"What's the meaning?" "She can't recall the entire incident, but can remember some fragments intermittently. She said there are other victims who were imprisoned. We believe she managed to escape from the place of imprisonment. If we can't locate the place soon, those people might be in grave danger."
Ding Qian remained silent, seeming somewhat hesitant.
"What do you think? Give it a try. Lives are at stake; you can't just stand by, can you?"
Ding Qian sighed helplessly, agreeing, "I can only give it a try. Whether it works or not remains to be seen. Also, we must conduct a brain ultrasound on her first. I need to ensure her brain hasn't suffered any trauma before hypnotizing her."
"Alright, no problem."
...
The doctors conducted a CT scan on the woman's brain, confirming that her brain was undamaged and functioning normally.
So, Ding Qian began the hypnosis process with her.
He first performed a simple psychological assessment on the woman, then informed Song Yulin that they had identified the cause of her amnesia. "This woman suffers from anterograde amnesia, which is why she can't recall past events."
"What is anterograde amnesia?" Guo Rongrong asked curiously.
"The patient has no memory of ongoing events or actions; they forget as they go along. Hence, she has no practical memory of the terrifying things that happened to her."
"Then why can't she remember her own name and where she lives?"
"It's likely due to severe psychological trauma. Her experience pushed her to the brink of collapse. In such circumstances, the body's defense mechanism triggers selective forgetting. Even if she occasionally recalls something unpleasant, her subconscious perceives it as someone else's tragic experience, unrelated to her."
"If she can't remember anything, does hypnosis really work?" Guo Rongrong expressed doubt.
"The brain's short-term memory area is in the frontal lobe of the brain." Ding Qian pointed to a spot slightly above the temple. "This victim's frontal lobe hasn't been damaged, meaning it still has memory function. However, it's experiencing neural dysfunction due to stimulation, which can be restored through hypnosis."
"In that case, show us your remarkable skills." Du Zhixun said nonchalantly.
Ding Qian returned to the ward, asked everyone else to leave, then walked to the window and drew the curtains, dimming the room instantly.
The woman in the hospital bed suddenly became alert, watching Ding Qian's every move warily.
Ding Qian returned to the bedside and spoke in a gentle tone to the woman, "Did you like what I gave you earlier? I have something even tastier. Would you like to try?"
As he spoke, he reached into his pocket and put something into his mouth.
Three police officers stood at the door watching the scene in the room. Du Zhixun furrowed his brows slightly. "What is he doing?"
Song Yulin remained silent.
Guo Rongrong widened her eyes in curiosity.
The woman in the hospital bed saw Ding Qian seemingly enjoying the food, like a child, and started to swallow saliva herself.
"Do you want some?" Ding Qian reached into his pocket again and took out some food.
He clenched his fist and held it in front of the woman, saying, "But first, let's play a game. I'll count to three, and when I reach three, you can open my palm to find the food. Understand?"
The woman nodded.
"Okay, one... two... three..."
The woman was eager to open Ding Qian's hand. Suddenly, Ding Qian withdrew his hand and extended the other, saying, "It's in this hand."
The woman froze for a moment, then glanced at his palm. In that instant, Ding Qian swiftly pressed the hand he had withdrawn against her head, issuing a brief command, "Sleep!"
Something unbelievable happened. The woman's body instantly went limp, as if her soul had been sucked away. She fell into Ding Qian's arms, and he used a blanket to support her body, making her sit upright on the bed steadily.
The three people watching at the door were stunned. Guo Rongrong couldn't believe it and said, "Is this really hypnosis? Why does it look like a trick from a charlatan?"
Song Yulin shot her a glare. "Just watch."
Guo Rongrong stuck out her tongue and fell silent.
Ding Qian sat by the bedside, looking at the woman with closed eyes and slightly rapid breaths. He slowly said, "You are now savoring a delicious taste, becoming more flavorful as you chew. Take your time to enjoy..."
The woman followed his instructions, chewing as if there were actually something in her mouth.
When the woman reached a moderate state of hypnosis, her breathing became steady. Ding Qian began to ask, "Now, tell me your name."
