Zimmernummer 143

Kapitel 10

I forced out a bitter smile, probably worse than a grimace. I felt utterly fooled. The only thing to blame was Su Ying's beauty, which made me hesitant to question her. Now, reflecting on Su Ying's every move, her neurotic little gestures, her sometimes incoherent speech, and her tendency to get easily agitated all seemed perfectly plausible. And last night, she claimed to be from the sea; it seems she'd told quite a few people her "secret."

I sounded the alarm again, constantly blaming myself, vowing never to easily trust women again. If it were a woman who was ugly and unattractive, I would have called her "crazy" and ignored her. That being said, Su Ying, who was originally a mysterious beauty in my mind, suddenly became a flesh-and-blood lunatic, which made her seem much more real.

What's most infuriating is that she just happened to appear when I was getting involved in some strange events, dragging me into the bizarre mindset of the so-called "undersea people," causing me to go down the wrong path and waste my time. Now that I think about it, my initial starting point of using the idea of underwater people was completely wrong; how could I possibly arrive at the correct conclusion under such circumstances?

That being said, I soon realized that even excluding the underwater people, I still couldn't make heads or tails of the matter by focusing solely on the strange cat, the cockroaches, and the archaeological work at Zhidan Garden. I sighed inwardly.

Lu Ye thought I was unhappy, so he quickly added, "But she should be fine now. Since she can go to school, there shouldn't be any problems. Don't worry about it."

I immediately straightened my posture and smiled, not wanting anyone to misunderstand. Honestly, I hadn't taken it too seriously. My next step was to find a connection between the two events, assuming there were no underwater people present. I stayed at the newspaper office for a while longer, pondering the situation. It had been a long time since I'd used my brain like this since graduating from university. After a long while, I decided to go back to the Zhidanyuan excavation site. Sitting there idly wasn't going to solve anything.

I arrived at the entrance of the residential area around five o'clock; it wasn't even getting dark yet. I rushed to the construction site, where work was still underway. In the distance, I saw Zhang Qiang, the archaeological team leader, standing in the same spot where I'd last seen him. However, this time he was with someone else. I recognized him immediately as Ruan Xiuwen. Ruan Xiuwen's skin tone was strikingly similar to Zhang Qiang's—one like white chocolate, the other like dark chocolate. Taking a few steps closer, I noticed his arms were slightly darker, leaning towards milk chocolate, but he still seemed to be of a different race than Zhang Qiang, perhaps because he'd been at the construction site for the past two days.

Ruan Xiuwen had a solemn expression and was holding a map in his hand. He greeted me politely as soon as he saw me, while Zhang Qiang simply nodded.

"I live here and just stopped by to drop by. It won't interfere with your work," I explained with a smile. Ruan Xiuwen's expression earlier piqued my curiosity. "Any new developments?"

“Sigh.” Ruan Xiuwen shook his head. “There are limits to the scale of excavation at this construction site. We can’t dig any further in the direction of this extended road.” I looked at the map and saw a conspicuous “X” marked in red on the extended road.

“Continuing to dig in this spot won’t yield much progress. The main structures have basically been excavated, and this is just routine work. Nevertheless, I still believe that digging in this direction will lead to new discoveries,” Ruan Xiuwen continued, his disappointment barely concealed.

Zhang Qiang chimed in, "It's estimated that it will be about a month before the relevant municipal government departments coordinate and approve the documents before the extension road can be dug up. We might find some new discoveries then. You can talk about it then." He was clearly still not very welcoming of my arrival.

I pretended not to understand what he meant and tentatively asked the polite Ruan Xiuwen, "During the archaeological excavation these past two days, have you encountered any strange phenomena?"

"No. What do you mean?" Ruan Xiuwen looked confused.

"Hmm..." I could tell from Ruan Xiuwen's expression that he wasn't faking it, but I still added, "Strange insects or phenomena that are different from usual?"

Ruan Xiuwen and Zhang Qiang both wore bewildered expressions. It seemed neither of them knew anything. I said goodbye to them with disappointment.

