Winter Returns

Chapter 143 "The Madman"

and so……

Where should we go?
This time, they were definitely going to take Lao Song's notes with them, but the problem was, how to track down the missing figure? The surrounding area was covered with weeds that were knee-deep, and Xiao Li and his team had searched the area thoroughly, but still found nothing.

Zhang Shutong watched the ambulance disappear around the street corner:

"You mean... is it that thing?"

He had this suspicion ever since he discovered the other person had disappeared, but he couldn't say it out loud because there were too many people around.

In his memory, only things like "mud figures" could jump from a building more than five meters high and still be unharmed.

Zhang Shutong then frowned.

But if what you see on the rooftop is a clay figure, then what was it that Lu Qinglian disposed of?
According to the information I got from Lao Song, they should be one person...

In an instant, he thought of many possibilities, but they all had flaws. Just as he was at a loss, Lu Qinglian spoke up:

"No."

Zhang Shutong was about to use the photos from Leng Xuexian's online forum to remind her, but Lu Qinglian succinctly replied:

"There is blood."

"Blood?"

"Yes, I've already checked." Lu Qinglian looked up at the rooftop and pointed her finger. "The place where that person jumped wasn't directly in front of this building, but at the angle between the front and the side, which faces the school's rooftop."

Zhang Shutong immediately turned around to look.

But Lu Qinglian said again:
"There's no need to look. I have a great sense of direction and I won't make a mistake."

"……Right."

For example, just now on the rooftop, she was able to directly tell me to look in the 10 o'clock direction.

Zhang Shutong quickly walked to the southeast corner.

He just came from the west and hasn't checked the east side yet.

Zhang Shutong squatted down, parted the weeds, and his fingers brushed against the grass blades, feeling a little sticky. Upon closer inspection, he saw a faint red stain on his fingertips.

He held it under his nose and sniffed it.

really.

Zhang Shutong hurriedly inserted his fingers into the soil, pinched up a small clump, and found that the soil was also moist and stained dark red.

Fresh bloodstains.

He continued to push aside the grass, and a bloodstain about the size of a washbasin came into view, already soaking into the ground.

Lu Qinglian walked to his side:

"These are the only findings for now."

Zhang Shutong said in surprise:

"How could the hospital staff not have noticed the blood?"

Or, to put it another way, was it simply not discovered, or was it discovered and then concealed?

He rejected the idea as soon as it came to mind.

The bloodstain wasn't very large, and the smell of blood wasn't strong either. It was also completely covered by weeds, so you had to crouch down like this to see it.

Xiao Li was wearing a mask, so he probably really didn't smell it.

As for the bald driver, judging from his attitude just now, he probably just drove around the dormitory building once and then left without a word.

The only possible clue that could be connected to the "injured person" was thus overlooked.

Clay figures don't bleed.

But if that's the case, he can't say for sure which situation is more perplexing—

Think about it: a person is bleeding and injured, and judging from the extent of the bloodstains, the injury is not serious, but the person just disappears before the rescuers arrive.

Zhang Shutong stood up, glanced at the top floor again, and couldn't help but ask:

"If it were you, would you jump from such a height..."

“You’ll die,” Lu Qinglian said decisively, “especially if you land on the back of your head.”

Yes, that person didn't just jump off a building; they fell backward with their arms outstretched. But what were they doing?
Why make such a strange move?

Want a hug?
What to embrace?
Sunlight?

newborn?

He even pictured scenes from movies, and Zhang Shutong subconsciously mimicked the pose, still completely bewildered.

Even if the other party left with injuries, there should have been blood nearby, but after searching around, he found that the only place with bloodstains was below the southeast corner of the dormitory building.

A person who has fallen and injured himself must have difficulty moving around, perhaps he is walking while holding onto the wall. Thinking of this, he carefully checked along the side wall again.

The dormitory building was six or seven meters wide. He walked from the front to the back of the building, taking more than ten steps, but found nothing under the wall except for withered grass and pebbles.

"Go get your notes first," Lu Qinglian reminded her from the side.

Zhang Shutong sighed and chose to give up for the time being.

There's nothing to be found downstairs.

He followed Lu Qinglian toward the stairs. She was still the same as always; there were very few things that could pique her interest or concern her.

Since the other party was neither Lao Song nor Ni Ren, even though the whole thing had a strange atmosphere, she still maintained an indifferent attitude.

"Thank you for what you did earlier." As the two walked into the dormitory building, Zhang Shutong said, "I owe you another favor."

“I would call an ambulance even if I wasn’t sure if it was Teacher Song,” Lu Qinglian said casually. “It should be counted as my turn anyway.”

