Tiefbrunnen

Kapitel 5

Chen Feng seemed to sense Xiao Yang's confusion. He exhaled a long puff of smoke and said:

"Don't overthink it, I just suddenly felt a little unwell. Go on, what did you discover?"

“This morning, the school principal called and said that he found something while tidying up Zheng Ansheng’s office drawers.” Xiao Yang said, taking an envelope out of his briefcase and placing it on Chen Feng’s desk. “This is it. Open it and take a look.”

Chen Feng picked up the envelope and examined it for a while. It was an ordinary envelope, nothing unusual. He opened it and found a strip of white cloth inside. He took the cloth out; it was a folded piece of white cloth. Chen Feng slowly unfolded the cloth, and suddenly, several strangely written, blood-red characters caught his eye: "You're next."

It was obvious that these strange characters, in terms of both handwriting and shape, were exactly the same as the line of text inside the coffin last night.

Looking at those horrifying, blood-red characters, Chen Feng felt an indescribable oppression in his chest, and even a wave of nausea.

Chen Feng put the white cloth away, walked to the window, took a deep breath, called Xiao Yang out, and closed the door again. He needed to be alone to think quietly. He had to sort out his chaotic thoughts and find a way to make sense of things as soon as possible.

Suddenly, he felt it necessary to talk to Lin Qiu, perhaps he could find some clues from him.

Just then, the phone rang.

"Hello, is this Officer Chen? This is Lin Qiu. I'd like to talk to you. Do you have a moment?"

"Okay, I was just about to talk to you."

"Alright, let's meet at Yichun Tea House. I'll be waiting for you there."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Feng hurriedly went downstairs and drove to Yichun Teahouse.

Chapter Six: Mysterious Death

It's another cloudy day. The gray sky is overcast, the weather is getting colder, and a chilly wind is blowing everywhere. The streets seem rather deserted, with significantly fewer pedestrians than usual.

Yichun Teahouse is a very famous teahouse. Although the shop is not large, it is very distinctive. From the architectural style of the teahouse to the tea set, tea table and interior decoration, everything is in the antique style. The whole teahouse is antique and full of cultural atmosphere. It is elegant and tasteful.

Chen Feng found Lin Qiu in a quiet corner on the second floor of the teahouse. Lin Qiu's face was as gloomy and slightly sad as the weather that day; he seemed to have been sitting there for a long time.

Upon seeing Chen Feng's arrival, he forced a smile. Chen Feng sat down in a seat opposite him and glanced at Lin Qiu:

"Reporter Lin, what's wrong? You look terrible."

"It's nothing, just a little uncomfortable." Lin Qiu paused, then continued, "This morning, I went to Zheng Ansheng's house, and sure enough, his disappearance is the same as Lin Wangchou's. Thinking about it, it's really scary!"

Chen Feng took a sip of tea and asked thoughtfully:

"Reporter Lin, with your professional instincts, did you discover any new clues at Zheng Ansheng's house?"

Lin Qiu seemed to fall into deep thought. After a long while, he slowly shook his head.

"No clues were found, but..."

"But what?"

Chen Feng stared intently at Lin Qiu and noticed that the expression on his face was somewhat complicated.

"There's something I feel I need to tell you," Lin Qiu said slowly. "That's also the reason I asked you out today."

"Oh, what is it?"

"It concerns Lin Wangchou's father, Lin Yongfu."

"Lin Yongfu?"

A look of confusion immediately appeared on Chen Feng's face.

"Yes, I always felt that Lin Yongfu was a mystery. Perhaps the series of strange events that have happened recently are somewhat related to him, or rather, he knows the truth of the matter."

"Reporter Lin, could you elaborate?"

At this moment, a thought suddenly flashed through Chen Feng's mind. He seemed to sense the importance of the matter, and his expression immediately became serious.

So Lin Qiu told Chen Feng everything about Lin Yongfu's attempt to murder Zhang Yuling, as well as the strange expressions and odd things Lin Yongfu had said when Lin Qiu was at his house on previous occasions.

After hearing Lin Qiu's words, Chen Feng immediately thought that he had to interrogate Lin Yongfu right away. So he stood up and said to Lin Qiu, "Reporter Lin, if it's convenient for you, please come with us to Wenhao Village."

"Alright, I'll go with you."

Lin Qiu paid the bill and then hurriedly left the teahouse with Chen Feng. Downstairs, Chen Feng called his assistant, Xiao Yang, ordering him to immediately take a few men to Wenhao Village, explaining there was an emergency. Then, he and Lin Qiu drove to Wenhao Village.

