Madness of the Heart

"I can see ghosts." Xu Yin repeated.

Mingshu is a materialist through and through. He never believes that there are ghosts in this world. The little girl's tone and eyes only make him uncomfortable, but it is impossible to scare him.

Shao Qing, Ming Shu asked, "Oh? What the hell?"

Xu Yin tilted his head, "Aren't you afraid?"

Ming Shu smiled, "Are ghosts terrible? You have to see me, just want to tell me this?"

The corners of Xu Yinyang's lips were pressed down, and his eyes gradually became gloomy, "I have seen ghosts, but she is dead."

The child in front of him is not an ordinary child. Ming Shu pondered Xu Yin's brief words, ghosts are fake, but death is not necessarily fake. Xu Yin is extremely sensitive to the smell of corpses. Since Wu Zhen's corpse was found, he might have found it in a corpse hunting game before.

"Who is TA?" Ming Shu asked.

"An older sister." Xu Yin pulled her two croissants apart and re-tied them into a single ponytail. "Her hair style is like this. One night I stood outside my window and looked at me, and I looked at her too."

Outside the window of Xu's house...

Ming Shu has a picture in his mind.

Yilu Street is full of old houses, old enough to be used as the historical business card of this city. The road is narrow and uneven bluestone slabs, the stairs and corridors are creaking old wooden boards, the windows of every house are broken and they can't be closed at all. The lights of the streets and lanes at night are bleak, and some corners even have no light.

At this moment, a woman with a ponytail stood silently outside an old window, her sticky eyes swept over everything in the room, and finally she met Xu Yin's eyes.

It's also because Xu Yin is not afraid of ghosts, otherwise it's very likely to be shocked by such a picture alone.

Ming Shu said, "Why would she stand outside your window? Do you know her?"

Xu Yin shook his head, "I don't know, but I know that she is here to'replace' me."

"Replacement?"

"Just let me become her."

Ming Shu looked at Xu Yin again. The little girl didn't seem to be lying, but what she said was so unusual that even he couldn't understand it.

Suddenly, Xu Yin grinned again, "But she is dead, she can't'replace' me anymore."

This may be a murder case. Ming Shu followed Xu Yin's words and asked, "You said she was a ghost, but how could a ghost die?"

"Can't ghosts die?" Xu Yin showed a confused expression, then smiled again, "Anyway, I know, she is dead."

"Are you sure?" Ming Shu said, "Then where did you see her dead?"

Xu Yin's range of activities was in the vicinity of Yilu Street and Yilu Street. If she really found a corpse outside of Wu Zhen, it would not exceed this range.

"In Yisi Alley." Xu Yin said, "I saw her. Her stomach was broken open, and a lot of blood was shed, but she was still alive!"

Died for a while, not dead for a while, the girl's words turned upside down.

Ming Shu knows the situation on Yilu Street--

Although Yilu Street is old, it is divided into the old and the new. The area where Xu Yin lives is the second alley of Yi, which has a lot of residents and is quite lively during the day. Yisi Alley was the center of Yilu Street decades ago. The houses are the most dilapidated and have become dangerous houses. The residents who lived there were moved out. At least five years ago, Yisi Alley became Empty alley.

A little girl, saw a woman in an empty alley who was ripped apart, but she was not dead yet?

"When did you see it?" Ming Shu asked, "What happened later?"

Xu Yin frowned in distress, as if he was trying to remember, "Later I went home."

Ming Shu's eyelids twitched.

Assuming that such a terrifying murder happened in Yisi Alley, it shouldn't be known to only one little girl. Where did the victim's body go?

"At midnight the next day, I went to see her again." Xu Yin hugged her arm and shivered comically, "but she is gone. She shed so much blood, she must be dead."

Ming Shu took a few steps closer, "You didn't lie to me?"

Xu Yin's smile became more and more naive, "Guess?"

Coming out of the room, Ming Shu pressed his temple, especially wanting to smoke.

