Chapter 117 The Parrot's Plea for Help
Xiaomin's whole body went limp, and she knelt on the ground, feeling a constant buzzing in her head.
All these years she's been a ghost, she's always thought she was "Min," but it turns out she wasn't?
On the phone, Ji Jingtong's voice continued:
"She has now graduated from university and returned to Mingguang Middle School as a teacher."
“But…” he changed the subject again.
Chu Cixin asked, "But what?"
Inside the Kwun Tong Police Station, Ji Jingtong glanced at the empty office.
He coughed lightly and lowered his voice: "But something just happened at Mingguang Middle School."
He carried the phone to a corner and said, "Our police station received a report that 18 girls in a class at Mingguang Middle School have suddenly aged rapidly."
"According to the hospital's examination results, these female students are all suffering from progeria."
"But... it's too strange and too concentrated for all 18 students in one class to be like this."
No parent could accept this.
My daughter is young and beautiful, in the prime of her life.
She's fine during the day, but after a night's sleep, she turns into an old lady.
If only one daughter is like this, then it's their own family's problem.
If all the female students in a class are like this, then it's a problem with the school!
Ji Jingtong: "The students' parents went to the school and made a scene, demanding an explanation from the school."
"But what can the school do about this?"
"So the school called the police on the grounds that these parents were disrupting their teaching order."
Looking at the empty office, Ji Jingtong sighed.
"Police officers from our station and nearby stations have gone to maintain order. Shen Xiuhe just called to say that a dispute has broken out."
"The school principal was beaten by a parent and hospitalized; they are currently mediating the situation on-site."
Chu Ci felt that he had omitted something, thought about it carefully, and asked:
"So, what about that teacher whose name contains the character 'Min'?"
This time, Ji Jingtong remained silent for an unusually long time.
After a long while, he finally spoke, his voice even lower.
"That's why I told you about this, Master."
"This morning, Ms. Min was found hanged on the basketball hoop in the school gymnasium."
"The school leaders said that she was frightened by the situation of those 18 students, and because she was young and had poor stress resistance, she committed suicide in a moment of despair."
“But Shen Xiuhe and I both felt that this matter was too strange.”
Ever since their previous encounters with ghosts, he and Shen Xiuhe seem to have developed some kind of radar.
When a case like this comes up, the radar goes off in a whirring sound.
And it's almost always accurate.
Ji Jingtong resumed his normal voice: "The reporters are already aware of this."
"Although the police have been putting pressure on various publishing houses and television stations, this matter is certainly sensational enough."
"Major publishing houses and television stations will not miss this wave of attention and will likely rush to report on it."
"In order to avoid causing panic, the higher-ups have already ordered Inspector Wu to lead a team to thoroughly investigate this case."
He quietly told Chu Ci, "Wu Sir has applied for a grant, and I suspect she might want to collaborate with you."
Chu Ci pursed her lips and turned to look at Xiao Min, who looked completely bewildered.
He replied to Ji Jingtong: "Okay, I understand. Thank you for your help this time."
"No trouble at all, Master."
Hearing that she didn't refuse, Ji Jingtong hung up the phone and immediately called Wu Jiangxue.
Wu Jiangxue breathed a sigh of relief when she heard that Chu Ci might be willing to cooperate with her.
He turned around and took the completed application into the Chief Superintendent's office.
The Inspector General of Police was a small, old man with deep wrinkles between his brows.
He wasn't very tall, had a buzz cut, and was sitting behind his desk looking worried.
Everything was fine; he was about to retire with honors, but then this huge thing happened.
If this matter isn't resolved properly, it's questionable whether he can retire peacefully.
Seeing Wu Jiangxue's application at this moment only made things worse.
“Officer Wu, you’re a key member of our police station! How could you, how could you…”
The old director pointed at the application, his voice trembling with anger.
How could you make such an application!
He threw the application towards Wujiangxue, angrily saying:
"If we let a psychic help us solve cases, where will the police department's reputation be?"
