"No, it's nothing. I felt a sudden pain in my heart." Ling Zhilong rubbed his heart, smiled at Zhong Yi, and said, "It's an old problem. He has been working in the enemy's heart for a long time, and even his own heart has problems."
"So, Station Commander Ling also worked in Peiping before?" Among the lurking personnel of the Central Bureau of Statistics in Peiping that Zhong Yi knew, the name Ling Zhilong was not among them.
"My identity as a lurker in Peiping at that time was the translator of the Special High School Section of the Japanese Military Police Headquarters in Peiping." Ling Zhilong explained.
When the sun went down, Zhong Yi came to the graveyard of Ghost Cut King's wife again. Zhongyi’s purpose this time is to test an idea.
Zhong Yi walked slowly through the grass and went straight to the grave. Under the dim moonlight, Zhong Yi carefully looked around the grave. Sure enough, there were traces of tampering in the grass.
Zhong Yi moved some withered grass roots away, and sure enough, a white paper man was placed underneath. This is what he is looking for. The paper-cutting is lifelike, and the prototype is exactly him – Zeng Yutian!
Zhong Yi continued to search, and on the south side of the tomb, he found another human skin cutout, the prototype of which was Yao Xuehe!
Suddenly, Zhong Yi noticed something unusual. With the keen sense he had developed over many years, he knew that there was someone nearby, and it was on the opposite side without raising his head.
Zhong Yi drew his gun and pointed it at the person in front of him.
Under the dim moonlight, a white figure stood more than thirty meters away from Zhong Yi. His long hair covered his face, and his white dress covered his entire body. The dress was blown by the breeze, floating on the grass. Her body was swaying in the grass. To be more precise, not only her white dress, but her entire body was swaying in the grass. Her body was suspended in the grass.
Looking at this white figure, Zhong Yi lowered the gun in his hand and felt a sting in his heart, saying, "Meng Yue! Is that you?"
Zhong Yi hopes to get a positive answer. If so, he will feel better and all the truth will be revealed. However, he didn't hear any echo. The white shadow was floating in the grass, facing him.
"I know it's you. Do you have something to say? Just say it and I'll listen." Zhong Yi's voice was choked.
Bai Ying took a few steps back, still maintaining a distance of more than thirty meters from Zhong Yi, and the face hidden in the darkness was still facing him.
"I know you have grievances. Just tell me and I will listen carefully." Zhong Yi took a few steps forward.
The white shadow drifted back again, still not responding.
Zhong Yi strode forward. Regardless of whether she was a human or a ghost, he wanted to see her and learn the truth about that year. Bai Ying retreated faster, always keeping a certain distance from Zhong Yi.
Finally, Zhong Yi started running, rushing towards Bai Ying desperately, but Bai Ying retreated at the same speed, his white dress swaying in the wind.
Zhong Yi began to suspect that it was a ghost, not a person, because no one could go backwards at such a fast speed. He chased him out of the mass grave, still chasing after him desperately. There was only one thought in his mind, to meet her, even if she was really a ghost.
Zhong Yi didn't know how far he chased her, but at the corner of an alley, the white shadow disappeared. There is a wide street here, and it is quiet.
Zhong Yi walked around for a long time without seeing the white figure. The white figure seemed to have evaporated in the world. He slowly calmed down and couldn't help but shudder. Could it be that someone was deliberately testing him? If this was really the case, then he would be in too much danger, and he regretted his own impulsiveness. He had to leave this place immediately, he thought of this and was about to turn around and leave, but was stunned for a moment.
This place is too familiar to Zhong Yi. The dim moonlight shines on the dilapidated shop sign on the roadside – Ghost Scissor King.
Introduction
Early autumn of 1943, Peiping.
Haze enveloped the city of Peiping, with few pedestrians on the streets. Many shop doors were half-open, and no customers could be seen entering or exiting. The shop of King Guijian was also deserted.
At this time, King Ghost Scissor was leaning on a bamboo chair with his eyes closed, seemingly deep in thought. He held the teapot in his hand and forgot to put it down.
Suddenly, King Ghost Scissor seemed to be stimulated by something. He suddenly opened his eyes. Without paying attention, the teapot slipped out of his hand. There was a crisp "clang" sound and it suddenly fell into pieces.
My wife hurriedly ran out of the back room and asked, "What's wrong, old man?"
King Ghost Scissors sighed, shook his head, and said, "It's okay, it's okay. You go ahead and do your work. I'll take care of it."
"What's wrong with you? In the past few days, I've been bumping here and there, and I've been in a trance." My wife walked into the back room while nagging.
