K - The Next One Is You

Chapter 12

Lin Qiu assumed Bai Yue needed to use the restroom, so he didn't pay much attention and continued smoking.

After a while, something strange happened. Bai Yue took out the blue dress from the closet, then took off her white pajamas and put on the blue dress.

After changing her clothes, Bai Yue sat down at the dressing table and carefully began to apply her makeup.

First, she applied a light layer of face powder, then applied a light layer of lipstick with a lipstick pen, and then carefully drew her eyebrows.

After finishing all this, Bai Yue walked out of the bedroom, seemingly unaware that Lin Qiu was sitting on the sofa in the living room, and went straight into the kitchen.

After a while, Bai Yue came out of the kitchen. Lin Qiu was suddenly surprised to find that she was holding a kitchen knife!

Lin Qiu dared not utter a sound. He stared wide-eyed at Bai Yue's strange behavior. He saw Bai Yue walk into the bedroom with a kitchen knife, then stand blankly by the bed.

After a while, Bai Yue suddenly went berserk, raising the kitchen knife in her hand and hacking at Lin Qiu's pillow several times! Lin Qiu was instantly stunned by this terrifying scene!

After Bai Yue finished chopping, she put the kitchen knife back in its original place in the kitchen. Then she went back to the bedroom, took off her blue dress, changed into a white nightgown, folded the blue dress again, and put it back in the closet. After doing all this, she went back to bed.

After what seemed like an eternity, Lin Qiu finally recovered from his shock. Recalling the terrifying scene just now, he was still filled with lingering fear.

He walked nervously into the bedroom.

The bedside lamp was still on, and Bai Yue was still sleeping soundly, snoring softly. Her sleeping face looked very peaceful and calm, as if nothing had happened.

Lin Qiu stared blankly at the pillow on the bedside table that had been hacked to pieces. The horrific scene of Liu Qian and Ding Xiang being killed flashed through his mind, and he couldn't help but tremble. Could it be that Bai Yue really killed them?

Is Bai Yue the real culprit in Chapter Six?

Daylight broke.

Bai Yue woke up slowly and found Lin Qiu sitting on the edge of the bed in a daze. His eyes were a little red and swollen, and his face looked tired. He obviously hadn't slept all night.

"Lin Qiu, what's wrong?"

Bai Yue rubbed her sleepy eyes and asked, puzzled.

Lin Qiu remained silent, staring blankly at Bai Yue. Bai Yue sensed something strange about his gaze, and a sudden panic gripped her.

"Lin Qiu, what's wrong with you? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Lin Qiu remained silent for a long while before slowly asking:

"Bai Yue, you really don't remember what happened last night?"

"Last night? What happened last night?"

Bai Yue looked completely bewildered, staring at Lin Qiu with a puzzled expression.

Lin Qiu didn't speak, but simply pointed to the pillow on the bedside table. Bai Yue only then noticed the pillow and was greatly surprised.

"What... what exactly is going on?"

After a moment of silence, Lin Qiu recounted what had happened the previous night to Bai Yue. Upon hearing Lin Qiu's account, Bai Yue was utterly terrified, her face turning pale and her eyes filled with deep fear.

After a long while, Bai Yue finally came to her senses. She staggered out of bed and went to the dressing table. Sure enough, her makeup was still intact. Why did she have no memory of what happened last night? What was going on?

"Lin Qiu, what's wrong with me?" Bai Yue asked, her voice trembling with tears. "Could it be... could it be that I've been possessed by an evil spirit?"

"Bai Yue, don't be afraid, and don't overthink things." Lin Qiu gently put his arm around Bai Yue's shoulder and said softly, "Maybe it's just some strange behavior in your dream, like sleepwalking. We'll go to the hospital for a checkup and we'll know."

Tears welled in Bai Yue's eyes as she looked helplessly at Lin Qiu and nodded gently.

Around nine o'clock, accompanied by Lin Qiu, Bai Yue arrived at the Department of Psychology at the Municipal Hospital and found the renowned psychologist Professor Chen Guofu to diagnose her.

Dr. Chen Guofu is a psychology expert who returned from studying abroad. He received his Ph.D. in psychology from Stanford University in the United States and is currently a professor of psychology at H City Medical University, as well as the chief physician of the psychology department at the city hospital. Lin Qiu had interviewed him before and was therefore quite familiar with him.

Lin Qiu told Professor Chen in detail about some recent events related to Bai Yue, as well as Bai Yue's recent unusual behavior, including the murder of Liu Qian and Ding Xiang, and Bai Yue's strange behavior last night.

