Pesadilla - Capítulo 7
Kong Jing straightened up as if she had been electrocuted, her heart pounding, and a fine layer of sweat beading on her forehead.
"What's wrong? Have you smelled this odor before?" Kong Jing's strong reaction invigorated Luo Fei.
Kong Jing nodded, somewhat absentmindedly.
"What is this smell?" At this moment, not only Luo Fei was impatient, but the other three people present also picked up some clues from the conversation between the two and waited for Kong Jing's answer with curiosity and tension.
Kong Jing took a deep breath, seemingly regaining his senses. He wiped his forehead and said, "I don't know what the smell is. More than 20 years ago, my master rescued Kong Wang and brought him to the temple, taking care of him in that small hut. Back then, every time I entered the hut, I could smell this scent."
Luo Fei gave an "Oh" in surprise, not expecting Kong Jing to mention something so far in the past.
"I can't be mistaken, it's this smell." Kong Jing looked at Luo Fei, her tone certain. "The scene in the hut back then left such a deep impression on me. As soon as I smell this, it's as if I'm transported back to that terrible memory. So, my feeling is absolutely correct..."
After a pause, Kong Jing pointed to Hu Junkai's corpse: "Moreover, Kong Wang at that time also had bloodshot eyes, just like this guest."
Kong Jing's words made Luo Fei's eyes flash with a light, but the light quickly faded. He narrowed his eyes, stroked his chin, and fell into deep thought.
"Is everything you're talking about before Kong Wang painted that 'cursed painting'?" It seemed that intuition made Luo Fei connect his thoughts with that "cursed painting" again.
"Yes. As I said before, after finishing that painting, Kong Wang was like a different person. Later, that smell was never seen again in the hut."
To date, all the events and mysteries are intricately linked to the "ominous painting" created by Kong Wang more than 20 years ago. Only by tracing back to that point can all the answers be revealed.
"Where's the ordination document from when Kong Wang became a monk? Did you find it just now?" Luo Fei once again turned the focus of the investigation to Kong Wang.
"Found it, found it." As soon as Luo Fei said this, Kong Jing seemed to suddenly remember something and quickly took out a square piece of paper from the pocket of her large monk's robe and handed it over.
This piece of paper is Kongwang's tonsure document from when he became a monk. It contains some basic information about Kongwang: Kongwang, whose original name was Wu Jianfei, was tonsured on May 4, 1972. His birth date was November 9, 1934.
Luo Fei took out the walkie-talkie again and began calling Zhou Ping.
Walking down the slippery, icy mountain path was more difficult than going up. Zhou Ping and his two companions trudged along the path with great difficulty.
On his way down the mountain, Zhou Ping received two calls from Luo Fei. Hu Junkai's death made the situation on the mountain seem increasingly mysterious and dangerous. Although Zhou Ping was anxious, the swirling snow forced him to wait patiently at the foot of the mountain. For some reason, he had a nagging premonition that even more terrible things would continue to happen in that lonely temple.
Zhou Ping could deeply understand the pressure Luo Fei was under at this moment. Having been colleagues for seven years, Zhou Ping had a profound understanding of Luo Fei; his extraordinary calmness and resilience had a powerful effect on resisting pressure. At this moment, Luo Fei would surely unleash his strongest potential.
This was evident in the two recent phone calls; Luo Fei maintained a clear head and a steady approach. Based on the current information, investigating "Kong Wang" was the key to solving the overall problem. Luo Fei astutely grasped this point, while the actual work would be carried out by Zhou Ping down the mountain.
Kong Wang—Wu Jianfei, what kind of story is hidden behind this name?
With this question in mind, Zhou Ping wished he could rush back to the institute in one stride, but his steps were slowed down by the wind and snow. By the time they finally got back to the institute, it was already past 1 p.m.
An unfamiliar minibus was parked in the courtyard, and the reception room was noisy, seemingly filled with a large group of people. However, Zhou Ping didn't care about these things and went straight to his office.
