Zhou Tong Detective Series

Chapter 42 Zhou Tong Detective Series III: Paper Burner (1)
Introduction to Section 1
The sky was shrouded in dark clouds, and in the night away from the city, the howling wind and deep darkness made the entire forest tremble uncontrollably.However, in an abandoned cabin deep in the forest, flickering candlelight could be seen faintly.Under the dim candlelight, there are three female students in thin clothes, around the age of twelve or thirteen. They are sitting together, and their eyes are focused on the three doll-sized paper figurines. Their childish faces are full of surprise. and fear.

These paper figurines are made of soft and resilient bamboo strips and white xuan paper, and the heads are painted with delicate faces with dyes, which are lifelike.What is strange is that the back of the three paper figurines has a person's birth date written in red blood.

"Is this really okay?" One of the younger girls asked timidly.

"It's definitely possible!" The older girl nodded vigorously, "As long as they are burned, they will no longer be able to bully us."

"Yes, I don't want to be bullied or insulted anymore, I want to burn them, burn them to death..." The girl who had been silent at the side suddenly became agitated, and her trembling hand turned on the fire. machine.

In the dry air, the fire quickly revealed its ferocious face, devouring everything that got close to it, and the paper figurine laughed grinningly in the flames until it turned into ashes...

Chapter 2 Strange Letters
The annual school men's basketball league at Neptune University is a popular activity among students. Male students can fight for honors here, while female students take this opportunity to find their prince charming.

Today is the first game of the league. The "Golden Iron Horse" team from the history department is against the "Beastmaster" team from the economic management department. The two teams are not at the same level. The "Beastmaster" team has already scored fifteen points in the first quarter leading edge.Although the "Beastmaster" team took the lead on the field, it was not a member of the "Beastmaster" team that received the most attention, but a member of the "Golden Ge Iron Horse" team. Because he fouled five times in the first quarter and Created the record for the fastest dismissal since the school league.

As the referee made a gesture to leave the field, there were booing and laughter in the stands. Of course, these were all dedicated to the player who was leaving the field.

"Zhou Tong, why are you playing?" Wang Wencai, a friend and coach off the court, shouted angrily at Zhou Tong who was leaving the court.

Zhou Tong patted his head helplessly, he was indeed at the extreme of decline today, he was not very good at the game, but he seemed to be unable to find his soul on the court today, and he was always restless.

"Go to the side and take a rest! Lin Shan, you go!" Wang Wencai was too embarrassed to blame Zhou Tong, and he turned his eyes back to the court to pay attention to the situation of the game.

The old man Li in the mail room here, seeing Zhou Tong being sent off, walked up cheerfully.

"Zhou Tong, I have your express mail, follow me to sign for it!" Zhou Tong usually has a sweet mouth, and often goes to the mail room to play chess with old man Li, so this old man came to inform him in person.

"Express mail?" Zhou Tong picked up a towel on the chair and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He really couldn't think of anyone who would send something to him.

"Yes, and it's urgent. I'm afraid you need it urgently, so I came to call you!" Old man Li said, pulling Zhou Tong, who was covered in sweat, to the mail room.

Zhou Tong knew that it was useless for him to stay here, so he followed Old Man Li out of the gymnasium without looking back.

The expedited express that Old Man Li mentioned was actually only a paper bag.

Zhou Tong tore off the seal, opened the express paper bag, and there was only one page of letter paper inside.There is nothing peculiar about the letter paper itself, what is disturbing is that the words on the paper are actually written in blood, and Zhou Tong can even smell a bloody smell.

Old man Li kept looking at the express paper bag in Zhou Tong's hand with curious eyes, Zhou Tong quickly put away the express paper bag, said "thank you", and left the mail room in a hurry.Zhou Tong didn't want to cause unnecessary troubles before he figured out the situation.

Back in his dormitory, Zhou Tong locked the door after confirming that there was no one there, and then took out the letter paper again and started to read it.

Mr. Zhou Tong:

First of all, please forgive me for my presumptuous abrupt behavior. I really have to write this bloody letter to you, just to let you believe me, this is definitely not a joke or idle crazy talk.

I don't know if you believe in ghosts and gods, but what I encountered was so bizarre and weird, I tried hard to seek help, but they regarded me as a lunatic.When I was almost desperate, I met a kind reporter. Although she also expressed doubts about what happened to me, she kindly recommended you to me and told me some about your experience.After listening to what she said about you, I have great admiration for you, and I believe that you may be someone who can help me.So anyway, please take time out of your busy schedule to meet me!
a dying woman
This is really a puzzling letter. It doesn't mention what happened to her, nor does it leave any address where she can be contacted. The signature at the end of the letter is even more unbelievable. Threatened with death for what?Illness or the weird and weird things she said in her letter?

Zhou Tong checked the courier paper bag again, only the address of the recipient was left on it, and nothing was written on the sender column.

