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墨書 Inktalez
The surroundings were filled with barking. The Firewood Gate of the yard was gently pushed open, but the creaking sound still attracted a chorus of barking from the neighboring dogs.
As the Firewood Gate opened, a Pale Yellow-Skinned Boy who had escaped from the Dow Pharmaceuticals Building walked inside.
The boy had a chicken in his mouth and was carrying another two chickens in each hand. All three chickens were dead. He walked to the door and placed the three chickens on the ground. Behind him was a trail of blood dripping from the chickens.
The boy gently knocked on the door, and inside, a Kerosene Lamp was lit with a match, casting the shadow of an Old Man on the paper window. Then came the Old Man's slightly hoarse voice: "Who is it?"
The boy couldn't speak; he only made muffled sounds and excitedly continued to knock on the door.
"Coming, coming!" Through the window, one could see the Old Man holding the Kerosene Lamp walking toward the door.
The Old Man pulled open the door from inside and was startled to see the pale-skinned boy. The boy lunged at him, but the Old Man screamed and dropped the lamp, turning to run. The lamp extinguished as it hit the ground.
...
At night in the police station, Tao Ziwen was flipping through case files while Zhang Xin sat beside him, bored.
Zhang Xin looked up at Tao Ziwen, whose mind was completely focused on the case. Zhang Xin pouted and called out to him, but Tao Ziwen did not respond. Zhang Xin then called his name even louder. Only then did Tao Ziwen slowly lift his head.
Zhang Xin huffed, "You are deliberately ignoring me!"
Tao Ziwen replied, "I'm working on a case here."
"Is the case more important than me?"
Seeing Zhang Xin's unreasonable attitude, Tao Ziwen sighed helplessly: "Sister, this is a police station!"
Zhang Xin pouted playfully, "I don’t care! I want you to get off work now and go sing and dance with me!"
Just as Tao Ziwen was about to refuse, the office door was pushed open by Sheriff.
Sheriff, with a smiling face, said unexpectedly, "Ziwen, let's call it a day!"
Tao Ziwen replied, "I want to finish reviewing this case file before I leave."
Sheriff reminded him, "Isn't Zhang Jie waiting for you? You can look at the case file tomorrow!"
Upon hearing Sheriff’s words, Zhang Xin jumped over to Tao Ziwen's side like a lively bird and linked her arm with his. "Sheriff has spoken!"
Tao Ziwen had no choice but to say, "Alright, just wait for me to put away the documents."
"Okay!"
Zhang Xin then leaned in and lightly kissed Tao Ziwen on the cheek. He was caught off guard and was taken aback...
Just like that, a clear kiss mark was left on Tao Ziwen's face.
In the washroom, Tao Ziwen scrubbed his face vigorously under the faucet to remove the kiss mark. A colleague who was working overtime entered the washroom and saw the kiss mark on his face and teased him.
Tao Ziwen angrily asked, "What are you laughing at?"
The colleague quickly stopped his mischievous grin, washed his hands at another faucet, and as soon as he stepped out of the washroom, he burst into loud laughter.
Tao Ziwen looked at his reflection in the mirror. Although the kiss mark had mostly faded, he was still very angry. He scrubbed his face a few more times until the mark was completely gone before leaving the washroom.
By the time he returned to the main hall of the police station, most of his colleagues had already left; only the light at the washroom door remained on. Zhang Xin was outside the washroom, playing with her hair and waiting for Tao Ziwen. As soon as he came out, she wrapped her arms around his neck and said, "Ziwen Ge, are we going to Dajieshi or Bailemen today?"
Tao Ziwen pushed Zhang Xin's hands away and said, "I don't want to go anywhere. Please behave yourself in the future."
Zhang Xin ignored him and made even more intimate gestures. Tao Ziwen quickly pushed her away and said, "Sister, please stop bothering me. I really don't like you!"
Zhang Xin looked at Tao Ziwen in shock. "Are you joking with me?"
"I'm not joking! Not only do I not like you, but I also hate you! Don't follow me to the police station like a shadow anymore, okay?"
Zhang Xin felt humiliated and looked aggrieved. "You hate me? I’m like a shadow?" Anger surged through her as she grabbed some documents from the desk and threw them at Tao Ziwen's face. "Tao Ziwen, you bastard, big liar! I've grown up this way, and no one has ever dared to treat me like this! I'm going to kill you; I'll have my father kill your whole family!"
Zhang Xin smashed a couple of nearby desks in a fit of rage and stormed out of the police station without looking back.
The commotion between Tao Ziwen and Zhang Xin caught the attention of the Sheriff. The Sheriff hurriedly came down from the second floor and stood on the stairs between the first and second floors, saying to Tao Ziwen, "Tao Ziwen, that's Zhang Dashuai's daughter, the eldest daughter of the Zhang family. Even your father and I have to give her some respect. Why did you scold her when you got angry? Why are you just standing there? Hurry up and apologize!"
