Pure Darkness

Chapter 84

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After the gruesome discovery of the previous chapter, more is revealed about the victims, the way of their deaths, and their backgrounds, as well as the cave where they were ‘preserved’. No one could have anticipated that the truth would hit close to home for Jian Yao, who now had to deal with the re-emergence of some extremely unpleasant memories. Fortunately, he had Bo Jinyan by his side, and he knew how to calm and encourage her.

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Bo Jinyan let out a soft voice, “Oh.”

Jian Yao's face was also like ice. After a moment of silence, he grabbed her hand and said, “I'll take you to ‘see’.”

The latest, as well as the outermost corpse, was a man. The body appeared to be in the early stages of decay, so the estimated time of death was concluded at least a month ago. Her clothes are still intact – camouflage clothes that are half shabby. A pair of hiking boots were on his feet.

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This man was tall, and his square-shaped face field was protruding sharply. He looked to be about forty years old. Jian Yao noted that his bones were thick and dense, and, from his appearance, it seemed like he had died with his eyes wide open.

The butterflies behind her were brash and extremely beautiful, and looked like they were about to fly lightly.

“He is no ordinary person,” Jian Yao shared her premonition with Bo Jinyan. “He must have been killed for a reason.”

Bo Jinyan put on her gloves and touched the finger and bones of the corpse. Then, he nodded and said, “Ask the forensic pathologist to come and check if there is anything unusual with this body.”

Forensic pathologists quickly observed that there were some old puncture wounds on the body, and the injuries were quite severe. This doesn't seem like the killer's job but it may already be there.

“It was rather interesting,” Bo Jinyan concluded.

The second body was also a man. He had been dead for at least a year and his body had dried up. Even though he was of medium stature, he was strong and sturdy. The fingers of his right hand were broken, and his right shoulder suffered a long gunshot wound.

The butterfly behind him was pure black, evil and peaceful.

A third person had died early, as evidenced by the level of cadaver drying. She had a nose ring and three thick gold chains, and was entirely dressed in designer clothes. A wooden box had been placed under his feet, filled with gold bars from bank XX.

“Check if the gold bullion was stolen,” Fang Qing advised a criminal investigator in a low voice.

The fourth body is a woman. Like Feng Yuexi, he was completely naked. From his bones, he looked to be in his thirties. However, his death posture was even more humiliating. Both legs were opened and raised. His head had been lifted so that he looked up, and his hands were put together on his chest in a praying position. The wooden box underneath contained a wrinkled human organ, recognizable as a piece of a man.

Next to him was a man in his fifties. He had been positioned so that he looked like he was kneeling in worship, and his head was bowed. The most important male organ has been cut off.

……

When it came to the ninth, tenth, and eleventh corpses, the situation was different.

They all died at least ten years ago. There was an old man over seventy years old, and a young man and woman in their twenties. The butterfly painting behind them is also blurry, and they are not ‘nailed’ to the cave wall, but hung. There were no nails on their bodies either. For some unknown reason, at first glance, the scene was very calm.

However, if one looked closely, the horror was magnified. Because they had been hacked into more than ten pieces, and then the entire body had been spliced into one.

……

“That means, the way the previous victims died was different from the latter,” Jian Yao said.

“He continues to develop, mature, and find stability,” Bo Jinyan said. “The default is getting worse.”

The last body shocked everyone. Because of its smallest size, the forensic pathologist's initial evaluation was that he was still a teenager when he died. He was also the youngest of all the victims.

This dead teenager has also been hacked into pieces. He was well dressed and his posture was calm. The butterflies behind her had already faded.

There was an incense burner on the ground at his feet, not far from the previous three corpses. The incense burner was filled with ashes, and there were four incense sticks that had already burned. In front of the incense burner there are signs that someone has burned the paper* there.

*T/N ‘This paper’ may be a joss paper (aka ‘uang ghoul’), or, specifically, ‘uang hell’. It is burned in front of the altar of a deceased relative or ancestor to glorify them or to ensure that they have everything they need in the afterlife –uang burning spirit‘ this allows the person who died to buy what they needed in the afterlife. It may also be a bribe for Yanluo (Deceased Judge) to have the deceased have a shorter stay or a lighter sentence in hell. Read more here.

……

Jian Yao wondered at the possibility that the real butterfly killer had been the victim*of the terrible crime that Chen Jin witnessed that year. Afterwards, Chen Jin was so frightened* that the scene was forever imprinted in his memories. Chen Jin had also been attacked by the assassin, but could it be that he managed to avoid further danger due to the arrival of his two comrades?

*T/NI is confused as to why the text says the butterfly killer may be the victim of a crime. I thought it was more likely that there was an error in the original text, and Jian Yao wondered if the butterfly killer was the killer in the crime that Chen Jin witnessed.

