The Mysterious Files 2 - The Bizarre and the Real

Foreword

Author: Seeking No Desire

First published on: Tianya Ghost Stories (Reposting should be done responsibly)

In a province with a population of over 100 million, a multitude of things happen every day that cannot be explained by current science. As a result, the Public Security Bureau secretly established a special team to handle these bizarre events.

Because the existence of the squad runs counter to the government's anti-feudal and anti-superstition principles, the Public Security Bureau never acknowledges the existence of such a squad, and even most police officers are unaware of its existence.

The team originally had five members, whose codenames were: Warrior, Spirit Dog, Ghost Eye, Heavenly Book, and Captain Tianji, which is me. In a certain incident, Warrior died a heroic death, and my superiors ordered me to find a replacement. After much selection, I finally brought a new member to the team—Linglong.

File 1 Virus

Author: Seeking No Desire

First published on: Tianya Ghost Stories (Reposting should be done responsibly)

At dawn, as the first rays of sunlight fell upon the brand-new streets, only a handful of sanitation workers were diligently at work. Suddenly, one of them let out a terrified scream, drawing the attention of the others. She had discovered a young woman, her clothes tattered, lying in the grass…

This is a newly planned bar street, which has just become popular, but within a month, four rape cases have occurred in succession. We have reason to believe that these four cases were committed by the same person, because the victims have many similar characteristics, the methods of violence are also very similar, and more importantly, the victims were all unconscious after the incidents, and their bodies inexplicably developed ulcers.

This case is being re-enacted by higher authorities because the first victim has died from severe skin ulceration, and the other three victims are expected to pass away within a month. Therefore, what was originally a rape case has become a rape-murder case. These days, cases without fatalities go unnoticed, but the fact that someone has died makes higher authorities somewhat nervous. If the media exposes the matter, many officials will likely face trouble. Furthermore, the bar district involves the interests of many people, and they are unwilling to see their businesses suffer as a result.

We obtained all the information about the case. The victims were four white-collar women aged 22 to 25, all of whom were petite, fair-skinned, and fashionably dressed.

The victims had all gone to the bar district alone at night, and were found the next day lying in nearby bushes, stairwells in back alleys, and dark corners of parking lots. Their clothes were brutally torn, and they had multiple obvious injuries, clearly indicating sexual assault. What's puzzling is that the victims had multiple comminuted fractures, and these were not caused by blunt force trauma; they were most likely inflicted by the assailant during the assault. Someone capable of inflicting multiple fractures with their bare hands must possess extraordinary arm strength, something no ordinary person could do.

Although the victims' injuries were severe, they were not fatal. However, they remained unconscious afterward, and their bodies inexplicably began to fester. Semen samples taken from the victims, upon DNA testing, appeared to be non-human, indicating contamination by an unknown substance. Hair and skin flakes collected from the crime scene and from the victims, suspected to be left by the perpetrator, also tested positive for non-human DNA. Therefore, it cannot be ruled out that the perpetrator used some unknown chemical substance to destroy evidence after the attack.

The hospital suspects that the assailant administered an overdose of anesthetic or nerve-damaging drugs to the victim before the attack, causing the victim to remain unconscious for an extended period afterward. However, they cannot explain the ulceration on the victim's body; the cause cannot be determined, and therefore, it is untreatable.

Based on the above information, we suspect the perpetrator was a physically strong, large man with impressive arm strength, who likely frequented a gym. Given the severe destruction of all compelling evidence and the various conditions experienced by the victim afterward, we cannot help but suspect the perpetrator was a highly educated individual, possibly with expertise in chemistry or medicine, or at least a professional in the chemical or medical system with frequent access to controlled chemicals.

Therefore, we deduced that the perpetrator might be an anesthesiologist and manager of anesthetic drugs at the hospital, a chemical distributor, or even a chemical researcher. We focused our investigation on the gym, interviewing everyone who frequented it, and even bringing in people with medical or chemical connections for questioning "assistance." However, after expending considerable resources and receiving nearly ten complaints, we still found nothing. Not only did we fail to apprehend the perpetrator, but we also received news of a fifth victim.