Tao Ziwen stubbornly replied, "If anyone should apologize, it's her!"
With that, he walked out of the police station at a leisurely pace.
The Sheriff stood on the stairs feeling frustrated. "Oh dear, everyone is so ungrateful! They really don't know their place!"
Zhang Xin stormed out of the police station and got into her family's car. The driver was Chen Master.
Chen Master asked Zhang Xin, "Sister, are we going back now?"
"Not going back!" Zhang Xin was still fuming, gritting her teeth as she glared at the entrance of the police station while muttering, "If he doesn't apologize to me, I'll make sure his whole family regrets it!"
As Tao Ziwen walked out of the police station, he saw Zhang Xin's car and turned to walk in another direction.
Chen Master said again, "Sister, let's go home!"
Seeing Tao Ziwen's back, Zhang Xin became even angrier. "I said no! Follow him! I want to see where he's going!"
Chen Master could only drive, trailing behind Tao Ziwen.
At this moment, the night was deep. After the chime of the Bell Tower struck eleven, the last customer left the café. Only Cheng Yuwan remained standing at the bar.
Cheng Yuwan hesitated for a moment, but ultimately picked up the microphone and dialed her mother.
“Mom, my sister hasn’t come back yet…” Cheng Yuwan's voice was a bit choked.
On the other end of the line, Cheng Shuhua listened for a long time without saying a word. Her face was filled with worry, and there were even glistening tears in her eyes.
Cheng Shuhua tried to keep her tone calm: “Then go look for her. Call me back when you find her!” After that, she reminded her, “Be careful!” before slowly hanging up the phone with concern.
After Cheng Yuwan hung up, she hesitated for a moment. Instead of tidying up the tables and chairs as usual, she grabbed her keys and quickly walked out, shutting and locking the door behind her.
Just as she was about to turn and leave in a hurry, a gentle voice suddenly called out from behind her.
“Wan'er!”
Cheng Yuwan turned around. Tao Ziwen had just emerged from around the corner, looking at her tenderly as he approached.
“Tao Ziwen?… I have something urgent to attend to… I…” Cheng Yuwan was very anxious; she wanted to explain everything quickly but suddenly found herself at a loss for words.
Tao Ziwen stepped in front of Cheng Yuwan and gently asked, “What’s the urgent matter?”
Cheng Yuwan’s eyes were filled with tears: “I… my sister is missing…”
Tao Ziwen took out a handkerchief and wiped away Cheng Yuwan's tears: “Let me help you look for her!”
Cheng Yuwan looked at Tao Ziwen with a complex expression.
Zhang Xin's private car turned the corner and parked by the roadside. Zhang Xin looked at Tao Ziwen and Cheng Yuwan, feeling jealous as she pounded on the car window, "Hmph! You don't like me, but you like another woman! Hmph!"
"Master Chen" asked for the third time, "Sister, it's so late, let's go home! If we don't go back soon, the master will be worried!"
"I won't go back! I want to see what kind of relationship Tao Ziwen has with this shameless woman. Tonight, I will do whatever it takes. If you ask one more question, I'll have my father fire you!"
Master Chen dared not say more. Zhang Xin glared fiercely at Tao Ziwen and Cheng Yuwan. Seeing them walk away, she quickly urged Master Chen to drive after them.
...
With a series of "crackling" sounds, dazzling sparks flickered in the darkness. After several attempts, a match was finally lit.
The one holding the match was Old Man's wife.
Old Man's wife lit the Kerosene Lamp again. The dim light illuminated Old Man and his wife as they gazed at the ragged, yellow-skinned monster before them, an inexplicable excitement swelling in their hearts. Then, Old Man's wife embraced the monster, kissing it repeatedly while crying, "Child, my dear heart, what misfortune have you encountered to become like this?"
Old Man clearly could not believe his eyes. He touched the monster's yellow face with his rough hands and asked, "Child, what has happened to you? Huh?"
Indeed, Old Man and his wife were the boy's parents—Old Zhang and Zhang Wife.
The boy was also very sad, but as soon as he cried out, he let out a wolf-like "woo" sound that intensified the barking around them.
Old Zhang quickly covered the boy's mouth, signaling him to be quiet.
Zhang Wife cried even harder, "Who did this to my child? How could he end up like this..."
The barking around them grew increasingly intense.
At this moment, Guo Zhiqian, Cheng Yuyao, and Wang Junpeng were all holding flashlights, quickly advancing along the bloodstains left on the road, searching for new clues. When Guo Zhiqian heard the barking of dogs ahead, he signaled everyone to stop.
Guo Zhiqian listened intently.
Wang Junpeng lowered his voice and asked Guo Zhiqian, "What's going on?"
Guo Zhiqian replied, "The barking is coming from up ahead; the culprit is likely right in front of us."
Wang Junpeng eagerly said, "Then let's hurry and catch up!"
