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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 464: Human Skin Puppet (Part Twenty-Seven)
That night, I went to check on Gao Sheng, who had been temporarily transferred and then vanished without a trace. According to Li Luwen's mother, Gao Sheng had been sickly since birth, constantly on medication, and his family didn't treat him well; it seemed they had entrusted him to someone.
I suspected that this someone must have some significance.
Logically, Gao Sheng should have been dead by now, yet he was able to prolong the life of someone who was supposed to have died long ago. Moreover, after a thorough autopsy on Qin Jian's body, it was discovered that the time of death was only a few hours prior.
If Slug hadn't been destroyed with salt, Gao Sheng could have told us something.
When it came to this matter, Qin Jian asked Ling Juan if she knew who had informed the staff about the giant Slug in the room. Ling Juan shook her head, indicating she didn't know.
I thought someone must have deliberately told the staff to destroy Slug; if that were the case, my plan would be thwarted.
While we were discussing Gao Sheng, Qin Jian and Ling Juan suddenly stopped, and I couldn't help but feel a jolt of surprise. In front of us, a line of indistinct footprints extended outwards, turned in a circle, and then disappeared.
The people assisting us were secretly terrified but dared not speak, exchanging glances in silence.
Qin Jian asked me, "If Wang Liu's words are confirmed, at least two things are true. Does that mean the Plastic Model is really alive?"
"Yes. You should hurry back to the shore and keep Chen Pi steady; there might be unexpected gains."
"What are we waiting for? Let's go together."
Without hesitation, the three of us made our way toward the shore, wading through varying depths of water as those following us also moved along. I glanced back at the chaotic footprints—disorderly and uneven in depth—yet the bizarre footprints that had long existed in the riverbed were strikingly consistent. The patterns of extension, turning, or lateral movement were particularly evident.
The riverbed was muddy, and despite wearing specially designed fishing gear, it was still quite difficult to walk. The low-lying pits, especially after the water had receded, were teeming with lively fish. The crowd gathered around was extremely excited, almost breaking through the safety line in their eagerness to snatch the fish from the shallow waters.
I looked over at the chaotic crowd and had to admire Qin Jian's methodical approach. If it weren't for his thorough planning, things would have been in complete disarray here. We would have either found suspicious footprints or not seen a single fish or shrimp.
As we withdrew, with the riverbed footprints photographed for records, Qin Jian instructed the assisting officers to maintain their defense. The water had only been cut off for a short time and would likely be released in about half an hour. Therefore, those fish and shrimp in the shallow pools were definitely off-limits for catching.
I trusted Qin Jian's judgment. After I informed him that the person was Chen Pi, he had no reason to interrogate him at that moment. Instead, he took advantage of the traffic police's accident report to note down Chen Pi's exact address. This way, once we moved up to Branching Stream, if Chen Pi left, Qin Jian would have obtained his address information.
Initially, I was unaware that Qin Jian had hinted to the traffic police to include Chen Pi in the report. So when I didn’t see Chen Pi later on, I almost complained about Qin Jian’s procrastination; I had no idea where to find this person now.
Qin Jian proudly pulled out the report and said to me, “Look at how I handle things.”
I gave him a thumbs-up in approval and replied, “You’re good.” Then I took the report he handed me: No. 6 Happiness Road Huishui New District, Zidongmen District.
“What’s our next move?”
Instead of answering directly, I turned the question back to Qin Jian: “How far is Happiness Road Huishui New District from here?”
“Not far, about five bus stops or so. Why do you ask?”
“I think Chen Pi might be in danger.”
“What kind of danger could he be in? He seems perfectly fine to me,” Qin Jian said, puzzled.
"Stop talking nonsense, let's go take a look."
"I'm afraid that's not possible. I need to send this for testing." Qin Jian shook his phone, which contained newly taken information about the Riverbed footprints.
Qin Jian's Riverbed footprints also needed to be tested. He couldn't go, and I couldn't leave Chen Pi behind. Besides, I genuinely wanted to extract the details of the incident involving Gousi from him, so I decisively decided to go alone.
I headed towards Chen Pi's house while Qin Jian and Ling Juan returned to the station to relay the information they had gathered and verify whether the Riverbed footprints belonged to a human or something inexplicable. It wasn't far—just five bus stops—and since Chen Pi had just left the scene, he was in the car driven by Driver Brother.
Driver Brother was cooperating with the traffic police for their investigation, so he could only hurry back.
If I rushed back too, wouldn't that be a bit too hasty? So I decided to run instead. After running one stop, I suddenly felt something was off. My keen sixth sense detected someone watching me from a distance. The first thought that crossed my mind was that it could be a stalker!
Could it be Chen Pi?
I had barely exchanged three sentences with Chen Pi; why would he suspect me or follow me? Plus, Qin Jian had left twenty minutes ago—he had already departed while we were searching for footprints at Diverging Channel River.
I cleared my throat lightly and organized my thoughts before walking slowly. As I strolled, I ruled out everyone passing by—an elderly person, hurried office workers, and couples strolling by the street trees—none of them were watching me. The gaze that lingered on me held no malice and lacked any eerie feeling; whoever it was, they were definitely human.
Why would someone be following me? Did they think I was carrying a fortune and planned to rob me in a secluded area?
I stood alert in place, quickly turning around to look at the person behind me. In my line of sight were an elderly person, hurried commuters heading home, and couples cuddling by the street trees—but I still couldn't see the pair of eyes that were watching me.
Who could it be? I considered the possibility of a woman who had fallen for me at first sight after finishing her business or perhaps an oblivious talent scout wanting to discover me as a star, foolishly thinking so as I quickened my pace.
As I walked faster, I felt the occasional gaze from behind, as if someone was lurking, sometimes hidden behind the street trees, and at other times stealthily following me without my notice. The stalker's skills were rather lacking, and I couldn't help but chuckle. Ahead of me was an alley, so I took a sharp turn and slipped into it.
Just then, I spotted a shop called Douban Dumplings. It seemed to be doing well, so I entered and sat down at a window seat. This way, I could see anyone coming in my direction.
As soon as I settled in, a waitress approached and asked how many dumplings I wanted. I waved my hand dismissively. "Sorry, I'm just taking a break."
The waitress rolled her eyes in annoyance. "There are no empty seats here. Look, there are customers coming in with no place to sit. Please get up and go rest somewhere else."
"Hey, I'm resting; that doesn't mean I'm not going to buy dumplings. Are you really telling a customer to leave? Tell me who your boss is; please call her over to ask if customers can't sit down to rest but must eat and leave immediately."
Hearing this, the waitress's expression faltered, and she awkwardly lowered her voice. "I'm sorry; you're resting, but I have other things to attend to."
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