Strangers

Pick it up with one hand, wipe it clean, and look at it against the sun, like appreciating a priceless work of art.

Director Li quickly moved to Qi Xie's side: "Is this the thing?"

"Yes." Qi Xie slowly changed the angle of refraction.

"Is this... worth thirty thousand?"

"It depends on who bought it. If you meet a suitable buyer, it won't be a problem to double it." Qi Xie handed it to him generously.

Director Li held it in his hands and played with it for a long time: "Boss Qi, although we haven't been in contact for a long time, let's chat for a while, and I find that you are very hit-like! That brother, I'm here to talk to you, look at me. A working-class person doesn’t have a lot of money, so why don’t I just give you this thing, if you mean it, just make up the difference.”

"I'm not busy, I have something to ask you first." Qi Xie took out his folding fan and shook it, "Don't you want to wake up those three workers? It's very simple now, just smash this stone."

Director Li frowned.

Qi Xie walked up and down: "This stone was originally called 'Mu Si', which came from the language of a certain mountain people in the southwest. These mountain people disappeared after only 200 years. There is almost no record in the history books, only that they have a strong mountain Worship. In the north of their territory, there is a deep river valley with two identical red boulders growing on both sides of the valley. Every summer, there will always be a strange phenomenon. At the same time, on the big rock on the right wall, an identical flower will grow. The mountain people who were surprised by this thought that the two sacred stones connected the mysterious force track, and the soul of the flower was passed on. So they called the big stone on the left side 'Musi', which means 'ferry boat', and the right side called 'Taba', which means 'home'.

"The river valley originates from the holy mountain, which is the residence of the gods. The huge cave at the bottom of the mountain is called 'Sugecuo'. The mountain people believe that it is the resting place of their souls. In order to let the dead stay with the gods forever, the wizard collects Musi, together with the incantation, was ground into stones and embedded in the coffin, and the Taba was ground into powder and sprinkled into the stream, and brought to Sugecuo with the current of the underground river. In this way, the soul of the dead can enter eternity by ferry. where you belong.—You should understand by now.”

Director Li wiped his sweat from his hands: "That is to say... the souls of those workers were taken away by this stone?"

"Yes. When Musi was built into the wall, and the long and narrow room was like a coffin, when someone was alone, his life was pulled away from the body by mysterious force and brought to the place of Taba. The water flow often heard by the workers is The underground river, and the wind is coming from the cave."

"But how could this stone appear in the brick? It's too..."

"It's nothing too much." Fang Xun tore at the blown bubbles, "This kind of concrete block is out of environmental protection considerations, and it's not surprising that waste bricks and broken stones are used as aggregates, and it's not surprising that it is occasionally mixed with random things. .”

Director Li pondered for a while, and finally smacked his lips: "It's amazing! It's amazing!"

"Don't sigh first." Qi Xie smiled with his hands behind his back, "For the living souls that are forcibly pulled away, as long as the power is eliminated, they can return to their original places. Now that the three are still alive, whether to smash them or not depends entirely on the entrustment." You just said a word."

Director Li took a breath, scratched his chin and stood two steps aside.

Qi Xie put away his fan and swayed over slowly: "Good and evil are human nature, you don't need to be pressured. If you smash it, I respect your righteousness. Even if you don't smash it, I won't scold you. After all, people die for money. We do it." Anyone who buys and sells understands this.”

Upon hearing these words, Director Li immediately bowed his back and laughed dryly: "Yes, it's not easy to come out and mess around."

"I understand." Qi Xie suppressed his smile, "Assistant Qian, ask the accountant to bring in 5 yuan. In cash, we will take this stone from Jingfang."

It was already three o'clock in the afternoon when we drove back, and the wiper scraped arc-shaped water stains on the windshield.

Assistant Qian was sitting in the co-pilot, looking at the pedestrians holding umbrellas by the window: "Mr. Qi really knows how to do business. If this stone is really worth that price, this transaction can earn ten times more than what was signed in the contract."

