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墨書 Inktalez
Some lives belong to darkness, while others have always existed underground. As someone who walks in the sunlight, I naturally tend to overlook what lies beneath our feet. The living dead that break through the soil have always been underground. Therefore, I can almost conclude that the Murderer must be beneath Xingdong Village.
In fact, it is very likely right where we stand.
"It's three o'clock," Gu Chen's voice rang out.
I hurriedly glanced at my watch; it was indeed three o'clock in the early morning. This meant that the Murderer was about to contact us online.
As the second hand swept past twelve, my phone buzzed. Mary had sent me a message via WeChat with a request from the Murderer.
We quickly gathered to look:
Two hours had passed so swiftly, and before we knew it, it was time for us to meet again. At this moment, the police must have repaired those four bowls by now. Well, at least I hope they could manage that. If even one bowl is missing, Forensic would end up carving his left foot into a skeleton; if two are missing, both feet would be gone. If none were repaired, then it would be both legs.
I must say, Forensic is quite flexible; he could easily perform his own Autopsy. By the way, if you do manage to fix the bowls, place them at the designated spot in Dongxing City that I specify. But as for where exactly that will be, I'll take charge of that—exciting, isn't it?
I find it thrilling; now who should we choose as our courier?
Oh right, my brother thinks Forensic looks good and wants to date him. Unfortunately, Forensic already has a boyfriend. This boyfriend's name is Wu Meng—a rather unpleasant name if you ask me. So, do you want to play this game? Though you don’t really have a choice.
The decision lies in my hands; if you want your girlfriend Alive, you'd better follow my instructions.
So Wu Meng, are you ready?
It’s three o'clock in the early morning now; I want you back in Dongxing City by five.
And Wu Meng, I've seen you; don’t think about trying to substitute yourself with someone else.
Well then, goodbye.
After reading the letter left by the Murderer, I furrowed my brow. Driving from Xingdong Village to Dongxing City would take at least four hours; even at top speed, it would still require three hours. In just two hours, there was no way we could make it to Dongxing City in time.
“Murderer has only given us two hours,” Gu Chen said. “We definitely can’t drive back in time, so we have no choice…”
Both Gu Chen and I said at the same time, “A helicopter!”
I immediately dialed Mary’s number and said, “Mary, send a helicopter to pick me up right away.”
Mary quickly replied, “When Captain Shao saw Murderer’s request, he understood Murderer’s intentions immediately. A helicopter is already on its way; all you need to do is wait in Xingdong Village. Murderer has only given us two hours, and even with a helicopter, time is tight. Don’t wander around.”
“I know,” I said before hanging up.
As I ended the call, an ominous premonition suddenly arose within me. In such a short time, Murderer had managed to consider events so far ahead and timed everything perfectly. It was spring now, and by six-thirty, it would already be light outside. Murderer belonged to the darkness; he would never act while it was bright.
This meant that before six-thirty, Murderer would have completed all his plans. He must return to Dongxing City before that time. It was currently three o'clock; even if Murderer drove as fast as possible, it would take at least three hours. Moreover, the entrance had already been sealed off. How could Murderer possibly get into the city?
If Murderer couldn’t enter the city, then he wouldn’t be able to take those bowls either. Besides, he couldn’t possibly carry Guan Zengbin with him. Therefore, Murderer would likely leave Guan Zengbin behind underground. This meant that if we could find Guan Zengbin, we wouldn’t even need to meet Murderer’s conditions.
However, this all hinged on one major premise: there was only one Murderer.
And this was something I firmly believed while everyone else thought there were many of them. If there truly were multiple Murderers and I let my guard down, then Guan Zengbin would indeed be forced to perform an autopsy on himself, and that was not something I would ever joke about.
So no matter what Murderer was up to, I had to act.
Previously, when Murderer encountered us in the woods, he must have known I was in Xingdong Village; that’s why he set a two-hour limit for me to return. The timing was just right—tight but not impossible to fulfill. Who exactly was this Murderer?
While waiting for the helicopter to arrive, I quickly turned to Gu Chen and said, “Gu Chen, the police will be here soon. Focus on investigating the underground of Xingdong Village; there must be some empty places. Right now, Guan Zengbin might be tied up somewhere underground. If there are indeed multiple Murderers, you must ensure Guan Zengbin’s safety.”
