Chapter 8: Return of a Horrified Man
1. Workplace rifts
The next day, after several days of rain, the sky in Linzhou finally cleared up. Sunlight streamed through the large floor-to-ceiling windows into the spacious, brightly lit open-plan office. The sounds of keyboards clacking, calculator keys clicking, phones ringing, and whispers of colleagues intertwined, creating a bustling and orderly workplace.
Ouyang Lanlan sat at her workstation, forcing herself to focus on the financial statements on the screen. She tried to use the precision and busyness of her work to drown out the growing fear and the heavy memories of her trip to Longdu.
She was preparing a report for the department's quarterly review meeting that afternoon, which required a clear and accurate account of the quarter's budget execution and the next quarter's expense forecast. Numbers were familiar territory for her, giving her a sense of control.
The afternoon meeting began on time. The oval conference table was filled with colleagues and leaders. When it was Ouyang Lanlan's turn to report, she took a deep breath, picked up the wireless microphone, walked to the front, connected her computer, and began to explain the charts on the projection screen.
"Therefore, all expenses for this quarter are under budget, with the main savings coming from optimizing travel and marketing expenses..." She tried to keep her voice steady, focusing on numbers and logic.
At first, everything went smoothly. However, as she moved to point to the next chart, the wireless microphone in her hand accidentally came too close to the portable speaker on the corner of the table.
"squeak--!!!!!"
An extremely sharp, high-pitched, tearing whistle suddenly exploded! Like a cold steel needle piercing the eardrum, it instantly filled the entire conference room!
Everyone's scalp felt numb and they subconsciously frowned and covered their ears.
But this sound is just an unbearable noise for ordinary people, but for Ouyang Lanlan, it is like an extremely precise and cold key, which, with irresistible force, suddenly pokes open the darkest keyhole in the depths of her memory!
The sharp audio feedback sound was distorted and deformed in her ears, as if it had transformed into the sound of tape being torn off on that cold night in the north, the desperate whimpering after her throat was covered, and the most creepy, "chi chi" weird laughter like the scraping of metal!
The bright conference room before her began to twist, spin, and fade... replaced by a cold, dark, northern rental house filled with the smell of gas and tape! She could even feel the hand wearing a coarse glove, stained with grease and odor, covering her mouth and nose again!
"Ou...Ouyang?" Xiaoyue, the colleague closest to her, was the first to notice her abnormality and called out in a low voice.
Ouyang Lanlan didn't react. She stood frozen in place, the microphone in her hand dropping with a dull thud onto the soft carpet. Her pupils dilated, her eyes fixed blankly on a point ahead. Her body stiffened like a stone, her face instantly turning pale as paper, cold sweat soaking the back of her shirt. Her fingers, still gripping the microphone, trembled slightly.
"Lanlan?" Finance Manager Sister Li also noticed and immediately stood up and walked over, gently patting her arm. "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? You look so bad!"
The touch on her arm was like a weak electric current, barely waking Ouyang Lanlan from her terrifying flashback! She gasped, her body trembling violently. She turned her head abruptly as if she had been burned, her eyes filled with lingering fear and extreme confusion. Her breathing became unusually rapid, and her chest heaved violently.
"I... I'm fine..." Her voice was weak and her lips trembled uncontrollably. "Maybe... maybe I suddenly felt a little dizzy and had low blood sugar..." She tried to pick up the microphone on the ground in a panic, but her hands were shaking so badly that she tried several times before she could pick it up. Her fingertips were cold.
Sister Li looked at her with concern and handed her an open bottle of mineral water. "Are you really okay? You looked like you were almost out of your mind just now. Were you scared? This broken microphone keeps howling. How about taking a break first and let Xiaoyue do the rest for you?"
"No! No!" Ouyang Lanlan quickly shook her head and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, but her pale smile was forced and fragile. "I can do it, it was just too sudden and I wasn't prepared. Now I'm okay." She forced herself to focus back on the screen, but her subsequent explanation was obviously abnormal. Her speech speed was sometimes fast and sometimes slow, and there would be brief pauses occasionally. Her eyes could not scan the participants as confidently as before, and were always a little erratic.
