Chapter 23 Chapter Twenty Two

When he arrived at the business hotel next to Shinagawa Station, Qing Jiang looked at his watch, it was exactly one o'clock in the afternoon, which was the time they had agreed upon. Walking into the main entrance, I saw a lot of Chinese tourists.Yuan Hua was nowhere to be seen.Qing Jiang walked to the hall while calling her. "Are you there?" Yuan Hua asked as soon as the phone was connected. "I'm in the hall now." "Come to the bowling alley." "Bowling alley? And this place?" "It's on the first floor. Just ask the people in the hotel." After finishing speaking, she hung up the phone.

There happened to be a waitress next to him, and when Qing Jiang asked, there was indeed a bowling alley in the hotel.But why choose to meet there?Qing Jiang walked that way, his heart pounding. There are many cosmetics and jewelry shops on the first floor, and the bowling alley is in the innermost place.There was a counter next to the entrance. Qing Jiang didn't want to play ball, so he went straight in. Although it was a weekday and it was broad daylight, the fairway was still very lively.There is another group of people who are employees of the company no matter what, don't they have to go to work?

Yuan Hua was in the game area at the corner of the venue, wearing a plaid shirt with slim-fit jeans, and holding the familiar winter clothes in his hand.Not wearing a pink knit hat. She stands next to a claw machine.Qing Jiang walked over, Yuan Hua turned his head as if he had just noticed him. "I haven't been to a bowling alley for many years." Qing Jiang said. "Aren't people of your generation very good at bowling?" "It was my previous generation who was good at playing. When I was young, the bowling fever was gone." "I hardly ever play."

"That's why you're playing catch dolls?" Qing Jiang looked into the glass box.The prize is a Minnie Mouse doll, which is more than 20 centimeters long with its bare head. It must be very heavy, so it is difficult to get it. "Let's not mention these, I finally saw you." "As for me, I never wanted to see you again." "You think lifeless middle-aged scholars are useless?" "Professor Qingjiang is an outsider, why does he have to get in between us?" "I don't want to intervene on a whim, I just want to correct my mistakes. I want to fulfill the responsibility of a scholar."

"Responsibility..." Yuan Hua was in a trance when two people who looked like mother and daughter came over, as if they wanted to play with the claw machine.The mother was very young, and the child should not have reached the age of school.Yuan Hua said "please use" and walked away from the machine. "What's wrong with just treating it as an accident? Will there be any problems?" "It's a big problem. Because of that kind of accident, both hot spring areas have been hit hard. If it wasn't an accident, I have to notify them as soon as possible."

"I understand what the professor said. It might be difficult, though." "Where is the difficulty?" "Just saying it wasn't an accident, isn't it enough? Since it wasn't an accident, it must be of another nature." "Of course. That's why I came to see you. I think you must know something. Tell me, it wasn't an accident, was it?" Yuan Hua didn't answer, just looked to the side and stretched out a hand. "how?" "Have you brought a hundred yuan coin?" "It should be in the wallet." "Give me one."

"what?" He followed Yuan Hua's gaze.The mother and daughter were talking just now, it seems that the mother failed to grab Minnie.The daughter asked to do it again, but the mother had no confidence. "What do you want to do?" Qing Jiang asked. "Don't worry about it, give it to me." Qing Jiang took out a hundred-yuan coin from his wallet and handed it to Yuan Hua. She said to the mother, "Can you wait a moment?" The woman stood up suspiciously. Yuan Hua smiled again and told the little girl to wait first, and then put a hundred yuan coin into the machine.She stared at the glass box and began to manipulate the buttons.The small mechanical claw in the box moved and began to descend.No way, Qing Jiang thought.Although there is a doll below, but the position is a bit off, it should not be able to grasp the body.

But at the next moment, Qing Jiang opened his mouth wide in surprise.The Minnie Mouse doll was picked up lightly and delicately.Although only one leg was grasped, the doll's leg was chubby and would not slip off. The mechanical claw grabbed Minnie and returned to its original position without incident.Yuan Hua took out the doll from the drop slot under the machine and handed it to the little girl. "Isn't that good?" Mother said shyly. "Take it, I don't want this." "Then, at least take this..." Mother took out a hundred-yuan coin from her wallet.Yuan Hua nodded and took it.

