It was through the mirror that Xu Wen and Zhang Yinyin confirmed Luo Yi’s identity. He was a ghost. The real Luo Yi had been killed. Xu Wen and Zhang Yinyin didn’t spend a second mourning his death because they were instantly onto the next issue.
When… did Luo Yi die? And where? The answers were clear…
They remembered Zhen Jianren said that Luo Yi had gone to the files room alone while the rest of them met up. Clearly, he encountered the ghost there and was replaced. This would explain why Luo Yi came back and said he found nothing in the files room. The ghost… wouldn’t reveal the information related to her.
Zhou Taifu entered the room first. The file room was large. There was a wooden office table where Luo Yi’s corpse was. There was a chair that was so old that its leather had been worn off. There was a thin layer of dust on everything.
The room was thin and long in shape. Deeper in the room were rows of deep green shelves. A few of the shelves closer to them were stocked with light blue notebooks. The shelves further away had rows of manila folders. It was hard to tell how deep the room went. The room couldn’t be infinitely long, but the lighting was bad to tell clearly. The only working window of the room was next to the office table.
There should be other windows deeper into the room but they were probably sealed up or covered by thick curtains. The shadowy environment caused Zhou Taifu to feel uncomfortable. His plan was to find the clues and leave as quickly as possible.
Xu Wen walked in behind him. Her gait was so soft, like she was afraid of waking up something. As she crossed the threshold, she searched for the light switch near the door.
“This place has been vacated for so long that the lights are probably not working anymore.” Zhou Taifu looked up and concluded.
Xu Wen moved towards the window. She did this for two reasons. First, she wanted to keep an eye on Luo Yi. Second, it was safer in the light. Luo Yi leaned on the ground peacefully. His upper body was drenched in blood. His collar was torn apart, and his body was contorted unnaturally. His left arm was broken around the elbow, and his forearm was twisted behind his back. He seemed to have struggled before he died…
Since no one turned him over, she couldn’t get a good look at his eyes.
“Look.” Zhou Taifu knelt down to study the dead Luo Yi. “What does this tell you?”
Xu Wen took a closer look at the corpse and then at the office table. Luo Yi’s head faced the door while his feet faced away from the door.
“He was attacked when he was about to leave…” Xu Wen observed, “It was why he had collapsed in this pose.”
“Correct.” Zhou Taifu nodded.
“His chin is also gone.” Xu Wen studied Luo Yi’s profile.
“This appears to be the ghost’s mo, but…” Zhou Taifu touched where Luo Yi’s elbow was broken, and he winced. “It was snapped through brute force. The bones near the joint are all shattered.”
Xu Wen looked down the arm. When she saw the palm, she paused. “Look. Even his fingers…”
Zhou Taifu used his hand to pick up Luo Yi’s hand. Half of Luo Yi’s hand was soaked in blood.
“His fingers have all been snapped in half!” Zhou Taifu gasped. Then, he moved to check Luo Yi’s right hand. Other than some blood, his right arm and hand were perfectly fine.
“I remember Luo Yi was… left-handed,” Xu Wen stared at the body and said.
Zhou Taifu turned to look down the room. He watched the rows of folders. They appeared sinister in the dark. “I think I got it.” Zhou Taifu began, “Luo Yi found something about the ghost. As he was about to leave, he was attacked. In the struggle, the ghost smashed his left arm. The ghost crushed Luo Yi’s left fingers because the man was holding the folder related to the ghost with his left hand.”
Xu Wen nodded. “That should be the case.”
“Damn it!” Zhou Taifu gritted his teeth and said angrily, “The folder has been taken by the ghost. It might have been destroyed already. This lead is gone.” Then, they had to go to the Prop Room or Block C. Neither option seemed that enticing. At the Prop Room, the ghost probably had already killed Zhen Jianren and was waiting for them.
“Don’t be so pessimistic.” Xu Wen uttered slowly, “I believe even if it was the ghost who took the folder, I don’t think she would destroy it. We will find it somewhere else.”
Zhou Taifu frowned. “Why?”
“The rules.” Xu Wen glanced at Luo Yi before turning to meet Zhou Taifu’s eyes. “I believe the rules won’t allow the ghost to do that. Or else she could have easily ended Luo Yi before he found the clues. Why would she need to wait for him to find the clues before making her move?
“In fact, if she could ignore the rules, she would have destroyed the clues at the start of the mission. Wouldn’t that be easier for her?” Xu Wen asked.
Zhou Taifu looked better, hearing that. He stood up. “Do you mean the rules do not allow the ghost to do so?”
“Of course,” Xu Wen answered, “We both know that even though the ghosts have different interests, killing methods and powers in different missions, there is one thing that is similar across all of them. They are limited by the mission rules.” Xu Wen paused before adding, “Even though the rules will loosen as the mission nears its end, they are not invincible until the very last moment of the mission.
“In other words, they can only hide the clues deeper and cannot eliminate them from the source.”
Xu Wen turned to Zhou Taifu and said seriously, “This is the way the mission requests of us to survive.”
Zhou Taifu thought about it and agreed with Xu Wen. “Then, based on your analysis, where do you think the ghost would have hidden the folder?” Zhou Taifu scratched his chin, “Could it be the music classroom, the prop building, or someplace completely unrelated?”
Xu Wen stared at her lover and broke into a smile. “No.” She looked down at the deeper parts of the file room and said slowly, “If I were the ghost… I’d put the folder back where it was found.”