scélérat

Chapitre 15

Looking back on the whole incident, from Yang Hongmin's death in front of me to every subsequent step, everything was extremely bizarre. Now, the far-reaching background involved is beyond what I can solve by investigating it alone.

With each step I took, with each new clue I learned, new mysteries emerged, while the old ones remained unsolved. The fog of mystery enveloped me from all sides, leaving me feeling utterly powerless.

Take the case of Yang Hongmin's murderer, for example. After essentially ruling out that I was the killer, the investigation team began to investigate the members of other ships. They discovered that the passengers on the maiden voyage of the Pacific Emerald were almost all celebrities, none of whom had potentially questionable identities. Moreover, due to the high demand for tickets, the entire passenger list was finalized two weeks before the maiden voyage. In other words, by the time the Black Flag Group learned about Yang Hongmin from Vebri, they had already lost the opportunity to arrange for the murderer to board the ship.

The cruise company, Yile Cruises, subsequently provided the police with a list of all its crew members, none of whom had any issues.

So how did the murderer get on the ship, and how did he get off?

I woke up with a violent jolt, startled and wondering what had happened. When I opened my eyes, I saw that the plane had already landed on the runway of Shanghai Hongqiao Airport.

Kou Yun had let go of my hand, but her head was still pressed against the window, looking outside. I suspect she maintained this position for the two hours I had been asleep.

"Have you seen enough?" I said.

"Hmm." Kou Yun responded, his head moved slightly, and then his entire shoulder turned around.

Sure enough, her neck got caught.

Even as she walked out of the airport, her head was still tilted to the side.

"Brother, so you've been free all this time?" Kou Yun asked me in the taxi.

"Yes, I have no idea what the newspapers are saying about me. It's not convenient for me to appear in front of them right now. What, do you want me to show you around Shanghai?"

"Of course I want to play! But, bro, you seem really good at this. You know a lot of people, right? You have a lot of connections, right? You have…"

"Don't flatter me, just tell me what you want me to do," I interrupted her.

Kou Yun sidled up to him with a grin: "Since I'm free anyway, could you think of a way to help me find my brother? Just think of it as something to do."

"Oh, so that's what it is." I smiled. "I can help, but it's hard to say how much, since there are so many people in the world. And given my current situation, most of my connections can't be touched for the time being."

"Could you help me search online first? I've heard that you can find a lot of things online, but I'm not very good at using the internet."

"Oh, you're not good at something this fun?"

"Is it really that fun?" Kou Yun looked at me with some skepticism.

"Of course, don't you know that there are many people who are so addicted to internet cafes that they don't go home?"

Kou Yun's eyes lit up, and he nodded resolutely, clearly determined not to let any fun toy slip by.

Having an interest is good, but if you want to truly integrate into society, you can't do without internet access.

Opening my front door and changing into comfortable slippers, I instantly felt much more relaxed. This space, less than 100 square meters, has a magical power; it allows me to feel the weariness beneath my hardened exterior, and then slowly infuses me with new energy.

After much deliberation, I decided to give up my bedroom for Kou Yun and sleep in the study myself. My computer is in the study, and I'm worried that once she discovers the wonders of computers and the internet, she'll spend all her time online, and I won't be able to control her. I've realized I'm now developing an old-fashioned parental mentality towards Kou Yun.

Another very important reason is that I also need to go online, and for a long time at that, so I must take advantage of the location to protect my online time.

I gave Kou Yun a basic lesson on the internet at the computer, demonstrated a few single-player games and introduced a few online games, and then took her on a tour of various gossip BBS forums. She watched until her little face turned bright red, and she couldn't wait to push me away and take over.

I stopped her with one hand: "Aren't you looking for your brother? Don't rush to play."

I called Google, typed in "Kou Feng" and started searching.

In the blink of an eye, countless search results for "Kou Feng" appeared. I accompanied Kou Yun as we flipped through the pages, but I knew in my heart that despite the vastness and richness of the internet, finding information about Kou Feng so easily was a pipe dream.

With so many people in China sharing the same name, you might not find even one out of ten through a search engine. What a coincidence!

After flipping through a few pages, I let Kou Yun operate it herself. I watched for a while, then stood up to get two delicious "Green Mood" mung bean popsicles from the refrigerator. Mung bean-based cold drinks have always been my favorite, and I hope Kou Yun will like them too.

