Pure Darkness

Chapter 44

Zhu Momo is a student at Qingdao University's Faculty of Chemistry. That day, in the afternoon, he hit the scorching sun and went to the laboratory. Then, he saw someone was already there.

Zhu Momo was shocked. “Ke Ai? You here. I thought You . . .”

Ke Ai was her calm and gentle self as usual. Only after looking more carefully would one notice that his eyes were slightly red and swollen.

“I'm fine,” he said, his voice low and soft. “Only, police. .. haven't found my sister.”

Zhu Momo was sad. The day before, the others were also shocked and frightened when Ke Ai was taken away by the police all of a sudden. Although they were shocked, even suspicious, in the end, in all fairness, no one believed that a good person like Ke Ai could commit a crime. A few months ago, there was a time when Ke Ai seemed somewhat depressed, and did not follow their activities for a while. However, he gradually resumed his normal behavior. Yesterday, when Ke Ai returned from the police station, he told everyone that his sister had been killed, which is why the police needed to question him. Everyone was sympathetic to him.

“Why don't you rest at home for a few more days?” Zhu Momo asked with concern. “I can set my own experiment.”

Ke Ai shook his head. “How can I do that? Life has to go on, and I can't throw my problems on all of you either. Let's start.”

Zhu Momo reflexively nodded. Although Ke Ai was gentle and relaxed, he was also always very firm. This is also the reason why people love it, whether they are male or female.

“I will go to the inner room to make an observation. Can you be in charge of the outdoor space? ” ask To Ai.

“Oh . . . okay.”

“Momo.” Ke Ai paused for a moment before continuing, “I want to be alone for a while. I want to do something without being distracted. If not, I will. . . I will keep thinking about my sister. Don't go in during the experiment, okay? ”

Zhu Momo quickly agreed.

Ke Ai smiled gently and said, “Thank you.” He turned around, walked into the inner room and closed the door. Zhu Momo retrieved some test tubes and equipment from the closet. When he looked back, he saw that the curtains of the inner room had been tightly closed.

Zhu Momo was not too worried.

This experiment is not very complicated, but it is also not that simple. There are two parts to it: he will work in the outdoor space, mix various chemical compounds and operate equipment. In the inner space, Ke Ai had to observe the variation of the data generated by the computer in real time and record it, then produce an experimental report. The entire process takes four to five hours.

Since most of the experiments fell to Zhu Momo, Ke Ai would be relatively idle. However, after thinking about how Ke Ai had suffered such a severe misfortune, asking him to perform a complicated experimental operation that required a high level of concentration would not be appropriate. So, Zhu Momo immersed herself in the work.

In the inner chamber.

When Ke Ai pulled the curtain, he felt a momentary sadness. He looked up and looked out the window. The weather is beautiful, the clouds are so white, and the sky is so blue. Across the lush green campus, people were walking, some people were quietly waiting. Their lives are so quiet.

Does anyone realize that a person's bones have long been buried in the ground, buried in a place without light, without justice?

Very, very nice guy.

Just because that person had faced the greed, malice, and mediocrity of those ordinary people. The man refused to surrender, and was therefore killed.

Killed because of him.

Ke Ai stood still for a while. Suddenly, the corner of his mouth appeared with a mocking smile.

It had been so long since the event had happened; it had been half a year. Is his heart finally calm?

Or . . . will that day, when peace is achieved, never be possible?

He raised his hand, slowly unbuttoned his shirt and took it off. She grabbed a white lab dress beside her.

To Ai, dare, don't look back.

Towards a better life.

——

At two or three in the afternoon. Xu Sheng stayed in the school dormitory; he didn't come out, and he didn't do anything.

All of his roommates went for interviews, or were looking for work.

He's still in the same old place, same old circumstances. He felt like a snake that would hibernate, ugly from head to toe, and unable to move.

Sunlight is very strong. He stood at the window and could see the car still parked downstairs. The car contained two police officers who guarded it for 24 hours.

He had heard that similar details had been placed at the bottom of the apartment block where the girl named Ke Ai lived.

Police said that it was Ke Qian's sister, her twin brother, and that she was now their main suspect.

