Myriad Calamities - Chapter 22
Xu Haicheng understood her feelings and said softly, "Alright, don't blame yourself. This isn't your fault."
Pan Xiaolu looked up, her eyes slightly red, and said, "Why aren't you blaming me? I could have just come to the restroom with her."
Xu Haicheng took out a cigarette, lit it, and leaned against the wall, saying, "Who would have thought? Going to the restroom and losing my life." He chuckled self-deprecatingly, "And in the police station's restroom no less."
"Who exactly is the murderer? Why did they disappear without a trace?" Pan Xiaolu leaned against the wall, looking at the light on the corridor ceiling, seemingly sighing, yet also questioning.
Xu Haicheng exhaled a puff of smoke, watching it drift away in the wind.
"Could there really be spirits of the dead?"
The toilet door creaked and groaned, as if answering Pan Xiaolu's question. She shivered, shrank back, and asked Xu Haicheng, "Captain Xu, won't you say something?"
"Maybe."
Pan Xiaolu stared at him intently, and seeing that he didn't seem to be joking, a chill ran down her spine again. She turned to watch two police officers carry He Qing's body out of the restroom. Two hours ago, she was speaking eloquently on television; an hour and a half ago, she was trembling in the dressing room, saying she saw a ghost face; an hour ago, she was wide-eyed in the interrogation room; and fifteen minutes ago, she timidly handed over a nonsensical drawing. Life, indeed, is as fragile as a reed, as a philosopher once said.
"Let's go." Xu Haicheng patted her shoulder. "It's all over now. Cheer up, we have a tough battle ahead."
Pan Xiaolu responded with a wilted sigh and followed him into the office.
That night, the office of the Criminal Investigation Division of the Nanpu City Public Security Bureau was brightly lit, and everyone was working diligently, searching for any clues. When they were tired, they would rest for a while, and when they were hungry, they would eat instant noodles. As the dawn broke through the darkness, and then a bright red sun climbed onto the horizon, Nanpu City, which had been overcast for more than ten days, finally cleared up.
Sunlight traveled billions of light-years, through thousands of layers of clouds, and shone into the spacious office of the criminal investigation team. It illuminated the messy office, the pale faces, the dark circles under their eyes, their stubble, and their bloodshot eyes. Dust motes danced merrily in the sunlight, and everyone yawned deeply.
[This post was edited by Fusheng on 2008-03-07 00:53]
Section 42: Chapter Eight, Part One of the Calamities (2)
Xu Haicheng walked out of his office. He hadn't slept all night, and his dark circles and chin, while making him look tired, also made him look more manly. He clapped his hands and called everyone to a meeting.
The detectives, notebooks in hand, yawned as they walked towards the conference room, but straightened their backs and fell silent the moment they entered. Inside, the three top figures of the Public Security Bureau were already seated: the director, the secretary, and the deputy director in charge of criminal investigations. Deputy Director Yan, who had been recuperating from diabetes, was also present.
The bigwigs' faces were tense and ashen. This was to be expected. Among the three dead was a renowned archaeologist, both Chinese and foreign, and a prominent television host; moreover, two of them had died in the police station. This matter had alarmed not only the police chiefs but also, presumably, the city government leaders. Everyone felt a surge of unease, sitting ramrod straight with wide, bloodshot eyes, on high alert.
Xu Haicheng displayed the evidence one by one, and posted photos of the scene from various angles and autopsy photos on the display board. Because the three bigwigs were present, he explained the background of each of the three murder cases, and then the forensic doctor began to talk about the autopsy findings of the three people.
"...Xu San and He Qing both died from excessive adrenaline production, leading to high blood pressure and subsequent internal bleeding in vital organs such as the brain, heart, and kidneys. In other words, they were scared to death. As for Lei Yunshan, he died from a heart attack triggered by his advanced age and the shock. That's all." Forensic doctor Wu bowed and then sat down.
Xu Haicheng immediately stood up and said, "...No footprints, fingerprints, or anything left by the murderer were found at the scene. The only proof of the murderer's existence is the tooth mark he left on the victim's neck..." He pointed to three photos; only two showed the tooth mark. One was a photo of a sweater. "Lei Yunshan didn't have a tooth mark on his neck, but his turtleneck sweater showed signs of tearing and pilling. After testing, it was confirmed that it was caused by a bite. Furthermore, after comparing dental molds, it can be confirmed that the tooth mark on Xu San's neck is the same as the tooth mark on He Qing's neck."
"There are still two clues. One is that He Qing said she saw a face outside the window of the small dressing room." Xu Haisheng gestured for Pan Xiaolu to send a photocopy of the face drawn by He Qing to the three big shots. The three glanced at it and frowned in unison. Even a child's doodle was better than this drawing.
"Another one is the hotline call Lei Yunshan received during his program..." Xu Haicheng paused, and Pan Xiaolu played the recording that the TV station had obtained. Although there were about ten people in the conference room, it was completely silent, and the recording sounded particularly loud.
"The Mansi people's philosophy of life and death is far more profound than you've described."