But on the site of the Psychological Research Center, smoking has always been prohibited.

Lin Jiao said, "Team Ming, your complexion is not very good."

Ming Shu patted Lin Jiao on the shoulder, "Brother, you have worked hard."

Lin Jiao is inexplicable.

"Always dealing with them, isn't it hard?" Ming Shu pointed in the direction of the door, "I have to take a moment."

"So you are talking about this." Lin Jiao smiled helplessly. "Your detectives are good at solving problems with logic, and logic is useless in front of them."

"Xu Yin helped me look up." Ming Shu didn't plan to stay here for a long time. "It's best to let her open her heart. If you can't, it's okay. In short, you can't let her run away."

"Don't worry, it's the special police team outside." Lin Jiao said, "By the way, about the corpse..."

"I haven't counted it yet." Ming Shu said, "I will contact you again if necessary."

After receiving Ming Shu's notice, Xu Chun and Xiao Man rushed to Yisi Alley.

Not long ago, Xiao Man came to Yilu Street and was familiar with the road, but Xu Chun came back for the first time, "This place is too broken, right?"

"The location is too far. If it is close to the center of Dongcheng District, it must have been demolished early." Xiao Man put the survey box on the ground and chatted with Xu Chun while working.

The Yisi Alley is not long, but it turns around and looks very deep. According to Xu Yin’s description, the female corpse was thrown in the middle of the alley, on a bluestone floor with many cracks like this. If a corpse was ever laid, no matter how many times it rained, how clean the murderer cleaned the scene. Will definitely leave traces.

"What did you find?" Xu Chun asked when Xiao Man took out his tools.

"Do a bloodstain pre-experiment." Xiao Man said, "Da Xu, go get a bag of evidence, and help me take a sample of the soil in this crevice."

"Found a large area of ​​bloodstains?" Ming Shu said on the phone: "Is the DNA confirmed?"

Xiao Man said: "Not yet. Ming team, how to check next?"

Ming Shu is on his way to Yu Xiaocheng's home, and Yu Xiaocheng is one of Sha Chun's 10 one-on-one students.

The matter was prioritized, and Ming Shu quickly made a judgment, “You and Xu Chun go back to do a DNA test to see if you can determine the identity of the owner of the bloodstain. I'll talk about the rest when I come back.”

Putting down the phone, Ming Shu curled his eyebrows and looked out the window.

There was a brutal murder case in Yisi Alley. The victim was the "female ghost" Xu Yin had seen, and Xu Yin happened to see the "female ghost" dying. The next day, the body of the "female ghost" disappeared. .

If Xu Yin didn't lie, what kind of case is this?

The window was half down, and the hot air of late summer poured into the car. Ming Shu wiped his face and turned his attention back to Sha Chun's case.

The technical investigation conducted thorough investigation of Sha Chun's network and communication records, and found no unfamiliar suspicious persons. This almost shows that Sha Chun and her "facilitators" can only communicate face-to-face.

Among the 10 students, apart from Wu Zhen who has died and Zhou Lan who had gone abroad as early as a month ago, among the remaining 8 students, Liu Mei is a model who is affiliated with an artist agency. He is 24 years old and 1.74 meters tall. Not the kind of slender figure, but rather a sense of strength;

Wang Dan is a middle school student who just started to learn guzheng. He was studying in the city's key twelfth middle school. She was a thin girl who was just 1.5 meters tall and did not have the conditions to strangle an adult woman;

Long Tianhao, male, retired e-sports player. He has been struggling in the sub-league before. Now he is a game anchor on the live broadcast platform. He has been in Sha Chun’s class for more than a month. After the end of the course in early July, he did not come again. "Jianjia Bailu";

Liang Xiyue, female, younger than Wang Dan, was forced by her parents to attend classes for three months. She has now transferred to study painting and does not have the conditions to commit crimes;

He Junchao, He Xiuting, cousins, all 17 years old, can obviously go to class together, but insist on one-on-one. He's family is middle-class, and both of them are studying in an international school with overseas projects. The family's requirements for their cultural classes Very low

Wen He, male, 37 years old, middle-level state-owned enterprise, divorced, has a son, and is currently traveling abroad;

Yu Xiaocheng, a 19-year-old student in the city’s key nine middle school, has failed the college entrance examination for two consecutive years. Now it is the second time to retake the college entrance examination. After the college entrance examination this year, he studied Guzheng with Sha Chun. The last two lessons included.