"If we really let a spiritual medium get involved, how are we going to explain this to the taxpayers!"
He pointed out the window, "Even now, those reporters still curse us every day, calling us parasites who waste taxpayers' money."
"If you find a medium to help you solve the case in front of the reporters, they'll curse us out!"
Wu Jiangxue picked up the application form that he had thrown at her, tidied it up, and placed it in front of the old director again.
He said sincerely, "No, those reporters have a very good relationship with Master Chu, they won't write anything wrong in their reports."
Her response was the old director's furious slamming of the table.
"Those reporters are all capable of distorting the truth, and they'll even curse at a passing dog."
"Good relationship? Those people will even curse their own parents when they get angry! What's the use of a good relationship!"
He threw the application back into Wujiangxue's arms once again.
"No matter what you say, it won't work. I won't approve it!"
Wu Jiangxue reached out and caught the application form that slipped from her shoulder, helplessly:
"Director, I think you are biased against journalists."
She looked at the old director's wrinkled face and spoke sincerely.
"You can't assume all journalists are bad just because you get criticized every day."
“There are still many upright, brave and kind people among them, you can’t generalize.”
The former director: "..."
He almost laughed out of anger.
“You know they’ve been cursing me every day, and you still want to go to a medium?”
"I'm already getting so many people criticizing me for being so responsible. If another psychic comes along, am I even going to be able to retire?!"
Seeing that she still wanted to explain, the old director got angry and threw the application form into her arms.
"I haven't even settled the score with you for reporting Inspector Wong yet! And you dare to talk back to me?!"
Wu Jiangxue paused, her lips pressed tightly together, as if she was about to say something.
"These are two different things."
"That's the same thing!"
The old director looked at her intently, his tone stern but without malice.
"You think Inspector Wong is in decline now, so you want to take this opportunity to bring him down?"
"How many years has he been in the police system, and how many years have you been in the police system?"
"He was caught red-handed, and indeed quite a few people are watching him, waiting to find fault with him."
"But have you ever considered that after all these years, doesn't he have his own connections?"
Wu Jiangxue looked up in shock at the old director with deep-set eyes.
"Uncle Liu, I..."
The old director snorted and pointed at her from a distance.
"You're just like your dad, always focused on moving forward."
"If Inspector Wong were easy to deal with, how could he have committed so many crimes in the police station for so many years?"
"Do you know how many people are complaining about you to me right now? You still want to hire a spiritual medium?"
"At that point, forget about whether you can even get a medium to come; you'll be in deep trouble yourself!"
Realizing that the former commissioner might be behind Huang Sir's arrest, Wu Jiangxue looked at the former commissioner with mixed feelings.
"So, Officer Wong is now..."
"Stop thinking about him." The old director snorted coldly.
“He has done a lot of bad things under the guise of a police officer over the years. In the past, we couldn’t find enough evidence, but this time, with Li Lecan’s case, it’s enough to put him in a very difficult position.”
After speaking of Inspector Wong, he looked at Wu Jiangxue.
He said earnestly, "When you're doing things, you can't just look at black and white."
“You are indeed capable, but not all the people in the police station are incompetent, are they?”
"I can help you keep things under control while I'm still in office, but what about after I retire?"
He leaned back in his chair and sighed.
"Your dad was like that back then too, always thinking that right is right and wrong is wrong."
"If it weren't for his insistence back then..."
He paused here and waved his hand.
"Sigh, never mind, let's not talk about Inspector Wong and your dad anymore."
The old director looked up at Wu Jiangxue again, "In short, we cannot use a spiritual medium."
"What you're doing is bad for the reputation of our Royal Police."
Wu Jiangxue pursed her lips, looking at the application in her hand.
"The Royal Hong Kong Police Force has always had a bad reputation among Hong Kong citizens, so it doesn't matter if a few reporters criticize us."