Soon, they arrived at Lin Yongfu's house in Wenhao Village. However, the door was locked, and clearly no one was home.

Chen Feng asked some villagers, and they all said they didn't know what the family had gone to do, and no one had seen Lin Yongfu and his daughter-in-law Zhang Yuling.

Helpless, Chen Feng decided to come back to see Lin Yongfu the next day.

The next morning, when Chen Feng called Lin Yongfu's house, no one was home. He felt a little strange; what had they been doing?

Around noon, Chen Feng called Lin Yongfu's house again, but still no one answered. After hanging up, a sense of foreboding suddenly swept over Chen Feng.

After pondering for a while, he called Lin Qiu:

"Reporter Lin, this is Chen Feng. Lin Yongfu may have run into trouble. We need to get to Wenhao Village immediately!"

About an hour later, Chen Feng, Lin Qiu, Chen Feng's assistant Xiao Yang, and several police officers arrived at Lin Yongfu's house in Wenhao Village. The door to Lin Yongfu's house was still locked, and an eerie atmosphere seemed to permeate the air above the house, making it appear gloomy and exuding a sense of murderous intent.

Chen Feng surveyed the area around the house, then ordered two officers to stay behind while the rest followed him over the wall into the yard.

They discovered that the doors to the rooms on the first floor were also locked. Chen Feng led everyone up to the second floor, only to find that the doors there were unlocked. Chen Feng pushed hard, but couldn't open them; clearly, the doors were locked from the inside.

After a moment's thought, he ordered the officers to break down the door, and it was quickly forced open. Everyone was stunned by what they saw!

Lin Yongfu hanged himself in the living room on the second floor. His tongue was sticking out, and his body was already stiff.

Lin Qiu seemed to remember something. He hurriedly pushed open the door to Lin Wangchou's room. Almost at the same time, his face turned pale, his head spun, and his legs went weak, almost causing him to squat down.

"Reporter Lin, what's wrong?"

Lin Qiu raised his right hand and weakly pointed to Lin Wangchou's room.

Chen Feng was somewhat surprised. When he entered Lin Wangchou's room, he finally understood what had happened. He saw Zhang Yuling lying on his bed, already dead for some time. There was a deep black ligature mark on her neck; clearly, she had been strangled to death with a rope.

It is highly likely that Lin Yongfu killed his daughter-in-law first and then committed suicide. However, this conclusion is premature, and the possibility of a murder and framing Lin Yongfu cannot be ruled out. Everything must wait until the forensic doctor conducts an examination of the body before a conclusion can be reached.

However, based on his years of experience investigating cases and observations at the scene, Chen Feng felt that homicide seemed highly unlikely. So why would Lin Yongfu kill his daughter-in-law? And why would he commit suicide? Who locked the gate to his yard? Did he lock the gate himself before climbing over the wall? That seemed improbable. Could it really be homicide? If so, how did the killer escape? The door to the room was locked from the inside, the windows had security bars, and there were no signs of forced entry or damage; the killer couldn't have escaped through the window. Could the killer be a ghost? Thinking this, Chen Feng couldn't help but laugh at his own ridiculous thoughts. What ghosts or spirits existed in this world?

"Everyone, look!"

Suddenly, a police officer pointed at Lin Yongfu's face and shouted in a trembling voice, his voice seemingly filled with fear.

Everyone looked in the direction he was pointing, and suddenly someone cried out in surprise. Chen Feng also gasped, and Lin Qiu's face turned deathly pale, his eyes filled with deep fear.

Because Lin Yongfu's head had been hanging down, no one had gotten a good look at his face before. Now, everyone could see clearly that a sinister blue skull was imprinted on Lin Yongfu's forehead!

Chapter Three

First lesson: Auntie, I'm so cold.

Bai Yue is an orphan. When she was ten years old, her father was murdered one night, and the murderer has never been found, making it a cold case. Her mother also suddenly committed suicide shortly after her father's murder, leaving Bai Yue as a pitiful orphan who was raised by her aunt.

Two years ago, after graduating from university, she volunteered to work at an orphanage in H city, serving as both a caregiver and a teacher, devoting all her love and energy to a group of orphans. She has resolved to dedicate her entire life to the orphanage, treating all the orphans there as her children, caring for and protecting them like her own mother and sister.