"Is King Ghost Scissor here?" King Ghost Scissor was still stunned. At some point, a person stood behind him quietly. The visitor held his black top hat down low, almost covering his sunglasses, and the collar of his black trench coat was raised high, covering half of his face.
"Is King Ghost Scissors here?" the man in black asked again, his voice gloomy.
King Guijian came to his senses and said, "That's me. Do you have anything to do with me?"
"Make a paper-cut for me." The man in black said in a firm tone.
"What are you cutting?" The Ghost Scissor King had an ominous premonition and had no choice but to lead the man in black into the paper-cutting studio.
The man in black took out two things from his handbag: a portrait and something like a piece of white paper. The King of Ghost Scissors knew at a glance that it was not white paper, which was thicker than white paper, nor satin, which was whiter and softer than satin. There was a red dot on it, like a red mole.
"What do you want me to do?" King Guijian looked at this white thing and suddenly felt pain in his heart.
"According to this portrait, use this material to make a humanoid paper-cut. You need to use your ghost-cutting skills, as well as burning, dyeing and other special skills." The man in black spoke in a stiff tone, as if he was very familiar with paper-cutting.
King Ghost Cut looked at the portrait. The person above was wearing a kimono. She was a Japanese woman with a tapered bun. She had an oval face, a pair of red phoenix eyes on her delicate face, and a striking red mole on the right corner of her mouth.
King Ghost Scissor understood that the red dots on the piece of material were almost the same as the red mole on the corner of the woman's mouth. He said nothing more and started working step by step, folding, cutting, ironing, dyeing…
When the sun was about to set, a perfect paper-cut work was completed. The man in black looked at the masterpiece in front of him and was stunned. Indeed, it was so beautiful, so stunning, like a sleeping beauty lying on the table. The man in black gently put the paper-cut away.
King Ghost Scissor wiped the cold sweat from his face and asked, "Can I know what material this is?"
"Human skin." The man in black said calmly.
"What? Human skin!" King Ghost Scissor suddenly stood up, his heart felt cramped, and a mouthful of blood spurted out. Then he fell back on the chair and asked feebly, "Where, where did it come from?"
"You don't need to know." After saying that, the man in black pulled out his pistol and fired two shots at King Ghost Scissors. Then, dull gunfire rang out from the back room.
When the neighbors arrived, King Gui Jian and his wife were already lying in a pool of blood. Soon after, the police detectives arrived, and the neighbors followed the police detectives into the King of Ghost Scissors shop again. Unexpectedly, only the body of Ghost Shear King's wife was left in the yard, and the body of Ghost Shear King was missing.
Detective Zhong Yi searched for a long time but failed to find any strong clues. He only found a pair of bloody scissors and a bullet casing in the studio of Ghost Scissor King.
1. The inexplicable tragic death of Japanese war criminals
In 1945, Zhong Yi returned to Peking again after having left Peiping for nearly two years. The Japanese surrendered, but Peking was still in depression.
Zhong Yi came to Peiping as an investigator from the Central Bureau of Statistics, specifically to investigate the murder of Japanese war criminal Nagano Toshio. But in his mind, there was still one important thing to do, and that was to take the opportunity to investigate the murder of King Guijian's family that had tortured him for two years.
Zhong Yi came to the War Criminals Management Center under the leadership of Ling Zhilong, the head of the Peking Station of the Central Bureau of Statistics. Japanese war criminals who committed heinous crimes during the war of aggression against China were imprisoned here.
Before there is a public trial, war criminals need special protection, but unexpectedly an accident happened. The War Criminals Management Office reported that the Japanese Class-A war criminal Toshio Nagano was killed two days ago.
The director of the management office is named Yao Xuehe. The sudden arrival of Zhong Yi and Ling Zhilong made him look a little panicked. Nagano Toshio was killed, and he could not escape the blame.
Two iron doors sealed Cell 13 airtight. When the iron doors were opened, a slight smell of corpses wafted out. Zhong Yi frowned. He could tell from the smell that the person had been dead for more than two days.
The deceased was naked from the waist up, his cheeks were dark and twisted, and his eyes were wide open. He was obviously in a state of extreme panic before death.
When Zhong Yi glanced at the naked back of the corpse, his heart suddenly "thumped" – a piece of skin had been cut off from the deceased alive! The nearly square skin on the back of the corpse was gone, revealing rotten flesh dripping with pus.
There was no blood on the ground, but on the white wall, I saw some blood stains that were obviously left by the big paws. Zhong Yi felt incredible. The bloody claw marks were clearly printed on the wall, extending upward and disappearing near the skylight.