Just then, Kou Yun exclaimed "Huh?" and then clicked on a search bar.

What a coincidence? I thought to myself as I sat down again to examine the webpage that had opened.

This is an announcement page on the official website of Shanghai Circus World. Shanghai Circus World hosts performances by many troupes of varying sizes throughout the year, and every new troupe joining the Shanghai Circus World has a similar promotional advertisement displayed in the website's announcement section. The page Kou Yun opened featured a troupe specializing in acrobatics and magic, called the Illusionary Magic and Acrobatics Troupe. Each performer's act was accompanied by a brief description. The troupe has two magicians, one of whom is named Kou Feng, whose specialty is "telekinesis."

“I think this looks somewhat similar,” Kou Yun said to me, turning her head.

How can you be so sure your brother knows magic tricks?

Kou Yun hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "He can do it. He often performs for me."

I shook my head inwardly. Every boy has the urge to learn magic when he's young, especially those with siblings. They all like to learn a trick to show off, though their techniques are usually quite clumsy. But kids don't have the sharp eyes to spot them. But such a skill is far from that of a professional magician.

However, since it's located in the Shanghai Circus World, it's not difficult to find out the details.

It was already late, so I tried calling the hotline for inquiries and ticket bookings on the official website, but no one answered when it rang.

6. The Key to Annihilation (5)

“Call again tomorrow morning.” I put down the phone and said to Kou Yun, “Just don’t get your hopes up too high. Even if this Kou Feng really is your brother…” I pointed to a small line of dates under the webpage title: “This happened in 2002. Four years have passed. This Magic and Acrobatics Troupe may not still be in the Shanghai Circus City.”

Having received some uncertain news about her own brother, the little girl became unusually preoccupied, and her interest in going online diminished considerably. After browsing for a short while, I sent her off to take a shower and go to bed.

I wasn't going to sleep right away. After taking a shower, I sat at my desk in the study, turned off the main light, turned on the desk lamp, took out a notebook, and wrote down the whole story, from the moment I met Yang Hongmin, as well as all the details I could remember.

This is a habit I've always had: every time I encounter or investigate a mysterious event, I write down the day's experiences and clues in a notebook every night. Through this primitive method, the truth of the matter gradually becomes clear to me. I try to remember as much detail as possible, because many details that seem insignificant on the day of the event become the key to unlocking the final door when I look back on them after some time.

This time, I was caught in the vortex from the very beginning and couldn't extricate myself. I lost my usual ease and freedom, so it wasn't until now that I had time to start adding content to my notebook.

I often close my eyes and reflect for a long time before writing down a short passage, while the air conditioning is on. I try my best to detach myself during the recollection, objectively recording the facts and all the details, without letting pre-existing subjective judgments influence my account. In my experience, this world is too bizarre, so one shouldn't be too confident.

I wrote for more than four hours before putting down my pen. I had a mysterious feeling that there was an important breakthrough hidden in what I had written down. I knew it was there, but I couldn't find it right away.

Yang Hongmin floated in front of me, his body semi-transparent, with wisps of mist swirling within him. He looked at me, a hint of urgency in his eyes. He opened his mouth, and suddenly a bolt of lightning blasted Yang Hongmin into a cloud of smoke.

Startled by the thunder, I opened my eyes to see Kou Yun, a steel ladle in one hand and a steel pot in the other, running away from the door, brandishing his claws. It turned out that the one who brought down the thunder in my dream was this little devil.

I yelled angrily, "Yang Hongmin was just about to tell me the password, you know it, but you typed it away!"

"Bang bang bang!" The answer I received was three loud bangs from the pot and a burst of laughter.

I checked the time; it was already ten o'clock. I remembered I'd promised to call her this morning, no wonder she was so impatient. But that method was too violent. I must reform her properly in the future, or I'll be in for a world of trouble.

After quickly washing up, she called Kou Yun, who was sitting in the living room flipping through TV channels like a revolving lantern, and prepared to make a phone call.

“I’ve already done it,” Kou Yun said.

“Uh…” I was stunned.

