Chapter 004 Interrogation

In the end, the old man's body was taken away. I only caught a glimpse from a distance, feeling somewhat disappointed, while my inner fear grew even stronger. Eventually, the onlookers dispersed, and I reluctantly went home. Upon entering, my mother noticed my pale face and asked what was wrong. I dared not mention the old man's incident and simply said it was nothing. My mother, somewhat skeptical, did not press further. She then inquired about my leave request, to which I replied that the supervisor was not in and I would go to get it approved in the afternoon. Upon entering, my mother noticed my pale face and asked what was wrong. I dared not mention the old man's incident and simply said it was nothing. My mother, somewhat skeptical, did not press further. She then inquired about my leave request, to which I replied that the supervisor was not in and I would go to get it approved in the afternoon.

I was not in a hurry to return, but instead continued to wait there for the old man's corpse to come down. Ultimately, it was a matter of wishful thinking; I thought to myself that perhaps this was all a misunderstanding on my part, and I was merely scaring myself. Therefore, I still wanted to see the old man's corpse. At that time, I might have been confused and did not consider that the body would have already decayed, rendering it impossible to discern any features.

In the afternoon, I had not yet had the chance to discuss my leave of absence when police officers arrived at the workplace. I was puzzled, wondering if someone at the office had committed an offense, which was why the police had come. However, when I finally heard them calling my name, I was taken aback. I consider myself a law-abiding citizen and have never engaged in any illegal activities. Moreover, all my colleagues turned to look at me, assuming that I had done something wrong. But when I heard them call my name, I was still in shock, as I believe I am a law-abiding citizen and have never committed any illegal acts, and my colleagues' eyes were all on me, thinking I had done something wrong.

Although it is unlikely to capture anything after midnight, this remains a truth. At the very least, it allows me to see what the situation is like after I fall asleep, and it provides me with a sense of peace.

The police officer asked me again if I recognized him, and I said I did not. They then asked why I was surprised to see that old man, so I could only explain that I often saw him when I returned home at night. The police officer frowned upon hearing this. Of course, I did not dare to mention anything too bizarre. From the police officer, I learned approximately how long Liu had been dead, which was similar to what the person had gossiped about with me. It is now preliminarily confirmed to be around ten days. After that, the police officer inquired about some other matters, mostly related to Liu. Once they finished asking, they said there was nothing to worry about; they were just here to understand the situation and advised me not to be nervous or overthink it. Of course, I did not dare to mention anything too bizarre. From the police officer, I learned approximately how long Liu had been dead, which was similar to what the person had gossiped about with me. It is now preliminarily confirmed to be around ten days. After that, the police officer inquired about some other matters, mostly related to Liu. Once they finished asking, they said there was nothing to worry about; they were just here to understand the situation and advised me not to be nervous or overthink it.

Moreover, it is not just that; against the wall, a little farther from the bed, there are two chairs. I noticed that one of them has been moved to the bedside at some point, now directly facing the bed, and my shoes are placed right in front of the chair, creating the impression that someone is sitting in the chair.

Therefore, returning to my hometown has become impossible, and I no longer brought up the matter. My mind is filled with all sorts of chaotic thoughts. This old man is so mysterious; it is no wonder I have been having nightmares. Moreover, I suddenly recalled the words of the person who helped me look into the misfortunes. I must say, what she said was indeed accurate. I have indeed stumbled upon the dead, in the southwest direction. Isn't the community where that old man lives located just to the southwest of my home

After the police left, my heart became even more chaotic, especially when the police said at the end that I should not go anywhere recently. If they discover any new situation, they will come to me for further understanding. The implication was already very clear: I had inexplicably become a suspect. Given the current situation, returning to my hometown is definitely out of the question. Going back at this time would easily be seen as fleeing due to guilt, which would be a serious matter. Moreover, some people in my workplace already knew that I was going to take leave to go home, and after hearing the police's last few words, the way they looked at me changed. I could only endure it; some things become worse the more you try to explain. Furthermore, some people are just watching with a sense of curiosity, and the more you explain, the more they find the situation entertaining.

The more I listened, the more my scalp tingled, to the point that I couldn't absorb the last few words he said. This was because I had seen this old man just the other night. If you were to ask me whether I knew this old man, I would certainly say I did not. Apart from my classmates, colleagues, and friends with whom I study and work here, I hardly have any interactions with others, let alone with such a solitary old man.

In a state of anxiety, they unexpectedly asked me about the old man from today. It was only then that I learned his name was Liu Wangxing. The police officer asked me if I recognized this person, and naturally, I had never heard of that name, so I shook my head. Only then did they explain what I had seen this morning, and I realized that Liu Wangxing was indeed that old man, which surprised me.

