Chapter 7, Human Eye, Camera

Sun Wei smiled and said, "Yes, indeed. On a serious note, you really should find a female secretary. She could help you receive guests, handle some case files, and even tidy up the place. Who knows, in the future, you might even develop it further and run a family business together."

I parked my car at a parking lot some distance away from Qingshui Hutong and walked down. I entered the hutong on foot. Qingshui Hutong is quite famous in our area, known for its age. The houses inside are old, and the roads are old as well. It can be considered a shantytown. The siheyuan (courtyard houses) inside are all mixed-use, with several families living in one courtyard. The road at the entrance is a dirt road; when it is dry, it is covered in dust, and when it rains, it turns to mud. Most of the residents are from the lower strata of society and some migrant workers.

Sun Wei exclaimed, "By the way, when I checked his file, I found that he has another case."

Da Meng shook his head: "You don't understand this. It's called 'a rabbit does not eat the grass by its nest.' It's difficult to take action against a unit. That's why I offered you a lower price."

The scene is quite similar to what Da Meng described. The person's body is sitting upright in the chair, while on the small tea table beside them, their head is placed neatly. The body and the head are oriented in the same direction, as if the person had taken their own head off and placed it beside them.

I finished smoking and continued to look at the images. There was a close-up of a skull. After magnifying it, I could see the deceased's eyes on the skull. The deceased's eyes were wide open, and there was no expression on the face. However, those two eyes were wide open. I suddenly recalled Da Meng's words, "If a person's eyes were like a video camera, how wonderful it would be. I could see the murderer." I don't know why, but I felt a stir in my heart and in my thoughts. I remember someone once said that the eyes of the dead can record the images they saw before dying. I suddenly recalled Da Meng's words again, "If a person's eyes were like a video camera, how wonderful it would be. I could see the murderer." I don't know why, but I felt a stir in my heart and in my thoughts. I remember someone once said that the eyes of the dead can record the images they saw before dying. However, I have always thought this was nonsense. Yet tonight, for some reason, I wanted to see what was in that person's eyes.

As soon as I heard it, I became energized. I eagerly asked, "Really, please tell me quickly. Where is his accomplice?"

Sun Wei laughed heartily: "Of course not. I have the afternoon off today. Do you know that we rarely get a day off here? So I would like to invite you all to dinner tonight. Do you have time?"

I scratched my head: "Yes, I found it. But the person is already dead, killed a couple of days ago. Da Meng is handling this case. Sigh! Bad luck. Just when there was a bit of a lead, it got cut off."

At that moment, a middle-aged man holding a teacup walked out. He looked me over and asked, "Who are you looking for?"

Da Meng furrowed his brow: "This case is certainly not in Qingshui Hutong. However, it is not very far from Qingshui Hutong. It is actually the Qunfang Garden community next to Qingshui Hutong."

I thought of my grandfather again. His image lingered in my mind. I wondered what he might have been thinking when he saw the scene of that case back in the day. Perhaps there were clues that were not documented in the case files. Suddenly, I remembered that my grandfather had a habit of keeping a diary. He had several large boxes filled with them. After his passing, they were all taken to the countryside, and I could go look for them; perhaps there would be some clues. Just as I was lost in thought, the notification sound of an email startled me. I glanced at the computer, and that guy Da Meng had already sent over the images. I opened the file. A bloody scene appeared on the computer screen. Although I considered myself fairly brave and had encountered such scenes before, seeing these images alone in the dead of night still sent a chill down my spine.

I nodded and asked, "Is the scene still there?"

I set down my chopsticks, patted my full belly, and smiled. I then asked, "By the way, where did today's case take place?"

He looked at me again and said: "You are from the Public Security Bureau, right? I have seen countless people, and at a glance, I can tell you are a police officer"

Da Meng said: "The inspection is complete and everything has been cleared. I will go home shortly and send you the photos for you to take a look. Call me again tomorrow, and I will go with you to Qing Shui Hutong."

I chuckled softly: "There is time. There is time."

I walked into the alley, where the road became narrow. It could barely accommodate two small cars passing side by side. Some off-duty taxis were parked on the sidewalk, occupying a significant portion of the space. Once a car entered, it was quite difficult to exit. The alley was filled with a strong sense of life. The aroma of cooking wafted out from various homes, accompanied by the sounds of conversation from the courtyards, all of which felt very familiar and warm. There were elderly men fanning themselves and elderly women carrying vegetable baskets passing by. Regardless of whether they knew each other or not, people smiled and nodded in greeting. I continued to look at the house numbers until I reached No. 15, which was a small courtyard with red-painted doors. On either side of the door stood two stone-carved horse mounting blocks, though it was hard to discern what they were originally carved to depict. They were worn and stained with oil. I glanced into the courtyard and saw a shadow wall covered in moss. The patterns on the wall were also indistinct. However, the people who once lived in this courtyard must have been remarkable.

