Der umwerfende Premierminister

Kapitel 2

Li Li's mental state was extremely poor. Although she had learned the cause of Ma Guiping's death from Li Hong, she stubbornly refused to believe that Ma Guiping would commit suicide. Considering both Ma Guiping's condition before his death and his physical health, it was impossible for him to choose suicide to end his life. In Li Li's words, he was the kind of person who would cry out in pain for ages even if he cut his hand; even if he were to commit suicide, he would never choose such a method.

Emerging from Li Li's room, Li Hong felt utterly dejected. Her former best friend was now trapped in endless darkness, and she couldn't help her at all. Now, Li Hong's task was complete; Yue Ling had decided to return to draft the coroner's report again, and Ma Guiping's parents were on their way. Li Hong could finally relax. All she wanted now was to take a shower and get some rest. She decided to help Li Li with Ma Guiping's funeral arrangements before returning to Beijing together.

Li Hong had already chosen a room on the second floor to stay in. She dragged her heavy steps and slowly walked towards the stairs.

A person walked towards her, his footsteps so light that Li Hong didn't even notice him coming and almost bumped into him. She smiled apologetically at him, blaming herself for being so distracted and careless.

"Are you alright?" the man asked politely.

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine." Li Hong didn't react at first, and looked up at the man. He was a young man with dark skin, a handsome face and thin lips, and his face was full of concern.

"You're not feeling well, you'd better rest," the man said softly.

"Oh, yes, I'll go back to my room to rest now." Li Hong smiled and continued upstairs.

The man didn't leave immediately, but stood there and turned back to watch her go upstairs. Just as Li Hong reached the landing and turned to disappear from his sight, he suddenly said to her, "No matter what, don't go out tonight. Remember, stay inside and get a good night's sleep."

Li Hong was taken aback and stopped in her tracks. She turned to look at him, confused as to why he would suddenly say something like this to her. She frowned, unsure how to respond.

"Just a suggestion, I'm a doctor, you'd better get some rest," the man said with a smile.

"Okay, thank you." Li Hong nodded and continued upstairs.

He's definitely not a doctor. Li Hong told herself. Doctors usually only advise patients to rest, not to go out under any circumstances. This is so strange. How did he know I absolutely had to go out? She opened the door to room 202 as she thought this.

She hadn't been in this room yet. Li Hong tossed her simple luggage onto the bed and then looked around the room. The room was furnished the same as room 104 where Li Li and her husband were staying—a bedroom and bathroom layout. The only difference was that her room was on the second floor, and she could see the lake and a small bridge from the window. She was quite satisfied with the room; at least it looked very clean.

Li Hong temporarily put aside the matter of Ma Guiping and that strange man, stretched lazily, found a change of clothes, and prepared to take a good bath.

To be honest, she was still a little scared of the bathroom in this room, especially the strange feeling she had when she was alone in the small space after turning off the tungsten iodine lamp in the afternoon, which made her a little uneasy. "It's all a hallucination," Li Hong told herself. "It's just a hallucination caused by long-distance travel and not getting enough rest from working continuously. How could a scientist be afraid of personal feelings that have no basis?" She lectured herself, walked to the bathroom, and opened the door.

The bathroom was laid out the same as bathroom 104; the warm yellow light shone on the neat, narrow space, which didn't make her feel uncomfortable. She carried her clothes into the bathroom.

As the warm water pattered against her skin, Li Hong felt incredibly comfortable. She savored the sensation, as if she were in her own bathroom. She tried her best to clear her mind and focused intently on cleaning herself.

However, this feeling of peace while bathing didn't last long. Suddenly, she heard a sound. The sound wasn't loud, but it was clearly audible in the bathroom filled with the sound of water—as if she didn't actually hear it, but rather felt it in her mind. The sound was the click of the spring lock on the door as it closed.

Li Hong immediately became alert, although she wasn't sure if she had actually heard it. She raised her hand to turn off the showerhead, wanting to listen for any other sounds. The showerhead stopped spraying water, and the surroundings immediately became quiet. White steam filled the air around Li Hong, and the mirror on the sink was also shrouded in steam, obscuring everything from her reflection.

She tried hard to recall if she had closed the door properly—had she not locked it, and someone came in, opened the door, found her taking a shower, and then closed the door again? If so, why didn't he knock first? Or did he knock but she didn't hear him?

She grabbed a bath towel, quickly wrapped herself in it, and then shouted loudly outside, "Who is it?" As she spoke, she walked to the bathroom door and then suddenly opened it.

There was no one there, the room door was locked securely, and everything seemed normal.

