L'affaire du messager fantôme - Le récit d'une âme qui quitte son corps

Chapitre 39

As if struck by lightning, Chunyu slowly turned her head and saw a face in the darkness—

Gao Xuan.

"Is this person extremely crazy?"

Ye Xiao looked at the snow outside. The north wind had become much stronger, and the snowflakes were dancing wildly, melting all over the windowpane.

Dr. Wen also took a deep breath: "Yes, if someone wasn't so crazy, how could they have thought of inventing this kind of game? And it even caused such terrible consequences—geniuses are often crazy."

Ye Xiao suddenly thought of Yan Mingliang. He didn't know much about the man, but he had already asked a colleague to investigate. Could Yan Mingliang be that "mad genius"?

Dr. Wen suddenly remembered something: "Oh, right, there's something else I need to tell you. Come to my office upstairs."

They quickly went upstairs, and Dr. Wen turned on his computer. An email appeared on the screen.

Ye Xiao glanced at the speech and said, "It's all because I don't have time to look at it carefully. You tell me what happened."

“Last night, a mental hospital in the UK sent me an email. In recent days, because of my research on Xu Wenya's medical records, I have consulted a large amount of relevant materials from abroad and also sent emails to many well-known mental hospitals in Europe and America to inquire whether they have similar medical records. But so far, it seems that there are no similar medical records abroad. But I explained this rare hellish delusion in the email. The British hospital sent me this medical record for this reason.”

"Case studies on delusions of hell?"

"Yes, this hospital admitted a young male patient three years ago. He had a family history of this condition and was extremely narcissistic from a young age, believing himself to be perfect. Later, he experienced some setbacks, which darkened his inner world, causing him to frequently experience hallucinations and delusions. A renowned British psychiatrist studied this case and, through months of hypnotherapy, gradually uncovered what was hidden within him. The patient believed he was not an ordinary human being, but rather what Nietzsche called the 'Superman.' Even more peculiar was his extremely rare delusion about hell; he believed there was a 19th level of hell in addition to the 18."

"The 19th level of hell?"

"Yes, he believed that everyone would go through hell, but in the first 18 levels of hell, everyone would be eliminated because of various sins, and only the bravest 'superman' could reach the 19th level of hell. Of course, this delusion was buried deep in his heart and never showed up normally. The British expert discovered this rare delusion symptom quite by chance during his treatment."

But Ye Xiao still had a question: "Since this person hides his delusions so deeply, how did he end up being sent to a mental hospital?"

"This is because of a criminal case. It is said that he installed a spy binocular in his home to spy on every household in the building across the street. He discovered that he had discovered heinous acts happening in every window, such as husbands abusing their wives, homeowners raping their Filipino maids, and children beating their elderly parents. These people may appear respectable, but they are actually very dirty in private, and they have all escaped punishment."

"It sounds like Hitchcock's 'Rear Window'."

"Yes, he also called those who had done bad things, but not only to extort money over the phone, but more terrifyingly, he hypnotized them over the phone. Isn't that strange? Hypnotizing over the phone? It's probably the same principle as hypnosis via text message. His phone hypnosis was quite effective, causing those people to experience severe hallucinations and delusions, and as a result, some people committed suicide because they couldn't bear it anymore. The British police intervened and investigated, and found the caller based on the deceased's phone records, discovering the truth about the phone hypnosis. Originally, the British court was going to prosecute him, but later they sent him to a mental hospital, which is when they discovered his hellish delusions."

Before Dr. Wen could finish speaking, Ye Xiao had already walked to the window. He looked at a hospital building across the street, rows of windows stretching out before him, each one revealing a mental patient staring at him.

Separating them was a sky full of snowflakes.

Suddenly, Ye Xiao's new phone rang. An unfamiliar voice came through the phone, which felt very awkward: "Hello, is this Officer Ye Xiao?"

Who are you?

"I am Yan Mingliang. Can we talk?"

Gao Xuan's face gradually emerged, and in this secret, dark room, his eyes took on a somewhat frightening quality. He slowly walked up to Chunyu and reached out his hand to her forehead. But Chunyu took a large step back, almost touching the painting. She looked at Gao Xuan, trembling, as if he had suddenly become a stranger to her.

Gao Xuan gave a strange smile: "Haven't you always wanted to know what the 19th level of hell is? Now you know, the 19th level of hell is just one word—love!"

"like?"

"Yes, do you know who painted this picture behind you? It was Mazzolini himself—when he returned to Shanghai from the heavens, he held an exhibition, and this oil painting was displayed. It was called 'The 19th Level of Hell'."

"But why did you lie to me? This painting was clearly in your hands. You knew the secret of the 19th level of hell, yet you still made me search for it everywhere, making me endure so much fear!"

