Chapter 96 Mandala 16
In the corridor of No. 3 Middle School, in front of the huge dark painting.
Luo Siwei heard the voice and turned around. She found that the person standing behind her was a male teacher she knew.
His name was Yin Anran. He had been her mother's assistant. After Luo Siwei's mother passed away, he had taken on the responsibility of overseeing the studio and managing several art classes. He was in his thirties.
In early autumn, Yin Anran wore a beige windbreaker with casual clothes underneath.
After so many years, there is no difference between Teacher Yin and Luo Siwei's memories. The whole person has a unique artistic temperament.
Especially when standing in the corridor full of paintings, Teacher Yin has a long neck, is very thin, has sloping shoulders, and has long hair tied into a ponytail at the back of his head, making him look like a tall crane.
Yin Anran also recognized Luo Siwei and greeted her: "Siwei, long time no see."
Finally seeing an acquaintance, Luo Siwei relaxed a little.
She explained her purpose for the day, and the two chatted for a while about recent events. Luo Siwei added Teacher Yin on WeChat, then curiously asked, "I've heard of the name 'Hell Transformation.' It seems to be a Japanese novel that was later made into a movie. Why is this painting called 'Hell Transformation'?"
Luo Siwei's mother studied art and was very knowledgeable about it. She could name her students' paintings like the back of her hand and was familiar with various art schools. However, Luo Siwei had never shown much interest in painting since she was a child, and her understanding of art was limited. Especially after her mother's death, she studiously avoided topics related to it. This was the first time she had actively asked someone about it.
Yin Anran explained: "'Hell Transformation' is just the translated name of the work. The original origin of the term 'Hell Transformation' is a Buddhist term, meaning the picture of the suffering of hell. It is also known as the Hell Transformation Picture. This type of art work depicts various scenes in hell."
Luo Siwei asked: "Is hell transformation common?"
Yin Anran nodded. "In India and in my country, there are a large number of murals depicting the transformations of hell in certain grottoes and Buddhist caves. These works are mysterious, with religious connotations and mystical qualities. They also exist to warn people, to tell them that they will pay a heavy price for doing evil."
As he spoke, Yin Anran walked forward and came to the place where he was standing side by side with Luo Siwei. He raised his head and looked up at the painting.
"In my country, after the Tang Dynasty, the concept of Hell Transformation was popular for a period of time. The most famous painters were Wu Daozi and Zhang Xiaoshi. They created numerous works, many of which can be seen today," Yin Anran concluded. "This painting is based on this concept, so it is also called 'Hell Transformation'."
Luo Siwei looked at the thick bloodstains in the picture, which looked like a vast ocean of blood. In front of the dark background, there was a raging flame, and the ground was covered with piles of bones.
She couldn't appreciate this kind of art.
Yin Anran seemed to have studied this quite deeply. He explained to Luo Siwei, "Actually, this painting has a lot of details, corresponding to the tortures in hell. For example, the first layer is the Tongue-Pulling Hell. Those who enter this layer of hell will have their tongues pulled out. The second layer is the Scissors Hell. The third layer is the Iron Tree Hell..."
As he spoke, he pointed out the corresponding scenes to Luo Siwei. Some of them were drawn, and some were metaphors.
A large pool of blood, shaped like a tongue, was still dripping from its tip. Several severed fingers lay on the ground, and behind them stood a tall tree, towering into the sky.
"Others include the Mirror of Evil, the Mountain of Knives, the Sea of Fire, the Steamer, the Copper Pillar, and so on."
Luo Siwei looked carefully and found that there were hidden mysteries in the black, and there were actually several little people. Some of the situations in it matched what Yin Anran said one by one.
When Luo Siwei looked at it, he felt his scalp tingling, his back getting cold, and he felt very uncomfortable.
Such a painting doesn't seem to belong in a middle school.
She suddenly noticed a detail.
The man in the picture seemed to be suffering from cruel punishment, but his expression was not distorted, but rather smiling. The little devil chasing him from behind also seemed to be smiling.
Luo Si frowned slightly: "The person in the painting seems to be smiling."
"That's not surprising. There's also the concept of hell and paradise, and there are many similar works. For example, Japan has the famous 'Hell and Paradise' and 'Eight Scenes of Hell and the Dead'." Yin Anran paused and said, "Perhaps this is the charm of this painting. What is paradise and what is hell? Who among us who are still alive can clearly explain it?"
Luo Siwei said softly: "The person who drew this picture must know a lot about hell."
"Yes, how can you paint the scene of hell if you have never seen it?" Yin Anran smiled. "I like this painting very much. I often stand here to study it. This is a call from hell."
Luo Siwei recalled the dream she had before: "Teacher Yin, when my mother was in charge of the studio here, there was often a young boy who came here to paint. He wasn't from the art class. Do you know who he was?"
Yin Anran thought about it for a moment and shook her head. "I've never encountered such a situation before. Maybe I came too late. Since I joined the school, the studio has had strict rules. It must be closed at a certain time. There has never been a case of a student using it later."
Luo Siwei asked: "Teacher Yin, do you know who the author of this picture is?"
She thought the style of this painting was very similar to the one she had seen in her dream.
But she couldn't be completely sure. After all, it might just be a dream, not necessarily her real memory.
Maybe she happened to see a similar picture somewhere, and then she had that dream.
Yin Anran said, "I don't know the specific artist, but it seems to have been painted by a student who graduated from here. This painting later participated in a well-known domestic art competition and achieved great results, so Principal Liang hung it here."
