Die einsame Stadt geschlossen

Kapitel 32

"You'd better stay away from him from now on, and stop your foolish attempts to help him!" Wang Xiaofeng lowered his voice, but his tone was stern: "Being with him will do you no good!"

"Why?"

"Why?!" Wang Xiaofeng said angrily, "Do you really not know why? Or are you deliberately ignoring it? We are not the same kind of people as him at all, we are even enemies! You helped someone commit suicide, and I am an artist who makes a living by killing! But what about Yang Xin? He is a policeman! You don't know what a policeman does, do you?"

“We’ll be fine as long as we’re careful…” Ding Yan lowered his head.

"Be careful?" Wang Xiaofeng gripped Ding Yan's shoulders. "You can be careful for a day, a month, or even a year, but can you be careful for a lifetime? Do you really think Yang Xin is a fool who will never have any suspicions? If I hadn't arrived at the hospital in time today and tampered with things, you would be dead. Do you know what that girl said before she died?"

"Wh-what?" Ding Yan looked up.

"She said she was lucky she didn't die. She said she was tricked into committing suicide by bad people..." Wang Xiaofeng looked at Ding Yan, his eyes filled with tenderness. "Think about it carefully when you get home tonight!"

10.

When Wang Xiaofeng returned home, the prostitute on the bed was already on the verge of death.

He sighed, sat on the edge of the bed, and looked at her face, which could no longer be called a face. "Women are truly wondrous, from their bodies to their souls, they are all unfathomable..."

The woman slightly opened her mouth: "Kill me..."

"Okay, I promise you." Wang Xiaofeng smiled, suddenly feeling a fondness for this prostitute. She didn't talk about feelings, only money; how innocent! "I promised you I would fulfill your last dream. What is your dream?"

The woman closed her eyes and whispered, "Love... my dream... is to find true love... to wear a pure white wedding dress and become... the purest bride in the whole world."

“Okay, I promise you.” Wang Xiaofeng smiled gently. “I will turn you into the most beautiful bride corpse sculpture in the world.”

"Thank you……"

"You're welcome……"

Sometimes the world is just that absurd, so absurd that when the woman about to be killed by the murderer said thank you, it was from the bottom of her heart, it was from the bottom of her heart.

Wang Xiaofeng leaned down and gently kissed her forehead. "I'm going to do it..."

"good……"

At the moment of death, the woman felt happiness, because her dream had been realized through death.

Wang Xiaofeng could feel that the deeper his longing for Ding Yan grew, the duller his sensory system became. Sometimes, he couldn't even feel that he was alive—except when he was with Ding Yan. The only things that brought him joy and happiness were those struggling lives. Only through struggle could he prove that life existed.

Have you ever caught a butterfly? Or a dragonfly? Have you, like most people, ever pinched their wings between your thumb and forefinger, feeling the wings struggling between your fingers, struggling to escape death, struggling to gain freedom?

If you've ever done that, you'll definitely remember that feeling—yes, that's life.

What Wang Xiaofeng wanted was this kind of tactile sensation of life.

11.

Ding Yan slumped on the sofa, looking sullen.

Wang Xiaofeng said, "Go back and think about it carefully." Yes, I really should think about it carefully.

“Aunt Mei…” Ding Yan took a bag of blood from the refrigerator, inserted a straw, and slowly sucked on it. “Have you ever… been in a relationship before?”

“Who would like that old witch who eats children?” Old Postman said.

"Tch, nobody loves a half-dead, perverted person like you!" Aunt Mei glared at Old Postman and said to Ding Yan, "Of course we've dated!"

"What does it feel like to be in love?" Ding Yan looked at Aunt Mei. "Before, I thought I loved Su Mi so much that I couldn't help but want everything about him. At that time, I felt that since we loved each other, we should belong to each other completely. Later, when I fell in love with Brother Li Meng, I wanted to be with him all the time because I felt safe with him. I thought that if you love someone, you should at least make them feel safe. But..."

"But what?" Aunt Mei and Old Postman asked in unison.

“But this time is completely different from before!” Ding Yan sucked out a mouthful of blood, licked his lips, and gazed at the night outside the window. “This time, I think I like him, I like him so much. But… I don’t crave to have all of him, and I don’t feel safe with him. Not only am I not safe, but I even feel dangerous. I just want to do everything I can for him. As long as we can be together, as long as I can make him happy, I’m willing to do anything. Tell me, is this love?”