Zhang Shutong stopped talking and looked around the interior of the dormitory building.

He hadn't had a chance to look around properly since he last came here at night and left in a hurry.

Everything in sight was covered in dust, the handrails were peeling, and the walls were covered with crooked little advertisements... But even in the daytime, with plenty of light, there was nothing unusual about it; it was just an old dormitory building.

The staircase is located in the middle of the tenement building, with dormitories on both sides. There are two rooms on the east and west sides, and a total of eight rooms in the building, but only one room is habitable.

Although this is a dormitory for faculty and staff, all the teachers on the island are locals and are getting on in years, so there is a serious lack of fresh blood. Old Song has been the only one living here from beginning to end.

To be honest, the surrounding environment was a bit eerie. Zhang Shutong wanted to ask Lao Song if he had any clues about the figure, but the other party still did not answer the phone.

Song Nanshan had been in a daze for the past few days, and his sleep schedule was irregular. Zhang Shutong was not surprised and only sent him a text message.

The two quickly went up to the second floor. Zhang Shutong stood at the end of the stairs and said:
"The easternmost room is Lao Song's. I probably left his laptop on the bed. You can go there first..."

He wanted to say, "You go and take a look first, I'll keep looking to see if anything is wrong, like going to the rooftop to take a look," but before he could finish speaking, Zhang Shutong stopped.

He suddenly realized that he was standing at the end of the stairs.

It's definitely the end, because this building is only two stories high, and once you go up the stairs, you'll find yourself in a public corridor.

Zhang Shutong was stunned for a moment.

But if that's the case, then that person...

Where did he climb up to the top floor from? He quickly looked around, but there was only one corridor connecting east and west, with balconies, passageways, and even piles of miscellaneous items, but there was no hidden passage.

This is not the school rooftop; there is no separate stairwell.

He quickly told Lu Qinglian about his discovery, and she pondered for a moment:

"The only way to climb up is from there."

Zhang Shutong looked in the direction she was pointing and saw that it was the corridor's retaining wall, a low cement wall that served the function of a railing.

It's not very high; if you lean over, you can just put your arm on it.

Zhang Shutong stuck his head out and looked up. He estimated the height. In other words, if he wanted to climb the stairs, he would first need to stand on this retaining wall, and then hold onto the roof with both hands and continue climbing up.

This……

Although it was hard to believe, the truth was that this was the only way to get to the top floor.

It's not an easy climb up a few steps; it takes a lot of effort, and you might even fall if you lose your footing.

Even so, you still have to climb up?

A chill ran down his spine. He instinctively wanted to go check on him, but then realized his hand was still in the way. At that moment, Lu Qinglian frowned:
"I'll go and have a look."

It seems the strangeness of the matter has successfully piqued her interest.

After speaking, the girl had already stepped onto the wall with one leg. Her body possessed superhuman flexibility, something Zhang Shutong had witnessed before. He saw that Lu Qinglian did not use any leverage; she simply pushed off the ground with her toes.
"Be careful—"

Zhang Shutong couldn't help but speak, but as soon as he finished speaking, Lu Qinglian was already standing firmly on the retaining wall.

The retaining wall was only half a hand's width wide. Standing on it was like walking a tightrope, with overgrown weeds below. Just maintaining balance required all one's energy. Lu Qinglian turned around nimbly, and Zhang Shutong's heart skipped a beat. All he could see were her calves.

Zhang Shutong's gaze shifted downwards. Her socks weren't too long, just enough to expose some skin around her ankles. Her skin was very fair, so any injury would be very noticeable. The redness and swelling from her ankle injury had mostly subsided, but it left behind a shocking bruise.

Zhang Shutong was only worried that her legs would suddenly lose their strength, but it turned out that his worries were completely unnecessary. The next moment, Lu Qinglian supported herself and went up to the roof. A fine cloud of dust fell with her movement.

Zhang Shutong choked for a moment, then quickly shouted:
"How about it?"

"not found."

A calm voice came from above.

"Are you sure it's not that person looking for something on the roof?" he asked again, still uneasy.

"If you're not comfortable with this, give me your phone and I'll take a picture so you can see for yourself."

Zhang Shutong handed over the phone. The building wasn't very soundproof; he could hear Lu Qinglian walking back and forth upstairs. He thought for a moment and then asked:

"Can you see the school rooftop from where you are now?"

"Barely, what's up?"

"I still don't understand why someone would go up to the dormitory building alone?" Zhang Shutong put his hand to his eyes, observing the location of the school. "But if he wasn't looking for something, even if I'm being paranoid, assuming he could see the school rooftop, is it possible he was deliberately showing us?"

