Chapter 21 Chapter 20 The Third Dead

After returning to the residence, Luo Fei immediately went into the room and lay down on the bed. After a series of tossing and running around, he really needed a good rest. It's just that his mood couldn't be calmed down for a while.All kinds of doubts and doubts are filling his brain. In the series of events that happened in the past two days, he can already smell some clues, but he can't really see clearly.That feeling is like observing something through a thick fog. You can vaguely see its existence, but you can't grasp its specific outline. The fuzziness and rush to the sky, the sky has a lot of strength but can't use it.

From the fire, Xue Xiaohua's death, Zhou Yonggui's death to today's mass poisoning, everything is full of doubts; from Meng Shaohui, Monk Deping, Fu Yuzhu, to Zang Junyong, even Jin Zhenyu, or something else People, they all seem to be hiding something, and to crack the secret, Luo Fei needs a breakthrough. But where is this breakthrough? No matter what, Luo Fei knew that he had met a formidable opponent.Obviously, this opponent is trying his best to prevent a secret from being revealed. He spread a pair of invisible claws and tightly controlled everyone involved in this matter, making them either silent or unable to speak. deceased.Who is this opponent?Does anyone else who knows the secret also know the answer to this question?Did they realize that they, like the first two victims, might be threatened with death?

If Zang Junyong is regarded as one of the insiders by default, then judging from today's performance, it is obvious that he feels the existence of this threat.Why didn't he tell the truth?he is afraid?afraid of what?What could be more frightening than death? Could it be that they are afraid of something mysterious and indescribable?What does the black shadow on the "Ghost Watching Slope" and the woman holding the baby mean to them? Luo Fei never admits that he is facing an opponent with power beyond reality.Although there are some phenomena that he cannot explain now; even all the cases that have happened cannot be confirmed to be caused by "manpower", but he believes that it is only because he has not seen the whole picture of the matter and has not yet found the link to all the mysteries. The most critical thread.

In the process of thinking about it, tiredness hit him, Luo Fei's thoughts gradually became chaotic, and finally fell asleep. This time I fell asleep and woke up naturally.When Luo Fei opened his eyes again, the sky was already bright.After he finished dressing, he opened the window and stood in front of the window, feeling the fresh sea breeze in the morning, so as to activate his thinking cells as soon as possible. In the process, he habitually inserted his hands into his coat pockets.His right hand seemed to touch something, he took out that thing, and put it in front of his eyes—maybe it was just a subconscious movement, but he suddenly froze because of this movement.

This is the IOU that Chen Chunsheng gave him at the scene of the fire, which is the half-written and discarded note by Xue Xiaohua.Luo Fei once deduced Xue Xiaohua's plot to blackmail Zhou Yonggui based on it.According to his analysis at the time, Zhou Yonggui was definitely not the only person Xue Xiaohua wanted to blackmail, and one of them would have some unusual characteristics.For this reason, he once asked Jin Zhenyu if there were deaf-mute people on the island, but unfortunately the other party gave a negative answer, and this clue was interrupted. But now, a reasonable speculation popped up in Luo Fei's mind, yes, this is a very logical, even logical judgment!He almost blamed himself for ignoring such obvious clues.At this point, he has no reason to stop any longer, and must immediately follow this clue to find the hidden truth behind it.

Luo Fei came to the sacrificial hall hidden behind the mountain path again. Deping and Huitong are having breakfast in the front room. As monks, their recipe is very simple: rice porridge and sweet potatoes. Deping seemed to have expected Luo Fei to come, and there was no surprise on his face. He looked at his apprentice and said in a very calm tone: "Hurry up and finish eating, then go and chop some firewood and come back." Huitong nodded, obediently finished the remaining porridge in his bowl in two or three mouthfuls, and went out without saying a word. "Officer Luo, sit down." Deping greeted casually, "Have you had breakfast yet? This porridge is still hot, and it feels good in your stomach."

"There's no need for breakfast. I just want to ask you some questions." Luo Fei sat down opposite Deping, then took out the note, "Look at this." Deping took the note and looked at it silently, then put it on the table, and said calmly: "This seems to be a note, but it's not finished yet, right?" Luo Fei stared at the other party: "It's not finished, I just want to ask you, what kind of content is behind this note?" But Deping laughed: "This note has always been in your hands, how would I know what should be in the back?" "This note was written by Xue Xiaohua, but it was invalidated after it was half written. He later wrote a complete one, and that one——should be in your hands." Luo Fei's voice was not loud, but The tone is very certain.

"Why?" Deping asked back not to be outdone. Luo Fei knew that in order to make the other party admit defeat, he must have a solid judgment, so he said in detail: "Xue Xiaohua knows some secrets, so he uses this rogue method to blackmail those who want to hide the secrets. This kind of blackmail does not It was not anonymous, but carried out in a completely open situation. One of his blackmail targets was Zhou Yonggui. That night, he went straight to Zhou Yonggui's home, explained his purpose in person, and successfully demanded four Thousands of dollars, these can be confirmed from the narratives of Guo Guizhi and others. According to this model, it seems that there is no need to write a note for other extortion incidents, unless one of the people he blackmailed is People who cannot communicate verbally, for example, deaf-mute people.”

