The Last Mr. Dongguo

On a rainy night, dark clouds rolled in, thunder rumbled, and white lightning, like a white dragon, tore the night in two. The torrential rain lashed down, assaulting the city beneath the cover of darkness. A small electronics factory was now enveloped in the rain; water cascaded down the walls like waterfalls, seemingly silently enduring its suffering. The factory gates stood wide open, utterly dark, like the gaping mouth of a giant infant, merely listening to the raging wind's reprimands, daring not to utter a single word of protest.

A naked man was kneeling in front of the gate, a rope around his neck, pulling his limbs back and tying him to a tree. Forced by the rope's pull, the man was forced to lie on his back, his body stretched into a "C" shape.

"One, two, three..."

Beside him, a man in a black raincoat was slowly sticking pieces of mulberry paper onto the man's face, occasionally letting out exaggerated laughter.

The mulberry paper was instantly soaked by the rain, forming a clear outline on the man's face. And around the man's mouth and nose, one could vaguely see the slight contours of his features.

"Four, five, six..."

The man in the raincoat didn't stop, continuing to repeat the same action. Suddenly, the man's body began to struggle violently, but no matter how much the rope bound him, he was as if fixed to the ground, puddles forming below his knees. The man in the raincoat, however, seemed even more excited, his laughter amplified by the strong wind, echoing through the stormy night sky.

The man in the raincoat unconsciously sped up the layer of mulberry paper. As the paper grew thicker, the man's struggles diminished. Finally, everything returned to calm, and the man, like a withered leaf adrift, was mercilessly consumed by the rain.

The man in the raincoat turned around and got back on his old tricycle. He seemed a little more relaxed now. He shrugged his shoulders, and with the creaking of his pedals, his figure was slowly swallowed by the night, leaving only the raging wind and rain continuing to ravage the city in the darkness.

Fei Li was awakened by a nightmare once again. He got up and turned on the desk lamp. The soft light illuminated his haggard face, making his sculpted features appear even more defined. Fei Li rubbed his temples, looked around at his surroundings, and slowly returned to reality, turning over and getting out of bed.

After washing up, looking at herself in the mirror, she was bewildered when a woman in white suddenly appeared behind her.

"Help me, help me..." A hellish cry for help reached Fei Li's ears. Fei Li stared wide-eyed but could not see the woman's face in the mirror. He wanted to turn around, but his neck was as if it were in a cast and he could not move. He wanted to speak, but his Adam's apple was as if it were locked tightly by a steel clamp.

"Help me, help me..." The voice was accompanied by a gust of cold air that rushed through Fei Li's body. At this moment, large beads of sweat covered his forehead and soaked his clothes all the way down his handsome face.

Breathing became rapid, and her heart pounded. It all felt so real, undeniable. The woman took another half-step forward, and a familiar scent of her hair wafted into Fei Li's nostrils. She raised her hand and brushed aside Fei Li's bangs; the 2cm scar beneath them pierced Fei Li's eyes like a needle.

"Brother, do you still remember me?... "

"Cough cough cough..." A series of rapid coughs jolted Fei Li awake. He realized that several days of continuous work had made him fall asleep again. Two days ago, he had been invited to Fushan with Li Mengying for a week-long academic seminar at Fushan University. Fei Li wasn't a fan of traveling far, but he couldn't stand Li Mengying's daily nagging about the benefits of business trips—relaxation and academic discussions. Reluctantly, he decided to go, even entrusting his beloved Golden Retriever to Cheng Luan's care before leaving. Thinking of this, Fei Li checked the time and got out of bed.

Upon entering the bathroom, her face was clearly reflected in the large mirror. The entire bathroom was empty; the woman in white from her dream was nowhere to be seen.

Fei Li let out a long sigh, the scar on his forehead reminding him of events from fifteen years ago. He had thought these memories would fade with time. But in reality, some things are memories that can never be erased. Fei Li reached up and tidied his bangs, covering the 2cm scar.

"jingle……"

Without even opening the door, he knew it was Li Mengying coming to urge him again.

"I'm not up yet."

"Open the door quickly, I brought you breakfast, including your favorite milk. Open the door quickly."

Fei Li had no choice but to open the door.

Before Fei Li could speak, Li Mengying jumped into Fei Li's room like a rabbit.

"You're all dressed, and you still say you haven't gotten up? Do you think I don't know your biological clock?" Li Mengying said as she put down the breakfast and sat down on Fei Li's bedside.

Li Mengying looked quite different today. Her carefully groomed eyebrows, paired with light eye makeup, made her eyes look like stars and the moon. Her light red lipstick added a playful touch. Her white shirt was tied in a knot at the front, and her slim-fit jeans and white sneakers, combined with her ponytail, made her look both stylish and capable.

"Why are you dressed so casually, you're a teacher?" Fei Li complained as she put on her ever-present suit.

"What do you know? Nowadays, whether it's students or teachers, everyone is more fashionable than the last. Dressing like this makes you seem more approachable. Who dresses like you, looking like an old relic in your forties or fifties?" Li Mengying knew Fei Li was joking, so she took the opportunity to scold Fei Li a couple of times. "Hurry up and eat, class is about to start." Li Mengying stuffed a bag of hot milk into Fei Li's hand.

The gloomy weather always had a suffocating feeling. A black sedan was parked under a streetlamp. At 5:30 a.m., the morning exercise group had already begun. Although it had rained for a week, the power of summer had not diminished at all. Only in this brief morning did a cool breeze come along with the footsteps of the runners.

Cheng Luan unbuttoned the top button of his shirt, pushed open the door, and got out of the car.

"Team Leader Cheng, because it's early morning and there's little foot traffic, plus the crime scene is in a secluded fishpond, the scene hasn't been disturbed. The technical team has already secured the scene, and forensic doctor Zou is conducting a preliminary autopsy." Bai Xin rushed over to Cheng Luan and gave a brief report.

"Has Professor Fei arrived yet?" Cheng Luan and Bai Xin crossed the cordon and headed towards the center of the scene.

"I called, but Professor Fei is teaching out of town and can't come."

"Can't come?" Cheng Luan was taken aback for a moment, but quickly recovered. He thought of Fei, the big golden retriever who had been at his home for three days. It seemed that he had gotten used to Fei Li's presence at every crime scene.

The crime scene was very simple. The body had already been retrieved, and technicians were taking final photos for evidence. Zou Wen was squatting next to the body, carefully cleaning the victim's face with tweezers. Upon seeing Cheng Luan, Zou Wen stood up and removed his mask. "The deceased was female. Her face was so badly gnawed by fish that it was unrecognizable. However, all her belongings were still there, and her valuables were not missing. It seems the murderer simply threw the body into the fishpond along with the body," Zou Wen said, handing Cheng Luan an ID card through an evidence bag. "The deceased's name was Wei Li, from Huzhe City. Judging from the marks on the body, apart from the fish bite marks, no other injuries have been found. The preliminary cause of death is drowning. Since no signs of struggle were found, I believe the deceased was thrown into the fishpond by the murderer while unconscious. The specific cause of unconsciousness needs further testing to determine. Because the body was submerged in water, the time of death will have to wait until we return for a further autopsy. Also, I found this in the deceased's bag." Zou Wen handed Cheng Luan a water-soaked A4 sheet of paper.

"The last Mr. Dongguo?" Cheng Luan's brows furrowed. "It's Mr. Dongguo again."

"Just like the mulberry paper case the day before yesterday, it should be the work of the same murderer."

"Bai Xin, confirm the identity of the deceased as soon as possible, and together with Feng Zi, the deceased in the mulberry paper case, investigate the relationship between the two."