As for the reporter who recommended him to her in the letter, it might be the only clue to find her.In Zhou Tong's mind, a senior sister who has graduated and is engaged in journalism emerges. She is the only one who knows some things about herself, and she will be happy to drag herself into the water.

"Ai Chen, it must be her, really, I don't know what the hell is going on, just call me yourself!" Zhou Tong put away the letter with a bit of dumbfounding, then took out his mobile phone and dialed Ai Chen's number .

After ringing a lot, some extremely noisy voices came from the phone. Zhou Tong opened his voice and said "Hello" several times, but apart from some harsh electric waves, there was no sound coming from there.

In desperation, Zhou Tong hung up the phone, and then dialed the number again.

This time it was even more straightforward. Ai Chen's mobile phone had a busy signal, and she dialed it several times in a row, but it was the same, and she couldn't get through at all.

An inexplicable uneasiness suddenly rose in Zhou Tong's heart, but it was purely an intuition. In any case, to find out the whole thing, he had to contact Ai Chen first.

Zhou Tong hurriedly changed her clothes, ran out of the dormitory, and went straight to the school's file office.

There, he quickly found out the unit where Ai Chen worked after leaving school, but what surprised him was that Ai Chen, who has always paid attention to practical things, actually went to work as a reporter for a travel magazine.This travel magazine called "You Tiandi" is very influential in China, and the editorial office is in the city, so it is very convenient to go there.Zhou Tong gave up the idea of ​​making a phone call, and decided to go in person to find Ai Chen.

The editorial department of "You Tiandi" is located in the newspaper building in the city, and Zhou Tong found it with little effort.At the front desk of the editorial department, Zhou Tong explained his intentions to the receptionist.

The reception lady wore glasses and looked polite, but when she heard Zhou Tong said that she was looking for Ai Chen, a strange expression appeared on her face, and she looked up and down Zhou Tong with a vigilant look. Fan, and then carefully asked: "Who are you?".

Although Zhou Tong was surprised that she would ask such a question, he still said patiently: "I am her classmate, and I have something important to do with her!"

"She's not in the editorial department right now." The receptionist replied very simply this time.

"I don't think she's here, but I lost contact with her a few days ago, and I can't find her at home. I believe her disappearance should have something to do with her work, so I came here to inquire. If there is still no For clues, I think it is necessary for me to post a missing person notice immediately, or call the police directly." Zhou Tong made up nonsense, but these words were very effective, and the cold attitude of the reception lady changed a little.

"Wait a minute, I'll ask the leader for instructions!" The receptionist obviously couldn't decide, so she adjusted her glasses, got up and entered the editorial department.

Zhou Tong was very sure that she would come back immediately and invite herself in, so she sat down on the sofa leisurely.

Sure enough, after two or three minutes, the reception lady came out from inside.

"Our editor-in-chief would like to meet you!"

"A wise choice." The corners of Zhou Tong's mouth raised slightly.

Zhou Tong followed the reception lady through the seemingly busy and messy editing room. His arrival attracted the attention of many editors.But Zhou Tong didn't care, and even nodded to them, as if they were regular customers.

The editor-in-chief's office is in the innermost part. Contrary to the situation outside, it looks neat and quiet here.The editor-in-chief Chen Feng is not very old, about thirty years old, wearing a light blue shirt on his upper body, a yellow tie with white spots, and a pair of black trousers on his lower body. He is full of energy and has a smile on his face.

"Please sit down!" Chen Feng politely called Zhou Tong to sit down.

The receptionist also closed the office door very tactfully and withdrew.

"Hello, I am Chen Feng, the editor-in-chief." Chen Feng stretched out his hand and introduced himself.

"I came here to know Ai Chen's whereabouts!" Zhou Tong shook Chen Feng's hand, and said straight to the point.

Chen Feng already knew the purpose of Zhou Tong's trip, so he was not surprised, and replied flatly: "I arranged for her to go to other places to do editorial work."

"I don't know what kind of editorial work it is, but her family and friends are completely unable to contact her. We are very worried!" Zhou Tong's tone was very dignified, and he even tied up Ai Chen's family members to explain the problem. seriousness.

"The place she went to interview is very remote, and it's normal that there is no mobile phone signal. I believe we will get in touch with her soon!" Chen Feng's explanation was a bit far-fetched, but he continued to add: "Don't worry, we have arranged people to go Find her!"

"Where did Ai Chen go?" Zhou Tong asked after her.

"I'm sorry, due to work reasons, we can't disclose it to you for the time being." Chen Feng's tone was very firm.

"Since this is the case, we have nothing to say. I will call the police immediately and ask the police to ask you the same question!" Zhou Tong turned around and prepared to leave after finishing speaking.

"Wait!" Just as Zhou Tong walked to the door, Chen Feng stopped him.