The former director: "..."
He took out his blood pressure medication from the drawer, sat down, and took two pills.
Seeing that the old director had taken his blood pressure medication, Wu Jiangxue simply spoke up.
"Uncle Liu, you've heard about what happened at Mingguang Middle School. Eighteen girls were involved in an accident overnight."
"They all turned into old women overnight; this is clearly not something ordinary police officers can handle..."
Before she could finish speaking, the old director interrupted her.
“Ah Xue, you can’t just think about this every time you encounter a strange or unusual case.”
"We are police officers, and police officers must use science when handling cases."
Similar incidents have occurred abroad as well.
"Maybe it's radiation, maybe it's a rare pathogen... Anyway, I don't believe in ghosts and gods."
Wu Jiangxue: "But Uncle Liu, this time it's really different, I..."
"Alright, there's no room for discussion on this."
The old police chief pointed at Wujiangxue with his hand, "Don't call me 'uncle' in the police station, call me 'Chief'."
"I will not agree to you cooperating with any spiritual medium!"
"How can our police station have any shame if we cooperate with spiritual mediums?!"
"I'm about to retire, so don't do this nonsense."
Wu Jiangxue was kicked out, and looking at the application in her hand, her lips were pursed into a straight line.
She neatly placed the application form into the drawer, stared at the words "application form" on it for a while, and then suddenly pushed the drawer in.
Let's go check out Mingguang School first.
When she arrived at Mingguang School, it was already surrounded by reporters.
The Shen brothers were both present. Shen Xiuhe picked her up from the side gate of the school and asked, "Wu sir, where should we go first?"
Wu Jiangxue: "The gymnasium where that female teacher died."
The stadium has been cordoned off by the police, and colleagues from the trace evidence department are busy collecting evidence.
But whether or not evidence is obtained doesn't really matter much in the end.
Because this school had security cameras in its gymnasium that directly captured the entire process of the female teacher hanging herself on the basketball hoop.
Not only are the movements captured clearly, but even the facial features are exceptionally clear.
Shen Xiuhe pointed to the basketball hoop: "This teacher, Min Min, left a suicide note in front of the camera, saying that she was sorry to those female students and could not bear the insults from the students' parents."
"Overwhelmed by guilt and despair, he chose to commit suicide."
According to students, teachers, and school leaders, after the students she led aged rapidly, some emotionally charged parents physically assaulted her at the school.
Thinking about what he had found out, Shen Xiuhe lowered his eyes and sighed.
"Several parents who were particularly agitated not only hit Ms. Min in front of the students, but also dragged her to the school playground and stripped her clothes off."
"Many students saw it at the time, and those parents kept saying that Teacher Min should pay with his life."
"It is probably because of this that she was under too much pressure and took her own life."
Wu Jiangxue frowned as she listened, "Why are they treating Teacher Min so emotionally?"
Normally, it's understandable for parents to be emotionally agitated.
But going this far is abnormal.
She asked Shen Xiuhe, "Did these parents have any conflicts with Teacher Min before?"
"Not before."
Shen Xiuhe glanced at the location of the basketball hoop.
"According to some students, when those parents came to see Teacher Min, Teacher Min's attitude was very bad."
“They even said things like, ‘There are so many people in the school, how come only your children have problems?’”
"You, as a parent, were already emotional, and when Teacher Min retorted like that, it naturally led to a verbal altercation."
Wu Jiangxue thought for a moment and asked, "Is this Teacher Min usually very assertive?"
"Um……"
Shen Xiu paused for a moment, then said, "According to the students, her personality isn't just assertive, it's more like... wicked."
“Terrible?” Wu Jiangxue raised an eyebrow.
The fact that the students have such high praise for this teacher shows that Mr. Min is no ordinary teacher.
Shen Xiu nodded. "According to the information provided by the students, this teacher, Ms. Min, did not have a very good reputation when she was working at the school."