"Excellent." Qi Xie disagreed.

"However, meeting such a Party A can only be regarded as unlucky for those workers." She sneered.

"Could it be that Assistant Qian felt compassionate?"

"As long as it's something that has nothing to do with me, I can show some compassion."

"Then it's unnecessary this time." Qi Xie weighed the ruby ​​in his hand, "They will indeed wake up if they hit this stone, but it's not necessarily a good thing."

"What?" Assistant Qian was suspicious.

"You can try it if you don't believe me." Qi Xie casually handed it over.

"This stone is now the property of the company."

"Then let me buy it, and transfer [-] to Jingfang's account tomorrow, how about it?"

"It's a waste of money, Mr. Qi is so heroic." Assistant Qian took it, lowered the car window, raised his hand and threw the ruby ​​into the rain.

"Because I suddenly wanted to see the result, but it's a pity that such a beautiful thing was lost." As soon as the words fell, Qi Xie watched the heavy truck rushing past, and there was only a red wreckage next to the double yellow lines, mixed with the rain The sludge spread like blood.

An hour later, Jingfang received news that the workers had woken up one after another.

Two days later, those three people jumped down from the roof of the ward despite the dissuasion of their relatives and friends, as if they had made an agreement.

"Do you want to ask me why?" Qi Xie shook his folding fan, "Who can have a little nostalgia for the human world after being in Sugecuo, which rests beside the gods? It's just that without that piece of wood, even if they die, I can no longer return to Taba."

☆, broken hand

"The scariest thing I've ever heard." Dong Qiankun gnawed on a chicken paw, "It is said that in the past two years, many people in the east of the city took a taxi home in the middle of the night, and then they never saw each other again, because they hired a car. Ghost car. Once at the destination, the passenger asked how much it was, the driver said, no money, the passenger asked why no money, and the driver suddenly turned around - because I want your life!"

Diagonally opposite, the head nurse put down her chopsticks calmly, took out a tissue and wiped her mouth.

"No, yes, yes!" Jiang Yan leaned on the canteen table, "How do you know the situation when the passengers are gone? It's not rigorous and sincere to make up a story!"

Dong Qiankun scratched his neck: "Student Jiang, it's okay if you ask me to tell jokes, but if you want to tell horror stories, I don't have this skill point. Really, if you don't believe me, take off your clothes and check it?"

"The audience is wide open, pay attention to the impact." The head nurse said.

Dong Qiankun said twice: "The head nurse is right, Xiao Jiang and I can check in private."

"Who will check with you in private! It's not enough for the patient to bully me, you bully me too!" Jiang Yan began to wipe her eyes.

Dong Qiankun panicked: "Hey, why are you crying, don't cry, it's all my fault, no, it's all the fault of the old man surnamed Zhang, the injustice has its head and the debtor has its owner, and his son of the bureau chief angered him When you enter the hospital, you can scold him if you want to scold him, how can you scold you? This old bastard, ask Ding Li to prescribe more medicine for him, hang ten bottles of water every day, and stab him to death."

"Huh?" Ding Li looked up, his voice was a little hoarse.

"It's okay, you can continue to eat."

"Oh." Ding Li took a mouthful of rice, "I think it's better for Xiao Jiang to prick you."

"Yes!" Jiang Yan stopped pretending to cry.

"Okay." Dong Qiankun gritted his teeth, "As long as you are willing, you can tie me into a cactus."

"Cacti are out of the question, there are the most cacti." Jiang Yan smiled through tears.

"A very terrible thing happened in our hospital a few years ago." The head nurse suddenly said, "But no one knows what it is, because all the people involved, including those who heard about it, died. gone."

"What is this?" Dong Qiankun asked.

"Hospital horror stories," said the head nurse.

Jiang Yan leaned forward: "What is that thing?"

"No one knows, because they are all dead." After the head nurse finished speaking, she stood up, packed the dinner plate and left.

Dong Qiankun looked at her back: "Is this called terror? You obviously didn't say anything."

