A traffic policeman noticed my surprised gaze and explained, "That's the last road to the crematorium. A few blind spots in the surveillance cameras there have been reported for repair, but it remains in a state of neglect."
"How many days has it been?"
"About two weeks now. Honestly, their efficiency is too slow. I wonder what they're even doing?"
"Oh? Could there be something more to this?"
Gao Mingqiang muttered, and I asked him to accompany me to the crematorium. From the surveillance footage, we could at best confirm that Liu Yuning had passed through here. There were many more roads ahead, and according to the Sky Eye map, there were beaches, forests, and the sea nearby.
The forensic technology of the provincial department was now a bit more advanced than in Fuming City. Sky Eye could instantly access detailed images of every corner of the city, and they were quite clear. In Fuming City, many surveillance feeds were still blurry and easily hacked.
I spoke with Xiahou, and he reported back, "Nothing found here. Other officers are still investigating. Shall I come over as well?"
"Where's Uncle?"
"He's canvassing with some officers in the Pinghe residential area near Kaiming Road. It seems someone there has an impression; Liu Yuning might have bought something at a nearby supermarket."
I remembered this from the surveillance footage earlier, but we didn't know what she had purchased.
After hanging up, Gao Mingqiang and I quickly arrived near the crematorium, and Xiahou drove up shortly after.
As we entered the crematorium, Xiahou said, "Really, why would Captain Liu head this way? What an unlucky place!"
"There's no one at this crematorium!" Gao Mingqiang stated.
"Ah? Is it abandoned!"
While they were talking, I had already pushed open a heavy iron gate. As a piercing, sharp sound echoed, Gao Mingqiang's body trembled as if electrocuted. Xiahou beside him asked, "Brother Mingqiang, are you alright? What's wrong!"
"No, it's just that I felt a chill wind from inside the crematorium, it's strangely cold. Don't you feel it?"
I rolled my eyes at Gao Mingqiang and gave a wry smile, "It's not that noticeable. Must be psychological. Don't worry, just follow behind me! I used to be a coffin carrier!"
"Really? I wouldn't have guessed!"
My casual joke was actually taken seriously by Xiahou, but Gao Mingqiang chuckled dismissively.
The moment we walked into the crematorium, perhaps influenced by Gao Mingqiang, I also felt an intense cold, as if a block of ice were strapped to my back, continuously radiating an unnerving chill.
We were like children playing hide-and-seek, lost in a labyrinth, searching for a way out. In a dark area, Gao Mingqiang couldn't help but grab my hand and say fearfully, "I feel like someone is watching us all around, and it's incredibly cold everywhere, much more so than in midwinter!"
"I told you, it's all in your head. Don't be nervous, okay!" I said this, but deep down, I wasn't entirely confident. We had come here to ask questions, but there was no one around, so we had to explore.
We moved past some walls and found a dense cluster of morgue compartments not far away. They were all sealed by heavy black doors. Through the gaps, we could vaguely see flat iron beds neatly arranged inside.
We repeatedly called out Liu Yuning's name, holding onto a sliver of hope that she might be here. Although we felt the possibility was slim, we still did it.
After calling her name several times, the only response was our own echoes. As we approached a staircase leading to the second floor, intending to go up, a heavy creaking sound unexpectedly emanated from a morgue compartment on the first floor. It sounded like a rusty iron door being opened.
However, judging by its speed, it seemed to be caused by the wind. There were no windows here. At that moment, we all froze. Gao Mingqiang screamed even louder and turned to look behind him!
Xiahou and I also quickly turned our heads, our eyes locking onto the vicinity of morgue compartment 128, as it was less than 2 meters from us!
When the door opened, it was almost brushing against us. Inside was an abyssal darkness. I wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but I thought I saw a red figure flicker past within the morgue compartment!
My subconscious reaction was to immediately raise my gun, "Who's there! Don't move!"
Xiahou and Gao Mingqiang also raised their guns, and three dark muzzles simultaneously pointed at morgue compartment 128.
"Don't come any closer! Please!" I expected silence, but to my surprise, a voice immediately spoke.
We rushed in, shining our flashlights into the narrow morgue compartment. We found a woman in a red qipao squatting near a wall. To her left were rows of iron beds, all empty.
It was said that due to some incidents, everything here had been relocated. This crematorium, left behind, had not been cleared and had remained here. Therefore, there shouldn't be any bodies.
We lowered our weapons and approached the woman. She was squatting on the ground, trembling, too afraid to look at us.
I asked politely, "Miss, don't you know this is a crematorium? What are you doing here?"
"I know, I know. I am the owner's daughter, his daughter! I can't leave here. If I leave, the ghosts will come to claim my life! Waaah, only here can protect me! Aaaah, yiyiyiya, yi, yi, hehehe, why are there three ghosts here today! But I know you'll protect me too, mine!"
The woman spoke incoherently, her eyes unfocused. I knew she had lost her mind. I continued to speak politely, "You say you're the owner's daughter? Did something happen here? Have you seen a... woman like this?"
I mentioned Liu Yuning's appearance, more out of a desperate attempt. Unexpectedly, when her name was spoken, the madwoman began to pound the wall violently, "Saw her, ah ha ha ha! A woman dragged her this way and went upstairs, ah ka ka ka! It was my first time seeing two women playing hide-and-seek, but the other woman seemed to have fainted. I wanted to join them, wah ka ka ka, but this door wouldn't open, wouldn't open! I was so sad, I could only watch through the gap in the door as they left!"