"Of course!" Aunt Mei smiled. "Who is so lucky?"

Old Postman sighed, his face hardening. "This is a dangerous love. That person, isn't it Yang Xin?"

Upon hearing this, Aunt Mei's smile froze on her face. "Is it really him?"

Ding Yan took a deep breath of blood and nodded. "Tonight, he... he confessed his feelings to me... and I said yes..." Her face shone with a captivating light. "I'm so happy!"

"Does he know you drink blood?" Aunt Mei asked.

"Yes, I've been like this since I was a child."

"He certainly doesn't know what your profession is, right? He certainly doesn't know Aunt Mei's hobbies, does he?" Old Postman said seriously. "Can he accept that?"

Ding Yan lowered her eyes and sighed, "Aunt Mei...please...don't eat children anymore, okay? Old Post...let's change careers...even if we don't do suicide counseling, we can still live happily and well just by collecting rent or relying on Xi Li's inheritance...Old Post..."

"Is this what you mean by being willing to do anything for him?" Aunt Mei sat down next to Ding Yan and put her arm around her shoulder. "Ding Yan, you're still young. You don't understand. In this world, there is no man worth giving everything for. You'll regret it sooner or later. Men are all unreliable."

When Old Post heard Aunt Mei slandering men, he didn't refute her. Instead, he agreed, saying, "Yes, she's right. Even if you stop all of this now, can you hide what you've done for the rest of your life? If not, what will he think? He's a policeman; he's educated by ordinary people! You're not the same kind of people!"

Ding Yan looked at Aunt Mei, then at Old Postman, and stood up resolutely: "I've made up my mind! This time you all have to listen to me! We're stopping all suicide counseling! Aunt Mei, you should also try to control yourself."

12.

Without Ding Yan, Yang Xin felt that his entire life would be gloomy and utterly boring.

In recent days, prostitutes have been disappearing every night. The police department is taking this case very seriously and has mobilized almost all of its officers to focus on solving it; even Yang Xin's old police car has been relocated.

In fact, Yang Xin had actively tried to join the investigation of this case, but was unfortunately excluded by his superiors. Those who didn't follow the unspoken rules were seen as bad apples in their eyes.

Yang Xin remained a dispensable figure. He even felt that what the leaders were waiting for was his resignation. He was unwilling to accept this, resentful, and determined to turn his life around.

Already depressed, he had hoped to save a few more suicidal people to attract the attention of his superiors. But lately, even suicide attempts have stopped. It seems everyone is living a carefree, happy life, except for him.

He felt like he had been abandoned by the whole world.

"Hey, why are you unhappy?" Ding Yan asked, munching on her strawberry ice cream and linking arms with him, her heart overflowing with happiness.

"Sigh..." Yang Xin wiped the strawberry jam from Ding Yan's mouth, "There haven't been any suicides lately..."

"Isn't that good?" Ding Yan tilted his head. "Isn't that what you wanted?"

“Yes!” Yang Xin sighed and smiled. “This…this is what I’ve been hoping for…this is the wonderful world I’ve been longing for.”

"Then cheer up!" Ding Yan handed him the half-eaten ice cream. "Here, have it." Then she smiled sweetly at him. She thought to herself, "I promise I won't cause you any more trouble, I won't let you think I'm a bad person, and I'll try my best to be someone worthy of you."

A delivery motorcycle carrying a yellow box sped past on the roadside. The box wobbled and swayed a few times before falling onto the road and landing next to a child in front of a store.

Ding Yan hurriedly ran over, thinking that his chance to show his kindness had come.

She helped the child up and yelled, "Hey! Motorcycle rider! Your suitcase!"

The delivery guy scratched his head sheepishly: "Luckily nothing serious happened. Sigh! I just can't seem to tie the boxes securely!"

"Idiot!" Ding Yan laughed smugly, picked up the box and placed it on the back seat of the motorcycle. He skillfully wrapped the rope around twice and tied a neat knot. "From now on, tie knots like this. No matter how much you shake it, the rope won't come loose! Not only will it not come loose, but the more you shake it, the tighter it will be tied!"

"Thank you!" the young man said gratefully.

Ding Yan happily turned to look at Yang Xin: "Am I amazing?"

"Impressive..." Yang Xin's eyes were fixed on the knot, then he looked at Ding Yan with a questioning look. "Who taught you to tie that knot?"

