Alma Espejo Antigua

Capítulo 2

"We haven't had a chance to open it yet. Why don't we open it now and take a look?" Xu San said, pretending to lift the box.

Xu Haicheng knew he was joking, but he just glared at him. "You don't even know what's inside, and you still want to steal it?"

"Captain Xu, when it comes to having a good eye for things, you're no match for me. This box alone is worth quite a bit of money."

"Where did you steal it from?"

Xu San rattled off, "Just now at the train station, I saw a country bumpkin father and daughter. The old man was holding this box in his arms, looking really nervous. So, while he was in the restroom, I took it to see what was inside. I was just curious, and I'll return it after I'm done, really..." He spoke with great conviction, afraid that Xu Haicheng wouldn't believe him.

Xu Haicheng, having seen him lie through his teeth so many times, snorted lightly to show his disdain and disbelief.

Xu San didn't take it seriously and continued, "Who knew I'd run into such a kind policewoman? What bad luck!"

"If there's something valuable in the box, you're finished."

Xu San looked distressed and said, "Captain Xu, this isn't the first time we've dealt with each other. How about you give me some face and let me go? I'll remember your great kindness."

Xu Haicheng chuckled slightly: "You're trying to bargain with me?"

Xu San was saddened for a moment, then suddenly went to lift the lid of the box.

Xu Haicheng shouted, "What are you doing?" as he reached out to stop him.

Xu San took a step back, avoiding his hand, and said, "Let's see what this is. I want to die knowing why." As he spoke, he didn't know where his hand touched, but he heard a soft click of a mechanism, and the lid of the box opened a crack. Xu San looked down and was shocked; his hand could no longer hold the box.

Xu Haicheng quickly reached out and caught the box steadily. He heard the mechanism click, and the lid closed. Seeing Xu San standing there dumbfounded, a thought struck him: "What's inside the box?"

"In the box, in the box..." Xu San hadn't recovered from the shock and repeated it mechanically.

Xu Haicheng frowned and asked in a low voice, "What exactly is it?"

Xu San finally came to his senses. His blank expression was replaced by disbelief. He said, "The box contains... no way, how could it be... I must be seeing things, I must be seeing things..."

Xu Haicheng listened to his endless rambling, but he wouldn't say what was in the box. After some guessing, he figured the contents must be something extraordinary, otherwise Xu San, a seasoned thief with extensive experience, wouldn't be so astonished. Unconsciously, his curiosity grew like wildfire, and he examined the wooden box in his hands. A closer look revealed its exquisite craftsmanship; the lid and body fit together perfectly, so much so that, without close inspection, one might mistake it for the fine grain of the wood. He tried to pry open the lid with a little force, but it wouldn't budge. He increased the force, but it still wouldn't move. Remembering the mechanical sound he'd heard earlier, it seemed the box had a separate switch to control its opening and closing. The only distinctive feature of the box was the delicate pattern around the edges; he wondered if the switch was hidden there.

Xu Haicheng was about to follow the pattern to find the switch when he suddenly heard Xu San beside him say, still shaken, "It's an eye, alive."

Eyes, alive?

Xu Haicheng was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled and said, "You, Xu San, you lie without batting an eye."

Xu San looked at him with a strange expression, about to speak, when suddenly a clear and loud voice called out, "Team Leader Xu." The two turned their heads together and saw Pan Xiaolu walking over. Behind her were two people, an old man and a young woman, dressed in very rustic clothes. They seemed to be the country bumpkin father and daughter that Xu San had mentioned.

Xu Haicheng handed her the wooden box, then pushed the distraught Xu San in front of her, saying, "It's all yours now."

Pan Xiaolu handed the wooden box to the old country bumpkin, then grabbed Xu San's collar. She was only slightly taller than Xu San, and the grip on his collar felt strange and uncomfortable. So she said sternly, "I won't handcuff you anymore. Just behave yourself."

Xu San nodded hastily.

Pan Xiaolu released her grip with satisfaction, turned to look at Xu Haicheng, and said, "Captain Xu, thank you."

Part One, Section 4: Chapter One, The Formation of Calamity ○1(3)

"No need." Xu Haicheng waved his hand and walked towards the subway that had just come to a stop. As he passed Lao Tu Mao, he saw him tightly clutching the wooden box, as if it were his own life. No wonder Xu Sansheng had coveted it. The other man suddenly raised his head and met his gaze.

What unique eyes, like glass, I feel like I've seen them somewhere before.

Upon realizing this, Xu Haicheng couldn't help but glance at it a few more times, but the old country bumpkin had already lowered his head. Seeing that the subway was about to depart, he didn't linger any longer and strode into the carriage. The subway doors closed and started moving, leaving Pan Xiaolu and the other three behind.

