Madness of the Heart

Perhaps because of his older age, Wu Zhen has more doubts than Sha Chun.

Ming Shu sent Xu Chun to Wu Zhen's hometown. As soon as Xu Chun arrived at Wu's house, he was kicked out by Wu Zhen's two younger sisters and brother-in-law.

Longhe City is just a small city, and Xunchuan Town below it is even smaller.This kind of small place has a characteristic - if something serious happens to any household, the whole town knows it within a day.

In Xunchuan Town, Wu Zhen is a "well-known" figure, and it is also a scar that the Wu family does not want to mention.

More than 20 years ago, Wu Zhen was a rare college student in Xunchuan Town.He has good grades and works hard. From elementary school to high school, he has been used by various households to educate their children.

"Why don't you work so hard? Look at Wu Zhen!"

"How much Wu Zhen scored in the final exam, how much do you score, do you still want to go out to play?"

"Wu Zhen went home to do homework again. When did you become so conscious?"

After studying for four years, Wu Zhen returned to his hometown with a fine clothes. Before he graduated, he worked as an intern at Longhe TV Station.

To the people of Xunchuan Town, the news editor of the TV station sounds really foreign.The Wu family is also very respectable, the witch father and the witch mother praise their son whenever they meet, and Wu Zhen's two younger sisters are also honored by this.

But in the golden age, Wu Zhen resigned.

At first, this incident did not cause any gossip in Xunchuan Town.Compared with the anger of the Wu family, most of the townspeople feel that Wu Zhen is so smart and knowledgeable, he must have a better plan to resign. A young man should go out and work hard. The iron rice bowl is good.

But year after year, Wu Zhen gradually disappeared.

Some people said that they saw Wu Zhen outside, and he was doing very poorly, without a serious job, and he didn't even have a place to live.

It would be fine if there was only one person who said that. Later, a young man who came back to town said that Wu Zhen was working as a screenwriter, but no one bought his script.

Some people believed it, and some people still didn't want to believe it.

So some people went to ask the Wu family, Father Wu had a fiery personality, and when Wu Zhen was mentioned, he would be furious, while others sighed and kept silent.

If Wu Zhen was doing well, the Wu family would definitely not react like this.

This confirmed the rumors——Wu Zhen had achieved nothing and was destitute.

People always seem to be happy to see a positive image collapse, especially if this positive image has weighed heavily on them for many years.

Those parents who praised Wu Zhen fiercely to their children, it is hard to say that they are not jealous of the Wu family, and it is hard to say that they don't want their children to work hard to surpass Wu Zhen, so that they can feel proud for a while.Those children who always listen to "Wu Zhen so what" may have hated Wu Zhen long ago.

Knowing that Wu Zhen's life was so bad and that he was self-destructing his future, people began to talk about it. They also dug up what happened to Wu Zhen when he was a child, and recounted it with embellishment.

For a long time, Xunchuan Town was filled with an atmosphere of "happy people".

The townspeople with a low level of education even learned some polite words, such as "Jiang Lang's talent is exhausted", such as "Shang Zhongyong".

The Wu family couldn't accept such a gap, and felt ashamed of Wu Zhen.

Because of the lack of cooperation of the Wu family, Xu Chun failed to get any valuable clues. He was about to go to the middle school where Wu Zhen had attended, but noticed a middle-aged man standing behind a tree opposite the Wu family.

The man met Xu Chun's eyes, turned around in a panic, and ran into the alley.

Who is Xu Chun?The most stalwart field worker of the serious crime team, who was an important member of the special police corps a few years ago, was recruited by Mingshu himself to the Criminal Investigation Bureau. Lu Yanzhou was not happy about this for a long time.

It was easy for Xu Chun to catch a middle-aged man who ran away.

"Ah!" When his hands were cut behind his back, the man shouted, "Let me go! What are you doing?"

"Why are you running?" Xu Chun shouted.

"I..." the man stammered, "I didn't run away."

"You still said you didn't run away?"

"You let me go first."

Xu Chun was not afraid of the man running away again, so he let go of the man's arms, "Who are you? Why are you hiding behind the tree?"

