Chapter 5, Entering the Data Room at Night

Finally, we arrived at the first room. Da Meng took out the key and opened the large door. Inside were rows of dense shelves. I shook my head and said, "There is just too much information here; don't you do computer backups?"

Da Meng scratched his head and said, "Damn it, why is my worldview a bit confused?"

Da Meng shook his head: "I am on the front line, and I do not know about this matter either. However, I heard that later we had a database."

I pondered for a long time, while Da Meng patiently waited on the side. I murmured to myself: "Why only the Republic of China?"

Da Meng looked at me with unusual determination, gritting his teeth as he inserted the key into the lock. The key went in, but no matter how he turned it left and right, he could not open the door. I watched anxiously from the side and asked, "What’s wrong? Are you so scared that you can’t even open the door?"

Da Meng was taken aback: "What does it mean?"

I shook my head. Da Meng said, "The next room."

Da Meng shook his head: "It's nothing much, just a bit dirty. We are afraid of that. Look, there aren't many documents here; if we all search through them, even if we can't find anything, at least we can feel at ease in our hearts."

Da Meng muttered, "This is really damn strange! Why isn't this light working yet? Fortunately, I am prepared again."

I shook my head: "People scare people, and that's what truly frightens them. Don't scare yourself. It's nothing."

We got into Da Meng's police car and swiftly arrived at the archives of the city bureau. Indeed, it was quiet inside with no one around. Only from the reception room came the sound of someone singing opera; an elderly man was nodding his head and singing along with the radio. He looked up and saw us.

The old gentleman waved his hand, indicating with a picture and a book: "It's nothing of significance, just listen to what the elder says."

Da Meng looked at me and said, "What do you mean?"

After a long time, Da Meng walked up to me and said, "How are you?"

I sat up straight, comfortably leaning against the large armchair, and said to Da Meng: "This book, 'Records of Cases from the Republic of China,' is not an official record; it is likely based on hearsay. The previous Qing Dynasty probably did not have any records either. As for the materials after the Republic, perhaps we can still find some. Are there only such cases during the Republic and now?" Da Meng's eyes lit up: "Exactly! We should look for earlier materials. I don't know how far back, but there should be records around the time of the founding of the nation. Are there only such cases during the Republic and now?" Da Meng's eyes lit up again: "Exactly! We should look for earlier materials. I don't know how far back, but there should be records around the time of the founding of the nation. In our Public Security Bureau's archive management, there are still some, especially those cases that remain unsolved."

Da Meng looked at me and said, "Of course, it is for the principles and ethics"

Just as I was about to turn and leave, the old man called us back: "Kid, if you can avoid going into the innermost room, it would be best not to go in there!"

Da Meng glanced at his watch: "The archives have already closed."

Looking at Da Meng's expression, I knew I had guessed correctly. The two Huang Xiaobins are actually one person. Da Meng shook his head: "This is too bizarre; the person you mentioned, the kidnapper, is the same person as the victim in this case."

Da Meng looked at me and said, "You probably can't go there now; the scene is still cordoned off."

Da Meng chuckled and said: "It is still thanks to your blessing. I hope we can gain something."

I smiled and said, "Aren't you still here?"

Da Meng felt a sense of enlightenment. He patted his head and said, "You, my friend, have quite a good theoretical level comparable to our political commissar. However, you still need to help me think and see if there are any clues."

The old gentleman laughed and said loudly, "Da Meng, what brings you here? Have you come to play chess with me?"

Da Meng pushed open the door, and a foul odor wafted out from within. This was different from the previous room. Such a data room should have a ventilation system, so it shouldn't have such a smell. Inside was pitch dark, and Da Meng groped for the light switch on the wall. He pressed it, but the light only flickered once and then went out. It remained completely dark inside.

I arrived in the next room. The rooms are quite similar, filled with dense shelves and computers. We continued to search separately. However, we still found nothing. By this time, it was already midnight. Both of us were very tired and had not eaten dinner. It was truly a combination of exhaustion and hunger

I punched Da Meng and said: "You rascal, you tricked me. Hurry up and leave!"

He took out a mini flashlight and chuckled, "Fortunately, my friend had the foresight to bring a flashlight"

As he was speaking, with a click, the door opened. Da Meng smiled and said, "Look, hasn't it opened?"

Da Meng looked at me. I shrugged my shoulders. We walked out together

I hurriedly greeted the old gentleman. The elder smiled as he looked at the two of us, took out a large bunch of keys, and handed them back to Da Meng, saying, "You can go look for yourself; I won't join you in your play."

Da Meng's voice trembled slightly: "That was different; last time I had no idea I was seeing a ghost. But this time, if I do see it, I will know in advance that I am going to see a ghost. Isn't that just asking for death?"

