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墨書 Inktalez
"What is it?" Mary asked quickly and quietly, like a curious little cat.
"This matter," I elongated my tone and said, "is quite a long story."
It was four years ago, a year after I officially became a detective. Under the guidance of Captain Shi, I quickly became capable of handling cases independently and established myself as an excellent detective. I was allowed to participate in some major cases, such as serial murder investigations. Previously, my job had mostly involved reviewing surveillance footage to identify vehicles and individuals, rarely visiting crime scenes due to the inherent dangers of such cases. But now, I was among the first responders.
At that time, a series of brutal sexual assaults and murders occurred in Yuzhou City, causing widespread panic. The initial incident was reported by the public when a female corpse was discovered in an underpass. The body was completely naked, with one part severed by the killer, and one of her hands had been cut off.
The scene was horrific and difficult to look at.
Captain Shi determined that this could not be an isolated incident; there would surely be more cases, and the killer would continue to strike. Sure enough, just two days later, another female body was found in a field. This victim had also been sexually assaulted, with her left breast mutilated in the same manner as the first. The killer used the same method: first assaulting the woman, then strangling her before cutting away a piece of flesh.
We naturally combined our investigations and managed to obtain the killer's fingerprints.
Although we had the killer's fingerprints, we could not find a match in the database. Thus, we had to start with conventional methods, checking nearby surveillance footage. However, the locations where these incidents occurred were often remote and lacked sufficient monitoring to aid our investigation.
Nevertheless, Captain Shi analyzed some clues at the scene and deduced a rough description of the killer: he was likely between five foot seven and five foot nine, slightly overweight, owned a car, and appeared reclusive and disheveled. His profession might have been a butcher, doctor, or veterinarian because his cuts were precise and showed no signs of panic; only someone experienced in such work could manage that.
Then another body was discovered in an abandoned house. In just five days, three people had died. Our chief, known as Li the Tiger, was furious upon hearing this news. He declared that we had only three days to solve the case; if we failed by then, we would be out of our jobs.
The media sensationalized this case extensively, creating immense pressure from all sides. We had no choice but to solve it as quickly as possible.
"Do you remember Chuxue's case?" I said to Mary. "From the very beginning, I thought about using you all as bait to draw out the killer; I just never acted on it until I felt he was looking for his next victim. If I didn't take this step, there could easily be another death. To save one life, I had no choice but to resolve myself to use you as bait..."
Mary responded thoughtfully, "Are you saying this is related to what happens next?"
I sighed heavily and replied, "Yes. My shadow stems from that case four years ago..."
Three days felt incredibly short. At this point, we could only narrow down our target area in Yuzhou City where the killer might operate—he likely frequented the western part of the city. Using the three victims as reference points, we drew circles with a radius of ten thousand meters around each location and looked for overlaps among them.
Following this lead, we searched everywhere—doctors, veterinarians, butchers—and found no clues. With only two days left, Juan Juan suggested that she act as bait to lure out the killer. The girls were too frightened to go out after dark, and the streets at night were nearly deserted.
If Juan Juan appeared in the darkness, dressed in something more alluring, wandering around the west side of the city, she would surely attract the murderer. Captain Shi initially disagreed, but with no better options and time running out, we had to consider it. We understood how serious this case was; Li the Tiger wanted us to solve it quickly out of a sense of responsibility.
After we agreed, Juan Juan dressed provocatively and began to roam the streets in the west side of town. We were afraid of being discovered and kept our distance, following her from afar. Sure enough, a figure in black appeared behind Juan Juan. We all held our breath, thinking this must be the killer. However, he simply passed by her without any ill intent.
We sighed in relief, but then Juan Juan suddenly vanished after crossing an intersection. We had been trailing her from a distance and hadn’t caught up when she disappeared. Panic set in as we began searching frantically for any sign of her.
