Incendie mystérieux

Chapitre 52

Could there be some major secret hidden in the fifty yuan notes circulating in the market recently?

“By the way,” Yan Wuyue leaned closer, “as far as I know, you’re the one who has had the most contact with the robbers—did you get a good look at what she looked like?”

A red mist slowly rose from the boy's sharp face.

“That’s strange…” He slowly tilted his head. “I talked to her for a long time and saw her face, but I just can’t remember her…”

"How tall are you? What's your weight?" Yan Wuyue asked impatiently. "Think carefully, you must remember, right? Are you pretty? Or ugly?" Aren't boys the ones who love to observe girls the most? She thought to herself.

“Pretty…no, or rather, cute…no!” The boy shook his head in distress. “Neither beautiful nor ugly, neither fat nor thin, neither tall nor short…no, to be precise!” He suddenly raised his head, staring blankly at Yan Wuyue. “I can’t remember anything at all! No matter how hard I try, it’s just a blank figure!”

A blank person, with a blank face, robbed fifty yuan... Yan Wuyue immediately felt goosebumps. Could it be that the "robber" that Wang Fang and her roommate saw was also just a blank person, with each of them adding their own imagination? The reason why the three of them saw different images of the robber was entirely because they had brought in their own imaginations?

Just like poor Senior Brother Xiao Lan, all he saw was an illusion... (From "My Eyes Are Only On You")

"I see." Maya rested her delicate chin on her hand with an air of importance. "So that's why you came to the astrologer for help, right?"

"As expected of Maya, with her crystal heart and glass-like demeanor, you guessed it right away!" Yan Wuyue began to show off her flattery skills. "To be honest, it was precisely because I felt that this series of fifty-yuan robberies was somewhat similar to Yan Qi's case that I specially asked the astrologer to come out and help out. Good Maya, with your clever mind and years of experience, you will surely be able to uncover the truth very quickly, right?"

Maya coldly stared at Yan Wuyue, who had a fawning expression, and smiled smugly.

"Hmph, you tomboy, you're only discovering my skills now? Isn't that a bit too late!" She rebuked Yan Wuyue mercilessly. "Fine, let me show you something!"

She rushed to Wang Fang, grabbed her cheeks, and sniffed the girl all over.

"There's no trace of vengeful spirits...and no scent of living beings..." As she closed her eyes, she seemed to hear some inexplicable voice, "Wait!"

"There's been...a discovery?!" Yan Wuyue's heart nearly leaped into her throat.

“There’s a scent… I feel like I’ve smelled it somewhere before…” Maya leaned close to Wang Fang’s neck, so close that beads of sweat appeared on Wang Fang’s face from nervousness. Finally, Maya released her, then sniffed around like a dog. “What are you looking for? We’ll help you!” Yan Wuyue shouted.

Maya didn't even look up. "That smell, I swear I've smelled it in the astrology shop. If we can find it..." Her words trailed off as her head bumped into something hard. It was a brand-new little box, something the astrologer had bought not long ago.

Yan Wuyue reached out and opened the box, and the contents inside made her gasp.

Volume 3: The Hellish Record Carrot Rule (Part 4)

An old-fashioned record, its blood-red back glowing with an alluring light.

Hell Records.

This record possesses a magical power; those who hear its songs are irresistibly drawn into their minds, becoming completely absorbed. Whether the record contains the will of an ancestor or the music of a pop singer, everyone who listens to it, without exception, treats it as a sacred decree, obeying its every command—no, perhaps even ghosts who have lost their souls cannot escape its clutches and are forced to follow its instructions. The hellish record that the astrologer keeps in his box originally belonged to Yan Wuyue's fellow villager, Yan Qi—naturally, Yan Qi was also bewitched by the hellish song "My Eyes Are Only On You" sung on the record. To win back her boyfriend's heart, she killed her love rival and then disappeared without a trace as the astrologer's "guest." This is a sinful record, yet one filled with a bewitching allure, a record that Yan Wuyue desperately wanted to uncover but never had the courage to listen to, a record that sings of desire and death.

