Chapter 79: The Last Straw That Breaks the Camel's Back |
When they were still several dozen meters from the Forbidden Zone, Zhang Shutong asked Old Song to stop the car.
"The place you mentioned is up ahead?" Old Song rolled down the window, puzzled. "What the hell are we doing running to this godforsaken place in the middle of the night? We could practically film a horror movie here."
Miss Gu was also a bit disappointed:
"Where is this?"
Zhang Shutong thought to himself: Sorry, I'd also prefer to die in a place with better scenery.
But it just had to be the Forbidden Zone.
"What's worth seeing here?" Old Song stuck his head out. "You guys don't fish here either, do you?"
Zhang Shutong thought for a moment and decided that Qingyi's approach would work best at a time like this:
He said that sometimes men are just like this—on a cold day, you suddenly crawl out from under your blankets, hunching your shoulders and holding a flashlight, really wanting to go to some particular place. It might be a 24-hour convenience store, it might be under a bridge, or even a worn-out bench in a quiet park. Honestly, it's troublesome and miserable enough, but there's no reason—you just want to go. Just being there gives you a moment of peace.
This nonsense unexpectedly earned Song Nanshan's trust. He nodded and said, "If you want to go, then go. We'll wait in the car."
Zhang Shutong had already prepared the excuse of "getting out to relieve myself," but now swallowed his words.
Gu Qiumian had also wanted to go down and take a look, but Old Song stopped her, saying every guy has his little secrets. If we speak plainly, guys this age occasionally have their little episodes. Teacher here has long since gotten used to it, so let him be.
Perhaps in their eyes, he really was having some kind of episode.
Zhang Shutong apologized, grabbed his umbrella and phone, and got out of the car.
As soon as his shoes touched the ground, he noticed something wasn't quite right—there was hardly any accumulated snow here. Strange.
He stuck his finger into the ground; the soil was somewhat damp. Zhang Shutong recalled that the last time he came to the Forbidden Zone it had been the same. It had just snowed that day, and he'd hoped to use footprints to determine the killer's tracks, but the snow had almost completely melted.
Was there something special about this area's geographical location?
Zhang Shutong genuinely didn't understand this. He thought he'd ask his mom when he got back—she was an expert.
Now wasn't the time to study geography. He zipped up his jacket. For safety's sake, he didn't open the umbrella but instead tucked it between his neck and the back of his collar.
Although he was going to be killed eight years from now, after being stabbed twice in succession, it was impossible not to have some psychological trauma.
Looking back, there was a faint light inside the car. Through the rear window, he could just see Gu Qiumian, and she happened to look over too. Their eyes met. She wrinkled her nose, then gently parted her lips and breathed onto the window.
A thin layer of fog obscured her face, as if deliberately hiding it from view. Zhang Shutong thought she might be about to mess with the glass again. Looking at Old Song, the man was leaning against the car smoking, head tilted back, lost in thought.
Zhang Shutong turned back around, pulled his jacket tighter, and walked alone toward the Forbidden Zone through the falling snow.
If possible, he hoped this would be the last time coming here.
He turned on his flashlight and first swept it around in a circle. No one was there, only the nearly congealed night, with snowflakes floating within it, making him feel like a tiny figure walking through a painting.
Watching his step, there were no footprints in the snow. Saying he was relaxed would be impossible, but he wasn't particularly tense either.
Today was Thursday. On the previous timeline's Thursday, he'd also come to the Forbidden Zone and stayed until 8 PM before going to Commercial Street to buy that swapped scarf. The only difference was today's snow.
Zhang Shutong checked the time—around 8:30. By now, he would have already been on his way back.
As he'd said, since he was here, might as well take a look.
He sighed, not knowing whether to hope something would happen or that nothing would. The latter would certainly be best, but conversely, if he couldn't find clues even at the Forbidden Zone, he'd be completely out of leads.
The dispute at Commercial Street—resolved.
Gu Qiumian's villa—investigated.
The fence, side door, elevator, room—he'd been to all of them.
The road from the villa to the Forbidden Zone—he'd driven it once.
Every possibility was blocked, and the places most likely to show inconsistencies had revealed nothing suspicious.
She didn't run there herself, and the killer didn't climb in—so what other possibilities remained?
From common sense reasoning... but if judging purely by common sense, Zhang Shutong couldn't think of an answer even if he racked his brains.
The cold air cleared his head somewhat. He rubbed his forehead with the edge of his phone, his head aching.
A cold case, a cold case...
Meaning the progress on this case hadn't moved forward at all in eight whole years.
What did it mean that the police had sealed it up?
Gu's father didn't want it leaked?
Or was there some other hidden reason?
He didn't know what stage forensic science had reached in 2012, but fingerprint and DNA testing should exist. Even if the island didn't have the facilities, the city should.
He slowed his pace, hoping for a flash of inspiration.
In reality, he just got a jolt from snow landing on the bridge of his nose.