"It's scary if you don't say it." Jiang Yan shivered suddenly, "Oops, I'm still on duty tonight!"

"Then you still ask people to tell ghost stories."

"Who made your jokes full of color!"

"It doesn't matter, Ding Li is also on duty. If there is any situation, you can push him out to block it. It is especially useful for dealing with female ghosts."

"No way." Ding Li said, "I have only encountered a female ghost once in all these years in the hospital."

"No way." Dong Qiankun became interested, "Really, what's the situation?"

Ding Li recalled it for a long time and said, "It's fake."

Dead people are very common in hospitals.

Unless the appearance of the corpse is excluded from the normal range.

With a meow, the wet wild cat danced lightly with half of something in its mouth, came to the center of the square, and circled lightly to the little girl's cry.The roots of the huge banyan tree protrude from the soil, and a few scattered hand bones are scattered among them. Countless mosquitoes are dissatisfied with the intrusion of the flashlight, floating in the air and circling anxiously.

The noisy crowd gathered around the shore, looking at the big banyan tree on the island in the center of the lake from time to time, trying to glimpse the crime scene through the vertical roots of the knot.

"This place used to be a banyan forest, but later it was dug into a landscape lake. The two largest trees were left undigged and turned into an island." The person in charge of the hospital said.

"Those two big banyan trees are terrible. When I was still wearing crotch pants, my grandma threatened us, saying that if you were disobedient, you would be thrown under the big banyan tree to feed the monster!" the old lady said.

"It's not a tree demon, it's a tree god. In the past, there was an incense candle stand over there. Many people came to pay their respects, and it was covered with red cloth strips." The guard said.

"What a monster! I only heard that people often die here, men on the left and women on the right, each hanging a tree!" The middle-aged man pushed the bicycle.

"Martyrdom? No, I've never heard of it anyway." A young couple smiled and shook their heads.

Wei Yuanyang recorded them one by one, closed his work diary, inserted the pen, and suddenly saw a person walking over.

"Hey you." Wei Yuanyang called to stop him.

Ding Li, who was stopped, was very confused. Seeing that Wei Yuanyang didn't say a word, he looked him up and down several times, and suddenly pointed: "Last October! During the evening rush hour on the South Second Ring Road, a Buick collided with a truck. Did it happen to you?" Help rescue the wounded!"

Ding Li recalled: "It seems that there is such a thing."

"It really is you!" Wei Yuanyang patted him on the shoulder enthusiastically, "I also said at the time that this comrade has a really high style, he turned around and disappeared after doing good deeds! You are a medical worker, and I will write a letter of praise to your unit later letter?"

"I'm a doctor, so the letter of commendation will be waived." Ding Li smiled.

Wei Yuanyang looked at the badge on his white coat: "Your name is Ding Li? My name is Wei Yuanyang, the one who defends the family and the country, the one who travels far and wide."

"Hello." Ding Li nodded and looked at Huxin Island, "Are you investigating the case?"

"Correct."

"I just heard some rumors. I don't know if it helps. ——But it seems a bit unserious to say it."

"It's okay, you say." Wei Yuanyang took out a pen and paper.

"There is a strange story in our hospital that a terrible thing happened here. The old staff kept it secret and called it 'that thing'."

"that matter?"

"Well, in summary, there are several theories." Ding Li squeezed his chin and recalled, "No one knows what the 'that event' is, because everyone who has experienced and heard about the 'that event' is dead. The last time it happened was a few years ago. As long as 'that thing' is known again, it will happen again. As long as 'that thing' has not happened for a long time, it will never happen again."

Wei Yuanyang was confused for a moment: "That...what the hell is it?"

"I don't know." Ding Li answered readily.

"Oh." Wei Yuanyang deserved it simply.

I was speechless for a while.

"Thank you for the clues." Wei Yuanyang recovered and shook his hand.

"You're welcome, then I'll go back, you go first." Ding Li smiled.

"Leave a contact information, I have to trouble you if there is anything."

"it is good."