Following that, Guo Zhiqian, Cheng Yuyao, and Wang Junpeng began to run forward with the somber police officers behind them.
Old Zhang listened to the intermittent barking around him and hurriedly pulled his tearful wife and the boy aside. "Stop crying, stop crying! Do you want the whole village to know?"
Zhang Wife stifled her sobs and wiped her tears.
Suddenly, Old Zhang added, "No, I need to quickly clean up the blood at the door so no one finds our child."
With that, Old Zhang stepped out of the house. He threw a dead chicken inside and picked up a broom at the entrance to start sweeping away the blood in the yard. A large, filthy wild dog stood at the Firewood Gate of the boy's house, baring its teeth at Old Zhang as if it wanted to pounce. Old Zhang was frightened; he turned around and grabbed another dead chicken, tossing it outside the Firewood Gate. The wild dog rushed over and grabbed the dead chicken before running off.
Old Zhang felt a sense of dread as he tightly closed the Firewood Gate. Just then, he saw a police team approaching their home and hurriedly cleaned up the bloodstains from the Firewood Gate to the front door. He had just finished sweeping when he suddenly heard a voice behind him.
"Hey there, have you seen anything strange come by?" This was Wang Junpeng's voice, who had already reached outside the Firewood Gate.
"Uh... that..." Old Zhang awkwardly turned around, looking at the police outside the Firewood Gate but unable to speak.
Guo Zhiqian, Cheng Yuyao, and a large group of police officers waited for Wang Junpeng's inquiry results. At that moment, Da Zhuang heard some noise and moved closer to investigate.
Wang Junpeng added to Old Zhang, "It might be injured or carrying some kind of prey."
Old Zhang tried to evade and lied, "No... not at all..."
Da Zhuang followed the sound to a patch of grass, pushing aside the bushes. The large, dirty wild dog that Old Zhang had given a chicken to turned around and lunged at Da Zhuang. Startled, Da Zhuang squatted down in fear. The wild dog suddenly jumped out from the bushes, causing Da Zhuang to scream and run away. Just as the wild dog was about to bite Da Zhuang's backside, Guo Zhiqian snatched a gun from a police officer behind him, aimed, and shot the wild dog in the head.
Da Zhuang was terrified, repeatedly turning his head and touching his backside, "Oh my! Oh my! You scared me to death! Scared me to death!"
Wang Junpeng turned around and saw the wild dog. He walked over from the wall, flipped through the bushes, and pulled out half a dead chicken that the wild dog had left behind. He immediately burst into laughter, "Ha! After searching for so long, we finally found the so-called culprit!"
Seeing the culprit confirmed, the police officers all breathed a sigh of relief, with some even complaining.
"So it turns out the culprit is just a dog!"
"Is this dog really worth all this fuss?"
"I'm exhausted; finally done!"
Wang Junpeng was displeased by these complaints. Seizing the opportunity to assert his authority over his subordinates, he said, "What’s wrong with a dog? If we don’t take it down, it will continue causing trouble! Today it killed a few chickens; tomorrow it could kill someone!"
Seeing everyone subdued by his reprimand, Wang Junpeng felt somewhat elated. "You two," he pointed at two officers, "carry this dog back to the station; everyone else can disperse!"
The two officers named by Wang Junpeng reluctantly stayed behind while the others felt relieved and quickly scattered—everyone was tired and eager to leave.
Wang Junpeng thanked Guo Zhiqian, "Guo Zhiqian, if it weren't for your reminder, I might have returned empty-handed tonight. Let me treat you to drinks at my place!"
Wang Junpeng patted Guo Zhiqian on the shoulder with great enthusiasm, but Guo Zhiqian doused him with cold water: "Do you really think this dog is responsible for all those dead chickens?"
"What do you mean?"
Guo Zhiqian asked Wang Junpeng, "Have you considered why we haven't found any paw prints from this dog along the way?"
Cheng Yuyao added, "I noticed that the most footprints we saw along the way were a pair of children's footprints."
Wang Junpeng was still immersed in the joy of catching the chicken killer and thought Guo Zhiqian and Cheng Yuyao were joking with him: "You can't be telling me that a child killed those hens, right?"
Seeing that Guo Zhiqian and Cheng Yuyao couldn't respond, Wang Junpeng became even more convinced of his thoughts: "Alright, the case is closed for today. You all come back with me!"
"Okay!" Guo Zhiqian replied, and together with Cheng Yuyao, Wang Junpeng, and the two police officers carrying the dead dog, they left the front door of the Pale Yellow-Skinned Boy's house.
Old Zhang blocked the doorway, and once the police had left, he squatted down in fear, his face ashen.
The boy picked up two dead chickens at the door; noticing one was missing, he kept turning in circles looking for it.
Zhang Wife took the dead chicken from the boy's hands while wiping her tears and said, "If you want to eat chicken, I'll stew it for you! Whatever you want to eat, I'll make it for you!"
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