Ming Shu did not ask the team members to bring the crime team to Xiaocheng, but went to Yu Xiaocheng's rented house outside the north gate of Jiuzhong.

The Ninth Middle School has a long history and is one of the three middle schools with the best teachers in Dongye City. Most of its students in the liberal arts experimental class aim at the top ten famous universities in the country, and the scores of the college entrance examination for the second time are far more than one. line.

Outside the north gate is a house built more than 40 years ago. It is half new and not old. The hardware conditions are very general. However, because it is close to the Ninth Middle School, the rent is high.

All senior high school students who want to have a quiet review and rest environment, and the family can get a year's rent, rent here.

For outsiders who rarely set foot here, this place is like a dormitory in the Ninth Middle School.

Even before the evening self-study, Ming Shu and Yi Fei were eating rice noodles at a stall outside the school.

Although the crime team has not directly contacted Yu Xiaocheng, Ming Shu has already figured out the basic situation of Yu Xiaocheng.

"Of these students of Sha Chun, Yu Xiaocheng is most likely to be Sha Chun's target." Ming Shu was hungry, and the rice noodles were delivered to his mouth as soon as he was served, and he was scalded with a "hiss" sound.

If Xiao Yuan was next to him, he would probably remind him to "slow down", but at this time it was Yi Fei who was at the same table with him, and Yi Fei was hungry than him and was too hot.

"Yu Xiaocheng is studying liberal arts and his goal is Beijing Zhengda University. Unfortunately, both college entrance examinations are three points short." Ming Shu asked his boss to bring two empty bowls, one for him and one for Yi Fei. "Yu Xiaocheng's family is here. A single parent in Linxi County, he studied in the county's key junior high school. He passed the ninth high school entrance examination with the top ten scores in the county and entered the experimental class directly."

Yi Fei put the rice noodles into the bowl and chilled, "But after entering the experimental class, Yu Xiaocheng's grades were'not good.' After three years of high school, he had never entered the top 20 of his grade."

Ming Shu disturbed a few times, "Fuck."

Yi Fei raised his eyes, "What the **** are you?"

"Isn't it called'no good' before entering the first 20 grades?" Ming Shu said, "This is the ninth middle school."

Yi Fei said: "I know this is the ninth middle school, but in the hearts of Xiaocheng students, if they can't get into the top 20 of the grade, it's ‘lost’."

Ming Shu poured vinegar into the bowl, "It will be up to 10 o'clock in the third night of high school. I will go to the school for a while. You go to Yu Xiaocheng and watch it downstairs."

Yi Fei was busy filling his stomach, "Okay."

On the campus at night, there is a kind of tranquility that is hard to find in the city. Evening self-study has already begun. In the third-year dedicated building, most of the students in the classrooms are struggling to write, and only a few science teachers are still teaching papers.

Ming Shu came to the floor where Class 28, the experimental liberal arts class, was located, and heard the sound of turning the pages of the book.

A chubby middle-aged female teacher walked out from the front entrance of Class 28 and stopped when she saw Ming Shu, "Are you?"

In any key middle school, the third floor of the high school is strictly managed, and idlers are not allowed to enter.

Ming Shu could not be a parent at first glance, much less like a school faculty and staff. No wonder teacher Wang, the head teacher, suddenly became vigilant.

"Hello." Ming Shu lowered his voice and showed his credentials.