After the meeting, Sister Li called her to a secluded place in the corridor: "Lanlan, you haven't been in good shape recently. Did something happen at home? Or is your body not fully recovered? Looking at you just now, it's not just that you were scared." Sister Li's tone was full of sincere concern, and there was also a hint of imperceptible pressure - her previous loss of composure was obviously seen by the client.
Ouyang Lanlan lowered her head, unable to explain the sudden, abysmal fear that came over her. She could only repeat a pale excuse: "I'm sorry, Sister Li, I haven't been sleeping well lately, and my nerves are a little weak. I will adjust as soon as possible."
Sister Li sighed and patted her shoulder: "Health is the capital of revolution, don't force yourself. If you need help, just tell me, or take a vacation to adjust." But the trust and confidence in her eyes had obviously been discounted.
Ouyang Lanlan watched Sister Li leave with a wave of powerlessness and panic. That demon had not only invaded her nights, but now even her days, the professional field she was most proud of, were being devoured bit by bit by this pervasive post-traumatic stress reaction.
2. Shock
Dragging her exhausted body, Ouyang Lanlan finally returned to her rented apartment. It was already late at night, the streetlights dim, the shadows of the trees swaying, and every shadow seemed to hide prying eyes. She practically ran into the apartment door, quickly pressed the elevator button, and nervously glanced back repeatedly.
When she opened the door, a familiar smell hit her, making her feel a little more at ease. She threw off her high heels, and without taking off her clothes, she leaned back on the sofa and let out a long sigh. She was so exhausted from the day's high tension that she needed to relax for a while.
In a daze, a subtle, continuous sound entered her ears.
“Clatter—”
Is that the sound of water? It comes from the direction of the bathroom.
Ouyang Lanlan's heart skipped a beat. She pricked up her ears and listened carefully. It was indeed the sound of the shower water!
Mom's here? That was her first thought. In the past, Mom, concerned about her being alone, would occasionally drop by to clean and cook for her. But...why was there no sign of her this time? Furthermore, Mom's shoes and suitcase were nowhere to be found at the door.
"Mom? Is that you?" She tentatively called out towards the bathroom, her voice sounding a little out of place in the empty living room.
There was no answer. Only the sound of running water.
"Mom?" She raised her voice again and began to feel uneasy.
Still no response. The sound of water seemed to become clearer.
A cold fear crept up her spine. She tiptoed cautiously to the bathroom door. The old-fashioned door was closed, and the faint glow of the light from inside shone through the frosted glass. The sound of running water came from inside.
Who's in there?!
Her palms began to sweat. She gently grasped the doorknob and tried to turn it - the door was locked from the inside!
"Who?! Who's in there?!" Her voice was filled with tears and fear.
There was only the sound of water in response, and the sound seemed even louder, as if it was a provocation.
A huge fear gripped her! She took a few steps back and frantically took out her cell phone. Her fingers were shaking so much that she could hardly hold it. She finally dialed 110.
"Hello! Is this 110? I want to call the police! Someone...someone broke into my house! They're in the bathroom now! The address is..." She shouted incoherently into the phone, her voice sharp and trembling.
The dispatcher comforted her, asking her to stay calm, stay away from the danger zone, and wait for the police to arrive. She huddled in the farthest corner of the living room, hugging her knees, staring at the bathroom door, feeling that every second seemed as long as a century.
Soon, sirens blared downstairs. Two police officers arrived and carefully checked the door lock, finding no signs of forced picking. They signaled Ouyang Lanlan to stay away, then loudly warned the people inside, and finally rammed open the flimsy bathroom door!
The moment the door was thrown open, steam gushed out. But...
The bathroom was empty.
The showerhead hung quietly, dripping. The floor was dry. There was no moisture on the mirror. Everything was as tidy as if no one had ever used it.