An Yan, who was quietly standing in a corner, suddenly raised his head and said, “I have found out who bought this entire plot of land about 10 years ago.”

Everyone looked at him.

An Yan said, “His name is Hu Qiyong, a native of Tong City. He was born on April 29, 1965, and was unemployed during the eighties. He was jailed many times for fighting, and he was sentenced to seven years in prison in 1981 for robbery. In 1995, due to his involvement in the murder of Jian Yi, vice chairman of the Tong City criminal investigation team, and his parents, his political rights were revoked, sentenced to death, and executed in court.”

After a moment of surprise, Fang Qing thought for a while before saying, “That means someone used this dead man's identity and bought this piece of land? In the nineties, China's household registration system* wasn't perfect, and the registration cyber network went under lapses. What's more, it's a rural desert, so it'll be easy to commit identity fraud. In addition, doing this will prevent the possibility of land being taken over for development. .” He cut himself suddenly and turned to look at Jian Yao. What he saw caused him to break out in cold sweat.

*T/N Read more about household registration system ( ⁇ hukou) here.

Not understanding what was going on, An Yan also turned his head to look at her.

Jian Yao's eyes were huge on his pale face. His hands, hanging loosely on his sides, clenched.

But, a hand placed itself steadily on his shoulder. Bo Jinyan told everyone, “Jian Yi is Jian Yao's father, my father-in-law.”

——

It was so late at night.

Outside the window, the night sky was thick with stars yet extremely quiet. Jian Yao sat in the conference room while at the small guesthouse at the foot of the mountain, deep in thought.

At a round table not far away, criminal investigators work through the night, chasing clues. It was as if the threads of every clue had been lit up and were now blazing.

“The identity of the victim no. 1 has been verified quickly. He is a Class A criminal fugitive, wanted by the Ministry of Public Security with a reward for his arrest. He escaped and disappeared without a trace more than six months ago.”

“Sial! Too amazing! That vicious bandit has been slaughtered by this serial killer!”

“Korban no. 3 is also sought by the Ministry of Public Security!”

“Curban no. 2 too! Lost for three years!”

“The victims are not. 4 and 5 fugitives. After killing the man's wife and father-in-law, they took all the money and eloped! Never expected a story like this!”

“Korban no. 7 is also a fugitive; he committed rape and murder.”

. . . . . .

“The victim no. 10 was an old man, an ordinary person who came from Tong City. He disappeared 12 years ago. His family searched for him all this time, but never found him.”

“Curban no. 12, that young man, also a commoner from Tong City. She was only 15 when she disappeared, and she had been missing for many years. His family never stopped looking for him; they thought that he had been sold to the merchants. Who would have thought he would be buried in this mountain so close. ”

……

Suddenly, Jian Yao's tears fell. Those vague, distant, warm, and pitiful memories flooded his mind, and he barely managed to maintain his control. Afraid someone would see, he got up and walked to the window, covering his face so no one could see.

Someone hugged her gently from behind. Jian Yao immediately wiped away her tears, but before she could say anything, Bo Jinyan had already spoken. “Sometimes, I wish I could jump into the time machine to see what little Jian Yao looks like.”

Jian Yao lowered her head and remained silent.

She smiled faintly and said, “Ah, she must be a brave, kind, smart young woman – and a little stubborn. I've reason enough to state that your current grumpy temperament is simply your exposed natural character. Although you are very young, you can follow your father's instructions and protect yourself and your little sister. You have an innate skill for fighting crime since you were a young girl, just like me. We were really born to be together.”

Jian Yao smiled through her tears.

Bo Jinyan held her hand tightly and squeezed out her palm, as usual, before saying, “One perspective in child psychology is that the innate temperament and character of a child is set by the time he is six years old. What kind of person has ultimately been determined by one's nurturing environment and influence before the age of six. Even though you lost your father's presence in your life afterwards, I'm sure that, at the most important stage of life, the earliest stage, your father was your best friend. I know that this is very valuable to you. ”

Jian Yao's tears fell nonstop. Several criminal investigators came to see how hard he was crying. Bo Jinyan had nothing to block their gaze, so she simply pulled the curtain, enveloping the two of them. Then, he patted her on the back lightly.

Go ahead and cry, my little wife.

I know that this is the deepest wound in your heart. You rarely talk about it, even to me. Now, this wound had finally opened, and in the most unexpected way. So, how do we deal with it?

“Don't be afraid to face and treat your wounds,” Bo Jinyan whispered in her ear. “Although the bravest person may be grieving, he still has to seek the truth and answers he needs through his tears.”

Jian Yao was shaken. He looked at her, at the sunglasses on his face, at his thin face with his sharp field, at the stick he was leaning against the wall.

He held out his hand and hugged her tightly.