There was still an oppressive atmosphere in the air. The lights in the living room are too bright, as if to cover up something, but they make every corner look cold. The stiff figure of the deceased is a misplaced doll, a cold reminder to everyone that a strange death has occurred here.
Su Mo pressed the recorder, his fingertips slightly cold. Although she boasted that she had seen many bloody scenes, the secret room in front of her and the eyes of the deceased without struggle made her feel an indescribable tremor in her heart.
"Voluntarily accept death."
The words Lin Yuanzhou just said were like a needle, stuck in her mind, lingering.
Voluntarily? An adult would willingly be strangled to death? This is either madness or some kind of twisted manipulation.
She raised her eyes to look at Lin Yuanzhou. The man was standing in front of the mirror, his back straight under his trench coat, but with a sense of indifferent alienation. He didn't seem to be investigating a case, but more like listening to something—an echo in the air, or some kind of whisper that no one else could hear.
Su Mo's reporter intuitively reminded her: this person has a story and is dangerous.
"Lin Yuanzhou." She spoke suddenly.
The other party did not respond immediately, and it was not until a few seconds later that he slowly turned his head. Those eyes were extremely cold, but they seemed to penetrate her thoughts.
"What you just said, voluntarily. Can you explain it? Su Mo tempted.
Lin Yuanzhou stared at her, smiling: "Miss reporter, aren't you afraid to ask questions too quickly?" "
"I'm afraid, but I'm even more afraid of missing the truth." Su Mo did not back down.
In just a few words, the air was filled with-for-tat sparks. Qin Mubai frowned and interjected coldly: "This is not the place for you to debate." "
"That's where the case is handled." Su Mo's eyes flashed, and he quickly turned around and swept the entire living room, saving it in his mind like taking a photo, "But, Team Leader Qin, can you guarantee that this case will not sink into the sea again?" Like the one three years ago——"
"Shut up!" Qin Mubai shouted sharply, and his voice exploded in the living room.
Su Mo hooked the corners of her mouth and didn't continue, but the irony in her eyes was not hidden.
Lin Yuanzhou didn't seem to be interested in the dispute between the two, and he squatted down again to carefully observe the details of the deceased's face.
"Forensic doctor." He called in a low voice.
Han Zhou immediately walked over.
"The deceased's pupils were dilated and his face was bruised, but there were not many obvious lacerations in the respiratory tract. Like ..." Lin Yuanzhou paused, gesturing with his fingers in the air, "Under strong mental oppression, I lost the instinct to resist." "
Han Zhou nodded: "You mean, he may have disappeared even his survival response in extreme fear, or controlled by some kind of psychological suggestion?" "
"That's right." Lin Yuanzhou's tone was cold, "The murderer may not just be simply killing, but playing with people's hearts." "
Su Mo gasped. As a journalist, she has been exposed to cases of brainwashing, cults, and psychological manipulation, but to force a healthy adult to die 'voluntarily', that kind of psychological control is almost devilish.
She looked at the corpse, her eyelids trembling slightly. In those wide eyes, there was really a hint of "obedience" after fear.
- This is not an ordinary homicide.
"So, do you think the murderer is still in this room?" Su Mo suppressed the trembling in his heart and asked.
Lin Yuanzhou turned to look in the mirror. In the mirror, he and the corpse are reflected at the same time. Under the cold light, it seems like a ridiculous stage play.
"This mirror shouldn't be here."
"What do you mean?" Qin Mubai frowned.
"The mirror is too big and the position is strange. Placed in the corner, it can just fully reflect the posture of the deceased. This is not decoration, but arrangement. Lin Yuanzhou said softly.
"Arrangement?"
"The murderer wants us to see - this is a show."
The words fell, and the air sank as if it could crush people's chests.
Su Mo clenched the recorder. She suddenly had a strong intuition that this case was not just a simple chamber murder, but a larger, more elaborate beginning.
---
A few hours later, it was slightly brighter. The fog gradually dissipated, and the streets of City A began to have the hustle and hustle of the morning.
Su Mo sat on a bench outside the cordon and looked at the notes he had just recorded. Her fingertips still trembled slightly, but in her heart, an uncontrollable excitement ignited.
This case can make her name on all the front pages.
She whispered her notes:
The identity of the deceased has not been disclosed.
There are no signs of a fight inside.
The doors and windows are locked from the inside.
The deceased's fingers were clean and there were no signs of struggle.
Floor-to-ceiling mirror suspicion.
Lin Yuanzhou: "Voluntarily accept death".
Each one was like a nail, hitting her nerve.
She raised her eyes and saw Lin Yuanzhou on the other side of the cordon from a distance. He was turning his back to her, talking to Qin Mubai in a low voice, with a cold expression.
"Lin Yuanzhou..." Su Mo murmured softly, his eyes flashing.
As a journalist, her sixth sense told her: this man is the key to breaking the game. But at the same time, she was also keenly aware that his very existence was a mystery.
Why did he "just happen" to appear at the crime scene?
Is he really just running by at night?
Or is there some inevitable connection between him and the murder in the chamber?
In a rush of thoughts, her phone vibrated.
[Anonymous number:
Want the truth? Follow him. ]
Su Mo's heart jumped suddenly, and his fingertips could hardly hold the phone.
The text message on the screen is short and cold, and there is no signature. But it was like an invisible hand, stretching out from the darkness and plucking her heartstrings.
She subconsciously looked around. The people on the street were in a hurry, and no one looked at her. But at that moment, she felt that she was being stared at by a pair of eyes.
"Ghost..." A word suddenly appeared in her heart.
She took a deep breath, her eyes becoming more and more determined.
In any case, she is going to chase it.
---
Night fell again.
The cordon in room 1702 has been removed and the door is locked. The corridor is dark and surprisingly quiet.
However, in the floor-to-ceiling mirror, it seems that something still remains. The light and shadow flashed by, like a blurred face, peeking out from the depths of the mirror, cold and cunning.