Ding Li didn't know why he wanted to tell Wei Yuanyang these things, and he didn't know why he cared so much about "that matter".If it wasn't for the horrific corpses that made such an uproar, he wouldn't have paid attention to the island in the middle of the lake, let alone have a sense of déjà vu, as if he had set foot on that place many years ago.

Nestled on the sofa in Zhiguai Zhai, he stared at the draft paper covered with clues, the phone beside him was on, and the photo album was opened, full of time fragments that seemed familiar but could not be recalled.

There is only one thing that is very clear, and all the lacks point to one person: the owner of this house, an existence that is unreasonable and out of the ordinary.

That thing, that island, that person.Three nodes, unexplainable things coiled into a network.

And his decision is to jump into the net, no matter what is waiting in front of him.

At night, change into dark-colored underwear, put a wolf-eye flashlight with a full battery, and stuff a life-saving knife into your backpack.

If someone finds out, say they came to explore after reading too many detective stories.Ding Li smiled to himself, walked briskly, touched the shore familiarly, and jumped on the old wooden boat.

Offshore, the waning moon has no light.

The lights behind him faded away, Ding Li didn't turn his head, he only paid attention to the oars not to make too much water noise.The forward speed is not too slow, between the dark sky and the black lake, black islands are pressing in.

The hull bounced slightly when it touched the shore, and Ding Limao stood up, grabbed the cable and jumped ashore, shaking for no reason, and almost fell into the water.

"Isn't it a bit bad that you can't swim?" He said to himself, tied the cable to the stake and tied two dead knots, turned on the flashlight, and walked into the darkness.

The island area was larger than expected, and the luxuriant banyan trees completely covered the lights on the shore. Ding Li walked gropingly, brushing away the swaying fibrous roots, and slipped through the cordon.

Stopping, he raised the flashlight a little higher, and the white circles in front of him were in the shape of hand bones.

It is here.

Ding Lizhao took a picture of the top of his head on the left and right. The scene of the crime happened to be in the middle of the two big banyan trees. He looked down and saw that the white line drew the shape of his hand and it stretched vertically towards him, as if someone who was running away was being held back by something. The body can only stretch out its arms with all its strength, and its five fingers stretch out convulsively, inserting them into the soil, struggling desperately to crawl forward, but it's just in vain.

Ding Li was thinking ecstatically, when he suddenly heard rustling behind him, he instinctively waved the flashlight, and two extremely bright white spots flashed across the ground.

He breathed a sigh of relief and seemed to be a wild cat.

But what was that rattle?

——From the gap between the two big banyan trees, from the unsuspecting back, came the voice.

cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck cluck...

It turns out that the dubbing in horror movies is not unfounded.Ding Li stayed where he was, remembering the one hundred possibilities in the ghost story about turning back, his first thought was to run, but the five hand bones flashed in his mind: If he just ran away, he would die in the same posture. Is this it?

He took a deep breath, thinking that it would be better to see the truth than to die without knowing it, so he tightened his grip on the flashlight and turned around to shine on the gap between the two big banyan trees.

Unexpectedly, the right hand was suddenly hit by a force!The flashlight flew out immediately, and disappeared with a whoosh!

It was dark all around.

Taking two steps back in an instant, Ding Li pulled out his jackknife, and slammed it away behind him!

"Put away your broken knife," said a voice, sarcastic and lazy.

Ding Li stared at the darkness: "Who is it?"

"It's not an enemy anyway."

"How can I trust you?"

"believe it or not."

Ding Li didn't say a word, but gripped the handle of the knife tightly.

"Go back, don't come here again." The voice said again.

"Why should I listen to you?"

The voice sighed and slowed down: "Because there are monsters living under the banyan tree, what's the reason?"

Hearing this seemingly familiar tone, Ding Li felt inexplicably calmed down, and replied, "It's not that bad, it's just enough to fool the children."

The voice laughed: "Go back, don't come again."

"I can't stop coming until I figure things out." Ding Li was very sincere.