Li Hong let out a long breath, then slapped her head hard. How could she have misheard? How could she have one inexplicable hallucination after another?

She took out her phone, checked the time, and it was almost 6 o'clock. It seemed she could only get a good night's sleep after having dinner, otherwise she would go hungry if she missed dinner.

"Maybe I'll run into that strange guy," Li Hong suddenly thought, and decided to ask him what he meant by those words.

7. The Mysterious Tenant (2)

When Li Hong went downstairs to the restaurant, it was already 6:10 PM, just in time for dinner. Calling it a restaurant was a bit of a stretch; it was more like a canteen. To attract guests, the hotel owner advertised that meals were included with the accommodation, meaning guests staying there received three meals for free. So, at mealtimes, guests from all the rooms came in one after another to eat. They didn't need to order; they just sat at the tables and waited for the waiters to bring their food.

Li Hong glanced around the hall. By this time, quite a few guests had started wolfing down their food. Most of them were Ma Guiping's colleagues. Although one of his colleagues had an accident, it wasn't really his problem, so they continued having fun. Many of them had wet hair, probably because they had just come from the beach, showered, and then came here to eat.

Finding that strange guy among so many people doesn't seem so easy. Li Hong told herself that if he wasn't dining at the restaurant, it would probably be difficult to find him, and she wouldn't even know which room he was staying in.

As Li Hong looked around, she suddenly felt a gaze fixed on her. Following the gaze, she saw a dark-skinned man sitting in a corner, holding a steamed bun, looking at her with a half-smile. There were several seats next to him, where other people were eating with their heads down, oblivious to her arrival. Li Hong slowly walked over.

"There's an empty seat here," the man gestured to her. Li Hong smiled at him and then sat down. She didn't recognize any of the people at the table.

“You don’t seem to have rested,” the man said, moving the tableware around for her and bringing over the best dishes. “But you’ve taken a shower, and you feel much better.”

Li Hong remained silent. To be honest, she had very little experience dealing with strangers, especially a man she had met on the stairs. She didn't know how to ask him those strange questions.

“My name is Zheng Zhihao,” the man beside him said. “People who know me call me Mouse.”

"My name is Li Hong." She picked up a pancake and examined it carefully. "Do you want to eat this with scallions?"

"Hmm, you can put some sauce on first," Zheng Zhihao said, demonstrating as he spoke.

“You’re not a doctor,” Li Hong said while rolling up a scallion. She decided to get straight to the point and not beat around the bush.

Zheng Zhihao was taken aback, then wanted to laugh, but held it back.

"I'm a doctor, but a forensic doctor who deals mostly with dead people." Li Hong rolled it up and took a small bite.

“No wonder…” Zheng Zhihao said softly.

"Why did you tell me not to go out on the stairs?" Li Hong asked.

"Because something is going to happen tonight," Zheng Zhihao said absentmindedly.

"What's going on? Robbery? Murder?" Li Hong stopped, lowered her voice, and turned to look at him. "What do you do?"

Zheng Zhihao shook his head and said in a similarly low voice, "If that were the case, I wouldn't be here. I'm a religious worker who's completely out of place with scientists like you."

"A religious worker? But you seem more like a thief to me. You don't even make a sound when you walk."

Zheng Zhihao finally couldn't help but laugh, but he didn't laugh loudly, afraid of attracting attention.

"Beautiful lady, are you interrogating me?" Zheng Zhihao asked with a wicked grin.

"I'm speaking to you very seriously. I just want to know what will happen tonight. Whether you're a religious worker or not is irrelevant," Li Hong said, a little annoyed. A beautiful woman? It had been a long time since anyone had called her that, and besides, she didn't consider herself beautiful at all.

“However, I could have chosen not to answer you,” Zheng Zhihao said, his smile fading. “I was just kindly reminding you.”

"What about the others? Are they in danger? If they are, why didn't you call the police?"

Zheng Zhihao said softly, "Only you are in a little danger. You can stay home tonight. I've finished eating."

Li Hong straightened up, watching him leave his seat without saying another word. "I think I messed up," she told herself. "I didn't get anything out of him. I should have asked him why only she was in danger and what kind of danger it was." She watched him walk out of the hall, lighting a cigarette as he went.

Ah! Maybe I've run into a mental patient. Li Hong suddenly felt incredibly ridiculous for believing him so easily. Maybe he's just a mental patient with mild delusions, or maybe he's just looking for an opportunity to talk to me. "Only I'm in danger"—this tactic seemed familiar, like something out of a movie. Once she figured this out, her worries immediately vanished, and she even felt a surge of appetite—the squid tasted delicious.

