“Could this be Cao Jiyun’s pinky toe?” Mrs. Shen covered her mouth, her voice trembling.
Wang Tou found a piece of kitchen paper and carefully placed the pinky toe inside. “I’m not sure yet, we need to make a comparison.”
A figure passed through the group and entered the kitchen. They glanced over and saw it was the strange young man.
The young man looked calm, bending down beside Zhang Li’s body.
“Hey, what are you doing?” Li Chongming shouted from the doorway, “Don’t touch randomly, what if you destroy the clues!”
Unmoved, the young man scanned Zhang Li, then remarked, “Officer Wang, Zhang Li’s hands are wet.”
“What does that mean?” Mrs. Shen asked nervously.
Young man: “It means Zhang Li was touching water just now. The only wet area in this room is the sink. From the angle she fell, she was facing the sink when she suddenly died. Her skin is bluish, and her expression shows fear, likely scared by something. The thing that frightened her should be that toe.”
Mrs. Shen seemed to understand, “Are you saying she was washing things and got scared to death after finding the toe in the sink?”
The young man shook his head and pointed to wet spots on Zhang Li’s coat pocket, “Only the pocket shows water stains, probably from when she took something out. Zhang Li had been emotionally unstable since entering this wooden house. During emotional outbursts, she tends to gasp heavily and clutch her chest. So she probably has a heart condition.”
“I speculate she didn’t find the severed toe in the sink but in her pocket. When washing her hands, she felt something odd in her pocket, pulled it out without thinking, and was shocked to find a severed toe. She fainted and died suddenly, dropping the toe into the sink.”
Pointing at Zhang Li’s right hand, the young man added, “Her right hand is still in a grabbing posture, which supports my theory.”
The expressions of the people at the door were still confused. Mrs. Shen asked, half understanding, “So what does finding the severed toe in her pocket mean? Did Zhang Li kill Cao Jiyun and after killing her, cut off her toe, put it in her pocket, then forgot and scared herself to death?”
“No,” Officer Wang, who has extensive experience in solving crimes, immediately guessed what Bai Lixin meant, “Someone placed the toe in her pocket.”
“Someone put the toe in Zhang Li’s pocket? After Cao Jiyun died, her toe was cut off. Officer Wang, can I understand it this way…” Ran Jingjing reasoned further, “the person who cut Cao Jiyun’s toe, is the murderer?”
She glanced at Mrs. Shen, then slowly turned to Li Chongming, “But you three were together.”
Mrs. Shen got angry all at once, “What do you mean? Are you suspecting us? It wasn’t just me who had contact with Zhang Li. Zhang Li also rushed towards you at that time and everything was in chaos. Anyone could have struck in that confusion. I think the murderer is you! You were holding that weird box with Su Xiaohua’s head inside, and given your good relationship with Su Xiaohua, if there’s anyone here who’s the murderer, it’s most likely you!”
“But,” Li Chongming muttered softly, “Is the murderer really human?”
“If the murderer is human, how do you explain those monsters outside? Have you forgotten about them? And how do you explain how we ended up here so confused?”
“Could this be Su Xiaohua’s conspiracy? Her ghost is manipulating us, deliberately leaving Cao Jiyun’s toe in the sink, planting seeds of suspicion among us, making us suspect each other, and then Su Xiaohua’s ghost is hiding somewhere we can’t see, enjoying the foolish scene of us killing each other.”
He nervously looked around at the rafters above, “Maybe Su Xiaohua’s ghost is right above our heads now?”
“You’re right,” Mrs. Shen immediately agreed, “We shouldn’t be suspicious of each other now but should be united and think about how to escape from here.”
“Right, Officer Wang?”
Wang Tou glanced at the kitchen, “Now is indeed not the time for internal strife. Keep the kitchen as it is and let’s all leave here for the hall.”
If there is anyone who can keep them calm in the crisis-ridden house, it was Wang Tou’s presence.
The policeman’s words were like a stabilizing needle, quickly allowing several people to find a direction.
“Officer Wang,” the young man stopped Wang Tou who was about to leave, and pointed to Zhang Li’s body, “There seems to be something in her inner pocket.”
Hearing this, Wang Tou lifted Zhang Li’s coat and found a note in her pajama pocket.
He opened the note, and there was a sentence written on it.
[I can let you leave, but only one person can leave. Choose this lucky person and walk out of the house.]
The subtle balance that had just settled was interrupted again.
Only one person can leave…
Only one survivor.
They were a few simple words, but they were exceptionally heavy today!
They left the kitchen thoughtfully and walked into the hall.
In the hall, there were two rattan chairs, one of which had Cao Jiyun’s body, and the other had a girl who was sleeping soundly.
The girl had a calm expression and was completely unaware of the terrifying things happening outside at the moment.