"Everyone who figured it out is dead, or in other words, only the dead can figure it out."

In the darkness, Ding Li felt his left arm was grasped by a hand. It was cool, and there were drops of water sliding down it. The man pulled him back and easily avoided all the roots and branches.

"How can you see it in such darkness?" Ding Li asked.

"Naturally," said the man.

"Did you swim here?"

"Nothing to do with you."

"You saw me on the island, and you swam over to stop me?"

"Ask seven more questions and I'll kick you into the lake."

"That's very troublesome. There is no one else around. If I kick me down, you have to get me back."

The man stopped in his tracks: "Now let me say it for the last time, you are not allowed to go to the island again, and you are not allowed to investigate this matter again, otherwise—"

"Ah Jing." Ding Li blurted out.

The man was silent, as if stunned.

"Your name is A Jing, right!" Ding Li grabbed his hand and asked urgently, "Did we know each other before? We've known each other for a long time, right? Why don't I remember you? What's going on? "

The leaves are rustling.

In the darkness, the voice said: "Under the two big banyan trees lives a thing called Mei, which lives by eating people."

"I'm not interested in big banyan trees." Ding Li was stubborn.

"Mei usually preys in the middle of the night, it can't move, it can only use bizarre things to attract people to fall into their nets, it sometimes turns into demons and gods, or performs moving legends, or creates weird cases."

"I don't want to hear that."

"Those hand bones are a trick of Mei, and people like you are its prey. Now that I'm talking, if you still like to be its supper, I don't have any objections."

Quiet.

"Actually, you also know that what I care about is not monsters." Ding Li said.

"Yeah." The voice pondered, "Where did you get your speculation about me?"

"Photos on my phone, and the smell of soap powder on my clothes."

"Are you a dog?"

"I remember I didn't turn on the washing machine, but the clothes were washed and hung there the next day."

"That's because you misremembered."

"I thought so too at first, so I asked my colleagues to do a blood test for me, and it turned out that acetaminophen was found in the blood."

"what is that."

"The main ingredient of cold medicine, that is to say, someone did enter the house that night, saw that I was sick, and gave me medicine, and no matter how confused I was with the fever, it was impossible to regard what happened as a dream. Once it is confirmed that memory can be controlled, all the anomalies will be explained."

"It seems that I miscalculated." The voice smiled helplessly.

"Aren't you going to confess?" Ding Li pressed.

"Your guess is not wrong." The voice said slowly, "Recently I encountered some troubles and had to get out. When the matter is over, I will naturally come back."

"I don't want to wait." Ding Li was extremely firm, "If you don't tell me, I'll find the answer myself."

"It's not necessary." The voice was very cold, "You don't remember, I can tell you that our relationship is not that good, we are not even friends, but you have done me a favor in the past, and I will try my best to repay it. "

"Really." Ding Li's heart sank, and he said, "How do I know if you lied to me?"

"If you don't believe me, I can't help it."

The other side was silent after speaking.

Ding Li thought that he would not pay attention to him anymore, but he felt a force gently lift his arm, and a tiny touch fell into his flat palm: "Take this mahogany bead back, it is very useful to ward off evil spirits, those things are generally useless. The law is close."

"This is..." Ding Li was puzzled.

"I don't think I can change your will. I just hope you can weigh it clearly and be responsible for your own safety."

Hearing what he meant, Ding Li's heart lit up: "If I find you, will you tell me everything?"

The voice hesitated for a moment: "Yes."

"It's a deal." Ding Li held the wooden bead tightly.

"It's a deal." He said, and a breeze blew away the treetops, and the lights on the other side appeared.Ding Li looked back again, but there was nothing behind him, as if the man had been dissolved in the boundless darkness.

☆, that thing

During my research, I immediately write down my observations of non-evolutionary phenomena, because I know that if I don't, my brain will quickly forget them.

After reading this sentence silently, Xie Yu closed the "Origin of Species" in his hand, and didn't realize that he had been in a daze for half an hour until the phone rang.

