Geisteswissenschaftliche Fakultät

Kapitel 47

"Okay, you be careful too, keep in touch..." Before Luo Lin could finish speaking, Qing Tong had already hung up the phone, apparently rushing off to take care of his new bodyguard job.

"Lin." Suddenly, the demon Liao called out softly in Luo Lin's mind.

"What?...You...you haven't come up with some plot again, have you? Please, just let me go, okay? I'm..."

"I have a bad feeling." The loud monster, who rarely spoke in a serious tone, gave Luo Lin a very bad feeling precisely because of his unusual seriousness.

"Did you sense something?" No matter what, Liao is a very powerful demon. Although his strength is hampered because he can only share a body with Luo Lin now, Luo Lin understands that even so, Liao is still a very powerful guy!

"Never mind, it's nothing." After a moment of silence, the capricious demon suddenly released the tension that had been pressing on Luo Lin's mind, reverting to his carefree self and starting to clamor for jelly and potato chips. He wanted jelly with big pieces of fruit and roast meat flavored potato chips...

"Liao, I hope Qing Tong isn't in any trouble." With a sense of doubt, as if seeking comfort, Luo Lin asked the monster inside her body.

"Maybe." After a long pause, Liao answered lazily, and then fell silent.

Countless facts prove that omens of happiness often fail to materialize, while ominous premonitions always arrive precisely on time. At 9:00 AM on July 15th, the time Qing Tong and Luo Lin had agreed to contact each other, and the day after their last conversation, Luo Lin didn't receive a call from Qing Tong. Instead, several police officers knocked on his door and arrived at his home. The officers told Luo Lin that a man named Hu Qingtong had been found dead in the city's train station toilet at 5:30 AM that morning.

At 10:00 AM, Luo Lin arrived at the police station morgue to identify the body, confirming that the deceased was not Qing Tong, although he was wearing Qing Tong's clothes, a watch, and had Qing Tong's ID card in his pocket. At 2:45 PM that afternoon, Luo Lin again confirmed that contact with Qing Tong was unsuccessful. The police then identified Hu Qingtong as the prime suspect in the "July 15th Murder Case" and began an investigation. At 5:00 PM that same afternoon, with Luo Lin's help, Hu Qingtong's detective agency was locked up and closed down.

Qing Tong, a nine-tailed fox with a thousand years of cultivation, mysteriously vanished from the world on this day!

(ix) The Ubiquitous Watcher

At four o'clock in the afternoon, the alarm clock rang for quite a while in the enclosed space before finally waking its owner. Luo Lin opened his eyes slightly on the sofa. Sunlight streamed in through the lowered green blinds, bathing the small room in green light. He thought for a while before finally remembering where he was.

The official name of Hu Qingtong Detective Agency is "Hu Qingtong Private Affairs Consulting and Cooperation Company". Because Qing Tong thought the name of a detective agency was too ostentatious, the license he applied for for his detective agency was for business consulting and investigation. Since Qing Tong disappeared four days ago, Luo Lin has closed his bookstore and moved his daytime headquarters here.

After sitting on the sofa until he was fully conscious, Luo Lin stood up. He walked to the door, bent down and picked up some papers that were stuffed under the door. After a quick look, he confirmed that they were newspapers that Qing Tong had subscribed to and some letters of entrustment for business. He then sorted them and put them into the folders in Qing Tong's office.

Qing Tong has been missing for four days now, but no information has been sent back. Although the police are still investigating Hu Qingtong as a key suspect in the "July 15th Murder Case," this is actually a stopgap measure taken out of necessity.

According to the forensic autopsy report, the cause of death of the victim in the "July 15 murder case" was confirmed as sudden heart failure of unknown cause. In other words, although the police included Qing Tong as an important suspect in their investigation, they could not find the means by which he caused the victim's death. Therefore, they could only file a case under the pretext of assisting the investigation with important witnesses, but could not apply for an arrest warrant. On the other hand, the condition of the victim Liang Qian's body plunged the police into another layer of doubt.

Although the victim's final cause of death was heart failure, numerous external injuries were still visible on Liang Qian's body. However, the autopsy report indicated that none of these injuries were fatal. Furthermore, Liang Qian's medical records confirmed that he had sought medical attention for several accidents in the three days prior to his death. Shortly after escaping a construction site collapse on the third day, someone first witnessed Qing Tong's contact with the victim. That evening at 8 PM, someone last saw Qing Tong and the victim dining together at a small restaurant near the train station. After that, the two seemed to have disappeared and were not seen again until the next morning when a toilet cleaner at the train station discovered Liang Qian's body.

