Chapter 81 Mandala 01

On Saturday afternoon, Luo Siwei took advantage of the weekend to make another appointment with Meng Zhi. It happened that Meng Zhi was on duty that day, so she took the subway all the way to the Fifth Branch of Donglan City.

Luo Siwei sat in the subway during rush hour for more than half an hour before he saw the dawn of arrival.

The last section of the subway became an overground train, and there were very few people, only a few in the entire carriage.

Luo Siwei looked at the scenery outside the car. Many buildings had been built on the edge of the city, with high-rise buildings and steel forests sliding past on both sides of the subway.

Luo Siwei was lost in thought. She had come here today to see Meng Zhi, a senior from the Donglan Police Academy who had been a few years her senior and one of the officers who had handled the case during her junior year.

The year she was attacked, Meng Zhi was already working as a police officer in the Municipal Bureau. It was he and another police officer who came to take her statement and asked her about the relevant circumstances of the case.

On the day of the interrogation, she was still in the hospital, having just regained consciousness. Her head was wrapped in thick bandages, and her chest hurt even when she breathed. She was panicked and terrified. Facing two male police officers, she demanded the door be opened, her legs trembling uncontrollably as she huddled under the covers.

Meng Zhi asked very detailed questions, was serious and responsible, and comforted her from time to time.

As a victim, she truthfully reported the situation at that time and did not dare to ask about the relevant details of the case.

The last time Luo Siwei was looking through the wax sculptor's file, he saw the name Meng Zhi again.

There seemed to be a divine will in the dark, and those past memories came to her like a tide.

After so many years, she finally came out of those things and was ready to find the truth.

Luo Siwei knew that the more she tried to avoid certain things, the more inevitable they would become. She would have to bravely face those things she had initially avoided and didn't want to think about.

The subsequent case files had been kept confidential, and she could only obtain more detailed information by questioning the police officers who handled the case. Luo Siwei called Meng Zhi, made an appointment with him, and embarked on this journey.

As time goes by, Meng Zhi has become the criminal investigation team leader of the Fifth Precinct.

When Luo Siwei went upstairs, Meng Zhi was already waiting for her in the office. Seeing her appear at the door, he greeted her: "Junior Sister Luo, come in and have a seat."

Luo Siwei sat opposite his desk.

Meng Zhi doesn't seem to have changed much from back then, but Luo Siwei is no longer the trembling victim.

Meng Zhi poured water for Luo Siwei. "They told me about your last visit." He asked her, "Have you had lunch?"

"I've eaten." Luo Siwei paused and said, "I want to know the details of the case that year."

After so many years, after all the inner struggles and hesitations, she couldn't wait to know those things.

Meng Zhi didn't talk about anything else. With a serious expression, he told her directly about the case: "Due to the serious nature of that case, for multiple reasons, including the protection of relevant personnel, the leaders of the Municipal Bureau have sealed some of the files, including your personal information. However, since you were an eyewitness to the case and a police officer, I can reveal some of the details to you."

Meng Zhi took out some of the information he had, including more detailed photos and information.

The early details of the case were similar to what Luo Siwei knew.

During those years, young women disappeared one after another in the city. These women were between 20 and 35 years old, young and beautiful. Later, people found the first body placed in an empty house.

"The body was discovered by a cleaner. At first she thought it was a discarded mannequin, but later she realized it was a real person, so she called the police."

"Those female corpses had been processed. When they were near death but still had blood circulation, they bled them out and injected chemicals into their bodies. Then, their internal organs were removed and stuffed. The bodies became hard, yet incorruptible. They looked like wax figures. So the killer's nickname, the wax sculptor, came from the description of the person who first discovered the bodies."

This is a horrific way of dealing with the situation, and it must be done while the person is still alive, which is extremely cruel.

"Later, the police found more victims in some vacant houses. They were all young women, fully clothed, and looked like they were asleep."

Luo Siwei first encountered this information in some media reports, and later she also came across some relevant files at the Municipal Bureau. The wax figure artist's crimes spanned a long period of time, with the earliest cases occurring during her high school years.