The man was sweating profusely from fright, and instead of answering, he asked, "Are you here to investigate the missing policeman of Wu Zhen?"

Xu Chun immediately became vigilant, "What do you know?"

The man looked in the direction of Wu's house, his eyes hesitated, and he spoke very confidently, "Come with me, I have something to report to you police."

Xu Chun is very skilled and has a gun, so he is not afraid of men digging holes for him.But the man's behavior was too suspicious, so Xu Chun hesitated for a moment when he followed the man through an alley and stood at the door of the man's house.

The man smiled awkwardly, "I can't beat you again."

Xunchuan Town is full of small buildings, and so is the man's house. Xu Chun followed him in and saw the man take out an ID card from a drawer.

Luo Xiu, 40 years old.

Same age as Wu Zhen.

Xu Chun took the ID card. The photo on the ID card was slightly different from the man's, but it was still the same person.

After working in the field for so many years, it was the first time for Xu Chun to see someone introduce himself by handing over his ID card.

"I didn't bring my ID card with me, so what I say is unfounded." Luo Xiu said, "Sit down, I'll pour you a glass of water."

Xu Chun was still vigilant, "What is your relationship with the Wu family?"

"Wu Zhen and I are friends who grew up together." Luo Xiu sighed, "After he left here, he lost contact with his family, but he still called me. He still sent letters in the early years."

Xu Chun recalled that before the technical investigation, he checked Wu Zhen's communication records and found that Wu Zhen had not contacted anyone in his hometown within half a year.

"However, in the past few years, our contact has become less and less. You should have heard that when you come to our town, he has a bad life outside." Luo Xiu looked gloomy, "In June this year, Wu Zhen suddenly told me A phone call was made and I was surprised."

"June?"

It was June that Wu Zhen disappeared!

"Yeah." Luo Xiu nodded, "It's an unfamiliar number. I didn't know it was Wu Zhen before I picked it up. He first asked me how I was doing recently, and then asked about my children's schooling. He rarely said anything before. With such words, I guessed at the time that he might have something important to tell me. Sure enough, after I finished answering his question, he waited for a while and said he wanted to ask me something. "

Xu Chun asked, "What's the matter?"

"During the holidays, go and take care of his mother. When his mother dies, send a wreath in his name—the funeral custom here is that when an elder dies, the children must make a wreath and send a wreath." Luo Xiu said as he picked up the phone and found the call record, "Look, this is it."

徐椿一看，是冬邺市一个固定电话。通话时长6分31秒，来电时间是6月21号下午2点15分。

"I think it's very strange. Taking care of my mother during the holidays, and sending wreaths when my mother dies, it sounds like something is going to happen to him." Luo Xiu said, "I asked him what's wrong, is there any difficulty? He said no, and told me not to think too much. He asked me several times before hanging up, telling me not to tell anyone about this matter, not even my family members, just treat it as a favor to my brother.”

Xu Chun asked, "Do you know that Wu Zhen is missing?"

Luo Xiu sighed and nodded, "I know, the police came to investigate some time ago."

Xu Chun said angrily, "Then why don't you tell the truth?"

Luo Xiu shook his head, "Wu Zhen and I grew up together. He believed in me, and I agreed to him. I don't want to betray him."

Xu Chun said: "Do you think Wu Zhen didn't disappear, but did something to escape?"

Luo Xiu nodded with difficulty.

Xu Chun was quite speechless, "Then you are willing to tell me now?"

"I thought Wu Zhen would contact me, if there is anything I need to help

, I can still help him. Luo Xiu said: "But until now, there is still no news about Wu Zhen."I no longer understand whether he killed someone or was killed by someone. "

Xu Chun hurriedly sent this important information back to the serious crime team. After investigation, the number belonged to a canteen on Yilu Street, Dongcheng District.

These days, everyone has a mobile phone, and there are fewer and fewer fixed-line phones. Commissaries are replaced by chain convenience stores, and almost all public phones that have not been replaced have been cancelled.And Yilu Street is on the edge of Dongye City, an old residential area that has not yet been planned and developed.There are also many canteens that retain the style of the last century, and there are public telephones next to the cash register.

