Zwilling

Kapitel 8

Sitting in his cramped office, Xu Guoguang was eating noodles when he suddenly heard a "thud".

He was the only person in the entire restaurant, so his voice was very clear; it was coming from the private room next door.

Xu Guoguang put down the noodle bucket and went outside, checking the private rooms along the corridor. He heard a sound as if something had fallen.

"Thump," came another sound. It came from the third private room.

When Xu Guoguang entered the private room, he saw a pair of white Ninewest women's shoes lying on the floor.

Xu Guoguang squatted on the ground, holding the size 3.5 women's shoe, somewhat lost in thought. Beside the shoe lay a light blue top and a pair of light blue pants.

Strange, where did these clothes come from?

Another thing drifted down, very light, like a feather, a light blue feather.

This is a paper medical mask.

Xu Guoguang slowly raised his head. He saw the face behind the mask, and...

Beep! Beep!

The phone he wore at his waist vibrated and rang, pulling him back from his shock; he had received another text message.

Mrs. Xu returned home around 12:45 a.m.

She tried to be as quiet as possible, ate two cookies and drank half a glass of milk in the kitchen, and then took a shower.

She had dinner with her classmate from Jinhua, watched a movie—a poorly made domestic horror film—and the audience wasn't really scared; instead, they laughed out loud a few times. Afterward, she went to his apartment, sat for a while, and had a cup of coffee.

She refused his sexual advances.

She didn't want to be an unfaithful wife; at least that would be fair to herself and her child. Secondly, it wouldn't be too late to take that step after she had solid evidence of her husband's affair with Du Yaofeng.

If you are unkind, don't blame me for being unjust.

Mrs. Xu was thinking this as she used the hair dryer.

After drying her hair and hanging up the hairdryer, she tiptoed into the bedroom, took off her bathrobe without turning on the light, and crawled into bed in her underwear.

If he wakes up and makes sexual advances, I will never agree. Unless you explain the situation to me clearly.

However, the other half of the bed was empty.

Mrs. Xu turned on the bedside lamp and saw that she was alone in the bedroom. The yellow light from the bedside lamp reflected on the mirror of the wardrobe, creating an eerie atmosphere in the bedroom.

Could it be that my husband hasn't come back yet? That's impossible. His shoes are clearly on the shoe rack in the hallway, his clothes and bag are hanging on the coat rack in the living room, and his phone is on the bedside table.

Oil painting No. 51: 773 Horror Series 13

Section 19: How did Xu Guoguang die?

She went to her son's room first, gently opened the door, and found the room pitch black, with something flashing.

She turned on the light and saw her son sleeping soundly in bed; the flickering light was from the computer monitor. She turned off the power, and the light stopped flashing.

My husband isn't here.

Mrs. Xu returned to the living room, somewhat dazed, unsure of what to do. She glanced at the clock on the wall; it was 1:25 AM. Where could her husband be at this hour? Perhaps he was out for a walk in the community garden?

Okay, I'll go to the balcony and look into the garden to see if there's anything there.

Thinking this, Mrs. Xu walked through the living room, opened the glass sliding door leading to the balcony, and found that the latch was not engaged.

Mrs. Xu knew that her husband was very meticulous in this regard, checking the windows and balcony door every night before going to bed. The security door in their home originally only had one lock, but her husband had it fitted with three locks—top, middle, and bottom—making it virtually indestructible.

Several burglaries have occurred in the community. The thieves climb up the drainpipes, and if a window or balcony door is not closed properly, they will have an opportunity to break in.

Mrs. Xu went up to the balcony, puzzled. They lived on the sixth floor, and from the balcony, they could see the entire neighborhood. The garden was quiet; no one was strolling.

That's strange, how could my husband have disappeared?

Mrs. Xu's heel touched something, which startled her. When she turned around, she saw her husband sitting on the balcony floor, leaning against the wall, his body curled up in a ball.

"Guoguang! What are you doing here?"

Xu Guoguang, dressed in pajamas, buried his face in his knees, hugging his legs, and remained motionless. This posture is reminiscent of a primary school student who is afraid of being beaten by adults because he has failed an exam.

Mrs. Xu pushed her husband, and Xu Guoguang slumped down like a lump of mud, falling onto the balcony floor with a soft "thud".

His whole body was limp, a softness that Mrs. Xu found hard to describe, like that of a mollusk.

Mrs. Xu had a bad feeling because her husband's eyes were closed, and he had no breathing, heartbeat, or pulse. In a panic, she ran back to the living room, grabbed the phone, and dialed 120 for emergency medical services.