"Ms. Ouyang, are you sure you heard the sound of water?" a young policeman asked with a frown, a hint of doubt in his eyes.
"I... I'm sure! I really heard it! It was very loud!" Ouyang Lanlan defended herself anxiously, almost crying.
The officers then carefully checked the windows (which were intact and locked from the inside), the ceiling vents (which were narrow and inaccessible), and even looked behind the toilet tank, but found nothing.
"It could be the sound of water running upstairs or next door. Pipes in old houses carry noises strangely," another older officer said, trying to offer a reasonable explanation. "Or perhaps you've been too tired lately? A lot of pressure?"
Ouyang Lanlan couldn't refute it, so she could only nod palely. After sending the police away, she stood alone in the middle of the living room, feeling a surge of exhaustion and absurdity. Was she really hallucinating? A hallucination caused by excessive stress?
She walked back to the bathroom, feeling lost, and tried to wash her face with cold water to sober herself up. She turned on the faucet and filled her hands with water. As she lowered her head, her eyes strayed over the drain of the stainless steel sink.
There seemed to be a thin, black thing hooked there.
She subconsciously pinched it with her fingers—it was a long hair. She frowned. Her hair was medium-short, but this one seemed particularly long. She gently pulled it out...
The hair seemed endless! The more I pulled, the longer it got. It wasn't just one strand, but a huge clump! It was like someone had deliberately stuffed it in there!
"Ah!" She screamed and shook her hand away as if she had touched a poisonous snake. The long hair fell on the floor tiles, black and smooth, with a disgusting and weird feeling.
This is not her hair!
"Boom boom boom! Boom boom boom!"
Suddenly, there was a rapid knock on the door!
Ouyang Lanlan woke up from her sleep! It turned out that she had just accidentally fallen asleep on the sofa and had a dream!
She looked towards the gate in a daze, her heart full of doubts!
Who is it?! Why is he knocking on my door so late? I live in Linzhou, and few people know where I live!
The knocking continued with an impatient rhythm.
Ouyang Lanlan stood up and moved to the door cautiously. She first gently hung the safety chain with her hand, and then opened a gap.
There was no one outside the door.
She had just breathed a sigh of relief when suddenly, a head popped up from below and appeared at the crack of the door! A pair of eyes stared straight in!
"Ah!" Ouyang Lanlan was so scared that she almost collapsed!
"Takeout!" the person outside the door said, his voice a little hoarse. It was Huang Qiang! He was wearing a rider's uniform and holding a bag.
When Ouyang Lanlan saw that it was Huang Qiang, her mind went blank and she was stunned.
"Your takeout!" Huang Qiang said again, his eyes sweeping across her frightened face.
"I... I didn't order takeout!" Ouyang Lanlan finally found her voice and said tremblingly.
Huang Qiang picked up the receipt and glanced at it, his face expressionless. "Oh, Unit 2, I got the wrong building." He said, but did not leave immediately. Instead, he looked through the crack in the door and seemed to quickly glance at the entrance behind her. Then he suddenly asked, "Do you live alone?"
Ouyang Lanlan's heart stopped!
Huang Qiang mentioned it casually, then added in an almost friendly tone: "If you live alone, you have to be careful. This kind of apartment has average security."
After saying that, he turned around and walked slowly towards the elevator.
Ouyang Lanlan slammed the door shut, slid down to the floor with her back against it, gasping for air and shaking like a leaf in the autumn wind. Fear washed over her like an icy tide, completely drowning her.
After a long time, she finally mustered up the courage, climbed up tremblingly, and looked out through the peephole.
It was pitch black outside. The voice-activated lights had gone out.
But the moment she leaned in, she saw... outside the small darkness of the cat's eye, there seemed to be another eye! It was looking right inside!
"Ah!" She was so scared that she covered her mouth and almost screamed!
Almost at the same time, the shadow outside the door seemed to have heard her movement and took a step back.