Luo Lin himself had been called in by the police for questioning multiple times, including questions about Qing Tong's social circle, his relationship with Qing Tong, and Qing Tong's relationship with the victim. He had answered countless times, and all he could do was repeatedly prove that there was no grudge between Qing Tong and the victim, and of course, that although Qing Tong worked as a detective, she did not take on shady jobs like revenge... During the initial period when he was asked to assist in the investigation, whether he was being questioned sternly, rebuked, or even talked to a psychologist, Luo Lin's answers were all completely truthful and did not reveal any major flaws. Only in the last question, when asked if he knew why Qing Tong had contacted the victim, Luo Lin's answer of "I don't know" was slightly slower than normal, which caught the psychologist's attention. However, due to the mental fatigue caused by repeated questioning, this slight delay was a normal reaction. In addition, according to the police investigation, Hu Qingtong and Liang Qian's social circles did not overlap before July 14, which allowed Luo Lin to escape by chance.

To be honest, Luo Lin did know the reason for Qing Tong's contact with Liang Qian. Liang Qian's consecutive accidents over three days, and the construction site collapse he experienced on July 14th, led Luo Lin to connect him with the person Qing Tong mentioned on the phone who was also cursed but had survived to the third day. However, according to the forensic report, Liang Qian died between 1:20 and 1:50 AM on July 15th. In other words, if Liang Qian's death was due to a curse, it wouldn't explain how he survived to the fourth day after the curse. For Luo Lin, Liang Qian's death had another layer of significance: he was the first victim discovered to have been cursed and whose body was found (Luo Lin had already ruled out the victim who was stabbed to death in previous cases as a cursed death). All of this might be related to Qing Tong's contact with him. Luo Lin speculated that even Liang Qian wearing Qing Tong's clothes and watch at the time of his death might be related to his delayed death and the discovery of his body.

However, regardless of Liang Qian's cause of death or the reason for his delayed death, what worries Luo Lin most now is his inability to ascertain Qing Tong's current condition. Luo Lin doesn't believe that Qing Tong's disappearance means he too has fallen victim to the curse. Firstly, he has considerable faith in Qing Tong's abilities; secondly, after Qing Tong's disappearance, Luo Lin had questioned Liao about Qing Tong's whereabouts, and Liao's answer was, "He's still alive, but..."

Liao's words ended there. After that, no matter how Luo Lin inquired, Liao would feign ignorance or simply ignore him. Luo Lin knew this was because Qing Tong's current situation was likely dire—he was very likely still under the curse's control, as evidenced by Luo Lin's current health. Liao, bound by the forbidden curse protecting him, was clearly unwilling to drag him into trouble, hence his passive resistance of ignoring him. This was why Luo Lin was even more anxious; although he was certain Qing Tong was alive, he couldn't feel at ease!

Thinking it over, Luo Lin swept some useless things off the sofa and then found a red pen and started writing and drawing aimlessly on a piece of paper.

【Curse】→No fixed target: Gender (F) Age (F) Occupation (F) Region (F)

[Curse] Causes [unexpected]

[Unexpected] → No pattern can be found, and not everyone encounters it.

[An accident] led to the disappearance.

[Disappearance] led to [death]

[Death] → No body found 〖Liang Qian Special Case〗

So, [Curse] > [Accident] > [Missing] = [Death]?!

Missing...is...the same as dead?

As he muttered those two words to himself, a sudden inspiration flashed through Luo Lin's mind. He quickly searched through the remaining documents on the table and found Zhang Anqi's chat history, which he had reviewed repeatedly. He picked up a red pen and began circling words on the paper.

Miaomiao Miaomiao 14:13:25

I'm here, I really am... What is this? [Where the hell am I right now?]... [What the hell is this?]... What is this... thing... [Am I alive?]... [What the hell am I right now?! !!! !!! !!! !!! !!! ? ...

Miaomiao Miaomiao 14:18:24

A cell phone? Heh, I have it with me, but it's useless. [You can't call me], [nobody can]!! Heh, [nobody can call me], yes, [nobody can see me, nobody can find me...]

Thinking of Ye Miao's current situation, Luo Lin quickly wrote a few lines on a piece of paper.

HINTI:

1. Ye Miao's soul is incomplete.

2. Ye Miao from that part contacted Zhang Anqi.

3. Ye Miao is somewhere, but the people in that place cannot contact him.

After writing all that, Luo Lin thought for a moment and added some other information.

