Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 3: The Ghost in the Files
I almost fled back to the guesthouse.
After leaving the Technical Department, just a few steps felt like I had just run a marathon; my heart raced as if it were about to leap out of my throat. The faint gaze on my back pricked at me like a needle, making every step feel like walking on thorns.
Once I returned to my room, I immediately locked the door, bolted it shut, and even shoved a chair against it. I knew this was likely just a psychological comfort, but at least it made me feel a little safer.
I collapsed onto the bed, gasping for breath, my mind a jumbled mess.
Xiao Li’s final glance… he definitely saw something! Was he one of Fang Huai'an's people? Or was he also a node in that “Old Rules” network? He couldn’t possibly be unaware that the photos had been deleted! Was his seemingly casual question just a test? A warning?
It’s over; I’ve been exposed.
This thought coiled around me like a venomous snake, sending chills through my body. They know I’m suspicious; they know I saw that photo. What will happen next? How will Fang Huai'an "handle" me, this young man who "saw too much"?
In an instant, countless terrifying thoughts surged forth. Will they set me up? Frame me? Even… create an "accident"? Just like Zhou Dahai?
The more I thought about it, the more frightened I became, curling up on the bed and trembling uncontrollably. This is not some basic training; it’s like walking into a tiger's den!
No! I can’t just sit here and wait for my fate!
I suddenly sprang up from the bed, pacing back and forth in the cramped room like a caged beast. I had to think of a way out; I had to save myself!
Confront them directly? Go to Captain Zhao? Approach Fang Huai'an? That would be no different from suicide. Report it up the chain? But where’s the evidence? All I had was a photo with faint scratches and some “guesses” about deleted images, along with an overheard phone call. These pieces of information were nowhere near enough to shake Fang Huai'an's foundation built over thirty years here. They could easily dismiss it as my incompetence—misreading the scratches or attributing the photo loss to system errors.
The Zhou Dahai lead was off-limits for now. The evidence chain had already been contaminated, and with the body gone, clinging to it would only push me into an even more dangerous situation.
What should I do? Should I just accept my fate and wait for the transfer period to end, feeling defeated? Or worse, face an unexpected "accident" without any explanation?
No! I refuse to give in! I am a forensic expert, and my duty is to seek the truth! Even if it's for self-preservation, I must uncover what this "Old Rules" is all about!
Calm down, Qin Ming, calm down! There must be another way.
I paced around the room countless times, smoking one cigarette after another until the pack was empty, before abruptly stopping in my tracks.
Since directly investigating Zhou Dahai's case seems futile, could I perhaps… find an indirect way?
Fang Huai'an's mention of "Old Rules," along with his almost mechanical handling of cases, gave me a strong premonition—Zhou Dahai's case was definitely not an isolated incident!
If I could find other cases handled by Fang Huai'an that were similarly classified as "accidents" but were riddled with doubts, especially those with similarities to Zhou Dahai's case… If I could identify a pattern or a rule, wouldn’t that prove that this so-called "Old Rules" truly exists and has been in operation all along?
This thought struck me like a lightning bolt, clearing the fog in my mind.
Yes! Investigate old cases!
This approach carries far less risk than directly probing into Zhou Dahai's case. Reviewing old case files can be framed as "learning" and "gaining experience," providing a legitimate excuse. Moreover, since these cases have already been classified and settled, they attract little attention and are less likely to raise alarms.
But a new question arose. How would I go about it?
Should I go back to the Technical Department to find Xiao Li? No way; just seeing him makes me uneasy, and it’s too obvious. The archives? Would the County Bureau’s archives even allow access? As an outsider and temporary worker, how long could I browse through old files?
I recalled the system interface I had seen on the Technical Department's computer earlier. It seemed there was an entry for "Historical Archive" in addition to the ongoing cases. At that time, I hadn’t looked closely enough to know how detailed the contents were or whether I had permission to access them.
No matter what, I had to give it a try!
I took a moment to calm myself, trying to appear more composed. After splashing some water on my face and changing into clean clothes, I practiced my "harmless" smile in front of the mirror a few times.
Then, I made my way back to the gray and white office building.
This time, I didn’t seek out Captain Zhao or head to the Technical Department; instead, I went straight to the archive room on the second floor. The room was small, dimly lit, and filled with the musty scent of old paper and dust. An elderly woman wearing reading glasses sat behind a desk knitting, barely glancing up when I entered.
“Hello, ma'am. I'm Forensic Qin, temporarily assigned from the provincial department,” I said, trying to make my voice sound sincere and humble. “I’d like to look into some past accidental death cases to learn and gain some experience.”
The woman paused her knitting, lifted her head, and peered at me through her glasses for a moment before slowly responding, “How far back do you want to check?”
“Um... within the last five or six years would be fine, just non-homicidal accidental deaths,” I replied cautiously.
“They're all on the computer. Over there,” she pointed to an old computer in the corner covered in dust. Then she returned to her knitting, seemingly uninterested in my eagerness to learn.
I felt a surge of joy; it seemed that the management here was indeed quite lax.