Xu Sheng gnawed his lower lip lightly.

However, he still felt that something, somewhere, was wrong. The feeling weighed down on his heart like a threatening black stone.

Perhaps, that night, after seeing the photos of how Jiang Xueran was killed, the power of his surprise was too great for him. Made-up appearance, long hair, the clothes were – all were things Ke Qian liked. Only he was obsessively, extremely fond of that wake-up.

At that moment, Xu Sheng and Wen Xiao Hua truly believed that Ke Qian had died and been resurrected.

Even now, two words, ‘Ke Qian’, were attached in his heart like a shadow.

Living in a daze, just passing through each day with a mediocre day – that was Xu Sheng's current state of life.

Then, he closed the curtains, turned on all the lights, immersed himself in his blanket, and fell asleep.

“Ta . .” The door was pushed open in a soft voice.

Followed by light footsteps.

Xu Sheng heard footsteps in a sleepy state, then suddenly realized what he heard and started to wake up.

The lights had been turned off at some point, and the apartment was in darkness. A figure stood beside the bed.

One look at his face and Xu Sheng was scared to death. He wore a hat, a simple white T-shirt and shorts, revealing a smooth collarbone and slender legs. But it was clearly him! Those clear but sad eyes, those sweat-filled noses, those red lips that pursed tightly.

“Ahhhhhhhh. .” A hoarse cry burst out from Xu Sheng, but he barely opened his mouth as he strangled him. He was wearing gloves, and the plastic pressed his mouth so viciously that Xu Sheng could only make muffled cries. However, she was not a weak and shy girl. He fought for his life, and pushed hard on his chest.

His chest was flat and muscular.

But, in the end, he was no match for her.

Ke Qian slapped her face hard and Xu Sheng became dizzy. Ke Qian grabbed the decorative ornament next to the bed and hit the back of her head hard.

Xu Sheng lost consciousness.

Ke Qian was silent for a moment. He let go and stood up without moving.

He seemed to think, or perhaps, appreciate the moment.

It was at this moment that the foul sound of voices suddenly came from the corridor outside. “What did you bring Xu Sheng?” “Dumplings, aren’t those her favourites?”

Ke Qian’s expression became apprehensive. He glanced at Xu Sheng lying on the bed, then turned and walked quickly toward the door. When he opened the door, the girls were still a distance away, and did not appear to be looking in this direction. Ke Qian made up his mind and quickly walked down another staircase.

——

Did he think of anything? Zhu Momo wondered.

After an unspecified time, he walked into the closet to pick up some other equipment. From the corner of his eyes, he caught a glimpse of Ke Ai's figure moving; he seemed to be bending over to pick up something.

——

The sun is in the west.

When Fang Qing arrived at Xu Sheng's dormitory, he was startled by the chaotic situation that greeted him.

Xu Sheng's clothes were messy, there was blood on the corner of his mouth, a large lump on the back of his head, and purplish-red scars on his neck and wrists. He continued to cover his mouth, and curled up in the corner of the bed, crying. No matter what his friends or the police did, he would not get out of bed.

Fang Qing accepted the mess, called the police on duty on one side and growled, “How could this be? How can someone enter here without being noticed?”

The young policeman was both sorry and sad. “Team Leader Fang! We really didn't see Ke Ai come in! We've been watching closely all along! ”

Fang Qing pondered for a moment, then walked to the side and called the criminal investigator in charge of watching Ke Ai. “Halo? How is the situation there?”

The criminal investigator replied, “At 12 past 10 minutes, Ke Ai entered the laboratory building and has not left the building since. In addition, we have been observing him through binoculars, and he and his classmates have been in the lab all this time.”

“Xu Sheng almost got killed here! Wake up right now and search To Ai!”

In shock, the criminal investigator hurriedly said, “Ya!” They opened the car door and ran up the stairs.

On this side, Fang Qing hung up the phone, looked at the irregular situation and issued an order. “All of you, out.”

Everyone left the apartment. Only Xu Sheng was left, sobbing in bed. Fang Qing sat by the bedside and said, slowly, “Don't cry anymore. We're definitely gonna catch the killer. My apologies. My colleagues were negligent and unaware of Ke Ai.”'s arrival

Xu Sheng looked up, his face so distorted by emotions that he looked like a demon.

