Смертельно опасные электронные письма

Глава 13

Hurry up!

The police car screeched to a halt at breakneck speed, the immense inertia throwing it forward twenty meters or so, accompanied by a piercing scream—the scream of a woman struck echoing in my ears—before the car overturned into a ditch near the road. I was nearly knocked unconscious by the impact; the force of the fall threw me hard onto the roof. Fortunately, the ditch wasn't deep, and Ji Yunsheng was a skilled driver; none of the people inside were seriously injured. Lu Ying was the first to stagger out, followed by Ji Yunsheng.

"Captain! She's been run over! Oh my god! Her whole face is gone..."

"What? How can this be my fault? She asked for it!"

Ji Yunsheng began to curse in his usual tone.

"Is the suspect alright?"

"He's fine in the car, Captain, call 120!"

Another policeman sighed:

"She's dead, she has no pulse."

Lu Ying got impatient and yelled at the captain:

"Someone died. I'm going to tell the police!"

"Calm down, your job is to keep an eye on the suspect!"

All three of them were frustrated by the fact that they had killed someone, but the captain seemed indifferent. I endured the pain and tried to turn over.

No one paid me any attention. My head was bleeding from the impact, and blood dripped onto the roof of the car. In my blurred vision, my eyes happened to fall on something: the handcuff key that Captain Ji had accidentally dropped, and it was stuck there. I glanced around; they were all grieving over killing someone and no one paid any attention to me. I hardened my heart. I stuck to my intuition; there must be something going on about being brought to this cemetery and detained here. Perhaps escape was the only way to survive. So, I gritted my teeth, hooked the key with my mouth, and quietly unlocked the handcuffs.

Just as I was about to escape, I glanced up at the shattered car window, and something blood-red obscured my wary vision: it was the gruesome, mangled skin of a woman's face, sticky and mushy against the tempered glass! Twisted and grotesque, it was terrifying. I remembered what Lu Ying had said earlier: the whole face was gone! It was a girl… was she run over by a car? Or… she didn't have a face, a girl… who was she? Why was she standing by the roadside at the cemetery in the early morning? Suddenly, a patch of congealed blood on the skin made me realize something. I reached out and touched the blood, and a chilling sensation made it all clear! A conspiracy. This blood was cold, like it had just been taken out of the refrigerator. This wasn't a woman's own blood… Oh! Damn it! Ji Yunsheng…

Chapter 41 The Infernal Affairs Trick

The car accident was a meticulously planned conspiracy! The woman who was hit and killed wasn't even alive; she must be a corpse from the Forbidden City, its face peeled off, deliberately brought here to "cause an accident." Whose conspiracy was this? Was it the captain? But it's almost impossible for him to carry out such a flawless plan alone. Judging from what just happened, Lu Ying and Sheng Xilin were clearly unprepared for the traffic accident. Therefore, Ji Yunsheng was undoubtedly the direct perpetrator of this absurd and bizarre tragedy. Obviously, his driving and taking me to the cemetery were all pre-planned.

Lu Ying and the others were transferred out by Ji Yunsheng. I struggled in the overturned car, listening to Ji Yunsheng's exaggerated shouts and his dejected tone, tinged with the blood from his head injury. I knew, of course, he was acting, merely trying to distract the dutiful Lu Ying. No matter what, I could find a chance to escape, even if he tried to cause another accident to run me over, or use a feigned indifference to shoot me—I would go without hesitation. Staying in the car was certain death!

Thinking this, I ripped off my blindfold, then leaped out of the mangled car door with a somersault, sprinting desperately towards the misty depths of the cemetery. Police duties and regulations, at the very least, wouldn't allow them to fire on the spot. As long as I was fast enough, I could escape. No matter how dire the situation, I wouldn't easily shoot a suspect unless absolutely necessary. I firmly believed Lu Ying was a trustworthy and upright person; he had principles and wouldn't conspire with Ji Yunsheng. He would stop the murder plan from proceeding. My fate now rested on my speed.

"stop!"

Lu Ying and Sheng Xilin gave chase, with Ji Yunsheng also catching up. Lu Ying fired a warning shot.

"Stop right now, or I'll shoot!"

"Bang! Bang!"

A sharp gunshot pierced the dawn light above the cemetery, startling magpies and a flock of crows into the sky. My hopes of escape were dashed, and I had no choice but to stop and turn around. I had encountered a cold-blooded opponent. Despite the dim light, I could still focus my admiring gaze on the young man before me. He was my role model, meticulous in everything he did, so when he raised his gun, he wouldn't give me a chance to fight back.

And so, I was once again trapped in a fan-shaped encirclement by the three of them, becoming prey with no way to escape. Lu Ying and Sheng Xilin raised their pistols and approached me step by step.

Ji Yunsheng was in a favorable position. His skillful interception techniques and large sunglasses formed a deadly defensive line. His cold face was expressionless as he faced me. His experienced skills revealed his extraordinary experience in dealing with risks. His shooting position was excellent. I had no choice but to raise my hands in the face of the opponent's powerful offensive.

"Don't move! Don't do anything stupid!"

