Chapter 178: The Black Hole

2022-05-20

In the last story, the killer was a man who stalked young women from the shadows. This time, the killer is someone who blends in among a pack of stray cats—a human disguised as a cat. What kind of person could this be? In the previous case, the killer was quiet, introverted and rarely spoke.

But in this case, the killer shows an unusual obsession, going so far as to act like an animal. Still, the killer actually spoke to the little girl. From a psychological perspective, these are entirely different minds: one is dark and twisted, the other wild and reckless.

After all, someone who can act like a cat to get a little girl’s attention doesn’t sound like the kind of person who silently follows victims without making a single sound.

Could there actually be two killers?

Looking at the story as a whole, two major questions stand out. First, why did so many stray cats appear within such a short time? Second, what is in that hole in the wall, and why are both the cats and the killer drawn to it?

The killer’s actions are truly bizarre, making it nearly impossible to deduce any logical motive.

I tugged at my hair, eyes closed as I tried to think it through.

Suddenly, Team Leader Shao spoke up. “Judging by the killer’s usual narrative style, something had to have happened the night before the little girl’s parents disappeared. In my experience, I believe the killer murdered the girl’s parents last night.”

Team Leader Shao looked deadly serious. Following his line of thought, I kept thinking.

“The crying, the screaming!” Suddenly, something clicked for me.

I smacked my forehead. “Team Leader Shao, you’re right. Based on the story, residents here have grown used to cats fighting in the middle of the night. But from the little girl’s perspective, she thought those sounds were cries and screams. Maybe, once the neighbors got used to it, they started to think any real crying or screaming was just the cats.”

Xiao Liu frowned. “Are you saying that night, someone broke into the family’s apartment and killed her parents, and the screams the girl heard were actually her parents?”

I nodded.

But Xiao Liu shook his head. “If a normal person saw a killer, they’d scream, sure—but wouldn’t they also yell or confront them? And a cat can’t make those kinds of human sounds, right?”

Pressing a finger to my lips, I had to admit Xiao Liu made a good point.

“But what if it was meant to cover up the noise of moving the bodies?” Team Leader Shao drummed his fingers lightly on the desk. “The shadow the little girl saw was really the killer climbing up to the balcony. He snuck into the parents’ bedroom and murdered them without a sound.”

“But moving the bodies would definitely create some noise,” Team Leader Shao added. “In that case, using the cats’ yowling to mask it makes sense.”

Guan Zengbin chimed in, “So how did the killer do it? If there was any blood, someone would have spotted it the next day. And how did he get the bodies out? Driving a car late at night in the old city would definitely be noticed. Did he use a tricycle to move the bodies?”

Suddenly, a hiding spot for the bodies came to mind—a place no adult would ever go.

I said, “That hole.”

“Hm?” Guan Zengbin looked at me.

I answered firmly, “The hole both the cats and killer could fit through—hiding two bodies in there wouldn’t be a problem.”

“But even if we’ve figured this out, what does it change?” Gu Chen said. “If we don’t know where exactly, we can’t stop it from happening!”

Gu Chen’s words hit home. The whole group fell silent, knowing he was right. Even if we could narrow it down to the western district, that area was massive with plenty of old buildings—there had to be more than one like this.

“Right now, all we can do is wait,” Team Leader Shao told us.

And so, we waited until the next afternoon.

At last, we stood on the very street from the killer’s story, staring up at an old three-story building. The balconies were open, and the building itself wasn’t all that tall. The red brick walls were crumbling in places, making it easy for someone—like me—to climb up using the gaps.

Off to the side, sure enough, there was a hole. It was just big enough for a slim adult man to crawl through. Even a body could probably be forced inside, if needed.

“Keep an eye on this hole,” Team Leader Shao told a few officers. “We’re going to check upstairs.”

Stepping into the building, we saw the first floor looked abandoned. The hallway was cluttered with junk, blocking the front doors of the old apartments. Dust coated the doors—it hadn’t been opened in ages. We kept climbing, all the way to the third floor.

