Глаза Асуры

Глава 8

An Qiqi was stunned. Looking at the plump figure of the deceased, she suddenly realized and said, "That's right, it should be her."

(12)

The area in front of the No. 14 girls' dormitory building was so crowded that not a breath of air could get through.

At that moment, many girls gathered together, curiously watching the several stern-faced police officers. This murder case was like a bombshell exploding in the girls' dormitory building; everyone looked terrified.

An Qiqi walked at the front, appearing calm and composed.

The administrator's room was opened, and the police began a professional search.

The air was stuffy, making it difficult for An Qiqi to breathe. He noticed that a window on the balcony was open, and several books on the floor were scattered about by the wind, still damp with moisture. Clearly, the owner hadn't closed the window when it rained yesterday. The room was simply furnished, containing only a table and a bed. On the table was a photograph; An Qiqi spent a long time recognizing that the pretty woman in the photo somewhat resembled the chubby building manager. She was staring coldly at him in the picture.

“Look, there’s a wall cabinet here,” a policeman suddenly exclaimed.

"Open it."

In an instant, a terrifying thought flashed through An Qiqi's mind: Could the female corpse's head be placed here?

As the closet was slowly pulled open, everyone's tension increased. However, their expectations were gradually dashed, because they did not see the missing head.

Unexpectedly, the closet was filled with tin foil and ghost money.

"This is unbelievable! How could there be this in her room?" the police officer exclaimed.

An Qiqi stared blankly at these things, and then she remembered the mourning hall and the little rag doll called "Sunny Doll".

What is the connection between the headless female administrator, the teru teru bozu (a Japanese doll), the funeral hall, and the deceased Shin Mi-hyun?

Could this be a premeditated murder?

The blankets on the bed were neatly folded, and an unfinished sweater lay there quietly, never to be finished. An Qiqi picked up the sweater and suddenly felt something round roll out of it, like a baby's head.

Was that a person? It didn't even blink. He was startled, but upon closer inspection, he realized it was a Teru Teru Bozu doll, the ghost doll that Chi Huimei had mentioned.

Its large, eerie eyes were staring at him. An Qiqi immediately felt a strange clenching in his heart. In his twenty-odd years of life, this was the first time he had been frightened by a small gadget.

Just then, a lithe figure darted in through the doorway.

Her complexion was very poor, pale and bluish.

Chapter 38: The Ghost Doll Returns (38)

“He Zhiying, we meet again. I was just about to call you, but I didn’t expect you to come to me yourself. That’s great!” An Qiqi said with a smile, feeling a special aura wafting towards him.

He Zhiying quickly lowered her head, paused for a moment, and then suddenly asked, "Is she... really dead?"

"That's probably the truth. The deceased's body matches hers very well. The forensic doctor is doing DNA testing now, and I believe the results will be out soon." An Qiqi said as she pulled off her white gloves.

He Zhiying's shoulders trembled, and she said in a hoarse voice, "Why? Why? She was fine last night."

An Qiqi looked at her strangely, as if he had noticed something. He was about to ask when He Zhiying said, "Could it be...could it be as she said, that this is the curse of the ghost doll, and we will all die?"

"Miss He, what's wrong?"

“Last night I had a dream. In the dream, I suddenly heard a ‘woo…woo…woo’ sound coming from next door, like a woman crying, intermittent and sometimes clear. At that moment, my heart jumped, and I buried my head in the blanket, afraid to move. Then, the crying stopped, paused for a few seconds, and then there was a ‘knock knock knock’ on the door. What made me uneasy was that it was knocking on my bedroom door. Who would be knocking on the door in the middle of the night? I called out a few times, and the sound outside the door immediately stopped. After hesitating for a long time, I finally mustered up the courage to get out of bed and open the door a crack. Through the crack, I saw the back of the female building manager downstairs. I called her, but she didn’t turn around. Then, I finally saw clearly…I saw her head…she…she was carrying her own head, walking forward step by step. In front of her were all graves. That bloody head, with eyes without pupils, gave me a strange smile…” At this point, He Zhiying’s voice began to tremble.

An Qiqi stared wide-eyed, seemingly unable to comprehend it all. He realized that his emotions had suddenly become very low and somber for some reason. A chill ran through his body.

"No, that was just your nightmare. Her death wasn't due to any curse; she was murdered," An Qiqi could only comfort her in this way.

"But why did all of this become reality after I woke up?" He Zhiying suddenly raised her head, her gaze fixed on the teru teru bozu (a Japanese doll made of teru teru bozu) on the bed, and murmured to herself, "Maybe... we disturbed her, and she wants revenge. We'll die..."

