CH4: The Hidden Camera
1434 Words
Jiangcheng, Happiness Street.
Zheng Yi carried a steamed bun and arrived at a shop front, where a grey signboard with pure black lettering read 'Dark Chamber'.
Muttering to himself, Zheng Yi opened the rolling curtain while holding the steamed bun.
"You troublesome girl, keeping me waiting half a day after you're done."
"I even bought you meat buns."
Pushing the door open, Zheng Yi entered with a cute white yarn doll following behind, holding a small cartoonish pair of scissors.
Turning on the crystal light above his head, a soft yellow light filled the room, which though not large, was neatly arranged, exuding an air of orderliness.
In the exquisite black wooden cabinet against the wall were various yarn dolls.
Scattered on the white plush sofa by the window were balls of yarn in different colors and a few crochet needles. Sunlight streamed through the window, making everything appear soft and warm.
In the quiet room with only Zheng Yi present, a faint ethereal female voice suddenly echoed.
"Hmph, men are all big clumsy fools. They buy me buns, but I can't eat anything..."
Hearing this, Zheng Yi chuckled, almost spitting out the bun.
Smiling at the yarn doll, he said, "Without your earthbound soul, you might seem a bit lonely, which worries your parents."
"I transferred some money to your parents, which should... be enough for them to live well and take care of you."
The white doll, with a hint of a tearful voice, said, "Thank you... Is there still a chance for me to return to my body?"
Setting the bun aside, Zheng Yi bent down, holding the white doll in his hands and revealing a gentle smile.
"Xiao Yue, good karma comes and goes, grievances dissipate with the wind."
"Once you fulfill your obsession, you will naturally be able to return, but after going back, you won't remember anything from this period, including me."
Saying this, Xiao Yue seemed like an ordinary doll, silent and expressionless.
Zheng Yi remained calm, showing a warm smile that accentuated his delicate peach-blossom eyes.
Xiao Yue: "Can I not go back first..."
Zheng Yi raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Why?"
Xiao Yue: "I don't want to spend my whole life dragging around a bag of waste, I'm afraid of others' strange looks..."
"I can't bear to see my parents crying every day, in pain."
Zheng Yi was momentarily stunned, patting Xiao Yue's head without saying a word.
Xiao Yue: "Although I don't know who you really are, I can feel that in the eyes of mortals, you're as powerful as a deity."
"Can you heal my body..."
As she spoke, Xiao Yue's voice grew smaller and smaller. She felt grateful for the chance at revenge, but now, her request seemed somewhat unreasonable, given that she and Zheng Yi were just chance acquaintances, with no real connection...
Zheng Yi, with a rare serious expression, said, "Xiao Yue, although I know some spells, I'm not as great as you think. I age, I die."
"I'm not a god, I can't save everyone. But because your obsession is so strong, helping you fulfill it, we both will gain the power of karma to improve our cultivation."
Xiao Yue visibly shrank at these words. If yarn dolls could cry, she would be shedding tears like rain by now.
"Restoring your body, I won't say it's impossible, but it's definitely not now."
With these words, Xiao Yue's spirit instantly lifted. Her eyes, like black holes, seemed to see hope.
"Really? What do I need to do?"
Zheng Yi: "Do you know why other partners don't need my blood draw and can freely use their abilities?"
Xiao Yue looked at the three motionless dolls on the top shelf of the black wooden cabinet, shaking her head.
Turning his head to look at the falling leaves outside the window, Zheng Yi said slowly, "In your young people's terms, it's like a game. Right now, you're still in the beginner's village. As you complete more tasks and accumulate karma power, you will level up, just like me."
"When we both become powerful enough, I can help you restore your body."
"But before that..."
Jiangcheng, Criminal Police Brigade.
Seeing Captain Diao return from the hospital, Xiaolong greeted him with a stack of documents.
"Captain, I contacted Chen Yue's relatives. Because Chen Yue's condition is stable now, she left Jiangcheng with her parents two days ago."
Captain Diao's face showed confusion. "Two days ago? That's right after Chen Yue's case was concluded."
Xiaolong said with a sigh, "Yes, Chen Yue's parents were very upset. They felt that the culprit didn't receive the punishment they deserved. To avoid Chen Yue's painful memories as much as possible, they moved to another city."
Captain Diao asked, "What about other relatives? Boyfriend, or anyone who might hold a grudge?"
Xiaolong sighed again. "Captain, Chen Yue and her family came from another city to work in Jiangcheng. They haven't been here long, and their social circle is not complicated. She doesn't have many relatives, and Chen Yue doesn't have a boyfriend either."
"Do you think... Chen Zheng's death might not be related to Chen Yue's case?"
Captain Diao slammed his briefcase heavily on the desk, pointing at Xiaolong's nose as he roared, "The door lock wasn't broken, no property was stolen inside, and the killer went through all the trouble of using such a gruesome method of disembowelment. And then they took Chen Zheng's genitals and anal organs! It all corresponds to Chen Yue's ordeal. Tell me, how the hell is this not revenge?!"
As Captain Diao began to roar, everyone in the criminal police team looked at each other, no one daring to speak.
Indeed, they also found this speculation to be the most reasonable. However, facts spoke louder than words. Chen Yue's relatives were indeed out of town, and the physical distance was an undeniable piece of evidence.
Xiaolong shook his head. "It's possible, but it's also possible that someone unrelated, upset with Chen Yue's experience, sought revenge."
Several officers nodded in agreement. "Yes, Captain, these kinds of incidents are common on TV now. Some people feel justice isn't served, so they take matters into their own hands, fighting evil with evil."
Captain Diao rubbed his temples, "To protect the victim's privacy, the details of this case are relatively confidential."
"Even if the public knows the general idea, Chen Yue's personal information and her specific victimization, not to mention her resulting inability to excrete normally, are all strictly controlled within our team."
Suddenly, two crucial leads were cut off simultaneously, as if the investigation work had returned to square one.
Only the policewoman who explained voodoo dolls to Captain Diao muttered to herself in confusion.
"I learned in police school that if we exclude all external factors, then it's just suicide..."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone looked at her as if she were mentally ill. Suicide? Cutting open one's own abdomen?
The policewoman realized her mistake and quickly covered her mouth, her cheeks flushed red.
"I... I was just talking nonsense."
Captain Diao didn't take this speculation seriously and continued to ask, "Was anything found in the neighborhood trash cans?"
Xiaolong quickly opened another folder beside him and replied, "We checked the nearby trash cans at the scene, but we didn't find anything resembling human organs."
"We also interviewed the locals. It's known that the owner of Apartment 306 doesn't often go out, but there were some unfamiliar women who used to visit him."
Captain Diao continued to inquire, "Have we received the results of blood traces and fingerprints from the murder weapon?"
Xiaolong said, "Not yet. We've informed Forensic Sun and will notify as soon as we have results."
Seeing that there were no valuable clues, silence once again enveloped everyone's heads.
At that moment, a hurried footstep broke the office's silence.
Several forensic officers rushed in, carrying an evidence bag.
"Captain, we found this in the bedside lamp after you left."
Captain Diao bent down, peering through the transparent evidence bag at the black object inside.
"Is this... a pinhole camera?"
The forensic officer nodded. "Yes, Captain. I just checked it with a machine. The video inside hasn't been edited. The camera is small, so the picture isn't very clear, but the audio is synchronized, and it has a large built-in storage capacity."
Still bending down, Captain Diao stared wide-eyed at the forensic officer.
"In the bedside lamp? That's the crime scene!"
"What's inside?"
The forensic officer's lips tightened, wearing a strange expression. "Captain, why don't you take a look for yourself."
- Writer
