This news was pushed by a major website and couldn't be fake. I even slapped myself twice to make sure I wasn't hallucinating due to the shock I'd experienced that afternoon, and now was suffering a mental breakdown.
But even after the slaps, the news was still there on my computer screen, and I was so scared that I stood up. How did that streetwalker die?!
They reported someone matching the description of the man I saw, but is it true? Do I now face accusations of murder?!
Just as I was hesitating, there came a knock on the door. I opened it and saw Fatty, Black Three, and Lin Er Dan. Black Three smiled and said, "I can't believe it. Rape and murder? Seriously, you've got some beef with that girl?"
"Your grandpa, you're kidding, right?" I knew Black Three was joking, but I couldn't help cursing him. Could this even be considered a joke?
"Stay calm, Xiaofan. You look terrible. What's going on?" Fatty asked me.
"I have no idea. When I left, she asked me if I wanted to have some fun for 30 bucks. I told her I had no money and left!" I tried to recount the scene from that afternoon as accurately as possible, especially the old man.
Is he just crazy, or possessed? This is a really tough question.
"Did you see the old man holding a black umbrella?" Fatty asked with a furrowed brow after listening to my account.
"Yes, a black umbrella. He was holding it for a long time. What the hell was that about?" I replied.
"Shade. It seems that thing has taken on a life of its own. Black Three, I think you need to explain this to Xiaofan. The man was your contact, and you sent Xiaofan to see him. Now this has happened, why aren't you saying anything? Er Dan, close the door!" Fatty suddenly got angry with Black Three.
After turning from an eating machine to a simpleton possessed by a ghost, Lin Er Dan closed the door angrily, putting on a demeanor of "door-closing dog-beating."
And now, I looked at Black Three.
Even the usually calm Black Three's face looked strange. "It's not my business! Xiaofan went to see him on his own. When Xiaofan told me about this place called Songzhai, I wanted to ask around with some old-timers. Maybe Songzhai is another name for it? It just so happened that I have a bit of a relationship with this person, and coincidentally, he knows about this place. I don't know anything else," he said.
"Everything you've said is your word. Where is the evidence?" Fatty stared at Black Three.
"I don't have the habit of lying. I'm used to crushing others." Despite facing Fatty directly, Black Three remained unruffled.
"Alright, alright. If he really did this, would he dare to stand in front of us now?" I tried to ease the tension because I felt that Black Three didn't have the need, position, or motive to do something like this.
"What I want to know now is how that woman died and why she was naked." I asked again.
"I don't know, but someone who shields herself from the sun in the daytime is definitely not someone to be trifled with. She's got some skills. Forget it, since she's already dead, it's better to let sleeping dogs lie, right? Let it go." Fatty said.
"Yeah, I'll make a call right now. Someone died, and she was just a streetwalker. It's not a big deal," Black Three said as he took out his phone and made a call. After a few minutes, he came back and waved to me. "Nothing to worry about. Just wait for the news. They'll say a vagrant raped and killed that woman. You won't have anything to worry about," he said.
Honestly, I wasn't afraid of being apprehended by the police because it wasn't me who did it. I just couldn't understand how that woman ended up dead and naked all of a sudden.
But, Fatty had said, "Let it go." In Chat City, we were not permanent residents, just temporary visitors. We had come here to rescue Uncle Er, so there was no need to bother with these matters.
Several hours later, I came across a news update: The unidentified female corpse rape and murder case that occurred this morning has been solved. The police have apprehended a suspect named Qin, who claims to be Maitreya Bodhisattva and suffers from split personality disorder. He has been sent to a mental hospital for treatment. The police remind the public to promptly contact them if they encounter such mentally ill individuals, as they could pose a significant threat to public safety at any time.
I didn't expect this one incident to become a nightmare for a vagrant in the streets, to the point of being universally condemned. The influence of the big tree behind Black Three couldn't be underestimated. One murder case was swiftly covered up. After reading the news, I fell into a deep sleep exhausted from it all. I felt like a jinx, wherever I went, supernatural events seemed to follow.
That night, I had a nightmare. The woman from the dream was pulling me saying, "Thirty bucks, sister will make you happy beyond belief."
I pushed her away as I did during the day, saying I had no money.
But at that moment, about four or five people who looked exactly like her came out of the hair salon and dragged me inside.