Just then, Officer Jiang Shan came out of the reception room and shouted as if he had met a savior: "Captain Zhou, come and see. These people are making a fuss about going up the mountain."
"Up the mountain?" Zhou Ping rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Let them try. I just blew them down from the mountainside. Whoever can make it up now, I'll tie a big red flower around their neck and carry them back down the same way!"
Jiang Shan put on an innocent expression: "Then you deal with them. They're all family members of the parties involved, and they've been making a scene all morning."
Hearing that it was a family member, Zhou Ping couldn't ignore it. He turned around and strode towards the reception room, kicking Jiang Shan's butt along the way: "You brat, can't you give me a break? You're always causing me trouble."
Jiang Shan rubbed his buttocks in a mock manner and said with a chuckle, "If I could handle everything, wouldn't I be the team leader?"
Normally, Zhou Ping would have taken the opportunity to banter with Jiang Shan, but he didn't have the time today. He walked into the reception room, where three men and two women in casual clothes immediately surrounded him upon seeing him.
"Comrade, did you come down from the scene?" A man in his fifties walking at the front asked anxiously.
Zhou Ping looked him up and down: "Are you a family member?"
"No, no. I am the dean of the Academy of Fine Arts. This is my business card." The man said, taking out a business card and politely handing it over.
Zhou Ping took the business card, which bore the man's name: Ling Yongsheng. Zhou Ping nodded, shook hands with Ling Yongsheng, and then glanced behind him, asking, "And who are these gentlemen?"
Ling Yongsheng introduced the others one by one. The two men were the relevant persons in charge of the Academy of Fine Arts, and the two women were the wives of Chen Jian and Hu Junkai, respectively.
As Ling Yongsheng introduced the situation, Zhou Ping's gaze swept over everyone, while he said some polite words: "Don't worry, everyone. Our director is already on the scene. Search and rescue operations are underway. We will do our best to ensure the safety of every citizen."
“Yes. Let’s not rush him. This comrade just came back from outside, let him rest for a while and have some hot water.” A gentle voice came from behind them.
Zhou Ping was taken aback, and felt a little touched. He looked in the direction of the voice and saw that it was Hu Junkai's wife who was speaking.
The woman was not tall, and since she had been standing at the back of the group from the beginning, Zhou Ping hadn't paid much attention to her. But upon closer inspection, he noticed a unique aura about her. She appeared to be in her early thirties, with a slender figure and an elegant oval face—a typical southern beauty. Yet, between her delicate brows and eyes, there was a subtle hint of northern fortitude. In a crowd, she might not be particularly eye-catching, but once your gaze fell upon her, it was difficult to look away for a short time.
“No need to rest, I understand how you feel.” Zhou Ping looked at the woman and suddenly felt a pang of sadness: this woman was completely unaware that her husband was no longer alive.
"Is there any news from the rescue team? Is there any hope that Chen Jian will survive?" As soon as Ling Yongsheng asked this question, Chen Jian's wife immediately stared at Zhou Ping with fear and anxiety.
"We'll know the specifics once the rescue team returns. As long as there's a glimmer of hope, we won't give up," Zhou Ping said, but he knew in his heart that the prospects for the rescue work were far from optimistic under such weather conditions.
"Is my husband still on the mountain? Do you have any news about him?" Hu Junkai's wife asked with concern.
“Hmm…” Zhou Ping subconsciously avoided the other person’s gaze and stammered, “He… is a little sick and is resting on the mountain.”
"Sick?" A hint of unease flashed in the woman's eyes.
"Oh, it shouldn't be a big problem," Zhou Ping said, offering words of reassurance against his true feelings. "He's probably just cold."
The woman hesitated for a moment, then said, "Can you take me up the mountain? I am his wife."
Zhou Ping shook his head: "It's impossible now, the heavy snow has blocked the mountain roads. A few comrades and I just came down from the mountainside."