At this moment, it seemed unnecessary to hesitate about who to leave.
Ran Jingjing: “If only one person can survive, let Xiao Xin go. She is still a child. She’s innocent, and the hope of the future.”
Wang Tou: “I have no objections, choose Xiao Xin.”
Li Chongming gritted his teeth and hesitated slightly before nodding, “Fine, then Xiao Xin.”
Just as everyone thought Mrs. Shen would agree to this decision, she refused, “I disagree. If you are going to choose Xiao Xin, then give Xiao Xin’s chance to me.”
At almost the same time, everyone present looked at this mother in disbelief. Even a peeping Tom like Li Chongming couldn’t help but ask incomprehensibly, “The chosen one is your child, we don’t have any relationship with her and have nothing to do with her but we all know that we should choose the child. But you just want to live on your own? Are you crazy?”
Mrs. Shen: “Have any of you thought about how Xiao Xin will survive after she leaves? My husband is already dead, and if I die here too, Xiao Xin will become an orphan. She’s only seven years old. How difficult will her future be?”
Ran Jingjing laughed angrily, “Your twisted logic seems reasonable but it is actually extremely laughable. Yes, she’s only seven. How can you bear to halt this child’s life at seven? It’s sad to lose your parents, but do you have to die if you don’t have parents? Is it a relief for those children whose parents accidentally left them in a car accident to die?”
“Then what’s the purpose of orphanages? Isn’t it to give these children a second chance at life? Even we strangers know that when there’s a chance for survival, it should go to a child. You should understand how deeply society cares for children.”
“These children will have new lives, and there will be people to heal their wounds. Even if they don’t meet good people on their journey, they will learn to be strong on their own.”
Mrs. Shen: “I’ve always treated my daughter like a little princess. I won’t allow her to suffer like this.”
“You don’t treat her like a princess; you treat her like your possession. You dress her according to your preferences, just like dressing up a figurine. You make her study in training classes you approve of, and you expect her to speak and act the way you want. Children are independent individuals from birth. Just because they’re young doesn’t mean they have no right to speak up or opportunities.”
The intense argument woke Xiao Xin. She rubbed her big round eyes and looked around innocently, pure and naive, without a trace of impurity.
Mrs. Shen’s face turned red, “What nonsense are you spouting? You don’t have children. How would you understand a mother’s feelings?”
“But I understand what it’s like to be a daughter! You don’t need to explain yourself anymore. Anyway, it’s now three to one. Xiao Xin is the one who will be rescued, not you. Give up that idea.”
“Mom, what are you talking about?” Xiao Xin rubbed her eyes, stood in front of Mrs. Shen with her small body and looked straight at Ran Jingjing without fear, “You’re not allowed to bully my mom.”
Ran Jingjing took a deep breath, turned her head away unwillingly, and hugged the box tightly in her arms.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
The knocking on the wooden door startled everyone.
“Who’s there?” Wang Tou shouted.
But there was no response from outside, only the rhythmic “bang bang bang”.
Faintly, they seemed to hear cries.
Wang Tou was stunned for a moment, then his tense expression loosened briefly and he strode to the door.
Seeing Wang Tou about to open the door, Li Chongming remembered the monsters outside and hurriedly tried to stop him.
But he was too slow. He had just stretched out his hand but Wang Tou had already opened the door.
Outside the wooden door in the fog, a small figure was wagging its tail.
Beautiful black spots adorned its white fur. The Border Collie outside tilted its head at Wang Tou, wagging its tail even harder.
“Gan Tai!” Wang Tou, who was usually serious, couldn’t hold back anymore. His eyes welled with tears as he hugged the Border Collie tightly, embracing his good companion of over a decade.
Gan Tai wagged his tail and barked, clearly expressing longing for his master. It’s just that its bark was mixed with a hint of urgency.
Wang Tou originally wanted to carry Gan Tai into the house, but Gan Tai took two steps back, stood outside the door and refused to come in, and barked at Wang Tou twice.
Wang Tou was stunned, then he smiled bitterly. He guessed what was happening, “Let Xiao Xin come over. Gan Tai is here to guide her out. He wants to take Xiao Xin away.”
Seeing that everyone had already chosen who would survive, Mrs. Shen could only give up.
She hugged the still bewildered Xiao Xin and brought her to the wooden door, asking her to follow Gan Tai and leave.
Originally, they expected Xiao Xin to be hesitant to leave her mother, but Xiao Xin seemed familiar with Gan Tai. After seeing Gan Tai, she played with him familiarly, then left with Gan Tai and quickly disappeared from everyone’s sight.
With that, only five people remained in the wooden house. Ran Jingjing, Wang Tou, Mrs. Shen, Li Chongming, and Bai Lixin.