8. A Night of Horror (1)

Night fell.

Li Hong was surprised that tourists would choose to stay here, because at night it seemed to be deserted. Looking out the window, the surface of the small lake was dark and the two bridges were nowhere to be seen. The surroundings were silent, and there were no sounds of insects that should be heard in summer. In addition, the sky was a bit overcast, and the moon and stars could not be seen. The whole building seemed to be located in a deserted wilderness, surrounded by a deathly atmosphere.

Li Hong drew the curtains and stopped looking outside.

She felt extremely tired, especially after eating; waves of drowsiness washed over her, and her whole body ached. She thought it might be a slight fever; the long day's exertions had taken their toll on her body, which hadn't been used to exercise, and the fatigue had caused the fever. Li Hong often experienced this; whenever she didn't get enough sleep and worked long hours, she would feel utterly exhausted. A good night's sleep, and everything would be fine.

She changed into her pajamas, slipped on her slippers, and wandered around the room to see which of the two beds in the standard room would be more comfortable. She chose the one against the wall, so that if she turned over in bed at night, she wouldn't roll off.

She thought of poor Li Li again; she should still be in her room, refusing to see anyone, lost in grief. Perhaps letting her vent completely would be better. As long as she doesn't get sick, everything will be alright. She's still young, only 28, the same age as me. I'm not married either, so she'll definitely get better.

She lay in bed and turned on the television. There were very few channels, but Li Hong hadn't watched TV in a long time, so the number of channels didn't matter to her. However, the picture became increasingly blurry as she scrolled through the channels, until the last few channels were completely static. She settled on the news channel and watched the television while half-lying down.

The television was showing strange content, seemingly about a child abandoned by her parents at kindergarten, never to be seen again. The child was a girl, pretty and quite likable, but the abandonment had traumatized her young heart; she cried out for her mother. Li Hong felt as if she had seen this girl somewhere before, and also felt as if she had heard about this story before. She tried carefully to understand the details, but perhaps the television volume was too low, and she couldn't hear the audio at all. Where was the remote control?

"Mom!" A child's heart-wrenching cry suddenly came from the TV. The sound was so loud that it made her tremble all over. Suddenly, Li Hong realized that the girl crying on the TV looked so familiar—that's right, that face was her when she was a child!

Li Hong woke up in a cold sweat. The television was silent, displaying static and a dim light. She had a nightmare. She tried to sit up, but felt weak all over. She had to turn off the television; otherwise, how much electricity would it use tonight?

Suddenly, she noticed a dark shadow at the head of her bed. It was a person sitting there, but even the pale light from the television couldn't make out their features or clothing. Li Hong was terrified. Had someone broken in?! She clearly remembered locking the door. She tried to scream, but her body wouldn't obey her commands; she couldn't even move a little finger.

The shadowy figure remained motionless, like the silhouette of a sculpture. From Li Hong's perspective, it appeared as a person sitting upright at the head of her bed. She could only see his profile, but his head was immobile, so Li Hong couldn't see his face. She blinked hard, but the shadowy figure didn't disappear like a phantom; it remained seated.

Li Hong lay there half-reclined, staring intently at the dark figure, trying desperately to discern who it was. However, the figure seemed unaware that she was awake; it finally slowly stood up. Li Hong clearly saw that this person had long, flowing hair—it was Li Li! Yes, even though she could only see a silhouette, she knew that what she was seeing was definitely Li Li; the long hair, the figure, and the movements were indeed those of her best friend from high school.

Li Hong calmed down a little. If this person was Li Li, then she wouldn't be in danger. She tried to speak, but her throat moved and no sound came out. At this moment, the dark figure walked past her bedside, slowly heading towards the door. With a click, the figure disappeared.

The clicking sound was so familiar; it was the same clicking sound Li Hong had heard in the bathroom that afternoon, the sound of a spring lock clicking in its latch. However, she didn't seem to see the door open and the dark figure disappear. She jumped up, as if the weakness she had felt earlier had vanished instantly, leaving her astonished. She sat on the bed, unsure what to do. Just then, the television, which had been displaying static, suddenly showed a picture; the 24-hour news channel was broadcasting the 3 AM news.

Was that dark figure Li Li? Could she have run off from her room and come here? That shouldn't be possible, otherwise how did she get in? Why couldn't I see her face? Where is she now? Should I go check her room?

Thinking of this, Li Hong got out of bed, but she didn't turn on the light. After putting on a coat, she walked towards the door.

