Chapter 54

Inside the office of the Nancheng City Public Security Bureau.

If it weren’t for the chrysanthemum tea brewed by Commissioner Gu emitting wisps of white smoke in the air-conditioned room, Song Wen would almost have thought that time had come to a standstill.

Commissioner Gu had hesitated for half a minute, his expression changing uncertainly. Having worked under Commissioner Gu for so long, this was the first time Song Wen found it challenging to gauge the leader’s thoughts.

When the Wushan Nursing Home incident occurred, Commissioner Gu was not yet in office in Nancheng. He was not an eyewitness to this case, but since the case had caused a nationwide sensation and had been widely discussed in the industry, he naturally understood the seriousness of the situation.

After pondering for a long time, Commissioner Gu finally spoke, “I suggest not merging these two cases for the time being.”

“Even if the method of murder and the similarity in the knot are present?” Song Wen asked softly. Logically, these two features were enough to indicate a possible connection between the two cases.

Commissioner Gu nodded slightly, “Of course, my suggestion is not to stop your investigation or to suggest that the Wushan Nursing Home case should not be revisited. You can follow the current leads. If there are more conclusive leads later, proving that these two cases are indeed related, then, following the proper procedures and reporting to higher authorities, everything can be connected.”

As a leader, at this time, one must be steady and cautious, taking smaller steps to avoid any mistakes.

Song Wen understood Commissioner Gu’s concerns. The Wushan Nursing Home incident was like a buried landmine, and it had been an unsolved case for many years. No one dared to touch it. There was not enough evidence at the moment to link the two cases together, and combining them would be straightforward, but separating them would be difficult.

If the cases were combined now and it turned out that Zhang Peicai’s case had no connection with the Wushan Nursing Home case, the police would be unable to justify their actions. It would be like putting oneself on the grill.

Commissioner Gu thought for a moment and added, “However… you still need to retrieve the old case files of the Wushan Nursing Home and familiarize yourself with the details, be prepared for anything.”

Song Wen nodded.

If, during the subsequent investigation, it was confirmed that the two cases were indeed connected, that would be a different story.

Coming out from Commissioner Gu’s office, Song Wen returned to his own office and instructed Zhu Xiao to retrieve more detailed information on the Wushan Nursing Home case.

Song Wen carefully examined these materials, including various witness testimonies, and related records that were now imprinted in his mind. Following that were registration forms for the relevant personnel, mostly containing information about the elderly residents in the care home—tedious and lengthy. He kept flipping through until the end. On the last page, there were some blank forms with marked symbols, seemingly left blank for notes.

Inserted among these documents was also a segment of video footage, a video that had a bit of a story.

Two years ago, when internet live streaming was just taking off, a few daring youngsters started a live broadcast program specifically exploring famous haunted places in Nancheng.

The earlier episodes covered things like abandoned buildings, the last bus of the day, mysterious bus stops, haunted houses, and so on. In the final episode, they released a preview announcing their visit to the Wushan Nursing Home.

This preserved footage was captured by their electronic devices at the time, without any editing.

Song Wen double-clicked on the video. It wasn’t too long, lasting just over an hour. It began with the young people installing equipment, gradually clarifying the image. Then they introduced themselves, expressing regrets about their previous programs and admitting to their mistakes. There were four of them in total—two men and two women, all young and energetic individuals at a time when they had plenty of energy to spare. Subsequently, they recounted various stories related to the Wushan Nursing Home.

“There was no so-called Wushan near the Wushan Nursing Home. It got its name because the place used to be called Wushan Town.”

“The Wushan Nursing Home is situated on a slope to the east of the city. It was sealed after the case was solved more than a decade ago, and it fell into disrepair in the years that followed. Later, with the industrial relocation in Nancheng, nearby residential houses were turned into factories, and a high-speed rail line was built not far away. However, this area, due to the past incident, is considered a haunted place by the locals, a forbidden zone where no one dares to go. There is no talk of demolition. This elderly care home, built over twenty years ago, remains preserved.”

“When the so-called witch Xia Weizhi was never caught. This case is occasionally brought up and discussed.”

“From my perspective, you can see overgrown weeds everywhere… Be careful.”

“We can see that these places have police seals. However, it has been so long; these seals must have deteriorated by now.”

“Look, the seals here have been torn. Maybe someone has already been inside…”

“I see those marks; they look more like rat bites. This place seems to have been forgotten by people…”

“No one dares to come here. I heard that a factory once wanted to buy this land, but before the contract was signed, various accidents happened to the workers, and even the boss had a car accident and ended up in the hospital. In the end, nothing happened. Maybe it’s because the resentful spirits inside felt disturbed by people.”

Then, the adventure officially began as the young people entered the Wushan Nursing Home. They first entered through the dilapidated cafeteria and then proceeded to the residential area for the elderly.

“We can see that these buildings used to be beds for the elderly. In the past, this was where the elderly lived.” They stepped on glass fragments on the floor, creating somewhat harsh friction sounds.

A girl coughed disdainfully, waving away dust with her hand. Under the sunlight, dust particles floated everywhere. “Even now, I can still smell a stench. Hmm, there are still bowls on the table. I wonder what’s inside.”