Zhou Tong turned around, didn't say anything, just looked at the editor-in-chief Chen quietly.

Chen Feng's original smile had already collapsed, and he began to regret approving Ai Chen to carry out this editorial, but it is useless to think about it now, if this matter becomes serious, not only will the magazine's reputation be ruined, but it will even ruin the magazine's reputation. affect your position.

"Editor Chen, are you going to say it or not?" Zhou Tong finally got a little impatient.

"She went to Miaojiang!" Chen Feng finally started.

"Miao Jiang?" Zhou Tong only often saw this word in martial arts novels, and suddenly heard it from the editor-in-chief, and couldn't understand it for a while.

"To be precise, it is a mysterious Miao Village belonging to Miao Jiang." Chen Feng explained after seeing Zhou Tong's confused expression.

"I believe that what you want to explain to me should be far more than just a few simple words."

Chen Feng sighed, and his thoughts seemed to return to two months ago.

"It all starts with a letter from a reader."

"It's a letter again?" Zhou Tong couldn't help muttering in his heart when he heard the words.

"Two months ago, our magazine made a special issue of travel on 'Walking in Miaojiang', which aroused great repercussions and was loved by readers. They wrote to the magazine one after another, and one of the letters from readers aroused AI. Chen’s interest. The letter told about a horrific event that happened in an unknown Miao village hidden deep in the mountains. It said that a kind of witchcraft was prevalent in this Miao village. If you plant a special paper man made of bamboo strips, and then burn it with fire, then after seven days, the vengeful evil spirit transformed from the paper man will bring great fear to the enemy, and finally burn the enemy to death. Readers even swear that their daughter was killed by this evil Miaojiang witchcraft."

"I'm afraid this is some reader's prank. Ai Chen probably wouldn't really believe such nonsense!"

"I thought so when I first saw this letter, but this reader also sent a photo with the letter, showing a charred corpse and the Miao Village looming in the distance in the thick fog , and on the back of the photo, the reader also left an address."

"Even if there is such a photo, it doesn't mean anything!"

"It really doesn't explain anything, but it aroused Ai Chen's great curiosity, so she applied to me, no matter whether it was true or not, she hoped to take a look, at least she could do a novel content in the magazine. At that time, I didn't After thinking about it, I agreed to her request. But... a week ago, we suddenly lost contact with her!" When Chen Feng said this, he couldn't help but took out a tissue and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Zhou Tong finally understood why the editor-in-chief was so nervous and came to him. Although Ai Chen requested this interview, as the person in charge of the editorial department, he couldn't shirk his responsibility no matter what.If Ai Chen's family came to ask for someone, or if they were exposed by the media, it would be a very headache.

"Do you still have this letter and photo?" Zhou Tong hoped to get this letter and compare it with the one he received to see if the handwriting was consistent.

But Chen Feng's answer disappointed him.

"No, I was taken away by Ai Chen."

"Then do you remember the reader's last name and the address she left behind the photo?"

"The letter was not signed, but I still remember the address left behind the photo. It said 'see you in Phoenix Ancient City'."

"Phoenix Ancient City?" Zhou Tong is no stranger to this place, remembering that when he was 16 years old, his mother once took him there for a trip.

"That's right, the last time Ai Chen contacted us was in the ancient city of Fenghuang."

"Did Ai Chen say anything?"

"She just called to say that she had met the person who wrote the letter, and she would go to Miao Village with her to investigate and contact us if she had any news, but after that, her phone could no longer be reached, and she did not contact the editorial department. Chen Feng sighed at this point, and then continued to say to Zhou Tong in a comforting tone: "Actually, we have already contacted the local police, and they are actively looking for Ai Chen's whereabouts, so I ask you to help us as much as possible Appease Ai Chen's family, we will definitely do our best to find Ai Chen!".

Zhou Tong was also noncommittal about the editor-in-chief's request, but just pondered for a while, then picked up the pen on the editor-in-chief's desk, and left his mobile phone number on a piece of white paper.

"This is my mobile phone number. If you have any news about Ai Chen, please contact me immediately."

"Of course, definitely." Chen Feng nodded quickly.

The office building of the Ministry of Public Security is located on the bustling section of West Street in Dongcheng District, with a construction area of ​​12 square meters, and the special criminal investigation team is in the most secret place of this huge building.The Ministry of Public Security has established this special criminal investigation team in order to deal with some unconventional, bizarre and extremely difficult cases.This team is not affiliated with any department in the Ministry. All team members are only responsible to the team leader, and the team leader is directly responsible to the Minister of Public Security.Yan Yongjie was called into the special criminal investigation team because of her outstanding performance and strong working ability in the police force.However, she did not expect that as soon as she joined the special criminal investigation team, she would encounter two extremely difficult cases one after another. If it was not for Zhou Tong's help, these cases would not be resolved satisfactorily.

(End of this chapter)