The photos here at Meng Zhi were clearer. Luo Siwei carefully observed the murdered women in the photos. She felt that these women were beautiful and quiet. Their hair was carefully combed and they were wearing some quiet long dresses.

Luo Siwei looked at the photo and felt uncomfortable. She thought about how she almost became a victim.

Luo Siwei discovered that the features of these victims were very similar to hers. To be precise, she had not grown up yet when she was a junior in college, and those women were more like her now.

Luo Siwei looked at the photos attentively and listened to Meng Zhi continue talking.

"The police began to identify these women and gradually determined the time and method of the murder. We found that the victims were generally tall women with long hair. After being kidnapped, they had to be treated with drugs. This meant that the victims had at least 24 hours to survive before death. Therefore, these 24 hours were the golden rescue window."

"Also, when they are near death, they need professional equipment to handle them. Those equipment are bulky and difficult to carry."

Luo Siwei gathered his thoughts and said, "In other words, they were kidnapped at different locations, taken to that factory, and killed. Then the killer moved the bodies to those rooms?"

Meng Zhi nodded. "Based on the time and location of the victim's disappearance and the location where the body was found, we estimated the murderer's range of activities. Just then, we received news of your disappearance. The police stepped up their investigation and ultimately focused their suspicions on an abandoned factory along the river. It had been closed for years due to environmental pollution, but someone had secretly connected water and electricity, indicating signs of life."

Meng Zhi continued, "The Municipal Bureau formulated an emergency rescue plan. That day, a team of officers entered the factory and engaged in a fierce struggle with the suspect. During this process, the suspect ignited several previously prepared explosives, causing a partial collapse of the factory building and disrupting police communication. We ultimately rescued you, and you probably know what happened next..."

Luo Siwei asked, "Did any police officers get injured back then?"

She had been unconscious in the hospital for several days. As soon as she woke up, Meng Zhi came to see her and took her statement. She had asked the same question back then, but Meng Zhi didn't answer her directly. She later checked the police notice, but there was no detailed explanation.

Luo Siwei once tried hard to recall what happened that day. Those things should be the source of her nightmare.

But every time she thought about it, she felt a splitting headache. All she remembered were the severe pain, gunshots, explosions and screams.

Meng Zhi looked at her, his expression growing serious. He then nodded slightly. "This case happened so many years ago, and you're the victim, so I'm telling you all this. At the time, a police officer was injured in this case, and the serial explosions in the factory created significant obstacles for the police operation. Several people were injured, but fortunately, no one died."

Meng Zhi paused and continued, "Don't blame yourself. This incident isn't your fault. You were also a victim. You were almost killed. Now that you're a police officer, you should know that getting injured while saving others is an honor for a police officer."

Luo Siwei asked: "Is the wax figure artist dead?"

Meng Zhi nodded: "During the battle that day, wax figure artist Lü Mingsi was shot and died."

Luo Siwei suddenly remembered the vision she had seen in the well: "Did it snow heavily that day?"

Meng Zhi hummed, "It seems to have started raining when we entered the factory."

Luo Siwei continued to ask: "Did someone carry me out here?"

Meng Zhi said, "At the time... the police were cut off from contact, and the scene was in chaos. I only learned about your rescue later. Speaking of which, I also want to thank you for providing us with the information."

Luo Siwei only has memories of the time before she was attacked. It was during the summer break of her junior year. When the lights were just coming on, she came out of the convenience store after finishing her work. Someone followed her, then hit her in the head and stabbed her in the chest with a knife.

When she woke up again, she was tied to a bed. Someone was talking to her, inserting a needle into her vein, and cold liquid flowed into her blood vessels.

She tried hard to stay conscious and not pass out. She heard two people talking and saw some blurry images.

Then she heard all sorts of chaotic noises. Luo Siwei was sure she had woken up several times, but she couldn't remember anything. When she regained consciousness, she was lying on a hospital bed.

Under such circumstances, she still provided the police with some useful information, such as the criminal might have accomplices.

Meng Zhi discovered that the longer they talked, the paler Luo Siwei's face became.