I found a seat and sat down. On the mobile TV opposite me, a line of text was displayed: Nine days until the Mansi Cultural Festival.

Ten seconds later, the text disappeared in a flash, replaced by a colorful array of images: eerie Nuo masks, a plan of the ancient tomb with seven stars surrounding the moon, welcoming effigies at the tomb entrance, a star map in the seventh chamber... Amidst the plaintive background music, one gloomy and eerie scene after another flashed by, making one involuntarily gasp for breath.

Unconsciously thinking of Fang Li, Xu Haicheng was slightly lost in thought and almost missed his stop. He got off the train and walked out of the subway station. It wasn't even five o'clock yet, but the sky was already half dark. The wind swayed the plane trees on both sides of the street, and fallen leaves fluttered down, creating a desolate scene. He walked through a quiet street and entered a large courtyard. A sign hanging at the entrance read "Nanpu City Mental Health Rehabilitation Center".

Someone was hurrying out of the courtyard. Seeing Xu Haicheng, they exclaimed in surprise, "Captain Xu?"

Xu Haicheng stopped and looked at him. He was of medium height, wearing a black short coat and glasses, and had a very refined appearance. "Who are you?"

"I'm Dr. Park Jin-hwa from the Mental Health Department of Jingyun City People's Hospital." Seeing Xu Haicheng still looking confused, Dr. Park quickly added, "I'm Lu Minghua's attending physician; we met last year."

"Oh, it's you, hello." Xu Haicheng extended his hand. The name Lu Minghua finally reminded him. Last year, because of Zhong Dongqiao's case, he and Xiao Zhang visited Lu Minghua at the Mental Health Department of Jingyun City People's Hospital and had an in-depth conversation with this Dr. Pu Zhenhua.

Dr. Park reached out to shake his hand, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Do you know that Lu Minghua has recovered? She's fully recovered."

Xu Haicheng's eyes widened in surprise. Immediately, an image flashed through his mind of a pair of bare, bald hands with no nails, and small holes all over the wall. How could someone so ill recover? After a moment, he noticed Dr. Park's unusual tone. Lu Minghua had recovered, but as her attending physician, he showed no joy whatsoever. Especially the last sentence, "completely recovered," conveyed a very complex emotion, including disbelief and a hint of fear.

After a moment's thought, Xu Haicheng said, "It's a good thing that she's recovered." Although Lu Minghua was wicked and had framed Zhong Dongqiao, causing him to suffer imprisonment, her mental breakdown at the prime of her youth, and the seven or eight years she spent insane, was enough to offset the sins she had committed.

Dr. Park stammered, "Logically speaking... it should be a good thing, but... things are a bit strange."

"What's so strange?" Xu Haicheng's curiosity was piqued, but seeing that it was windy outside and not the right place to talk, he said, "Let's go inside and talk." Dr. Park nodded and followed him into the office building of the Nanpu Rehabilitation Center.

The office building was over a decade old, with signs of age visible everywhere, from the corners to the edges. The floor tiles were worn smooth and shiny, and the dim lighting in the corridors created an illusion that a chilly wind might be lurking in the corners at any moment. Some benches were placed in the corridors for patients' families to wait. The two found a windless corner to sit down, and Dr. Park cleared his throat and began to recount the entire story of Lu Minghua's recovery.

Before 9 p.m. the night before last, Lu Minghua was still in a daze, just like she had for the past seven years. She would either scratch holes in the wall with her fingers or mutter to herself about the holes in the wall. In short, before 9 p.m. last night, she was a "normal" mental patient. As usual, at 9 p.m. sharp, the nurse gave her some sedative and sleep-inducing medication, which she took and then fell asleep.

Nothing happened overnight until six o'clock this morning. The morning and evening nurses had just finished their handover and were preparing for their routine morning rounds when they suddenly heard a scream coming from Lu Minghua's room. Everyone rushed over and saw her sitting on the bed, staring at her ten radish-like fingers and screaming in terror.

Upon seeing the nurses, Lu Minghua jumped out of bed, shouting, "Where am I? How did I get here? What have you done to me...?"

The nurses were stunned.

Lu Minghua was a "famous" patient in the mental hospital, both because of her long stay and her strange, morbid hobbies. The nurses were very familiar with her condition and knew that when she was first admitted, she could speak clearly and coherently. For the past seven or eight years, she had only been muttering into a hole in the wall. But now, she spoke clearly and quickly, and her eyes were clear and bright, no longer as muddled as before.

Part One, Section 5: Chapter One, The Formation of Calamity ○1(4)

Seeing the nurses' attire, Lu Minghua quickly realized, "I'm in the hospital, right? My finger..." She looked at her bald, round finger and then at the holes all over the wall, her face showing disbelief, "Did I dig that?" Then she started screaming again.