"The person who answered the phone said that the Magic and Circus Troupe is not performing today, so no one is coming to the circus. They told me to call back tomorrow. Bro, why don't we just go there tomorrow?"

"Okay... but since you've already called, why are you bothering me again?"

"You're free today, so come and play with me! There are so many fun places in Shanghai, how can we waste our time?" Kou Yun said matter-of-factly.

I let out a groan and collapsed onto the sofa.

When Kou Yun came out of the haunted house, her face was pale, and she patted her chest with her hand.

“This is so much fun,” she said.

The Shanghai Science and Technology Museum in Pudong offers many entertainment options, including a haunted house. Inside, you sit at an empty oval table. Then, you put on special headphones, and after the lights go out, you hear incredibly realistic sounds: the clatter of cups and saucers on the table, people talking around you, the vibrations of bowls hitting the table, and even the breathing behind your neck… It feels like there are many people around you in the darkness, but in reality, there's nothing there.

The science museum was full of fun things related to science and technology, but of course, each large exhibit required an extra fee. Kou Yun was extremely interested in every exhibit and didn't want to miss a single one. After leaving the haunted house, he dragged me into a room.

I followed Kou Yun into the room, and in just a few seconds, Kou Yun was already struggling to get up from the ground.

"This room is so strange." Kou Yun stood up, but after taking only two steps, he staggered and almost fell.

I've been to the science museum and been inside this room, so I know its secrets.

"Try walking a few steps with your eyes closed," I told her.

Kou Yun closed his eyes as I instructed, and sure enough, his walking returned to normal.

"Really? It'll be fine if you close your eyes." Kou Yun opened her eyes and said to me, but then her body swayed again and she bumped into the wall.

"Actually, when we walk, our brain automatically adjusts our center of gravity based on what our eyes see, allowing us to walk steadily." I explained the principle to Kou Yun as we walked out of the house.

"Over time, the brain will also find some patterns to be lazy. For example, in a room, the brain adjusts its center of gravity based on the angle between the walls, the floor, and the ceiling. The room just now took advantage of this. Although the floor was flat and did not shake, it was manipulated in many key places. For example, some lines that should be parallel are not parallel, and some right angles that should be right angles are not right angles."

Kou Yun looked completely bewildered, utterly confused.

"Simply put, this room deliberately misleads the brain. The brain thinks it's a normal room, so it makes you walk normally, but that's not actually the case, so you become unsteady. But if you close your eyes, the brain won't be misled by the vision, and everything will return to normal."

"Oh." Kou Yun nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

"People are often misled by appearances that they take for granted. Like this room, everything is right in front of you, but you are still deceived by habitual thinking and fail to see the essence. So you can only take a roundabout way." I casually remarked, but I didn't mean it to Kou Yun. She probably couldn't understand it very well.

"Let's go, there are still lots of fun things to do ahead," Kou Yun said, pulling me along.

After pulling a few times without success, she noticed my strange expression.

My casual remark just now, after I finished speaking, was like a flash of lightning in my mind, and suddenly I discovered where the breakthrough was.

I did the right thing yesterday, which was to write down every single detail. If I hadn't reviewed those details, I wouldn't have had this epiphany now.

As I just said, what I wanted was right in front of me, but because of my habitual thinking, I had always ignored it!

I took out my phone and dialed Guo Dong's number.

Part Three of Shadows

7. Who is the murderer? (1)

“I know the password, Guo Dong,” I said calmly.

"God, how did you know? We don't even have a clue yet. Didn't you go back to Shanghai? Are you sure?" Guo Dong shouted.

"I'm sure. But I want to see what happens after the password is entered."

"On the spot? You mean?"

"All three of China's satellite launch bases launch to the moon from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The equipment there can connect to the lunar rover and receive images and other information via a code. As someone who has cracked the code, I want to see for myself what kind of show is taking place 380,000 kilometers away."

"So you're saying you're not willing to tell us the password now?"

"I want to be among the first to see the truth."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. Jiuquan Base is a military-controlled area; previously, there were only two ways to enter: by military train or by private aircraft. Now, Jiuquan Base is open to the public when there are no missions; tourist vehicles with passes can enter, but only to a limited number of areas within the base. Truly critical areas are inaccessible to outsiders without special permission.

"I will report it to them. I think it should be fine," Guo Dong said.