Chapter 125: Another Ksitigarbha Statue? |
If Guan Shan had been drinking water, he would have spat it out: "Dr. Lu, don't falsely accuse people of things out of thin air. Where did I get a predecessor?"
It was fortunate that it was late at night and there was no one around. If Xiao Shen had been beside him and heard this, misunderstanding that he had a hidden romantic past, he wouldn't have survived without peeling off a layer of skin!
"Uh..." Lu Qiuqiu also realized her words had some ambiguity. Afraid that Guan Shan might get angry and refuse to help, she quickly whispered, "You took over that detective's work, didn't you? So you are his successor, and he is your predecessor, right?"
Guan Shan replied seriously and sternly, "Not at all. I don't even know that detective you mentioned. From what I understand, he was hired by our newspaper's deputy editor-in-chief, Jiang Siyang—you should know him. He was the detective's real employer, but later, due to an incident, he was falsely accused of being mentally ill and ended up in your hospital."
"The detective was hired to investigate some hidden news. After he went missing, the work couldn't continue, so I took over the follow-up investigation purely out of a sense of justice."
Guan Shan righteously stated, "So strictly speaking, he was just a temporary worker, and I'm the official one. So, please don't use the term 'predecessor' anymore!"
If Xiao Shen heard it, the impact would be terrible...
"Oh..."
Lu Qiuqiu responded meekly, still a bit confused.
Why was this guy so nervous? He didn't look like a scumbag. Could it be... he was henpecked?
But now wasn't the time for gossip. Lu Qiuqiu quickly returned to the main topic: "I suspect my dad's disappearance is related to that detective's disappearance."
"Why?" Guan Shan raised an eyebrow. "Just because they disappeared under similar circumstances?"
Lu Qiuqiu explained, "Not quite. Although I'm not entirely sure, my dad and that detective had known each other for a long time. He had been asking the detective to investigate a statue, and after he disappeared, the statue also went missing."
"So I suspect it might be this statue that attracted some ill-intentioned people."
Guan Shan twitched his mouth, thinking that this detective's business scope was quite broad. Could he really handle investigating so many things simultaneously?
But in any case, through Lu Qiuqiu's explanation, Guan Shan gradually learned about this unseen, already-missing detective and Lu Qiuqiu's father.
This detective, known as the "Great Detective," had never revealed his real name and used the alias Bai Ye.
Bai Ye's rise was untraceable, but his connections were built by solving various cases one after another.
The more cases he solved, the broader his network became. With this network, the difficulty of solving future cases decreased, forming a perfect virtuous cycle.
For example, in Jiang Siyin's commission, Bai Ye was able to sneak into the hospital and secretly check medical records thanks to the help of Lu Qiuqiu's father, Lu Mingyi, and Lu Qiuqiu herself.
At the time, Lu Mingyi was commissioning Bai Ye to investigate, so he was eager to assist.
Of course, Bai Ye's strong abilities were crucial in achieving this. If he had messed up initially, this virtuous cycle wouldn't have started.
As for Lu Mingyi, he was a retired, highly respected doctor at Sacred Heart Hospital, having treated many difficult psychiatric cases.
"You're saying that when medication or technology failed, he relied on this statue to cure those patients?"
Guan Shan felt the situation had taken a surreal turn into the realm of the unknown.
A statue curing diseases sounded off...
Lu Qiuqiu shook her head: "I also found it absurd, thinking the statue might have a structure that could create a hypnotic psychological suggestion. But my dad valued that thing greatly, always keeping it well-preserved and asking Bai Ye to investigate it..."
"Bai Ye disappeared while investigating it. I originally thought he might have offended someone due to another commission, but now my dad is missing too, so it must be because of the statue!"
Guan Shan's heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly asked, "What does the statue look like?"
Lu Qiuqiu described, "The statue only has an upper body. It's a wooden Buddha statue, very rustic, seemingly ancient. I don't know much about Buddhism, but my dad mentioned it's a Ksitigarbha statue..."
Ksitigarbha Statue?!
Guan Shan's pupils constricted, a strong premonition rising in his heart. He took out his [Ksitigarbha Statue·Seventh] from his backpack and sent a photo of the upper body to Lu Qiuqiu: "Is it like this?"
Lu Qiuqiu: "..."
"The posture and expression are different, but the material and appearance are the same..."
Guan Shan twitched his mouth and said, "You don't think I did it, do you?"
Lu Qiuqiu quickly responded, "No, no. When my dad went missing, you were still in the hospital. Plus, you risked your life to help investigate Xiang Wen's case, so you must be a good person!"
Though she did suspect Guan Shan for a moment...
Because she found Guan Shan's old medical record, which was overseen by Lu Mingyi.
But thinking it over, Lu Mingyi got the statue a year ago, and Guan Shan's record was at least six years old, with no correlation.
Moreover, it was just an illness, nothing serious enough to warrant murder.
[Ding! Good Person Card +1!]
Guan Shan seemed to hear the simulator's voice. He coughed and said, "Given this, things are not simple. Give me your home address, and I'll bring someone over."
Now it was clear why another Ksitigarbha Statue appeared in reality.
Most of his items were conceptual collections created by the simulator based on monsters' traits. But some were genuine, taken directly from others.
Like the Glock 17 he got from the restaurant...
Thinking about it made Guan Shan feel embarrassed. He had robbed someone's gun on the spot, and now that person was his exclusive customer service!
And the Ksitigarbha Statue...
"If it can treat mental illness, then this statue should have a similar calming benefit. Bai Ye and Lu Mingyi were likely... kidnapped by Espers."
Guan Shan looked up at the sky, speechless: "So, if I go, won't it inevitably trigger the simulator?"
But the benefits of [Ksitigarbha Statue·Seventh] were visible. He believed the others wouldn't be weak either. If he could get the second statue...
Guan Shan sighed deeply, feeling akin to Ksitigarbha himself: "If I don't go to hell, who will?"
After hanging up with Lu Qiuqiu, he immediately called his customer service lady. Before he could connect, he heard a strange ringtone from behind.
Damn, real midnight ring?!
Guan Shan was startled, turning around sharply.
Lin Shuman peeked out from behind the sofa, waving: "Hi?"
Guan Shan: "..."