While we were still figuring out how to get upstairs, having initially thought there would be stairs nearby but finding none after a long search, we returned to the room. Xia Xiaoling came up with a plan: one person would support from behind, and by stepping on the fireplace, we should be able to ascend. Using this method, three of the women managed to get up, leaving me. Finally, I tried stepping on the concrete of the fireplace. Just as I steadied myself, the three women turned and pulled me up. Thus, all four of us reached the upper floor. Under a blinding light, we could barely open our eyes. We hadn't realized until we got up that several incandescent bulbs were lit on this level, clustered on the ceiling in the center, as if someone had intentionally arranged it.
Once our vision adjusted to the surroundings, we put away our flashlights and felt around. We discovered that the upstairs area resembled a prison, with numerous individual cells sealed and locked with dense iron bars. The design of this place was truly peculiar; it was unclear what it had been used for in the past. Three years had passed, yet someone was still paying electricity bills. Did this mean people had been living here all along, unknown to the outside world?
We moved away from the central incandescent lights and entered the prison corridor area, finding it pitch-black. We had to retrieve our flashlights again and explore deeper. At a certain corner, we spotted a figure passing by. I immediately shouted a few times, "Who's there! Stop right there!"
The person ignored me, dressed in a long black trench coat, moving with haste and a look of panic, as if they didn't want to be seen. They were stealthily heading towards a secret passage. We exchanged glances and chased after them with all our might. After navigating countless alleys, we reached a dead end where we found a huge, rusty iron ring. Zhang Keying told us to step back and pulled with all her might. To the left, a section of the wall rotated open, revealing another passageway.
There was standing water on the floor, and the squeaking of rats could be heard nearby. Ribbons hung from above, and footprints were visible on the ground. According to forensic analysis, someone had been walking here frequently. I had also noticed remnants of tableware in some rooms, and many cracks marred the walls. As we ventured further in, the other party seemed to have nowhere left to run. The moment they knew we had entered, they shouted, "Don't come any closer! Don't come any closer!"
We raised our guns and saw a gaunt woman guarding a prison cell, while a similarly emaciated man was forcefully twisting her arm.
"Who are you people..." Xia Xiaoling hadn't finished speaking when I quickly recognized the woman: Xi Jingfan!
"I knew this was a diversion. It seems your son did something wrong..." I probed cautiously.
"Detective He, it's you. No one in Hua Xia wouldn't recognize you. It seems the secrets of these three years are about to be revealed!"
Liu Yuning and the others were still unsure of what was happening, only watching as Xi Jingfan and I confronted each other. However, I quickly said, "If I'm not mistaken, it was your son who accidentally killed the old man and woman, wasn't it? And to keep him from facing justice, you staged that medical accident, claiming you had also died, then secretly returned to this family to care for him..."
As I spoke, I produced a photograph I had found earlier on the floor. "I picked this up while passing by a room. Your family was very happy in the past. I don't know what happened with your son that he would kill his own grandparents, perhaps it was related to his work. In any case, you can't escape. You'd better have your son turn himself in!"
"I, I didn't really want to do this. I couldn't think of any other way. It was the addicts, they, they directed me, no! It should be they who gave me the suggestion, and then I followed it. Although we've lived a difficult life these past three years, at least... as long as my son is past the statutory period of limitations, he'll be safe!"
"Stop dreaming. Surrender!"
The woman had little ability to resist. Everything she did, including the ghost sightings and videotapes, was merely a smokescreen. Her husband was likely in collusion with her to create a scare, but he had ended up sacrificing himself.
After we subdued the woman, we obtained her phone and contacted the outside world. Xi Jingfan then told us that the apartment building had an jammer, which was why our phones couldn't connect. Our phones had disappeared because there was a hidden compartment in the floor of the first level.
When we returned to the first floor, Xi Jingfan pressed a button on the wall, and we found our phones back in the floor.
As for the child's head, we later realized it was just a prop!
It made me think... but everything is fine now. The specific details can be discussed after Xi Jingfan and her son are taken back and properly interrogated at the station.
As for the addicts, we will need to analyze them slowly.
I first spoke about the events at the hospital. She told me, "The hospital incident was also part of the addicts' plan. After I hid my son, those people forced me to do it. However, I didn't go to the hospital myself. They told me to use my identity to arrange for another 'me' to continue working there. The specific reason, they didn't tell me at the time. Now I realize they had been watching you for a while, Detective He."
"Have you not met those people? How did they contact you?" Liu Yuning, who was beside me, asked.
"They came to my house before, a man and a woman, dressed flamboyantly, but their faces couldn't hide their seriousness. I knew their colorful attire was intentional, meant to conceal their identities. When they arrived at my house, they started planning matters concerning the household. Afterward, they told me not to interfere with them using my identity to arrange for another 'me' to continue working at the hospital, and that my salary would still be deposited into my account. At the time, I was not only curious but also grateful. Knowing I could have money without working meant I could take care of my son. As long as we hid in the apartment building until the 20-year statute of limitations ended, my son would be safe. But we were discovered only a few years later."
"Do you think Da Tianhan could tolerate that? Deep down, he must not have wanted it, but you, as a mother, forced him to do as you wished, didn't you?" When I saw Da Tianhan, I noticed his mood was not good. When we arrested him, a look of relief appeared on his face.