He changed the subject, saying, "The police were also worried about whether Lü Mingsi had accomplices who would avenge him. And as the sole survivor, you might be retaliated against. So, for the next two years, you were secretly protected by plainclothes officers. It wasn't until later, when you were employed at the precinct and remained highly vigilant, that their protection was gradually withdrawn."

Luo Siwei had always been secretly protected by someone, and she was aware of this. She worked hard to train her body and practiced those fighting techniques repeatedly, so as to prevent the same thing from happening again.

Luo Siwei said: "Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me. This is what a police officer should do," said Meng Zhi.

The conversation continued here in the office of the Fifth Precinct.

Meng Zhi said, "This is all I can tell you about this case."

"Thank you for telling me this. I'll go back first." Luo Siwei stood up and her legs touched the table beside her. Meng Zhi wanted to reach out to help her, but she dodged.

Luo Siwei lowered his head and said, "Thank you, Senior Brother. I will contact you later."

Meng Zhi said: "Okay, if I have any follow-up news, I will tell you."

Luo Siwei walked out of the office of the Fifth Precinct and looked at the time. Unknowingly, she had been chatting with Meng Zhi for more than two hours.

Luo Siwei felt his hands and feet go weak and his fingertips go cold.

She didn't know how she walked out of the police station, and when she came to her senses, she was already sitting on the subway.

Luo Siwei's mind replayed the events of that day, trying to remember what had happened. As soon as she began to think, her head started to ache. She tried again and again, feeling as if a file was being scraped across the wound on her chest.

Until now, that was a memory she could not touch. She thought she had prepared herself, but after hearing those stories and seeing those pictures, her emotions still changed.

The train was running very fast, and outside the window was a blood-red sunset, as if it was dyed with blood.

When she suddenly woke up, she found that her face was covered with tears.

Since her grandfather passed away, Luo Siwei rarely cried, but those past experiences made her collapse. It seemed that her tears were out of her control and kept flowing down.

Luo Siwei cried silently at first, but gradually lost her voice...

After Luo Siwei left, Meng Zhi returned to the table. He thought for a moment and made a call. The call was quickly answered by the person on the other end.

Meng Zhi said, "Hey, Chi Li, do you still remember Luo Siwei? She just finished talking to me."

Chi Li's voice came from the other side: "Well, I transferred her to the Municipal Bureau. It's safer here." Then he asked, "Why did she come to you?"

"She came over...just to ask me about what happened back then. She asked me in detail about the wax figure's case." Meng Zhi then added, "But she still couldn't remember what happened after she was kidnapped."

Chi Li said: "That should be the stress disorder left over from that year. It is the brain's self-protection mechanism. External force is useless."

Meng Zhi said, "Do you remember when we analyzed the possibility that the wax figure artist might have accomplices? I've been getting more and more uneasy lately..."

Chi Li nodded.

Over the years, as eyewitnesses to the case and as people who handled it, they have never dared to let their guard down.

Although the case has been solved, the police have been unable to rule out the possibility that Lv Mingsi may have accomplices.

The arrangements in the abandoned factory are definitely not something that can be completed by one person overnight.

Over the years, the city seemed to have returned to peace, and those people had never appeared again. Chi Li lay dormant for a while, carefully tracing back the clues of the past while doing his job well.

He is always on guard against the resurgence of evil, and is also trying to protect the only survivor from that year.

Meng Zhi sighed and ended the topic.

He chatted for a few words about his recent situation, then changed the subject: "I know that girl means something special to you. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been so anxious back then, risking your life to save her..."

Chi Li interrupted him: "How long has she been away from you?"

As he spoke, he raised his head and looked out of the glass window of the office. It was already completely dark and a light rain was falling in the city. Tiny water droplets hit the glass, making a rustling sound.

Donglan experiences a long rainy season every year. Not only are there typhoons, but there are also various continuous rainy days. Sometimes it rains for half a month.

Meng Zhi was stunned: "It's been more than an hour, you know, our Fifth Precinct is such a damn place..."

Chi Li said, "Thanks. Let's talk next time when we have time." He hung up the phone, picked up an umbrella and walked out.