The Mystery of the Inner Demon

Chapter 155 Ceremony
When Xiao Tao's tweezers repeatedly probed between the ribs, there was a sudden crisp sound of metal collision. He frowned slightly and used bone forceps to pry open the gap between the ribs.

As dark brown bone chips fell to the ground, a rusty hexagonal iron nail was found embedded in the callus hyperplasia between the third and fourth ribs, with calcified soft tissue residues attached to the surface of the nail cap.

Under the operating light, the dark red oxide on the surface of the nail formed a stark contrast with the grayish-white color of the bone, as if an old blood scab had solidified in the chest cavity of the deceased.

"The victim's lungs were punctured by a nail." Xiao Tao tapped the nail with a probe, and the metallic vibration echoed in the autopsy room. "The nail entered at an angle of 15 degrees, slanting upwards. It is estimated that the nail entered from the back while the victim was kneeling and tied up. This may be the cause of death."

Zhong Kui silently stroked the edge of the dissecting table, his fingertips outlining the outline of a nail in the air, as if deciphering the code of some bloody ritual, muttering to himself, "All dharmas are false perceptions, like dreams, like flames, like the moon in the water, like the image in the mirror, born of delusion. Gouging out the eyes is to blindness, and in the mirror in the water, all is delusion. The mirror reflects nothingness, the runes seal the soul, the scriptures engrave guilt. It seems the murderer has constructed a killing ritual of his own."

Her words were chilling.

Wu Shanqiu flipped through the information in her hand. "The old church in Nancheng was built in the late Qing Dynasty and remained abandoned until the millennium. This means that when Old Ye and the others were killed, this place was unattended."

"Alas, this gives the murderer enough time and space to carry out his perverted killing plan." Qi Fei sighed.

"The trouble is, after the millennium, the church has been renovated several times, and it is almost impossible to find clues from environmental traces." Wu Shanqiu frowned and said.

As soon as Wu Shanqiu finished speaking, strange noises were heard again in the autopsy room.

However, this time it was not a contest between Forensic Doctor Tao and the twisted skeleton, but Zhong Kui tapping the edge of the stainless steel dissecting table with his fingertips, and the metallic echo rippled through the cold air in the morgue.

She stared at the hideous bone fractures in the skeleton's eye sockets, and her clear eyes seemed to penetrate time and stare at the twisted human figure in the darkness.

“But we have them, the dead can talk.

Can't you hear? In the darkness, their eyes gouged out, they felt the moonlight from the church dome, refracted by the seventeen mirrors, casting its shadow upon them. They allowed the murderer to greedily suck the fear emanating from them. Their ears were filled with the murderer's excited breathing, as if his eyes were the victims' eyes, and the punishment suffered by the victims was also his punishment. This phantom pain could be transformed into the illusion of his self-redemption.

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

Interestingly, he not only had some knowledge of Buddhism, but also dabbled in Catholicism. Remember, this was 1983, not the era when you could search for anything online. Zhong Kui's words awakened Qi Fei, who was still in a state of confusion.

"Yes, in 1983. We always forget that this was 42 years ago. I read in the files that because of the scriptures on the deceased's palm, Ye Ming once led his team to investigate the temples of all sizes in Nancheng. Since ordinary people could only recite the Vimalakirti Sutra, it was suspected that it might be a monk in the temple.

Unfortunately, no suspicious person was found.

Furthermore, we now know that the bodies of these deceased individuals were marked with the soul-calming runes of the Glazed Pagoda Orb. In 1983, population mobility was not as frequent as it is today, so it seems highly likely that the suspect is a local of Nancheng."

Zhong Kui raised his lips after hearing this and said, "That's interesting. As far as I know, in a place as wealthy as Nancheng, there aren't many locals who become monks."

"Do you mean that we should focus on investigating the local people who became monks back then?" Qi Fei asked.

"No, what I mean is that we need to find someone who has such a wide range of religious knowledge." Zhong Kui said with a blink.
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When he came out of the forensic department, Qi Fei felt that the sunlight outside was particularly dazzling.

The magnolias in the police station compound had quietly blossomed. Qi Fei took a deep breath of the fragrant air, as if it could dispel the chill in the forensic room. At this moment, Liu Tong approached Qi Fei from a distance. Seeing his smiling face, Qi Fei knew something was wrong—it was that expression again, trying to coax him into work.

As expected, Liu Tong said, "We've contacted Old Ye's lover. He's at the Nancheng Nursing Home. How about coming with me?"

"Hey, Captain Liu, you know, I'm most afraid of facing the victim's family, especially Old Ye's. I..."

"Yeah, I know you're soft-hearted." Liu Tong always looks understanding. "Would you like to go with me?" But he never gives in.

Qi Fei knew Liu Tong, so he had no choice but to follow him into the car heading to Nancheng Sanatorium.

The car stopped at 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.

"I heard from a retired leader that Old Ye was only 28 years old when he disappeared. He had been married for several years but was busy with work and didn't have any children when he disappeared. His wife Zheng Aiyuan did not remarry after he disappeared. She came to the police station every year to inquire about the progress of Old Ye's case. She came to me before the New Year, and there was no news at that time. Unexpectedly, two months later, Old Ye's body was found in the old church in Nancheng." As Liu Tong spoke, they had already walked into the sanatorium building.

In the early spring weather, it is warm outside in the sun, but it becomes cold inside.

Entering one of the small rooms, I saw a white-haired old lady wearing a brown woolen shawl. She was sitting in the only place where the sun could shine, staring out the window in a daze.

Liu Tong knocked on the open door.

The old woman turned her head and looked at him, recognizing him immediately.

His veiny hands grasped the handle of the chair and he stood up tremblingly.

Before Liu Tong could speak, she asked in her hoarse voice, "Is there finally any news about Old Ye?"

Liu Tong was a little surprised: "Have you heard about it?"

Zheng Aiyuan looked at Liu Tong's reaction, as if the last doubt in her heart had been answered. She shook her head sadly: "I haven't heard about it. It's just that I have been imagining this day for too long. I thought that one day the leader of the police station would find me, just like today, and tell me that Lao Ye had been found."

Qi Fei listened from the side and sighed silently. This was the reason why he didn't want to come. The separation of life and death was more heartbreaking than facing the corpse directly.

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

Before Liu Tong could finish, Zheng Aiyuan pulled her hand back. She picked up a corner of her shawl and wiped the tears from her eyes: "I knew something must have happened to him..."

(End of this chapter)