Chapter 4 Chapter 3 Devil's Feet

After leaving the Jinhua Hotel, Zhang Yu took his assistants to send the deceased's body back to the forensic identification center to further confirm the details of the death.Luo Fei, Xiao Liu and the others separately searched for those guests who had shared the table with Chen Bin at the wedding banquet, hoping to find some valuable clues from them. But the result is disappointing: "Chen Bin? I don't know...Oh, you mean the guy with the crew cut? I really didn't pay attention to him. We just drank together and clinked glasses once during the banquet. What's wrong with him?"

"Yes, he was sitting next to me. We had a chat. He is not a local. I don't know when he left, but he left early anyway. Is there anything unusual? Shouldn't it? Everyone was very happy at that time .” "Chen...Chen Bin? Do...do you know...do you not know each other? They are all buddies! You call him...let's...have a few more drinks...who drank too much? You... ...you just drank too much!" ... Among the guests at that table, none of them were familiar with Chen Bin before, and no one noticed when and why Chen Bin left the banquet.Everyone was immersed in the happy atmosphere of the wedding banquet at that time, even when Luo Fei found them, their faces were still filled with uncontrollable joy and excitement.

Luo Fei's state was completely opposite to theirs.He was exhausted physically and mentally from the futile running all day.After dinner, he took a short nap to recover his mental and physical strength.He began to think hard about the two weird events that happened that day, but it was difficult to find any clues, which made him a little upset. After Luo Fei felt his bad state, he decided to put the case aside and calm down to change his mind.He opened the window and felt the fresh evening breeze for a moment, which made him feel much better.After that, he walked leisurely around the room with his hands behind his hands.

Completely subconsciously, he stopped at the corner bookcase.Among the dazzling array of spines, a large "The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes" is particularly eye-catching. This book has been with Luo Fei since his middle school days, more than ten years.It can even be said that it was the stories in this book that made Luo Fei fall in love with criminal detective cases, and finally applied for the police academy and embarked on the later path.At this time Luo Fei pulled out the complete works from a row of books, put it in his hands and gently stroked the cover. His movements are extremely gentle, showing that he cherishes the book; and his expression is so focused, as if he is communicating with the legendary character in the book across time and space.

Suddenly, his eyebrows frowned slightly, and the movements of his hands also stopped.Then he turned his head sideways, and the thinking system in a leisure state spun rapidly again. Obviously, he thought of something, and after a while, he called Zhang Yu and asked him to meet him in his office immediately. Although Zhang Yu and Luo Fei have not worked together for a long time, they are already used to his style of doing things.Half an hour later, he rushed over. At this time, Luo Fei was sitting at the desk waiting for him. Luo Fei gestured for Zhang Yu to sit down opposite him.Then he asked straight to the point: "Is there any latest situation on your side?"

"It's basically the same. The cause of Chen Bin's death can be determined to be drowning, and as you said, he, like Yu Ziqiang, was greatly frightened before he died." "Yeah." Luo Fei nodded, and after a moment of silence, he asked again: "Then what are you thinking now?" "I think the two deaths can be investigated together." "From the perspective of forensic science, it is indeed possible." Luo Fei first expressed a little agreement, but then changed the subject, "But from the perspective of criminal investigation, there are too many problems to join the case. First of all, the two There are two deceased, one is a student of the Institute of Technology, and the other is a business traveler from other places. No matter in terms of social roles or personal connections, the two have no similarity or connection; There is no similarity between the scene of the big hotel, and the distance is very far away; and the motive of the crime? This is even more puzzling to me. It can be said that the only connection between the two cases is the point you just mentioned : The deceased were all frightened during their lifetime.”

"But this is precisely what confuses people the most." Zhang Yu smiled wryly and shook his head, "I have been working as a forensic doctor for so many years. What horrible scenes have I not seen? I really can't think of anything that can To scare the living into that." "It's really hard to imagine." Luo Fei raised his head, thinking about something while stroking the stubble on his chin, then he suddenly asked a question that seemed irrelevant to the case, "Do you watch "Sherlock Holmes"? " "Holmes?" Zhang Yu was stunned for a moment, "I've seen some, but it's not complete."

