Chapter 28: Diary Leading to the Truth?

Tang Luo broke the chain lock that secured the sliding iron door and pushed the door open.

"Let's go inside and have a look."

The other two naturally had no objection and followed Tang Luo's pace.

Zhou Zhen'guo also examined the corpse and confirmed it was completely dead.

They had been disemboweled, a typical Kaitangshou Jieke method, but oddly, no blood flowed out.

It was just like Lao Yuehan that night.

They no longer intended to speculate through various phenomena and clues what abilities Kaitangshou Jieke actually had.

Zhou Zhen'guo and Chu Zhongtian followed behind Tang Luo.

The only thought in their minds was "Fuck him."

It wasn't that they were fearless, but rather the helplessness of fighting with their backs to the wall.

"No."

Not speculating about Kaitangshou Jieke's abilities didn't mean they had given up thinking.

As soon as they entered the manor's hall, Tang Luo and the others realized something was off about the situation.

The hall was empty, with no slaughterhouse scene as reported and rumored.

There were no corpses, nor any bloodstains.

No corpses, that's normal.

Even if they wanted to preserve the crime scene, the corpses would have to be removed; it would suffice to draw an outline in the appropriate place.

But the bloodstains had disappeared.

That was abnormal.

Bloodstains are a crucial clue and basis.

Even if Gelan Chang had a brain fart and decided to wipe away the bloodstains altogether, it couldn't be wiped so clean.

The entire hall showed no trace of a murder having occurred—except for the white human outline drawn by Gelan Chang.

Instead, it looked more like a theft.

No, it should be—it was indeed a theft.

Many valuable items had disappeared, leaving only traces of where they had been placed.

"Even the blood has disappeared," Chu Zhongtian said. "What is this—has Kaitangshou Jieke started becoming a god in this small town?"

"Let's check the secret room."

Tang Luo said, heading toward the second floor.

The "corpse outlines" on the second and third floors were obviously far fewer than on the first floor.

The three arrived at the study; the door was closed but not locked.

Opening the door, they could similarly see the gaps left in the study after valuable items had been moved out.

As for books, few people would consider them valuable.

Gelan Chang's investigators also hadn't discovered the secret behind the bookshelf.

According to Gelan Chang's information, Count Sangdaike and others remained in a "missing" status.

Rather than being found as corpses and confirmed dead.

"Master, did you kill those people down below?" Chu Zhongtian asked in the narrow lift.

He saw many shell casings on the ground.

"Hmm."

Tang Luo said, "That unspecified thing was taken from Sangdaike's person... I don't know whether those people's corpses are still there."

They arrived at the basement.

A strong bloody smell hit them in the face.

The floor bore dried dark bloodstains.

But all the corpses had already disappeared.

Just like the situation outside.

"Does Kaitangshou Jieke still eat people?" Chu Zhongtian said.

After the investigation, the three left the deserted manor and continued toward the small town.

"Perhaps."

Zhou Zhen'guo thought for a moment and said, "Do you think Kaitangshou Jieke is getting stronger?"

"Getting stronger?"

"From the initial sneaking about to now's large-scale slaughter, even corpses and bloodstains disappear," Zhou Zhen'guo said. "I think he is probably getting stronger bit by bit through killing."

Patron Zhou's words make perfect sense.

Tang Luo nodded, indicating agreement.

Chu Zhongtian raised his head at a forty-five-degree angle and gazed at the sky.

He continually analyzed Kaitangshou Jieke's abilities, its limits, hoping to achieve the effect of "knowing oneself and knowing the enemy."

As a result, the single statement "He is getting stronger" completely overturned everything.

Today's breeze was somewhat noisy.

"So the longer we drag this out, the worse it is for us; perhaps by then even the Master won't be a match."

Zhou Zhen'guo said this somewhat tactfully; in his view, Kaitangshou Jieke is already hard to deal with, "We still have to look, to find his true form!"

"The only clue is the dagger; by the way, is there a name engraved on the dagger?"

Chu Zhongtian said.

Engraving words on personal belongings is nothing unusual.

"I didn't see it." Zhou Zhen'guo gave a helpless laugh, "Maybe it's engraved with 'Jack'."

"Wait!"

Suddenly, Chu Zhongtian stopped in his tracks.

Behind his head seemed a patch of darkness; because of Zhou Zhen'guo's helpless joke, a flash of inspiration flickered, forming a narrow bright line that cut through the darkness.

No way!

"Jack the Ripper, why is he called Jack?" Chu Zhongtian asked a question as obvious as why one plus one equals two.

At first listen it sounds simple, even stupid.

But upon careful thought, it's a world-class super huge problem.

"Because, this name is very common?" Zhou Zhen'guo said.

Jack the Ripper, Spring-heeled Jack, Jack on the Titanic.

Jack is a very common name.

"That's in the real world, in Europe and America." Chu Zhongtian said, "In our small town, how many 'Jacks' have we encountered besides that Jack White? None, and that's not a common name."