Afterwards, the forensic doctor wrote the following in the autopsy report:

Xu Guoguang, male, 41 years old, from Jinhua, Zhejiang, works in the catering industry in Shanghai.

Time of death: Midnight to early morning of September 24, 2003

Location of death: Home

Cause of death: Unknown

Note: The deceased's entire skeleton, including the skull, trunk, upper limbs, and lower limbs, totaling 206 bones and 22 joints, was in an open, fragmented state.

The forensic doctor concluded that the deceased had been subjected to an unusually strong impact before his death.

According to the on-site investigation, the household items were intact, there were no signs of a struggle on the balcony, and just a stone's throw away from Xu Guoguang was a pot of osmanthus, its yellow buds fully open; the flowers would fall off with the slightest touch. Imagine if Xu Guoguang had been subjected to an "extraordinarily powerful impact"—the flower would certainly have perished, yet this pot of osmanthus remained unscathed, blooming in vibrant beauty.

Where did this "enormous impact" come from? Why did it only harm the deceased and not affect those around them? It is truly puzzling.

Just hours before this inexplicable tragedy, the Purple Mountain Observatory, located in the eastern suburbs of Nanjing, was bustling with activity, as over a hundred astronomy enthusiasts gathered to witness the splendor of Mars.

When Mars and Earth are on the same side of the Sun and aligned with it, this astronomical phenomenon is called Mars opposition. A Mars opposition occurs every 15 to 17 years, during which Mars is closest to Earth. This year's Mars opposition is particularly rare; astronomers say it's the closest Mars has been to Earth in nearly 60,000 years. Normally, Mars is over 100 million kilometers from Earth, but this time the distance has been reduced by almost half, to over 55 million kilometers.

People raised high-powered telescopes and cameras with telephoto lenses, craning their necks to search the vast night sky. Some even set up professional 200mm Meade refracting telescopes, gazing intently at this mesmerizing cosmic space for a long time.

Nono and Sanwen weren't among them. Not fond of crowds, they chose a deserted open space on the west side of Zijin Mountain and set up a camping tent. Although the view here wasn't as expansive as the observatory's observation room, a heavy rain in the evening had washed the night sky clean, so the viewing experience was still quite good.

"I saw it! I saw it!"

In the telescope's field of view, a fiery red sphere appeared, with a white polar cap faintly visible at the top of the sphere, a black stripe running through the middle, and spots of varying brightness distributed across the surface.

"So this is Mars!"

This was the first time in their lives they had seen a planet other than Earth, so it's no wonder they were so excited, even though the famous Mars looked about the size of a boiled egg yolk.

Originally, they planned to find a cheap and clean hotel in Nanjing for the night. Sanwen suggested camping, since they wanted to see Mars but also needed to rush down the mountain to their hotel in the city. They figured they'd be exhausted from the journey, so why not camp on the mountain? If they wanted to see Mars, they could just open their eyes. They rented a tent, brought two bottles of water and bread, and planned to go down the mountain early the next morning. They would spend the morning exploring Nanjing, have lunch, and then head to the train station, returning to Shanghai in the afternoon.

What truly moved Nuonuo wasn't the money saved, but the clear night sky, the tranquil mountaintop, gazing at Mars, and the boy she liked by her side—such a romantic night was enough to touch any girl's heart.

Nono met Sanwen about six months ago. At that time, the Starbucks Nono worked at wasn't the one she has now, but on the second floor of the "Oriental Meisha" department store near Xizang Road on Huaihai Road. Sanwen was a regular customer, and he always brought a Starbucks-specific coffee mug to get a two-yuan discount. Sanwen only drank medium-sized iced Americano, which cost eighteen yuan, so after deducting two yuan, it was sixteen yuan. The cashier called out "Ice Tall Americano," but Nono, who was in charge of making the coffee, misheard "Ice" as "Hot," and ended up making a cup of piping hot coffee. Because the cup was very well insulated, it was impossible to tell whether the coffee was hot or cold when holding it in her hand. Plus, it had a black lid. Sanwen habitually inserted a straw, took a slurp, and the scalding hot coffee rushed straight to his throat. He then spat it out onto the ground with a "whoosh," attracting the attention of the surrounding customers.

Oil painting No. 51: 773 Horror Series 13

Section 20: This is the second time. Could it be a hallucination?