There was a moment of silence above, then Lu Qinglian spoke again:
"will not."

Zhang Shutong was patiently waiting for the next part of the story when a delicate face suddenly appeared in front of him, but this face was upside down.

He instinctively took a step back. It turned out that Lu Qinglian was kneeling on the rooftop. She bent over, her long hair hanging down, and said in a calm tone:

"This building is not a single-story house."

"You mean the roof is slanted?"

"The south is higher than the north." She handed over her phone, "See for yourself."

Zhang Shutong looked at the screen. The building was indeed an old building with a layer of tiles on the roof. Just as Lu Qinglian had said, the south side facing the school was higher, while the north side was lower, forming a slope with a considerable difference in elevation.

When they saw the person, he was already standing in the southeast corner, with his back to them, and couldn't see the school at all.

Even if the other party hides to the north beforehand, it's impossible to walk backwards to the south after they appear, because their view will be blocked if they hide to the north, and they still won't be able to see the rooftop.

He then looked at the other photos Lu Qinglian had taken, and indeed there was nothing there: broken tiles, tenacious weeds, bird droppings and twigs, nothing more.

"Is there anything else?" Lu Qinglian asked again.

"That should be it?" Zhang Shutong couldn't think of any other clues.

Upon hearing this, Lu Qinglian sighed softly, as if she had finally resolved a troublesome matter. She then turned around, gripped the rooftop, and slid into the corridor like a fish.
"Zhang Shutong, now that your curiosity has been satisfied, it's best if you don't bother me anymore," she said, a little annoyed.

"This time it's really over..."

Zhang Shutong was also feeling troubled. He was unsure whether he should treat the "fall incident" as a "simple" accident.

Simply put, it means that the two people seeing each other jump off the building was purely by chance, and had little to do with what they were going to do that day.

Zhang Shutong wondered if the hospital on the island accepted mental patients, since it wasn't far from here.

Perhaps a mentally ill person sneaked out, got bored, climbed to the top floor, jumped off, fell and hurt themselves, and went back to the hospital.

What a mess...

He shook his head, and as he pondered, Lu Qinglian opened the door. She also subconsciously turned to the side, as if a cloud of dust would rush towards her.

Zhang Shutong thought to himself, "How slovenly was the impression you left on your students, my mentor? Lu Qinglian's reaction now is just like mine back then."

He put aside his joking thoughts and caught up with him in a few steps. He first carefully checked the furnishings in the room—he even considered the possibility that the person had come to Old Song's dormitory looking for something, and the first thing he noticed was the notebook on the bed.

The notebook was still there. He continued to look at the furniture, which had not been changed, and the door lock had not been damaged. Zhang Shutong then looked at the window, which had a crack, but he should have closed it when he left.

"What's wrong?"

"The window is cracked open..." Zhang Shutong said, shaking it forcefully. It turned out that the metal window frame was rusty, and even if it was pushed back into place, it would soon fall back down.

Moreover, there are bars on the outside of the window, so even if the window is not closed, it is not easy for anyone to stick their arm in, let alone a person.

Zhang Shutong looked at the desk again. It had been windy these past few days, and a Red Bull can had fallen over on it, its orange-red liquid spilling onto the exam paper next to it, looking out of place on the neat desk.

"This is……"

Lu Qinglian picked up the can, and she just frowned.

"The one I drank that day..."

Lu Qinglian glanced at him speechlessly.

The girl then walked to the bedside and carefully flipped through the notes, while Zhang Shutong looked around the room again.

The room is very shallow.

It only takes four or five steps to walk from the door to the other wall.

Living here for a long time would probably be stifling, and the lighting is terrible. Because it's an old building, only the south side faces the sun, and there isn't even a window on the north side. It's like being in prison.

A single bed was placed against the wall, where a large poster of Andy Lau was displayed. The poster had long since faded, but the superstar's charm remained. Zhang Shutong thought Old Song had good taste. He admired it for a while, then looked up.

Above his head was a handmade clothes rack that Lao Song had made himself. It was actually just a wire tied to the north and south sides, with his shirts hanging on it, all wrinkled. Zhang Shutong used to think that he even made his work clothes so sloppy, but now he realized that he didn't have the means to do so. There was no iron for him to use here.

The room was covered with photos of short-haired women with big eyes and dimples when they smiled.

Zhang Shutong tried to avoid the photos, but they were plastered all over the room. He didn't want to look at them anymore, so he simply retreated to the doorway and turned away.

Lu Qinglian slammed her notebook shut.

(End of this chapter)