Deping spread his hands: "There has never been a deaf-mute person on Mingze Island." "Yes, so this question confuses me, and I can't know what to do for a while." Luo Fei paused for a while, then changed his tone, "But yesterday, I discovered that although some people are neither deaf nor dumb, they still need to use paper. It’s just that the sudden poisoning incident distracted my thinking and prevented me from grasping this useful clue in time.” "Hmm." Deping nodded while listening, seeming to fully agree with Luo Fei's analysis, and then he said frankly: "The person Officer Luo mentioned seems to be me? Last night you took the note written by Hui Tong. When I handed it over to me, I guessed that you would figure it out sooner or later, but... I didn't expect it to be so soon."

"So Xue Xiaohua's note was written for you. He knew that it was time for you to do something, so he wrote down the situation and asked Huitong to report it on his behalf. You can't deny this matter, because at least there is Take Huitong as a witness." Luo Fei pressed on every step with his reasons. "There is no need for witnesses." De Ping shook his head flatly, and then he took out a piece of paper from his pocket, "This is the note you were talking about." Luo Fei took the piece of paper, and saw it said: "I found Wang Chenglin's son, he promised me 3000 yuan, let me tell him the things before, if you don't want others to know, you can come up with a comparison His higher price. Xue Xiaohua, today."

Everything was completely consistent with Luo Fei's previous speculation, and the corner of his mouth could not help but smile.And a definite insider is right in front of him, and the answer to the mystery seems to be only one step away. "Okay, tell me what you know." Luo Fei immediately put on a serious expression again when he got to the point, "I don't want you to hide anything about the ins and outs of the whole thing." "The whole thing?" Deping looked at Luo Fei with a strange look, "Don't you think that everything is my handwriting? You are wrong, and, besides, you think this matter is too simple." "Then tell me about the secret that Xue Xiaohua used to blackmail you first." Luo Fei knew that the other party would not speak easily, and had to conquer it step by step, "Also, why did you have a woman's long hair on the neckline of your clothes? Also, how do you explain the poisoning incident yesterday?" "Women's long hair?" Deping was taken aback for a moment, subconsciously checked his clothes, and then he smiled easily, "Why didn't I notice it? Did you see it with your own eyes, or did you hear it from others?" ? If it really existed, it may be caused by accidental factors such as sea breeze. Of course, it may be just a black line or something. Anyway, what does this mean? It happened yesterday, don’t you Do you think it was me who poisoned you? I am the most poisoned person myself, and I actively called Dr. Li Dong, so we were saved. You must have handled many cases before. Have you ever seen a poisoner like me? In my opinion, it was just an accidental misconception. As for the secret—" He suddenly looked at Luo Fei intently, "Why do you have to know that secret?" Why do you want to know?Does this need to be asked?Luo Fei was taken aback by this question, which was not a problem at all, and was about to say something when Deping was the first to speak again. "Is it because of your natural curiosity? Or your professional instinct as a policeman? Or is it based on your sense of justice to eradicate evil?" He asked a series of questions, waiting for the other party's choice. Luo Fei didn't know the purpose of the other party asking these words, but he still thought about it for a moment, and then answered frankly: "It should be said that there are various factors, even including the excitement of confronting potential opponents. However, it will The most important factor that makes me restless is still the hatred of crime, which is what you call a sense of justice. I must find the murderer, punish the crime, and protect innocent people from being harmed. This It is my character, and at the same time, it is also the mission entrusted to me by my profession." "It's the same as I guessed." Deping nodded, and his eyes seemed to show a kind of appreciation, "Officer Luo, although we don't have much contact, I already know something about you. If it weren't for the existence of certain things , I think we will become friends, even confidants. You have many advantages, integrity, bravery, meticulousness, and sensitivity. Indeed, you are getting closer and closer to the secret that has been hidden for many years. I even feel that I can no longer stop you from finally Uncover the secret." Luo Fei listened quietly, without interrupting, he knew that what the other party said was just an introduction, and what he cared about was still behind. Sure enough, Deping changed the subject and said again: "But if you really know that secret, you will regret it. You can't find the evil you want to destroy, and you will find that when you have accumulated all your strength, you want to When the final blow is made, the imaginary opponent is not there. You only see the deep helplessness and sadness, and I promise you, it is an experience that no one is willing to touch and understand .In fact, the person involved in that incident is still living in self-blame and fear, unable to get rid of it. Even if I have been a monk for nearly 20 years, I still cannot get rid of that period of demons." Listening to Deping's words, especially knowing the real reason why he became a monk, Luo Fei couldn't help being touched, but he still shook his head disapprovingly: "I don't understand what you mean. You said that there is no evil, but just In front of our eyes, crimes are happening. The death of two people, and the catastrophe that almost happened last night, aren’t these