"He enjoys mocking and ridiculing students, publicly insults female students in class, and has entanglements with male teachers at the school, even..."
He frowned, a hint of disgust flashing in his eyes.
"I also had unclear relationships with several male students at the school, and the parents of those male students came to the school to investigate."
"But even so, Teacher Min still did not restrain herself."
"Until I ran into the parents of those dozen or so female students, they beat me up in public."
The person was already dead, and Wu Jiangxue did not completely believe what the living person said.
He emphasized one question: "Do those students who said that have any conflict with Teacher Min?"
Shen Xiuhe: "That's what I thought at first too. I felt that those students couldn't stand the teacher's discipline and were framing Teacher Min."
"But after getting to know the other students, I found that what they said was probably true."
“It’s not just one or two students who say this; almost all the students taught by Teacher Min say the same thing.”
Wu Jiangxue: "What about the school leaders?"
"The school leaders also said that Teacher Min has a bad temper, but because Teacher Min admitted his mistakes very sincerely, they wanted to give the young people more chances, so they kept Teacher Min at the school."
After Shen Xiuhe finished answering, he and Wu Jiangxue looked at the basketball hoops in the gymnasium.
I asked her, "You also find it strange, right?"
"A person with this kind of personality shouldn't have such a fragile mental defense."
If what the students said is true, then Teacher Min is not someone who cares about other people's opinions of her.
For her, suicide was definitely not the best option.
Resignation is the right thing to do.
Wu Jiangxue didn't say anything, but walked up to the camera and looked at it.
The camera was new and had a very advanced design, which made her sigh.
"Is this school very rich? Can they afford to install these kinds of cameras?"
Due to technological limitations, cameras of this era could mostly only play live footage and lacked video playback capabilities.
However, the school's security cameras are equipped with video playback capabilities.
To be honest, this kind of thing is generally only affordable for high-profit gold shops, apart from private households.
Installing such cameras in public places is truly a luxury.
Shen Xiu and his companion stared at the camera, explaining:
"I asked the principal about this issue, and he said that Mingguang School has been receiving investment from a kind-hearted person from abroad."
"That kind person's businesses are spread all over the place, and he has a wide range of interests in the high-tech field."
"These cameras are very expensive to sell outside, mainly because the research and development costs are too high."
"The actual production cost is not that exaggerated."
"Therefore, for the safety of students, these cameras have been installed all over the school."
"You know so much about the industry secrets?" Wu Jiangxue turned to look at Shen Xiuhe.
"Is the principal very familiar with that investor?"
Shen Xiuhe: "According to the principal, he and that investor have been working together for many years."
After saying that, he scratched his head in frustration, "But I still think this principal and Teacher Min are too suspicious."
Wu Jiangxue: "I think so too."
However, there is currently no evidence, so she asked Shen Xiuhe, "Where are the gathering places for stray cats and dogs at this school?"
He glanced at Shen Xiu, who was used to guiding Wu Jiangxue, and replied:
"This is what I find suspicious about the principal. A week ago, he led a group to clear out all the stray dogs and cats in the school."
"Not only are there none left, but so far, we've even hired a specialist to exterminate all the stray animals at the school."
Wujiangxue: "..."
Her expression gradually became serious.
This is done... it's like they're deliberately trying to prevent her from getting involved?
For no apparent reason, a chill ran down her spine.
"Sir Shen, could you take me to see that principal?"
"Yes, he should be in his office now."
Shen Xiuhe quickly took Wu Jiangxue to the principal's office.
In the principal's office, the principal is treating the wound on his face.
His glasses lenses were cracked, and his cheeks were covered with several long and short scratches and bruises.
Looking up at Wu Jiangxue and Shen Xiuhe, he had a strangely pitiful look on his face.
Shen Xiu was startled by the injury on the principal's face.
"Principal Mo, what's wrong...?"
The principal was wearing a black suit. He was a tall, middle-aged man in his forties with a gentle temperament.
