Chapter 16 "The Little Policeman" - A Rotten Human Leg
For Jane, time in the game stood still at this moment. Everyone in this case, from the victim and witnesses to the murderer, was tainted, and finding the key that had fallen into the filth was the most difficult part.
The case report on the table was blank. Jian Dieda was playing with a ballpoint pen when he suddenly raised his hand and swiped a stack of playing cards in his mind. He moved the cards from 1 to 10, then from J to K, changing their positions and order. Through this process, his eyes darkened and his thoughts became more and more blank.
On this higher plane, countless eyes watched as the protagonist of this little ghost story would occasionally bite his pen, look dazed, prop his legs up on the table, and wobble in his chair, growing increasingly worried about his detective-solving state.
Just then, the cat-faced old lady sent a message: "Child."
They had agreed to exchange storyline cards last time, but Jian Dieda hadn't received any yet. Looking at the murder mystery game cards in his bag, he said:
"Grandma, I'm stuck on the progress and can't make a deal with you and Zombie Brother for the time being."
The cat-faced old woman said, "No rush. Hey, the main reason I called you is because there's something suspicious about the night you were with the fox spirit..."
Just as if struck by lightning, Jian Dieda immediately looked up, his eyes regaining a clearer look.
How could he forget that he experienced the stabbing incident that night from the protagonist's perspective, while the bystanders had a God's-eye view? Although the overnight system wouldn't reveal the true identities of the real culprit and accomplices in advance, many clues about them were still left behind.
The cat-faced old lady, a veteran of ghost stories, began to offer her professional analysis of ghosts and monsters:
"You're young, so you might not know some of the local customs of your world. In the old society, if a local family encountered trouble, they would hold a vegetarian feast or a religious ceremony, and they would invite spirit mediums and other mediums to perform a ritual to ward off evil spirits. This is called 'shamanic dancing.' Among them, the Taiping tune and the Five Immortals Invitation are considered ways for the living to communicate with the dead and evil spirits. But do you know that there is an unwritten special rule for shamanic dancing?"
Jane Dieder truthfully replied, "I don't know."
The cat-faced old lady said, "To perform a shamanic ritual, two people must work together, one man and one woman."
So, the night before—Jane Dieda suddenly stood up.
The loud creaking of the stool on the ground caused a dramatic change in his facial expression. The cat-faced old lady had done him a great favor; he closed his eyes, steadied himself, and continued to receive the following information.
On the day the stabbing occurred, the real culprit and his accomplice were called "two gods" in the shamanistic ritual.
In the past, this was how shamans treated people's illnesses.
The person who invokes the spirits and the person who asks the question work together. They stand to the left of the person in question, each holding the patient's shoulders with both hands, chanting and talking, and finally guessing what kind of ghost is causing the trouble. It is said that if they guess correctly, the two spirits will notice the patient's shoulders shaking together, and finally work together to invoke the spirits to exorcise the ghost.
The method described was almost identical to that of that night. Jian Dieda quickly thanked the cat-faced old lady. Now that it could be confirmed that only men and women could cooperate, he had finally grasped a new clue.
Jane wanted to know more about this, and the cat-faced old lady suggested that he ask the fox spirit.
Jian Dieda immediately had second thoughts. To be honest, the relationship between him and the fox spirit was not right for people in this era.
During the crackdown era, in addition to police stations, patrol teams often used night shifts to arrest homosexuals in park restrooms. This behavior was considered hooliganism and disturbing public order. The person involved would often be handcuffed, handcuffed to a water pipe, and beaten severely. The next day, that person would be dead.
The system brought him to a story background where he was also suffering from the same illness and was about to be taken for electrotherapy.
The characters in the story live in the same world, and Jane Diedda is the intruder.
It was at this critical juncture that Chunlan asked Jian Dieda to go home for dinner.
Jane's first reaction was that the shamanic line had been saved.
Afterwards, he walked through the sealed-off haunted alley and happened to see three rows of large red characters on the wall that he couldn't pass through.
Open flames are prohibited in alleyways.
Don't be miserable when you meet.
Be friendly to your neighbors.
The image of the police staring blankly at the slogan seemed to be paused.
Jane was stunned, and the audience in the underworld were also in a bad mood: "..."
Many of them can't speak human language; they use emojis from the underworld.
"This is really stupid.jpg"
"This kid's got guts, he's going to try again?"
"It's so stupid, it feels like he's going to fail after the last round of defection."
"Why can't the fox spirit kill him every time?"
Not wanting to tell anyone about the shady deal involved in the fox spirit's decision not to kill him, the young policeman simply retreated.
He came here specifically to check on the safety of the fox spirit young master.
I won't say more.
On the other side, the fox spirit young master sensed the scent of his ghost marriage partner. His expression changed several times in the forbidden haunted house, and his mouth became increasingly bitter.
As Jian Dieda approached, Zhong Jie hoped that he would come in, but he did not.
A minute later, the young police officer was about to leave. Zhong Jie hurriedly pulled the shirt off the clothesline, shook it, and looked at the sky, which wasn't completely dark yet. He was about to push out the bicycle that the young police officer had left behind and follow him.