"The soul is immortal, and life goes on forever. You have violated a noble soul, and you will be punished by the gods..."
Then came the cacophony of "Professor Lei, what's wrong with you?"
The three giants frowned again.
Xu Haicheng continued, "Judging from the content of this phone call, the caller might be a descendant of the Mansi people, or a fanatic of Mansi culture. A year and a half ago, to protect the Mansi tombs from being occupied by outsiders, the Mansi descendants went so far as to send people infiltrate and activate the self-destruct mechanism, causing the thousand-year-old tombs to collapse. This shows that the Mansi descendants have a very strong sense of their own ethnicity and harbor deep hostility towards outsiders. Lei Yunshan was the leading figure in the Mansi tomb archaeological team at the time, and also the initiator of this Mansi Cultural Festival. Moreover, this festival mainly showcases the artifacts from the Mansi tombs, so I suspect that his death was a deliberate act of revenge by the Mansi descendants. Perhaps they still harbored the intention of preventing the festival from opening."
Deputy Director Yan, who is in charge of criminal investigations, said, "I agree with what you said, but what methods did they use to kill them?"
Xu Haicheng lowered his head dejectedly and said, "We have absolutely no clue what to do right now."
Deputy Director Yan snorted unhappily: "Three people are dead, and you still don't have a single clue? Are you all just sitting around doing nothing? You've really improved, haven't you? Two people died in the bureau..."
All the criminal police officers lowered their heads, silently enduring their leader's anger.
"...This morning at 6:30, Secretary Song from the city called. The cultural festival is only five days away from opening, and this kind of thing happening—the international impact, comrades, the international impact..."
Chen Chen couldn't help but interrupt him, "Alright, Lao Yan, you're not feeling well, so try not to get angry."
Deputy Director Yan coughed heavily a few times, still not satisfied, and flipped through the documents in front of him with a loud thud.
Chen Chen said, "Da Xu, do you mean the murderer targeted the Mansi Cultural Festival?"
"It's possible, but I think the murderer might hate Lei Yunshan and Huang Yisen, who excavated the Mansi Tomb, even more. The Mansi Tomb is the tomb of the most outstanding shaman in the history of the Mansi people, and it is also an underground temple, which is not to be desecrated in their hearts."
Section 43: Chapter Eight, Part One of the Calamities (3)
"So, what grudge do Xu San and He Qing have against the descendants of the Mansi tribe?"
"Chief, regarding Xu San, I suspect he may have had contact with descendants of the Mansi tribe and unintentionally offended them. As for He Qing, she was an eyewitness to Lei Yunshan's death, or perhaps she saw something but was too traumatized to remember. The murderer killed her to silence her."
Deputy Director Yan said, "Then tell me your approach to solving the case."
"Yes." Xu Haicheng responded loudly, "First, a similar case occurred in Songlang Village in the Jingyun Mountains thirty years ago, and I will send people to investigate; second, if it is retaliation by descendants of the Mansi people, then it may not be targeting just one person, and the Cultural Festival Organizing Committee may have clues. Third, the hotline call came from an unregistered China Mobile SIM card, which was only activated on November 2nd. We have already located the card sales outlet and are seeing if the salesperson can remember the buyer's characteristics. Fourth, it is estimated that the murderer will take further action, so we have sent police officers to keep a close eye on the remaining members of the Cultural Festival Organizing Committee, especially Huang Yisen, the number two figure in the Mansi Ancient Tomb Archaeological Team..." He pointed to Huang Yisen's photo as he spoke.
After Xu Haicheng finished speaking methodically, the expressions of the three leaders finally softened, and Deputy Director Yan stopped coughing incessantly. Chen Chen knew the case was strange and the clues were limited, so he stopped being demanding. His eyes swept across the entire conference room, and he said seriously, "Comrades, the Cultural Festival is about to open, and Nanpu City is receiving high attention both domestically and internationally. These three cases not only damage the reputation of our Municipal Bureau, but also the international reputation of Nanpu City and the country. Therefore, everyone must unite and work together to solve the November 2nd serial murder case as soon as possible."
"Yes," a dozen or so criminal police officers answered in unison.
Chen Chen nodded in satisfaction and said to Xu Haicheng, "Notify Professor Lei Yunshan's family to come and collect the body, and notify the news media to release the news that Lei Yunshan died of a myocardial infarction. As for He Qing, continue to keep the news from the outside world confidential. Okay, meeting adjourned. Xu Haicheng, stay behind."
"Yes." Everyone responded in unison, picked up their notebooks, and filed out of the meeting room, disappearing in a few moments.
Chen Chen gestured for Xu Haicheng to close the door and asked, "Tell me honestly, are you confident you can solve this case?"
Xu Haicheng shook his head.
"I knew it." Chen Chen frowned. "It is indeed very strange. Have you thought of anything?"
Xu Haicheng pondered for a moment and said, "When I was in Songlang Village, I heard a rumor about the village's shaman..." He recounted in detail the story of the shaman in Songlang Village using witchcraft to summon the dead and kill the hunting dog team, and then said that Song Sanping called this kind of witchcraft "robbery".