"Stop talking nonsense. If you have the guts, tell me how to use this stone!" I deliberately provoked him.
The guy wasn't that foolish. He burst into laughter, "Do you think I'll tell you? Detective He, how could I be so stupid? Find it yourself. I've already given you enough hints. If I hint anymore, I might as well play it myself! Go on, less than 15 minutes left."
I hadn't expected time to pass so quickly. Liu Yuning and I immediately left the kitchen and continued our search in other parts of the dormitory building. On the way, I sent a message to Lu Chusheng via Bluetooth, asking about his situation. He replied, "I found an iron box on the second floor. It seems to contain something, but it needs a heart-shaped stone tablet to open."
"Stone tablet?" It seemed it wasn't the one we had. I told everyone to split up and keep an eye out for any heart-shaped stone tablets. Everyone separated, even Liu Yuning was acting alone.
I passed a restroom and walked in with my flashlight. Although I wasn't sure if I should enter, the stone tablet could appear anywhere, so I couldn't afford to miss any spot.
I approached the individual stalls in the restroom and kicked open the doors one by one. I found nothing in the first few. When I reached the last one, as soon as I opened the door, a water pipe burst open right in front of me without warning, spraying water everywhere and drenching me. My police uniform was instantly soaked. I cursed and took a few steps back. That voice returned, "Haha, serves you right! You couldn't even spot such a simple trap. Were you too anxious, my Detective He? Be careful. I'm telling you, less than 12 minutes left. Keep going!"
"Shut up!" This scoundrel loved to play these petty tricks. It was so annoying. I wiped the water off myself, but then I noticed something floating in the toilet bowl. I leaned closer and saw a pearl in the sewage!
It smelled foul here, but I couldn't miss any detail. Wearing rubber gloves, I picked up the pearl with a poker face. This kind of work should normally be done by a forensic examiner, but luckily, I had a background in that profession, so I could handle it.
After retrieving the pearl, I washed it at the sink. I found that the pearl was of good quality and likely quite valuable. Even though I didn't know its use yet, it was always good to keep it.
As I left the restroom, I happened to meet Liu Yuning, who was passing by. Seeing something in my hand, she curiously asked, "What is this?"
"Found it in the restroom just now. Did you find anything on your side?"
Liu Yuning held up an evidence bag containing a necklace. It seemed she had also made a discovery. I said, "Let's go," and we continued forward.
We soon reached the second floor and met up with Lu Chusheng. He was holding a black box that somewhat resembled Pandora's Box. When I saw it, I noticed a slot on its top.
I took it in my hands and examined it carefully from all angles. I found that the slot on the top of the box perfectly fit the pearl I had discovered, and there was another slot on the bottom of the box that could perfectly hold the necklace Liu Yuning found. It seemed our luck was quite good.
Seeing that less than 8 minutes remained, I quickly installed both items. Then, the box opened, revealing not a stone tablet, but a black and white photograph.
The photo showed four people of similar age. Although it was black and white, it was covered with a layer of paraffin. Judging by its condition, it appeared to be recently taken, deliberately made to look black and white.
The four people were around 30 years old. Could the hostages the guy mentioned be them?
Just as I was about to say something, the guy's voice proactively came, "You're finding more and more clues, but you still haven't found the crucial point. Time is running out, hurry up! If you die from hydrogen cyanide, don't blame me!"
This scoundrel always used this trick to scare us, but he was definitely not bluffing. I flipped the photo over and discovered a drawing on the back. It seemed to indicate that we should go somewhere according to instructions.
The iron box couldn't be opened yet, so we had to give up for the moment. Lu Chusheng led the way down a long corridor according to the hint, then continued up the stairs at the corner. According to the hint, we should reach the destination soon. We entered a room on the third floor and found our target on the ceiling. However, at this height, one person would need to be lifted by another.
Without hesitation, Liu Yuning used my shoulders to get up. I carefully supported her from below. She tapped on the ceiling and discovered a hollow brick. She pried at it with her hand, and the brick fell down, shattering on the ground.
"Lift it higher, He Sheng!" Liu Yuning struggled to support herself, trying to get a clearer view of the situation above. I pushed up hard to help her.
"Are you done?" Seeing her fumbling around up there, and with time running out, I couldn't help but urge her.
"I see it. It's indeed a heart-shaped stone tablet, but at this distance, I'll have to crawl in to get it!"
"No way?" Given the height of any one of us, it would be impossible for Liu Yuning to reach it. Even if Gao Mingqiang or Xiao Yuande were here, they couldn't. I wondered, were we really doomed?
At this moment, Liu Yuning somehow found something nearby and pulled it in a certain direction. Although I didn't see clearly, I could feel her using some tool to try and get the stone tablet.
We simultaneously heard the sound of something approaching. Lu Chusheng checked the time and said, "Hurry up, Captain Liu! Only less than 3 minutes left!"
"Okay, almost there!" As soon as Liu Yuning finished speaking, she grabbed the stone tablet. I quickly helped her down, and we rushed back as fast as we could, praying that there was someone in the iron box. Otherwise, if we had to search elsewhere, it would be absolutely too late.
Back at the box, Lu Chusheng and I pressed the stone tablet together with all our might. After it sank in, the lid of the iron box made a click and opened automatically. However, there was no one inside the box. Several old work clothes appeared before our eyes. I could tell they were the work clothes used by people from the funeral parlor.
"How can this be?" Liu Yuning exclaimed in shock, looking at the items in the box. The scoundrel's voice shouted again, "You've been tricked! That's right, this game can never be passed because those four people are not dead at all. They are among us, working with us. Du Yuting knows about this too, hahahaha! Go to hell, all of you!"