Lu Ying pointed his gun at me, blocking my possible escape route. He was really nervous; the muzzle of the gun trembled slightly when he aimed it at me. Perhaps in his mind, I was a dedicated and capable police officer who had become a heinous murderer overnight. Perhaps this devilish dramatic change made him unable to dispel his inner fear, afraid that if he didn't make the right move, I would use him to kill him.

He carefully paved his way, his hand holding the gun trembling slightly, nervously wondering if he could securely handcuff me. I didn't move again; my exhausted body was numb. I had reached a dead end; running would be a pointless sacrifice.

Just as Lu Ying took out handcuffs to arrest me, something strange happened in an instant. There were two soft "thud! thud!" sounds, and Sheng Xilin and Lu Ying's arms, which were holding guns, paused for a moment, and then their bodies trembled violently!

I immediately recognized the slight sound as the ringing of a small-caliber pistol. Thinking the other person had fired, my head went numb, and I closed my eyes helplessly, enduring the intense pain of death and the unconscious passing away...

But something was wrong. I hadn't fallen, so I nervously opened my eyes and suddenly saw Lu Ying's body collapse, and Sheng Xilin was also kneeling on the ground, his body twisting violently before convulsing. Both of them were motionless. This scene was too unexpected, simply unbelievable. The bullets that killed Lu Ying and Sheng Xilin had come from Ji Yunsheng's gun. He was using a silenced pistol. How could he have shot Lu Ying and his companion? Was he shooting to save me?

I felt my vision go black, a suffocating sensation and a spasm in my eyes. He wasn't carrying out official duties; he was using the opportunity to commit murder!

"You!...Why did you kill them?"

I angrily accused and shouted, but Ji Yunsheng brandished his pistol, warning me not to move. He pointed the gun at me while walking over, prying Lu Ying's fingers aside, and firing two shots into the air. Then, he smiled slyly at me, took Sheng Xilin's gun, and slowly approached me. He began to remove the silencer from the barrel of his own gun and switched the positions of Sheng Xilin's gun and the gun that killed Lu Ying in his hands.

His movements were clean and efficient. I noticed he was wearing white gloves, giving the impression of a professional, cold-blooded killer. But I guessed his next sinister plan: he wanted to kill me with Sheng Xilin's gun, then have my "corpse" hold the pistol he used to shoot Lu Ying and Sheng Xilin, and then... This was a meticulously planned scheme involving a double agent and a self-inflicted wound. Ji Yunsheng and his mastermind orchestrated the traffic accident, then had the suspect "steal" the gun and escape. The brave police officers gave chase, resulting in a shootout that created the illusion of a double agent killing three people. The driver, Ji Yunsheng, then pretended to be unconscious in the car.

Looking at Ji Yunsheng's sneer and the dark muzzle of his gun, my remaining fear had become intermittent. After experiencing too many treacherous conspiracies, my sensitivity to fear of reality had turned into a low-level hatred, and there was no longer any element of fear.

I stopped and asked coldly:

"Ji Yunsheng, take off your sunglasses. Before you kill me, I only want to know one thing: why did you orchestrate this death game so meticulously? Killing me doesn't have to be this extravagant! Who is the mastermind behind the 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival' case?"

Chapter Forty-Two: The Heart of Farewell

"So you want to know who's behind this? Fine, how about we make a deal? Tell me where that female ghost and the nine baby girls are hiding? Tell me now!"

Ji Yunsheng raised his pistol and activated the safety.

"I don't know what you mean. How would I know who's hiding in the Forbidden City? Shouldn't you, as the head of the security department, know better than I do?"

"Stop pretending. Which well is that ghost named Luoyi hiding in? Did she give you a videotape?"

"You gave me the videotape, I don't know what you mean."

"It's alright if you don't tell me now, you'll beg me to tell you everything in a little while!"

He threatened me further, pressing the gun almost to my forehead. At this point, I confirmed my previous suspicions: this guy was indeed after the national treasure.

Who was the girl who was hit and killed?

"Good question. She volunteered for this role, but unfortunately, her face has been stripped away, and you will never see her beautiful true face again. Handsome man, please turn around and take one last look. You will regret it if you don't."

"Are you... someone I know?"

"More than just acquaintances! Ha..."

I took a step back and suddenly turned around to scan the direction his gun was pointing. Suddenly, a blood-red shadow appeared about thirty meters behind me. A lonely figure, like a fallen page, was stretching out its withered arms, crawling over from the car accident scene in the distance. Now it was staggering to its feet and struggling to pounce on me!

My horrified gaze slowly rose from the ground. Drops of blood dripped from her flowing white dress. Her wavy hair cascaded down her shoulders, her once voluminous and stylish allure replaced by a zombie-like trembling. That familiar figure, and those embroidered shoes on her feet… Cousin? It was Pang Zhen! When I stared at her face with disbelief, the beauty and anticipation I felt vanished instantly. Her face was a mass of rotting flesh, all her features gone, leaving only a dark, decaying mass… She only had one hand left.

I felt dizzy. I never imagined that this guy had been controlling my cousin's soul all along. It turned out he was trying to achieve his despicable goal.