"Huh?!" Ding Yan suddenly felt uneasy: "I forgot... I think I knew how to do it when I was little... You know I've always..."

"Is that so?" Yang Xin said expressionlessly. "Go back by yourself today. I suddenly remembered that there's something important I haven't taken care of yet!"

The way this knot was tied was so unusual; it was exactly the same as the knot around the neck of the person who committed suicide by drowning a few days ago.

13.

Wang Xiaofeng gazed tenderly at the woman struggling on the bed, her body covered in blood. The bedsheets had turned a dark reddish-black color—soaked in blood, then dried, then soaked again, and then dried again.

The entire room was filled with the wonderful smell of blood, the smell of Ding Yan.

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and imagined himself holding Ding Yan in his arms.

He set the leftover pork and vermicelli soup aside and let out a contented burp. "Mmm, I'm full."

Yes, I'm full.

He hadn't experienced the most wonderful feeling of being "full"—a gift from heaven—for a long time. Have you ever tasted the feeling of being "full"? That weighty, hopeful feeling of being alive.

"Thank you, I'm full." Wang Xiaofeng smiled happily, but his smile was also incredibly desolate. "So this is what it feels like to be full."

"You pervert!" The woman on the bed slowly opened her eyes, blood flowing down her forehead and into her eyes, but she could no longer feel the pain.

"You're right!" Wang Xiaofeng leaned close to her ear, laughing, "You're absolutely right. I am a pervert. But what's wrong with being a pervert? How can someone who isn't a pervert know the joy of being a pervert?"

"Are you really happy?" the woman asked with a sneer.

"Happy!" Wang Xiaofeng was still smiling, but his smile looked a little stiff.

"No, you're not happy!" the woman said disdainfully.

"Of course I'm happy!" Wang Xiaofeng roared, grabbing a scalpel and plunging it into her heart, his face contorted with a ferocious yet excited expression. "Of course I'm happy! No one can doubt my happiness!"

He let go and collapsed to the ground. Was he happy?

Ever since he learned that Ding Yan and Yang Xin had established a romantic relationship, he refused to answer any of her calls and planned never to see her again.

He laughed heartily, "As long as she's happy, I'm happy."

The phone rang like a thunderclap; it was Yang Xin.

This guy, he must be riding high right now, huh? He slammed down the phone angrily, tears streaming down his face.

Yang Xin put down the phone, his brow furrowed as he stared at the paper on his desk, covered with a jumble of clues: Millie's failed suicide attempt due to Ding Yan's interference, only to die a more tragic death; a series of professional suicide cases; An Jia's death; Lang Fei's death; a mysterious phone number marked with an asterisk; the same knotting method; the Extraordinary Apartment; the business card of Extraordinary Consulting Company;...

All of this seemed to have a mysterious connection with Ding Yan, but whether from an emotional perspective or according to common sense, he did not believe that Ding Yan was the mastermind behind this series of suicides.

Ding Yan was just a child. Although she liked to drink blood, she was always kind and would never hurt anyone.

No, it can't be Ding Yan, it definitely can't be.

14.

Wang Xiaofeng has been going out only at night lately; he's taken a long leave from the hospital. He doesn't like daytime or crowded places. In those bustling areas, he always feels like a walking corpse, a living dead whose sensory system is deteriorating.

The living dead should roam at night; that's in accordance with the laws of nature. He walked slowly down the dimly lit alley. Tonight, who is my savior? Tonight, who can make me fully experience joy, pain, happiness, and misfortune?

He looked up and saw a figure staggering and running wildly ahead. As he approached, Wang Xiaofeng saw that it was a man with tattered clothes and a terrified expression. The man bumped into Wang Xiaofeng and then hurried forward, shouting as he ran, "It's all a conspiracy! They're all liars!"

Wang Xiaofeng patted the shoulder where he had been bumped, shook his head helplessly, and thought, "This world has long since gone mad. Those who aren't mad are just mentally unstable."

At the end of the alley is a bustling street, where pedestrians stroll slowly by in twos and threes. Which one will encounter the devil Wang Xiaofeng tonight?

He stood listlessly at the alley entrance, waiting for the fish to take the bait.

Not far away, a woman in her thirties tossed a half-smoked cigarette on the ground, swayed her hips seductively, and walked towards Wang Xiaofeng with a flirtatious smile. A barely perceptible smile appeared on Wang Xiaofeng's face.

How much are you offering?

"How much do you want? Give me that much."