His speech was slow, clear, and carried a kind of hypnotic magnetism.
After he finished speaking, the room fell silent for two seconds before a clear voice of a woman said, "My name is Yan Guo."
There was no hint of madness in her voice, just the sound of a clear-minded, emotionally stable person speaking.
"Where do you live?"
"My home..."
The woman's body began to tremble violently, and her eyeballs could be seen moving rapidly behind her eyelids, as if she were about to jump up from the bed at any moment.
Ding Qian placed his hands on her shoulders, transmitting strength to her, and said in a slow and firm tone, "You are safe now, nothing can harm you. You've only had a nightmare, just a dream..."
"Just a dream?!"
"Yes, just a dream. Tell me, what did you see in your dream? Did you see your home?"
"I saw..."
The woman gradually calmed down.
"Where is your home?"
"Xiangshuixiang... Ping'an Town..."
"Who lives in your home?"
"My mom."
"What's your mom's name?"
"Wei... Feng... Qin."
"What about your dad?"
"I... I don't have a dad."
"Can you remember what happened the last time you left home? What happened at home?"
"I... I can't remember..." Yan Guo's chest heaved up and down, and her emotions became unstable again.
This further confirmed Ding Qian's earlier speculation. The place where Yan Guo was attacked by the "zombie" must have been at home or nearby. That's why she gets particularly nervous whenever home is mentioned. Her defense mechanism is actively avoiding this memory.
"Remember, what you saw was just a dream. Whatever you saw, it isn't real. You don't need to be afraid..." Ding Qian pressed her hand slightly, giving her a suggestion. "Now, tell me, what did you see?"
"I saw many people coming to my house."
"What were they doing?"
"They were all greeting my mom, very affectionate."
"Do you know them?"
Yan Guo paused for a few seconds, then turned her head slightly, as if she could really see those people in front of her, recognizing each one. She said, "I seem to have met them."
"They came to your house as guests, right?" "Yeah, they did." "What does your mom do for a living?" "She's a high school teacher." "And then, what did your mom and those guests do?" "They talked... and helped my mom with cooking."
Guo Rongrong, standing at the door, listened intently for a while, but soon grew impatient. "Why is he asking all these useless questions? What does this have to do with the face-biting case? He's really clueless."
Song Yulin waved her off. "You don't understand. Just listen to what they're saying."
Guo Rongrong pouted discontentedly.
"He believes that this woman's home is the crime scene where the 'zombie' attacked. He's trying to figure out the details and see if any suspicious persons were present," said Du Zhixun, who had been silent all along, speaking in a low voice.
Although he was unfriendly towards Ding Qian, he didn't underestimate him. He observed him carefully and listened to what he said.
"Besides cooking, what else happened?" Ding Qian continued to coax.
"We ate."
"...Yes, besides cooking and eating, what else happened? Think carefully."
"When we were eating, a man came," Yan Guo's chest and shoulders trembled slightly. "He looked fierce and terrifying..."
"How was he terrifying?"
"His face... his face..."
"What about his face?"
"It was frightening... he was arguing loudly with the teacher... I don't know why..."
"And then what happened?"
"Then we started eating and chatting..."
"You? You mean, your mom and her students?"
"Yes. It was them."
"What about the frightening man?"
"I don't know. I can't remember."
At a critical moment, Yan Guo's memory became fragmented. Memories after hypnosis cannot be compared with normal experiences; they often consist of disjointed fragments. A good hypnotist must quickly connect these memory fragments and guide the subject to continue recalling.
"And then, what did you do after eating?"
"We... didn't finish eating..."
"Was there an accident halfway through?" Ding Qian felt he was getting closer to the target.
But what Yan Guo said next surprised him greatly.
"We couldn't move."
"What do you mean, couldn't move?"
"I don't know. We just couldn't move, we could only sit in our chairs. And then... and then..."
"And then what?"
"And then, he... came..."
"Who was he?"
"He... he... he was terrifying..."
"Who was he? Was he the man who argued with your mom earlier?"
"I... I... oh my god... he bit us... we couldn't move, and he went crazy biting us... he wanted to eat us..."