These old buildings had just one apartment per floor, just a single door.

The door was slightly ajar. It wasn’t locked.

Gu Chen, always quick on his feet, went to push the door open, but Team Leader Shao stopped him. “Don’t rush in. I think the killer has already succeeded.”

Everyone’s face clouded over.

Team Leader Shao looked grim. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he spoke, the words heavy: “None of us wanted this to happen. But… the little girl is gone, isn’t she? We may have arrived too late.”

With that, Team Leader Shao pulled on gloves and shoe covers before stepping inside. We all did the same and followed.

The place was empty.

A grand piano stood in the living room. Clearly, it was expensive—odd for a family like this, since nothing else was worth much. No wonder they hadn’t bothered sealing the balcony. With so little worth stealing, there was nothing to protect.

Awards were pinned on the wall, perhaps to show off their daughter’s accomplishments, or maybe just to hide the cracked plaster underneath.

I crossed the living room and went into the bedroom, heading straight for the balcony. From there, I looked down at the narrow lane below. Even a couple bicycles would have trouble riding side by side—forget about a car fitting through. My eyes drifted to the pitch-dark hole in the wall. I couldn’t see what lay beyond, except for a blue tarp over the other side.

According to the killer’s story, this was the time when both the stray cats and the killer would go inside. If the girl had just been taken, maybe the killer was still in there.

That thought struck me. “Team Leader Shao, you guys stay here. Gu Chen and I will go check the hole. Logically, the stray cats should’ve shown up by now. Not seeing any means they may have already gone inside.”

With that, I grabbed Gu Chen and raced downstairs.

At the hole, a few people stood guard. I asked, “Seen any cats come in or out?”

They shook their heads. “No, but we did hear cat noises from inside.”

Staring at the narrow opening, I confirmed again—the killer had to be shorter than average. Someone built like Gu Chen would never squeeze through unless the hole was widened. But there was no time for that now. I couldn’t be sure the girl was inside, but as long as there was even a sliver of hope, I couldn’t give up.

“Give me a flashlight. I’ll go in!” Stripping off my thick jacket, leaving only my base layer, I crawled inside.

Some light leaked in at the entrance, but the moment my body blocked the hole, it went pitch-dark. Clenching the flashlight in my teeth, I shone the beam ahead—it was a tunnel, just dozens of centimeters high. A few meters in, it bent out of view.

I couldn’t stand or even crouch properly. Crawling on all fours would burn too much energy. So, I instinctively pressed both hands to the ground and scuttled forward, just like an animal. In that instant, I understood exactly why the killer moved like that—it was the fastest, most efficient way through these tunnels.

Far ahead, I could hear cats yowling, deeper in around the corner. I crept on, holding the flashlight in my mouth for light.

Just as I reached the bend, before I could peer around, a sudden scream rang out—then an eruption of cat wails, wild as an army of ghosts. It sounded for all the world like people shrieking, or a baby wailing at the top of its lungs.

With the tunnel so tight, the cries echoed in waves, right in my ears. Even knowing it was just cats, every hair on my body stood on end. It was like a chorus of a hundred ghosts mourning.

Steeling myself, I turned the corner—and saw the most chilling sight of my life.

Countless pairs of eyes glowed green in the darkness, all staring right at me. Those ghostly howls stopped as one, leaving a dead silence. I forced myself to remember: these were just cats. And yet, I had never seen so many glinting green eyes all at once in the dark.

My breath made the flashlight flicker as it caught the cats’ eyes. Sitting out front was the little girl, cross-legged, swarmed by cats. Her big eyes stared at me—black pupils, black irises.

Suddenly, a black cat leapt onto her head. My heart skipped a beat and the flashlight slipped from my mouth, plunging everything into blackness.

I couldn’t see a thing as dozens of strays stampeded right over me.

And then, I heard a voice by my ear—one that absolutely couldn’t have belonged to a cat.

“Heh heh.”

That was the sound of someone letting out a low, cold laugh.