enough? Besides, if you didn’t commit the crime at that time, where did your self-blame and fear come from? Come?" "If you don't understand the truth, you won't understand it." A trace of helplessness flashed in Deping's eyes, "Some things are inherent in human nature and have nothing to do with evil. This may be a tragedy that we as human beings must bear. Officer Luo, please think about it carefully. In your heart, have you never felt deep remorse and guilt for something? This incident has nothing to do with crime, but it has caused heartbreaking consequences. This incident Things become the shadow of your life, you don't want to touch it, but you can't avoid its existence." Luo Fei's heart shrank with a "bang", and that familiar figure reappeared in his mind, with a voice and a smile, although it was in front of his eyes, it was already out of reach.A kind of bitterness burst out uncontrollably, and it quickly showed on his face. Deping caught Luo Fei's emotional change, he smiled knowingly, and said: "You have felt this way before, right? Then you should know that the best way to deal with such a thing is to treat it deeply. Bury it in the bottom of your heart and never touch it again. You even hope to forget it completely, that is an unattainable happiness." "No, you're wrong." Luo Fei raised his head suddenly, his eyes became resolute again, "Some things cannot be forgotten, and should not be forgotten. What happened, you must have the courage to face it. Conceal, and It will cause something that should not happen. Tell me the truth, I must stop, there must be no more deaths and other tragedies!" "You think so because you don't know what happened!" Deping seemed to be a little sullen at Luo Fei's obsession, but he quickly calmed down and tried to persuade him in a calm tone, "You didn't see It is unimaginable to live through that kind of sadness. What else in this world is more against human ethics? It can only be deeply hidden and must never be mentioned again. And your inquiry can't stop anything, On the contrary, it will lead to some negative situations. Please believe me, this is an elder’s advice to you.” Faced with Deping's earnest persuasion, at a certain moment, Luo Fei did have a slight hesitation.For him, this has never happened before.But this feeling disappeared immediately, and the desire to seek the truth and a natural sense of responsibility soon took the upper hand in his heart. "No matter what, the matter cannot end here. At least the cases that have already happened must have a clear result. But in the current situation, I am the only policeman on the island, and I must be responsible for it!" Luo Fei looked at the other party solemnly Said, the tone has no room for negotiation. Deping sighed softly, it seemed that he had no choice but to give up his efforts.After a moment of silence, he said helplessly, "Then give me some time, I need to think about it quietly." "Okay. I'll just sit here and wait for you." Since he has the upper hand, he doesn't give in an inch. This has always been Luo Fei's style when handling cases. "Okay. But I'm going to the tomb of the undead behind the house. I need to do a ritual to communicate with the undead there and ask for their thoughts." Deping said seriously. "Communicate with the undead?" Luo Fei stared at the other party, this statement is undoubtedly absurd to him. "So you don't understand the situation at all, do you think this matter is only related to living people?" Deping's tone was extremely solemn, not like nonsense at all, "I need at least half an hour, please don't bother me for the time being .” After saying this, Deping stood up and walked to the back room alone, and immediately closed the door connecting the two rooms. Luo Fei faintly felt that something was wrong, but there was nothing he could do.After all, he has no power and ability to restrict Deping's freedom of movement.However, he has been to this sacrificial hall several times, and he knows the terrain well.There is only a small cemetery behind the house, and there is no other way out, but there is no need to worry that the other party will take this opportunity to fly away. Therefore, all he can do now is to wait quietly. After half an hour passed, Deping still didn't come out, the hall was quiet, as if there was no one else except Luo Fei himself.Luo Fei gradually couldn't hold back anymore, at this moment, he suddenly heard footsteps at the front door, looking back, it turned out that Hui Tong came back with a bundle of firewood. "Where is my master?" Seeing the situation in the room, the little monk asked a little strangely. "He went to do things later." "Practice rituals? My master never practiced rituals during the day?" The little monk murmured to himself wonderingly, while walking over and pushing the door to the back room, "Why did you lock the door?" Luo Fei frowned, and decided not to wait any longer. He got up and went to knock on the door: "Deping, monk Deping?" The back room was silent, and there was no response. Luo Fei yelled again, feeling something was wrong, took a step back, then took a deep breath, and rushed to open the door. The back room was empty, and the door to the cemetery was bolted inside, so there was no need to force it open.Luo Fei quickly opened the door and walked into the cemetery. The scene in the cemetery left Luo Fei stunned in surprise.Monk Deping did not disappear, he sat quietly in front of the undead mound, but his head was drooping unconsciously, and a piece of cloth was tightly strangled around his neck. "Master! Master!" Amidst Hui Tong's panic-stricken shout, Luo Fei came back to his senses. He hurried forward and put his fingers between Deping's nose and mouth. Although the skin touched by his fingers was still warm, Deping had already lost his breath at this time.Undoubtedly, he has become the third deceased to appear on Mingze Island in just a few days.