i must be in hell

Tick, tick, tick.

The sound of water droplets falling on the ground came from the empty room, repeated in a certain rhythm, rushing into the eardrums.

drop--

In a quiet space without other sounds, the sound of water droplets is infinitely amplified, ethereal and distant, as if from another world.

clatter--

It constantly invades the heart and takes away people's sanity.

And amidst the sound of water droplets like a mantra, a person sat cross-legged on the open space in the middle of the room, his eyes browsing the rows of information on the computer screen.The blue light from the monitor reflected on his face, making his skin paler and making the smile on his mouth even more weird.

Suddenly, the phone rang, interrupting the rhythm of the water droplets.

The people in the room looked at the caller ID and smiled even more.

"Hey."

"No, there is no room for negotiation. If you refuse, you will know the consequences."

"Please arrive on time at noon tomorrow."

Then, ignoring the call of protest from the other party, the phone was hung up.The person sitting alone in the room looked at the computer screen in a daze, and after a while, burst into wild laughter.There was pleasure, hatred, and a kind of outrageous joy in that laugh.It seemed that the short-sentence phone call brought him great satisfaction.

In the increasingly maniacal laughter, it is almost difficult to catch the sound of water droplets.However, it does not disappear, but hides in this laughter, revealing its existence all the time.

Drip, da.

The sound of water like a spell.

-

It was almost ten o'clock when Ning Xiao and Xu Shangyu arrived at the police station due to delays in the morning.The two separated to go about their own affairs.At twelve noon, Ning Xiao, who was staying in Ji Yuqiu's office, suddenly received a call from Xu Shangyu.

He could only raise his hand to Ji Yuqiu, who was talking, to connect the call.

"what's up?"

"No, I just want to ask you, when is lunch?" On the other side of the phone, Xu Shangyu's voice seemed distorted.

"Go to your police cafeteria and order some food." Ning Xiao replied, he was always very satisfied with the food here.However, within a second of speaking, Xu Shangyu heard a teasing laugh.

"I'm sorry, it seems that you can't get what you want today." Xu Shangyu said: "In the morning, the kitchen stove in the team broke down and hasn't been repaired yet, so everyone has to go out to eat."

This is really not good news, Ning Xiao frowned slightly.Xu Shangyu on the other end of the phone seemed to understand his mood, and said with a smile: "I think not only you are sad, but Ms. Wang will also regret losing this opportunity to talk with you."

The so-called Ms. Wang is the cook who is in charge of the back kitchen. She is 43 years old this year.Since Ning Xiao started eating in the police cafeteria, Ms. Wang has maintained a deep friendship with Comrade Ning Xiao, which is incomprehensible to outsiders.Xu Shangyu usually protests for this matter, but today he finally found a chance to fight back.

Ning Xiao could only hear the other party's gloating voice.

"Since you can't date the cook, then go out to eat with me at noon." Xu Shangyu tempted: "I know that Hewen Road has opened a new Sichuan restaurant, which has a good reputation."

Hearing these words, Ning Xiao moved his index finger and turned to look at Ji Yuqiu.

Forensic Doctor Ji said with a smile: "Don't pay attention to me, I will go out with the people in the group at noon."

Therefore, Ning Xiao agreed to Xu Shangyu's invitation.

"See you at the door in five minutes."

He hung up the phone, closed the file in his hand, and said to Ji Yuqiu, "I'm sorry to trouble you today, so I'll go first."

"Wait a minute." When he was going out, Ji Yuqiu called to stop him. "Recently, you have been investigating the autopsy reports of suicides in the past few years. You are still targeting He Ye."

Ning Xiao didn't answer.

Ji Yuqiu looked at him even more severely. "Why didn't you tell Xu Shangyu about this, do you want to confront He Ye single-handedly?"

"The matter is not yet settled." Ning Xiao said: "I'm just looking for clues, and he also has his own work to do."

"Then why do you want to investigate the suicides in recent years?" Ji Yuqiu asked.

Ning Xiao paused when he walked out, then stopped and said, "Do you know about the 'Manson Family'?"

Ji Yuqiu was taken aback: "That American..."

"It's more like a cult organization than a family." Ning Xiao said: "With the charisma of the leader Charles Manson, many young people are attracted to go through fire and water for him. Murder, rape, extermination, torture and murder of pregnant women, Manson and his men Young people manipulated many horrific murders, and it can be said that they did all kinds of evil. But in the eyes of the murderers themselves, everything they did was for love and freedom."

"Those young people were brainwashed by Manson, willing to work for him and regard him as a god. But after he was arrested, the death penalty was deleted due to the lack of evidence and the amendment of the US law. This "god" who has nearly a hundred lives in his hands ’, he is still living in an American prison, not only has no worries about food and clothing, but even humanitarian organizations are always caring about his life. But those who died, they don’t even have the chance to open their eyes.”