"Click." The voice-controlled light lit up.
In the dim light, Huang Qiang was still standing at the door! He hadn't left at all! He was looking at her door with his head slightly tilted, his face expressionless. His eyes looked unusually empty and focused under the light.
Then, as if he had completed some kind of confirmation, he actually turned around, and the footsteps disappeared from sight.
Ouyang Lanlan collapsed to the ground, a huge fear gripping her, making it almost impossible to breathe. She saw the faint light brought by the dark shadow outside the gap under the door was blocked for a moment - he had just been standing right next to the door!
She crawled into the bedroom, locked the door, huddled in the corner, and dialed Qin Chuan's number with fingers that were trembling so much that they could hardly hold the phone.
As soon as the phone was connected, she cried out hoarsely: "Hello! He...he just came to my house!"
3. Thousands of miles of assistance
In the northern Dragon City, the streets were deserted late at night. A black sedan sped along the highway leading to the airport. Wang Yang drove, his brow furrowed, glancing occasionally at Qin Chuan, who sat in the passenger seat, his face as sullen as water, his fists clenched.
"You said you came back without a word, without a word! You only remembered me because you needed me for something?" Wang Yang couldn't help but speak, his tone full of brotherly complaints and worry. "What's the matter? Now that you've become a big boss in the south, you don't recognize us poor brothers anymore?"
Qin Chuan stared fixedly at the road ahead, illuminated by the headlights. He gritted his teeth, ignoring Wang Yang's teasing. His entire mind was focused on the sobbing call for help from the other woman thousands of kilometers away. Ouyang Lanlan's terrified voice pierced his heart like needles.
"Hey! I'm talking to you!" Wang Yang raised his voice. "Did your soul get lost in Linzhou? What happened? You're in a hurry. You bought the plane ticket and drove the car, but you didn't say a single word!"
Qin Chuan finally moved, took a deep breath, and told Wang Yang as concisely as possible about Huang Qiang's situation, Ouyang Lanlan's fear, and their findings from the Longdu investigation. His voice was low and rapid, filled with suppressed anxiety.
After hearing this, Wang Yang's playful smile completely vanished, and he became solemn. "Fuck! He's still haunting me!" He cursed, slamming the steering wheel. "So, Huang Qiang is a strong suspect! But Lao Qin," he said, his tone becoming serious. "You need to calm down. First, it's been so many years since the case, and many resources can't be deployed as freely as before, especially without solid evidence and based solely on suspicion and connections to old cases. Second, you're not a police officer anymore. You're investigating, tracking, and inquiring like this, and you're walking on the edge of the law. You used to do this yourself, so you know better than me! You have to be careful! Don't let the person get caught and end up getting yourself into trouble!"
He paused, looking at Qin Chuan's tense profile in the rearview mirror, and emphasized his tone: "The most important thing is to be safe! Yours and Ouyang's! That kid sounds like a mentally twisted pervert who can do anything!"
Qin Chuan nodded silently, his eyes still fixed on the front, as if he could penetrate the endless night sky and see the terrified and helpless figure in Linzhou. "I know," he said hoarsely, "so I must go back immediately."
The lights in the airport departure hall were cold and bright. Wang Yang parked the car in the temporary parking area and patted Qin Chuan on the shoulder. "Alright, get out of here. I'll keep an eye on this and let you know if I find anything new. Be careful! Call me if you need anything!"
"Thanks, brother." Qin Chuan shook Wang Yang's hand firmly, his words saying everything. He picked up his simple luggage, turned around and strode towards the security checkpoint, his back looking resolute and anxious.
Wang Yang watched his back disappear through the security checkpoint, sighed, and muttered, "What the hell is this..."
The plane climbed through the night sky, passing through the clouds. Qin Chuan leaned against the window. Outside was pitch black, only to be occasionally caught by the scattered lights of the city below. He couldn't sleep. His mind replayed Ouyang Lanlan's terrified voice, Huang Qiang's plain yet eerie student photo, and the old dean's description of the traumatic "Sunday"... All the clues twisted into a cold rope, strangling him and making him breathless.
