Das Geheimnis des alten Hauses

Kapitel 6

"Who told you to ask about my interests! Besides, the season has already changed."

"Alright, alright," the male voice said. "Next, please let Meimei sing her favorite song."

On the screen, Zhang Zhimei cleared her throat and began to speak.

Please cherish me.

Stay here and don't leave.

As long as we can love each other

I am willing to dedicate myself completely.

I hope you'll say I'm cute.

I hope that's truly what you think.

Ah! Excellent!

Please accept my heart—

He couldn't place where he had heard the melody of the song before, but the unfamiliar lyrics, sung by Zhang Zhimei, touched Jian Xiang's heart. Although he had noticed the key phrase "the seasons have changed long ago," he was still unconsciously immersed in Zhang Zhimei's beautiful, murmuring voice—he hadn't expected her singing to be so captivating.

Zhong Sizao moved into that apartment building on Nantai Road in January of this year. At that time, residents occasionally saw him entering and leaving room 401 with his girlfriend. If his girlfriend is indeed Zhang Zhimei, the timing fits perfectly.

I hope you can understand me a little better.

With a childlike and innocent heart,

---hqszs

Reply [40]: Because I would do the same.

Please don't make me feel sad.

If you really do that

Oh well, whatever, it's like I said—

I will still smile.

The song had already ended, but Jian Xiang subconsciously hoped that she would sing a few more lines.

"Wow! That sounds so good," the male voice said.

"Of course! This song is for you alone!"

"Finally, Meimei, is there anything you want to say to me?"

"Hmm... Let me think... I've got it!" Zhang Zhimei leaned forward, gazing lovingly at the camera, and said softly with a sweet smile, "Sizao—please love me forever."

When Jian Xiang regained consciousness from the intense trembling, the 27-inch television screen had returned to its intricate pattern of swirling black dots.

Zhang Zhimei's last words finally confirmed that the two were a couple, and also confirmed her crucial role in the murder case. Jian Xiang couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness; the two were deeply in love, and the man had died a violent death. He wondered how the woman would react upon hearing this devastating news. On the other hand, he couldn't rule out the possibility that such a beautiful young woman was a prime suspect.

Zhong Sizao had deceived his employer and his landlord before his death, and yet he was accompanied by such a beautiful girl. Jian Xiang had to admit that he was suddenly filled with jealousy.

He closed his eyes, shook his head, and tried to erase the image of Zhang Zhimei from his mind. He had to remain calm at this moment.

—Before his death, Zhong Sizao managed to erase the contents of all the videotapes he had placed in the living room cabinet, leaving only this one. This not only shows that he still loved Zhang Zhimei before his death, but may also allude to her absolute connection with the murder case.

One of the investigative directions planned by Team Leader Gao has made significant progress; at least the appearance and name of the deceased's girlfriend have been revealed.

After tidying up the audio-visual equipment, Jian Xiang decided to go back to the hospital to get some sleep and report the progress to the team leader after completing the discharge procedures the next day.

Of course, besides putting the DV tape in his pocket, he also put the copied VHS tape in his desk drawer and locked it. After everything was in order, Jianxiang left home.

To his complete surprise, as soon as he stepped outside, he saw a strange man with an odd figure approaching from the intersection.

"Officer, I've been waiting for you for a long time."

It was already 11:30 p.m., and the stark white streetlights cast eerie shadows on the street. Jian Xiang was suddenly startled by this person, and his vigilance told him to be cautious and wary.

“Let me introduce myself first,” the man said. “My name is Xia Yongyu, but I don’t think my name is important. The reason I’m here is that I hope to provide the police with an important clue about the murder case immediately.”

"What did you say?"

"Perhaps there's no better time to talk about this clue than now... No, I know now is not the right time, but please believe me, I can provide the key to solving the case."

Because of the backlighting from the streetlights, Jian Xiang couldn't make out the other person's face, only that he was wearing frameless glasses. He was quite thin, only about 165 centimeters tall, and although his speech was very clear, it somehow gave off an unreal feeling of constant trembling.

"Really? What clue is it?"

---hqszs

Reply [41]: "I can't be sure right now. I can tell you if you're willing to come back to Room 401 with me."