"Hello?" He took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose, "What's the matter?"

"Can't you make a phone call if you have nothing to do?" A domineering female voice came from the opposite side.

"I'm working on a manuscript."

"It's another manuscript..." The other side muttered.

"It's okay, I'm hanging up."

"Something happened. I was shopping outside and accidentally twisted my foot. You can drive over to pick me up."

He had never had anything to do with this sister, so he shook his head helplessly and grabbed the car keys.

In the orthopedics department of the Affiliated Hospital of Medical University, Xie Yu searched three times before and after but did not see anyone. He called again, and the other party said that he was near the inpatient department.

"Didn't you have a broken bone?" Xie Yu said with a cold face.

Standing under a poplar tree along the coast was a girl with red phoenix eyes and shoulder-length hair. When she saw him coming, she turned around and folded her arms: "The doctor said that the film was wrong. Really, what a broken hospital."

"I lied and shifted the responsibility to others. Don't blame me for ignoring you next time you break a bone. Get in the car and go home."

"Over there." Xie Xin pointed.

Xie Yu looked along.

"Five severed hands were found on the island in the center of the lake, and they were rotten to the bone. Another witness said that there was a flash of light on the island last night. The police are conducting a second investigation, and there seems to be new progress." Xie Xin frowned, "How is it? This material is much more valuable than contemplating in a room."

Xie Yu didn't answer, and his eyes unconsciously fell on a certain policeman who was paddling on the lake.

The boat docked, and the rocks on the shore were very high. A man in a white coat handed over the handle. Wei Yuanyang jumped onto the shore, then turned around and pulled the other two colleagues up.

"Did you not go to work today?" Wei Yuanyang asked, pulling his white coat.

"Lunch break." Ding Li said, "Did the people from Wandao find it last night?"

"No."

"I heard that a sneaker was found at the scene?"

"Correct."

"Is it really a monster..."

"monster?"

"Yesterday, I heard people say that there is a monster called Mei who lives under those two banyan trees and eats people."

Ding Li articulately repeated what he had heard, the uncle who was taking a walk approached curiously, the woman holding the child shook her head, the boy continued to play with his mobile phone, the two policemen thought he was joking, and laughed very cooperatively. The object walked to the police car.

After the story is told, it's time to disperse.

Ding Li looked at Wei Yuanyang: "You didn't laugh, do you believe in monsters?"

"Ah?" Wei Yuanyang blushed and scratched his head, "I can't say I believe it, and I can't say I don't believe it. It seems impossible if you say I believe it. If you say it or not, I feel from the bottom of my heart that what I just said is not ridiculous."

"What monster, you're so stupid." Xie Xin interjected.

Only then did Wei Yuanyang notice that Xie Yu was standing beside him, and before he could say hello, he saw Xie Xin walking over with a kick in his high-heeled shoes.

"This doctor, I have three questions for you." She looked up at Ding Li with great momentum.

"Sure." Ding Li said with ease, "But how do you know I'm a doctor?"

"'Not at work today' and 'lunch break' are enough."

"That's it."

"First, the witnesses only said that there was light on the island last night. How can you be sure that it was caused by human beings and not other reasons."

"I'm not sure it's artificial."

"You just asked 'have the people on the island been found', and this sentence itself contains an artificial premise."

"Oh."

"Answer question."

Ding Li thought for a while: "I'm subjective."

"Okay. Second, since you are sure that there are people on the island, why do you think it was a monster who committed the crime?"

Ding Li smiled: "Maybe my thinking is more jumpy."

"Third, where did you learn that shoes were found on the island?"

"I just heard what the person next to me said."

"Who."

Ding Li looked back: "He's gone."

Xie Xin raised her thin lips: "He knows the situation better than the police, and he pretends to be stupid by talking about monsters. This doctor is really not an ordinary person."

"Where?" Ding Li touched the back of his neck.

"I'm not complimenting you." Xie Xin raised his chin.

"Isn't it?"

"of course not."