“Haha, maybe your grandmother used to live here.” The tall guy joked.

“Your whole family lived here!” The girl pouted discontentedly. “This place is a bit exaggerated. It’s not that special. I think that female doctor they talked about might have killed some elderly people, but there aren’t as many rumors as they said.”

Another girl with short hair, a bit rebellious, said, “Maybe taking care of the elderly was too annoying. Dealing with those difficult old ladies can be troublesome. There’s a saying, ‘Bad people also grow old.’ Who’s right and who’s wrong, we still don’t know.”

Watching the screen, several young people brazenly entered this forbidden area without any sense of awe. They were born after the Wushan Nursing Home case and did not personally experience those times.

Suddenly, one of the guys stopped in his tracks. “Did you guys hear that?”

“What? Why are you so jumpy?” The girl with short hair wasn’t pleased with his sudden reaction.

“This kind of scare tactic, you’ve used it before too. Isn’t it too old-fashioned?! I bet the horror of this place doesn’t even compare to a tenth of a villa.” The chubby guy holding the equipment said disdainfully.

“Somebody’s singing.” The guy who spoke first repeated, “It’s a woman… the voice is a bit hoarse.”

“Damn, what you’re saying… good grief. Could it be an old lady who died here singing a lullaby?” The short-haired girl finally noticed something wrong, and her face suddenly turned pale.

“Hahaha…” The guy who initially tried to scare them burst into laughter, “I was just trying to scare you guys.”

But the complexion of the short-haired girl remained pale. “I seem to have really heard something. Listen carefully…”

The people on the screen suddenly fell silent, each standing there, the noisy commentary abruptly stopping. Only the rustling of the wind and some ambient sounds could be heard…

Song Wen also wanted to hear more clearly. He increased the volume of the video, but the device’s audio capabilities were limited. He only heard a somewhat eerie sound.

Suddenly, screams erupted, and just as Song Wen was adjusting the volume to the maximum, he felt a piercing noise that nearly ruptured his eardrums. He took off his headphones, and the footage started shaking. The camera fell to the ground, screams, chaotic footsteps, and crying sounds resonated one after another, creating a scene of panic.

Then came a long period of still footage. Song Wen lost patience and fast-forwarded to the end. A person approached, picked up the camera, and the screen showed the face of a police officer. He pressed the pause button.

Song Wen rubbed his chin, leaned back in his chair, and contemplated why this video segment was in the police archives. It turned out that these young people had later reported to the police, who then brought them back home. The footage was kept by the police as evidence.

Song Wen also inquired about the aftermath. The rescued young people were taken to the hospital for examination. One guy had jumped from upstairs, breaking his leg, while others suffered minor injuries. Although they were physically okay, the children were visibly traumatized, and that particular episode of their program was missing.

Word got out about this incident, and online speculation began. People claimed that the place was haunted, and the kids were injured by ghosts. Over time, the story became more exaggerated until, at one point, Song Wen attended a class reunion, and an old friend asked him, “I heard that several kids who did live broadcasts in Wushan Nursing Home died. Some police officers who went to investigate also died inside. Seven or eight people in total, a river of blood. Is that true?”

Song Wen nearly spat out his drink upon hearing this rumor.

Despite this incident, no one dared to go near the desolate nursing home.

Closing the video, Song Wen started looking at other information. He got so engrossed that he skipped lunch. In the afternoon, he summarized the progress of the case. The investigation team split into two directions. One continued probing into the social connections of the deceased, Zhang Peicai, exploring relatives, friends, rival companies, and enemies. The other focused on investigating the identity of the mysterious woman discovered yesterday, with the blurry image handed over to the technical team for enhancement.

Regardless, these discoveries marked significant progress in the investigation. However, the key questions remained: Was this case connected to the one from over a decade ago? Why did the killer murder Zhang Peicai? Did he discover something crucial?

And who was the mysterious woman?

As Song Wen pondered, the physical evidence expert, Cheng Xiaobing, approached with a few documents. “Captain Song, the image of that woman you had the technical department restore is ready. I brought it over for you.”

The entire office buzzed with anticipation upon hearing this.

Song Wen opened the package, revealing a clear image of the woman’s face and a potential identity based on facial recognition.

This was a piece of good news for the day. Song Wen quickly handed the ID number to Zhu Xiao. “Check her information.”

Zhu Xiao input the ID number and name into the system, and soon, the identity of the mysterious woman was pulled up. Zhu Xiao looked at it, made a surprised sound, and furrowed her brows slightly.

Lao Jia couldn’t help but say, “Hey, stop with the surprises. Tell us, what clues do you have?”

“This woman is called Bai Luorui.” Zhu Xiao looked up and said, “She also owns an elderly care home.”

Upon hearing this, Song Wen and the others sat up straight. Across eighteen years of time, the paths of Xia Weizhi and Zhang Peicai finally converged through a mysterious woman named Bai Luorui.

TN:
“It begins with absence and desire. It begins with blood and fear. It begins with a discovery of witches.”