Teacher Wang saw that the vigilance in his eyes did not decrease but increased, "You..."

"Take a step to speak." Ming Shu said.

The high school teacher worked hard, the students struggled, and the teacher had to follow it. There were people coming and going in the office, there were teachers, and there were students with problems. It was definitely not a place to talk.

Teacher Wang took Ming Shu to a small idle classroom and asked nervously, "What happened to any student in our class?"

It is not unreasonable that Teacher Wang is nervous. The pressure of the college entrance examination is really too great. Almost every year in Dongye City, high school seniors self-harm, commit suicide, and vent their classmates.

Ming Shu concealed a soothing smile, and said in Xiao Yuan's tone: "I want to get to know your student Yu Xiaocheng."

Teacher Wang's expression changed slightly, and he sighed before speaking, "Did something happen to his family?"

Ming Shu shook his head, "Teacher Wang, I can't tell you too many details for the time being, please forgive me. I came to you today, mainly because I want to hear from you, what kind of student Yu Xiaocheng is. After all, he is his No. 1 student this year. Three times hit the college entrance examination, and you became his three-year class teacher, this is the fourth year. The teacher who knows him best in the Ninth Middle School is none other than you."

Teacher Wang teaches English and is a special grade teacher. After Xiaocheng's students were sent away a year ago, he took over the experimental class of high school liberal arts. Therefore, Yu Xiaocheng was not in her class when he re-read for the first time. Now the second year of high school has become the third year of high school. , Yu Xiaocheng repeated again and became a student of Teacher Wang.

"Yu Xiaocheng this child..." Teacher Wang opened his mouth, but he paused for a long time and couldn't speak.

Ming Shu saw a little embarrassment, helplessness, and regret on her face.

"Let me ask." Ming Shu said, "Is Yu Xiaocheng not smart enough in the experimental class?"

Teacher Wang looked at Ming Shu hesitantly, and finally nodded, "Actually, I don’t think Yu Xiaocheng’s repeated choice to repeat is a good thing. He is too paranoid. He came to my class again this year. I clearly felt that his mentality was already gone. problem appear."

"How to say?"

"Yu Xiaocheng's positioning of himself is not in line with his own abilities." Teacher Wang was silent for a while. "The teacher shouldn't judge a student by his grades, but in the experimental classes of key high schools, the atmosphere of competition is too strong. One can break away from that atmosphere."

Ming Shu nodded in time, "Yeah."

"Yu Xiaocheng Junior High School is very good, and his grades have been in the top ten in the county for a long time. But which of the students in our class is not the best in the district, county or main city?" Teacher Wang said, "Yu Xiaocheng is very hardworking, I can tell , He wants to bring the gap back..."

Ming Shu said: "Diligence? You can specifically talk about Yu Xiaocheng's diligence."

"The students in our class are very diligent, and Yu Xiaocheng is particularly outstanding." Teacher Wang said: "All class activities, such as sports meets, class meetings, and high school hobby activities, he does not participate in, thinking that it is a delay in studying. Dormitory. The lights will be turned off. His family situation is actually quite ordinary, but since the semester of high school, he has rented out and the rent is not cheap. I asked his mother during parent conferences and learned that the expenses are for his family. Said it is a big burden."

Ming Shu said: "Listen to what you mean, Yu Xiaocheng has very little intersection with his classmates?"

"It can be said that in our class, he is a bit like an'air man'." Teacher Wang said and sighed again. "Even if he works so hard, his grades still can't improve. I'm not saying that he is not excellent, but In the Ninth Middle School, there are too many excellent students. The only thing Yu Xiaocheng stands out is hard work. He is harder than everyone else, but his grades can only barely maintain at a medium level. This is really cruel."

Ming Shu remembered what Mr. Wang had said before, and asked: "You said that you will be Yu Xiaocheng's class teacher again this time, and you find that Yu Xiaocheng has a psychological problem? What's the manifestation?"

