"Is that so? So Gao Mingqiang was like me before? I never knew! But everyone goes through a learning process, and I feel great now!"
"You'll understand later. That person has been through a lot, things you don't know. You should talk to him when you have time!"
"Uh… that guy seems like a workaholic now, I can't tell he was like me before?"
"Ah, it's just that you don't understand him. Mingqiang was completely different before. Colleagues familiar with him all know about that past incident that changed him. Now his sister is still in the clutches of criminals, do you understand?"
"Ah, could it be that he also... before..."
I shook my head, telling Dao Zhiyong to stop talking, then took a report that Su Yaxin had given me. Later, I saw Su Yaxin punch Dao Zhiyong in the shoulder: "You darn monkey, don't always talk nonsense! If Officer Gao hears you, he'll definitely beat you!"
"Oh, geez! If we fight, who would you help!"
"I definitely wouldn't help you, nor would I help him!"
"Ahaha, I thought you'd fight with us!"
"Get lost!"
I was afraid they would start arguing and break things, so I quickly escaped, closing the soundproof door behind me, letting them argue until they were red in the face. I hadn't mentioned He Xin's situation in front of others, and actually, not many people in the provincial department knew about it. Theoretically, only a few of us knew. Later, I sent a message to Dao Zhiyong: "Be careful, you have a girlfriend now!"
"Ah ha, don't worry, I definitely won't like that shrew!"
"Remember, He Xin will probably have to take leave in a few months."
"This... well, I understand."
Returning to my office, I tidied up my desk. This place hadn't been cleaned in a long time. Although I was the leader, I still had to take care of cleaning my own desk.
After wiping the desk, I threw away a bouquet of wilted roses in my vase. He Xin had bought them for me inadvertently when she went to the flower shop last time. I had kept them, but for some reason, they had withered. There was nothing I could do but give up.
I rested on the sofa next to the desk for a while when He Xin suddenly called. I answered immediately: "Found something?"
"No, we found another house with a similar incident of people being bitten to death by rats!"
"Where?"
"A street near that man's house!"
"Oh, that's Liu Siya's former home, right!"
I told everyone to follow me immediately, and we'd go to the place first. When we drove over, many people were already waiting. It was still night, and I thought the rats might still be around, but we didn't see any when we arrived.
Before crossing the cordon, I asked a few nearby detectives. They all said that the victims were a family of three. This time it was particularly tragic, with three people at once, even more gruesome than the last time.
As we walked into the house, we didn't see any rats. I wondered why He Xin was so quick to conclude it was rats.
This was another bungalow, very similar to Liu Siya's home, the kind of house ordinary working-class people lived in.
When we approached the living room, we found Xie Chuchu and Zhang Keying already watching. Seeing us arrive, Zhang Keying said, "Look, three more bodies reduced to mere bones. We judged it was those rats from the start."
So that's how it was. I looked at the bones, and indeed, not a shred of flesh was left. How hungry must these rats have been to not leave even a piece of flesh? At that moment, I felt it was quite bizarre. Even though I had seen it once before, seeing it again would evoke the same feeling.
I squatted down and used the three basic tools of forensic examination to investigate carefully. Although they were all white bones, I could still distinguish the age and gender of the deceased from their pelvic bones and tooth wear.
It was a couple and a boy. The couple were around 40 years old, and the boy was about 15 years old.
I moved some of the bones that were still connected and found signs of fractures on the ribs, with several bite marks above. Clearly, there were lacerations. Based on the traces, it must have been caused by dozens of gnawing incidents. Before I could speak, Xie Chuchu said, "Could it be that they originally intended to leave no bone behind?"
As soon as she said this, everyone present was somewhat shocked. I nodded, "It's because they couldn't gnaw through the bones. After dozens of attempts, they had no choice but to give up. They must be full now and have gone into hiding to rest, which is why we can't see them."
I was analyzing when suddenly a squeaking sound came from outside. We all looked at each other and immediately shouted, "Run!"
The detectives outside rushed in. This was probably the first time they had encountered such a situation, and they were startled. I told everyone to take out their strong flashlights and shine them around. The room was instantly illuminated as if it were daytime. Although the rats had arrived, they were hindered by the strong light. I quickly said, "Everyone, don't turn off your flashlights, just keep them pointed at them!"
"It seems the situation you encountered in Lest is true. I thought you were exaggerating back then!" a detective said fearfully.
"Heh, people who haven't seen it wouldn't believe it, right! But they are afraid of light, so don't panic. We can last until tomorrow if we use this method!"
"But, senior, does this mean they've taken over Guangming City?"
"No, they should be around here somewhere. Let's get the pest control team here!"
I said as I made a phone call. Fortunately, the signal wasn't interrupted here. Soon, the pest control team arrived. With their efforts, the rats were mostly cleared out, giving us a chance to take away the remains. However, the scene investigation was of little use because the appearance of the rats had destroyed most of the evidence. After the remains were taken away, we investigated the surrounding streets to see if any other rats had appeared. On a street not far from the crime scene, members of our Crime Punishment team advanced with flashlights, their ears perked up, listening for that squeaking sound, but we found nothing after a long search.
Perhaps all the rats had been killed in the house earlier. Continuing to patrol seemed meaningless, so we could only go back.