"Why is there a skylight in the cell of such an important war criminal?" Zhong Yi asked directly without looking back.
"Ask you, why are you standing outside?" Ling Zhilong's scolding voice came from behind.
Only then did Zhong Yi realize that Yao Xuehe had been standing outside the door with an extremely ugly expression. Yao Xuehe said tremblingly: "It's all because of the humble duty… the humble duty and dereliction of duty."
Zhong Yi gave Yao Xuehe a cold look and said, "Are you cold, Director Yao?"
"It's not cold, no, I…I'm a little cold." Yao Xuehe forced a smile and said incoherently.
"Is there a ghost in the cell?" Zhong Yi stared at Yao Xuehe's face and asked abruptly.
"How do you know? This is where the female ghost was…by…" Yao Xuehe's face turned pale and he stammered, "She is here to collect debt…"
"Director Yao!" Ling Zhilong interrupted Yao Xuehe and angrily shouted, "You are a soldier, how can you believe in the existence of ghosts?"
"Yes, yes…" Yao Xuehe muttered.
"Are they wearing handcuffs or shackles?" Zhong Yi's eyes fell on the corpse's wrists and ankles. There was pus flowing out from both places, like marks from the handcuffs and shackles.
"No, Shangfeng asked us to treat them well. Besides, the guards here are so tight, there is no need to wear handcuffs and shackles." Yao Xuehe said.
"People died in front of you, and you still said they were closely guarded?" Ling Zhilong said coldly.
"Why didn't he report it until two days after his death?" Zhong Yi asked next.
"I…" Yao Xuehe hesitated for a long time, and then said after a long time, "I was not at the management office when the accident happened…"
"In order to escape the guilt of leaving one's post without permission, it was said that the person had been dead for several days as two days." Zhong Yi said unhurriedly.
"I…" Yao Xuehe was speechless.
"Okay, as long as you tell the truth and leave your post without permission to lie about the time of your death, I won't report it." Zhong Yi gave Yao Xuehe a chance to confess.
Yao Xuehe hurriedly told what happened.
It turned out that Yao Xuehe was away on business before the incident, and when he came back, Toshio Nagano was already dead. According to the soldiers guarding outside the cell, they heard no fighting or screaming. They only saw Nagano Toshio dead in the cell when they were delivering food.
Zhong Yi interrogated the guard separately. What the two guards said was exactly the same as Yao Xuehe's. There are two doors, and each group of guards has a key. Only when both keys are present can one enter cell 13. The soldiers all denied visiting Cell 13 before Nagano Toshio died, and some even said that Nagano Toshio was killed by an evil spirit.
Of course Zhong Yi would not believe the evil ghost's claim that he was seeking his life.
Post-war negotiations have entered a critical moment, and the accidental death of a major war criminal is a sensitive matter. Zhongyi's mission for this trip is to find out the truth about Nagano Toshio's death and catch the murderer.
That night, Zhong Yi decided to go to a wasteland in the suburbs to worship someone. Two years ago, after the tragic death of King Gui Jian's family, Zhong Yi secretly built this tomb to bury King Gui Jian's wife.
Zhongyi walked through the grass and walked to a barren grave. He slowly squatted down, pulled out the grass on the grave, and said, "Auntie , who is a ghost ? I'm sorry. It's been two years and I haven't been able to seek justice for you." .”
Zhong Yi pulled the grass and suddenly realized something was wrong. Some grass rises as soon as it is mentioned, as if someone has pulled it out and put it back in its place. Someone must have been here. Zhong Yi used the dim light of the flashlight to carefully observe the nearby weeds. Some weeds were indeed wilting. He peeled away the soil under the withered yellow grass, revealing something white and soft. Zhong Yi took it out and saw that it was a paper man. But the material was not paper, it was thicker and softer than paper, nor was it satin. He couldn't tell what material it was.
The paper figures were lifelike and looked familiar to Zhong Yi. Looking at it, Zhong Yi couldn't help but exclaimed – the prototype of the paper man is none other than Toshio Nagano!
At that time, there was an old feudal custom circulating among the people: paper-cut humanoids of enemies were buried in graves to pay homage to the dead. Enemies will soon get their comeuppance.
Who would place Toshio Nagano’s humanoid cutout on this grave after his death? Who else knows about the existence of this tomb? Zhong Yi returned to the small courtyard where she temporarily lived with many doubts.
Zhong Yi closed the curtains and examined the human-shaped paper-cut just brought back from the cemetery under the candlelight. What material is it made of? It's not paper or satin, it should be animal skin, but what kind of animal skin can be so delicate and soft? If it is pigskin or cowhide, it will not only be very hard, but the thick pores will also be exposed.