"It's not just a convention that everyone started using."

"Think about it, the documents we got directly wrote 'Jack the Ripper'; why would Gran Chang name the killer that way?"

"The official definition is the Jack the Ripper serial murder case; there must be a reason!"

"The name Jack should be a clue no less important than a dagger."

"I've been wrong many times! This time, by probability, I should get it right once!"

Chu Zhongtian was very excited.

A momentary mistake, could it be a lifelong mistake?!

I, Chu Zhongtian, refuse to accept it!

"That makes sense."

Tang Luo nodded again, giving a laid-back agreement.

"Master, let's go to Gran Chang and ask clearly why it's called Jack the Ripper." Chu Zhongtian said.

"Okay."

The three arrived at the messy Gran Chang.

After receiving several eye rolls and impatient rebukes, they finally got what they wanted.

Jack the Ripper was officially named by the inspector of Gran Chang.

Probably after the third murder case occurred, the inspector formally named it and notified a full investigation.

The clue actually pointed to the small town's highest security official?

Moreover, this security official has already died.

The body was taken away by the family, and the funeral was also held.

No one knows why the inspector called the killer Jack.

Perhaps the deputy inspector, who was close to the inspector, knew, but that person has also died.

The remaining deputy inspector, however, actually does not have a good relationship with the inspector.

All of the inspector's personal belongings have been sent back to his home.

Thus, Tang Luo and the others went again to the inspector's home.

After showing that document, perhaps because it bore the inspector's handwritten signature, they were allowed by the inspector's family to enter the study.

Let's see what we can find.

Originally they had prepared to break in or conduct a night search.

Now they proceeded in an orderly search, without too many twists and turns.

Tang Luo forcibly opened the safe hidden in the study's desk cabinet.

The safe's password, even the inspector's family doesn't know.

They also haven't temporarily called a locksmith or blacksmith to force it open.

Thus it has remained intact.

Inside was a revolver, a few bullets, some money, some documents, and a diary.

Without showing any emotion, they put the diary away, telling the inspector's family that the safe was broken and there were some things inside.

Tang Luo and the three left, and began to read the diary.

"Holy shit!"

A few minutes later, Chu Zhongtian couldn't help but exclaim.

"He knows how to have fun."

Tang Luo gave a comment.

The diary recorded the inspector's colorful nightlife, which can be described as very good at having fun.

But this is obviously not what everyone wanted.

Continuing to flip through quickly, the diary's periods are not continuous.

Sometimes there are two or three entries per week, sometimes only one.

Sometimes there are gaps of ten days or half a month.

"It was torn off."

Soon, Tang Luo and the others saw the traces of the diary pages being torn off.

"No way."

Chu Zhongtian let out a sorrowful sigh.

The frustrating mission chain—"I must complete mission A, then go find B, who gives mission C; to finish mission C I must go find D"—feels like it's jumping right before their eyes.

Fortunately, I turned a few more pages.

What I thought didn't exist down there has grown out again!

Detective, where are you headed?

Enter the palace gate, go to the vital point, meet colleagues, serve the emperor.

If I go and never return...

Then I will go and never return!

Fortunately, fortunately, the detective is not that kind of person.

Chu Zhongtian was instantly overjoyed, looking at it as if starving and thirsty.

After a dozen or so blank pages, the newly recorded time was a few days before the first murder case——

November 23.

It's that nightmare again.

I recorded it, then tore it up.

Now I know, I seem unable to get rid of it.

Thirteen days!

Exactly thirteen days!

The same dream!

In the dream, I lay on the cold, hard ground, my vision a blur.

Some figures swayed, I couldn't see them clearly.

I also didn't know who they were.

Intense pain came from my body, yet I couldn't move at all.

I endured it bit by bit, until the moment I suddenly woke from the dream.

The pain still lingered on my body, fading slowly, as if it had truly existed.

November 24.

The same dream, the same blurry scene, the same intense pain.

Likewise, even struggling seemed luxurious.

But this time, I faintly heard a name—Jack.

Is it the name of 'me' in the dream, or one of those blurry figures?

November 25.

Today I didn't dream; I seem to be getting rid of it?

November 26.

Last night a murder occurred; the victim was disemboweled, the impact was terrible.

The nightmare disappeared, but real-world trouble came.

November 30.

Another murder case, damn it!

December 5.

Alright, this is the third one, I've started having insomnia.

This might be a good thing; at least I don't have to worry about the nightmare problem.

December 8.

I have no insomnia, nor any nightmares; it sounds like a good omen——

If it weren't for me waking up in the middle of the night and finding myself standing at the bedroom door!

Fortunately, Mary and I have been sleeping in separate rooms for five years.

At least she won't discover my sleepwalking?

December 10.

I want to lock myself up, because I found a trace of blood on my body.

I don't know what I did while sleepwalking; I feel somewhat panicked——

December 24.

Alright, aside from the damn serial murder case, there are currently no worries.

We just need to name the murder case; let's call it the Ripper, the Jack the Ripper case.