The mother asked her daughter to thank her, bowed herself several times before leaving slowly. Yuan Hua turned around to face Qingjiang, and handed him a hundred yuan coin. "It seems that you are really good at catching dolls." Qing Jiang said while putting the coin back into the wallet. "It seems...it's my second time playing." Yuan Hua thought for a while. "Second time? Isn't it?" "Okay, let's not talk about this. Where did you just say it?" "You haven't said anything yet. I was asking you just now, whether the incident in the hot spring area was an accident or an incident. Then you suddenly started playing with dolls—"

Yuan Hua raised his hand in front of him, not letting him continue talking. "Before I answer this question, I have something to ask. How did Professor Qingjiang know about Qian Renjun?" "You answer my question first." "Don't worry, I'm sure I'll answer. Trust me." Qing Jiang pouted. "Because I met you, I wondered if the two hydrogen sulfide accidents were related. Because the two victims were from the film industry, I found out the thread of Amakasu and read his blog , from which I learned about Mr. Qianren. I also got to know your father."

"Sure enough. I think it should be like this. You mentioned Miss Tong Gong on the phone, have you been to Kaiming University?" "It wasn't me who went there, but Police Officer Nakaoka from Azabu North Station." "Police?" Yuan Hua's expression became serious. "The police officer also had doubts about the accident at Akakuma Onsen, so he came to me. That's how it all started. Then I met you again at Tomate Onsen, and from that, Officer Nakaoka and I focused on Qian Renjun." "Oh. So, Ms. Tonggong, let's go to the professor." Yuan Hua looked at the fighting game screen in the distance. "That's right. Ms. Tong Gong asked me a lot of questions, but I didn't get a satisfactory answer. She didn't even know that you were looking for Qianren-kun." "Oh, of course she would say that." "From your tone, Ms. Tonggong is really lying?" "She is employed, so she can only follow orders." "Who gave the order? Is it your father?" "This... I can't say." "Why would a neurosurgeon do something like that?" Yuan Hua had a bitter expression. "Didn't I say it, can't I say it? You are so annoying." Having said that, Qing Jiang couldn't help getting angry. "What? Are you and Ms. Tong Gong all the way? You keep asking questions, but you don't answer any of them when I ask you. What will happen if you reveal a little bit? What are you hiding? You hold the key It's Amakasu Kento-kun, but why are you looking for him? What is your relationship with Kento-kun? Are you really just friends?" Qing Jiang became excited, and asked a lot of questions like a cannonball, and his voice became louder and louder, causing the guests around to look back frequently. Yuan Hua sighed and walked towards the bowling area.A group of students are using the two adjacent fairways, bluffing and bustling.Yuan Hua stopped and watched them play ball from behind. Qing Jiang also followed, stood beside her, and apologized in a low voice: "I was blown away all of a sudden." "There's no need to apologize. I know the professor is impatient, but I'm so sorry to involve you in it." "Then answer my question—" "There are three left." "Eh?" Yuan Hua rushed to the side of the fairway and raised his jaw.Qing Jiang saw that there were three pins left at the end of the fairway on the right. "What we just said has nothing to do with bowling, does it?" But Yuan Hua shifted his gaze to the left again, and said, "There are four left over there." The thrown ball was still rolling on the fairway, and finally hit a row of pins, just as she said, The last four remained. Qing Jiang remembered what she said just now.It's "three left", not "three left".Could it be that she hit the number of unfallen pins while the ball was still rolling? "It's meaningless." Yuan Hua said, "Knowing about me, or about Mr. Qianren, doesn't mean much to you, Professor. Maybe it's better not to know." "Then I have to listen to it before I can make a judgment." "That's not the case. Hey, Professor," Yuan Hua said, facing Qingjiang, "you want to know if it was an accident, right? If it wasn't an accident, you still want to find out what its nature is. For this answer, I I'll tell you later. I'll definitely tell you, so don't pursue anything else other than that, it's none of your business. Please." Yuan Hua's tone was very sincere, it didn't sound like she was acting, but she was really thinking about Qing Jiang. "It's all because of you that my curiosity has inflated more and more. What are you going to do?" "I'm sorry, but I can only ask you to be patient. I've said it several times, it's for the professor's benefit. I don't want to cause you any more trouble." It seems that