After work, I explained this matter in detail to my mother. Otherwise, if I suddenly said I wasn't going back, she would go crazy. After hearing this, my mother also said that it was not the right time to leave. Then she worried that I might be under too much pressure and comforted me by saying not to rush, that there is always a solution to every problem. She said they would think of another way.

I do not know if it is because I saw the old man's corpse during the day, but at night I began to have nightmares again. This time, the old man truly appeared in the dream, and I even felt as if it were a real situation. Until I woke up, I was contemplating whether this was a real event that occurred due to my unclear consciousness or just a dream I had.

I dare not think further about the following; what is particularly eerie is that my shoes are actually placed in front of the chair, giving me the sensation as if someone has worn them.

The shock in my heart lingered, just as the person beside me said, if that old man really had been dead for half a week, I still saw him standing by the window looking at me the night before last. Could it be that what I saw was a corpse? This fear gradually spread through my body again, and I found it increasingly difficult to maintain my composure. Those self-reassuring words, like seeing things or it being someone else, all seemed so powerless, while the figure of the old man became clearer and clearer, that eerie shadow.

I glanced at the clock; it is now 3:33. At this moment, I did not pay attention to how coincidental this number is, but rather found it strange. Who could be speaking outside at this late hour? Could it be my parents?

Because it was so real that I could not distinguish between truth and falsehood, the first thing I did upon waking up was to look at the spot by the bed where he had just been standing to see if he was still there. The result was that he was naturally no longer there, and I let out a sigh of relief. However, I then seemed to hear some commotion in the living room; it sounded like whispers, as if someone was speaking in hushed tones.

Hearing this, I was even more confused, and I simply did not know what the police officer was talking about. Moreover, after I asked them this question, they asked me again if I had really never been to Liu Laotou's house. Of course, I had to shake my head affirmatively and say that I had never been there. This is a murder case, and if I am not careful, I could become a suspect; this is not a matter to be taken lightly.

When they left, I was still in a daze. I wondered if the police would know about my encounter with him, so I asked how they could possibly know that I had seen this old man. Then one of the police officers told me that several of my photos and a personal resume had been found at Liu's home

Let us consider it a dream. In this dream, I am still lying in bed, and suddenly I wake up. Beside me is an indistinct dimness, a sense of profound darkness. Then I feel that someone is standing by the bed. I turn my head to look, and to my surprise, I truly see a person standing by the bed. It is none other than that old man. The way he looks at me is exactly the same as when he stood by the window watching me. I turn my head again to look, and to my surprise, I truly see a person standing by the bed. It is none other than that old man. The way he looks at me is exactly the same as when he stood by the window watching me.

I do not know this old man, yet I recognize him, and this recognition now evokes a certain unease, for whenever I am late returning home or if he is pretending to be someone else, I see him standing by the window, looking out onto the road, and each time I feel as though he is staring directly at me

I felt that the atmosphere was both oppressive and eerie, so I temporarily moved the chair back to its original place. However, I was unsure if it was because my heart felt awkward, but I did not touch the pair of shoes. Instead, I got out of bed barefoot. I did nothing else but took out the camera and switched to video mode, placing it back in the same spot where I recorded last time. I felt the need to know what exactly happened after I fell asleep

I carefully recalled that I began to have frequent nightmares, seemingly after encountering that old man. The more I thought about it, the more alarmed I became, and I found myself hesitant to think further. This feeling was akin to falling into someone else's conspiracy, so I shook my head to prevent myself from thinking along those lines. Perhaps it was just a coincidence after all

At first glance, I was quite frightened by this situation. At that moment, I could not pay attention to the whispers in the living room and immediately turned on the light. The room brightened, and my sense of fear eased somewhat. I had not moved this chair at all, and my parents could not possibly be so bored, so there was only one explanation

The old man's corpse was in such a state of decay that neither the firefighters nor the medical personnel could handle it. In the end, they had to call a body removal worker to carry the corpse away. When the body was taken down, it was tightly wrapped in plastic bags, revealing only the shape of a person. Regardless of how securely it was wrapped, the stench of the corpse was overwhelming, and we could smell it from a distance. It is no wonder that the neighbors across the street could not tolerate it and called the police.

I felt an inexplicable sense of horror, yet my curiosity compelled me to get up. In order not to startle the person speaking, I rose without turning on the light. Initially, I intended to quietly approach the door to see who was speaking in the living room and what they were saying. However, as I sat up from the bed, I discovered that my shoes had disappeared once again

His house is perfectly facing this side of the street, and it is located on the third floor. I only need to look up to see him standing motionless by the window, looking down. Several times I felt as if we made eye contact, though of course, in the dim light of night, it is impossible to see clearly. Yet this feeling is indeed real