Yan Wuyue's hands were trembling. "Is it it again?" she whispered, as if questioning Maya.

"I didn't realize your hunch was so accurate!" Maya chuckled smugly, her cat-like golden eyes gleaming. "Now, I'm going to give you a surprise, sir!"

Wang Fang had classes in the afternoon and couldn't accompany her, so Yan Wuyue went alone to the ATM booth located in the middle of the school. It was a small room attached to the office building, with three or four ATMs from different banks lined up side by side. Through the transparent glass door outside, she could clearly see everything happening inside. Yan Wuyue looked around and frowned. Outside, there were low bushes and lawns; the dense vegetation could easily hide someone even during the day, let alone at night. This was the first time she realized how easy it was for someone to spy on or even rob someone in this ATM booth. She tried crouching down and peering at the ATMs from behind the dense leaves of a privet tree. The figures she could make out clearly through the transparent glass were visible. "This place is a perfect place to ambush," she thought.

"What are you dawdling for, you tomboy?!" Maya poked her head out of her backpack and chattered, "What robber is so stupid as to come here to stake out during the day? Finding out where Hell Records is right now is the priority!"

That makes sense. It would be better to wait until nightfall and ambush them, waiting for the robbers to appear... Yan Wuyue secretly plotted her plan. So she went to find Wang Fang's roommate, who had also been robbed.

Unexpectedly, her roommate didn't welcome her visit as expected; on the contrary, she was wary and cold. "What's the point of asking these questions?" she said rudely. "You're not a police officer, what can you find out? Even if you find out who it is, what ability do you have?" Her dark eyes were fixed on Yan Wuyue. "Can you return the money I lost and give me justice?"

Yan Wuyue was momentarily speechless at her question. Her original intention was to help Wang Fang recover the fifty yuan, but during the investigation, she sensed something unusual—an aura different from that of ordinary human crime—which led her to join forces with Maya to investigate further. However, she had no idea what the outcome would be. If it really was related to the Hell Records, leaving it unchecked might lead to an extremely bad situation… Without Maya tugging at her sleeve, Yan Wuyue composed herself and resolutely answered:

"In any case, I think this is better than passively accepting things and letting others commit crimes."

Her attitude seemed to soften her roommate's tone; although still somewhat impatient, she finally answered Yan Wuyue's question. However, to be honest, she didn't offer any new clues, and even the perceptive Maya ran into a wall with her. As they said goodbye and left, facing Yan Wuyue's hopeful face, Maya could only shake her head in annoyance.

No—that roommate didn't smell of hell records.

Without pausing, they went to visit the boy who had been robbed. Yan Wuyue wasn't hoping to get any new clues out of him; she just hoped that Maya could find some leads about the record. But she was disappointed once again.

"That's strange..." While eating the elaborate dinner, Yan Wuyue couldn't help but mutter, "Zhenye, are you really sure Wang Fang smells like Hell Records?"

Because they were in the crowded student cafeteria, the bloodthirsty doll couldn't show itself and was forced to hide in her backpack, enduring hunger and drooling as she watched humans eat. "Of course!" she almost cried out, "I'd stake my life on it!"

Why...why would the head astrologer vouch for you? Yan Wuyue was a little amused and exasperated, but since Maya was so adamant, she had no choice but to believe her. Although Maya looked like a young loli, she might actually be old enough to be Yan Wuyue's grandmother... Yan Wuyue held up a fried chicken leg in one hand, deep in thought, her delicate face almost distorted by her own actions. "Where do you think Wang Fang might encounter Hell Records?" she asked. "Aside from the robbery at night, she's clearly been studying at school, just like before."