"The monitoring in the canteen has been broken for a long time." Fang Yuanhang reported on the phone, "but the boss has a good memory, and he still remembers Wu Zhen. He said that it was rare for someone to make a public phone call, which left a deep impression on him. Wu Zhen called It’s not surprising that he bought mineral water and cigarettes after the phone call. The key point is that he also bought a pack of Langweixian. The boss showed me the account book of the day, and at the time after Wu Zhen made the phone call, the store did sell A pack of Langweixian came out."

Mingshu sat on Zhou Yuan's desk, "Langweixian?"

"Strange, isn't it?" Fang Yuanhang said, "Master, can you imagine a 40-year-old uncle eating Langweixian while walking on the road?"

Mingshu immediately contacted Xu Chun who was still in Xunchuan Town, "Luo Xiu and Wu Zhen were young, you can ask him what Wu Zhen's favorite snacks were when he was a child."

After thinking for a moment, Luo Xiu said, "It's Langweixian."

Langweixian, a puffed food that was once popular among children in the last century, quickly occupied the market because of its unique taste.

Although Langweixian can still be seen on the shelves of supermarkets today, it has long since lost its former glory.

"Uncle Wu never eats these things, I remember it very clearly, because once Lan Lan and I went to the supermarket to buy a few large bags of potato chips and shared them with everyone on the terrace, Uncle Wu told me." The contracted screenwriter, who has just entered the industry, has a very lively personality. "He said that the most important thing for us screenwriters is the brain. If the brain is broken, we will not be able to write anything. Puffed food affects the brain. It is best not to touch it— — These are the original words of Uncle Wu.”

Ou Xianghe was also surprised when he was asked about Langweixian, "We take care of the meals here. If anyone wants to eat snacks, just register. They don't have to spend their own money. Of course, you must go out for a stroll by yourself, and you can buy some snacks." .Wu Zhen seldom eats snacks, at most he eats some peanuts, how can a person of his age like to eat puffed food?"

"Zha Wuzhen is indeed right!" Ming Shu felt countless clues struggling in his mind, and the scattered strands in the mist seemed to be slowly entangled together, as if they were about to form a prototype.

"The last time Wu Zhen was witnessed, the last time he was photographed by surveillance cameras, and the last time he called an old friend in his hometown was on June 6." Zhou Yuan said: "On June 21, he seemed to have evaporated from the world. Just a moment. And June 6nd happens to be a Sunday. Sha Chun was killed on a Sunday.”

Mingshu said: "Assuming that Wu Zhen was killed instead of missing, then the day when he was killed is likely to be the same as Sha Chun, which is a Sunday."

Zhou Yuan was very firm, "Yes!"

Xing Mu interrupted suddenly, "During the meeting last time, Xiao Zhou seemed to be inclined towards Wu Zhen's death."

"From my professional point of view, if a person is still alive in modern society, he must leave traces of his life." Zhou Yuan explained seriously: "But we can't find these traces. Moreover, Wu Zhen's disappearance is precipitous. , the known clues point to June 6. Rather than disappearing, I personally believe that he has encountered an accident during the time period from June 21 to 6."

"Then does he know that something bad will happen to him?" Mingshu said: "Call a friend on a public phone and ask the other party to take care of his mother; he hardly eats puffed food and thinks that puffed food will damage the brain, but he bought his childhood favorite Langweixian. Putting these two things together, no matter how you look at it, it looks like Wu Zhen is saying goodbye. This is the most common behavior of a person before committing suicide."

"Change your thinking." Yi Fei said, "Is it possible that Wu Zhen knew someone was going to kill him?"

Mingshu nodded, "Of course, Wu Zhen's interpersonal relationship still needs to be investigated."

Fang Yuanhang said: "In the surveillance on the 21st, Wu Zhen looked very calm and unhurried. The owner of the canteen also said that Wu Zhen was not in a panic. If it was homicide, Wu Zhen knew that something was going to happen to him. Is it too calm? I still feel more like suicide."

"Whether it was suicide or homicide, based on the current clues, the probability that Wu Zhen is still alive is less than the probability that he is dead. Is there any objection to that?" Mingshu asked.

Zhou Yuan was the first to nod, "En!"