He was getting closer and closer to the lakeshore, but from here he couldn't see the scenery at the water's edge—it was blocked by thick reed clusters nearly as tall as him.
He pushed aside the reeds in front of him. The surroundings were silent except for the rustling sound of his body passing through the reeds.
This time it would be difficult to find anything on the ground—the reed roots and stems crisscrossed, filled with snow.
This scene instead reminded Zhang Shutong of another problem: which direction had the killer who murdered him approached from?
Why had he only noticed the other person after they'd gotten close both times?
The phone's flashlight wasn't nearly enough in this environment. The surroundings were pitch black. Even when he shone it forward, the light was completely blocked by the reed clusters, casting only a tiny halo in front of him.
Darkness was devouring the meager bit of light in his hand.
Walking along, Zhang Shutong almost tripped—only then remembering he'd tied fishing line here before.
He shone down—the fishing line was almost completely covered by snow too. He couldn't remember the exact locations since he'd buried several lines back then, only having a vague sense of direction, so he lifted his feet higher.
The endless reeds pressed in from ahead, making him increasingly irritable. His speed was forced to slow. When he finally pushed aside the last clump of reeds, it felt like parting clouds to see the sky.
Finally, he could see the lakeshore.
But... why...
Zhang Shutong moved his phone, his mouth opening silently.
...was there someone there.
There was a person at the shore.
Someone was crouching at the shore.
That person had been crouching at the shore since just now!
Continuously crouching at the shore!
Completely oblivious to his arrival!
In an instant, cold ran through his entire body. Zhang Shutong shuddered, not even knowing whether he should turn and run or stay still, whether to make a sound or keep his mouth firmly shut.
Only because it was completely different from the image of the killer he'd imagined! That person had long hair draped down—it was actually a woman. The long-haired woman was crouching on the ground in a bizarre posture...
Zhang Shutong was utterly astonished, his brain stopped thinking for an instant, because she had already turned her head to look at him. The flashlight's beam hit her face, half of which was completely covered by long hair, deathly pale—
Lu! Qing! Lian!
It was Lu Qinglian!
But why would she be at the Forbidden Zone? Zhang Shutong instinctively took a step back, but Lu Qinglian had already quickly stood up. Before Zhang Shutong could speak, she darted into the nearby reed cluster at flying speed. The tops of the reeds swayed gently, accompanied by the sound of snow being trampled, then returned to complete silence.
Everything happened in just an instant. By the time Zhang Shutong took another step forward, wanting to give chase, the girl named Lu Qinglian had already disappeared without a trace.
—Old Song and the others are still up there!
He froze for a moment. With no time to think further, he quickly turned and ran back. Zhang Shutong plunged headfirst into the reed cluster. This time he couldn't be bothered with the fishing line or pushing aside reeds—he forced his way out purely by brute strength. His vision was pitch black. He charged onto the road step by step, saw the Focus in the distance, and immediately waved his hand.
But the windshield was pitch black—he couldn't see anything. The Focus's lights weren't on at all, neither the headlights nor the interior lights. Zhang Shutong's heart sank as he shouted out loud:
"Hey!"
He rushed toward the car in one bound, about to grab the door handle, but before he'd even reached it, two honks greeted him first.
"What happened, what happened?" Old Song opened the door with lingering fear. "I'm telling you, Shutong, when you suddenly yell like that in the middle of the night, you're trying to scare us both to death..."
"You... you're okay?"
"What could happen to us sitting in the car with the AC on? But what about you—are you okay?"
"Did you see anyone just now?" Zhang Shutong only urgently asked this.
"What other people? You were the only one who went down just now. Don't scare Teacher, okay?"
Zhang Shutong stood there dumbly and turned back. Above the sky, snowflakes still fell slowly. The night was tranquil, as if everything he'd just seen at the shore was merely his hallucination.
"What did you see?"
"Nothing..." Zhang Shutong let out a turbid breath. "I thought something happened to you guys... why weren't the lights on?"
"Who knows how long you'd be gone? Teacher's car battery isn't very good—after running a while it loses charge. Just now Qiumian even asked me why her dad's car doesn't have this problem. Of course that Audi doesn't... are you alright?"
Song Nanshan noticed this time that Zhang Shutong's hair was soaked through and couldn't help worrying:
"You were fine on the way here, what suddenly happened?"
He fumbled around in the car for a rag, not caring whether it was dirty or not. "Wipe yourself off first. If there's something to discuss, get in the car and talk about it, otherwise you'll definitely catch a cold..."
Zhang Shutong didn't even know how he got back in the car. He only knew that when he came to his senses, the Focus's headlights were back on, the AC was turned to maximum, blowing directly at his face.
Both Old Song and Gu Qiumian asked him worriedly what happened. Zhang Shutong only said he'd seen a shadow down there, got startled, and rushed back up. Then seeing the car lights were off, he thought something bad had happened.