Upon hearing this bad news, the woman lowered her eyes in disappointment, and Ling Yongsheng and the others also stirred slightly.
"Don't worry, everyone. Our director has already gone up the mountain and will handle the situation. As soon as the snow stops, we will find a way to get up the mountain as soon as possible."
After Zhou Ping finished speaking, everyone looked out the window. The snow was falling heavily, showing no signs of stopping, and it was uncertain when the possibility of going up the mountain would be realized.
After calming the family members down, Zhou Ping asked Jiang Shan to stay and continue receiving Ling Yongsheng and the others, while he rushed back to his office.
Xiao Liu and Duan Xueming were already sitting in the office, enjoying their boxed lunches. As soon as he entered, Xiao Liu asked, "What's next?"
"We'll just have to wait and see, and do some preliminary investigations in the meantime. Go and get Xu Lijie's contact information for me."
"Looking for her now? I should have kept her here in the first place," Xiao Liu joked with a grin. Xu Lijie used to be a police officer at the station, young and good-looking, and she often subtly expressed her affection for Zhou Ping. But for some reason, Zhou Ping was always clueless about these things. Six months ago, the girl transferred to the city bureau's archives department, and since then, they've rarely kept in touch.
Joking aside, Xiao Liu wasn't idle. After searching for a while, he found Xu Lijie's office phone number.
Zhou Ping dialed the number, and after only two or three rings, the other party answered: "Hello." It was Xu Lijie's voice.
"Xu Lijie, right? I'm Zhou Ping."
"Zhou Ping?" Xu Lijie seemed somewhat surprised.
Zhou Ping hurriedly interrupted, "I need your help to investigate someone."
"Go ahead and say it," Xu Lijie replied curtly, though a hint of disappointment lingered in her voice.
"Wu Jianfei, Wu (口天吴), Jian (健) meaning healthy, Fei (飞) meaning flying, male, born on November 9, 1934. Could you help me look up this person's information?" After saying this, Zhou Ping thought for a moment and added, "Thank you in advance, I'll treat you to dinner later."
"Don't mention it," Xu Lijie replied indifferently after taking notes on the other end of the phone. "Just wait for my message."
Zhou Ping hung up the phone, looked up, and found Xiao Liu and Duan Xueming staring at him with ill intent.
"Will we get a share of the meal?" Xiao Liu asked with a mischievous grin.
"You're the one who has to pay!" Zhou Ping scoffed. "Just eat your boxed lunch!"
About 10 minutes later, Xu Lijie called.
"I just searched on the computer, but I couldn't find anyone in the city who fits the criteria."
"Really?" Zhou Ping was somewhat unwilling. "Are records of all the residents in this city stored in the computer?"
“Anyone with a household registration record within the last 10 years will have an archive in the computer. I found a total of 25 people named ‘Wu Jianfei,’ but none of them were born in 1934.”
Within the last 10 years? If that "Kongwang" became a monk relatively early, it's very likely that he hasn't been registered in the household register for a long time. Thinking of this, Zhou Ping said somewhat embarrassedly, "Could you please check those old records that weren't archived? Maybe you can find the person I'm looking for."
"My God!" Xu Lijie exclaimed dramatically on the other end of the phone, "Do you know how troublesome that is? And most of the people in these records have been dead for many years—are you asking me to find them all by myself?"
Zhou Ping caught a whiff of something in the last sentence and quickly chimed in, "Of course I'm not asking you to look for it alone. I'm coming right now. You just need to show me around."
"Then hurry up. Give me a call when you get there, and I'll pick you up at the entrance of your workplace." Xu Lijie's tone carried a hint of smugness.
"Okay, okay! Then you wait for me." Zhou Ping hung up the phone and immediately prepared to leave.
Xiao Liu pointed to the boxed lunch on the table: "Aren't you going to eat it? I saved it for you."