The female corpse approached me step by step. This scene of lovers parting was breathtakingly beautiful to Ji Yunsheng. He couldn't imagine how many lovers they had killed with such despicable and cruel methods.

"Ji Yunsheng! If you have the guts, come at me! Release my sister and keep her away from you, you monster!"

"It's not that I want you to die together, it's a curse from a vengeful spirit. You have to help me get my hands on 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival'."

"You bastard! You beast! If you have the guts, just kill me!"

"It's not that easy. You're a big shot. How to deal with you is up to the vengeful spirit. The big net I've painstakingly set up should catch its prey soon!"

"What do you want? Release my sister, and I'll go with you!"

"She's worthless now. She's been skinned alive, drained of all her blood, but I haven't even seen a trace of the 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival' scroll! She's playing me for a fool. Kill her!"

After Ji Yunsheng finished speaking, he said a coded message into the miniature walkie-talkie earpiece that was sticking out of his collar. Just then, a black Mercedes-Benz sedan sped towards them from the other end of the cemetery through the dense woods.

Oh no, they're going to use dirty tricks!

"elder sister!"

I screamed, ignoring Ji Yunsheng's gun-wielding intimidation, and desperately lunged at Pang Zhen.

"younger brother!……"

"sister!"

...With a sudden stop, the immense inertia shattered my sister's frail body, her limbs fluttering in the air before my eyes as I fell!

"sister!……"

My sister's arm fell in front of me. The car continued its frantic march, dragging her body forward, stopping a hundred meters to my left before accelerating again… I closed my eyes, hoping to die quickly with Pang Zhen, to escape this most tragic farewell in the world. But just as I closed my eyes, something my sister was holding made me realize suddenly that she had something to give me! The car sped towards us, and Ji Yunsheng laughed arrogantly. Taking advantage of this moment of life and death, I grabbed what my sister was holding—a cell phone chip. I clutched it tightly and then quickly hid it in my mouth.

The Mercedes came to an abrupt stop, without violently crushing my body, stopping just five centimeters in front of me.

The door opened, and a woman wearing sunglasses appeared before me. To my horror, she was using three fingers to open the car door.

"Don't you recognize me?" Ji Yunsheng walked over and pressed a gun against my temple.

"Officer Ning Yu? She's been dead for ages. I never imagined you were in cahoots with the ghost of a martyr!"

"She's not dead at all. What, were you scared by that headless, pale-faced, three-finger ghost in the elevator?"

Ji Yunsheng became even more smug at this moment. Only from his tone did I realize that the female ghost with embroidered shoes in the archives building was actually Ning Yu in disguise.

"Ning Yu is my capable assistant and a talented actress whom I personally nurtured."

"You have committed many evil deeds, and sooner or later someone will avenge my sister!"

"You have ambition, but that won't be you anymore. So many people have been skinned alive by us. Who will take revenge on me? Humans or ghosts? I don't care about either the living or the dead!"

"Did you kill the bespectacled doorman at the archives building?"

"Anyone who betrays me must die! You too. You never seemed to listen to me from the beginning, and you cleverly investigated the so-called Qi Silong disappearance mystery. Let me tell you, that kid isn't worth your investigation. If he hadn't sold his soul and that damn love, your sister might not have died so tragically!"

My angry eyes were bloodshot, and I didn't believe a word the vicious dog said.

"Don't be so stubborn. Even though I killed your sister, Qi Silong's death has nothing to do with me. Otherwise, I wouldn't have asked you to investigate his disappearance. If it weren't for special reasons that I spared your life, your head would probably have been put into a coffin file box in that haunted dormitory in the archives building that day. Get in the car and come with me."

Where to?

I glared at them coldly.

"Didn't you want to finish me off here to create the illusion that a fugitive was shot and killed by the police chasing him?" I raised my head, no longer caring where the execution ground was.

"Pretty arrogant, huh! If your sister had fallen in love with you, she wouldn't have died. You're more like the hero pursued by a female ghost—you've got some backbone! But, should I kill you now? I'd rather do something unexpected and let you die! Get in the car!"

Ji Yunsheng struck my head hard with the butt of his gun, blood gushing from my forehead. I wiped it away, glanced at him contemptuously, and got into the Mercedes. Ning Yu, wearing sunglasses, smiled slightly as she watched me being pushed into the car. Fearing I would resist, Ji Yunsheng pulled handcuffs from his pocket and cuffed me again. Everything seemed foolproof. Ji Yunsheng brandished his pistol.

"You have a quarter of an hour to go before death. Tell me who Luo Yi is, and did that female ghost give you a videotape?"

"Female ghost, you believe in ghosts too? I did get a videotape, but that's something you can see in a filing cabinet. Is there some secret behind it?"

"You're a supernatural person, maybe you don't know it, but I spent so much time getting to you, do you think I'm a philanthropist?"

I was suddenly stunned. What did he mean by that? A philanthropist? Could it be that he was...? I never expected that this guy would reveal my true identity.

Chapter Forty-Three: The Source of Evil

"You've known me for a long time?"

"It's not just that we know each other, we know each other inside and out. Don't you remember that uncle who used to send money to you and your siblings?"

"you……?"

"Sponsoring a brother and sister requires a return."