Ba ethnic group's bewitching charm - the executioner - Chapter 4
His head drooped down again, and this time, the masked man stood in front of the camera.
The mask on his head was now clearly visible; it resembled a ski mask, and also somewhat like the gear worn by the Special Duties Unit (SDU) in Hong Kong videos. Unlike them, however, this mask had two characters on its forehead—"刑官" (Xing Guan, meaning "Criminal Officer").
The words are white, written with charcoal or outlined with yarn. At first glance, they look like a child's doodles, very eye-catching, and also strangely eerie.
Qin Ge and Dong'er didn't know what a criminal investigator was; they only remembered watching a TV series last year called "The Great Song Dynasty Criminal Investigator." But the man in the video definitely had nothing to do with Song Ci.
The scene continued. The man stood in front of the woman and, in a few swift movements, tore off her clothes. As if by magic, a whip appeared in his hand, which he raised and lashed heavily onto the woman, or rather, the female corpse.
Qin Ge and Dong'er stared blankly, as if the scene possessed a magical power that made them unable to look away.
The woman's skin was equally pale, with a slight bluish tinge; each strike of the whip left a faint mark. The man only lashed her a few times, then seemed tired. This time, he took out a candle, lit it, and the wax slowly dripped onto the woman's body.
After that, the man tried some other tricks, but they were nothing more than the sadistic stuff, with no unique creativity. They were nothing more than cutting hair, pinching fingers, burning, and cutting. But in the end, he plunged a sharp knife into the woman's chest.
Throughout the ordeal, the woman remained completely still, and the camera angle never changed. This ensured that anyone who saw the video could be certain the bound woman was already dead.
The scene has truly ended this time, and the progress bar below has returned to normal.
Qin Ge frowned, pondering, when he suddenly heard Dong'er's breathing become rapid. Turning his head, he saw that Dong'er seemed a little off, and was about to ask her something when Dong'er suddenly bent over and gagged.
I was so engrossed in watching the video that I didn't notice anything unusual. Now that the video is over, those images are still in my mind. When I think about them, I feel a tightness in my chest and a feeling of something swirling in my throat.
Dong'er leaped away from the computer desk, opened the window, let the cold wind carry the snowflakes, and took deep breaths.
Qin Ge was still sitting at his computer desk. His professional instincts told him that something was off about the video. However, all sorts of strange things can happen on the internet, and anyone who takes the internet too seriously will surely exhaust themselves.
Qin Ge wanted to make a few jokes to comfort Dong'er, but he also felt quite heavy-hearted.
After sitting for a while, I right-clicked the video window, selected properties, copied the URL, and used a media downloader to download the video file to my hard drive.
Anyway, it's late at night, and it's snowing heavily outside. On a night like this, a warm bed is probably the best place to be. Besides, there's a wife beside me who needs comforting.
Lying in bed, Qin Ge felt much more at ease. The whole thing seemed like a prank—someone found the video, posted the link on a radio program, and even fabricated a touching love story to trick people into being disgusted.
There are all sorts of people online, and the virtual world is getting closer and closer to reality. Some kids are no longer content with just causing trouble online. And some people are truly obsessed, unable to distinguish between the online and real worlds.
"Tell me, was what we just saw real or fake?" Dong'er asked.
"It's fake, definitely fake." Qin Ge said without hesitation, his tone resolute. "What era are we living in? Look at Star Wars and Harry Potter, they all look so real."
Despite saying that, Qin Ge was still uneasy. He decided to make a copy of the document first thing tomorrow morning and have someone at the bureau authenticate it.
Chapter 3
The plum blossoms in the courtyard are in bloom. The person under the blossoms is Yangmei.
Yang Zheng watched from afar, wanting to walk over to the flowers or the bayberries.
The snow stopped, the sky was blue, but it was cold. Yangmei, standing beneath the blossoms, wore a tight white jacket with rabbit-gray trim peeking out from the collar and hem. Her long, glossy black hair hung over her white coat. She bent down to pick up a flower from the snow, holding it in her hand, a hint of sadness on her fair face—those flowers, before they could bloom in full glory, had already withered.
Yang Zheng recalled a few months ago when Yang Mei first came here with another girl. They had been caught in a rainstorm on their way here, so their clothes were soaked when they came in. They huddled behind the curtain to change. When the rain stopped, Yang Zheng opened the door, and a gust of wind blew the curtain open a corner. He saw that the girl had stripped herself naked, while Yang Mei, still in wet clothes, sat cross-legged on the floor, her hands cupping her face, her long hair hanging down on either side, looking very sad.