Luo Fei leaned forward and looked at the other party with twinkling eyes: "The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes - the eighth chapter, the title is "The Devil's Feet". Do you still have any impression?" Zhang Yu smiled awkwardly, then shook his head. Luo Fei raised his eyebrows, showing a disappointed expression, then he leaned back on the back of the chair, after sorting out his thoughts, he began to explain to the other party some plots that appeared in that famous novel. "In Conan Doyle's novel, 'Devil's Foot' is a strange plant that grows in Africa. The root of this plant is half like a human foot and half like a sheep's foot, so it got this strange name. Of course its Terrible is not because of the name. When the grass root is burned, it will release a poisonous smoke, which can cause the inhaler to have extremely terrifying hallucinations. In the novel, the murderer uses this to frighten the victim to death .”

"Hallucinations?" Zhang Yu realized something, "Do you think the surprise of the two deceased in the case was due to hallucinations?" "Other than that, I really can't find a better explanation." Luo Fei's tone was somewhat helpless. "What is the reason for the hallucination? The devil's foot? It's just a plot in the novel." Zhang Yu was led to think about it, and various confusions emerged one after another, "If someone deliberately caused it, then what is the motive? And there were many people at the scene, why did they alone have horrible hallucinations?"

Faced with Zhang Yu's series of questions, Luo Fei smiled frankly, and then replied, "I don't know either. In fact, I asked you to come here because I still want your help. After all, you are a medical student. Think about it carefully, is it possible for the plot in the novel to happen in reality? If it is possible, then, through what method, which drug is used, and what is the psychological mechanism of hallucinations? These are all things I want to know urgently of." Zhang Yu spread his hands together: "I'm not capable of helping you answer these questions." But he lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then said, "I think of someone, maybe you should ask him for advice."

