The Mystery of the Inner Demon

Chapter 156 Lunch Box
"If he were still alive, he wouldn't abandon me." Zheng Aiyuan said this while sobbing and unable to speak.

Liu Tong helped her sit back in the chair, and Qi Fei moved a stool and sat opposite her.

"I want to know where you found him and whether I can see him again?" Zheng Aiyuan's eyes were full of anticipation.

Liu Tong and Qi Fei looked at each other, seemingly not knowing how to answer.

Qi Fei was determined not to let Zheng Aiyuan see the kneeling Old Ye, and said before Liu Tong: "You know, in order to find clues, we need to examine Old Ye's body first. After everything is over, we will arrange for you to see him for the last time. But..." His voice became heavier, "You have to be mentally prepared." He had to wait until forensic doctor Xiao Tao had processed Ye Ming's skeleton into a flat position.

Zheng Aiyuan's lips trembled slightly, and she murmured: "As a family member of a police officer, I can be mentally prepared."

He waited quietly for her to calm down before saying, "We came here this time, on the one hand, to tell you about Old Ye, and on the other hand, to continue investigating the 'Demon Mirror Case.'"

Hearing the words "Demon Mirror Case," Zheng Aiyuan's cloudy eyes suddenly widened, and the corners of her mouth trembled as she said, "You haven't given up yet..."

"Well, when you came to me two months ago, I told you that we wouldn't give up on Old Ye, and naturally, we wouldn't give up on the case he was investigating. I think this was also Old Ye's last wish."

"But if he hadn't investigated this case, he wouldn't have died." Zheng Aiyuan said, and tears fell from the corners of her eyes again.

"I know you have been questioned many times, but this time, we are sure that Lao Ye has found the suspect, so I hope you can recall again whether there were any special circumstances before Lao Ye disappeared." Qi Fei could only force himself to harden his heart and ask.

Unexpectedly, when Qi Fei asked this question, Zheng Aiyuan's expression suddenly changed.

It seemed as if she had been prepared for this question.

Zheng Aiyuan stood up tremblingly and walked towards her closet.

Everything in this nursing home was provided by the nursing home, except for the suitcase, whose canvas surface was worn out and it was obvious that Zheng Aiyuan brought it from home.

She opened the suitcase, took out all the clothes, zipped open the secret compartment, and pulled out a greasy aluminum lunch box.

She held the aluminum lunch box in both hands, and her mood, which had just calmed down, began to surge out again like water that had just been closed.

"I'm sorry, I haven't told anyone about this thing in the past 42 years. Because before Old Ye disappeared, he told me not to mention this thing to anyone unless I was sure he was dead..." At this point, Zheng Aiyuan choked up again, "I pray every day, praying that the day will come when I have to give it to you. I once fantasized that one day Old Ye would come back and I could return this thing to him..."

She placed the lunch box on the table and stroked the lid nostalgically. "This is the only thing Old Ye left me. He said that if he were ever confirmed dead, he should give this to someone who could solve the Mirror Demon case. Now I'm giving it to you."

"Have you never opened it before?" Qi Fei asked.

Zheng Aiyuan shook her head: "No, he said not to open it. For more than 40 years, I have never forgotten his instructions. No matter what is inside, I believe it is a valuable clue that he wants to pass on to his comrades. I..." As she spoke, she dragged her old body and knelt down tremblingly.

"I beg you, you must find the real culprit of the 'Demon Mirror Case'. I know that Old Ye will never rest in peace until this case is solved!" She was already in tears as she spoke.

Liu Tong and Qi Fei hurried forward to help her up and accepted the precious evidence. As soon as the two returned to the police station, Wu Shanqiu seemed to have been waiting for them for a long time. When she saw them going upstairs, she immediately went to greet them.

"Captain Liu, Brother Fei, we have conducted a detailed analysis of the copper button that Old Ye is holding, and we have made some discoveries," she said. However, unlike her usual cheerful demeanor, this time, her face showed no joy at the progress.

Liu Tong looked at her and asked with concern: "What's wrong? It's not good to have made progress. Why do you still look depressed?"

Wu Shanqiu pouted, clearly disappointed with the result. "I thought the button Old Ye desperately saved was from the murderer's clothes. However, after comparison, we found that this copper button was the same copper button worn on the uniforms of the police officers in our bureau in 1983. After further investigation at the church excavation site, we found other similar buttons, and we inferred that they must have been from Old Ye's uniform. We have already contacted and found buttons from the same period as the old police uniform in 1983. Comparing their alloy ratios, if nothing unexpected happens, they should be from that batch. In other words, the button Old Ye clutched in his hand before his death was a button from his own clothes."

Compared to Wu Shanqiu's loss, Qi Fei didn't think so: "No, you have to believe Lao Ye. Since he did this, it must have important meaning."

Wu Shanqiu's eyes fell on the lunch box that Qi Fei held carefully in his arms: "You went to look for Old Ye's family and brought back food from them?"

Liu Tong smiled: "How many people still use this kind of lunch box these days? This is also left by Old Ye."

Wu Shanqiu's eyes widened when she heard this: "Is it related to the case? Did Sister Zheng give it to you?"

Liu Tong and Qi Fei nodded at the same time.

Wu Shanqiu was confused. "That shouldn't be the case. Sister Zheng comes to the police station every year. How could she not mention such an important clue in all these years?"

"This is also what Old Ye requested." Qi Fei said.

"Ah, I don't understand." Wu Shanqiu was confused.

"Whether you understand or not, you'll know after seeing what's inside."
-
In Nancheng in 1983, New Year’s fireworks lit up the entire night sky.

On the faded window of Xinhua Department Store, the gilded words "Happy Spring Festival" peeled off in the cold wind.

There was ice on the collar of Ye Ming's army green coat as he stepped over the unmelted snow on the street - the red brick wall was covered with snow, on which were written slogans in white paint about the joint defense team clearing out vagrants.

At this moment, a loud bang exploded from the popcorn stand across the street, and a crowd of people wrapped in blue cotton jackets rushed over, and aluminum lunch boxes and food coupons flew in the steam.

Ye Ming glanced at the crowd rushing to get ahead. Only one person was not keen on joining in the fun and walked towards the other end of the square.

That was the direction out of the city. Ye Ming was not in a hurry. He roughly knew where this person would go that day.

The glass of the public phone booth was mostly shattered. Ye Ming put in a third nickel before he could get through to the police switchboard. He reported his location into the receiver. A Dongfeng truck roared by, blaring a crackdown announcement: "Severe punishment, swift action, and a complete capture!"

The sonorous female voice on the radio and the noise of the telephone mingled together, drowning out the muffled sound coming from the old church in the distance. The unused archway was pushed open, startling a flock of crows...

(End of this chapter)