However, as I looked back at the construction site again, something felt off; there was something vaguely amiss. But what could it be? Perhaps it was the incongruous sight of Ruan Xiuwen wearing a shirt and tie with a bulky hard hat? Or maybe it was the stark difference in their skin tones? No. I couldn't waste my brain cells on such trivial matters any longer; I decided to go home and think about it later.

I had just reached the bottom of my building when I heard Su Ying calling me from downstairs.

"How about coming upstairs for a while?" She was still very enthusiastic about asking me to come and chat with her.

But what I heard from the intern that afternoon really affected me. Even if she's better now, she still has a history of mental illness, and I don't know if someone like that might transfer their pathological thoughts into their currently relatively normal mind. Of course, I believe she didn't intentionally use the underwater people to tease me. Thinking about it, I inevitably developed a bit of aversion towards her.

"I have an important manuscript to write today, I don't have time, I'm sorry." I was too embarrassed to look her in the eye and declined Su Ying's invitation to chat for the first time. "Oh, really? How long will it take you to write?" She still seemed unwilling to give up. I said loudly, "I'm afraid it's too late today." She looked very disappointed.

Despite feeling somewhat apologetic, I absolutely need time to think things through. I originally thought that talking to someone as fascinated by mystical events as Su Ying would be enlightening, but now it seems like a complete waste of time. I was just listening to her pointless insistence on the underwater people, without offering any valuable clues. I've always believed that my brain is more efficient at night, so I need to make good use of this golden time.

However, the information I have is far too limited. Besides some largely similar news reports about the Zhidanyuan archaeological site, all I have is a personal experience of being harmed by a strange cat and a swarm of strange cockroaches. It's difficult to draw any conclusions. I meditated for several hours, but remained as lost and confused as during the day.

This room is practically mine now. I've taken over and piled things up everywhere in my own way. Besides the huge stack of pornographic magazines on the table—like "Penthouse" and "Dragon Tiger Leopard"—that Shui Sheng somehow got his hands on. I often find a few in the sofa cushions or next to the toilet while watching TV or using the bathroom, flip through them, and then toss them onto the table. And before I knew it, this much had accumulated in just two days.

Although I don't have a strong interest in this area, I wouldn't object to indulging in it occasionally. I picked up a copy of "PLAYBOY," a magazine I'd long admired but never read. I turned the pages, appreciating the beautiful curves of the female body with an artistic eye.

Foreign authentic pornographic magazines are indeed different. Every color page features either a beach with blue skies and white clouds or a very artistic monochrome black and white photo. They are made in a proper and aboveboard manner, without giving people any sense of shame. I am full of admiration.

I flipped to a "Beach Girl Special," and looking at the tanned, glowing beach girls, my imagination ran wild. Next came a section of professional advice on how to achieve a healthy, fashionable bronze tan, along with an introduction to topless beaches. Apparently, tanning is all the rage now, the darker the better. So this is what they call fashion, I guess. It's always so hard to understand. This trend started a couple of years ago when Namie Amuro debuted, and it's been going strong ever since.

I suddenly realized that the most fashionable one was Zhang Qiang, as black as charcoal, and just as the magazine described, with "dark and shiny skin." I couldn't help but laugh. It's ironic that an honest archaeology expert has inexplicably become a trendsetter.

However, this thought suddenly reminded me. I suddenly realized what had made me feel awkward at the archaeological site. It was Ruan Xiuwen, standing next to Zhang Qiang. Ruan Xiuwen's skin was unbelievably pale. Regardless of whether one is an independent freelance archaeologist or not, archaeology is not something that requires sitting in an office all the time; it requires hands-on fieldwork. Moreover, judging from the slight change in the color of his arms over the past two days, he doesn't have skin that doesn't tan easily, so it's obvious he has never worked outdoors for many years. Even if he doesn't tan easily, his skin should be a light tan like mine. There must be something wrong here. This person's identity is probably not that of an archaeologist. Although his speech didn't give anything away.

The next morning, I called the Chinese Archaeological Association. I introduced myself as a reporter and asked, "Do you have a member named Ruan Xiuwen who has been sent to Shanghai to supervise archaeological work?" I meant I hoped they could provide his contact information so I could conduct an interview.