Pointing to the computer on one side, he said: "You go check that with the library. I'll take a look over here. Before I took up this position, I reviewed the materials. I have looked through everything within the last ten years, and there is absolutely no case like this."

I furrowed my brow: "Why do you want to solve the case? Is it for your superior? Or for someone else?"

Da Meng and I stood in the dim and eerie corridor, with only one door remaining ahead of us. We both recalled Uncle Liu's words, and a chill rose within us.

Da Meng also smiled and said: "Not today. I need to find some information. This is my classmate, named Lu Long."

Da Meng shone the flashlight inside and said, "No need to worry about why; at least we can use it now. If it weren't for the flashlight I brought, we would be completely in the dark."

Da Meng lamented with a mournful expression, saying: "If what your crow's mouth has said is indeed correct, it was truly those things that did it. How am I supposed to solve the case?"

I nodded slightly: "You are not completely confused. This is sufficient. As long as we uncover the truth of the matter, what difference does it make who did it?"

I sighed: "I have already thought of this. It seems the clues are about to run out. However, I want to go there and take a look"

We all composed ourselves and decided to ignore it. We walked straight to the front of the shelf. After shaking off the dust from the files, both of us were choked into a fit of coughing. I whispered, "How could your municipal bureau have such a place"

I frowned: "Since we are already here, it would be a pity to miss this one. It’s not good, is it? Let’s go in and take a look; at worst, we might see a ghost. It’s not like we haven’t seen one before."

I patted Da Meng and said: "No wonder the old man doesn't want us to come here; it's not surprising to see anything happening here."

Under the flashlight of Da Meng, I observed that this room is significantly smaller than the one in front of the library, and it lacks both dense shelving and computers. Only wooden grids are constructed, with the paint already peeling off. Stacked on the grids are piles of documents, covered in a thick layer of dust. The floor is also thick with dust, clearly indicating that no one has been here for a long time

I glanced at Da Meng, and for the first time, I felt that this kid was somewhat respectable. I walked over to the computer and turned it on. Sure enough, there was a query software available. It allowed for searches by year, indicating a brief case summary and the location of the compact shelving. I quickly flipped through the query pages but did not find what I was looking for. Da Meng over there was also intermittently opening the compact shelving, taking out the case files inside, and then putting them back in disappointment.

Da Meng shot me a glance and said, "What are you talking about? This key doesn't work."

After leaving the communication room, Da Meng and I walked into the corridor. There was only a dim yellow light in the corridor. It was empty, with only the sound of our footsteps and the faint sound of opera coming from Old Liu's room. Neither Da Meng nor I spoke, and a strange atmosphere enveloped us. My heart inexplicably tightened. Da Meng seemed even more anxious; I could even hear our heartbeats. Neither of us spoke, and a strange atmosphere enveloped us. My heart inexplicably tightened. Da Meng seemed even more anxious; I could even hear our heartbeats.

I nodded slightly. Da Meng picked up the newspaper and looked at it back and forth several times. Finally, he slowly raised his head and said, "Lu Long, have we really seen a ghost?"

Da Meng looked at me and said, "It's the last door. Should we go?"

I took a deep breath and composed myself: "Enough with the nonsense. Let's go!"

Da Meng took the key and nodded: "Thank you, old man"

I nodded slightly: "That's right. Let's go to the archives at wwwhetushucomcom and take a look"

I also smiled: "I see you are afraid of the dark, so you always carry this thing."

Da Meng nodded and said, "Alright. I will take you to see it. But it will be a little later."

I shook my head: "Perhaps your worldview is fundamentally unclear. What confusion is there? Moreover, you need not get entangled in this matter; your case is of greater importance."

I nodded and said: "My clue is that book 'Records of Cases from the Republic of China.' However, aside from the detailed description of the skinning incident, other matters are only briefly mentioned. Now that two cases have emerged, it seems they should be related to the cases from back then. But..."

I feel a bit lost. Da Meng continued, "Fortunately, I have a close friendship with the old night watchman Liu. This makes it convenient for us to get things done."

I nodded slightly. The two of them walked towards the wooden frame. Suddenly, there was a loud bang behind us. We were startled and turned to look. The door had closed for some unknown reason. We exchanged glances, and Da Meng patted his chest and whispered, "Is everything alright? It can't be... really..."

I nodded slightly: "The surface evidence is valid. We must have seen a ghost."

The files above are indeed very old. The decayed scent emanates from these documents. Some covers even bear the emblem of "Blue Sky and White Sun," clearly indicating they are from the Kuomintang era. What is recorded within are various cases from that time in this city. It is as if we can glimpse the living conditions of the people back then. We carefully opened the files, meticulously flipping through them, leaving no detail overlooked. Finally, in a document from the 28th year of the Republic, we discovered a clue. This left both of us pleasantly surprised