"Never mind that, you two should split it up. Don't you always say one serving isn't enough?"
"Hey, what are we doing here?" Xiao Liu shouted.
"Stay put!" Zhou Ping said as he walked into the heavy snow.
Zhou Ping got into the car and had just driven out of the courtyard when he ran into Wang Yifei and others who had gone into the mountains for search and rescue and were returning from the direction of Nanming Mountain.
Zhou Ping leaned out of the car window and asked, "How's the situation?"
Wang Yifei shook his head in frustration: "We haven't found anything! The snow in the valley is over a foot deep, covering all possible clues and traces. The search is impossible!"
"Then you'd better prepare yourself. There's a bunch of family members waiting in the reception room to ask you for your person!" Zhou Ping said gloatingly, then stepped on the gas and drove off.
Due to the heavy snowfall and low visibility, coupled with slippery roads, Zhou Ping could only patiently keep his speed at 20-30 km/h. And that wasn't all; the busy city streets were completely jammed. A journey that normally takes 30 minutes dragged on for nearly two hours.
Upon arriving at the city bureau, Zhou Ping immediately dialed Xu Lijie's number. Xu Lijie, already impatient, said, "I thought you weren't coming!"
"Of course I'll come," Zhou Ping hurriedly explained. "I'm even more anxious than you, but the road is really difficult to travel. I haven't had a chance to eat all day."
"What case is it? Why are you so busy?" Xu Lijie felt a little sorry for her. "Let's grab some food first. I'll be off work soon. I have the key to the archives. We can settle down and investigate slowly after we finish eating."
Zhou Ping was indeed starving and readily replied, "Okay! It's on you."
During the meal, Zhou Ping explained the details of the case to Xu Lijie.
"Are you telling a story? Or are you trying to scare me? Let me tell you, I've never believed in ghosts or anything like that." After listening, Xu Lijie looked at him with extreme suspicion, determined not to be fooled.
"You don't believe me? I don't believe you even more!" Zhou Ping innocently pouted. "But this is the testimony of the person involved, first-hand information, understand? It has the greatest validity among all evidence."
Xu Lijie tilted her head slightly and said seriously, "Then I can only assume there are three possibilities: 1. Your client has a problem with their eyes; 2. Your client is lying to you; 3. You are lying to me."
“You can think that way,” Zhou Ping said with a serious expression, “but I personally strongly oppose your third point of view.”
"Alright, alright, let's get back to the main topic. What's the connection between the person you're investigating and this case?"
"The author of the 'cursed painting,' the now-dead monk Kongwang, was originally named Wu Jianfei before he became a monk."
“Oh. The files in the archives are categorized by surname. There’s at least this thick stack of men with the surname Wu!” Xu Lijie gestured with her hand to indicate that the stack was about 1 meter high, hinting to Zhou Ping at the difficulty of the task.
"Let's get moving." Zhou Ping picked up a napkin to wipe his mouth, waved to the waiter not far away, and said, "Check, please!"
Xu Lijie led Zhou Ping to the archives. It was already completely dark, and the staff who were supposed to be working had all gone home, making the already quiet archives even more silent. Xu Lijie divided the relevant files into two thick stacks, and the two began searching simultaneously.
Zhou Ping hadn't done much work that required patience before. After flipping through the pages for over an hour, his eyes started to feel tired, and coupled with not having slept all day, his head involuntarily slumped onto the table...
"Smack!" With a crisp sound, Zhou Ping received a heavy blow to the back of the head. He immediately snapped back to reality, only to see Xu Lijie standing behind him with a stack of documents in her hand, her almond-shaped eyes wide open: "Well, I'm doing all the hard work for you here, and you're taking the opportunity to doze off!"
Zhou Ping chuckled twice: "Chairman Mao, no, no, Comrade Lei Feng said: 'You can only work if you know how to rest.' I'm just trying to improve efficiency." As he spoke, he straightened his posture, looking ready to get to work.