Gao Xuan reached out again and stroked Chunyu's hair, saying, "I'm sorry, this painting has been hanging in this dark room since I was born, because—I am a descendant of Mazzolini."

"Wasn't Mazzolini Italian?"

"Yes, but as I also mentioned, when he was living in seclusion in Tiancang Mountain, he met a beautiful local woman, and they fell deeply in love and went to Shanghai together."

"Is this the woman in the painting?" Chunyu turned back and looked again, her voice trembling. "Why does she look so much like me?"

"This must have been fate. There's something I've never told you: Mazzolini secretly married her, and they had a son, who became my great-grandfather. After Mazzolini was hanged, the woman raised her son alone and lived in Shanghai. In the 1930s, they bought this house and kept this painting that Mazzolini left behind in this dark room, forbidding anyone outside to see it. I grew up in this house, looking at this painting since I was little. I feel like Mazzolini is always talking to me; his soul always lingers in the painting."

"You're one-sixteenth Italian? No wonder your eyes look European, especially Mazzolini's."

"Yes, the reason I kept this from you is because I swore I would never tell anyone this secret."

"Yes, the reason I kept this from you is because I swore I would never tell anyone this secret."

Gao Xuan continued stroking her hair, his fingers running through it like comb teeth. He then whispered in Chunyu's ear, "The moment I first saw you, I couldn't control myself. I knew I would fall in love with you sooner or later. But I couldn't reveal the secret, so I could only secretly help you, letting you know about Mazzolini in a special way, taking you to Tiancang Mountain to search for ancient murals—all so you could discover the secret. Actually, when I said I was going out to buy some food, it was to give you a chance to act alone. I think with your intelligence, you'll definitely discover the secret in my bedroom. That way, I won't break my vow, and you'll get what you want."

"But now I'm on the 19th level of hell, and I don't know what to do."

"Hasn't this painting already given the answer? Stay with me forever, and you will surely find happiness."

Chunyu's body trembled uncontrollably. After hesitating for a few seconds, she finally placed her hand in Gao Xuan's hand.

Gao Xuan gently pulled her into his arms and whispered in her ear, "We will never be apart."

Mazzolini is coldly watching her from the painting.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang, interrupting them. Gao Duan frowned and said, "It's the doorbell outside. I'll go out and check it. You just wait here and don't come out."

The high-end man emerged from the dark room, went outside to the living room, opened the door, and saw an unfamiliar face.

This was a man of similar age to him, dressed in a crisp police uniform, with sharp eyes. "You're Gao Xuan?" he asked, flashing his police badge. "My name is Ye Xiao. Can we go in and talk?"

Gao Xuan remained unusually calm, and he smiled as he said, "Of course, veins."

Ye Xiao slowly walked into the living room, his sharp eyes scanning his surroundings. He said, "Are you a professor in the art department of a university?"

"I'm not a teacher; the school just asks me to give a few classes each week. My real identity is a painter."

Do you know a senior female college student named Chunyu?

"Yes, I know her; she's modeled for me. Is there a problem?"

Do you know where she is now?

Gao Xuan shrugged: "I don't know. What happened to her?"

“She’s in great danger right now.” Ye Xiao clenched his fist secretly, staring at Gao Dan’s eyes like an eagle. “She’s very likely with a psychopath.”

Ye Xiao paused for a moment, then slowly said, "His name is Gao Xuan."

Gao Duan's expression remained normal as he calmly looked at Ye Xiao without answering.

Suddenly, Chunyu's face appeared in the room behind Gao Xuan.

Ye Xiao immediately spotted her: "Chunyu."

Gao Xuan's expression changed instantly. He quickly retreated into the room and closed the door. He grabbed Chunyu's hand and ran towards the back room.

Chunyu hadn't reacted yet, and kept shouting, "What are you doing? I know Ye Xiao."

But Gao Xuanbing didn't speak. He dragged Chunyu into a small room with a small skylight in the roof and a narrow ladder. He first lifted Chunyu onto the ladder, and then climbed up himself.

Spring Rain immediately felt a chill; it turned out that the roof was right above her. Her feet trod on the snow-covered tiles, snowflakes drifted down from above, and the sky was gradually darkening.

Gao Xuan pulled the ladder up again and then admired the small skylight on the roof. They walked along the ridge to the side, where the tiles were covered with snow, and it was easy to slip and fall, so Gao Xuan was very careful and almost crawled across.

When they reached the other side of the roof ridge, there was nowhere else to go, so they could only sit on the tiles. Gao Xuan took off his coat and draped it over Chunyu's trembling body, saying softly, "It's alright. Just be patient for a while. If they can't find us down there, they'll think we've already escaped through the window, and then they'll leave."