Later, Nono climbed on top of Sanwen, grabbed his neck, and asked him:

When we first met, was it because you were naturally so charming, or because you had bad intentions and wanted to seduce me because I'm a pretty girl, so you pretended to be magnanimous? Confess!

The implication was that if a different male waiter had been assigned, Sanwen would have definitely confronted him and loudly reprimanded him.

"Both are correct, both are correct," Sanwen replied with a grin.

However, he has now learned a trick: he gently shakes the glass and only inserts the straw and drinks after hearing the ice cubes clinking inside.

After that first meeting, Sanwen frequented the Oriental Beauty salon several times, always ordering an iced Americano, just like before. During their conversation, Nuonuo learned that he was a hairstylist, and his shop wasn't far away, on Jinling Road, a ten-minute walk away.

Nono started getting her hair cut by him. Sanwen's skills were indeed excellent. While others were used to using electric clippers, Sanwen insisted on cutting by hand, which gave the hair a layered look. Gradually, Nono developed a dependence on him. She couldn't tell whether her hair couldn't live without him, or she couldn't live without him. Nono knew she had fallen for Sanwen.

Two sleeping bags were already laid out in the tent. After watching Mars, they returned to the tent, and Sanwen started pestering Nuonuo to see the two "stars" on her upper body. Unable to resist this annoying guy, Nuonuo lifted her T-shirt while warning, "You can only look, not touch, you hear me?"

Sanwen nodded vigorously, swallowing hard.

Nono pushed her bra up, and her two breasts fell out with a splash, fully exposed to Sanwen.

What Sanwen wanted to see were these two little stars with a reddish tinge.

Sanwen looked at it and leaned forward, then suddenly put his mouth to it and hungrily sucked on the "star" on the right.

Judging from his greedy look, it's probably because he was weaned too early as an infant.

Sanwen learned this trick from Biff. Biff is his six-month-old English hunting dog who loves beef, hence the name Biff. At home, whether watching TV or reading, Sanwen likes to go barefoot, take off his socks, and stick his toes out off the sofa. At this time, Biff will silently sneak over and lick the soles of his feet with its warm tongue. At first, Sanwen found it ticklish and would chase Biff away, but after a while, he got used to it. He figured if Biff wanted to lick, it would save him the trouble of washing his feet.

Nono tried to push him away, but it felt as if an electric current instantly pierced through her entire body, reaching her cerebral cortex. The sensation was tingling, numb, and slightly painful, probably because Sanwen had bitten her with his teeth. Nono didn't have the strength to push him away; she had no strength at all. She felt her whole body plummeting rapidly, plunging into an abyss filled with flowers...

"Nono."

Nono slowly opened her eyes. She heard a voice calling her from outside the tent.

"Nono."

This is the second time.

Nono suddenly remembered that the voice sounded exactly like someone. Although she hadn't heard it in a long time, the voice was etched into Nono's memory and could never be erased.

That was her father, Qiao Ming.

After sucking his fill of the right "star," Sanwen moved on to the left, freeing one hand to grab Nuonuo's breast. His movements were like a baker kneading, pinching, and rubbing, and in his experience, Nuonuo would surely be intoxicated with pleasure; no girl could resist this ruthless, flower-destroying hand. But little did he know that at this moment, Nuonuo was like a piece of wood; the tingling sensation had long since vanished, replaced by goosebumps.

Nono pushed him away forcefully. Sanwen was drooling and panting heavily, like a poor kitten being pulled away from its mother's nipple by its owner, suddenly disoriented.

Why... are you... using so much force?

Sanwen wiped his mouth and asked pitifully.

"Did you hear...did you hear a sound?"

Nuonuo asked him, while quickly gathering her bra, fastening the back, and letting her T-shirt down. She completed the whole routine in just two seconds, showing how skilled she was.

Sanwen shook his head, looking completely bewildered.

"That voice sounded like it was calling my name."

Where is it?

"It's right outside," Nono pointed to the outside of the tent.

There was a screen on the tent. Sanwen looked out for a while. The tent was lit by a travel lamp, but the contrast in light made it pitch black outside, and he couldn't see anything. So he simply lifted the tent's roll-up door, leaned half his body out, and lay down on the ground like a dog, looking around.

All around, there were only trees, shrubs and weeds, with the occasional chirping of insects.

Sanwen crawled back into the tent, lowered the roll-up door, and looked at Nuonuo with a puzzled expression.

"Are you confused? You think we're at home? This is on a mountaintop, and there's no one else around except you and me."

"But...I clearly heard it just now."