"Don't be silly, this is just a murder. Similar cases happen every day in the world. It might just be a coincidence. Don't worry, I will definitely not let the murderer get away with it. The truth will come out one day."

He Zhiying hugged her shoulders and said, trembling, "I'm really scared."

"Don't worry, I'm here." An Qiqi nodded to her.

After a long while, He Zhiying gradually calmed down and said to him, "I'm sorry, I was too nervous when I heard the news of her death."

"It's alright, I completely understand." An Qiqi smiled slightly, then asked, "Did you see her last night?"

Chapter 39: The Ghost Doll Returns (39)

“Yes, last night when I left my dorm, I accidentally bumped into her carrying a basket and hurrying somewhere. I was curious, so I quietly followed her to see what she was up to, but unfortunately I had an appointment with a friend and lost her. Sigh, if I had kept following her, things might not have turned out this way,” He Zhiying sighed.

"Around what time did you start tracking them?"

"Hmm, let me think... It should be around 10:30."

Did you notice anyone suspicious around you at the time?

"No."

An Qiqi frowned and thought for a while before asking, "Who is the friend you invited? Can you tell me?"

"Is this important to the case?" He Zhiying asked doubtfully.

"Oh, no, I was just asking casually. It's okay if you don't want to tell me."

"His name is Song Xiaomo, and he is Chinese."

"Bruce Lee, Chinese Kung Fu?" An Qiqi gestured a few times with her fists and feet, and laughed, "Introduce me sometime."

"Okay. I'll be going now if there's nothing else."

"By the way, Miss He, would you mind if you had time to go to the police station to give a statement?" An Qiqi said with a smile.

"Haven't I said everything I needed to say?"

"Hehe, then forget it. I'll take your statement myself. We can choose some elegant and romantic places, like a coffee shop or a small bar. It's on me, how about that?"

"If you want to ask me out, just say so. Why beat around the bush like this?" He Zhiying walked away without looking back.

An Qiqi's face flushed red, and she stood there, embarrassed as a statue.

"Qiqi, what are you spacing out for?" A policeman patted him on the shoulder.

“I bet he’s thinking about falling in love. Look at his expression, hahaha…” another policeman chimed in.

"Go away, stop joking around here and get back to work." An Qiqi snapped out of her daze and put her milky white plastic gloves back on.

Then, he gently placed the teru teru bozu (a Japanese doll made of teru teru bozu) into a transparent bag.

This little gadget had completely piqued his interest. He had once heard a friend jokingly say that things used by predecessors possessed a spirit; they could protect people or kill them.

(13)

"An Qiqi, please sit down." Team Leader Jin Renbin pointed to the chair in front of him.

"Thank you, Team Leader Jin."

"Actually, you're considered a member of our criminal investigation team, but you've never really integrated into our group. I know that for the past year, you've been handling small cases and have never participated in any major cases for the criminal investigation team, and I haven't entrusted you with any important responsibilities... You must have some thoughts on this, so I'd like to hear your opinion." Team Leader Jin's cold gaze fell on An Qiqi's face.

"Team Leader Kim, it's an honor to serve the police force. I've never complained about the arrangements made by above." An Qiqi stood up abruptly from his chair. He had always held this superior in awe. Team Leader Kim In-bin, although only 32 years old, was an exceptionally outstanding police officer. He was currently the youngest criminal investigation team leader in the police force, and over the years, he had solved numerous difficult cases without ever making a mistake. Even the superiors of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency praised him highly.

Chapter 40: The Ghost Doll Returns (40)

Team Leader Jin gestured for him to sit down, paused, and slowly said, "The reason I put you in charge of handling some smaller cases is partly to observe you, and partly to strengthen your skills. Criminal investigation is not child's play; there's no room for error. Especially when handling major cases, don't rely solely on subjective assumptions; you must patiently delve into the scene for investigation. At the same time, you can't let false appearances interfere with your judgment... Do you understand?"

"Understood, I will definitely not let the team leader down."

"I've decided to have you and Xiao Nan assist me in solving this murder case at HY University. Do you have the confidence?"

"Yes!" An Qiqi answered crisply. He had been looking forward to this challenging job for a long time.

"Alright, let's get back to the main topic. Now, what are your thoughts on this case?"

An Qiqi pondered for a moment and said, "First of all, why was the victim's head cut off? In general terms, this would be done to make it more difficult for the police to identify the victim, thereby hindering the investigation. But this time, it seems that the murderer was not trying to hide anything. Wasn't the body quickly identified? If he really wanted to do this, he could have hidden the body in a more secluded place. There was no need to leave it there. With the level of modern medicine, it is not necessary to identify a person solely based on their head."