"I thought you were having a psychotic episode." Old Song breathed a sigh of relief. "Good that you're okay, good that you're okay. I'm not trying to criticize you, Shutong, but although you're pretty quick at catching bad guys, your courage really needs work. I'm right here—what could possibly happen? Teacher is over 1.8 meters tall after all. Hurry up and take off your jacket..."
As he spoke, he started the car, turned it around, and set off on the return journey.
At this moment, Zhang Shutong wasn't in the mood to speak. It had nothing to do with courage—he just felt it was strange, or rather, terrifying upon reflection. Why would Lu Qinglian come to the Forbidden Zone? Where had she been on previous Thursdays? Did it have anything to do with the snow?
Also, what was she doing crouching by the lake?
Only now did Zhang Shutong remember he should have gone to investigate by the water. He'd only focused on running back earlier.
But looking at Song Nanshan, he knew this wasn't a good time to speak up again. He could only sigh quietly. Feeling his pants, he suddenly said his phone had fallen out somewhere and he needed to go back and find it.
Old Song helplessly put the car in reverse. This time he absolutely wouldn't let him go down alone. Zhang Shutong didn't object. He looked around again. The two of them went into the reed cluster one after the other. Zhang Shutong pretended to look for his phone while actually going to the water's edge.
He quickly scanned several times. The visibility in this body of water was very low. Just then Old Song rang his phone. He pretended to pick up the phone from the water's edge and shone it on the lake surface.
There was nothing there.
Nothing at all...
His brow remained furrowed the entire way.
Back in the car again, water droplets from his forehead fell on his face. Zhang Shutong was completely unaware. Lu Qinglian's involvement in this matter was deeper than he'd thought, but why would she go to the Forbidden Zone... what was at the Forbidden Zone?
He recalled what Du Kang had once said, outside the funeral home, that according to the official investigation results, Lu Qinglian had died from accidentally falling into the water.
But he'd just looked—there was nothing in the water. That body of water had always been like this, the lake surface calm without ripples, appearing viscous even in the darkness. He couldn't even find a single fish.
Also, hadn't she gone home after school? Had she come back down from the mountain? Or had she been outside the whole time?
Zhang Shutong only knew that tonight was destined to be fruitless. Never mind that Old Song had already been put through enough, even if he wanted to find Lu Qinglian, he didn't know her whereabouts. Even if she'd already returned to the mountain, with this heavy snow, the mountain road would be impassable and he couldn't get up there.
He could only wait until tomorrow.
Lu Qinglian...
The temple keeper...
Green Snake Temple...
Could it be that the final clue pointed to one place—
That mysterious little temple?
The small car swayed along. Old Song even asked if he wanted to practice driving, but Zhang Shutong wasn't in the mood.
Everyone had set out in high spirits, but on the return journey there were hardly any words.
It wasn't until they drove into the small road in front of the villa that he still didn't have a definite answer.
The snow was still falling. The Focus came to a steady stop in front of the villa. Turning to look, lights still glowed from the windows, appearing warm.
"Then as we discussed earlier, I'll pick you up tomorrow morning." Song Nanshan also yawned. "See you tomorrow then, Qiumian, sleep well tonight, don't be afraid..."
"What do I have to be afraid of, Teacher? You should be more concerned about him—he got scared again." Gu Qiumian pursed her lips, then asked Zhang Shutong if he wanted to come inside and get a towel to dry his hair.
He was about to shake his head. Before he could speak, the car suddenly lurched to one side.
All three were startled. The earlier encounter had made his nerves taut. Zhang Shutong immediately pushed open the car door. Old Song also followed closely with furrowed brows. The two of them went around to the right side. The other man stared at the underside of the car for a while, then suddenly scratched his head:
"Damn, the tire blew out."
"How could the tire blow out?" Zhang Shutong asked.
"Remember on the way back with Qiumian we went over a pothole and it bumped? I figure that's when it started leaking air."
Old Song kicked the right rear tire and looked carefully:
"We forgot to check back then, rushed inside to eat. Then just now we drove around in circles, oh, and you practiced driving for a bit. The snowy roads made us drive slowly anyway, the road feel was different from usual, so I didn't notice. It must have been slowly leaking air the whole way, then suddenly reached a critical point—understand about the last straw that breaks the camel's back? And it blew."
"Can it be patched?"
"No good." Old Song straightened up and exhaled. "It's already blown—can't patch it well. Besides, we don't have the tools. I don't know if we should call it unlucky or lucky. At least it didn't strand the three of us halfway. This late at night, in such a remote location—that would really be calling out to heaven and earth with no response. At least we made it back."
"Ah, what a coincidence, so if you ask me to judge..."
Speaking to this point, Old Song suddenly smiled awkwardly, looking at Gu Qiumian who had also gotten out of the car:
"Um, Qiumian, I guess I won't need to pick you up tomorrow morning after all..."