Jian Xiang felt absurd. "Mr. Xia, I'm sorry, I can't agree to your request. First of all, I have absolutely no idea about your background; secondly, you can't even provide the police with any clues, let alone..." "My background, like my name, is unimportant!"

"I am indeed one of the officers investigating this murder case, but how did you know that?"

"This...this doesn't matter!" Xia Yongyu's expression became quite flustered: "I...I...Officer, if I said I was the next victim, would you be willing to take me to Room 401 now?"

"You...is this true? Why did you know you were going to be killed? Why did you..." Upon hearing this, countless questions welled up in Jian Xiang's mind, but Xia Yongyu completely ignored his words, acting as if none of them mattered.

In the end, Jian Xiang had no choice but to give up asking him any questions and nodded in agreement to take him to Room 401, and Xia Yongyu insisted that it was now.

"I drove my car and parked it at the corner," Xia Yongyu said. "Let's hurry up and go!"

As Jian Xiang got into Xia Yongyu's car, he noticed that Xia Yongyu's right hand, which was holding the car keys, was trembling in the passenger seat.

What is this man afraid of?

No, from the very beginning, Xia Yongyu's actions had raised many doubts in Jian Xiang. Judging from his tone, he seemed to know Zhong Sizao completely, because from beginning to end his statement was that he could "provide clues for the police to solve the case," rather than "help the police arrest the murderer who killed Zhong Sizao."

Furthermore, he even claimed to be the next victim. Why didn't he simply identify the killer?

Furthermore, since he knew the crime scene was in Room 401, why didn't he go in alone to look for clues? Even if the police had put up a no-entry sign at the crime scene, he could still have sneaked in without needing police accompaniment at midnight.

Why must it be now?

In short, too many doubts led Jian Xiang to decide not to ask any more questions and agree to go to Room 401 with him. The man beside him was extremely anxious; at this point, he could only try to find out the truth by cooperating with the other party, as directly questioning would not yield any answers. The interior of the car was very simple and plain, and Jian Xiang could not discern Xia Yongyu's possible profession or identity. After getting into the car, Xia Yongyu gripped the steering wheel tightly, staring blankly at the windshield, appearing to be trying his best to suppress his unease through silence.

Because traffic was very light late at night, they quickly arrived at the entrance of the apartment building on the first floor. Only then did Jian Xiang have a chance to carefully examine Xia Yongyu's appearance—unexpectedly, his lips were deathly pale.

The building manager recognized Jian Xiang, but looked at Xia Yongyu with a puzzled expression. Jian Xiang didn't pay much attention to this. After explaining the situation to the manager, the two immediately went up the stairs to the fourth floor. Only one fluorescent light was on in the corridor, and two yellow plastic strips crossed to block the square black hole at the bottom of the iron door of Room 401.

The task force hasn't had time to clear the cabinet behind the iron gate, so they can't open the door from the inside. This means the two men still have to climb through the hole to enter the room.

"I'll go in first!" Xia Yongyu didn't wait for Jian Xiang to stop her and bent down to crawl into the cave. Jian Xiang had no choice but to follow immediately.

Jian Xiang stood up after entering the room, only to find that Xia Yongyu was not standing by the cave. He immediately had a premonition of danger, but because he had just been exposed to the pitch-black environment, his vision was partially blind.

Just as Jian Xiang was about to reach into his pocket for a pen-shaped flashlight, a sudden, heavy blow to the back of his head knocked him to the ground. Although he didn't immediately lose consciousness, he was completely powerless and could only groan inwardly.

Xia Yongyu definitely had ulterior motives...

Just as Jian Xiang was gradually regaining consciousness from his semi-conscious state, he found his hands tightly bound behind his back with ropes and being dragged into Zhong Sizao's bedroom. The bedroom lights were turned on, and Jian Xiang, with his chest pressed against the floor, looked up and saw Xia Yongyu standing in front of him.

“Please forgive me, officer, I have very important reasons that force me to treat you this way,” his voice still trembled, “I originally hoped to resolve this matter at the hospital.”

"..."

“I know he likes playing with cameras as much as I do, so he must have hidden some important videotape somewhere. I’m really sorry… If you hadn’t sneaked out of the hospital, I would have gotten your videotape much more easily.”