Zhong Yi thought about it, and his heartbeat suddenly accelerated – it was human skin! He almost screamed, and immediately thought of Nagano Toshio's cut skin. It was only human skin without large pores, and it felt very soft. This paper figurine may have been cut from Nagano Toshio's skin.
"Bang! Bang!" Just when Zhong Yi was surprised by his discovery, there was a knock on the door outside.
A tap, a tap, such a familiar contact signal, Zhong Yi was surprised. Such a contact signal has not been used for two years. Who would use such a contact signal when he first arrived in Peking?
Zhong Yi hid the paper man, blew out the candle, took out his pistol, and walked quietly to the yard. He did not open the courtyard door, but jumped up and climbed onto the courtyard wall.
Zhong Yi climbed over the wall to check what was going on around him. When he turned around, he saw a white thing on the door knocker. He took it in his hand and climbed over the wall into the yard.
Zhong Yi relit the candle and took out the white thing, which was a paper cut. He unfolded it gently and read two words: truth.
2. Yao Xuhe was killed mysteriously
Yao Xuehe felt a familiar white shadow shaking around him these past two nights. For safety reasons, he arranged for two soldiers to guard his home and courtyard.
The moonlight was hazy. When Yao Xuehe looked up at the window, he screamed in surprise. He saw a figure with disheveled hair, which should be a woman. Just for a moment, the figure disappeared again.
Yao Xuehe slowly let go of his thoughts. He took a deep breath and tried his best to calm down his fearful heart.
"Creak-" The door made a slight sound. It seemed that someone had broken in, and Yao Xuehe jumped up suddenly.
"Come here!" Yao Xuehe shouted, took out his pistol, and his whole body started to tremble unconsciously.
The two soldiers stood motionless in front of the courtyard gate, as if they could not hear his cry at all.
"Squeak—" The door closed immediately.
"Who?" Yao Xuehe's voice was filled with tears.
No one responded, and there was dead silence. Yao Xuehe's hand holding the gun trembled under the light, and he stared at the bedroom door with wide eyes.
"Wha—" The bamboo curtain suddenly fell down, and a figure appeared at the door of the bedroom—it should be said that a ghost figure is more appropriate. She was suspended at the door of the bedroom, covered in a white robe, with no hands or feet visible, and her long hair was disheveled. .
"Give me my skin!" The white shadow slowly floated towards Yao Xuehe and let out a shrill cry.
"Ghost!" Yao Xuhe howled, pulling the trigger of his pistol. "Pah, pah…" The bullets shot towards Bai Ying one after another. The bullet penetrated Bai Ying's body, but Bai Ying just swung back and forth and still floated towards Yao Xuehe.
All the bullets in Yao Xuehe's gun were exhausted, but it still couldn't stop the white shadow from floating towards him. Bai Ying was very close and turned around suddenly, his back facing Yao Xuehe.
Bai Ying's shrill scream sounded again: "Give me back my skin!"
When Bai Ying turned around again, Yao Xuehe had recognized him, but it was too late. "It's really you!" Yao Xuehe screamed, and his body fell straight down…
The next day, Zhong Yi hurried to Peiping Station of the Central Bureau of Statistics after breakfast.
Ling Zhilong was not there, and the office director's reply shocked Zhong Yi. Ling Zhilong was at the home of Yao Xuehe, the director of the War Criminals Management Institute. Yao Xuehe died in a strange way.
Under the guidance of the office director, Zhong Yi rushed to Yao Xuehe's home. Qu Wenyuan, chief of the operations section of the Peking Police Headquarters, was also at Yao Xuehe's house. Ling Zhilong's eyes were darkened. It seemed that he had not slept well last night and looked a little haggard.
Qu Wenyuan's expression was equally bad. As the leader of the Police Headquarters, he did not enter the house to investigate the scene. Instead, he hid outside the house and peered inside, appearing restless.
Yao Xuehe was naked from the waist up, lying on the table, with his arms spread out, his head tilted to one side, his eyes wide open, and his face severely distorted.
Zhong Yi was surprised to find that a piece of skin had been cut off from Yao Xuehe's naked back, and the bright red flesh made people feel sick.
Another person was skinned, and he was the director of the war criminals management center. The same technique, the same way of death, what is the relationship between Yao Xuehe and Nagano Toshio? Zhong Yi frowned.
On the floor of the bedroom, Zhong Yi saw the familiar bloody claw marks, extending from the house to the outside of the door. There were also some on the outer wall, and finally disappeared on the roof.