HINTII:

1. All missing persons received information via the internet.

2. Ye Miao instructed Zhang Anqi not to go online for three months.

After emphasizing the phrases "within three months" and "do not go online," Luo Lin returned to the top of the list and added "go online (T)" after the sentence "[Curse] → No fixed target: gender (F) age (F) occupation (F) region (F)." After reading it several times, he rested his chin on his hand and fell into deep thought.

Undoubtedly, as initially speculated, it's now entirely certain that the curse spread solely through the internet. Whether it's MSN, QQ, or other instant messaging tools, the target of the curse has no fixed rules. Afterward, the curse triggers an accident, but not everyone experiences one. And whether an accident occurs seems unrelated to how the curse is dealt with. Thinking this, Luo Lin added the phrase "unknown cause of the accident" to the paper. After an accident occurs, it might cause serious harm leading to the cursed person's eventual disappearance, or it might only cause minor harm and quickly vanish. This is the process of the formula "[Curse] > [Accident] > [Disappearance]" holding true. However, Liang Qian and Ye Miao are two exceptions. Ye Miao, although missing and even exhibiting a spirit form, managed to contact Zhang Anqi via QQ. Although this contact seems passive, as seen in their initial conversation, Ye Miao seems to have discovered he's in a very peculiar situation—no one can contact him. Finally, Ye Miao advises Zhang Anqi not to go online for three months.

Luo Lin thought for a moment, then picked up her pen and drew an arrow between the two identical characters at the beginning and end.

[Net] → [Net]

Everything started with the internet, and the development process seems inseparable from the internet. The final focus also seems to be on the internet, but what kind of internet is this? Does it really just refer to the Internet?

Putting down her pen, Luo Lin fell into deep thought again, staring at the paper on the table. Time slipped by unnoticed until a mechanical telephone rang in the dark room, and Luo Lin realized that it was already dark.

"Hu Qingtong Private Affairs Consulting and Cooperation Company, this is Luo Lin." Although Qing Tong has been missing for a while and the news of the police searching for him has spread far and wide, Qing Tong has a small reputation in the industry because he has handled several outstanding cases before. Even now, there are still clients who are unaware of the situation calling to ask Qing Tong for help.

"Lin, it's your mother. Didn't I tell you to come home for dinner tonight? Why haven't you come back yet?"

From the other end of the phone came Luo Lin's mother's rambling, and only then did Luo Lin remember that he had promised to have a family dinner that evening. Since graduating from university, Luo Lin had rented an apartment on his own and opened a small bookstore. This was partly because his physical condition simply didn't allow him to work in crowded places like corporations or government departments. Imagine someone who always seemed to attract demons and monsters, and who frequently conversed with things unseen by ordinary people, sitting properly in an office wearing a suit—what would that be like? Of course, another, and very important, reason was that Luo Lin simply disliked those kinds of places!

Whether it was his nature or something that began after he became the host of the Fang, Luo Lin often felt that he was drifting further and further away from humanity. So he chose to open a small bookstore as a profession. This way, he could maintain contact with humans, earn a living, and avoid affecting others because of his special constitution. He had been running the bookstore for over a year. What Luo Lin found both amusing and frustrating was that in the past year, he seemed to have made little progress towards becoming a normal human. Instead, he had met even more demons and monsters, Qing Tong being one of them.

"I was so busy I forgot, I'm coming back now." As he answered his mother's question, Luo Lin began to tidy up the documents that he had swept off the table earlier.

“Don’t be too busy. Although you must be very worried about Qing Tong’s disappearance, but…” Luo Lin’s mother also knew Hu Qing Tong, but she didn’t seem to know that Hu Qing Tong’s true identity was not that of a person, but rather that she regarded him as a friend of her son.

"Okay, I know. I'm coming back now, Mom. I'm hanging up now." Just then, the voice on the other end, which had been so clear a moment ago, suddenly became distant and indistinct.

"Mom, what did you say?" When the voice on the other end became a whisper, Luo Lin finally couldn't help but raise her voice. The distant and indistinct sounds coming from the phone receiver started as if someone was whispering, then it sounded like a small animal munching on food, then it became the sound of two people arguing, and then all those sounds disappeared, replaced by a sudden crackling of radio waves and sharp screams, interspersed with unintelligible beeping sounds. Luo Lin reflexively moved the receiver away, rubbed her ears, frowned, and fiddled with the socket in confusion, but found no improvement.

The telephone does not work?

He wondered aloud, then put down the receiver. Suddenly, a "beep" sounded beside him. He reflexively turned to look and saw that the computer on the table was restarting. On the black screen, white text kept flashing computer information... No, if it was a configuration display before the computer started up, there seemed to be too much text.