Yuan Hua has made up his mind and cannot be shaken.Qing Jiang had no choice but to agree. "Ms. Tong Gong wants the piece of paper you gave me. I told her that the number on it was made up, but she still refused to let go. That kind of persistence made me figure it out at once. The number is probably real. After listening to my story, Ms. Tong Gong may think that you must gain my trust at that time, and you should not give me a fake number." "Probably, she has a very flexible mind. However, Professor, you have also noticed this, and it is also not simple." "Stop flattering me. I wanted to contact you before Ms. Tonggong, so I didn't tell you the number. But what should I do next? Can you tell her?" Yuan Hua shook his head and said, "If possible, I hope you don't say it." "OK. Let's do it this way. If nothing happens, I will keep silent; but if the situation changes, I will decide whether to disclose this number according to the actual situation. How?" Yuan Hua thought for a while and replied, "Okay." "I still have one hope." Qing Jiang raised a finger, "If it is convenient, I hope you can answer my call. If there is nothing wrong, I will try not to contact you, but something may happen, so I must Find you. Of course, I very much welcome you to call me." Yuan Hua remained silent, as if hesitating. Qing Jiang continued: "Please believe me, I will not betray you." "What are you talking about betraying? Didn't the professor say that you won't have any interaction with me in the future? I thought it meant you wouldn't contact me again." "That's my freedom, right?" Yuan Hua smiled wryly. "Since you say so, then do as you please. But I'll say it up front. I have a lot of things on hand, and I can't answer your calls anytime and anywhere." "To each other. Then, the deal. Alright, now," Qing Jiang stared at Yuan Hua, "can you tell me the truth of the accident?" She made a cross on her chest with her arm. "Unfortunately, not now." "Hey, it's all said—" "No. You can't say it here and now. Just listen to my words, the professor is unacceptable. Seeing is worth seeing, right? It's best for you to see it with your own eyes." "Then what am I going to do?" "I'll get in touch with you again and let you know the time and place. It's all right, I won't keep you waiting too long. I'll get back to you later today." "real?" "The professor believes in himself, right? Then, please believe in me." Qing Jiang couldn't refute, so he had to say: "Okay." Yuan Hua's gaze returned to the fairway, and he let out a soft "ah".Qing Jiang also looked over, a ball was rolling on the fairway. "It's a pity that there is one left on each side." The bowling ball hit the pins with a loud crash.The pitcher seemed to have a premonition of a strike and was shaking his fist.But unfortunately, not all the pins were knocked down, as Yuan Hua predicted, there was one left on each side. Qing Jiang was taken aback and looked at Yuan Hua. "See you later." She said nonchalantly, and trotted away. Qing Jiang returns to university.But whether he was preparing for lessons or going to the research room to guide students, he seemed absent-minded, always paying attention to the mobile phone in his pocket, and checked the remaining battery power of the mobile phone several times. "Which important person wants to make an important call to you?" Tetsuko Oshi asked when Qingjiang was fiddling with the mobile phone in the research room.At this time, her eyes are sharper than anyone else. "Oh, it's not a big shot." "The students said that Teacher Qingjiang was acting weird today. During the lecture, he repeated the same words several times, and then he suddenly lost his mind. Did something happen?" "It's okay, don't worry." Qing Jiang thought that staying any longer would only make people feel even more strange, so he got up and went back to his office. He tried to do some work on the computer, but couldn't concentrate.Not just because he was waiting to be contacted, but because the scene on the bowling alley kept replaying in his mind.Madoka Habara said how many bowls would be left before the bowling ball hit the pins, and he was right every time.If you are a professional bowler, you may be able to make predictions to a certain extent, but it is impossible to be so accurate.Thinking about it from this angle, some of Yuan Hua's previous performances, as well as the fact that she won a prize from the claw machine beautifully, made people very concerned. Who is she?She said "It's better not to know", but the more Qing Jiang thought about it, the more he couldn't let it go. Maybe it was because the nerves were too tense, and drowsiness gradually came.Thinking about it carefully, since he received Yuan Hua's call in the middle of the night, he has not slept at all. Qing Jiang was sitting on a chair