“He used to like to ask questions to teachers. Although he has a normal relationship with his classmates, he often discusses problem-solving ideas with classmates who are sitting close to each other.” Teacher Wang said: “Now I don’t communicate with anyone anymore. I just sit in the classroom for a day. I don’t ask questions if I don’t know, I was bored, and the students sitting near him told me several times that they didn’t want to sit with him because his eyes were so terrifying, just like that Liu..."

Teacher Wang did not go further, Ming Shu caught the regret of saying the wrong thing on her face.

After thinking about it, Ming Shu guessed what Teacher Wang swallowed—just like Liu Huizhi.

Liu Huizhi, a special murder symbol.

More than ten years ago, Liu Huizhi attended a key high school in the capital. He has excellent grades and outstanding performance in all aspects. If there is no accident, he will certainly be admitted to one of the two highest-ranked universities in the country.

But just in the second half of the third semester of high school, Liu Huizhi suddenly killed 5 roommates in the dormitory with a machete that he did not know when he brought it into the dormitory. Then he rushed into the high school building with the knife, killing 8 people and seriously wounding 14 people. .

When the police arrived, although Liu Huizhi had been subdued by the teachers and students, the teaching building was full of blood and crying students. The scene was shocking.

In the subsequent trial, Liu Huizhi said that it was because of too much pressure to study that he could not think about it for a while and committed an unforgivable crime.

At that time, school violence was not as highly topical as it is now, and there has not been such a bad homicide case in schools across the country. After the media exposure, Liu Huizhi's case became a sensation in society. Liu Huizhi, who is somewhat delicate in appearance, has even become a nightmare for many senior third-year students. Until today, more than a decade later, under word of mouth, there are still students who fear that another "Liu Huizhi" will appear next to him.

Ming Shu said: "I guess Yu Xiaocheng is reluctant to ask the teacher any more questions, and he no longer discusses with his classmates because of inferiority?"

Teacher Wang nodded, "This year is the third time he is in his third year of high school. His classmates are younger than him. Many teachers have taught him. A while ago, we conducted a third year of high school. His grades were still hovering in the middle class. This was a big blow to him. Big—you think, he has completed two complete high school seniors, and he is still not as good as his younger brothers and sisters. I have taught for so many years, and I can understand the feeling of ordinary students who have worked hard but can’t keep up with others."

Wu Zhen, Sha Chun, Yu Xiaocheng...

Different lives, similar predicaments.

When Ming Shu left the Ninth Middle School, he looked in at the back door of Class 22, and Yu Xiaocheng was sitting in the back of the classroom, bowing his head to do a test paper.

Perhaps aware of it, Yu Xiaocheng suddenly turned around, his sullen gaze directed towards the small window of the back door.

Ming Shu touched his eyes and easily caught the despair and pain in his pupils.

The people outside the small window can see the people in the classroom, but the people in the classroom can't see the faces of the people peeping outside the door.

Yu Xiaocheng didn't know who was standing outside, so he turned back after a while and continued to write on the paper.

An hour later, the third year of high school was over, Ming Shu Yu Xiaocheng followed far behind and walked with him to the cramped apartment building.

At the door of 7-3, Yi Fei saw the youth who appeared from the corner of the stairs and shouted: "Yu Xiaocheng."

Yu Xiaocheng stood in a daze with an extremely defensive expression. When footsteps heard the sound of footsteps downstairs, he turned around and tried to knock over the people and escape.

However, the person here is Ming Shu.

Yu Xiaocheng is 1.76 meters tall, although his figure is thin, his explosive power should not be underestimated. At the moment Yi Fei rushed down the stairs, Yu Xiaocheng slammed into Ming Shu with his shoulder, his eyes were frightening.

Ming Shu reacted very quickly and flashed to the side. With inertia, he clasped Yu Xiaocheng's wrist and pressed the person against the wall, sternly: "What are you running?"