"Xie Xin." Xie Yu stopped him, "It's almost there."

"Thank you?" Wei Yuanyang recovered, "Is this your sister?"

Xie Xin was taken aback, and frowned half-frowned: "Brother, what kind of people do you know?"

"So it's your sister." Wei Yuanyang said.

Xie Xin didn't want to pay attention to him, and spread out his right hand: "It seems that I was unnecessary, the car keys."

Xie Yu handed it over, and she turned around and left in a refreshed manner.

"Your sister is amazing." Wei Yuanyang looked at her back.

"Single, are you interested?" Xie Yu said.

Wei Yuanyang immediately shook his head.

"My name is Xie Yu, what's your name?"

"Dingli, the official script of official script."

"My sister offended me just now, sorry."

"No." Ding Li smiled, "Are you a policeman too?"

"No, freelance work.—Can you tell me where you heard about the youkai?"

"From a friend." Ding Li said, "It's fake, isn't it?"

"It's not completely unbelievable." Xie Yu said, "From the perspective of phenomenology, the theory of monsters can indeed deal with some things that science cannot explain temporarily."

A contemptuous snort suddenly came from the side.

The three of them looked over and saw a shriveled old woman sitting on the stone railing, her eyes squinted, her thinning hair coiled behind her head, her eagle-claw-like left hand was leaning on a stick full of knots, the right sleeve of the blue coarse cloth was empty, knotted and drooping. with.

"If I can't solve the case myself, I rely on monsters, and I have the face to be a policeman! Superstition is even more quack! Many people have been put to death! Hmph!" The old woman was angry.

Ding Li stepped forward and bowed politely: "Grandmother, don't be angry, we are just joking."

The old woman said in a hoarse voice: "What a joke! Bewitching people! Damn it!"

"Yes, let's stop talking nonsense."

"If someone dies, it must be done by a human! There can be no monsters!" The old woman raised her walking stick and swung it at the onlookers. "Listen up, there are no monsters in this world! No! Not a single one!"

A baby burst into tears.

The old woman was startled when she heard the sound, stopped shouting, muttered something repeatedly, and limped away with a walking stick.

Ding Li immediately took out his mobile phone to check the time: "It's time for me to go to work, see you next time."

Wei Yuanyang waved: "If there is a situation, please contact me again!"

A gust of wind blows, and the white catkins on the poplar trees fall one after another.

"How did you know that doctor?" Xie Yu was thoughtful.

Wei Yuanyang took off his police cap and sat on the stone railing: "There was a traffic accident where he helped rescue the wounded, and it just happened to happen again when I was investigating the case here yesterday."

"It shouldn't be just right. I think that even if he is not a party to this case, he still knows a lot of inside information."

"You suspect him too?"

"There is a term in psychology called the retinal effect. When a person has a certain characteristic, he will notice the existence of the same characteristic more easily than others. The passage about monsters just now is what he used to tell us on purpose. Including those around you."

"You think he's testing us?"

"Who believes in monsters, who doesn't, who cares about the case, who doesn't care, it's clear from the reaction just now."

"There is another trick? Really insightful." Wei Yuanyang scratched his back, "No wonder your sister said he is not an ordinary person."

"Which department is he in?"

"Xinwai, you want to find him, I have a phone."

"Just to check." Xie Yu looked at the place where Ding Li disappeared at the end of the road, "I think he didn't go back to work at all, but went after that old man."

"Oh, no wonder I just felt that he was a bit deliberate in his way of seeing the time." Wei Yuanyang raised his chin and pondered for a long time, "By the way, why are you here?"

"Whenever there is a big case, I will go to the scene to breathe the air. It is a common problem for some detective writers." Xie Yu relaxed, leaned against the "Fishing is strictly prohibited" signpost next to him, and pointed to the police car, "I was on the same boat as you just now." The two detectives, the fatter one named Deng, has worked in the team for ten years and is a drunkard; the thin one named Wu has twin daughters who are in the third grade of eighth middle school."

Wei Yuanyang almost jumped up: "How do you know!"

