Le tombeau de Qin Shi Huang

Chapitre 11

Reply [59]: Although Jian Xiang is currently at odds with Shao De, he still admires his reasoning. That DV tape must have been filmed by Zhong Sizao at Zhang Zhimei's instruction. It was their only proof of love, which is why Zhong Sizao kept it with him before he died.

Xia Yongyu may have subconsciously inquired about the camera from Zhang Zhimei, and thus mistakenly assumed that her ex-boyfriend was also a photography enthusiast.

Furthermore, Zhong Sizao's monthly savings of over 20,000 yuan can also be fully explained. That was the remaining balance of embezzled funds after he paid his rent, utilities, and meager living expenses.

"The second mystery is that Zhong Sizao's method of murder is very similar to that of 'Bone-Eating Demon' Hong Zechen. However, Hong Zechen has already been sentenced to death, and it is impossible for him to return to the human world and commit crimes again..." Upon hearing this, Jian Xiang wanted to loudly refute Shaode's idea, but he found that his mouth was dry and his throat was sore.

"However, during the investigation of Hong Zechen's case, the city police department strictly refused media involvement, and many details of Hong Zechen's dismemberment of the elderly victims remain undisclosed. For example, the wrist of the first victim was also severed—it was severed because Hong Zechen used it for masturbation while dismembering the other limbs… When witnesses discovered that withered right hand, it was covered in Hong Zechen's dried semen… This extremely perverse and disgusting modus operandi was completely blocked by higher-ups; not a single word was allowed to be leaked. Therefore, it's impossible for an outsider to completely imitate Hong Zechen's methods. But, if it were you, that might be different!"

What do you mean?

"What I mean is, when the series of dismemberment murders of elderly people occurred in 1994, the entire case was planned and investigated by the city police department. At that time, you were already the best detective in the Sanmin Precinct. Although the task assigned to you by the department was only to check the mental patient records of all hospitals and clinics in the Sanmin District, you privately conducted a more in-depth study on the profiling and analysis of the Hong Zechen case!"

“I went to see a high-ranking officer in the city police department, and he mentioned that you even went to the city police department on your own initiative, and enthusiastically offered to help provide manpower support for criminal profiling technology in addition to the tasks you were assigned. You also mentioned that you hoped to get to know Dr. Li Gantang. But the city police department has its own organization, and they politely declined your kindness.”

“I…” Jian Xiang really didn’t expect that his past interest in the advanced foreign technology of criminal profiling, and his ignorant act of running into the city police station and getting a cold shoulder, would become the supporting evidence for his current indictment!

"Besides, imitating Hong Zechen's modus operandi wouldn't be difficult for you. You have a strong interest in him, and you understand his background, his psychological state, and many forensic techniques. More importantly, you were the first person to enter Room 401 after Zhong Sizhao's death!"

Jian Xiang was puzzled. What was the connection between the first person to enter the locked room and the murder?

The "locked room" is now Jian Xiang's last line of defense. Zhong Sizao was murdered by a vengeful ghost in the "locked room," so there is absolutely no way out of the "locked room." Apart from the vengeful ghost, no matter who the murderer is in reality, they have no ability to enter or leave the "locked room."

Suddenly, he remembered that he had been hypnotized by Xia Yongyu, causing him to involuntarily damage the integrity of the crime scene. Could it be that Shaode intended to use this as further supporting evidence in his crime?

"In fact, senior, in this case, no, perhaps it should be said to be more exaggerated, in this world, only you, only you, can carry out the method to escape this locked room!"

"What?"

"The iron door to Room 401 was blocked from the inside by an iron cabinet filled with stones. Since the iron door opened inwards and the back of the cabinet faced outwards, locking the door, pushing the cabinet behind the door, and placing stones inside could only be done from the inside. As for the windows of Room 401, there were three in total. The kitchen and bathroom each had a small window that an adult could not climb through, while the bedroom had a large window. In addition to being tightly secured with tenons, these three exits to the outside were reinforced with more than a dozen wooden strips. In other words, on the surface, Room 401 was indeed a completely sealed room."

"But in fact, the so-called locked room is just a judgment made at first glance. The murderer deliberately set up a cracked and deformed door in the bedroom, and the TV and desk collapsed on the floor next to the door, making the scene look like a mysterious murderer forcibly broke into the bedroom... To put it bluntly, it is just to reinforce the stereotype that 'the bedroom was originally sealed off by the deceased from the inside'."

hqszs

Reply [60]: "If one mistakenly believes that the bedroom is a secret room that was forcibly destroyed to enter, coupled with the extremely heavy iron cabinet at the door, it will be easier to believe that the entire Room 401 is also a secret room."