Gu Chen nodded and patted my shoulder before saying, “Even if it costs me my life, I won’t let Guan Zengbin die.”
I scoffed and replied, “Don’t you dare die on me either! You were fine during your confrontation with Wu Zui; it would be unacceptable for you to drown in this dark alley. Just bring Guan Zengbin back safely; when you do, I’ll treat you to some skewers.”
“It’s a deal,” Gu Chen said with a smile.
"Agreed," I said.
At that moment, Liu called me.
"Liu?" I replied quickly. "The murderer has given me instructions, and I must follow this lead, or Guan Zengbin's life will be in danger. If you have something to say, hurry up; the helicopter is about to pick me up."
Upon hearing this, Liu quickly responded, "I've been running around all night, but I did manage to find Wu Xiufang's husband—though he's dead. After Wu Xiufang died, her husband took their child and disappeared. Because his child—no, her child—I don't even know how to describe it—is an intersex person!"
"I had already guessed that," I said.
Liu exclaimed, "You figured that out? It took me a lot of effort to get this clue, and you just imagined it! That's quite disheartening. But there's one thing you definitely don't know: Wu Xiufang's child isn't actually her biological child!"
"What do you mean?" I was momentarily confused.
Liu explained, "In the diary left by Wu Xiufang's husband, there was a record of something interesting. At that time, Wu Xiufang actually had a child with her sister, Wu Xiufen. However, Wu Xiufang was married at the time, and her family strongly opposed it because her husband had a disability—his legs didn't work properly."
"And then?" I asked.
"But Wu Xiufang loved this man and married him despite her family's objections. Coincidentally, her sister Wu Xiufen also got married around the same time, and both sisters ended up giving birth almost simultaneously. They were both in the same hospital room; even though their families opposed it, at least they were having their own daughters."
After a pause, Liu continued, "It just so happened that both children were born at the same time. Wu Xiufang's husband was an outsider and didn't have much money; her family opposed him for that reason too. Fearing his child would suffer alongside him, he decided to switch the babies."
"So you're saying Wu Xiufang's husband swapped the two children?" I asked.
"Exactly," Liu confirmed. "Although Wu Xiufang's husband had a disability, the child he fathered was healthy. However, Wu Xiufen gave birth to an intersex person. By chance, Wu Xiufang's husband switched them around. So Wu Xiufang believed it was her husband's fault."
I shook my head and said, "I can't make sense of all this."
Liu added, "Yeah, Wu Xiufang's husband couldn't admit he swapped the children either. So they raised them like that for five years until one day when Wu Xiufang went to work and never returned; afterward, she committed suicide. Her husband stayed here without any purpose and eventually fled."
I rubbed my eyes, pondering the logic behind it all. Who would have thought that Wu Xiufang might have died because of her son? Wu Xiufang had gone to ask for money to treat Wu Xiufen's intersex child. Wu Jianguo might have lied; he simply didn't want to share his money with Wu Xiufang, and it wasn't that he didn't know why she needed the money.
"Did Twelve Bowls mention anything?" I asked.
Liu Dao replied, "When Wu Xiufang went to the factory, the child was throwing a fit, not wanting his mother to leave. So Wu Xiufang told her child, 'You stay home and behave. If you can draw all the animals from outside Twelve Bowls, then Mommy will come back.'"
"And then?" I continued Liu's story slowly. "Wu Xiufang hanged herself in the factory?"
"Yes," Liu Dao confirmed.
In the distance, the roar of a helicopter engine echoed. I turned to Liu Dao and said, "I'm heading out. If anything happens, call Gu Chen."
"Understood," Liu Dao replied.
The helicopter whirled in the air, creating a powerful gust as it dropped a soft ladder to save time. I patted Gu Chen on the shoulder; there was nothing more to say as I leaned against the soft surface. The aircraft did not linger and immediately flew toward Dongxing City.
Yet, I kept reflecting on the story Liu had just told me.
Waiting until all the Twelve Zodiac Signs were drawn before returning—yet this wait lasted twenty years.
This wait meant separation between life and death.
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