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墨書 Inktalez
Light streamed through the high windows, illuminating one half of the room while the other remained shrouded in darkness.
An overnight apple was pierced by an incense stick, its smoke curling gently into the air.
On the bed lay a pattern made of Finger Bones. The old woman squinted as she sat before the arrangement, muttering to herself. Suddenly, she opened her previously narrowed eyes and fixed her gaze on Liu Yuan Kui, a hint of authority in her expression. "You may ask the bones now."
Liu Yuan Kui's body trembled slightly, and after a moment's hesitation, he reached out and randomly grabbed one of the Finger Bones, quickly handing it to his mother.
The old woman donned her reading glasses and picked up a shoemaking awl from beside her. With a few deft movements, she scraped away the wax from both ends of the Finger Bone and carefully extracted a slip of paper from its hollow center.
Liu Yuan Kui was extremely anxious, his eyes glued to the slip of paper, wondering what prophecies it contained.
The old woman glanced at it hastily in the light filtering through the window, and her expression darkened instantly.
"Mom, what does it say?" Liu Yuan Kui asked eagerly.
The old woman fully unfolded the note; it contained only one word: "囡" (nán).
She stared at the character for a long moment, straightened her back against the large wooden chest, and her face fell back into shadow.
"This character contains 'woman,' indicating that a girl was trapped within. This clearly suggests that our Yan Zi was kidnapped while she was alive. Moreover, Yan Zi is already dead."
Kidnapped? Liu Yuan Kui was taken aback, but seeing his mother's serious expression left no room for doubt; she was not joking.
During this visit home to consult the bones, Liu Yuan Kui had only wanted to know whether Yan Zi was alive or dead. He never expected to learn from his mother that Yan Zi had faced such misfortune in her life.
Upon returning to the city, Liu Yuan Kui did not go home immediately. Instead, he went to a Private Detective Agency and paid a hefty sum to hire the most renowned detective to investigate a person. He provided a photograph of none other than the Truck Driver who had indirectly caused Liu Yan's death.
Liu Yuan Kui felt increasingly uneasy about his daughter's death, despite the fact that the truck driver was supposed to be dead and there seemed to be no further need for investigation. The combination of the cellphone video and the results from his mother's inquiry into the bones only deepened his suspicions.
In the days spent waiting for the detective's findings, Liu Yuan Kui first took Dong Dong to the hospital where Zhao Wenya worked. The doctor assured them that the child was mentally sound and that they should not worry too much.
While Dong Dong was fine, Zhao Wenya fell ill, plagued by frequent nightmares that left her drenched in cold sweat upon waking.
When Liu Yuan Kui asked her what she dreamed about, she revealed that she had dreamt of their daughter Liu Yan as a child, standing naked in a room. Liu Yan had told her she was cold, and when Zhao Wenya approached to comfort her, she was horrified to see blood streaming from Liu Yan's lower body.
"Yuan Kui, she bled so much in my dream! It ran down her thighs and pooled into a large puddle on the floor!" Zhao Wenya cried as she clung tightly to her husband, her body trembling slightly. "Why would I have such a dream? Is Yan Zi trying to tell us something?"
Liu Yuan Kui pushed her away irritably, his face showing impatience. "Don't overthink it; dreams aren't reality."
Zhao Wenya was left with a tear-streaked face, filled with astonishment.
Finally, it was time for their appointment at the detective agency.
The detective in charge of the investigation pulled out a brown paper package from a drawer. Just as Liu Yuan Kui reached for it, the detective pressed it down first, wearing a mysterious expression. "Mr. Liu, you need to prepare yourself mentally!"
Liu Yuan Kui frowned and took the package from him.
The truck driver was named Qi Huo, 23 years old, an orphan who had grown up in an orphanage and had a childhood sweetheart. Liu Yuan Kui placed the profile of the subject on the table and began flipping through the photos inside. Most of them featured Qi Huo with his girlfriend, and they appeared to have a strong bond.
As Liu Yuan Kui turned to one particular photo, he could hardly believe his eyes; it was a picture of his daughter Liu Yan walking alongside Qi Huo from behind.
"That's not your daughter; that's his girlfriend Wang Guoguo. They do look quite similar from this angle," the detective remarked.
Liu Yuan Kui remained silent, his face dark as he continued to look at the photographs. The next image caught his attention; it was a picture of Qi Huo with his girlfriend taken in a small park. Just a few dozen meters away stood a hospital where his wife, Zhao Wenya, worked.
Years ago, Liu Yuan Kui had met Zhao Wenya while seeking treatment at that very hospital. Time had flown by since then.
"This Wang Guoguo looks frail," Liu Yuan Kui remarked, observing that Qi Huo's embrace of his girlfriend seemed more like he was supporting her than holding her close, a hint of concern evident in his eyes.
"Yes, this girl has contracted a strange infectious disease," the detective replied.
Suddenly, Liu Yuan Kui realized that Zhao Wenya, working in the infectious disease department, could very well be her attending physician.
Could it be that he was making baseless connections? Then he recalled something else: just days before Liu Yan's death, Zhao Wenya's account had mysteriously lost a full 200,000.
A bad premonition crept into Liu Yuan Kui's mind.
"According to my investigation over the past few days, Qi Huo had been in close contact with Wang Guoguo's attending physician shortly before his death," the detective's words made Liu Yuan Kui tense up again, instinctively leaning forward.
"What was the doctor's name?"
"Zhao Wenya," the detective said with a teasing smile. "Mr. Liu, I received a package this morning addressed to you." As he spoke, the detective retrieved a package from beneath his feet and pushed it toward Liu Yuan Kui.
Liu Yuan Kui stared at the package as if it were a ticking time bomb, his eyes filled with wariness and unease.
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