---hqszs

Reply [42]: "I don't understand...?" Jian Xiang saw that the other party was holding the DV tape that had once been on his body.

"In short, I have achieved my goal... Now I need to ask you for one more favor."

"Xia Yongyu! What are you talking about?"

“Officer, I’m going to do something that might be dangerous. This requires another person to be present, and the best human blood is you.”

At this moment, Jian Xiang kept thinking about reasonable explanations for Xia Yongyu's series of strange words and actions, but he came up with nothing. He could only look up at the other person and listen to him continue speaking.

“Officer, please listen carefully. I don’t know, and I don’t have time to care about your thoughts. I just want to resolve my personal problems in my own simple way.” His voice trembled more violently. “I don’t care if you believe me or not, as long as you cooperate with me for a while… Once my crisis is over, I am willing to accept all legal consequences.”

"I hope you can do a good job as an 'interrogator' later. I believe it's a very easy task for a police officer with rich experience in handling cases."

Jian Xiang heard Xia Yongyu take a deep breath, his eyes seemingly straining as he stared into the distance. The air in the room seemed to freeze.

"Whoever died in this room—whoever he was—I will summon his soul to possess me, and you will interrogate him—whether he knows how he was killed!"

"Are you crazy?" — These were the words Jian Xiang was about to blurt out, but he found himself unable to say them.

“You might find this absurd?” Xia Yongyu let out a bitter laugh. “In any case, I need to know how he died… I’m running out of time, let’s begin now!”

Before Jian could answer, he saw the strange man quickly close the bedroom door and turn off the fluorescent light. Then, he closed his eyes, sat cross-legged, crossed his arms, his lips trembled slightly, and muttered incantations. He repeatedly inhaled and exhaled, as if this meditation were a form of vigorous exercise.

The police had removed the dense nails from the window of Room 401, which had been sealed shut with wooden strips, and cleaned the window frame. At midnight, the dim, grayish-yellow light that mingled with the moonlight and streetlights shone through the window, making Xia Yongyu's solemn expression appear particularly mysterious and terrifying.

Jian Xiang felt as if he were in a strange, magical realm, with no idea what would happen next.

Xia Yongyu's breathing gradually ceased, his entire body stiffening like a stone statue. Time seemed to stand still completely; Jian Xiang could clearly hear his own breathing. He stared at the seated Xia Yongyu, simultaneously thinking of Zhong Sizao, who had died in this very room.

However, Jian Xiang did not succumb to his bound predicament; his hands behind his back were straining to loosen the rough knots.

Sweat poured down his body, gradually soaking his sleeves, but the knot remained unmoved—for some reason, he didn't shout loudly to let the neighbors hear his plea for help; perhaps Jian Xiang subconsciously wanted to know if the soul-summoning technique really existed.

"Waaaaah...waaaah..."

Time passed, and Jian Xiang suddenly heard a low sobbing sound.

Could it be that...

His scalp suddenly started to tingle, and his neck stiffly turned towards Xia Yongyu.

"Waaah...waaah..." Xia Yongyu kept sobbing, and her originally upright body began to tremble.

"Xia Yongyu?" Jian Xiang called his name. "What's wrong?"

However, the other party completely ignored Jian Xiang's calls, and continued to tremble on his own. His sobs gradually grew louder, and his body began to curl up into a ball.

"Xia Yongyu! What's wrong with you?"

Upon hearing Jian Xiang's slightly louder shout, Xia Yongyu immediately covered his ears with his hands and wailed even louder, but refused to utter a single word.

What exactly happened? "..." Seeing Xia Yongyu crying, Jian Xiang, having no other choice, asked a question that even he found hard to believe: "Are you Zhong Sizao? Isn't that right?"

The other person huddled even tighter, their hand never leaving the ear.

"Zhong Sizao? You're Zhong Sizao, right?" Jian Xiang began to interrogate relentlessly, "Tell me, what exactly happened in Room 401?"

"Waaaaah..."

"Tell me! Who killed you?" Jian Xiang asked this question with great disbelief, because whether the art of summoning souls even existed was still a big question mark.