and was in a daze when his cell phone rang suddenly.It was Yuan Hua calling.He hastily picked up the phone. "At eleven o'clock tonight, come to Arisugawa Palace Memorial Park," she said. "Eleven o'clock? Why is it so late..." "I wanted to be as invisible as possible. Also, the best conditions were there at that moment." "condition?" "You'll know when you come. Goodbye." Yuan Hua hung up the phone after finishing speaking. Qing Jiang looked at his watch, it was just after six o'clock in the evening.Although you can go home first, but once you go back, I'm afraid it will be difficult to come up with any excuse to go out at such an embarrassing time. The documents on the table were piled up like a hill, they were all the subjects handed in by the students, Qing Jiang didn't bother to tidy them up, so he simply left them there. Let's just pass the time, Qing Jiang thought, reaching out to the pile of documents. After wrestling with the frequent copy and paste reports for two hours and dealing with some chores, Qing Jiang left the school.He called his family and told Jingzi that he would be back later, and then went to the restaurant he often went to for dinner.He ate a sashimi set meal slowly, but it was less than ten o'clock when he finished eating.Helpless, Qing Jiang ordered another glass of beer, sipping it slowly while watching TV.A piece of news is being read on TV, saying that the wife killed her elderly husband for inheritance.They have not been married for a long time, and the murder plan may have been drawn up before marriage.It was a similar story again, and Qing Jiang couldn't help thinking about Chixiong Hot Spring.By the way, Nakaoka never contacted himself again.He must have gone to the Enlightened University, I wonder if he has gained anything?What he promised, once he finds out about something related to Madoka Habara, he will definitely tell himself that this promise has not been fulfilled yet. After drinking beer, the time is just right.Qing Jiang walked out of the dining room and walked to the agreed place. From Hiroo Station, it is a few minutes walk to the Arisugawa Palace Memorial Park.When they reached the gate made of square stones, the phone rang. "Where are you?" Yuan Hua asked. "The gate of the park." "Don't hang up the phone, walk in, walk along the tourist trail, and turn right at the first fork." From the outside, the park was pitch black, but when we walked in, we found that there were street lights everywhere, brighter than expected.Qingjiang followed his words, and there was indeed a fork in the road ahead.Turn right, and there is another fork in the road after a while.He asked Yuan Hua how to get there, and Yuan Hua asked him to turn left.In this way, Qingjiang gradually walked to the depths of the park.There is a difference in height and height on the tour trail. The further you go in, the higher the terrain will be. It was the first time for Qing Jiang to take a walk in this park.The road was twists and turns, and slowly, he didn't know where he was going.Although there are street lights, the light is blocked by trees, and many places are hidden in deep darkness.Whenever he got close to such a place, he became nervous, for fear that something inexplicable would pounce on him. "Stop." Yuan Hua said, "Look up the slope." Qing Jiang put the phone to his ear and looked around.The ramp is on his right.When I looked up, I found a faint blue halo in the darkness.Is it a chemical lamp?It was about twenty meters away from me. "Did you see it?" Yuan Hua asked. "En." Just as Qing Jiang finished speaking, the circle of light disappeared, and a blurred figure slowly emerged instead.Looking at the back, he knew it was Yuan Hua. "What are you going to do?" "Just look at it. Don't you want to know the answer?" "Yes, but..." "Then don't talk, just stand there." Qing Jiang took the phone away from his ear and continued to look up the slope.Yuan Hua seemed to be doing some movements, but he couldn't see clearly. Finally, a white smoke started to come out from the bottom of Yuan Hua's feet, but it didn't spread around, but flowed directly downward. Qing Jiang was taken aback, he immediately understood what Bai Yan was.That's the smoke from dry ice.Yuan Hua probably put the dry ice into the water container. The smoke descends slowly, like a huge white snake, passing through the trees, crawling across the grass, and coming towards Qingjiang.To Qingjiang's surprise, although the smoke is curved, its volume hardly changes, that is to say, it does not spread. The smoke finally reached the foot of Qingjiang, and then something even more surprising happened to him.The smoke didn't pass directly by where he was, but lingered.White smoke instantly enveloped his whole body. This is impossible-- Qing Jiang couldn't believe