“It wasn't Ke Ai. .” he said, his voice vibrating.

Fang Qing was surprised. “Then, who is it?”

“. . . . To Qian.” Xu Sheng's voice sounded like he was being ripped apart. “He is not dead. . He really is not dead!”

Fang Qing was silent for a while before replying, “The person that the two eyewitnesses saw earlier was most likely Ke Ai pretending to be Ke Qian.”

“No!” Xu Sheng shouted out loud. “It's not a woman! That's not Ke Ai! That's not! I felt his body, it was a man! Definitely not a woman! And, look her in the eye. . her appearance . . . That's Ke Qian, can't be anyone else!”

Fang Qing was made a fool.

——

Criminal investigators rushed up the stairs and opened the laboratory doors, scaring Zhu Momo.

“Where To Ai?” one of them shouted.

Zhu Momo pointed to the inner room. “In . . . There.”

Criminal investigators ran in haste and pushed the door open.

Someone roughly pulled the curtain to the side and the room was instantly filled with light. Data flashed across the computer screen and some lab equipment was stacked on the bench. Ke Ai, who was standing before the window, turned around. His long hair was a little messy but his face was very calm. There was a gleam of fine sweat on his nose, and there seemed to be sweat droplets on the ends of his hair as well. He slowly put on his lab gloves and asked, “Officers, is something wrong?”

——

The car stopped at a service area on the side of a freeway leading out of Beijing.

Jian Yao came out to buy some water. Bo Jinyan stayed in the car for a while, her fingers tapping on the steering wheel, before she got out and pulled out her phone.

This time, the call was connected quickly.

“Hei,” Bo Jinyan asked, “How have you been for these two days?”

Fu Ziyu replied, “Very good.”

Bo Jinyan remained silent for a moment before continuing, “Kamu. . It seems like something is on your mind.”

Unexpectedly, Fu Ziyu laughed. “Jinyan my dear, when did you become so sensitive? You think too much; I just woke up and don't want to talk.”

“So like that.” This was a feeling that Bo Jinyan could understand well, as she also felt this way upon waking up almost every day.

Both silent. Then, Bo Jinyan said, “Sorry, I was busy with the anime murder case these few days and did not have the time or energy to track down Han Yumeng's whereabouts. We can solve this case today, so wait for me in a minute.”

“Hai . .” Fu Ziyu continued in a mischievous tone, “What's with that arrogant tone? I heard An Yan say it was a very difficult case, and you guys have no clue. It seems he's not worried about anything. ”

Bo Jinyan smiled faintly.

“Don't worry about me,” said Fu Ziyu softly. “Actually .. . about Yumeng, I came to a conclusion. Like you said, if he loves me, he will definitely come and look for me. Even if it might mean more trouble and danger to him, he would still come, right? If he doesn't, then I'll just wait quietly. There is nothing bad or wrong about the way I have lived my life these past few years. I think, although there are a lot of misguided doubts and clues, it is not an issue that the police should address. In the end, the problem is love.”

Bo Jinyan was worried.

Then, he changed the topic.

“Has the wedding ring for Jian Yao and I been adjusted?”

Fu Ziyu laughed as he whispered, “It's done, young master. Follow your hand drawing design exactly. It has been shipped from Switzerland and you can expect to receive it in the next two days.

Bo Jinyan was very satisfied. “Thanks a lot.”

“What to thank, young master, this is what I have to do.”

After hanging up the phone, there was still a slight smile on Bo Jinyan's lips. He looked up and saw that Jian Yao had returned.

“What are you smiling?” Jian Yao asked.

“No.” Bo Jinyan helped him open the car door, thought for a moment, then raised her hand. He lifted her to his lips and gently kissed the back of his hand.

Jian Yao laughed. “What are you doing?”

He did not reply, and instead rubbed his ring finger with his thumb. Jian Yao felt amused, and thought to herself: where did she learn this method of expressing love?

Both got in the car. Jian Yao asked, “What is the purpose of our trip?”

Bo Jinyan smiled. “We will find strong evidence that will definitely punish Ke Qian.”