"However, that's not the case at all! As long as the wooden slats on the bedroom window aren't there, you can climb out of the window. Although the window is on the fourth floor, there are definitely many ways to get back to the ground safely from the fourth floor. For example, you can tie a strong, long enough rope to the bedroom door, throw the rope outside, and then climb down to the ground."

"When the murderer returned to the ground, the rope was still tied more than ten meters above him, and the wooden strips were not nailed in at all. Room 401 was not a locked room... However, as long as the murderer had the opportunity to enter Room 401 again—this time he entered the room by breaking in through the door with the help of his colleagues—he could immediately untie the rope and throw it out the window, and nail in the pre-placed wooden strips, thus completing a real locked room!"

Upon hearing Shaode's words, Jian Xiang's mind went blank, and he completely lost his ability to think. Originally, Jian Xiang believed that the "secret room" was absolutely solid and had no way to be broken, but he never expected that Shaode would be so clever as to devise such a reasonable method.

Clever! You're so clever!

"Since the bedroom window faces away from the street, directly below a fire lane, there are no passersby, so there's no need to worry about being found. The murderer can simply retrieve and dispose of it later. Moreover, the murderer sneaked out of the hospital after being admitted, his purpose unknown; I think he must have returned here to retrieve the rope. However, if an outsider happens to appear while retrieving the rope and accidentally discovers the murderer's scheme, the murderer, to conceal this secret, might very well strike again..."—No! I can't let myself be convicted by Shao De like this! His reasoning is indeed convincing, but Zhong Sizao's death is a terrifying supernatural event. I didn't kill anyone.

“Shaode…” Jian Xiang managed to squeeze out a few words: “Your theory on solving the locked room mystery is brilliant, but you haven’t considered one problem—if I… if I returned to the crime scene before nailing those wooden strips, it would be easy for my colleagues to find out. Because nailing wooden strips into the wall makes a lot of noise, and my colleagues would come over immediately if they heard it.”

“I know. But you didn’t just pick up a hammer and hammer the wooden strips into the wall.” Shaode chuckled. “You used a drill to make small holes in the wooden strips and the wall where you intended to nail them in, and then used nails with a diameter slightly larger than the holes to nail the wooden strips into the wall. This greatly reduces the noise.”

Saud's demeanor transformed into that of a presiding judge seated high in the center of the courtroom.

"The crime scene was a bedroom, and you could have used a pillow readily available in the room as a cushion when nailing the wooden strips. The tool you used to hammer in the nails was the same weapon you used to kill the monster rat—the baton in your hand!"

Until the end of today's investigation meeting, Jian Xiang believed he was sitting in the police station as a prisoner awaiting trial.

A voice in his head kept telling him that tonight might be his last night in the free world.

“Senior, whether you admit to killing someone today or not will not change my decision to continue collecting complete evidence. Yes, you are right, I currently have no way to find concrete evidence that you know Zhong Sizao, but since his job is to sell stolen photographic equipment, there must be an invisible connection between the two of you. I will find that connection soon.”

Shaode didn't say much during the investigation meeting, nor did he mention the theory behind solving the locked room mystery. His only promise, based on their friendship, was to wait until the relationship between Jian Xiang and Zhong Sizao—that is, Jian Xiang's motive for murder—was established before reporting the entire investigation to Team Leader Gao.

Jian Xiang and Zhong Sizao had absolutely no connection, so Shao De could never find that invisible link. However, how could he be sure that another coincidence might occur, just like how his enthusiasm for the Hong Zechen case led to his current suspicion? Could it be that a former informant he had only met once was actually the middleman in Zhong Sizao's current distribution of stolen goods?

In fact, Jian Xiang had also had a fleeting impulse to tell Shao De the truth directly. But he could foresee Shao De's inevitable reaction: either he would believe that Shao De was using another coincidence to exonerate himself, or he would send him to a mental hospital.

hqszs

Reply [61]: This situation is like Xia Yongyu trying to break the curse, but in the end he still cannot avoid dying a violent death.

Is it really true that there isn't even an exit to be found? Before being handcuffed, Jian Xiang's biggest wish was still to find Zhang Zhimei as soon as possible and try to find out the truth behind the curse.

Therefore, he entered Xia Yongyu's house for the third time. Even if it was just stepping into another dead-end alley, Jian Xiang still hoped to discover something more inside. With this in mind, he opened the door and entered the study on the third floor.

The study window was wide open, and the wind was even stronger than last night. Jianxiang recalled his futile efforts last night—rushing downstairs for the photos in the darkroom, only to forget to close the window.