Luo Lin stood up and walked to the computer. On the black background, white words scrolled incessantly, so fast that Luo Lin couldn't tell whether they were numbers or text. He reached out and pressed the DEL key on the keyboard, trying to access the menu, but found that the computer didn't respond at all; the white characters continued to scroll across the screen from top to bottom.

Virus?

Considering that the virus has now reached the point where it can be controlled via Bluetooth, Luo Lin pressed the power button without hesitation.

"It's no use." Suddenly, a cold, inhuman voice came from the speaker.

Luo Lin was genuinely startled this time. She abruptly released her grip and looked up. On the black background of the computer screen, white characters gradually rolled into what appeared to be a human face. It was impossible to tell whether it was male or female, but as the mouth of the face opened and closed, a voice came from the speaker.

"It's no use."

"What's useless?" If it were a ghost or something, even though it might be difficult to deal with, Luo Lin would feel relieved because he had found the source of everything. In Luo Lin's heart, he always felt that unknown dangers were more terrifying than any terrifying creature. After all, knowing the source meant he could find a way to deal with it, but he didn't know what this human face was.

"You can't save him."

"he?"

"You can't save that man."

"You mean Qing Tong? What did you do to him?" Luo Lin frowned, worried about Qing Tong's safety while also wondering why the other party had contacted him first. Could it be that the other party was afraid he would find out his whereabouts, so he specially came forward to warn him? So all his previous deductions were on the right track, but how did the other party... know?

"Are you confused?" As if seeing through Luo Lin's confusion, the face moved slightly and continued in a cold voice, "Everything about you is under our control."

"Us?" Luo Lin keenly caught the information revealed in the other party's words. Sure enough, just as he and Qing Tong had initially predicted, the other party was not alone.

"In short... if you don't want to die, stop investigating this matter. We... I know everything about you."

"What do you know?" Luo Lin sensed the embarrassment and panic in the cold voice, and held on tightly to the other person, trying to learn more.

"I know everything. You're wearing a light gray-green shirt and jeans today. You're going home for dinner later. I know everything."

Luo Lin frowned deeply, looked around the room, especially the ceiling, and then walked to the window behind the sofa. He parted the blinds and looked out, but found nothing. He then began to check under the table or behind the decorative paintings hanging on the wall...

“You don’t need to investigate. There are no listening devices or surveillance cameras, but I know everything because I am omnipresent.”

"You think you're a god?" Luo Lin laughed. "You know what? Actually, even gods aren't omnipotent."

A figure flashed through Luo Lin's mind, and she sighed softly.

"God is omnipotent!! Our God is omnipotent!!!" Unexpectedly, Luo Lin's unintentional remark caused a great reaction from the other party. The white face on the screen twisted and became chaotic, forming messy light bars.

"This is my last warning to you. You'd better not worry about it, or you'll be next!" Finally, the face calmed down, and new words came from the speaker. This time, the other person seemed to have suffered a great shock, so the tone of voice was quite human.

It's a person, and they don't seem to be very old!

Suddenly, Luo Lin thought of the three girls he had met at Chengnan University.

"Can I ask one more question?" Luo Lin thought for a moment and asked, "Why did you warn me?"

silence……

The white face began to disappear from the screen, and starting from the right side of the screen, rows of white text began to decrease... until Luo Lin thought she would never hear a reply, when a muffled sound came from the speaker.

"I don't want to see people die anymore."

As the last white character disappeared, Luo Lin discovered that the computer screen on Qing Tong's desk had returned to the Windows XP interface, displaying the PPT file on the Jiang Jianjun case that he had previously retrieved to gather information.

(X) Little Taoist Liang Xinyuan

Luo Lin has thoroughly experienced the life of a big star these past few days.

"Your breakfast today is two crab meat buns and a bowl of soy milk from Xingwanglou."

"..."

"You're wearing a white shirt with blue stripes and jeans today, and Nike running shoes."

"..."

"The music you are listening to right now is..."

"I think I can't take it anymore," Luo Lin said to a corner of the room after unplugging the phone.

If someone else were to witness this scene, they might find it incomprehensible, because within the normal range of human vision, there was absolutely no one in that corner. Not only were there no people, but there wasn't even a cat or dog in that area; it was as if Luo Lin was talking to thin air!

Yes, he was talking to thin air! Although this judgment could easily raise doubts about Luo Lin's mental health, the fact is that Luo Lin was indeed talking to "thin air," because Liao, the monster Liao, had at this moment escaped from his host Luo Lin's body and was floating swaying in mid-air, busily writing something with a pen and a notebook in his hand.