Spring Rain was already shivering. She stared blankly at the sky around her. The view from the rooftop was very open, with the Suzhou River flowing slowly beside her. Many tall buildings stood all around, but no one would notice them unless they were looking down from nearby high-rise buildings.

She stared at Gao Xuan with a suspicious look and said coldly, "No, tell me now, why are we running away?"

Gao Xuan knew he could no longer hide it, and said sadly, "I just don't want to be separated from you."

"Why? Did Ye Xiao come to arrest you?"

“I think so.” He sighed softly, his breath immediately swallowed by the wind. “They must have discovered the secret.”

"What secret?"

His eyes suddenly became particularly frightening, and even in the snowy weather, a kind of beastly glint seemed to appear in them: "The creator of the Hell Game—that person is me."

Sun Jian, Chunyu almost lost her balance, and Gao Xuan held her tightly. After a moment of silence, she finally spoke: "You're the mastermind? The ghost from hell?"

"Yes, I invented the Hell Game. It all started because of me. Do you remember chatting with someone nicknamed Mazzolini in the Hell Cafe?"

Gao Xuan suddenly stopped and gently brushed the snowflakes from her head. "The Mazzolini in that chat room is actually me."

"Why? Why did you do this?"

"Because I am a descendant of Mazzolini, I have not only inherited his legacy but also his spirit. You've read 'The 19th Circle,' and you know that everyone who enters hell has committed grave sins, and no one in the world can escape hell's punishment. Who can honestly say to themselves that they have never done anything wrong in their life?"

Date added: 2005-02-18 12:50:33

"What is this? Original sin?"

“

You've seen *Seven*, but what are seven deadly sins? Humanity has far more than seventy thousand deadly sins; it wouldn't be an exaggeration. From ancient times to the present, everyone, regardless of who they are, has greed and selfishness. Human history of 5000 years is nothing more than a history of deceit, treachery, and slaughter.

Snowflakes drifted into the eyes of spring rain, but at that moment she had forgotten the cold and shook her head: "No, I don't believe that everyone in the world is guilty."

"Even if you haven't done anything wrong, having evil thoughts is evil. Everyone has evil thoughts deep in their hearts, and they will all be tested in hell. Those who have done evil will be judged, and the shadows in their hearts will be exposed."

Gao Xuan stood up from the rooftop, resembling an ancient, malevolent eagle in the night.

"So, that's why you created the Hell Game? To make everyone who enters this game a test subject for your insane ideas?"

"Yes, the purpose of creating games is to test one question: whether everyone is guilty."

Chunyu covered her mouth and said, "You've been crazy for a long time, haven't you?"

“Perhaps. Everyone who enters the game will undergo different trials, and each level of hell has the potential to cause a game over. After being eliminated in the first 18 levels of hell, no one can reach the final level—the 19th level of hell.” He sat down again and gently stroked Chunyu’s hair, saying, “However, fate brought us together, and I found myself falling uncontrollably in love with you. And fate decreed that you also enter the game of hell, which made me very conflicted when I found out. So I secretly helped you in every way, boosting your courage and confidence, hoping that you could overcome all obstacles and finally enter the 19th level of hell—to be with me forever.”

"So, you orchestrated all of this?"

"Everything was part of a pre-designed program. Everyone who enters hell has to go through that kind of test. Yesterday, I knew you had entered the 18th level of hell. I was worried you wouldn't make it through, so I secretly followed you. The cakes and cola I kept in the dorm were from a last-minute change to the game program, so you wouldn't go hungry."

Which swimming pool?

“I had already chosen the Academy of Talent as the 18th level of hell. As for the words on the swimming pool wall, I wrote them a month ago, and the pool water was filled at that time. Last night, when I followed you to the swimming pool, I saw you fall into the pool, which I never expected. I immediately jumped in and saved you.”

Spring Rain felt a wave of despair. She looked up at the snowy night, which should have been incredibly romantic, and said, "My God, where did you get these crazy ideas from?"

"I had it a long, long time ago, but I've always kept it buried deep in my heart. I know that this mundane world will not tolerate a 'superman' like me."

"You said you're Superman?"

“A hundred years ago, Mazzolini believed that he was not an ordinary human being, but the ‘superman’ that Nietzsche spoke of. I am a descendant of Mazzolini. I have had an intelligence that is beyond the reach of ordinary people since I was a child. Everyone who sees me will feel ashamed of themselves. Of course, I am also a ‘superman’. Only a ‘superman’ can be free from the control of hell and rule this world.”

"Didn't Mazzolini have a mental illness? Did you inherit his mental illness?"