After listening to Lin Qiu's account, Professor Chen asked Bai Yue many questions alone. After Bai Yue answered all the questions, Professor Chen's expression gradually became serious. He frowned and remained silent, as if he was pondering something deeply.

After a few minutes, he asked Lin Qiu with a serious expression:

"Mr. Lin, do you remember that Liu Qian and Ding Xiang were both murdered on Friday nights?"

Lin Qiu thought about it carefully for a moment, then nodded affirmatively:

"That's right, they were both murdered on Friday night."

Professor Lin nodded, then said thoughtfully:

"And Miss Bai happened to be sleeping with them that night?"

"Yes." Lin Qiu nodded, then suddenly remembered something, and his face immediately tensed up. "Last night, last night was also Friday!"

“That’s the problem, but it’s not a coincidence,” Professor Chen said slowly. “Based on my years of diagnostic experience and my preliminary analysis of Ms. Bai’s symptoms, I suspect that Ms. Bai has an extremely rare mental illness.”

"Doctor, what illness do I have? Is it serious?"

Bai Yue was so anxious that tears welled up in her eyes, and she almost burst into tears.

"Bai Yue, don't be afraid. You have to trust Professor Chen and listen to him slowly. He will help us."

While comforting Bai Yue, Lin Qiu anxiously looked at Professor Chen, wanting to know more about the illness than Bai Yue did.

"Don't worry, this is not a terminal illness. Moreover, it is only a preliminary suspicion. Further observation and diagnosis are needed to confirm whether it is this disease."

"Professor Chen, can you tell us what this disease is?"

Professor Chen hesitated for a moment, then slowly uttered five words: "Periodic homicide syndrome."

Ah! Lin Qiu and Bai Yue were both stunned.

It took them a while to come to their senses. Lin Qiu held Bai Yue's hand tightly and asked in a trembling voice:

"Professor Chen, can this disease be cured?"

"This is an extremely rare and very dangerous mental illness. So far, only three cases have been found worldwide." Professor Chen paused, then continued, "This mental illness is generally hereditary. When a person inherits it, the symptoms will be triggered at a certain age or when they experience significant psychological stress, resulting in periodic attacks. Moreover, sleepwalking is often present during these attacks. Ms. Bai is a case in point."

After listening to Professor Chen's words, Bai Yue finally understood why he had asked her about her background. Although she was young then, she could never forget the horrific scene of her father's death. It was highly likely that her father was murdered without her noticing while her mother was ill. After her father's death, her mother, perhaps overwhelmed with grief and depression, subsequently committed suicide. Her current illness might be inherited from her mother.

"Professor Chen, can this disease be cured?"

Lin Qiu stared at Professor Chen and asked anxiously.

"It can be cured, but it will take a very long time."

How long will it take?

"It can take anywhere from one or two years to seven or eight years. However, the cycle of this disease is very obvious. Although the cycle is not very stable in the early stages of the disease, it will gradually become very regular. According to Ms. Bai's disease cycle, as long as she sleeps separately on Friday nights or takes necessary precautions while sleeping, she will be fine."

Next, Professor Chen carefully explained the next steps of the diagnosis and treatment plan, as well as some precautions, to Lin Qiu and Bai Yue. Afterwards, he instructed Lin Qiu to take good care of Bai Yue and not let her suffer any further stress.

After leaving the clinic, Bai Yue suddenly thought of Liu Qian and Ding Xiang. It turned out that she had killed her two best friends. Although it was an unintentional act, Bai Yue still felt extremely guilty and sad.

Lin Qiu kept comforting Bai Yue, advising her not to blame herself too much, that Liu Qian and Ding Xiang's deaths were not her fault, and that she was innocent too.

Suddenly, Lin Qiu remembered the terrifying blue skull. He recalled that after Liu Qian and Ding Xiang died, that terrifying blue skull appeared on their foreheads. How could this be explained?

Chapter Six

Chapter One: The Secret of My Hometown

At midnight, Lin Qiu was awakened by a sudden chill.

He instinctively turned over, intending to embrace Bai Yue beside him, but found nothing. Only then did he suddenly remember that Bai Yue had already gone back to her aunt's house.

Since returning from the hospital check-up that day, in order to prevent Bai Yue from being frightened or stimulated again, Lin Qiu sent her back to her aunt's house for a while so that she could receive treatment in peace and return after the police solved the case.

Waking up in the middle of the night, Lin Qiu felt a profound loneliness for the first time. He was all alone in the large room, and the bedside was empty. He felt a sense of emptiness and loss in his heart.