According to the soldiers who guarded Yao Xuehe's home, they fell asleep for some reason in the middle of the night and did not hear any noise. When they woke up, they found that Yao Xuehe had been killed.
Zhong Yi noticed that a person left the scene quietly. He was Qu Wenyuan, chief of the Operations Section of the Police Headquarters. As the leader of the police station, why did he leave without waiting for the scene investigation to be completed? Zhong Yi was a little confused.
The autopsy results were basically the same as those of Nagano Toshio. Yao Xuhe died of cardiac arrest. Rather, they all died of extreme fear and unbearable pain.
Another person died mysteriously, and Zhong Yi couldn't find any valuable clues at the police station. He decided to visit Ling Zhilong, hoping to find some useful clues.
Ling Zhilong's home is only separated from the war criminals management center by a wall. Ling Zhilong was not surprised by Zhong Yi's arrival and welcomed him into his residence with a smile.
This is a quiet courtyard with antique decorations. A paper-cut screen stands in the living room.
"Stationmaster Ling, are you the only one living here?" Zhong Yi asked without seeing the hostess.
"Ah…" Ling Zhilong picked up the teacup, pondered for a moment, and said, "My wife doesn't see the world and is not by my side. She lives alone in her hometown."
"Webmaster Ling, what do you think of the deaths of Nagano Toshio and Yao Xuehe?" Zhong Yi changed the topic and went directly to the topic.
Ling Zhilong said slowly: "I also find it incredible. If Yao Xuehe and his men hadn't lied, then Nagano Toshio would have died in a strange way. As you can see, although Cell 13 has a skylight, the murderer It is absolutely not possible to enter through the skylight. Those claw marks disappeared near the skylight. There are no traces of movement on the roof, and there is no blood stain."
Zhong Yi took a sip of tea and said: "The deaths of Nagano Toshio and Yao Xuhe are surprisingly similar. They should be committed by the same person, but why did the murderer cut off the skin on their backs? Is it a hint, or is it just revenge?"
"I'm not sure about this. Judging from the technique, they should have been killed by the same person. The skin cutting should be a warning, or it could be said that it was deliberately shown to us investigators." Ling Zhilong spoke very calmly.
"What do you think of Webmaster Ling's statement about evil ghosts seeking their lives?" Zhong Yi wanted to get more useful information from Ling Zhilong.
"I don't really believe in the theory of evil spirits. For example, when the murderer killed Yao Xuehe, he just sprayed some hallucinogens on the two soldiers, and they would fall asleep. Of course, they would not hear Yao Xuehe's screams. It was loud, but…" Ling Zhilong suddenly stopped.
"Stationmaster Ling, if you have anything to say, feel free to say it. We are just having a private conversation, not an investigation on behalf of Shangfeng. You can just say what you have in mind." Zhong Yi saw that Ling Zhilong seemed to have something to hide.
"Nagano Toshio and Yao Xuehe probably died of extreme fright and severe pain. What made them so scared? Unless…" Ling Zhilong paused for a moment and continued, "They saw something extremely terrifying. Something. There is another thing, I think you also saw it. This morning, Section Chief Qu of the Police Headquarters looked wrong, and he left quietly before the on-site investigation was completed. Do you think this is normal? "
Zhong Yi was also puzzled by this, so he asked, "Why do you think he left?"
"He was scared." Ling Zhilong said.
"Afraid? I haven't seen any cruel scenes from the police, so how can I be afraid?" Zhong Yi actually felt the same way.
"Not just because he is timid and incompetent, but because he has already seen the tragic scene of someone having their skin cut off." Ling Zhilong continued.
"What? He has seen someone's skin being cut off? Did he see Nagano Toshio?" Ling Zhilong's words were completely beyond Zhong Yi's expectations.
"It's not Nagano Toshio. You don't know that just two days before Nagano Toshio died, a traitor who was imprisoned at the Police Headquarters also had the skin cut off his back. It was Qu Wenyuan who was on duty at that time."
"You mean, the skin on someone's back was cut off before Nagano Toshio died?" Zhong Yi was a little excited.
"Well, the man whose skin was cut off is not dead, he just went crazy. He is now locked up in Xinlian Lunatic Asylum, and the police station has sent people to look after him."
"Is he still alive?" Zhong Yi was pleasantly surprised.
"However, we can't have too much hope, because he is crazy now. If you really want to see it, I can accompany you."
Zhong Yi was unwilling to let go of any clues and followed Ling Zhilong straight to Xinlian Lunatic Asylum.