this phenomenon would happen, but it did happen. He raised his phone: "What's going on? What kind of magic did you use?" no answer.The phone has long been hung up. Qing Jiang ran towards Yuan Hua, but there were several forks in the trail, and he didn't know how to go. When they finally got there, Yuan Hua was gone.A styrofoam box was placed on the ground, still emitting white smoke.Next to the box is a chemical lamp that glows blue. Qing Jiang tried to call Yuan Hua, but she didn't answer.After repeating this several times, Yuan Hua's voice finally came from the opposite side. "Where are you?" "Outside the park." "What are you doing? Come back, I have something to ask you." "Sorry, I'm already in a taxi." The sound of cars coming and going could be faintly heard on the phone, and Qing Jiang gripped the phone tightly. "I don't understand, didn't you say you wanted to tell me the answer?" "What else do you not understand? Didn't I say that it is better to see once than to hear a hundred times." "I'm asking about your technique. How do you do it?" Yuan Hua on the other side of the phone laughed. "There is no trick, children know that, as long as you put dry ice in water, white smoke will come out." "I know that, but why doesn't the white smoke spread?" "Then let me ask you, why must the smoke spread? Does it mean that the same phenomenon must occur under any conditions?" "This..." Qing Jiang was at a loss for words, scientifically speaking, her words were correct. "Okay, professor," Yuan Hua said calmly, "I have already told you the answer, and I have kept the agreement. So, don't contact me again." "etc!" "Wait. I have nothing else to tell you. Go ahead and think for yourself. Oh, yes, sorry, please help me with the Styrofoam box and the chemical lamp. Bye." The phone hangs up.Qing Jiang held the phone and stood there blankly. His eyes fell on the Styrofoam box, still belching white smoke. Dry ice is solid carbon dioxide. It will sublimate at -78.5°C.If dry ice is put into liquid such as water, it will be vaporized immediately, and bubbles will be generated, which contain ultrafine ice particles formed by instantaneously frozen water.When the bubbles rise to the surface and burst, ultrafine particles of ice are released along with vaporized carbon dioxide, which is the true identity of the smoke. He understood what Yuan Hua said.The smog is a mixture of ultrafine ice particles and carbon dioxide, which is heavier than air.That is, she was simulating the dynamics of hydrogen sulfide produced by a chemical reaction. But the question is, why does the non-diffusing smoke stay here after it reaches its destination?Is it possible to artificially control the dynamics of smoke? Qing Jiang thought, and then looked at the path of the smoke, but was startled.The flow direction of the smoke is completely different from before. The smoke has begun to spread, no longer a river, but spreading across the ground like a fan.Just watching, there was a gust of wind, although not very strong, it blew away all the smoke at once.There was fresh smoke coming out of the Styrofoam box. Yes, this is what usually happens.Like just now, it is completely undisturbed, flowing like a river, and staying in one place is completely a special case. But what Yuan Hua said was also true.Even if it is a special case, it is not inconceivable that such a phenomenon will occur, as long as the conditions are met. condition-- By the way, Yuan Hua said that only at that moment can there be the best conditions.Does it mean that the smoke will not be disturbed, flow linearly, and stay at a certain point?No wind, low ground temperatures, no updrafts, good terrain - that's why you called yourself here in the middle of the night?That's fine if that's the case, but the question is, how does she know that she is eligible here and now? Qing Jiang picked up the chemical lamp.It was a rod-shaped object about 20 centimeters long, and it was still emitting a faint light. Some kind of intuition made him look to the side, someone was approaching.When the person walked under the street lamp, Qing Jiang recognized her upright face. He opened his eyes wide: "Why are you here?" Tong Gongling showed a rare smile. "You brought me here, teacher. I brought it here all the way from the university. Is the restaurant on the way you frequent?" Qing Jiang half opened his mouth: "You followed me? When did you start?" Tong Gongling shrugged: "Is this question very important?" "But--" "Sorry." She said, taking out her phone from her pocket. "Hey...ah, that's it. I understand. Please continue. I'm with Teacher Qingjiang now...Okay, please." She put the phone back in her pocket and turned to look at Qingjiang again. "It seems that Miss Yuan Hua's location has been determined." Could it be that Yuan Hua