“And that series of fifty-yuan robberies just seems so strange… If the robber, or the ghost of the ATM, was controlled by the Hell Record and acted out of his mind, leaving his scent on Wang Fang, that seems plausible…” Yan Wuyue casually took a bite of her chicken leg. “But the first two victims didn’t leave any record scent at all, which is another contradiction…” She stared at the chicken leg in her hand with a worried expression, as if it were a fortress that had been impregnable for a long time. “What exactly is going on?”

"What's so annoying!" Maya exclaimed dismissively. "Seeing is believing. You'll know everything once you've been robbed yourself, won't you?"

"That's right!" Yan Wuyue slammed her hand on the table and stood up. The original plan to "monitor the robbers" was now completely overturned, and replaced with—

"Operation to lure the enemy with our own bodies!"

As night deepened, the sparse streetlights gradually lit up one by one. The lights at the ATM also came on, illuminating the people in front of them in detail. But there wasn't a single person in sight around.

There was a pair of bright eyes, staring intently at that spot.

The girl took out a thin bill. Before she could even put it in her wallet, she walked out of the ATM booth. The night outside was dark, and she hadn't even adjusted to the difference in light between indoors and outdoors; everything was pitch black. At that moment, a fleeting figure flashed behind her. The girl felt something hard pressed against her neck, icy cold, and at the same time, a deliberately lowered voice said to her:

"Hand over the money!"

The voice sounded so familiar. The girl slowly turned her head, and a very familiar face came into view.

Volume 3 Hell Record Carrot Rule (Part 5) - Complete

"It's you?" The girl's expression and tone were less surprised than Maya's. This indicated that the newcomer's identity was both unexpected and within her expectations.

The other person nodded, their face blank. "Fifty yuan!" she repeated. "Give me fifty yuan!"

“But this money,” Yan Wuyue slowly turned around, her expression more serious than ever before, “is it the fifty yuan you were robbed of? And me,” she slowly exhaled, “is it the person who robbed you?”

"I don't care!" the other person shouted hoarsely, "I can't just lose fifty dollars for nothing! You have to give it back to me!"

"Hey, you tomboy!" Maya's usual domineering attitude had vanished, replaced by a bewildered expression. "What's going on here? This person..." She pointed at the girl holding the weapon, "Isn't she a victim of robbery?" Her eyes widened. "Didn't she come with you to ask the master for help? Just today..."

Wang Fang.

The girl who had been robbed of fifty yuan last night, the poor student who had helplessly cried to Yan Wuyue about her worries about her living expenses for the next half month, now stood behind Yan Wuyue, her eyes filled with a sinister glint. "Give me back my money!" she roared, her voice so loud it almost shattered Yan Wuyue's eardrums.

“Of course I can give you this fifty yuan, I would accept it without complaint, even if I offered it to you with both hands. But,” Yan Wuyue’s clear black eyes stared intently at Wang Fang, who looked dazed, “even if you make up for your loss, will your heart be at peace? Can you pretend that none of this ever happened?”

"Tomboy~" Maya called out impatiently, "Please tell me the whole story, okay?"

"Of course, of course!" Yan Wuyue nodded hurriedly, spreading a bright smile around her. "If we don't reveal this secret soon, the readers must be getting impatient!"

It was all just Yan Wuyue's imagination. Although it was only a fleeting spark, it ignited her inspiration.

A robber who only steals fifty dollars can appear completely different to different people, even their gender is uncertain. Yan Wuyue recalled reading an American novel called "The Muzzle of the Gun" (by Marshall Z. Levin), in which witnesses encountered a constantly changing ATM robber—a robber who wore different clothes, had drastically different body types, spoke various regional accents, and even seemed to be of different genders—no, perhaps a group, committing a series of small-amount robberies. The police initially thought they were an organized gang, committing robberies according to the same pattern, but ultimately discovered that one person, just one person, was enough to carry out this series of seemingly complex cases.

The reason is simple. The perpetrator was a professional actor with excellent acting skills and a talent for voice acting.