Although it is a national association and its members are scattered all over the country, each member should have a detailed and clear personal record.

The other party was taken aback at first, then said, "Please wait a moment." I knew they were going to verify, so I waited patiently.

Sure enough, a short while later the other party informed them: "You may have made a mistake, we do not have a member named Ruan Xiuwen here."

I asked again, "Do you know this person? His name is Ruan Xiuwen. He might be from your area."

"I don't know him," the other person replied firmly.

I immediately dialed the Shanghai Cultural Relics Management Association and told the leader who answered the phone that Ruan Xiuwen was not actually a member of the Chinese Archaeological Association. I suspected that Ruan Xiuwen might be impersonating a member of the Chinese Archaeological Association for some purpose, and in any case, the relevant authorities should be informed.

Unexpectedly, the other party's tone was quite indifferent: Ruan Xiuwen was specially introduced by the relevant unit, and they did not specifically emphasize that he was a member of the Archaeological Association, so whether he was a member or not was not a problem.

This was somewhat unexpected. I quickly asked if he had been introduced by his employer.

"I can't tell you that. What organization do you work for?" he asked in return.

I stammered as I hung up the phone.

It seems there's more to the story. Ruan Xiuwen is backed by some organization, and clearly, this organization holds a certain position. I pondered for a long time; this was the only possible breakthrough to find the answer, and I absolutely couldn't give up now. But how could I find out his background? It was fraught with difficulties. After much thought, I realized I still needed a capable friend. I immediately thought of Liang Yingwu.

Liang Yingwu is one of my best friends, and behind his apparent profession as a university lecturer lies a special identity that most people wouldn't imagine: a researcher at Organization X. Organization X's existence is highly classified, and I must briefly mention it here: X stands for Unknown. Organization X's mission is to investigate unknown strange and unusual events, supernatural occurrences, mysterious events, and paranormal phenomena, and then try its best to keep them unknown to the general public. However, I seem to have an inexplicable connection with Organization X, often getting caught up in various incidents. It is in these situations that Liang Yingwu frequently helps me resolve difficulties. I have mentioned this several times in my journal.

While this wasn't anything particularly strange, Organization X enjoys special privileges within the government, making things much easier for them. Furthermore, their organization possesses a vast amount of previously unknown information, making finding someone's file a piece of cake. I trust Liang Yingwu will help me with this.

I called Liang Yingwu. We hadn't seen each other for a while, and he seemed very happy. I didn't explain the situation directly to him, but just said I wanted to meet up and chat, and then arranged to meet him at Xian Zong Lin on Huaihai Road at one o'clock in the afternoon.

I should be thankful that my intuition was right. In my eagerness, I unusually arrived at Fairy Forest half an hour early, found a seat on a reed by the window, and ordered a pot of tea. Not long after, I saw Liang Yingwu get out of a white car. It seemed he was hitchhiking, but a quick glance revealed that the driver was none other than Ruan Xiuwen!

Although it was only for a few seconds, I was certain that it was Ruan Xiuwen. He exchanged a few casual words with Liang Yingwu and then drove away. Liang Yingwu also saw me looking at him from inside the window, and greeted me with a smile as I came in.

Just as I was still in shock, Liang Yingwu was already in front of me. Liang Yingwu was still the same as before, looking refined and cultured, definitely the kind of handsome guy who would charm any young girl, and also the darling of middle-aged housewives. Thinking of what had happened last time, I couldn't help but chuckle to myself. No one would have imagined that such a person was actually a member of the X Organization, who occasionally had to deal with supernatural things.

"Was that your colleague just now? You hitched a ride over? No wonder you agreed so readily." I deliberately used a joking tone to test Liang Yingwu.

"Yes, he's a colleague from school, not someone I know very well. He happened to be in the area, so I hitched a ride." Liang Yingwu's eyes flickered as he spoke. I could tell from his expression that he wasn't telling me the truth. Although Liang Yingwu was one of my best friends, he still kept his personal and professional life separate, though sometimes it was also for my safety.