Her acquaintance with Lin Qiu was also due to their shared experience as orphans.

A year ago, the H City Daily published a news article by Lin Qiu about an abandoned baby. Upon seeing the article, Bai Yue immediately contacted Lin Qiu and adopted the infant, cruelly abandoned by her parents, under the guise of an orphanage. This is how Lin Qiu and the beautiful and kind Bai Yue met. Later, Lin Qiu frequently visited the child at the orphanage. After several encounters, Lin Qiu was deeply moved by Bai Yue's kindness and love, and fell deeply in love with her. Lin Qiu's honest and simple nature, his strong sense of justice, and his meticulous care for her also deeply touched Bai Yue's heart, and they finally became a deeply devoted couple.

This afternoon, a child at the orphanage suddenly fell ill. Bai Yue took him to the hospital, where doctors diagnosed him with acute pneumonia and said he needed immediate hospitalization. After completing the admission procedures, Bai Yue stayed at the hospital to look after the child. It was already 6 PM, and she knew she wouldn't be able to go home tonight. She called Lin Qiu:

"Hello, is this Lin Qiu? Xiao Huan from the orphanage is sick and needs to be hospitalized. I have to stay at the hospital with him and can't go back tonight. You'll have to cook for yourself."

"Oh, okay. Do you want me to bring you some food?"

"No need, I've already bought fast food here."

"Okay then, take care of yourself and don't overwork yourself. Remember to call me if anything happens."

"Okay, remember, you must cook dinner, no fast food or noodles allowed."

After hanging up the phone, Bai Yue took a break and bought two fast food meals, which she then ate with Xiao Huan. Xiao Huan is ten years old and was only sent to the orphanage last year; he is a very obedient and well-behaved child. After the meal, Xiao Huan continued receiving his IV drip, and Bai Yue sat by his bedside telling him stories.

It wasn't until 11 p.m. that Xiao Huan's IV drip was finished. He was already asleep. Looking at her child's peaceful, sleeping face, Bai Yue felt a sense of relief. Once she felt at ease, sleepiness followed. Bai Yue leaned against the wall at the head of the bed, pulled the blanket over herself, and soon drifted off to sleep.

This is a ward specifically for pediatric patients, with two beds in total. The patient in the other bed was discharged this afternoon, so only Bai Yue and Xiao Huan are in the ward. Hospitals at night always evoke a desolate and eerie feeling. The long corridor appears unusually deserted, and the dim yellow corridor lights emit a ghostly glow, casting an eerie and hazy atmosphere on one's mind.

Outside the window, the night was dark, and the wind seemed strong, rustling the branches. A light, continuous drizzle continued to fall, adding to the inexplicable desolation of this cold winter night.

"Auntie, I'm so cold!"

In her hazy state, Bai Yue seemed to hear a boy's voice. Thinking it was Xiao Huan calling her, she woke up abruptly, only to find Xiao Huan still fast asleep beside her, snoring softly, and neatly covered by the blanket. Clearly, it wasn't Xiao Huan calling her. So who had made that sound? There was no one else in the room. Was she hallucinating, mishearing? No, the voice was very clear, as if it were speaking right next to her ear. Was Xiao Huan talking in his sleep? Perhaps, Bai Yue thought, realizing she was being too paranoid.

Bai Yue gently put Xiao Huan's hand, which was sticking out of the blanket, back under the covers. Then she lay down next to Xiao Huan; she was just too sleepy.

Soon, she drifted off to sleep again.

Just then, the ward door suddenly opened by itself, and a gust of cold wind blew in. After a while, a little boy walked in. He was wearing thin, tattered clothes, and was filthy all over. His face was also dirty and black, and blood was flowing from his nose. Looking at this strange child, Bai Yue suddenly felt an indescribable fear. The little boy slowly walked towards Xiao Huan's bedside, his bare feet were purple and bruised from the cold. As he walked, he called out to Bai Yue:

"Auntie, I'm so cold!"

"Who...whose child are you?"

Bai Yue asked, surprised and slightly panicked.

"Auntie, I'm so cold!"

The child continued walking step by step.

Why doesn't your mother give you clothes to wear?

"I don't have a mother or a father, I'm an orphan. Auntie, I'm so cold!"

Upon hearing that the boy was an orphan, Bai Yue immediately felt pity. She quickly got out of bed and wrapped the shivering little boy tightly in a blanket.

"Auntie, you're so kind. I have a gift for you."

"Oh, what gift are you going to give your aunt?"