The sadness from that time reappeared on Yang Mei's face, and Yang Zheng, standing by the door, felt a surge of emotion—whenever he saw Yang Mei's sadness, he wanted to capture it in a small space. He actually turned around to go into the studio to get his camera, but when he returned to the door, he saw that the scene had already withered like a flower—a man was standing next to the girl.
The gleaming uniform stood out starkly against the snow; without a doubt, it was that same household registration police officer.
Yang Zheng sighed inwardly, knowing that this morning was going to be long and boring again.
The police officer over there stared at Yang Mei, looking very nervous, and said, "Is your boss here? I'm his buddy."
Yang Mei glanced at Yang Zheng, their eyes meeting briefly before she looked away. Yang Zheng sighed again, stepped out the door, and greeted the police officer loudly.
The police officer glared at him, then reluctantly abandoned the bayberries and headed this way. Even as he neared the door, he didn't forget to turn back.
"Coming here so early in the morning, do you think this place is a police station?" Yang Zheng said irritably.
“The police station is nowhere near as attractive as your place.” The household registration officer, seemingly oblivious to Yang Zheng’s sarcasm, leaned closer to him, lowered his voice, and said mysteriously, “We have two women in our station. One is about to retire, and the other is young, but her appearance is anything but ordinary. She looks like a toad wrapped in a roasted sweet potato skin, frightening no matter the time of day.”
Yang Zheng glared at him: "Do you dare say that to people's faces?"
The police officer shook his head repeatedly: "How could I dare? She's been getting up at the crack of dawn since she was a child, and she's known as the Iron Fist Queen."
Seeing the camera in Yang Zheng's hand, the police officer in charge of household registration reached out his hand: "Your camera must have cost a lot of money, I can tell just by looking at its size. Don't dodge, let me take a look. Don't worry, I definitely won't drop it."
Yang Zheng had no choice but to hand him the camera. He peered through the viewfinder, slowly circling the lens before focusing on the bayberry tree in the yard. The bayberry tree, holding a few flowers, was circling the tree, its footsteps leaving neat circles on the ground.
"There are usually only the two of you in the shop, how do you pass the time?" The police officer asked, trying to make conversation.
“It’s been snowing these past two days. Normally, this place would be busier than your police station.” Yang Zheng was thinking about how to get rid of the policeman. “It’s almost the end of the year. There must be a lot of people locked up in the police station. You policemen must be very busy.”
"That's right. This time of year is the peak season for crimes. Thieves also want to steal more from the year-end bonuses."
"So right now there aren't any big or small things waiting for you to deal with?"
"Don't worry, I know this street well. I've given every household a police-community contact card. If anything happens, the people will call me." The police officer's camera was still hovering around Yangmei. "My presence here is also considered 'going deep into the community.' It's almost the end of the year, and we'll be evaluating advanced individuals. Could you take some time to write me a letter of commendation?"
Yang Zheng remained silent for a long time, unsure whether this person was genuinely stupid or pretending to be confused.
As they were talking, two young girls walked in. They were dressed in leather jackets and boots, with red hair and slender waists. The police officer immediately turned his camera to face them. Yang Zheng was quite helpless. This young policeman looked like he was just entering puberty, or like he had just been released from prison.
Two young girls came to have their photos taken, and Yang Mei accompanied them in. They sat down and chatted for a while, agreeing on a price. As usual, it was now Yang Zheng's turn to talk to them and decide on a suitable shooting plan based on their aesthetic preferences. While talking to the two girls, Yang Zheng seemed a little distracted, his eyes constantly drifting towards the young policeman. The young policeman and Yang Mei sat to the side; Yang Mei didn't even glance at the young policeman, who kept swallowing and licking his lips, seemingly unsure what to say.
Next, Yang Mei did the makeup for the two girls. It's said that a photo is 30% makeup and 70% makeup; a beautiful photo owes more than half its success to the makeup. There's a saying in photo studios: "It's not being afraid of being ugly, it's being afraid of being fat." Even the ugliest person, after the makeup artist's touch and post-production Photoshop, can be transformed into a beauty, though most acquaintances won't recognize her.
Yang Mei's makeup was so light that it was almost invisible unless you looked closely. Just like her own face, it looked like she was wearing no makeup at all, but Yang Zheng knew that she always put on a meticulous look before going out.
Yang Zheng's film studio was ubiquitous in the old house; every corner served as a backdrop, allowing the police officer in charge of household registration to observe the entire filming process.