He was already unaccustomed to life without Bai Yue. Although Bai Yue had only been gone for two or three days, it felt like a year had passed in his heart. Especially on such a cold and lonely night, his longing and yearning for Bai Yue were particularly strong.

The police have learned about Bai Yue's condition. Legally speaking, Bai Yue bears no criminal responsibility for the deaths of Liu Qian and Ding Xiang. As for why the terrifying blue skull appeared on their foreheads after their deaths, like the deaths of Lin Yongfu and Zhao Guihua, it remains a mystery.

Lin Qiu lay in bed, listening to the patter of rain outside the window, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. He recalled every detail of his relationship with Bai Yue, from their first meeting to their falling in love; scene after scene floated into his mind…

Suddenly, he remembered that terrifying "death warrant" again, and a chill ran through him, replaced by a vague sense of despair. Two days ago, he had already delivered the "death warrant" to the police station and given it to Chen Feng.

Currently, the police are at their wits' end with this series of bizarre cases. Although their superiors are constantly putting pressure on Chen Feng, and Chen Feng is also intensifying his investigation, the case has yet to make a breakthrough. The police's helplessness makes the mastermind behind the scenes seem even more mysterious and sinister.

Lin Qiu vaguely felt that his right to life was already in the hands of death, and that death could take his life at any time. Perhaps one night, he would also mysteriously disappear from the world like Lin Wangchou and the other two, leaving even the police helpless.

Thinking of this, Lin Qiu couldn't help but feel a wave of sorrow. He still couldn't understand what sins he had committed to deserve such a cruel retribution. If he were to die in this ambiguous state, he would not be at peace even as a ghost.

Lin Qiu drifted off to sleep again after an unknown amount of time, until the clock in the living room struck twice.

He started dreaming again, and in his dream he returned to his childhood. He spent his childhood in a small town far away from H City. At that time, his family lived in a very old three-story villa. In that town, there weren't many buildings like that. There were also three other families living in the same building: Lin Wangchou, Zheng Ansheng, and Lin Wenrui.

When they were little, the four of them were very good playmates, often playing games like war, hide-and-seek, and cricket fighting. Their childhood was carefree, full of fun and joy.

Later, from some unknown day, the building where they lived began to be haunted. The adults said that they often heard a female ghost crying on the rooftop at night, and sometimes they even saw a female ghost in blue appearing in the stairwell.

Ever since that building started being haunted, the elderly people in those families have been dying one after another, the causes of death unknown, but supposedly they were frightened to death by vengeful ghosts at night. Lin Qiu's grandparents, on a rainy winter night, suddenly screamed and vomited blood, dying with their eyes wide open and their faces showing a terrifying expression.

Later, they moved, one after another, from that small town to the distant city of H. Lin Qiu remembers that he was only nine years old when they moved. Now, he has lived in H city for almost twenty years, and has forgotten many things from his childhood.

His parents never mentioned the ghost stories in his hometown when they were alive, and he didn't really believe them when he grew up, but he still can't figure out some of the strange things that happened in his hometown in the past.

Suddenly, Lin Qiu dreamt of his father. He found his father still the same as when he was alive, his aged face looking melancholy and haggard. He silently watched Lin Qiu, and from his eyes, it seemed he already knew Lin Qiu was currently facing the threat of death. His expression was somewhat wooden, his eyes seemed to hide some immense pain, and his lips kept moving, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't...

Suddenly, Lin Qiu felt a pair of eyes coldly staring at him from the darkness, eyes that were unusually mysterious and deep. Abruptly, he remembered the terrifying woman in blue, and his heart skipped a beat. He sat up abruptly, panting heavily.

"Meow—Aww—"

Just then, a black cat suddenly let out a shrill scream, darted out of the window with extraordinary agility, and disappeared into the pitch-black night.

Lin Qiu stared in horror at the half-open window, a terrifying thought suddenly flashing through his mind—could the series of strange events that had recently occurred be related to the haunting incident in his hometown years ago? Could that terrifying woman in blue be the same woman in blue who was haunted in his hometown years ago?

Section Two: The Mystery of Suicide

In the morning, the alarm clock on the bedside table rang on time, waking Lin Qiu up. She felt sore all over and her head was spinning. She hadn't slept well all night.

He struggled to get out of bed, his eyes fixed on the half-open window. He couldn't help but recall his dream from last night, and a sense of unease crept into his heart.

He went to the window, where a cold wind was pouring in through the half-open pane, brushing against his face with its chill. Outside, the sky was overcast, a few trees trembled in the wind, and some remaining leaves were constantly falling, creating a desolate atmosphere of deep winter.