He gave Shen Xiuhe a wry smile, "Those parents were too emotional just now, and they grabbed me a few times."
Shen Xiuhe: "..."
Look at these glasses, the lenses are almost shattered. It's more than just a few scratches.
He didn't continue the topic and stepped aside, revealing Wujiang Xue behind him.
"Principal Mo, this is the person in charge of this case, Inspector Wu Jiangxue."
"Hello, hello, Officer Wu!"
The principal quickly put down the cotton swabs and tweezers in his hand and reached out to shake hands with Wu Jiangxue.
"I've long admired your name, but I never expected to have the honor of meeting you today!"
He let out a heavy sigh, feeling both helpless and grateful: "I'm leaving the school's affairs to you."
"You must find out the truth as soon as possible and clear our name."
"I have notified all the teachers and students at the school and asked them to cooperate with your work."
"Whatever you want to know, we'll cooperate!"
Wu Jiangxue nodded and smiled politely, "Thank you very much for your cooperation."
She then asked, "May I ask Principal Mo a few questions?"
Principal Mo was surprised to be the first to agree and readily accepted.
"Of course, Officer Wu, please tell me."
Wu Jiangxue sat on the sofa opposite Principal Mo and accepted the tea that Principal Mo handed her.
"Principal Mo, I heard that you recently dealt with all the stray cats and dogs on campus?"
Principal Mo looked puzzled, clearly not expecting Wu Jiangxue to ask such an unrelated question.
But he still nodded and answered honestly:
"Well, a while ago, Ms. Min said she was caught by the stray cats at school, so she told me to get rid of all the stray cats and dogs at school."
“I was also worried that the children would get hurt, so I discussed it with the director and we chased all the small animals away.”
He explained, "The director I was referring to is the one who was injured earlier; he has already been taken away by ambulance."
Wu Jiangxue never expected that this matter was also related to Teacher Min.
She smiled and said, "Oh, I see."
She then asked a few simple questions, which the principal answered sincerely.
He spoke almost without reservation, and his words seemed endless.
His answer was so sincere that Shen Xiuhe became less suspicious of him.
As they left the principal's office, Shen Xiuhe followed behind Wu Jiangxue.
"Officer, should we go to Ms. Min Min's house to investigate?"
Wu Jiangxue shook her head, "I'm not going. You and your brother go together. I have things to do."
She walked to a corner and made a phone call to Chu Ci.
Hearing her call Chu Ci's name, Shen Xiuhe, who was originally planning to leave, turned his head back.
"Officer Wu, is Master Chu coming too?"
After finishing her call, Wu Jiangxue glanced at him.
"Do you need to see her?"
"Oh, it's nothing."
Shen Xiuhe grinned, and the gloom between his brows disappeared.
"I just want to work with Master Chu."
He raised an eyebrow and said, "Every time I work with Master Chu, the cases are completed exceptionally quickly."
"With Inspector Wu here this time, it seems this case won't be busy for more than a few days."
Wu Jiangxue smiled, but didn't say anything.
She stood in the courtyard of Mingguang Middle School, looking up at the surrounding buildings, and felt inexplicably depressed.
The walls of Mingguang Middle School are too high; at a glance, all you can see is the gray wall.
Above the wall were shards of glass, which gleamed sharply in the sunlight, placed there to prevent people from climbing over.
Looking at it for too long can hurt your eyes.
She glanced at Shen Xiuhe, who was following her.
"Go and check on Min Min's house with your brother. Chu Ci won't be here for a while."
Shen Xiuhe thought for a moment and nodded.
"Okay, let's go take a look as soon as possible."
As he turned his head, he pulled out his old-fashioned mobile phone and waved it, as if to remind:
"Officer Wu, Master Chu has arrived. Remember to contact me!"
Wu Jiangxue nodded and watched him walk away.
The smile on her face disappeared after Shen Xiuhe left.
His gaze fell on the high wall in the distance.