Half an hour later, we finally discovered a hidden vegetable cellar. It was deep and nearly impossible to see in the dark; without prior knowledge of its existence, one would never find it on such a pitch-black night.
We quickly turned on our flashlights and jumped down inside, only to find Juan Juan restrained with tape over her mouth. She was disheveled, and the killer was removing his clothes. If we had arrived even a moment later, Juan Juan could have been assaulted.
The man was none other than the one who had passed right by Juan Juan earlier; it seemed he had been waiting for her to attack.
Upon seeing us suddenly appear, the killer looked startled but quickly grabbed a knife from the ground and held it to Juan Juan's throat. Realizing he was cornered and facing certain death if captured, he intended to take someone down with him. I froze in fear as he lunged at Juan Juan.
I didn’t know what would happen if that knife struck her; instinct took over as I drew my gun and shot him dead in one swift motion. My hand trembled uncontrollably afterward as if I wasn’t the one who had just fired the weapon. I hadn’t even registered what had happened before pulling the trigger—it was purely reflexive.
Juan Juan collapsed into my arms, sobbing uncontrollably. I held her close and stroked her hair.
“I will never let you face such danger again,” I whispered gently.
Juan Juan cried inconsolably.
Later, we learned that the man had once been a doctor but had stopped practicing over a decade ago after his wife died unexpectedly. Instead of burying her, he kept her body beside him, pretending she was still alive—watching TV with her, talking to her, even engaging in intimate acts with her corpse.
But as years passed, despite his attempts at preservation, decay set in. The doctor devised a horrific plan: to find young girls and cut parts from their bodies to sew onto his wife’s rotting remains so she could remain eternally youthful. Thus began his spree of murder and assault.
His twisted motivation stemmed from his wife’s request for divorce years ago; he loved her yet harbored deep resentment. In his madness, he killed her so she could remain with him forever. Consequently, he viewed all other women as mere objects—bitches to be violated.
Perhaps it was the experience of life and death that made me realize, in that moment when the doctor raised the knife to strike, that my life could not exist without Juan Juan. If the doctor were to kill her, I would take the most brutal revenge on him. That was my instinctive feeling, even though I knew as a police officer, I couldn't act on it.
It was my first time shooting someone, and I felt no fear—only a lingering dread, because protecting the one you love is instinctual. Unfortunately, after so many years as a police officer, that was the only time I successfully drew my weapon. Because two years later, even to this day, every time I hold a gun, my hands tremble uncontrollably, shaking so badly that I can hardly pull the trigger, let alone use it to kill.
So naturally, I ended up with Juan Juan. If it weren't for that incident, perhaps we would never have understood each other's significance in our hearts. It was as if we had always possessed each other; just like how you often forget certain parts of your body until you are about to lose them and realize their importance.
"So, all these years," I said with a sigh, "the reason we've been breaking up and getting back together is that we know how much we mean to each other—far more than we ever realized. But who knows? Love has never been something easily explained."
After listening to my story, Mary said lightly, "A police love story! I wish there were someone who would rush to save me when I'm in danger. He would be my hero, my prince charming! Just thinking about it makes me happy."
I shook my head and replied, "Let me tell you from experience; it's best not to think that way. Because at that moment, all I felt was regret—never the thrill of surviving. One wrong move could lead to eternal separation. As long as you're alive, there's hope for everything; but if you're dead, that's truly the end."
"I know!" Mary yawned widely and said, "I’m just fantasizing a bit. Alright then, enough talk—time to sleep! Tomorrow I have to follow you, the great detective, to find Killer. I need my energy!" With that, Mary wrapped herself tightly in her clothes.
Yes, tomorrow there were more tasks awaiting us. I tightened my own clothing and settled into the seat as comfortably as possible. Who knows what would happen tomorrow?
On my first voyage at sea, I encountered a well-known Bengal Aid Worker—young and impulsive—but too poor to really make a move until the First Mate told me that a bag of instant noodles could get me through the night with a group of women...
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