I saw an old man in women's clothing on the iron door, and he was giving me a sinister smile.
When I woke up, my sheets were all soaked with cold sweat. I took a shower. Perhaps due to my character, if I hadn't seen that old man cross-dressing, I would have felt that the streetwalker's death had nothing to do with me, but I saw that man with a black umbrella, and the streetwalker happened to say something to me, making it difficult for me to bear it.
"Let well enough alone" was an act of self-reassurance.
But I couldn't truly let it go. What the hell was going on?
When I went downstairs for dinner, Fatty reminded me once again, "Xiaofan, don't overthink it. This has nothing to do with you. If you're really feeling uneasy, we'll go take a look after finishing things here. I'll accompany you to check it out if you're still feeling uneasy."
I nodded. Fatty was really good to me now. I had a bowl of porridge, but it was really hard to swallow, with the pale face of that streetwalker appearing whenever my mind wandered.
"There's been a bit of a problem with the merchandise over there, so it might take a couple more days. That's fine. It just so happens something came up, so why don't we consider it a vacation? Let's go out and relax a bit. The charm of Liaocheng is different from that of the watery city in the South. The South emphasizes the kind of poetic scenery with small bridges and flowing water, which is something for the literary types. But here, the landscape is grand and natural. That's why we in the North are real men." Black Three said.
We all agreed with him. I really wanted to forget about the experiences from yesterday, but just as we were about to leave, Black Three received a call. At first, he was shouting, "Didn't Uncle Wang talk to you? What do you mean by this?"
"I see."
"Okay, I'll take a look. Luckily, I have a friend nearby who can help."
Black Three hung up the phone and turned to us, saying, "Guys, looks like we won't be able to play. The police chief called and said he wanted us to come over."
"You're not bragging about a small matter? How come you couldn't handle it?" the chubby guy immediately started mocking.
"It's not about investigating Xiaofan's matter, it's about the issue with that female corpse. We owe each other a favor. Someone gave me face and settled the matter yesterday, of course, not to say Xiaofan is guilty and then innocent, but at least it saved us a lot of trouble, right? They invited us to take a look today. It's not a big deal, is it?" Black Three said.
Before the chubby guy could speak, I stopped him and said, "Let's go, let's take a look. What needs to happen, can't be avoided. Besides, the equipment is not coming until a few days later, right?"
The chubby guy gave me a glare and said, "Can you stop pretending to be a hero whenever something comes up? What can you actually do? Isn't it still me, Fat Master, who has to run around and clean up after you?"
"Can we still be relatives?" I knew this was going to be a hassle for the chubby guy, and thinking about that made me think of my black ancient book. When am I going to learn this thing? I still have that book with me, even took a look at it last night, but I just can't understand it.
The chubby guy immediately surrendered and said, "Fine, Fat Master I owe you two a favor from my past life, is that good?"
Black Three drove as we headed to the police station. On the way, Black Three received a phone call and then turned around, saying, "The guy says this matter doesn't fit the mainstream, let's talk somewhere else".
In the end, we met a few officials at a hotel's private room, introduced by Black Three with a very lofty title, saying, "These are my friends in geomancy, if there is anything you want to discuss, you can talk to them."
The police chief introduced himself as "He Lei", and the deputy police chief, called Yu Yang, was also present. Although Black Three said so, the officials had their own ways of doing things in the government. First, they ate and drank before talking business. Before we knew it, five bottles of Maotai were empty; Lin Er Dan alone drank three bottles, leaving He Lei and Yu Yang wide-eyed.
After the third round of drinks, He Lei lit a cigarette and said, "Old Yu, there are some things I can't say. You talk to these brothers." Yu Yang started speaking, "Yesterday, after the body was discovered, it was taken for forensic tests. Since there were no relatives to claim the body, Black Brother had made arrangements, and it was supposed to be sent to the crematorium today."
"But this matter is quite unusual. This morning when everyone was at work, the body suddenly ran out of the morgue and knelt in the yard. The comrades on duty yesterday were so scared that they lost control of their bowels and bladders!"
"It didn't happen in our station but in a substation within the jurisdiction, where there are surveillance cameras. when we were checking the footage this morning, you wouldn't believe what we saw."
"After the woman ran out of the morgue, she started singing!"
"She was writhing around naked, twisting her fingers like a Peking Opera actress!"