The book "Exploring the Personality of Spiritual Mediums" was still open on the table, its pages fluttering slightly in the cool night breeze.

Jian Xiang approached the desk, intending to put the book away and return it to the shelf, when he inadvertently glanced at the open pages. However, that fleeting glance made Jian Xiang's feet feel rooted to the ground, rendering him unable to move. A violent tremor surged through his entire body, lingering for a long time.

Because—the book page reads: <Chapter Thirteen / Basic Techniques for Self-Cultivation of Spiritual Mediums>.

In less than five minutes, Jian Xiang left Xia Yongyu's residence with "Exploring the Personality of a Medium." He put the book in the motorcycle's storage box, then immediately started the engine and sped away.

First, I must go home. Only then can I go to Room 401.

This was the only way. Jian Xiang thought to himself, even if it was a desperate gamble with such a slim chance of success, he had to give it his all. He was like a soldier with only one bullet left in his gun, who had to aim his sights at the unpredictable enemy commander before the city fell.

The purpose of going home was to take out his younger brother's video camera. Although Xia Yongyu's family also had one, it was a different model, and Jian Xiang didn't know how to operate it, nor did he have time to learn. He quickly arrived home, checked the video camera and other accessories, and then found a paper bag to carry it away.

This is the last chance!

The moment Jian Xiang saw the title "Elementary Techniques for Self-Cultivation of Spiritual Mediums," the stories he had casually browsed last night, recounting tales of famous spiritual mediums throughout history, all rushed back into his mind in an instant.

Mrs. Piper often had vague premonitions and inner warnings about her life, urging her to solve some problems at hand.

—When Pearl Curran was possessed by the ghost Perlis and engaged in automatic writing, she herself completely lost consciousness and experienced a manic state similar to that of someone under the influence of drugs.

Qualities. These are the innate qualities of a spiritual medium.

Carefully reading the explanation of "Elementary Techniques for Self-Cultivation of Spiritual Mediums" reveals that spiritual mediums are born with a special constitution and sensitivity, enabling them to act as translators and messengers between the human and ghost realms, serving as a bridge between the two worlds.

This type of constitution is usually Yin in nature, making them more susceptible to external cues. These external cues, in addition to messages from interpersonal interactions that are generally understood, also include the invisible frequencies emitted by the heavens and earth, mountains and seas, trees and rocks, as well as various plants and animals.

Just as before a major earthquake, large numbers of rats migrate away from the area, domesticated poultry and livestock become extremely restless, and abnormal weather (such as warm winters and cold summers) or incredible celestial phenomena (such as white rainbows and blue moons) occur frequently throughout history, both in China and abroad, this is the outward manifestation of the mutual attraction and interference of frequencies among all things.

hqszs

Reply [62]: Psychic mediums are inherently influenced by various things, and the degree of this influence is often very serious. Therefore, some psychic mediums hear ghosts wailing at night, some have bizarre nightmares with absurd content, and some often experience unexplained nausea, discomfort, tremors or convulsions, which may even lead to mental disorders or fainting.

Jian Xiang then realized that he actually possessed the talent of a medium. From childhood, he had suffered from sleepwalking for a long time, and even now, he often felt a shiver deep in his chest. Especially in the past few days, since he began investigating terrifying and bizarre cases, the frequency and intensity of these episodes had increased dramatically.

Since there's no way to find another medium... the only remaining option is to become a medium yourself!

By having Xia Yongyu's soul attach itself to his body, he could obtain all the information the other knew. However, when Xia Yongyu summoned Zhong Sizao's soul earlier, he had chosen Jian Xiang as the interrogator. But Jian Xiang was now alone... so of course he wouldn't turn to Shao De, who didn't believe in ghosts and gods. As for Team Leader Gao, Jian Xiang had already caused him enough trouble, and he didn't want to create more unmanageable problems for him; otherwise, Team Leader Gao might also be implicated by Shao De in the end.

So he had to go home and bring the DV camera. Jian Xiang planned to first record his questions with the camera, and then perform a soul-summoning ritual to have Xia Yongyu record his answers with the same camera!

It's crazy, but it's definitely feasible.

Jian Xiang remembered that in "The Exploration of Spiritual Mediums," Mrs. Piper had experienced being possessed by evil spirits several times during séances. He was naturally afraid that he might be unlucky and something similar would happen to him, but the method was inherently risky.

To solve the problem at hand, he must muster the courage to take risks and risk failure.

Upon entering room 401 for the third time, Jian Xiang felt the eeriness of the bedroom for the first time. This was perhaps because he had gained a deeper understanding of the entire incident. A room where two brutal crimes had occurred in succession, and it really was the work of an evil spirit—this place would likely become a notorious haunted house.