"The connection between the two cases is even greater." Ming Shu held a pen that was handed over from Xiao Yu'an, "Sha Chun committed suicide, but there are various signs that Sha Chun may have planned the death himself. Wu Zhen Behavior before disappearance, there is a possibility of suicide."

"Two people who worked hard but were not favored by success..." Yi Fei looked at Mingshu, "If Wu Zhen's death can be confirmed, the two cases can be investigated together."

"Yilu Street and the urban-rural areas to the east of Yilu Street need to be more intensively visited." Mingshu said: "Wu Zhen was there when he was last seen, and Yilu Street is completely in the trajectory of his daily life. Outside. He must have a purpose when he goes there."

Yi Fei looked distressed, "Xu Chun is still in Xunchuan Town, and Sha Chun's case cannot be released. We may not be able to separate so many people now."

Mingshu thought for a while, "I'll go to Director Xiao in a while to see if I can transfer some brothers from the first criminal investigation team."

While the serious crime team was busy with two cases, the Performing Arts Group gradually fell into the whirlpool of public opinion.

The newly built new office was dug up with a female corpse with amputated hands, and the victim was an employee of the Performing Arts Group. This matter was enough to become a topic of discussion.

Due to the control of news reports, the Shachun case was not disclosed in the mainstream media, only a police report without any details.However, it didn't take long before rumors spread from the Performing Arts Group that Sha Chun, a guzheng player in the folk music department, was insulted in the department and suffered verbal attacks for several years. They are one of the few "non-related households" who are strict with themselves and often take the initiative to work overtime, which offends a large group of "related households". The director and deputy director of the Folk Music Department clearly knew Sha Chun's plight, but they never offered a helping hand. You Shachun was bullied by his colleagues.

The source of the rumors is no longer traceable. Although similar situations exist in other departments of the Performing Arts Group, but Sha Chun is dead, and the dead are the most important. For a while, not to mention the outside world, even the folk music department within the group began to criticize.

Han Mingming's life is very bad, and her daily work can no longer be carried out. Every day, she is called by the group's senior management and the human resources department to talk.But Ran He became the target of everyone in the group to beat him because of his infidelity in marriage.There are rumors that his father-in-law has already negotiated with the group, and he will be fired soon.

At the same time, some supernatural rumors also spread wildly in the group.

No one dared to go to the pond anymore. I don't know who was the first to say that the place where Sha Chun was buried was cooler than other places.Some people also said that in the women's bathroom on the floor where the folk music club is located, when the other cubicles are empty, women's cries can be heard, accompanied by cries, and low voices - am I not working hard enough?

The vast majority of young people in the Performing Arts Group are atheists, and all the rumors start with "I listen to others".

It stands to reason that such rumors are not enough to scare people.But it is a fact that Sha Chun was targeted by the whole department, and it is also a fact that the body was buried in the group. On the day of the heavy rain, many people even saw the body in the pit.

The murder happened by my side, and the colleague who I met a few days ago died in front of me today, which can't help but make people shudder.

People in the folk music department were panicked, Sun Jing passed Sha Chun's practice room, glanced in from the corner of the eye, and fell to the ground screaming in fright.

When everyone arrived, she was still prostrate on the ground, pointing to the practice room and yelling, "She's inside! She's right by the window! I saw her!"

There was no one in the practice room, but a slender flower stand stood by the window with a pot of prickly pears on top.Maybe the wind blew up the curtains, and the thorns of the prickly pear hooked the curtains. At first glance, it looked like a woman standing by the window.

This matter spread to other departments, and in the process of adding fuel and vinegar, it became Sun Jing who saw Sha Chun's ghost.

The legends on the Internet are even more varied. There are also former employees of the Performing Arts Group who came forward to criticize the personnel system of the Performing Arts Group, saying that Sha Chun’s death is a matter of time. If Sha Chun is not dead, other hardworking employees will be forced to die in the future He also said that Sha Chun should die in the performing arts group, so that those who have done evil there will never be uneasy!

According to the rumors, Ran He, who betrayed his pregnant wife, lost his job, and was in constant panic because of the so-called "ghost of Sha Chun", jumped from the window of Sha Chun's practice room on the day he was fired and died on the spot.