4. Guardianship and Oath
As soon as the plane landed, Qin Chuan practically rushed out of the airport, hailed a taxi, and headed straight for Ouyang Lanlan's apartment. Daybreak had already dawned, and the city was beginning to wake up, but his world seemed still shrouded in the deepest fear of last night.
He knocked on the door hurriedly.
Ouyang Lanlan's terrified and trembling voice came from inside: "Who?!"
"It's me, Qin Chuan!"
The door flung open a crack, the safety chain still attached. Ouyang Lanlan's pale, haggard, tear-stained face appeared behind the door. Seeing it was really him, her hollow, frightened eyes instantly filled with immense grievance and fear, tears pouring out. She frantically untied the safety chain, and the moment the door opened, all her strength seemed to drain from her. Her body went limp, and she nearly fell to the ground.
Qin Chuan subconsciously reached out to support her. Ouyang Lanlan seemed to have grasped the only lifeline, grabbing his arm uncontrollably, her nails almost digging into his flesh, her body shaking uncontrollably, sobbing uncontrollably.
"It's okay, it's okay, I'm back." Qin Chuan's voice softened involuntarily. Just like in the hospital ward four years ago, he patted her back with one hand, feeling her violent trembling and emotional collapse. "It's okay, don't be afraid."
He helped her sit on the living room sofa and poured her a cup of hot water. Ouyang Lanlan held the cup, the warmth permeating through the walls, but it still couldn't stop the trembling in her body or the chill that spread from her heart. In a halting and incoherent manner, she recounted the terrifying events of the previous night—the sound of running water in the bathroom, the nightmare of the long hair, Huang Qiang's sudden appearance, and that chilling question.
As Qin Chuan listened to Ouyang Lanlan's account, his expression grew increasingly gloomy, his eyes frighteningly cold, his fists unconsciously clenched until his knuckles turned white. The descriptions—his staring through the peephole, his refusing to leave the door, his tentative questions like "Do you live alone?" and "Be careful if you live alone"—all pointed to a calm, ruthless criminal with immense psychological manipulation skills. This was no longer a vague suspicion, but a naked provocation and threat.
Suddenly, he stood up abruptly, his chest heaving with anger and fear. His tone was sterner than ever before. "Ouyang Lanlan! Do you know how dangerous it was for you to follow him alone?! Do you know who you were dealing with?! That wasn't just any thug! That was a serial criminal with a deeply disturbed mind, exceptional anti-detection capabilities, and a high potential for violent behavior! He had a twisted childhood, used boiling water to retaliate against classmates as a teenager, and assaulted at least four women in four years! You almost did... last night!" He didn't finish the rest of the sentence, but his eyes, red with anxiety and fear, said it all. He couldn't imagine what would have happened if Huang Qiang's purpose last night hadn't been to test him, but to take direct action.
Ouyang Lanlan was frightened by his sudden, volcanic outburst of rage. She had never seen him so out of control. Like a frightened rabbit, she huddled down on the sofa, silent as a cicada. The tears that had just stopped welled up again, streaming down her pale cheeks. But she didn't dare cry out loud, only shaking even more violently.
Seeing her so vulnerable and helpless, completely overwhelmed by fear, Qin Chuan's heart lurched again, his surging rage instantly replaced by an even greater surge of heartache and powerlessness. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. His tone softened, a hint of barely perceptible fatigue and hoarseness in it: "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled at you. I was just too worried." He sat down again and rubbed his brows vigorously, as if trying to break the immense pressure.
He sat down again, rubbed his brow, and lowered his voice, "Let's analyze this calmly. Huang Qiang, a native of Longdu, has the ability and history of disguising himself as a woman for a long time. He suffered tremendous psychological trauma in his childhood, particularly his obsession with 'Sundays and long hair,' resulting in an extremely distorted personality. In junior high school, he displayed a calmness and cruelty beyond his age. He later worked as a gas worker in Longdu for a while, and now works as a rider in Linzhou. His movements are unpredictable, but they all involve people in daily life and are easily overlooked."