9. A Night of Horror (2)

Using the light from the television, Li Hong made her way to the door.

It was three in the morning, and she had never been this far from her bed at this hour. The surroundings were quiet, and she instinctively felt uneasy, making her movements quiet and cautious. Had that guy's warning not to go out taken effect? Standing by the door, she paused, her hand still grasping at the door.

She needs to think about it carefully.

First, how did he know I was going out at night? Li Hong was the type who never left the house after 10 pm unless there was a fire, so his warning not to go out at night seemed completely unnecessary. At this moment, after seeing Li Li's strange shadow, she instinctively wanted to chase after him to see what was happening. Besides curiosity, she was also concerned for Li Li—heaven knows what foolish things this woman, so deeply traumatized, might do. That guy knew what she would see at night. How did he know? She couldn't figure it out. If she gave Li Hong the skull of that strange man, with her knowledge and experience in forensic anthropology, she could quickly draw a reconstruction of his appearance—well, high brow bones, high cheekbones, little subcutaneous fat, and the brow bone and skin were only about 2 millimeters thick. But now, when she tried to guess how he knew what happened at night, besides concluding that it was all his doing, there was no better explanation.

Secondly, what exactly did she see? Indeed, she only saw a black silhouette, not the face, but she quickly identified it as Li Li. Was it merely based on the long hair, figure, and movements? That was clearly unreliable. What could it be? She knew that what the human eye sees is a picture formed by the brain recombining the light and shadow information received by the eyes with past observations. Therefore, things unfamiliar to the brain are represented by blurry images. Could that black silhouette be an illusion? Probably not; the silhouette remained even when she blinked, indicating there was definitely something there. She didn't know what it was.

Third, how did that thing get into her room and leave? The door was securely locked. If an object of a certain size had entered, there would have been some gap, but the door didn't open. Could it be...?

Li Hong slowly walked back to the window and lifted the curtains.

It was pitch black outside, and the windows were tightly closed, showing no signs of being opened. Her shoes on the windowsill remained untouched. She looked out the window again.

I can't see anything.

Sigh, could it really be a hallucination? She decided to go back to school and study the mechanism of the hallucination carefully. Although it had nothing to do with her work, the dark figure made her a little uneasy.

She sat down on the bed. After all that commotion, she wasn't very sleepy anymore, her mind was very clear, and the urge to leave had gradually disappeared. Now she was increasingly convinced that what she had seen was a hallucination. How could Li Li have entered her room in the middle of the night without warning, and even walked through the wall…

Passing through walls...

Li Hong felt a chill. Indeed, she hadn't seen the door open when the shadowy figure left; she'd only heard it close before vanishing. Besides, was that clicking sound of the door closing just a hallucination? It sounded like the one she'd heard in the bathroom that afternoon. Passing through walls… that meant the room was nothing to the shadowy figure; it could come and go as it pleased.

Li Hong leaned against the wall, a vague sense of unease creeping into her heart.

Religious workers...

Is it related to ghosts?

Li Hong got goosebumps all over.

She was a complete atheist. Because of her work, she came into contact with a large number of corpses, most importantly, corpses that had decomposed to the point of being skeletons in the wilderness. From these skeletons, Li Hong needed to find concrete evidence to identify the deceased, such as their appearance and the injuries they had suffered before death. She recalled her first crime scene; when the grayish-white skeletons appeared before her, she did indeed associate them with ghosts. However, the horrific state of the victims gradually made her forget that thought, focusing solely on quickly identifying the deceased, giving them a proper burial, and immediately catching the murderer. How many such corpses had she encountered? 20? 30? She couldn't remember; she'd find out by checking the records later. But compared to those visible and tangible skeletons, ghosts seemed far more mysterious.

"How could it be a ghost!" Li Hong shouted to herself in her heart. "There are no ghosts in the world!"

Thinking of this, she suddenly stood up, as if she had found her backbone. She wanted to rush up to the man named Zheng Zhihao, point her finger at him, and say: Go to hell! Religious worker!

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the door.

Splash! Splash!

It sounded like someone with inflexible knees dragging their shoes slowly down the corridor. The sound was so loud that Li Hong almost thought it was coming right in front of her; in the silent night, the footsteps sent chills down her spine. She stood there, stunned, trying to figure out who was making the sound.

Splash! Splash!

The sound grew closer and seemed to move quickly, soon arriving at her room from the direction of the stairs. She looked towards the door. The door was securely closed; a stranger certainly couldn't get in.

Splash! Splash!

Footsteps had already reached her room.