"Who?" Luo Fei was clearly interested in Zhang Yu's recommendation. "Zhou Liwei. The vice president of Longzhou University School of Medicine, a well-known psychiatrist in China." When Zhang Yu talked about this person, his tone was full of respect. Although Luo Fei is not from the medical field, he has heard of the name Zhou Liwei for a long time.Dr. Liumei, the signature scholar of Longzhou University, the chief expert of the psychiatry department of the Municipal People's Hospital, this series of titles is enough to win the respect of anyone. "Are you familiar with him? Can you introduce him to me, the sooner the better." Luo Fei impatiently put forward his request. "I had a few contacts when I was handling the case before." Zhang Yu raised his wrist and looked at his watch as he said, it was almost ten o'clock in the evening, "Well, let me try to contact him first, but I want to meet tonight It's probably not very likely." "Well, let's try first and try to explain the situation clearly." Zhang Yu nodded, took out his mobile phone, called out Zhou Liwei's number, and pressed the dial button. After four or five rings, the phone was connected. "Hello." The man's low voice came from the receiver, sounding a bit tired. "Is it Teacher Zhou?" "Yes, who are you?" "Hi, I'm Zhang Yu from the Public Security Bureau." "Oh, forensic doctor Zhang, hello." "Excuse me. That's it. There were two murder cases in the city today. The cases were rather strange. The deceased seemed to be frightened before they died..." "Don't say any more." Zhou Liwei on the other end of the phone interrupted Zhang Yu, "You bring the autopsy report and the relevant information of the deceased, and come to me now, I'm in the office of Longzhou University School of Medicine, you know me Bar?" "Oh, yes." "Then come quickly, I'll be waiting for you." Zhou Liwei seemed to be very busy, he hung up the phone hastily as soon as the two finished talking. The night was dark, the environment in the office was very quiet, and Luo Fei was a person with sharp eyes and ears, so he roughly understood what the two parties were talking on the phone.Before Zhang Yu could tell, he had already stood up: "Then let's set off now." "Oh." Zhang Yu was a little puzzled, "What's wrong with Zhou Liwei today? I haven't finished my sentence yet, he seems to be more impatient than you!" "Obviously, he already knows something." Luo Fei said as he walked quickly towards the door, Zhang Yu stopped talking and got up to follow. Half an hour later, the two drove to the building of Longzhou University School of Medicine.The whole building was almost completely dark at this time, only one office on the third floor was still lit, which stood alone and stood out.Obviously, Zhou Liwei was in this room right now. There was a young man in his twenties at the entrance of the building. Just as he was about to walk in, he happened to see the police car driven by Luo Fei.So he stopped and stood at the door waiting to watch. Luo Fei and the two got out of the car, approached gradually, and soon walked up the steps in front of the building.At this time, the young man came forward and greeted enthusiastically: "Are you from the Public Security Bureau? Are you here to see Mr. Zhou?" Luo Fei nodded, seeing that the other party was holding a pen and notebook in his hand, he guessed and asked, "Are you his student?" "My name is Liu Yun." After introducing himself with a smile, the young man took the initiative to lead the way, "It's just right, let's go upstairs together." Not long after, the three of them had arrived outside the office door.Liu Yun knocked on the door politely, and a man's voice came from inside the room immediately: "Come in." Liu Yun gently opened the door, and the three entered one by one.This is a room about 20 square meters in size. There are a row of bookcases against the walls on the left and right sides, which are filled with all kinds of professional books.There is a set of office desks and chairs in front of the window inside, and the sofa and coffee table for receiving guests on the opposite side. Apart from this, there are no other furnishings in the room. Zhou Liwei was sitting at the desk and concentrating on reading something. He didn't look away from the desk until the three of them entered the room. Then he stood up and took two steps forward: "Forensic Doctor Zhang, you are here." This is a capable middle-aged man who looks about forty years old.Although he is not tall, he looks very strong.It may be due to the long hours of continuous work, his eyes were a little red, showing some fatigue, but when he walked, his pace was steady and fast, giving people a feeling of vigor and strength. Perhaps it was because Zhou Liwei's image was quite different from that of a scholar in people's traditional conception, Luo Fei couldn't help but close his eyes, and looked around him carefully. Zhou Liwei stopped one meter away from everyone, he felt Luo Fei's attention to him, and asked Zhang Yu with a smile: "Who is this?" Zhang Yu hurriedly introduced the two of them.Knowing Luo Fei's identity, Zhou Liwei also seemed a little surprised.The late-night visit of the captain of the criminal police clearly foreshadowed the seriousness of the situation. Under Zhou Liwei's call, Zhang Yu and Luo Fei sat on the sofa, while Liu Yun moved a stool and sat on the side alone. Zhou Liwei moved his chair outside the table and sat down, then cut straight to the point: "Okay, let's talk about the situation you encountered." Zhang Yu first passed the autopsy report, on-site photos and other relevant materials to Zhou Liwei, and then described the relevant circumstances before and after the two deaths in detail, including Luo Fei's guesses and doubts about the "devil's feet", etc. Wait. Zhou Liwei looked solemn, flipping through the materials in his hand while listening.He watched it so seriously that Zhang Yu doubted whether the other party could fully listen to