I approached the computer, blew off the dust on top, and clumsily powered it on. The startup was astonishingly slow, accompanied by noises reminiscent of an old cart being pulled by an ox. After what felt like an eternity, I finally accessed the system and found the entry for "Historical Archive." I attempted to log in using the temporary account Xiao Li had given me earlier that morning.
“Username or password incorrect.”
My heart sank. As expected, access had been restricted, or perhaps that account simply didn’t have permission to access the historical archive.
What should I do? Should I give up?
Reluctantly staring at the screen, I suddenly noticed an option for “Guest Browsing” next to the login interface. With a mindset of giving it a try, I clicked on it.
To my surprise, I was in!
However, the "visitor" permissions allow access to very limited information, only enabling the browsing of basic case details such as the reporting time, the deceased's name, age, place of death, preliminary classification, and... the forensic pathologist in charge.
But that was enough!
I took a deep breath and began filtering. Time range: the past six years. Case nature: non-homicidal death. Forensic pathologist: Fang Huai'an.
The search results popped up, a long list. Fang Huai'an had been working here for over thirty years, handling a vast number of non-homicidal cases, which was hardly surprising.
I patiently scrolled down line by line, focusing particularly on those cases where the place of death was "at home," with causes listed as "accidental fall" or "sudden illness," especially those involving older deceased individuals.
Time ticked away; my eyes grew dry and sore, and my neck stiffened. The archive room was filled only with the sound of my keyboard and mouse clicks, along with the soft rustling of an elderly woman knitting nearby. The silence was unsettling. I felt as if someone were watching me from behind, prompting me to turn around repeatedly, but each time I only saw towering stacks of old files and the woman engrossed in her yarn.
Just as I was about to lose patience and question whether I was overthinking things, a name caught my eye.
Deceased: Li Guifen, female, 71 years old.
Time of death: Autumn three years ago.
Place of death: Bedroom at home.
Preliminary classification: Accidental fall (head struck against bedside table).
Forensic pathologist: Fang Huai'an.
The case itself seemed unremarkable; what drew my attention was a note in parentheses next to the deceased's name: (wife of Zhou Dahai).
My pupils dilated suddenly! Zhou Dahai's wife?!
Zhou Dahai's wife had also died three years ago from an "accidental fall" at home, and it was Fang Huai'an who conducted the autopsy?!
My heart raced, and blood seemed to rush to my head! This was definitely not a coincidence!
I almost trembled as I clicked on the details of the case.
The overview stated: The deceased, Li Guifen, suffered from mild dementia and was alone at home on the night of the incident. When her son found her, she was lying on the bedroom floor with obvious head trauma. There were no signs of a struggle, and the doors and windows were intact. The autopsy concluded that she died from cranial injuries consistent with an accidental fall.
Mild dementia... alone at home... head trauma... accidental fall...
Every element was strikingly similar to Zhou Dahai's case!
I immediately typed "Li Guifen" into the search bar, hoping to find more detailed records or related reports. Soon, a brief article from a local news website three years ago popped up, reporting on the unfortunate death of this "respected elder's widow," filled with expressions of sorrow. The report mentioned that although Li Guifen's memory had declined, her physical health was still good, and she could manage her daily life independently. This accident took her neighbors and family by surprise.
Very sudden...
I stared at these two words, feeling a chill shoot up from my feet to the top of my head.
Zhou Dahai's death had also been deemed "sudden" by his family!
If Zhou Dahai's shoulder bruising and that phone call only made me suspicious, then his wife's nearly identical "accident" three years ago made me almost certain—there was definitely something fishy going on here!
Fang Huai'an! It was Fang Huai'an again! What role did he play in the deaths of this elderly couple? Could it be... that he "handled" both "accidents"? According to those damn "Old Rules"?
Why? Who were Zhou Dahai and his wife a problem for? Or rather, whose interests were served by their "accidental" deaths?
I desperately wanted to know more details about the Li Guifen case, especially the autopsy report and scene photos! However, visitor permissions prevented me from accessing any of that information.
I attempted to search for deeper access points within the system, even trying to guess the administrator's password, but all my efforts failed. This old machine was sluggish, and its security measures were quite robust.
Just as I was at a loss, staring intently at the line "Li Guifen" on the screen, the door to the archive room creaked open.
I jumped in surprise and quickly looked up.
Standing at the doorway was none other than Fang Huai'an.
He was still wearing that slightly yellowed white lab coat, hands clasped behind his back, his expression unreadable. His sharp eyes, framed by reading glasses, calmly rested on me and then on the computer screen in front of me.
My mind went blank in an instant, and it felt as if my blood had frozen.
How could he be here? Was it a coincidence? Or did he know I was searching for something? Had he seen me looking up the case of Li Guifen?
“Xiao Qin Forensic Expert,” he spoke slowly, his voice low yet striking like a hammer against my heart. “Working hard, are we? What are you investigating?”
His tone was very casual, as if a supervisor had unexpectedly found an employee working late and was merely making small talk.
Yet from that casualness, I sensed a chilling undertone that pierced through me.
Comment 0 Comment Count