Applying this to the "fifty dollar" robbery seems plausible, but other possibilities should also exist, right? For example, the robbers used some strange drug that confused the victim's mind, making it impossible for them to accurately identify the robbers' appearance, or even confuse their gender... Since Maya discovered that the Hell Records were also involved, another explanation for the incident has emerged: the songs recorded on the records corrupted people's hearts—the power of the records was more significant than that of the drugs with unknown effects.

Which idea is closest to the truth?

I wonder what kind of song is recorded on this Hell Record? Although I didn't experience the "Earth, Water, Wind, Fire" incident firsthand, Yan Wuyue learned about it from the astrologer. It was a tragic story: a wealthy man, in order to select what he considered his most shrewd and capable heir (a point Yan Wuyue disagreed with), had his will engraved on a record, triggering a brutal fight among his four children. Even if the Hell Record played the deeply affectionate "My Eyes Are Only On You," it would still be enough to lure Yan Qi down a path of ruthless pursuit of exclusive love. This time, the incident must be related to some song, right?

"Then I heard this song," Yan Wuyue glanced at Wang Fang and began humming along to the rhythm, "Give back what you took from me, spit out what you ate from me, make up for what you owe me, hand over what you stole from me..."

Her eyes remained fixed, coldly staring at Wang Fang's face.

"What kind of song is this!" Maya scoffed. "Isn't it just 'Xi Shuashua'? Anyone can sing that!"

"Make up for what you owe me..." Yan Wuyue deliberately repeated the sentence, "Hearing this sentence, all those previously unsolvable mysteries suddenly became clear and were solved!"

"What have you thought of? Tell me quickly!" Maya was even more impatient than her.

"Order," Yan Wuyue answered calmly, "the order in which the robberies took place."

Although it's impossible to confirm further, among the people Yan Wuyue investigated, Wang Fang's roommate was undoubtedly the first to be robbed. According to her, the robber was a fat man; "Regardless of the reliability of her testimony," Yan Wuyue, like a seasoned investigator, recounted in detail, "next, the skinny boy was robbed."

"Wait a minute!" Maya objected. "How do you know it's that boy's turn? There might be someone else in between, you just didn't notice!"

“Indeed,” Yan Wuyue nodded, “it’s possible.” She raised her hand, stopping Maya’s question in an unquestionable tone, “Please let me continue, although it’s just a hypothesis.”

Do you remember what that boy said? "A girl, a girl robbed him." Yan Wuyue's serious expression seemed to tell Maya something, and the golden-eyed doll subconsciously glanced at Wang Fang.

Then came Wang Fang. What did she say? The robber was a thin, young man.

Maya's breathing became rapid, her eyes wide open, as if she had clearly realized something. She kept saying, "No way... such an absurd thing..."

Yan Wuyue nodded calmly, "That's why I came here tonight to get the money. To be honest, I really hope tonight's operation fails, because that would at least prove... prove... that there really is a robber who has nothing to do with us..."

Wang Fang, who had been frozen in shock until now, suddenly seemed to come to her senses and let out a soft "Ah." The weapon she had been clutching—a fan-shaped object—fell to the ground with a thud. Before Yan Wuyue could react, Maya leaped over and pounced on the object, refusing to let go. Although it was only for a moment, Yan Wuyue still managed to see the true form of the "thing."

A fragment of a hellish record.

"This is the truth, isn't it?" Yan Wuyue said as softly as possible, "After your roommate was robbed by the fat guy, he stole fifty yuan from the skinny guy; and that guy then robbed you, which is why you met with me tonight... right?"

Wang Fang slumped to the ground, muttering to herself listlessly. "I didn't want to do it either!" she said, shaking her head. It sounded like a natural outpouring of her true feelings, yet also like an apology to Yan Wuyue. "I just don't believe I'm the only unlucky one! He doesn't rob so many rich people, why does he have to pick on me! Do you know how important those fifty yuan are to me?!"