The woman's words were clearly heard by the three police officers outside the door, and they looked at each other, their faces changing color.
Cannibalism?!
Despite their various speculations about the killer, including the possibility of zombies, they hadn't considered this possibility.
"How did you manage to escape? Why didn't he eat you?" Ding Qian's tone remained calm, unaffected.
"He thought I was too skinny, so he locked me in a cage. Later... later, after he finished eating those people, he remembered me... he bit my face... I didn't want to end up like the others, it was so hard for me to open the cage..."
Yan Guo's chest heaved, her eyes darting rapidly. Ding Qian had awakened her most terrifying experience, pushing her close to her breaking point.
"How many days were you imprisoned?"
"Imprisoned, imprisoned..." Yan Guo screamed in terror, unable to control her shaking, her voice sharp and high-pitched, almost manic.
"It's a dream, it's a dream!"
Yan Guo's intense reaction surprised Ding Qian. He tried to restrain her, but she suddenly opened her mouth and forcefully bit his wrist. Due to the excessive force, his injured face contorted grotesquely, resembling a demon.
She emitted a sinister "hehehe" laugh from her throat, and Ding Qian's wrist quickly began to bleed.
The three police officers at the door hurriedly rushed into the room to pull Yan Guo away, but Ding Qian shook his head at them. It seemed that as long as Yan Guo bit someone else, he felt no pain at all.
He lifted his other hand and touched Yan Guo's head, applying slight pressure as he commanded, "You're tired, go to sleep—"
Yan Guo's excited emotions miraculously calmed down again, and she slumped weakly, on the verge of falling asleep.
Ding Qian then addressed the three police officers, "During deep hypnosis, external force should not be used to forcefully wake the subject. It can cause serious mental harm, especially for someone like Yan Guo who has already suffered psychological trauma. Even the slightest pressure could lead to permanent damage or even psychosis."
Guo Rongrong clicked her tongue, surprised at how frightening hypnosis could be. She had almost intervened.
"I've found all the information you want. She's exhausted now, and I think we should stop and wake her up," Ding Qian continued.
Du Zhixun was still somewhat dissatisfied. "I heard her mention the murderer just now. If we could ask a few more questions, she might be able to provide more detailed information..."
"If she really remembered who the murderer was, she would have told me just now. The fact that she didn't means she truly doesn't remember. Even if I pressured her, she wouldn't be able to recall. If the pressure is too great, it could cause her mental breakdown," Ding Qian coldly refused.
Du Zhixun looked embarrassed and didn't say anything more. After all, Ding Qian was the one conducting the hypnosis, so whether to continue or not was up to him.
The others no longer objected. Ding Qian was about to issue the command to wake up the drowsy Yan Guo when she unexpectedly spoke again.
What she said was even more surprising.
Her voice was slurred, deep, and hoarse, like a man murmuring. Everyone heard her repeat the same sentence over and over, "You should die, why won't you die!!"
At first glance, it sounded like an ordinary curse from an average person, but upon closer examination, it seemed to carry a deeper meaning. However, no one could figure out much at the moment.
After that, she fell back into a deep sleep as if nothing had happened.
"Listen to my command. When I count to three, you will wake up. One... Two... Three... Snap." Ding Qian snapped his fingers in front of Yan Guo.
With a start, Yan Guo woke up from her deep hypnosis.
She looked at Ding Qian sitting in front of her with a tired expression, then glanced at the three plainclothes police officers standing behind him, wearing a puzzled expression.
"Did you enjoy the food I gave you?" Ding Qian asked with a smile.
She nodded, licking her lips as if savoring the taste, and flashed a satisfied smile, as if she had really eaten something delicious.
Guo Rongrong marveled, "Can it really be done? That's quite persuasive."
"This isn't trickery, it's science," Ding Qian rolled his eyes at her.
Ding Qian's hypnosis provided unexpected clues to Special Case One. Song Yulin and the others immediately drove to the Pingjiang City Criminal Police Detachment, where the rest of the team from Special Case One were already stationed. Ding Qian accompanied them to the police station.
