Chapter 155: Ritual

Xiao Tao's tweezers tip suddenly made a crisp metal collision sound while probing repeatedly between the rib gaps. He frowned slightly and switched to bone forceps to pry open the rib space.

As the dark brown bone debris fell rustlingly, a rusted hexagonal iron nail was embedded in the bone callus hyperplasia of the third and fourth ribs, with calcified soft tissue residues attached to the surface of the nail cap.

Under the surgical light, the dark red oxide on the surface of the nail formed a glaring contrast with the gray-white of the bone, as if a years-old blood scab was coagulated in the chest cavity of the deceased.

"The deceased was pierced through the lungs by a nail during her lifetime." Xiao Tao tapped the nail body lightly with a probe, and the metal vibration echoed in the autopsy room. "The nail insertion angle was 15 degrees obliquely upward. It is estimated that it was stabbed from the back while the victim was kneeling and bound. It may be the cause of death."

Zhong Kui stroked the edge of the autopsy table silently, her fingertips outlining the outline of the nail in the void, as if interpreting the code of some bloody ritual, muttering: "All phenomena are illusory, like dreams, like flames, like the moon in water, like images in a mirror, born from delusions. Digging out the eyes is for not seeing. In water and in mirrors, they are all delusions. Mirrors reflect nothingness, runes lock the soul, scriptures engrave the guilt. It seems the killer built a set of killing rituals himself."

Her words were hair-raising.

Wu Shanqiu flipped through the information in her hand: "The Nancheng Old Church was built at the end of the Qing Dynasty and has been abandoned until it was reopened in the millennium. That is to say, when old Ye and the others were killed, this place was unmanaged."

"Sigh, this gave the killer enough time and space to implement his perverted killing plan." Qi Fei sighed.

"The troublesome thing is that after the millennium, the church has been repaired several times. It is almost impossible to find clues from environmental traces." Wu Shanqiu frowned and said.

As soon as Wu Shanqiu's voice fell, an unusual sound came from the autopsy room again.

But this time it was not the competition between forensic doctor Tao and the distorted skeleton, but Zhong Kui tapping the edge of the stainless steel autopsy table with her fingertips, the metal echo rippling in the cold air of the morgue.

She stared at the hideous bone cracks in the eye sockets of the skeleton, her clear eyes seeming to penetrate time and stare at the distorted human figure in the dark.

"But we have them. The dead can speak.

Can't you hear? They, whose eyes were dug out, felt the moonlight of the church dome projected on them under the refraction of the seventeen-mirror array in the darkness, letting the killer greedily suck the fear emanating from them. In their ears was the killer's excited breathing, as if his eyes were the victims' eyes, and the punishment suffered by the victims was also the punishment he suffered. This phantom pain can be transformed into his fantasy of self-redemption.

This is a cleansing ritual disguised as a violent act. This is a trauma compensation mechanism. It seems that the target we are looking for experienced some profound trauma before becoming a killing demon.

Interestingly, he not only has a certain understanding of Buddhism but also has dabbled in Catholicism. You know, that was 1983, not the era where everything can be searched on the Internet." Zhong Kui's words woke up Qi Fei, who was in the fog.

"Yes, 1983. We always forget that this was 42 years ago. I saw in the file that because of the scriptures on the palms of the deceased, Ye Ming once took team members to investigate temples of all sizes in Nancheng. Because even fewer ordinary people can recite the 'Vimalakirti Sutra', it was suspected at the time that it might be monks in the temple.

Unfortunately, no suspicious personnel were found.

In addition, we now know that what is on this batch of deceased is the Soul Suppressing Rune of the Liuli Pagoda treasure bead. In 1983, the flow of population was not as frequent as it is now. It seems that the suspect still has a high probability of being a local in Nancheng."

Zhong Kui listened, the corners of her mouth curled up: "This is interesting. As far as I know, Nancheng is so wealthy, there are not many locals who become monks."

"You mean we have to focus on investigating the locals who became monks back then?" Qi Fei asked.

"No, I mean, we have to find someone who can dabble in such extensive religious knowledge." Zhong Kui blinked and said.

When walking out of the forensic department, Qi Fei only felt that the sunlight outside was particularly dazzling.

The magnolia flowers in the police station courtyard had quietly opened. Qi Fei took a deep breath of the air with the fragrance of flowers, as if this could dispel the chill in the forensic room.

At this time, Liu Tong arrived in front of Qi Fei from far to near. Looking at his smiling expression, Qi Fei knew it was bad—it was that expression of coaxing him to work again.

Sure enough, Liu Tong opened his mouth and said: "Lao Ye's lover, we have contacted her, in the Nancheng Nursing Home. How about it, go with me?"

"Sigh, Captain Liu, you know, I am most afraid of facing the victims' families. And it's old Ye's, I..."

"Hmm, I know you are soft-hearted." Liu Tong always had an understanding expression, "Still go with me?" But he never gave way.

Qi Fei understood Liu Tong and had no choice but to follow him into the car heading to Nancheng Nursing Home.

The car stopped in an inconspicuous old courtyard at the foot of Nanling Mountain.

Walking up the cement slope, the rusty gate of the nursing home appeared in front of them.

"Retired leaders said that old Ye was only 28 when he went missing. He had been married for several years and was busy with work, and didn't even have children before he went missing. His wife Zheng Aiyuan did not remarry after he went missing, and would come to the police station every year to ask about the progress of old Ye's case. She came to find me before the New Year. There was no news at that time. Unexpectedly, after two months, old Ye's remains were found in Nancheng Old Church." Liu Tong said, and they had already walked into the nursing home building.

In the early spring climate, it was warm in the sun outside, but it became cold as soon as it reached the indoors.

Entering one of the small rooms, an old woman with white hair and a brown wool shawl was sitting in the only place by the window where she could shine in the sun, staring out the window in a daze.

Liu Tong knocked on the open door.

The old woman turned her head to look at him and recognized him immediately.

The hand with bulging veins grabbed the armrest of the chair and stood up tremblingly.

Before Liu Tong could speak, she asked with that dark, hoarse voice: "Does old Ye finally have news?"

Liu Tong was a little surprised: "You heard?"

Zheng Aiyuan looked at Liu Tong's reaction, as if the last doubt in her heart had also been answered. She shook her head dejectedly: "I didn't hear, I just imagined this day for too long, thinking that one day the leaders of the police station would find me, just like today, and tell me that old Ye was found."

Qi Fei listened from the side and sighed silently. This is why he didn't want to come. Life and death are more heartbreaking than facing the corpse directly.

Liu Tong took a few steps forward and held Zheng Aiyuan's hand: "Yes, we found old Ye, but..."

Before Liu Tong could finish speaking, Zheng Aiyuan pulled her hand back. She picked up the corner of her shawl to wipe the turbid tears from the corners of her eyes: "I knew it, he would definitely have an accident..." ===== CHAPTER 156 =====