The higher-ups are putting pressure on our team because the case can't be delayed any longer. The pressure from the media is immense; if it gets exposed, our team will be the first to suffer. The higher-ups will definitely push us out as scapegoats. Therefore, we have no choice but to take a risky tactic: release bait to lure the perpetrators out on their own.

Finding a petite, fair-skinned policewoman in her early twenties to act as bait isn't difficult; the challenge lies in protecting her. Many unforeseen circumstances can arise during the luring of the perpetrator, and a hasty attack could alert them. Therefore, even a large team on standby would be futile. Thus, we must select a policewoman with a certain level of self-defense capability. But how much self-defense capability does a petite policewoman possess? That's the question.

“I’ll be the bait.” It was Linglong, our team’s newest member, who said this. I picked her out of the police academy; she comes from a family of martial arts practitioners and has practiced martial arts since childhood. Although she looks like a high school student, she can calmly take down three instructors, which is why I chose her to fill the strongman position.

The Mysterious Files 2 — The Critical Point Between the Bizarre and the Real

The Mysterious Files 2 — The Critical Point Between the Bizarre and the Real

Although I wasn't too worried about her safety as Linglong was the bait, and her petite figure and fair skin matched the victim's physical characteristics, her rural upbringing meant her fashion sense was nowhere near "fashionable." Her style was rather old-fashioned; I wouldn't have been surprised if she had appeared before me in ancient female warrior attire.

However, Gui Tong boasted that he could transform Linglong, a newcomer to society, into a fashionable beauty in just one afternoon. As for the actual results, we'll find out tonight.

After nightfall, Lingquan, two plainclothes officers with guns, Xiao Zhang and Xiao Zhao, and I made preparations in the bar street. Although we could request more police force from our superiors, more people were not a good thing for the entrapment operation.

The series of rape and murder cases had been circulating privately, but firstly, the authorities had not acknowledged them, secondly, the media had not made any official reports, and thirdly, there were not many people who actually knew the truth. Moreover, the owners of the bar street had asked their employees to deliberately conceal the truth, so the matter was only regarded as a topic of conversation over tea and dinner. No one took it seriously, it did not attract widespread attention, and it did not have much impact on the business of the bar street.

As dusk settles and night falls, groups of patrons drive into the bar street parking lot or step out of buses and taxis, heading into various bars, KTVs, or discos. If you told them that a rape-murder and four rapes have occurred here in quick succession, the men might be slightly surprised, while the women, even if they don't immediately take a taxi home, will cling tightly to their boyfriends' strong, reliable chests.

We wandered through various bars, each with a different theme but all equally crowded, for several hours without spotting anything suspicious. Finally, we sat down in a quiet bar filled with white-collar workers.

This bar is decorated in a chic, sophisticated style, with soft, melodious music playing in the background. Although it's quite crowded, it's not noisy. On the surface, the people gathered here are all high-income intellectuals, but what they're really thinking about is finding a night of passion. Beneath their elegant exteriors lie ugly hearts burning with desire.

We chose this bar not out of a desire for casual sex, but because, according to the victim's relatives, she seemed to have visited this bar several times before her death. However, things didn't go smoothly; we had no intention of seeking romance, yet we became the targets of their attention. Not long after we sat down, several women showed interest in us. Perhaps it was because the four of us were experienced police officers, naturally exuding a masculine aura that attracted so many women.

Xiao Zhang, Xiao Zhao, and I didn't really care. Chatting and drinking with beautiful women wasn't a bad thing. Besides, if four guys sat there awkwardly and kept refusing the women's advances, it would be too conspicuous. So we decided to combine work with entertainment. However, Ling Tai didn't seem too keen on this cushy job. He kept calling to urge Gui Tong and complaining that he hadn't brought the Heavenly Book.

Although Lingquan didn't say it aloud, I knew what he was thinking. He didn't like women with such open minds; in his heart, only a woman like Shiya, who was devoted in love, could move him. Unfortunately, Shiya wasn't moved by him.

Around midnight, Gui Tong finally arrived, her clothes sexy and fashionable, but the sunglasses perched on her nose gave off a strange feeling. There was no way around it, because once she took off her sunglasses, her empty eye sockets would be exposed.