Special Case One comprised five members. Apart from the forensic doctor who was absent, everyone else was present.
The stern-faced team leader was Du Zhixun, the outspoken and big-hearted one was Guo Rongrong, and the one who wore glasses and looked dry like a comedian was called Zhong Kaixin, rumored to be a computer expert. Then there was a tall and chubby man with a round face named Nian Xiaoguang.
Ding Qian rearranged and recounted various fragments of memories recalled by the female victim under hypnosis to everyone.
After Ding Qian finished, Du Zhixun summarized, "The female victim's name is Yan Guo. We suspect she escaped from her home and ran into the Youth Park where she was found by someone. Her home address is crucial; it's in Ping'an Town, Wangshu Village... Kaixin, find out immediately where this place is located."
"Just a moment, boss, I'll get it done right away," Zhong Kaixin said, slinging a laptop bag over his shoulder, ready to go online at any time.
He took out his notebook, did a quick search, and soon had the results. "It's in the northern outskirts of the city, about a 20-minute drive from Highway 101."
"Let me take a look at the map," Du Zhixun said excitedly, moving to the computer and looking for a while. "Yan Guo's home and the location of the face-biting incident three months ago are in the same direction, only a few kilometers apart. If we follow up on this case, we might even solve the previous unsolved cases."
Everyone was fired up at the prospect. Nian Xiaoguang's booming voice exclaimed, "Boss, why are we waiting? Let's go straight to her house and get some answers."
"I haven't finished yet. The face-biting assailant may be hiding near Yan Guo's home. We still don't know the situation there, but I know he's cruel, deranged, and highly aggressive, possibly... not even resembling a normal person. Although we don't know what he looks like yet, I guess we'll recognize him as soon as we see him."
She nodded, licking her lips reminiscently, and flashed a satisfied smile, as if she had really savored something delicious.
Guo Rongrong marveled, "Is this even possible? Quite the charmer."
"This isn't deception, it's science," Ding Qian rolled his eyes at her.
Ding Qian's hypnosis provided the Special Case One team with unexpected leads. Song Yulin and the three others immediately drove to the Pingjiang City Criminal Police Detachment, where the rest of Special Case One team were on standby. Ding Qian also went along with them to the police station.
Special Case One comprised a total of five people. Currently, except for the forensic doctor who was absent, everyone else was present.
The stern-faced team leader was Du Zhixun, the outspoken and laid-back one was Guo Rongrong, the one with glasses who looked dry like a comedian was called Zhong Kaixin, rumored to be a computer expert. Then there was a tall and chubby man with a round face named Nian Xiaoguang.
Ding Qian reorganized and recounted various fragments of memories recalled by the female victim under hypnosis, retelling them to everyone.
After Ding Qian finished speaking, Du Zhixun made a summary, "The female victim is named Yan Guo. We suspect she escaped from her home and ran into the Youth Park where she was discovered by someone. Her home address is crucial; it's in Ping'an Town, Wangshu Village... Kaixin, find out immediately where this place is located."
"Just a moment, boss, I'll get it done right away," Zhong Kaixin said, slinging a laptop bag over his shoulder, ready to go online at any time.
He took out his notebook, did a quick search, and soon had the results. "It's in the northern outskirts of the city, about a 20-minute drive from Highway 101."
"Let me take a look at the map," Du Zhixun said excitedly, moving to the computer and looking for a while. "Yan Guo's home and the location of the face-biting incident three months ago are in the same direction, only a few kilometers apart. If we follow up on this case, we might even solve the previous unsolved cases."
Everyone was fired up at the prospect. Nian Xiaoguang's booming voice exclaimed, "Boss, why are we waiting? Let's go straight to her house and get some answers."
"I haven't finished yet. The face-biting assailant may be hiding near Yan Guo's home. We still don't know the situation there, but I know he's cruel, deranged, and highly aggressive, possibly... not even resembling a normal person. Although we don't know what he looks like yet, I guess we'll recognize him as soon as we see him. Once you find him, be careful, and absolutely do not engage with him up close."