Xie Yu was expressionless: "I often see them at the crime scene, and I overheard them."

Wei Yuanyang broke out in a cold sweat: "It's kind of scary for you to be careless."

Xie Yu didn't explain much: "I have a suggestion about this case. You should come forward as a policeman and entrust it to Guixin Jingfang."

"What?!"

"I will pay for it."

"No, you are still checking that company!"

"Aren't you checking too?"

"I didn't."

"yes."

"Not really!"

Xie Yu looked at him coldly.

Wei Yuanyang muttered: "I also heard that many old students had accidents after Tan Qigong's death, so I asked them for a list and checked the situation."

Xie Yu looked back at the lake: "Are you really checking?"

Wei Yuanyang finally came to his senses: "Are you playing tricks on me?"

"Yes."

He was instantly dejected.

Xie Yu pushed his glasses: "Do you accept that proposal?"

"let me see."

"How long do you want to think about it?"

Wei Yuanyang didn't answer: "Why do you care about that company so much?"

"Because it's abnormal." Xie Yu said, "That time at Tianhui, they were obviously ready to fight. When Tan Qigong died, they completely ignored our existence."

"That's right, their boss is dead, of course there is no need to pursue us."

"You think Tan Qigong is their mastermind."

"Otherwise who is it?"

"Qian Sining."

"The female assistant?"

"Just speculation, but if true..."

"How about it."

"Have you seen Faust?"

Wei Yuanyang shook his head.

"It is said that there is a banshee called a siren in the sea, which lures ships to hit the rocks and sink with singing. There is also a protoss, which protects navigators and saves sailors in distress. Judging by common sense, the banshee and the protoss should be incompatible, but in " In the 'Aegean Rocky Bay' scene in Faust, they celebrate Peace Festival in close proximity."

"and then?"

"Harming people is not the work of monsters, nor is it the work of gods to save people. They have never acted with people as the center. On the contrary, people are just props for their entertainment." Xie Yu looked at the words that fishing is strictly prohibited on the sign, "In Guixin Jingfang In the incident, we are human beings, pawns sandwiched between big forces, NPCs who trigger the plot, that's why I care about them."

Wei Yuanyang still didn't understand: "Why?"

Xie Yu brushed off a bunch of poplar flowers on his shoulders: "Self-esteem."

After leaving the hospital, we got into the side road and passed through alleys. The distance and displacement were completely out of proportion.

Fortunately, the rattling sound of the crutch kept ringing, so that Ding Li would not lose his way halfway. He just looked back, and he, being a road idiot, could not tell the difference between south, east and north.

Thinking this way, when he turned a corner, he suddenly met two treacherous eyes.

The old woman arched her back, wrinkled her orange face, and stared at her from the opposite side of the narrow alley, Ding Li could not help but take half a step back.

despair.despair.despair.The walking stick was nailed to the ground, approaching slowly but extremely firmly.

Taking a deep breath, the peach wood beads rose and fell between the collarbone, and Ding Li stabilized his heels with the softest voice.The tip of the walking stick landed half a meter in front of his shoe. The old woman leaned forward and stared wide-eyed with a pair of cloudy eyes.

blind!

Ding Li didn't dare to catch his breath, he watched those eyes move tentatively in front of him, finally stopped, and slowly backed away.

He breathed a sigh of relief silently, followed more carefully, and began to think about a question: Since she is blind, how could she walk all the way without fumbling.

Probably for the same reason, Ah Jing also dragged herself on the dark and silent island, and easily bypassed all obstacles.

Maybe they don't need eyes at all, or even hearing, to see things.

--Oops!

If the old woman had observed things with other senses, she might have discovered herself in some other way!

As soon as Ding Li thought of this, his eyes went dark and he didn't know anything.

☆, the culprit

rustling.

The small voice brought back part of consciousness, the air was damp and musty, the eyelids were opened forcefully, and a pair of cloth shoes was reflected in the blurred vision.Ding Li found himself lying in a dark room