Upon returning home, I still could not fall asleep. I picked up the newspaper on the table again, gazing at the photograph of Qi Zhongwei in the obituary. A sense of regret lingered in my heart. Regardless of whether he is a ghost or not, I have already found a clue. Yet, it has come to a halt once more. Sigh! However, tomorrow I can still check at the long-distance bus station to see if there might be any further discoveries. Yet, I do not hold out much hope, as aside from the parties involved, there are likely not many who can remember events from so long ago. Nevertheless, tomorrow I can still check at the long-distance bus station to see if there might be any further discoveries. Yet, I do not hold out much hope, as aside from the parties involved, there are likely not many who can remember events from so long ago

I sighed and said, "It's nothing much, just wanted to check on the whereabouts of a girl who was taken away by him twenty years ago."

I need to find some information about this Huang Xiaobin. I believe that Da Meng and the others will also do this work, but I prefer to hear firsthand materials.

I suddenly recalled Alalei from "Genius Doctor's Degree and the Mechanical Doll." She often behaves like that and gets scolded by Da Bing, the doctor. I often laugh at this part. However, when watching the live-action version, I couldn't find it funny at all. I lit a cigarette and collected my thoughts. I continued watching. The entire room was locked from the inside, making it nearly impossible for anyone outside to enter. It was yet another locked-room murder case. At that moment, I felt a wave of nostalgia for watching "Detective Conan." The entire room was locked from the inside, making it nearly impossible for anyone outside to enter. It was yet another locked-room murder case. At that moment, I felt a wave of nostalgia for watching "Detective Conan." Suddenly, it struck me as strange why, in the middle of the night, while seeing all this, I could only think of comics. Perhaps the scene was too intense, and my subconscious was trying to avoid it.

I nodded, and we parted ways, each returning to our own homes

I glanced at Da Meng: "Don't start with that. You're just as much of a player; if there were something good, would you really let it go to me? You would have made your move long ago."

Sun Wei sighed and said to *Tu*: "You really have it easy, sleeping until you wake up naturally. I wonder if you need more people over there; I could come work for you."

I smiled and asked, "Is Huang Xiaobin living here?"

Sun Wei said: "Then you just go to Da Meng, and I won't call him. At six o'clock in the evening, I will come to find you. Hey! Have you found that Huang Xiaobin?"

Sun Wei thought for a moment and said: "Her name is Luo Fang. She is at the psychiatric hospital in the suburbs"

I let out a bitter laugh: "It was just last night that I stayed up late, and I only managed to sleep until now. I do lack companionship, but I do not lack men."

My heart, which had just warmed up a bit, has turned cold again. Yet, there is still a glimmer of hope. I pressed on with my question: "What is her name, in that psychiatric hospital?"

Sun Wei fell silent for a moment, then said: "Dead? Really. But what exactly do you need him for?"

I yawned and said, "I haven't done anything! Is there something?"

That person looked at me and said: "It's gone! That person is gone. They passed away a couple of days ago."

I nodded and asked, "Brother Wang, what is this Huang Xiaobin like?"

Sun Wei said: "At that time, I was also checking and happened to glance at it. His accomplice was a woman, namely his ex-wife. When they were arrested, this Huang Xiaobin refused to confess, while his wife not only admitted her own issues but also reported his matters. This is how he was convicted. This guy got divorced at that time and even mentioned wanting to take revenge on his ex-wife. Later, for some unknown reason, his ex-wife actually went insane and ended up in a mental hospital. This guy got divorced at that time and even mentioned wanting to take revenge on his ex-wife. Later, for some unknown reason, his ex-wife actually went insane and ended up in a mental hospital. She should still be in the mental hospital now"

A sudden phone ring startled me awake. I glanced at the clock. It was a little past 9 in the morning. I walked to the office and answered the phone. On the other end, I heard Sun Wei's voice: "I said, Lu Long. What are you doing?"

Suddenly, I recalled Sun Wei's words, and thought that finding a secretary would be a good idea. With this in mind, I posted a job advertisement on the local recruitment website. After having some noodles, I went out. The weather outside was splendid; it was early summer, and everything was lush and green, with many flowers in bloom. A refreshing scent wafted through the city. I rolled down the car window, inhaling the fragrance of the flowers as I drove to Qing Shui Hutong.

I let out a hum and said, "Is this your serious business?"

I enlarged the image a bit more. Due to the advanced digital equipment used by the Public Security Bureau at the scene, even with such a significant enlargement, the details remained clear. As I examined it closely, I suddenly noticed a vague figure in his eyes. Initially, I thought it was the silhouette of a police officer taking the photograph, but upon closer inspection, I dismissed that idea. The figure was indeed present, yet it was difficult to assert that it was human. The silhouette was quite blurry and had an oddly shaped appearance. However, it was still possible to discern four limbs, yet it seemed to lack a head. It also resembled a person wearing a strange outfit. I was astonished by my discovery, yet amidst these peculiarities, I felt it was not particularly significant. After staring at it for a long time, I still could not make sense of it. Checking the time, it was nearly four o'clock. I hurried to bed to sleep.

I smiled slightly, without expressing my opinion. The person said, "I also live in this courtyard, my surname is Wang. I drive a taxi, working the night shift."

I hung up the phone. I hurried to wash up. After I was done, I called Da Meng. This guy was still in a meeting and asked me to wait a bit. We agreed to meet at 10:30 in Qing Shui Hutong. I was glad to have some breakfast before heading out. I made myself a bowl of noodles and sat in front of the computer to read the news.