"Boss, you don't have to worry too much. Even if the other party is a zombie, with so many of us, we shouldn't fear him. Besides, I checked online. The only weakness of zombies is their head. If we encounter a zombie, I won't hesitate to pull out my gun and blow his head off."
Zhong Kaixin teasingly mocked Nian Xiaoguang with a grin, "All you know is to boast. When the time comes, you'll probably be the first one to run."
"Alright, time is of the essence. Pack up your gear, we'll leave in fifteen minutes," Du Zhixun ordered.
"Liu Fei will be here soon. Should we wait for her?" Guo Rongrong asked.
"No need. Let's go ahead. Leave the address for her," Du Zhixun replied.
Du Zhixun did not bring along local police officers. With the four members of Special Case One plus Ding Qian, a total of five people, they got into a police jeep and left the police station, heading straight for the outskirts of the city. After passing through the toll booth, they drove for 10 minutes on Highway 101 before turning onto a side road. Following the navigation device's instructions, they rushed towards Wangshu Village in the Wanshui Township.
Pingjiang City is traversed by the Run River, and Wangshu Township is located along the Run River. It's a narrow area built along the river, with Ping'an Town situated southwest of Wangshu Township. With 400 households, the main livelihoods are farming and fish farming, making it a peaceful little town.
Entering the town, they were met with a serene and peaceful atmosphere, seemingly devoid of any anomalies.
It was as if there hadn't been a gruesome incident where a woman was mauled by "zombies" here.
However, Yan Guo clearly pointed out that this was where the tragedy occurred.
Upon arriving in Ping'an Town, the officers went straight to the town government office, asking the staff to help locate a woman named Cai Fengqin, who had previously worked as a teacher.
The staff checked the household registration records and found three women with the same name, but none of them were teachers.
Du Zhixun asked the staff member, "Has there been any recent terrifying incidents here?"
"No, not at all," the person replied confidently.
Nian Xiaoguang said, "Boss, could it be that we're in the wrong place?"
Du Zhixun thought for a moment and said, "It's not surprising. If Cai Fengqin wasn't a local teacher, there might not be any records here. As for her residence, we think the person we're looking for probably lives in a relatively remote area, which is why no one noticed anything unusual."
Among the three Cai Fengqins, two lived in the town, while one lived on the southern outskirts of the town near a fish farm, with few neighbors around, just a solitary house.
Guided by the government staff, the officers drove to the residence of that Cai Fengqin. It was a large compound with three brand-new tiled houses, a chicken coop, and a vegetable garden in the backyard.
As they got out of the car and approached the gate, they found it closed but not locked, just slightly ajar.
"Hold on a moment," Du Zhixun signaled the others not to move and crouched down to examine the green brick ground beneath his feet.
There was a small puddle that had turned into a brown bloodstain.
Following this trail of blood, he pushed the gate open and entered the courtyard. Soon, he found several more bloodstains on the ground, leading from the main gate to outside the gate, like a winding bloodline.
Du Zhixun looked at the others and said quietly, "If this bloodline was left by Yan Guo, why is there only one? Didn't anyone else escape?"
Du Zhixun's words echoed the concerns of everyone present. No one said a word, all eyes fixed on him, waiting for his instructions.
Du Zhixun remained calm and didn't immediately rush into the house with his team. Not knowing what was inside, he decided to observe first. He gestured to Zhong Kaixin and Nian Xiaoguang, and the two immediately flanked to the back of the house to prevent the suspect from escaping.
He then exchanged a glance with Guo Rongrong, and the two moved to the windows on the east and west sides of the house to observe any activity inside.
Ding Qian, curious, also wanted to take a look, but Guo Rongrong tapped his shoulder and said, "Don't mess around, you're not a professional!"
"..."
Guo Rongrong went to the window on the west side, which was usually used as the living room. As expected, through the window, she could vaguely see a TV cabinet and a sofa inside.
Suddenly!
She widened her eyes and exclaimed in astonishment.
"What's wrong?" Du Zhixun asked.
"There's someone in the living room... eating."
What? Someone eating at the crime scene? Just the thought of it was eerie enough.