? We must find Abao before she makes him the seventh victim!"

"If the murder sites were to be arranged like the Big Dipper, then the seventh victim would have to die here! In this archive! But I believe Su Qiao wouldn't be so foolish as to hide A Bao here. There must be somewhere else!"

“And it shouldn’t be during the day, it should be at night.” Fang Lei pulled me back and said, “Let’s go back to the guesthouse first.”