"That's right, we need to find her immediately! Arrest her, and then take down this company!"
"Yes!" the two replied, and we walked out through the opening we had made. On the way, I asked Xiao Yuande, "How did you find the chainsaw?"
"This company has everything, but all the doors are locked now, and we can't get out!" he replied.
"This place is likely where they research these harmful weapons, but we haven't discovered it all these years. I guess the company has done a good job of concealing it. We can only explore as best as we can!"
But as soon as I finished speaking, a strange rustling sound came from deep within a corridor of the company. I initially thought it was another drone, but then the fire system automatically activated, and countless streams of water rushed towards us. We pushed forward against the current, the water on the ground rising higher and higher, our shoes splashing through countless puddles. By the time we reached the vicinity of a public office, Xiao Yuande kicked the door open. Above countless desks, there were human skeletons!
We were almost shocked speechless by the scene before us. We quickly approached the skeletons. Due to the sheer number, we couldn't examine each one individually. I took a brief look and found that these people had been dead for at least three years. The office supplies around them were covered in dust, and their postures of death were remarkably similar, all slumped over their desks as if sleeping. It was strange. How could so many people die together in the same posture? Could it be a mass suicide?
This term is not unfamiliar. A similar incident occurred among residents of Yougang Town, Hanshou County, Changde City, China. A family of 18, the oldest 84 and the youngest 6, publicly announced their collective suicide and actually went through with it. This was their second suicide attempt. Three members of the family attempted suicide by poison in front of the Changde Municipal Government. Fortunately, no one was injured. They posted online, declaring their intention to commit mass suicide. This time, they chose to do it in front of the Changde Municipal Procuratorate. The night before deciding to commit collective suicide by poison, 79-year-old Chen Meiyuan bought 10 bottles of methamidophos (a highly toxic pesticide) and distributed them among the 18 family members, ranging from 84 years old to 6 years old. The reason for publicizing their intention beforehand was to attract official attention and respond to the family's demands, hoping to prevent a tragedy. But the suicide still occurred. The Changde Municipal Procuratorate is located on Qingnian Road in Wuling District. Less than a hundred meters on either side are intersections, with dense crowds and many witnesses. It was a special day. On the morning of July 1st, at 8:15 AM, 10 members of the Chen family first distributed papers that read: "The Truth of Collective Suicide. 15 years ago, 18 people from Hanshou were wandering outside. The Changde Municipal Procuratorate stole our property, and the Hanshou County Court seized our house. They are a tiger and a jackal." Afterwards, the Chen family set fire to a pile of legal books...
We examined the skeletons, but for now, there were no further breakthroughs. The public office was sealed off except for the back door and the front door we broke through. Even the windows were locked with layers of iron plates. We could only head towards the back door. Along the way, we tried the landline on one of the desks, but the line had likely been cut, and it produced no response.
We decided to head higher, to see if we could contact the outside world, and at the same time, we needed to find Liang Manxiang.
Leaving that area, we reached the fifth floor. There was no elevator, and even if there were, in this situation, we wouldn't dare use it. We navigated through countless complex lights and unexpectedly arrived at a dance hall. This was likely where the company's employees used to gather for parties. There was a bar and a dance floor, as well as various seating areas. The equipment seemed to be quite complete, but now there was not a soul in sight. Only some equipment was operating, playing eerie music – sorrowful and chaotic, making the entire scene suffused with a complex and desolate despair.
We ventured further into the dance hall and found another skeleton. Its posture indicated it was lying on the floor, clearly someone who had died there. Fortunately, I had been wearing rubber gloves the entire time. I flipped the skeleton over and examined the pelvis and hip bone. I analyzed that the skeleton belonged to a female, around 30 years old. However, I couldn't perform high-temperature treatment on the pelvis, so there might be an error in the age estimation. Even examining tooth wear or the sagittal suture couldn't provide an accurate conclusion.
In fact, the sagittal suture is a bone suture on the human skull. The human skull is composed of various flat bones such as the frontal bone, parietal bones, and occipital bone. There are sutures between the bones. The gap between the two parietal bones is called the sagittal suture because it runs in a sagittal plane. The sagittal suture is not directly in the center of the head; it is slightly to the right. Below the sagittal suture is the lambdoid suture, which is the suture between the parietal bone and the occipital bone.
Between the frontal bone and the parietal bone is the coronal suture, as it runs in a coronal plane. Normally, these sutures begin to close after an infant is 18 months old. If the sagittal suture closes too early, the brain cannot expand the skull left and right, which may cause the skull to expand front and back, making the head appear very prominent in the front and back.
In forensic anthropology, examining important data from human bones, such as time of death or age of the deceased, provides crucial evidence.
If conditions weren't so unfavorable, I would have had Xie Chuchu take it back for examination. Based on the company's former employee list, we should be able to gradually identify all the deceased. This place probably experienced some strange events long ago, and it's only now being exposed by us.
Since Liang Manxiang led us here, she must have anticipated that we would focus on these skeletons. These events were bound to be exposed, which means she wouldn't leave us alive today!
As expected, a moment later, a rumbling sound came from all around the dance hall. I initially thought it was a bomb, but at the critical moment, countless green gas began to seep out from beneath the stage, and then the entire dance hall was enveloped in this gas. Xiao Yuande and Gao Mingqiang struggled for a few moments, but soon after, we all felt a heaviness in our heads, and our breathing became increasingly difficult. Perhaps we were too impulsive this time, and we had fallen into Liang Manxiang's trap, only now realizing the seriousness of the situation.
Soon, we all gradually fainted on the stage. After an unknown period, I felt someone lying beside me, and the place I was in was quite confined. This should be a rectangular container similar to a coffin.
I struggled and felt a soft body beside me, which was incredibly cold. At first, I couldn't see who it was clearly. When I finally saw her, I froze. The person beside me was none other than the suspect we were looking for, Liang Manxiang!