Luo Siwei's heart moved, she took a step back and took a few photos with her mobile phone.
The photo was saved in her phone. Before she had time to search, she saw Chi Li walked in, followed by Huo Cunsheng and Vice Principal Meng.
On the other side, Shen Qing had just sent Yu Tingting back to the classroom and walked back.
Seeing this, Yin Anran said, "You guys go ahead and do your work. I have something else to do here."
Luo Siwei waved at him, put away his phone, and turned to meet with other police officers.
Luo Siwei led them into the psychology classroom. Principal Meng followed closely behind. Several people sat down at the table.
Huo Cunsheng's face was heavy, and he looked serious for the first time. "Captain Luo, we've been looking around the school and have learned something. I copied the surveillance video from the store and came here to watch it with you."
Shen Qing took out a notebook from his backpack, plugged in the USB drive, and copied the files.
The data was quite large, and copying it would take several minutes. During this time, Huo Cunsheng explained, "This was taken by a nearby store. The camera's resolution isn't very high, and the angle isn't very good. However, you can see the entire process."
He rolled up his sleeves and said, "After listening to the descriptions of those merchants, I felt that this must be one of those games, and it is definitely a despicable one."
Shen Qing was a little confused and asked, "What exactly is going on?"
Huo Cunsheng said, "Before watching this video, there's a premise you need to understand. There's a snack street near this school."
Luo Siwei thought for a moment and nodded, "The one to the west?"
Huo Cunsheng nodded: "Yes, Captain Luo knows the situation, it's right there."
Her mother works here and she studies here, so Luo Siwei is naturally very familiar with the surrounding environment.
A street on the west side is filled with various stalls, and as soon as you walk nearby, you can smell pleasant aromas.
Many of the snacks, such as hand-pulled pancakes, cold rice noodles, roujiamo, stinky tofu, lamb skewers, and fried chicken strips, are very delicious and are widely loved by students.
In addition to heavy schoolwork, I walk in the alleys full of fireworks and want to try everything I see.
Some students would sneak over there to buy food, and when they were hungry after school, the business there was booming.
"There's a woman in her seventies on the snack street who has a small stall selling sesame-flavored pancakes. She's been there for over a decade. She probably lives nearby. After lunch, she pushes her cart out to sell all afternoon, catering to students..."
Luo Siwei also remembered the mother-in-law. The pancakes she made were delicious and filling, but her stall was in a corner. No matter how delicious the noodles were, they could not compare to the grilled sausages and spicy strips, so her business was always average.
Huo Cunsheng finished copying the video when he finished speaking. He double-clicked the file and said, "Let's watch the video first."
The footage was shot from a bird's-eye view. From this angle, all that could be seen was the old woman, her head lowered, busy at work. Someone approached, and the surveillance camera captured their legs and feet. Judging from their clothing, they were probably wearing a school uniform. The surveillance camera had a recording function, and Luo Siwei could vaguely make out the person above the noisy speakers.
"Hello, how can I buy sesame cakes?"
"Five yuan a pack."
The man quickly bought two packs of sesame cakes.
Then he took out his phone to scan the code and pay. A small voice came from the side: "Ding Dong, 10 yuan has been transferred to Alipay."
Soon, more people came to buy things. The amounts they spent were not large, probably five or ten yuan, and the most they spent was twenty yuan.
Huo Cunsheng clicked on the speed limit and saw people constantly visiting the small stall and then turning around and leaving.
Business seemed to be particularly good that day, and grandma was particularly busy.
She was busy until the sun set and it got dark. After selling the last sesame bun, the old lady happily packed up her stall.
Shen Qing asked: "Is there something wrong with this?"
Huo Cunsheng said: "Don't worry, keep watching."
Luo Siwei vaguely guessed something and frowned slightly. Chi Li also looked solemn.
Then, the old woman pulled out her phone. She suddenly cried out, then turned around anxiously. There were not many people left, and the other stalls had already begun to evacuate.
The old man ran out a few steps helplessly, then ran back slowly, at a loss.
She lowered her head, wiped her eyes with her hands, and seemed to be crying.
Several choked cries were recorded in the surveillance video.
Suddenly, in the picture, the old woman fell straight down, leaving only her two feet twitching.
Luo Siwei couldn't help but feel nervous and felt her heart hanging in the air. She had an ominous premonition about the ending of the video.
The stall was on the roadside, and since the peak time for students to leave school had passed, no one noticed anything unusual here.
The time on the monitor kept ticking, and the old lady's movements became smaller and smaller.
One shoe fell off his foot.
"Why hasn't anyone noticed it yet?" Shen Qing stared at the screen, waiting anxiously.
After watching this heart-wrenching scene, they could do nothing while sitting in front of the screen.
A few minutes later, a stall owner nearby noticed the old man's situation and hurried over.
Then a group of people gathered around and made a mess. Some people performed CPR on the old man, while others called an ambulance.
The surveillance video stopped when the old lady was pulled into the ambulance. Huo Cunsheng sighed and turned off the video: "It happened ten days ago, near the school. The person was taken to the hospital and died three days later."
Shen Qing asked: "Did someone steal her money?"
Luo Siwei understood what was happening and said, "This might be a payment scam."
Chi Li on the side nodded and said: "She didn't receive the transfer money at all."
The malice gradually accumulated and turned into a sharp blade, cutting people all over.
It was the actions of those teenagers that triggered the evil consequences and ultimately led to a tragedy.
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