"That's right." Team Leader Jin nodded, then asked, "Could it be a robbery and murder?"

"I've thought about that too, but judging from the clothes and appearance of the deceased, Chi Huimei, she didn't seem to be a wealthy person. According to the last eyewitness who saw her, Chi Huimei was carrying a basket containing tinfoil and ghost money to burn for the dead. Besides, if it were a robbery, there would be no need to risk killing someone and take such a brutal method as cutting off the victim's head, unless there was some deep-seated hatred between them in life."

"You mean revenge? Is that even possible?"

"Based on the investigation results, this possibility is extremely slim. Most of the deceased, Chi Huimei's, relatives perished in a Japanese tsunami; the only possible survivor was her daughter, who has been missing for over a decade. During this time, she repeatedly reported her missing to the police, but to no avail. Chi Huimei rarely interacted with others and was quite cautious in her words and actions, so she likely didn't have any enemies. The girls in the dormitory generally had a good impression of her..."

Team Leader Jin pondered for a moment and said, "Xiao Nan speculates that the killer might be a psychopathic serial killer. What do you think?"

"This possibility cannot be ruled out. However, such killers generally prefer serial killings and it's unlikely to be just this one case. Most killers are mentally unstable, have distorted cognitive development, and exhibit an unchecked subjective consciousness. Seeking a certain thrill, they commit crimes repeatedly. Like in 'The Silence of the Lambs,' the killer Bill was a deranged serial killer who skinned women, with more than five victims. Furthermore, there's what's considered the most horrific serial murder and dismemberment case in history. On August 20, 1973, a large number of police secretly surrounded Thomas Hewitt's farm in a remote rural area. He was a skinner at a slaughterhouse in Travis County, Texas. When the police stormed his residence, they were stunned: the house was filled with foul-smelling debris, including animal hides and the skeletons of 33 victims!"

Chapter 41: The Ghost Doll Returns (41)

“However, to my knowledge, there have been no such cases in China in recent months,” An Qiqi continued.

"Oh." Team Leader Jin frowned, then asked, "So, what other possibilities do you see?"

"As of now, I haven't made any progress. The head hasn't been found, and the killer hasn't left any clues, including the murder weapon. He's a very cunning opponent; he chose to do it before the rain, and the subsequent rain wiped away all fingerprints and clues. And HY University also happened to have a power outage at that time. It was truly unbelievable. I don't know if it's luck or fate. However, I found this in the victim's room?" With that, An Qiqi took out the teru teru bozu (a Japanese doll shaped like a sunny day) from her bag.

Team Leader Jin paused for a moment, then asked in surprise, "This... isn't this something from the Japanese?"

"That's right, her name is Teru Teru Bozu (Sunny Doll). It's a type of Japanese plush doll."

"What does this have to do with the case?"

"The deceased, Emi Ike, was married to a Japanese man, so she should have been very familiar with this kind of thing. I remember last time I went to HY University, I witnessed her panicked expression when she saw this thing, or at least it contained some kind of meaning. The appearance of this thing must have expressed some meaning. I have a vague feeling that it should be related to this case in some way."

"Oh? So what's your next step?" Team Leader Jin asked thoughtfully.

"I've decided to investigate the HY University campus tragedy that happened two years ago again."

As soon as he finished speaking, Team Leader Jin's expression suddenly turned ugly, and he said coldly, "Is this necessary?"

“I find that funeral hall very suspicious. We didn’t investigate it thoroughly last time, but this time we must get to the bottom of it. Also, Shen Meixuan, who died two years ago, must have some connection with Chi Huimei…”

"Stop talking!" Team Leader Jin interrupted An Qiqi sharply.

The usually mild-mannered boss suddenly became furious.

An Qiqi was so frightened that he quickly lowered his head, not daring to look Jin in the eye. He thought that this case had probably stirred up a long-buried sad memory in Jin's heart. In that school tragedy, his younger brother Jin Renxuan closed his eyes forever.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Please come in." Team Leader Jin coughed.

A moment later, Xiao Nan pushed the door open and came in.

"Qiqi, so you're here too! I was just about to go to your office to look for you!" Xiao Nan greeted An Qiqi.

An Qiqi glanced at Team Leader Jin out of the corner of her eye, but didn't dare to say anything.

Xiao Nan immediately sensed that something was off and quickly said, "Team Leader Jin, just now, a dormitory manager from HY University called and said that around 12:30 last night, a male student living in room 520 went home very late. He found it a bit suspicious."

"Hmm?" Team Leader Jin stood up and asked hurriedly, "Are there any specific points of suspicion?"

He was holding a box in his hands.