On the wall, shards of glass glittered; further away, the sky was a clear blue.
The horizon stretched endlessly, with the occasional bird flying over the wall and perching on a large tree inside the school.
As a middle school with surveillance covering the entire campus, Mingguang School also has excellent landscaping.
The weather is still very hot, and it's the time when the trees are lush and leafy.
Walking on the main road of the school, the sunlight overhead was completely blocked, with only dappled light falling as the treetops swayed.
It wasn't hot; in fact, it felt rather chilly.
Wu Jiangxue stood in a patch of light, looking up.
The birdsong in the trees was crisp and clear, mixed with the chirping of cicadas, making it somewhat noisy.
She raised her hand, and a clear, long whistle escaped from between her teeth.
The previously chaotic bird calls suddenly stopped in the lush canopy.
In the sweltering summer, apart from the sound of the wind rustling through the treetops, there is only the chirping of cicadas.
As soon as the second whistle rang out from Wujiangxue's lips, the gently swaying tree canopy suddenly began to shake violently.
Amidst the noisy chirping of cicadas, the sound of birds flapping their wings suddenly rang out.
"Chirp chirp..."
"Coo coo coo..."
"Chirp! Chirp!"
Countless birds burst out of the treetops and soared into the sky.
They flew around the snow-covered Wujiang River, forming a constantly rotating circle of birds.
Wu Jiangxue raised her head, her pale face almost transparent in the sunlight.
She whistled at the bird ring above her head, and several larger birds flew out of the ring.
After hovering in the air for two seconds, it landed around Wujiangxue.
Seeing the little birds on the ground looking up at her with their heads tilted back, Wu Jiangxue squatted down.
She patted her pockets, looking for something to eat for them.
But after searching for a while, all I found was a small bag of cookies that I didn't know when I had put in my pocket.
The cookies had been inside my clothes for who knows how long; they were completely crushed.
Crushed biscuits are just right for feeding birds.
She placed the cookie in her palm and stretched out her hand to the birds.
"Chirp chirp!"
A gray sparrow chirped and took a small peck at the cookie in her palm.
"Chirp! Chirp!"
Upon tasting something delicious, the little sparrow chirped happily and ate voraciously with its rear end sticking out.
Other birds, hearing the little sparrow's chirping, also gathered around.
Several little heads walked together, pecking at the cookie crumbs in her palm.
Wu Jiangxue looked at their fluffy little heads and reached out to touch them.
Just as she was about to ask a question, a bright yellow-green color flashed before her eyes.
The thing flapped its wings and stirred up a gust of wind.
It quickly chased away all the birds around it and monopolized the biscuit.
"Chirp chirp!"
"Chirp chirp!"
"Coo coo coo..."
The other birds were not satisfied and tried to take back the food, but they were all driven away by the yellow-green birds.
After the other birds scattered and flew away, Wu Jiangxue realized that the bad bird was actually a parrot of considerable size.
It looked like it hadn't eaten for a long time, pecking at the biscuit in her palm and occasionally barking.
They are all meaningless interjections.
Wu Jiangxue ignored the pet parrot, withdrew her hand, and handed the biscuit crumbs back to the other birds.
Wen asked them in a gentle voice, "You fly around here every day, did you see anyone die here yesterday?"
Birds aren't as intelligent as cats and dogs, so she asked a question but didn't get an answer for a long time.
A flock of birds were so busy fighting over the food that they didn't even lift their heads to eat.
Wujiangxue: "..."
She couldn't help but feel a little discouraged.
Pour the cookie crumbs from your palm onto the ground and let the birds eat them.
Just as she was about to leave, the pet parrot suddenly flew over.
It circled Wujiangxue twice, fluttering its bright wings, and suddenly stopped at her feet.
"Help! Help!"
Its fur stood on end, its eyes were fixed on Wujiangxue, and its wings were spread wide.
"There's a ghost! There's a ghost!"
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