Klasse 0 der 10

Kapitel 53

Liu Hongzhong opened his mouth as if to say something, but spat out a mouthful of blood, then his body slumped to the side and he breathed his last.

Ma Nan stared blankly at the corpse, a strange feeling welling up inside him as he realized he had killed him with his own hands; his hand, which had been gripping the knife, trembled slightly. Seeing that the masked man was Liu Hongzhong, and noticing the bandage on his nose, Ma Nan knew that this was all part of someone else's plan.

Among the five punishments of the Zhou Dynasty was the nose-cutting punishment, which involved cutting off a person's nose. Liu Hongzhong had clearly just undergone this punishment. As for why he would harm Yangmei after being punished, it's not hard to deduce. The Ba people could promise him that they would let him go if he killed Yangmei. In this way, a cowardly person could find the courage to kill in order to save his own life.

But in reality, it was Liu Hongzhong himself who was fooled.

Two people had already died here, one having been branded on the face and the other having their feet cut off, respectively. In ancient punishments, neither of these crimes warranted death, yet both died after being subjected to them. In other words, those chosen for punishment by the Ba people had no chance of survival; how could Liu Hongzhong be an exception?

The Ba people ordered Liu Hongzhong to kill Yang Mei, but then arranged for Ma Nan and the household registration officer to wake up at the right moment. If the two of them couldn't stop Liu Hongzhong, Yang Mei would die; if they did, Liu Hongzhong would die.

The police officer's next words confirmed Ma Nan's suspicions. Shortly after Ma Nan and Yang Mei left the room, he smelled the fragrance and fell into a deep sleep. Upon waking, like Ma Nan, he found himself alone in the room. He went out to look for her and happened to witness Liu Hongzhong trying to kill Yang Mei. He then decisively intervened and saved her.

Now, only three people remain. If this is a game, then its end is probably not far off. At this point, no one knows what the game's ending will be, or if it will truly be like those movies and novels, where one or two protagonists will escape alive?

At this moment, Yang Mei suddenly walked to Ma Nan's side, her expression strange. Ma Nan followed her gaze and saw a short section of an antenna sticking out of Liu Hongzhong's shirt pocket, who was lying on the ground. Ma Nan exclaimed "Eh!" in surprise and was about to bend down to pick it up when Yang Mei stopped him. Yang Mei didn't speak, but her eyes darted around, clearly hinting at something to Ma Nan. Ma Nan glanced at her again out of the corner of his eye and immediately understood what she meant.

Every room here is equipped with a camera, meaning that their every move is being watched.

The antenna in Liu Hongzhong's pocket was clearly a cell phone antenna. How could he have a cell phone in his pocket? That was obviously suspicious, but whatever the reason, the phone represented an opportunity for the group of trapped people.

This matter must not be discovered by the people behind the scenes who are controlling this place.

Ma Nan silently took two steps, then suddenly grabbed a chair, took a few quick steps to the corner of the wall, and swung it forcefully at the camera.

The camera lens fell off, and it can no longer monitor the people in the room.

Ma Nan then picked up Liu Hongzhong's phone from his pocket. Fortunately, there was still a signal in this secret room, and the battery was quite full. The three of them looked at each other, somewhat incredulous. Could it be that someone was secretly helping them?

With a cell phone, the most important thing was, of course, to call the police. Ma Nan thought that calling 110 was no better than calling Qin Ge directly. The call connected quickly, and he heard Qin Ge say "hello" on the other end.

Suddenly, Ma Nan realized a very real problem: they had all been brought here unconscious, and there wasn't even a window or any landmark to indicate their location. In other words, they had no idea where they were. So, even if the phone call went through, how would Qin Ge know where to rescue them?

Chapter 32

He wore a black robe and a black ski mask, and the words "Executive" were starkly white on his forehead.