The building manager ignored Jian Xiang's visit, making Jian Xiang feel that the manager was indifferent to everything happening in the building. The narrow staircase leading upstairs was still dimly lit with a yellow light.

As Jian Xiang stepped into the dark, deep bedroom, the body of Xia Yongyu, who had died suddenly before his eyes, was now transformed into a white human figure drawn with chalk. Several new labels had been added to the floor, indicating the general situation of the scene and relating to the locations of the blood splatters.

First, the camera must be set up. Turn on the bedroom light, choose a suitable area, set up the tripod, load the videotape, and turn on the camera. Then, pull out a stool from the room and sit in front of the lens.

Jian Xiang had already prepared his questions in his mind. He waited ten seconds before speaking: "Xia Yongyu, if you can see this videotape through my body and my eyes, it means that my first attempt at the Summoning Technique was a success. I'm sorry, but I haven't been able to fulfill either of the two things you entrusted to me before you died. To this day, I still can't find your girlfriend, Zhang Zhimei. Moreover, I can't find another medium with similar magical power to yours."

"Therefore, I had no choice but to test the psychic summoning technique myself. In your study, I found a reference book called 'Investigating the Personality of a Psychic.' The various psychic talent conditions described in the book are quite similar to my past experiences. This method may be clumsy, even very dangerous, but it's the only one I can think of. My colleagues already consider me a suspect, and if I don't do this, I won't have time to investigate the 'terrifying curse' mentioned in your notebook more thoroughly."

hqszs

Reply [63]: "I found two suspicious points in your notebook. First, you mentioned that you had a strange dream before you were cursed. Please tell me what kind of strange dream you had? And what is the relationship between this strange dream and 'being able to see ghosts'? Please describe the content of this dream in detail, as well as all the details you can remember."

"Furthermore, please tell me clearly what exactly these strange things that happen around you every night are? The more I know, the clearer the truth of the whole incident can be analyzed based on this information and the clues about Zhang Zhimei's ex-boyfriend's death."

"Finally, please tell me in detail how you met and got to know Zhang Zhimei. I hope to find more clues to find her from this. Although I have searched your house thoroughly, I have not found any directions for searching that you have not considered. Nevertheless, as long as you tell me all the big and small things in detail, and combine them with the clues I have, we may be able to find a new direction."

"This videotape has a recording time of up to sixty minutes. I believe an hour should be enough. I hope you will make the most of what may be your last chance, because I'm afraid I'll be sleeping in jail starting tomorrow. Finally, I don't actually know how long the magic will last if the summoning spell is successful. Otherwise, I would rather you continue using my body until the truth is revealed before returning it to me."

This was the first time Jian Xiang had spoken so much in front of a camera. His expression was flat, his voice wooden, yet he also displayed an extremely anxious and impatient demeanor. After recording this part, he rewound the recording and watched it himself.

The person speaking in the picture doesn't seem to be me.

After confirming that the recorded footage and sound were all correct, Jian turned off the camera and prepared to proceed with the next step.

—Summoning Soul Technique.

Jian Xiang recalled the last time Xia Yongyu performed the soul-summoning spell in front of him.

He had been knocked unconscious by Xia Yongyu and had only recently regained consciousness when he witnessed the other party performing such an incredible ritual. He remembered that Xia Yongyu was sitting cross-legged, eyes closed in meditation, repeatedly chanting strange incantations. The room lights were off, and his posture resembled that of a wizard who had summoned a demon.

Jian Xiang turned off the fluorescent light, plunging the room into complete darkness. He used a pen-shaped flashlight to peruse "The Exploration of Spiritual Medium Personalities" and found a description of the spell for summoning spirits.

A dark yellow circular halo trembled slightly on the paper, and the printed text seemed to be constantly leaping and jumping on it.

—In his manuscript *On the Summoning of Angels by Crystal Ball and Incense*, the 17th-century great sorcerer Moses Long mentioned the immense importance of incense in necromancy. This ritual, essentially aimed at obtaining prophecies from spirits, required a crucial preparatory step: cutting three young branches from a palm tree—which, of course, could not be easily purchased from a shop. Each branch was wrapped in parchment, on which were written the names of three prophetic spirits: Darus, Artus, and Aebedel. Then, for three consecutive nights, a spell was recited over each branch before finally summoning the three spirits.

The summoned spirits are not from heaven; they have endured the fiery trials of hell. Therefore, the sorcerer requires them to appear as beautiful and alluring women. Otherwise, their true, vile and ugly appearance would be unbearable for the sorcerer to behold. The sorcerer can command them: "Answer my questions and requests truthfully, without the slightest falsehood, fabrication, or evasion."