At home, the kids from the fox den were wearing traditional Chinese jackets and baggy pants. They insisted on sitting on the crossbar of the car, their little legs climbing all over the car but unable to reach the wobbling pedals. Some of the mischievous ones even climbed up to Zhong Jie's neck.
"Young Master! Young Master! It's not dark yet, where are you going?"
Zhong Jie's spoiled young master temper flared up instantly. He turned stern and scolded, "Juan'er, Feng'er, Cui'er, all of you go downstairs. Don't delay me from going to the alley entrance to check on the people."
The little foxes with their cheerful names laughed: "Young master, it's no use you going, everyone's already gone."
“Then I’ll send him too…” Zhong Jie said softly, “He’s gone. Who in this world will still believe in me and treat me like a fox spirit master…”
----------------
Jane returned to the courtyard.
Chunlan made noodles.
Chunlan had been given medicine after being possessed by an evil spirit last time, and she can't afford meat anymore. She's really struggling financially; the chopping board in her house is older than Jianda.
When Jian Dieda arrived, he was in charge of helping her light the stove. At first, the fire wouldn't start no matter what she did. Chunlan taught him to roll up a newspaper tube and blow on the side. He tried it, and it actually worked.
Jane Dieda raised her cat-like face and said happily, "The fire is really burning!"
Chunlan smiled kindly. She cooked a pot of noodle soup, pulled out wide noodles with both hands, and sprinkled them into the water one by one. She also added a handful of green vegetables and called out, "Jianzi, Auntie will scoop a piece of lard from the bottom of your bowl. It smells delicious."
Overnight.
Life is so peaceful and simple.
In the 1980s and 90s, the sky was filled with golden clouds and hazy smoke from factory chimneys.
Unexpectedly, the system broadcast a terrifying message at midnight.
Points deduction warning:
Police, please open your eyes!
"You didn't answer all the questions correctly in your first round of defection."
"So, on some night before you knew it, a silent witness had already died and been eliminated."
"You will lose 15% of your testimony. Please return to Honghui Police Station immediately to retrieve the body."
It's true what they say, what you fear most is what happens.
He did guess part of the answer wrong, but who exactly is gone?
This person didn't even have a chance to give his testimony; he was truly a scoundrel.
Jian Dieda couldn't sleep well, so he draped his green police uniform over his shoulders, pulled up his belt, and rode his bicycle away through the alley that very night.
The moment he opened the door, his gaze fell upon the moon, which seemed to have missed the beauty of Hawthorn Alley that night. It was as if the wronged souls and evil spirits that had died long ago were about to crawl out from the pile of bicycles on the riverbank.
Of course, what's even more difficult than the existence of ghosts is that there is no surveillance in this society, and fingerprints cannot be verified.
Jian Dieda recklessly took a shortcut near the railway tracks.
Five minutes later, the sky changed color.
A bolt of lightning struck, and his hands trembled violently. He quickly moved away from the telephone pole.
It seems like God is determined to destroy the clues on that mysterious corpse.
Jian Dieda rushed into the unit's military green awning in the rain. His soaked briefs were stuck to his buttocks. He pulled down his briefs, took out the lock from under the bike rack, and then pointed at the bicycle next to him as he locked his bike.
Forever, Phoenix, Flying Pigeon, Golden Deer, White Mountain...
The model number matched the one he had memorized over the past few days.
Jane straightened up and went to the window of the guardhouse.
Jane Dieda breathed a sigh of relief.
Ding Xiaoding is here.
It turns out that the fifth whistleblower didn't die either.
Ding Xiaoding escaped unscathed. He put down a pair of red scissors wrapped with cotton thread. A dozen company letterheads on the table were cut into pieces. He looked at the water ghost in surprise: "Jianzi, what are you doing here?"
“I remembered that the dormitory door was unlocked when I was going to sleep,” Jian Dieda said as he turned in. The wastebasket next to Ding Xiaoding’s feet was full of shredded paper.
Upon hearing this, Ding Xiaoding picked up the duty roster on the wall and said, "No, I checked upstairs. No one is in your dorm tonight, and the door is locked..."
Jian Dieda sat down, glanced at the swimsuit calendar girls on the wall, and pouted, saying, "Dongzi really isn't here? I guessed he'd been thinking about women lately, and I rushed over because I was worried about causing losses for the police station..."
Ding Xiaoding discreetly concealed the magazine featuring beautiful women that was tucked inside his police uniform, subtly pushed up his thick-rimmed glasses, and truthfully replied, "Yes, he left around six o'clock."
Jane said, "Then I'll wait a bit longer and go back to sleep. I might get a phone call from home."
A phone call? Xiao Ding and Jian Dieda waited together.
Just as Jian Dieda was struggling to wring out his trouser legs, the phone on the gatekeeper's desk rang.
The mysterious call from the red landline was like a thunderclap.
The ground was wet and sticky, and the oppressive air had a sinister feel to it.
Ding Xiaoding answered the phone responsibly: "Hello, 110... Are you Cao Chunlan, a relative of Comrade Jian? Do you want to ask if Jian Zi has arrived at the police station?"