Qin Chuan seemed to have reverted to his criminal police persona, recounting a long series of case reasoning before turning to Ouyang Lanlan, "His current actions suggest he's likely figured out your pursuit, and possibly even recognized you. Last night's probing and warnings show he's not only dangerous, but also extremely vigilant and psychologically strong. All of this seems to confirm his connection to the Longdu December 4th incident."
"Then let's call the police! Now!" Ouyang Lanlan grabbed his arm anxiously, as if she had grabbed a lifeline, her voice trembling, "Tell the police everything he said! Let them investigate him!"
Qin Chuan shook his head, his eyes sharp and calm, revealing the professionalism and prudence of a former criminal police officer. "Have you forgotten what I used to do? Call the police? And what's your reason? A delivery driver made a wrong delivery and asked, 'Do you live alone?' Or do you suspect him of being the murderer in an unsolved case in the north four years ago, based on his familiar laugh and the fact that he was a girl when he was a child? Lanlan," he looked at her, his tone heavy, "these are powerful connections in our cognition, but from a legal perspective, especially in old cases spanning multiple regions, without solid physical evidence or eyewitness evidence, it's simply not enough to file a case, or even to initiate a formal investigation into him. On the contrary, it will completely alarm him, causing him to go deeper into hiding or take more extreme actions."
He paused, then continued his analysis, his voice lowered as if afraid of being overheard. "He's probably still unsure whether you recognized him, or perhaps he simply thinks your behavior is unusual and you're stalking him. So last night was just a test and a warning, trying to scare you into shutting up and not delving any further. If we rashly call the police now and there's no real progress, it would be like telling him, 'We're targeting you,' and that would be a recipe for disaster."
"What should we do? Should we just do nothing and wait for him?" Ouyang Lanlan's voice was filled with despair.
"Of course not!" Qin Chuan interrupted her, his eyes firm. "We can't attack head-on, but we can compete secretly. He's still observing and testing us. This is our chance. I can protect you secretly while continuing to investigate him from the outside, looking for a breakthrough. As long as he makes a move, he'll be exposed! As long as I can get a piece of solid evidence, even a small flaw, I can contact Wang Yang and activate the program in Longdu to nail him down completely!"
As if destined, the unfinished mission of protection and pursuit four years ago was repeated in Linzhou four years later, in a different form. Only this time, he was no longer a detective in uniform, and she was no longer the victim passively awaiting rescue. Bound together by a shared nightmare and hatred, they became each other's only support in the darkness.
The room fell into a brief silence, with only Ouyang Lanlan's low breathing as the sound. The fear still existed, but Qin Chuan's calm analysis and firm attitude, like a rock, slightly stabilized her almost collapsed emotions.
After a while, Qin Chuan, as if making up his mind, carefully pulled something out of a hidden pocket on the inside of his old backpack. It was a small, metal police cufflink. Years of rubbing had smoothed the edges, but the tiny national emblem in the center was still clear, faintly reflecting the morning light filtering in through the window.
He pulled up Ouyang Lanlan's cold and trembling hand, gently placed the cufflink on her palm, then brought her fingers together and asked her to hold it tightly.
"This is the last bit of my old police uniform." His voice was deep and powerful, with an unquestionable promise. "You keep it. Seeing it is like seeing me. I'm nearby and I won't let him get close to you again. Remember, you are not alone."
The cold metal against Ouyang Lanlan's skin felt like it was scorching. That tiny cufflink carried the weight of unfulfilled duty from four years ago, the weight of guilt, and the unwavering commitment she now held to her vows. She clutched it tightly, as if clutching her only lifeline. Scalding tears welled up again, dripping onto the back of her hand. This time, it wasn't just fear, but also an indescribable, complex peace of mind.
(End of Chapter 8)
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