Qin Ge and He Lan were stunned. They had intended to gather evidence of Zhang Shanren's crimes, but unexpectedly, an "old friend" appeared on the file. Qin Ge, of course, didn't doubt Ma Nan's judgment. Ma Nan was convinced that the criminal investigator was inextricably linked to the Ba people, but this didn't rule out the possibility that others besides the Ba people were involved in these matters. Perhaps Zhang Shanren was the key.

For a while, the executioner stared motionless at the camera in the computer screen's playback window, as if waiting for something. Qin Ge and He Lan were both a little nervous, wondering what kind of trouble the executioner would cause this time.

"I hope the person who found this disc is a police officer. Then, you must have already discovered Zhang Shanren's secret." The detective's opening was clean and concise, stating his position right from the start.

"By this time, you must be quite familiar with me, but you may still find it strange that I am here at this time. Originally, the answer should have been revealed at the end, but I can't help but say a few words to you. Because now that you have found this place, all the things I have done have finally come to fruition, and it is the result I hoped to see."

"Don't worry, I will tell you all about it from beginning to end. All you need is a little patience."

“I’ve said it before, this society is sick. It’s like a terminally ill infectious patient, constantly releasing deadly viruses into the air every day. I’m just an ordinary person. Although I’ve long wanted to make this world a cleaner place, one person’s power is ultimately too weak. Moreover, when you face a patient who is riddled with wounds, you simply don’t know where to start—until one day, I met Zhang Shanren. His arrival was like a bolt of lightning, finally leading me to my goal.”

"Although Zhang Shanren's name means 'kindness,' he is actually neither kind nor benevolent, but a complete pervert and villain. In the years since he retired, he has been in this small building by the sea, where he has murdered countless innocent teenagers. This is his secret, which he has hidden very well. In fact, to outsiders, he is a kind old man who is good-hearted and willing to help others."

“I discovered his secret and was determined to eradicate the virus. But simply killing him, though easy, would not be very meaningful, because there are many viruses like him in this world. Although they may not necessarily kill teenagers like he did, they are doing the same evil deeds.”

“After much thought, I finally came up with a complete plan. At this point, my goal was no longer just to eradicate the virus that is Zhang Shanren, but also to use a series of events to warn the world.”

“What makes Zhang Shanren different from other old men is his love for the internet. This is mainly because he found more than half of the teenagers he murdered online. Kids these days are vain. If you give them a little favor, they will trust you completely. This is why Zhang Shanren was able to succeed so many times.”

“A year ago, Zhang Shanren created a QQ group and recruited a group of members online who shared his predilections. When I decided to eliminate this villain, the first thing I did was to infiltrate his group of killers. You must be wondering how I know so much, so I'll tell you the answer now. Among the teenagers Zhang Shanren murdered, there was one I knew very well. I lived with him for 16 years, almost never apart for a single day. Every morning when I opened my eyes, the first person I wanted to see was him. I thought he was my greatest source of support in life, and I wanted to dedicate my life to securing his future happiness. But he just disappeared from my life, and I couldn't wake up from this nightmare for a long time. I cried and told myself that I had lost him, that I could never see him smile in front of me again, or secretly watch his back and savor the taste of happiness.”

Although the executioner's face was behind a mask, one could still sense that he was becoming agitated.

“That’s right, that boy is my son, my only son. I can’t let him die in vain. I will ruin Zhang Shanren’s reputation and make him die a hundred times, a thousand times more miserably than my son.”

The executioner paused for a moment, seemingly trying to compose himself.

“I want to avenge my son and all the dead teenagers. I not only want to kill Zhang Shanren, but also some other perverted villains in his group. I want to expose their ugly faces to the sunlight and show their crimes to everyone. So, when I saw that video of the torture and murder online, I finally found a role for myself to play.”

“I became an executioner. I chose eight people from the killing crowd as my targets. But you might not believe it, but I despise these people so much that I would feel dirty even killing them. I am not a butcher. Even if I want revenge, I will not let blood stain my hands.”