Ding Xiaoding was about to say that someone was right next to her.
Jane shushed him, pointing to the subtle time on the clock, telling Ding Xiaoding not to tell the person on the phone—he was listening.
The night suddenly became quite quiet. Chunlan's ability to make a phone call at the exact time might indicate that she is a light sleeper, or it might mean that she often keeps a close eye on what Jianda is doing.
Jian Dieda rested his head on the table, one arm outstretched to the side, his fingers slowly pressing the plastic handset button. With his eyes closed, he heard the wind pounding against the plastic booth. Chunlan should be standing in a public phone booth near her home.
"I am Jianzi's aunt."
“I care about him very much.”
"I'm afraid he'll leave without a word."
She pressed her head against the small booth and kept asking in a nagging tone, "Young man, why aren't you saying anything? Has Jianzi arrived at your police station? What clothes and shoes is he wearing? Is his top button up?"
Over here, the two police officers are still staring at each other.
Ding Xiaoding snapped out of her daze and helped lie, "Jianzi hasn't ridden back yet."
Chunlan paused, "Oh, how come they haven't arrived yet? Judging by the time I left home, they should have arrived by now..."
After Ding Xiaoding finished the matter, Jian Dieda reached out and lifted up Xiaoding's police uniform. He had already discovered a magazine inside Ding's clothes and snatched it away in a clumsy manner.
Unable to get it back, Ding Xiaoding said timidly, "Jianzi, is this Chunlan your aunt? Why is she not sleeping at night and seems to be acting strangely..."
Jian Dieda guessed what Ding Xiaoding would say next.
Jane Dieda said, "That's just how she is, don't overthink it. She's just concerned about me. I'm leaving now."
"Okay, see you tomorrow."
Jian Dieda went back and slept soundly until dawn. At six o'clock, he passively opened his eyes; Dong Dongdong had returned and changed his underwear from the night before.
It's possible for a fully grown adult to behave properly in a dormitory, but Dong Dongdong walks around shuffling around, throwing pots and pans, and doesn't even notice if his roommates are awake when he's brushing his teeth.
On the surface, they had no major conflicts and went to work peacefully, while the office gradually became bustling with activity.
Jian Dieda remained true to his original aspiration, running around with his teacup in hand. He went to several places, and he could hear people saying that something smelled a bit bad.
It rained last night, so there were more mosquitoes in the ditches, and everyone's shoes looked dirty, but no one paid much attention.
Jane Dieda noticed something amiss.
...
At lunchtime, Jian Dieda went to the police canteen stall. Today, everyone was eating sweet potato porridge, stir-fried radish with pork cracklings, and salted duck eggs. Although the produce wasn't plentiful in the past, the food was always made without any preservatives. Jian Dieda poked the duck egg yolk with his chopsticks, and the golden-red oil dripped into the porridge, making him feel incredibly satisfied and improving his mood.
On the stairs leading back to work, various large leather shoes lazily clattered on the ground.
Because of his hand injury, Jian Dieda was a little slow in washing the dishes.
Finally, they saw the slogan in front of the office door. From a distance, Jian Dieda noticed Xiao Ding running into the large office from the right corridor. Looking at Xiao Ding's back, he was drinking water, panting, coughing, drinking water again, until he slammed the cup down hard. He was gesturing wildly as he described what was happening outside.
"What! Impossible..."
Judging from the number of spoons and chopsticks that fell to the ground, everyone was quite frightened.
Jian Dieda arrived late, and coincidentally, his last sentence summarized Xiao Ding's nonsense: "I, I'm not lying to you, someone's dead! And they died right above the toilet's drain opening! Everyone, quickly grab your shovels and help dig open the toilet wall!"
Everyone's face turned ashen. The police station rarely encountered deaths, and this situation made everyone feel like they were eating noodles and finding half a big, green fly in their food.
They suppressed their nausea and went back to their dormitory to find a carrying pole, camouflage uniforms, and urea bags.
Dong Dongdong, Jian Dieda, and Ding Xiaoding ran down with the main group, and they all understood how the body had been discovered by others.
It rained last night, which clogged the public toilet, and a lot of filth overflowed this morning.
Someone complained to the institute that the partitioned, ditch-style public toilet in the dormitory was inadequate, and the smell had been unbearable for two consecutive days, affecting their ability to play ball.
The gatekeeper rolled his eyes, blaming the latrine for the smelly ball, but he led the canteen staff to remove the bricks blocking the drain.
The reason why the new public toilet is called "a ditch" is because the ditch is very deep, and the opening is almost big enough to fit a grown person.
Little did the gatekeeper know that he would actually hook out a leather shoe from the hole today.
He thought it was a hallucination, but when he poked his head in, he saw a pair of white, swollen, and rotting human legs wearing leather shoes in the sewer gutter connecting the hole to the dormitory building.
A note from the author:
----------------------
Keep going with the killing spree, hey, doesn't it have a slightly horror/suspense story feel to it?
The young couple will meet again in the next chapter.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com