Translator: CinderTL
"That's exactly how it happened," Yuan Xiaoyi nodded repeatedly. "Later, the police checked the list of sculptures displayed at the exhibition. There were a total of 53 sculptures, all listed with corresponding photos."
"They confirmed at the scene that all 53 sculptures were present and accounted for!"
"This sculpture wasn't on the list at all," Yuan Xiaoyi said hesitantly, her voice barely audible. "It was as if it had appeared out of thin air. Then, after the male teacher's accident, it vanished again."
"What kind of sculpture was it?" Jiang Cheng asked curiously.
"It was a bust," Yuan Xiaoyi recalled. "A half-body portrait, just like the ones we usually see."
A half-body portrait... Jiang Cheng suddenly remembered a mission Huai Yi had mentioned, one that involved a bizarre half-body portrait.
"Senior?" Yuan Xiaoyi asked, noticing Jiang Cheng lost in thought.
Jiang Cheng snapped back to reality.
Looking at Jiang Cheng's face, Yuan Xiaoyi's expression softened with concern. "Senior, are you alright?"
Jiang Cheng rubbed his temples and replied in a weary voice, "I'm fine, Xiaoyi. Don't worry about me. Saving people is the priority. You... continue. I can hold on."
Hearing this, Yuan Xiaoyi nodded and began speaking again, but this time, her tone had changed—a shift Jiang Cheng noticed immediately.
"Senior," Yuan Xiaoyi whispered mysteriously, "that strange sculpture has appeared more than once."
Jiang Cheng's head snapped up. "It appeared again?"
Yuan Xiaoyi pressed her lips together, nodding hesitantly as if burdened by some unspoken concern. Her expression was peculiar. After a long pause, she finally spoke again, turning to Jiang Cheng. "Senior, do you remember the security guard we mentioned earlier? The one who found the male teacher's body?"
"I do," Jiang Cheng recalled. "You said the police released him, so they must have confirmed he had nothing to do with the case."
"Mm," Yuan Xiaoyi said, her eyes and expression strange. "He was released, but... it wasn't his choice."
This statement left Jiang Cheng utterly bewildered. Being released by the police should be a good thing, clearing him of suspicion. Why did Yuan Xiaoyi make it sound like the security guard had been forced out?
"Senior, you heard right. The security guard didn't leave willingly. He didn't want to leave the police station and caused quite a scene inside about it," Yuan Xiaoyi explained quickly. "He said he didn't want to go because someone was waiting for him outside, and if he left, they would kill him!"
"Waiting to kill him?"
"Yes, that's exactly what he said!" Yuan Xiaoyi nodded.
Jiang Cheng pondered for a moment, then nodded at Yuan Xiaoyi. "Continue. What happened next?"
"At first, the police didn't believe him. But over the years, they'd seen plenty of people arrested who claimed they were innocent and were desperate to get out. They'd rarely encountered a case like this—a security guard who was actually innocent but refused to leave the police station."
"After a while, the police started to suspect something was wrong. The security guard's behavior didn't seem like an act."
"His eyes were bloodshot, and he stayed up all night staring at a corner of the wall, as if possessed. Anyone who saw him would be terrified."
"The police even brought in a psychologist who had experience in post-disaster intervention. But the psychologist said a lot, and the security guard didn't react at all."
"Just as the psychologist was about to give up and leave, the security guard finally spoke."
"But it would have been better if he hadn't. What he said shocked even the psychologist."
"He pointed at the corner behind the Doctor and asked tremulously, 'Is that person with you? Why is he always tilting his head and staring at me?'"
"There were only two people in Coco's room—the security guard and the Doctor!" Yuan Xiaoyi exclaimed excitedly. "That corner only had a coat rack with a single piece of clothing hanging on it!"
"It was just a piece of clothing!"
"Calm down, Xiaoyi," Jiang Cheng soothed. "I'm here."
"But no matter what, the security guard isn't a criminal. Keeping him at the police station indefinitely isn't a long-term solution."
"Later, the Doctor suggested that his family come visit him. The next day, his two sons arrived."
"The moment they saw their father's condition, the two sons flew into a rage. They accused the police of mistreating him, possibly even forcing a confession through torture."
"They vowed to file a complaint and refused to let this injustice go unpunished."
The police officer in charge of the case was left speechless.
The security guard showed little reaction to his sons' arrival, appearing completely lost in thought.
But when his sons tried to take him away, he fought with all his might, clinging to the gate and refusing to let go. He kicked, punched, and even bit them.
"In the end, he couldn't resist his two sons. They forcibly carried him away. The security guard was crying and shouting, and his struggle attracted a crowd of onlookers at the police station entrance."
"His two sons, convinced their father had suffered a terrible injustice inside, comforted him as they carried him out. They promised to take him to a delicious meal, buy him new clothes, and quit his job as a security guard so he could enjoy a life of leisure."
"But who could have predicted..." Yuan Xiaoyi's tone shifted, and she sighed. "Less than a hundred meters from the police station, the security guard suddenly bit one of his son's hands, broke free, and sprinted back towards the police station."
"His two sons chased after him, but as they crossed the street, the security guard, for some unknown reason, suddenly stopped in the middle of the road, staring blankly ahead, frozen in place."
"Just then, a large truck barreled down the road and ran him over, dragging him under its wheels." Yuan Xiaoyi exhaled softly. "When they found him, his upper body was completely flattened, like a sheet of paper stuck to the ground. They couldn't even pry him loose."
"The truck was loaded with gravel for road construction and couldn't brake in time."
"One of his sons fainted on the spot."
(End of the Chapter)
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