—In addition, the manuscript contains the following statement: “Because I now know whether they are good or evil, I advise you not to have any contact with them, just as I have been…advising others…” The handwriting in this passage is completely different from the previous ones, and it seems to have been abruptly interrupted, not fully written. According to researcher Katon Shual’s speculation, Lonne may have had a very unpleasant experience during the summoning process, and thus wrote this advice to the test-takers.

hqszs

Reply [64]: — However, there is also a bold claim that: Lonne was possessed by a demon after his failed summoning, and this was a warning he left behind when he lost control of his own body.

When Jianxiang read this passage, the story of Mrs. Piper being haunted by evil spirits came back to mind.

The spells used to summon the souls of deceased relatives and friends are essentially no different from those used to summon prophetic spirits. However, before performing a soul-summoning spell, one premise must be clarified: the so-called soul-summoning spell is not a spell to resurrect the dead. The soul summoned by the caster is, in fact, merely the last consciousness of the deceased before death.

This dying consciousness is the spiritual power of the deceased. It can reproduce what the deceased thought and focused on before death, but it cannot restore the deceased's ability to act or make judgments in the human world. That is to say, the soul is merely an invisible aggregate of the deceased's remaining consciousness in the human world. It can answer some simple questions from the interrogator, but it cannot replace the possessed person in performing too complex or too long activities.

—The soul of the deceased will gradually fade with the passage of time. Therefore, if you want to perform a soul-summoning ritual with a certain effect, you must choose the place where the deceased died and seize the time to do it as soon as possible in order to recall the clearest consciousness of the deceased.

Jian Xiang finally understood the true meaning of the summoning spell. Asking the deceased Xia Yongyu to return to the mortal realm and solve all his problems was a meaningless request. Finding Zhang Zhimei in the future would still require his own efforts…—As mentioned above, the best time to perform the summoning spell is the quiet of midnight. At this time, the deceased's soul is not disturbed by bright light and can resonate more clearly with the medium's brainwaves. Therefore, there should be no artificial light in the area, but moonlight is even better, as the moon's moderate glow can convince the deceased's soul that its activity occurred at night, making it more receptive to the medium summoning it.

First, the practitioner must sit cross-legged, assuming a stable pyramid shape. Sit with the left leg extended and the right heel against the perineum; then bend the left leg, placing the left heel in front of the right foot, bringing the feet together. Relax the shoulders, straighten the waist, tuck the chin, gently lift the chest, and keep both knees on the ground.

—Close your eyes and concentrate on your forehead. The forehead holds the "third eye," the eye that can communicate with spirits and deities. This third eye can see things invisible to ordinary people. The reason why spiritual mediums possess a keen sixth sense, can perceive the cries of ghosts and spirits, and are often dominated by a strange sense of unease is actually because their third eye is influenced by the invisible frequencies of all things.

—The caster must use the rhythm of inhalation and exhalation to stabilize their brainwaves, facilitating the entry of the deceased's soul. Begin by slowly exhaling for four seconds with the abdomen, then slowly inhaling for four seconds… Jian Xiang meticulously studied every detail of the "Elementary Techniques for Self-Cultivation of a Spirit Medium," fully comprehending it before beginning his uninstructed meditation. Following the book's instructions, he recalled the scene before Xia Yongyu's death while simultaneously adjusting his body to the space of the bedroom. The incantation he repeatedly recited was a Hebrew shaman's prayer for a deceased relative's answer.

After ten minutes of this, Jian Xiang gradually felt his consciousness fading. It wasn't because he wanted to sleep, but because his heart rate had slowed down, causing his consciousness to inexplicably anticipate a violent reaction, like the silence before a storm.

Just a second before Jian Xiang's consciousness was still exceptionally clear, a rush of trembling power suddenly assaulted his entire body. He couldn't breathe for a moment, and his ears rang with a deafening ringing, as if he were drowning under immense water pressure after losing his oxygen supply while diving deep in the ocean.

He wanted to salvage his rapidly fading consciousness, but there was nothing more he could do.

When Jian Xiang opened his eyes, all he saw was absolute darkness. Only after his eyes gradually adjusted to the dim light did he realize that what he was seeing was the ceiling of the bedroom in room 401.

Jian Xiang's clothes were soaked with sweat, his skin felt burning hot, and his limbs were weak and powerless. He knew he must have engaged in vigorous activity while unconscious, but he didn't know exactly what he had done. During this process, he had completely lost consciousness, without even a trace of sensation or a fleeting dream. Jian Xiang desperately wanted to get up immediately, but his body couldn't muster any strength.