was also being followed?Qing Jiang thought of the man who was with Tong Gong Ling yesterday, he must be the one who called just now. "What exactly are you going to do?" Qing Jiang pointed at Tong Gongling with the chemical lamp in his hand, "What is the purpose?" Instead of answering, she looked at the smoking styrofoam box.There is less and less smoke coming out. "It's a little far away, but I've been watching. You seem surprised." Qing Jiang lowered the chemical lamp: "Aren't you surprised?" Tong Gongling lowered her eyes: "Well, I'm used to it." "Teacher Qingjiang," she changed her expression and stared at Qingjiang, "Can you please forget everything you saw tonight?" "Huh? What did you say?" "I hope you can act as if you didn't see anything. Don't mention it to Police Officer Nakaoka, can it just be your own memory as a teacher?" This line surprised Qing Jiang, who was unable to answer for a while.He adjusted his breathing and said, "Wait, how is this possible." "Can't you?" "Of course. Don't try to get away with it." He waved the blue chemical lamp, "How could such a thing happen? However, although it is unbelievable, it actually happened. Therefore, it is the scientist who understands all this. obligation." "Then I want to ask you, do you have the confidence to explain all this clearly? I heard that in order to carry out scientific proof, it must be reproducible. Let me take the liberty to say, what Ms. Yuanhua did just now, teacher, can you Reappear?" "This..." Qing Jiang couldn't refute.He has no self-confidence.What Yuan Hua did is theoretically possible, but in reality, it can only be said to be impossible. Tong Gongling nodded like a teacher educating poor students. "That's right. Ms. Yuanhua and the others can easily do things that ordinary humans can't do. Therefore, even if you see this fact, Mr. Qingjiang, it doesn't make any sense. You'd better forget about it. " "You mean, she's not an ordinary human?" "It's okay if you want to think so." "Why not ordinary? Does she have special functions? Does she have the ability to freely manipulate gas?" "If I say yes, can you accept that answer?" "Are you kidding me!" Qing Jiang threw the chemical lamp on the ground, "Be serious!" "I'm serious. Besides, no matter who Miss Yuanhua is, it has nothing to do with Teacher Qingjiang, right?" "That's not the case. Considering the hot spring area with a sudden drop in passenger flow, we can't continue to hide the truth!" "Then why don't you write an article to correct it? Let's say that the incident in the hot spring area was done by humans who can freely manipulate hydrogen sulfide. However, I am afraid that the newspaper will not publish such an article?" Qing Jiang pursed his lips tightly and gritted his teeth secretly.Sadly, she was right.Even with the facts in front of him, he still doesn't know how to make them public.By the way, Yuan Hua also said at the bowling alley that it is actually very difficult to explain that it was not an accident. "Those two hot spring areas are indeed pitiful. We also plan to take some countermeasures and will not abandon them. Of course, this will definitely not damage Teacher Qingjiang's reputation, nor will it cause trouble for the teacher. So, I hope you can Leave this matter to us." Tong Gongling spoke every word very clearly.Qing Jiang stared back at her: "Who are you guys?" "This has nothing to do with you, teacher. You know it. Make an agreement. Can you forget everything about tonight and take no action?" "What if I say no? What if I tell Officer Nakaoka everything?" Tong Gongling slightly frowned her beautiful eyebrows. "Does that make sense to you?" "I don't know. I just want to know the truth. Maybe something will happen after I tell Officer Nakaoka. I'm looking forward to it." "With the police involved, things will only become more chaotic. Maybe it will be irreparable." "It doesn't matter, that's not what I want to know." Qing Jiang said with a bit of self-abnegation.He himself knew that he was being emotional. Tong Gongling let out a long sigh. "Okay. Then, is this okay? I will report the teacher's wishes to my superiors, and I should receive new instructions after that. At that time, I will discuss with you again." "Before that, what about tonight will be kept secret for the time being?" "Yes, I will get back to you as soon as possible." Qing Jiang thought about it silently for a while, and felt that this proposal was not bad. "Okay, then I'll wait for your contact." "Yes, then, I will take my leave first." Tong Gongling bowed her head and saluted, then turned and left.Qing Jiang watched her figure disappear into the dark night, and then looked at the foam plastic box under her feet.The box was no longer smoking, and there were only some transparent foam floating in the water.