what he said at first.But he soon discovered that this worry was unnecessary, because as long as he had a slight omission or unclear meaning, Zhou Liwei would raise his head and ask precise and timely questions. Even Luo Fei couldn't help secretly admiring this person's meticulous thinking ability at this time. During this process, Liu Yun kept recording in the notebook he brought without saying a word. After Zhang Yu finished speaking, there was a momentary silence in the room.Luo Fei waited for Zhou Liwei to think for a while, and then began to clarify his own thoughts and requirements: "Mr. Zhou, we are here this time to ask you to give some guidance on these two incidents. Did the deceased have any spiritual problems?" Illusion? If so, what is the reason? Could it be malicious? " "Now I can only cautiously agree with your first question." Zhou Liwei sighed helplessly, "The last two questions have bothered me for a long time before you came." A puzzled expression appeared on Luo Fei's face: "Could it be that you already knew about these two deaths, and where did you hear about them?" "No, I don't know about your affairs. Similarly, you don't know about my situation." Zhou Liwei turned around, picked up a stack of documents from his desk, his expression became more serious, "Forensic doctor Zhang called me When I made the call, I had just rushed back from the Municipal People's Hospital, and the current situation may be much more serious than what you have grasped." Luo Fei's heart sank, and he stretched out his hand to take what Zhou Liwei handed over.He flipped through it roughly, feeling more and more astonished. At that time, there were more than a dozen medical records in total, all of which were new-onset schizophrenia patients in the past two days, and in the column of the cause of the disease, without exception, there were four words: "excessive shock"! "So, in the past two days, Yu Ziqiang and Chen Bin were not the two people who suffered terror in the urban area of ​​Longzhou. It's just that these two died, so the case was reported to our criminal police team, and more cases were actually known. In the psychiatric department of the People's Hospital." Luo Fei's tone revealed deep worry and uneasiness.This was the first time Zhang Yu saw Luo Fei in such an emotion. In his impression, Luo Fei was always a wise, brave and confident person. Many problems that others could not solve were often solved in his talking and laughing.But this time, the incident was so weird and bizarre that it was beyond anyone's imagination. Not only Luo Fei, but also Zhou Liwei, who is well-known in the medical field, was also helpless at this time: "I have analyzed the data of more than ten cases in detail. From the perspective of pathology, I can't find any valuable clues. The first patient admitted to the People's Hospital One case was a 32-year-old woman surnamed Wu. She was shopping at Wansheng Shopping Center at around two o'clock yesterday afternoon. Shortly after entering the fitting room, she suddenly yelled, and the salesperson rushed into the fitting room to check. Extreme fear and unconsciousness. The second case is a 19-year-old boy. He is a social loafer. Yesterday evening, he and a group of friends gathered in a small karaoke to take drugs. When the others were high, he But he roared like he saw a ghost, and four or five security guards went over to subdue him. I thought he had taken drugs and kowtowed to the head, but when I saw him, he was trembling all over, his eyes wandered, obviously he was afraid What. A case this morning was even more strange. It was an old man in his seventies who was practicing sword and boxing with a group of old friends in the park. It caused such a great stimulus to people... In short, these people in the case are male and female, old and young, with different identities and occupations, and there are no rules to follow in the time and space environment when the incident happened. The only thing in common is that they all suffered from great shock, which made them mentally disturbed in a very short period of time, resulting in terrible consequences. However, this common point is precisely the most puzzling part. Most of the cases occurred There were many witnesses at the scene, but there was nothing unusual about them, and no one knew what it was that made the patient panic." Zhou Liwei's narration is consistent with Luo Fei's previous knowledge of the death case.Now, the question is centered on one point: what is it that caused those poor souls to suffer such great terror? There was a momentary silence in the room, and everyone lowered their heads in thought. "The devil! The sacrifice chosen by the devil!" Liu Yun, who had been silent since entering the room, suddenly said softly. absurd!Luo Fei immediately raised his head and gave him a disgusted look. These words really shouldn't appear in a serious atmosphere.However, considering that the other party is Zhou Liwei's student, it is inconvenient for him to blame him. Zhou Liwei was also looking at Liu Yun with surprise in his eyes.Liu Yun only cared about him excitedly picking up the pen and writing quickly in the notebook, seeming quite proud of his guess just now. Luo Fei shook his head, turned to Zhou Liwei and said, "Mr. Zhou, can I make a copy of these medical records and take them away? I want to send someone to investigate in detail about some related situations." "This is the best way." Zhou Liwei replied straightforwardly, "I also hope to obtain the detailed information of the two deceased. This matter requires everyone to cooperate, because it does not seem that simple." The original purpose was to obtain beneficial guidance or inspiration for the case, but the result was that the incident became more serious and complicated. This situation was undoubtedly beyond Luo Fei's expectations.Of course, he would never know that a terrifying and thrilling journey has just begun at this moment.