“I begged the boy to let me go… but he said he was a victim too, and that he had finally made up for his losses, so how could he let go? Not only that,” Wang Fang’s face lit up with a strange light, “he also told me that his previous girlfriends and boyfriends had all done the same thing. He told me to be self-reliant, and he even gave me a weapon…”

"So that's what everyone thinks... There are so many people in the world, why should I be the only one who suffers a loss? Make up for what you owe me!" Wang Fang repeatedly muttered this sentence to herself, regarding it as an absolute decree. "I did nothing wrong, I'm just making up for the fifty yuan that was stolen from me! It's perfectly fair!"

One radish, one hole. When the first radish encroaches on the hole of the next radish, every radish after it will consciously move back one hole. Why am I the only one without a hole? Since he took my hole, it's only natural that I should take yours! All the radishes complain about the radishes in front disrupting the order, but no radish thinks about its own role in it, and no radish will voluntarily sacrifice its own hole to make way for the radishes behind. This misplaced radish and hole has continued for a very long time, and this twisted vicious cycle will continue until the end of time.

Yan Wuyue had no idea where the original "fifty yuan" had gone; she only knew that this "fifty yuan robbery" should end here. As she walked past Wang Fang and picked up Zhenye, a fifty-yuan note floated down listlessly.

"Yours..." Wang Fang called out to her.

"Oh?" Yan Wuyue's eyes lit up, and she patted Wang Fang on the shoulder, saying, "You're so lucky, you found some money!"

"Tch~ Your acting is terrible, it gave me goosebumps!" Maya shrugged dismissively, still clutching the fragments of the record tightly in her arms. "Who do you think you are? A charity ambassador?"

Yan Wuyue's lips twitched twice, then she let out a series of devilish laughs, "Hey flat-chested loli~ who gave you permission to hold 'my record' in your arms?"

"Yours? That's hilarious..." Before Maya could even laugh, Yan Wuyue had already snatched the records away with overwhelming force. She looked triumphantly at Maya, whose eyes were red with anger, and uttered the following words that enraged her:

"Want it? Give me fifty yuan and I'll sell it to you!"

I don't want to be a fool either! She stuck out her tongue secretly.

Volume 3: Hell Records and Ghostly Photos (Part 1)

Looking back now, that photograph seems to have foreshadowed her misfortune from the very beginning. However, she, a foolish woman blinded by the happiness before her, deliberately ignored it, as if she were blinded by a leaf. She lost because of her confidence and blind optimism, because of her excessive trust in her husband, but the most tragic loss was that she ignored the importance of that photograph.

The photo—yes, that strange, unique photo. It was taken during her honeymoon with her husband. Standing atop the misty peaks of Huangshan Mountain, they personally fastened two precious brass padlocks to the iron chains of the Paiyun Pavilion stone pier. She had already meticulously engraved their names on those two gleaming padlocks. Now, they smiled at each other, working together to lock the two locks together. He then threw the silver key—the only key that could unlock their bond—slipping in a somber arc through the misty sunlight, forever sinking into the abyss, never to rise again. A gentle smile graced her face as she linked arms with her beloved husband and said to a fellow traveler beside her:

"Could you please take a picture for us?"

The traveler's attire was rather peculiar. Despite being in the windswept Paiyun Pavilion, unlike the other travelers who dressed casually, he wore a long black trench coat, which billowed wildly in the swift mountain wind like a black sail about to be unfurled. His thin frame seemed precariously balanced by the wind, making her worry for her camera. But the traveler smiled faintly. He held the camera in one hand, the other resting on his black hat, which was almost blown away by the wind, and simultaneously flashed the camera, capturing their photo next to the love lock.

That was seven years ago. After their exhausting honeymoon, she developed over three hundred photos, most of which showed their excited, happy, or joyful smiles. However, one photo stood out from the rest.

That's not just a photo of the two of them.

It's for three people.

She stared at the photo for a long time, then continued to stare blankly at the air. She remembered the place, the love lock, and how a passerby had taken the photo—the two of them standing hand in hand in front of the lock, but she had no recollection of anyone else sandwiched between them!

A woman, no, to be precise, half a woman.