“Looking back now, I did it. Most of the eight people I chose have disappeared from this world, and those who remain are essentially walking corpses. Killing is not difficult; any brute can do it. But the biggest difference between me and them is that, although I sentenced some people to death and carried it out, I can still tell you very frankly—the police who found this disc, I am clean; my hands have never been stained with blood.”

“Those eight people, either for money or for desire, sold themselves out. In the end, they will gain nothing; after killing others, they are destined to be killed by others. I recorded what happened, burned it onto a CD, and sent it to the newspaper, hoping they could tell the world the whole story; I also sent it to the Criminal Investigation Team of the Public Security Bureau, hoping they could solve the case and expose Zhang Shanren’s hypocritical mask.”

"I'm sorry, now you know the story behind this series of murders, and you know that Zhang Shanren is the root of all this evil. However, I will not give you the chance to punish Zhang Shanren. Because I don't know when you will see this disc, I can't tell you whether Zhang Shanren is dead or not. But rest assured, I will never give this kind of scumbag another chance to harm people."

"Alright, I've said enough. I hope it will help you solve the case. Now, besides continuing to search for evidence of Zhang Shanren's brutal murder of the teenager in this seaside building, I think there's one more thing you want to do most: catch me. I won't blame you. Although I firmly believe I'm clean and I've never killed anyone with my own hands, I have violated your so-called laws."

Finding me will certainly not be an easy task, as it concerns my own safety. Therefore, I will not leave you any clues here. I can only wish you good luck and hope that we will meet one day. At that time, even if I die in front of you, I will not have any complaints.

The executioner waved to the camera one last time, and then the camera stopped rolling.

Qin Ge and He Lan were speechless for a long time. The contents of the disc solved many of the mysteries that had been troubling them, including the motive for the executioner's murder, why he recorded the murder and sent it to the newspaper, and why he openly provoked the public security authorities.

However, it also presented Qin Ge and He Lan with some other, even bigger mysteries.

If the truth is as the executioner claims, then these events have nothing to do with the Ba people. But why did the person who sent Ma Nan chrysanthemums and Xuanhuang arrange to meet him at the internet cafe in Tieyi Alley, and why was there footage of the executioner killing people in the video window? Qin Ge now understands, of course. The executioner Ma Nan met back then was simply a target chosen by the executioner. They became the executioner's accomplices, killing others and being killed themselves.

Furthermore, at the scene of Xu Wen's death, Ma Nan discovered a Ba ethnic totem pattern—a flame-and-chrysanthemum design. This almost certainly confirms the relationship between the executioner and the Ba people. Moreover, Qin Ge jumped off a cliff to rescue Ba Rong's daughter, Chu Yan, who later confirmed that she had been imprisoned by the Ba people. Why did the executioner make no mention of the Ba people in this disc? Is there some larger conspiracy hidden behind this?

Most importantly, Ma Nan is clearly not related to Zhang Shanren's group of killers, but he has also disappeared. Was he captured by the executioner, or did he fall into the hands of the Ba people? Or was the executioner originally a Ba person?

These questions may only be answered by finding the judge.

Qin Ge immediately made two phone calls, first notifying the Haibin Police Station to send people to protect the scene, and then asking the technical department of the bureau to come and investigate and collect evidence. The police officers arrived quickly, and after giving them a few instructions, Qin Ge, along with He Lan and Gao Wei, took the girl and got into the car to return to the city.

This island trip seemed quite fruitful at first glance, but it didn't help at all what was happening. For example, where exactly is Manan now, and who is the real executioner?

"Tomorrow, we'll start by investigating the registered missing persons, especially teenagers aged sixteen or seventeen, from single-parent families, whose fathers are withdrawn, unsociable, or have psychological issues," Qin Ge instructed He Lan. "You rushed back last night and haven't rested since. Go back to your dorm and get some sleep. There's a lot of work waiting for you tomorrow."