The Mystery of the Inner Demon

Chapter 176 Secular Arc
Police cars roared through the urban area of ​​Nancheng.

"Brother Fei, we extracted useful DNA fragments from the teeth of the skeleton we found in the Dongji Town cave. After comparing it with the DNA sample provided by Chang Ying, we confirmed a kinship relationship. Furthermore, household registration information shows that Cui Nian's original name was Cui Nianbai. After Cui Zhan returned from Dongji Town, he changed his son's name, removing the "bai" character." Wu Shanqiu sat in the police car, reporting the latest information she had received. "However, around the time of the Dongji Town Demon Mirror Case in 1983, we found corroborating evidence at the Ocean Research Institute. Cui Zhan was in Sweden for a conference during that time, so he didn't have the conditions to commit crimes repeatedly."

"If the real murderer was Cui Zhan, we wouldn't have received that letter from the monster," Zhong Kui said leisurely. "There's no need for competition to capture the dead. Besides, our dangerous friend has no interest in the truth. He wouldn't do something like tracking down the dead."

"It can't be Cui Nian. According to the time of death of victim number zero, Bai Yunzhi, Cui Nian was only about 10 years old at that time..." Wu Shanqiu muttered.

Zhong Kui's cold eyes were reflected in the rearview mirror: "Perhaps, killing people is also something that is passed down from father to son."

Qi Fei obviously agreed with Zhong Kui's speculation: "I checked Cui Nian's work experience. He mainly did environmental assessments in the company. The environmental assessments for the renovation of Da Baoen Temple and the construction of the aquatic products company building were done by the company he worked for. This shows that he had the opportunity to obtain the Fengduo and also had time to kill people in Dongji Town.

What is even more coincidental is that his lover Chang Rong is from Dongji Town. According to their own accounts, they met at the end of 1983. Before September 1984, the real murderer of the magic mirror case did not kill again. What if he fell in love and got married?
Of course, these are just my speculations. Fortunately, the sudden collapse of the tunnel in Dongji Town left behind not only the victim's blood but also a large number of the murderer's fingerprints in the underground cavity. We just need to find Cui Nian soon, collect his fingerprints, and compare them with the DNA from the bones, and everything will be clear."

"Ah, it sounds very likely. But there is one thing I don't quite understand. If Cui Nian is the real murderer of the magic mirror case, would such a pervert suddenly become a good person just because of getting married and having children?" Wu Shanqiu said doubtfully.

“Only Cui Nian knows this,” Zhong Kui said. “Maybe he really has been cured, but that’s not important because there’s no turning back.”

"Lao Cui, the pork today is very good, would you like some?" the vendors in the vegetable market shouted enthusiastically.

"Give me some ribs." Cui Nian said with a smile.

"Oh, it seems that our precious grandson is here again?" The vendor skillfully swung his big knife and chopped three top-quality ribs.

"Hey, it's winter vacation."

"I really envy you, your children are filial and your grandchildren are smart and clever. Come, I'll give you a zero!"

"Oh, no, no, no~"

The two men were being polite when Cui Nian's kind face suddenly twitched. He immediately stuffed the money into the vendor's hand, forced out a last smile, and took the cut ribs.

Behind him, a dark shadow followed closely all the way to the entrance of the community.

Cui Nian didn't go in and left the ribs in the security room.

"I'll see my wife later and ask her to bring him back to make soup for my grandson." He told the familiar security guard.

The security guard was watching a short video and laughing foolishly. He agreed casually and didn't notice anything unusual.

Cui Nian has walked this road out of home countless times, watching the ivy on the wall grow thicker year by year.

This was the first and last time he looked at the wall full of fresh green. At the corner, he saw the true form of the black shadow.

The moment she saw his face, Cui Nian immediately realized: "You are not a policeman."

.........

The police car that arrested Cui Nian stopped downstairs of Cui Nian's house. However, when Qi Fei and the others knocked on the door, Chang Rong opened the door with an uneasy look on her face. "Was it Yingzi who called the police?" She asked immediately when she saw the police.

"Did she tell you everything?" Qi Fei asked.

"What?" Chang Rong looked at the scene, her face turning pale. "Did something happen to Old Cui?"

Her concerned look made Qi Fei realize that they might be talking about different things.

"Is Cui Nian here?" Qi Fei looked around the room. Chang Ying's 10-year-old son poked out his little head just like last time, but he was not as excited as last time, as if the adults' anxiety had infected him.

"Ah, didn't Yingzi tell you that Lao Cui is missing?!"

"Missing?" Qi Fei frowned. Chang Ying asked her to keep the secret. Could it be that she leaked the information out of family ties?
Chang Rong's explanation quickly dispelled Qi Fei's doubts. She pointed to a bag of spareribs on the table and said, "Old Cui went out to buy groceries this morning. He left this meat with the security guard and left. He didn't even answer the phone. He never does this..."

"You only bought one dish and then left suddenly? It seems like this wasn't a planned escape."

"Run away?" Chang Rong stared at Qi Fei's face, feeling increasingly uneasy. "Ever since you came here last time, Old Cui has seemed troubled. What's going on?"

Qi Fei remembered the provocative letter signed "Monster" and thought to himself that something was wrong. The moment his eyes met Zhong Kui's, he knew that Zhong Kui had the same idea.

"I know where he is. It just depends on whether we are fast enough." Zhong Kui said gloomily.

When Cui Nian regained consciousness, he smelled the fishy smell of moss. His cheeks were cold and pressed against the wet ground.

With a "clang", a glass marble fell to the ground in front of him, and after a few bounces, it stopped not far away. The afternoon sun was reflected on the transparent sphere, and a bit of dazzling light scattered colorful spots in his presbyopic eyes.

A hand grabbed the back of his neck, like an old cat, and made him sit up against the stone wall.

It was more like he was kneeling than sitting up - he was tied up with nylon ropes in a kneeling position.

"Don't be afraid." A man's voice came, soft and gentle. If it weren't for the specific situation, it would even make people feel like they were in spring breeze, as if he said don't be afraid, then they really don't have to be afraid.

"Who are you?" Cui Nian's throat was hoarse, and a bloody smell came out as he spoke.

"I am the person you see in the mirror."

He began to recite a passage of Sanskrit: "All dharmas are false perceptions, like dreams, like flames, like the moon in the water, like the image in the mirror, born of delusion." It was like a magic spell. Listening to this passage, Cui Nian's eyes changed.

That is the evil hidden beneath the arc of the world, cold and dark.

As if he felt the call, he began to recite along.

"Hmph." With a sneer, the marbles were picked up.

(End of this chapter)