Ning Xiao turned around, which allowed Ji Yuqiu to see his eyes clearly, and there was a cold light shining in those black pupils.

"Don't you think that sounds familiar?"

Seducing people to degenerate, manipulating crimes, and almost never actually participating in any murders.Being worshiped, admired by others, and called a god by fanatical fans, these characteristics reminded Ji Yuqiu of another person—Heye.

They themselves have committed absolutely unforgivable crimes, but they also possess extraordinary personalities.For those who worship the dark and the strong, both He Ye and Charles Manson have the power to control the lives of others, and they also have their own set of world views.Their believers regard them as gods for this reason.

What is even more similar is that recent domestic judicial reforms are gradually removing the death penalty.Reform itself is not a bad thing, but there will always be loopholes for some criminals to exploit.

Ning Xiao left one last sentence.

"I don't want him to be unable to be brought to justice by the time the evidence is finally found."

Watching the door being closed forcefully by Ning Xiao, Ji Yuqiu's mind was still lingering on his last words.Inside and outside the words, it revealed Ning Xiao's hatred for He Ye.Is this just the indignation of a man with a sense of justice, or is there some other reason?

Regardless of the reason, one thing is certain, the situation between Ning Xiao and Heye is already at the same level.

After finishing the conversation with Ji Yuqiu, Ning Xiao felt gloomy in his heart. The conversation just now reminded him of some unbearable memories.When he was depressed, he saw Xu Shangyu at the exit.

"not in a good mood?"

At this time Xu Shangyu had changed into casual clothes, not as chic and straight as when he was in uniform, but he looked much gentler.Seeing Ning Xiao walking out, he judged his mood with just a glance.

Xu Shangyu asked Ning Xiao to sit in the co-pilot, and at the same time said: "Take you to have a good meal, and when you are full, you will be in a happy mood."

Ning Xiao couldn't laugh or cry at his conclusion, but he didn't refute it.While riding in the car, he suddenly remembered the phone call that Xu Shangyu made in the morning.

"Aren't you going to pick up someone today, and still have time to eat with me?"

I don't know if it was an illusion, but Ning Xiao felt that Xu Shangyu's hand holding the steering wheel paused.

"It's okay." Xu Shangyu said: "The agreed time is in the afternoon, and I will pick her up at that time. I also have something to tell you about this matter. Maybe starting today, another person will live in the apartment."

"...Male and female?"

"woman."

Xu Shangyu deliberately did not explain, and secretly looked at Ning Xiao's expression.Although it looked the same as before, he could clearly tell that the curvature of Ning Xiao's mouth dropped a few millimeters, which was a sign of his unhappiness.After discovering this change in Ning Xiao, Xu Shangyu felt much better, and explained: "It's my mother, she's coming back today."

Ning Xiao listened and thought of something.Since he lived in Xu Shangyu's apartment, he has not been in contact with his mother.According to Xu Shangyu's temperament, it is very abnormal to have no contact with his mother for a long time, and then think of Xu Shangyu's special reaction when Zhang Weiwei's life was mentioned at that time.He figured out the identity of Xu Shangyu's mother almost immediately, but Ning Xiao chose to remain silent when the words came to his lips.This is Xu Shangyu's family affairs, and he has no right to interfere.

At 12:30 noon, the two arrived at the newly opened restaurant, because there were so many people, they waited in line for a while.When he finally sat down, Ning Xiao's stomach was already growling.

"You order, I'll treat you." Seeing his hunger, Xu Shangyu stretched out the menu, and his sleeves slid up slightly because of this movement, revealing a section of his forearm.

Because of the seat, Ning Xiao could clearly see Xu Shangyu's hand, and at that moment he vaguely saw a scar on Xu Shangyu's left wrist.Before he could see clearly, Xu Shangyu had already straightened his sleeves, noticed Ning Xiao's gaze, and looked at him with a smile. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing."

Ning Xiao suspected that he was wrong. How could there be a scar on Xu Shangyu's wrist, and the scar was still near the artery.Even if a criminal policeman has scars on his body, he shouldn't be in that position, it's more like...

No matter how he warned himself, Ning Xiao could never forget that glance just now.He even regretted it a little. Usually when Xu Shangyu teased about wanting to take a bath together, he was always rejected by him.If I had known that if I had promised once, I would have known what kind of scar it was.

After such a small episode, Ning Xiao was a little distracted during the meal and lacked vigilance towards the outside world, so he didn't notice anything wrong with this restaurant.

And when he finally realized it, it was too late.

Whether it's a coincidence or someone's step by step, things always pull him into a worse situation.