Following behind Ghost Eye was a stunningly beautiful young woman whose tight-fitting t-shirt and fiery miniskirt ignited the summer night sky like a blazing fire. This was Linglong. If Ghost Eye hadn't pointed it out, I would never have believed that the little girl who looked like a country bumpkin just hours ago could now be dressed so sexily.

Linglong didn't approach us, or even greet us. She simply sat down at the bar and ordered a Chivas Regal with green tea. I think she must have never had this drink before; Guitong must have taught her to order it.

As soon as Linglong sat down, men started hitting on her. At first, she was a little nervous, but her police academy classes had paid off, and she quickly regained her composure, chatting and laughing with the strangers. However, our efforts that night were in vain. Although many men approached Linglong, none of them were the person we were looking for.

We've spent three nights in a row in this quiet bar. Others come here to hunt for women, and we come here to wait for our prey. However, whether we are the hunters or the prey in the eyes of the thugs, we'll only know when the thugs appear.

"It's the third night already. Will he really take the bait?" Lingquan said, taking a sip of red wine.

I laughed and said, "Drink less, or you'll exceed your budget. If Grandpa doesn't reimburse you, you'll have to pay out of your own pocket."

Xiao Zhang laughed and said, "Paying out of my own pocket is fine, but if I mess things up, I might lose my job."

Xiao Zhao nodded in agreement, picked up a glass of cola and said, "Let's drink cola instead. We're too old to drink alcohol anymore."

Zhang and Zhao have been drinking cola these past few nights. They don't drink alcohol at all, not because they're old—they're not even thirty yet, and saying they're old is just a joke. The reason they don't drink is because he carries a service weapon on his waist. If he fails to catch the thug, he might get scolded, but if he gets drunk and drops his weapon, he could face disciplinary action, or even lose his job.

I savored the red wine in my glass and slowly said, "Tonight is the weekend, there's a lot of foot traffic, it's the perfect time to do bad things. Maybe there'll be work to do tonight, and all the previous ones... didn't they all happen on weekends?"

Xiao Zhang said, "It's best to have work to do. If another unlucky person comes along, our lives will be tough!"

"Gui Tong and the others are here." Although they hadn't entered the door yet, the spirit dog had already smelled their scent. Sure enough, not long after, Gui Tong and Linglong entered the bar one after the other. As before, Gui Tong came over and sat next to me, while Linglong pretended not to know us and went straight to sit alone at the bar.

Because it was the weekend, there were more customers than usual. After two nights of "practice," Linglong's performance was very satisfactory, and coupled with her good looks, she quickly became the focus of attention. This situation made me both happy and worried. I was happy because if the culprit was among the customers in the bar, he would definitely notice Linglong; I was worried because Linglong had become the focus of attention, and the culprit might not dare to approach her because of this.

Time ticked by, and as it approached 2 a.m., the number of customers in the bar gradually dwindled. Most had achieved their purpose, leaving emboldened by alcohol, embracing unfamiliar members of the opposite sex, either going to one of their homes or creating a thrilling memory at a nearby hotel. The remaining customers were mostly alone, drinking and feeling sorry for themselves.

What is loneliness? It is not living alone in the wilderness, but being a pitiful person in a crowd who has no one to confide in.

In this deserted setting, Gui Tong and I, along with three others, stood out conspicuously, so I downed my glass of red wine in one gulp, intending to end our operation for the night there. However, just then, a thin young man sat down in the chair next to Linglong with a glass of whiskey.

The young man had arrived quite early and had been observing Linglong for a long time, but he hadn't interacted with anyone else. Moreover, he was thin, which was far from the burly man we had deduced to have a bodybuilder-like physique, so we hadn't paid much attention to him.

The hound suddenly whispered, "He smells strange. Even though he's wearing cologne, I can still smell a faint stench of decay. Maybe he's someone who deals with corpses all the time."

Who deals with corpses frequently? Are they forensic doctors, physicians, or funeral home workers? Although I didn't have much hope, this young man was the only pers

……