S.C.I. (Volume I) - Case 5: Chapter 14

The Doppelganger Killer 14 - The End of the Tunnel

Luo Yang led Zhan Zhao and the others to a bizarre location—the entrance of an abandoned underground drainage tunnel somewhere in S City.

This drainage tunnel must have been constructed many years ago, situated right in the corner of a disused private factory yard in the outskirts of S City. Bai Yutang stared into the pitch-black entrance for a moment before asking Luo Yang, "Your Uncle Big Beard lives down in this hole?"

Luo Yang nodded and then shook his head, saying, "This is just the entrance. His home is way further inside."

"Living inside a drainage tunnel?" Ouyang Chun rubbed his chin in confusion, a perplexed expression crossing his face. To be honest, he still wasn't entirely clear on what Zhan Zhao and the others were investigating, but since it seemed genuinely connected to the case, he decided not to ask too many questions and simply wait to see how things unfolded.

Luo Yang cleared away a pile of seemingly cluttered waste cardboard boxes from nearby, revealing a cabinet behind them. Inside the cabinet sat a rather antiquated oil lamp and a box of matches. Skillfully lighting the oil lamp, Luo Yang looked up at Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao and said, "Let's go." With that, he hoisted the oil lamp and took the lead, stepping directly into the tunnel entrance.

As humanity's most primitive shelter, caves have long since been forgotten by people. Far from leaving behind any warm memories in our consciousness, this kind of ancient home mysteriously wraps itself in an aura of mystery and dread.

The three of them followed the dust-laden culvert, pacing slowly inward behind little Yangyang. Zhan Zhao was astonished to discover that Luo Yang wasn't the least bit frightened. Very few children are unafraid of the dark; humans fear darkness, caves, and the vast majority of unknowns... This is also why most of our primordial nightmares feature a dark, seemingly endless tunnel that always stretches off into the distance, with some unprecedented, dangerous entity waiting for us at the very end.

Due to years of disrepair, groundwater had seeped into several sections of the drainage tunnel. The sound of water droplets striking the ground became exceptionally crisp under the tunnel's unique acoustic resonance. Combined with the footsteps of the four individuals, it created a bizarre echo, as though something was tailing them closely from behind.

Bai Yutang asked Zhan Zhao in a low, curious voice, "Do this tunnel and those other ones from last time all connect?"

Zhan Zhao nodded. "They're all connected. This entire network of tunnels forms a grid-like structure, and the terrain is extremely complex."

Luo Yang, walking ahead, called back, "Everyone, stay close. There are a lot of forks here, and it'll be a disaster if you get lost."

Zhan Zhao smiled and asked Luo Yang, "Ahead, there should be a three-way junction where the left and middle paths are both blocked off, and only the right path is clear, right?"

Yangyang's eyes widened in shock the moment he heard that. "How do you know? Have you been here before?"

Zhan Zhao smiled without answering, asking instead, "Yangyang, did you always come here alone before?"

"Yeah." Luo Yang nodded. "Uncle Big Beard and Dad brought me a few times, and then most of the time I came by myself."

"Luo Wen came here too?" Bai Yutang chimed in with a question.

"Mm." Luo Yang nodded. Soon, the group rounded a bend, and sure enough, they spotted the three-way junction Zhan Zhao had just mentioned, prompting them to step into the right-hand path. This branch was somewhat narrower than the previous one, forcing the three men to walk in a single-file line as they pressed deeper inside. Zhan Zhao asked Luo Yang again, "Yangyang, aren't you scared walking into this pitch-black cave all by yourself?"

Luo Yang turned back to look at Zhan Zhao with a hint of incomprehension. "What's there to be scared of? There's no one else in here, at most there are just two or three mice."

Ouyang Chun, walking at the very rear, couldn't help marveling, "In a place like this, even a fairly bold adult would think twice about coming in alone. This kid's guts are seriously off the charts."

Bai Yutang noticed Zhan Zhao furrowing his brow slightly and leaned in close to his ear to ask in a low voice, "Cat, is something wrong?"

Zhan Zhao shook his head gently, glanced at Bai Yutang, and signaled—we'll talk about it later.

The four of them walked a bit further ahead before Yangyang announced, "We're almost there."

Zhan Zhao thought for a moment and asked, "There should be a fairly large vertical shaft ahead that connects to the surface, so the space should open up quite a bit, but that shaft opening has already been sealed off, hasn't it?"

Luo Yang tilted his head to look at Zhan Zhao. "How do you know everything?"

Zhan Zhao reached out to pat his head and smiled. "Is your Uncle Big Beard usually out at this time?"

Luo Yang shook his head. "He shouldn't be around right now." As he spoke, a large, rust-covered iron door appeared before their eyes, featuring a ring-shaped wheel handle right in the middle. Luo Yang stepped forward, grasped the iron ring, and pulled down hard. With his motion, the wheel slowly turned one notch, and then, with a heavy creak, that thick door swung open in response.

Beyond the door lay a pitch-black room. Luo Yang carried the oil lamp inside, jumped up to tug on a rope dangling from the ceiling in the center of the room, and the lights inside snapped on.

"How is there even electricity?" Ouyang Chun asked, rather surprised.

"Not just electricity, there's also closed-circuit television..." Bai Yutang pointed to a television set resting on a desk in the corner of the room.

The group scanned their surroundings, realizing this was a sealed space of roughly ten square meters. Neatness was the immediate impression it gave off. Bai Yutang raised an eyebrow. "Was this guy in the military?"

Zhan Zhao had noticed it too; the room's layout and crisp arrangement indeed resembled someone who had undergone military training, prompting him to suddenly realize, "Bai, could that code -17-1 have something to do with a military camp?"

Bai Yutang stared at a bed against the wall of the room for a moment before shaking his head. "He should have undergone militarized training, but that doesn't necessarily mean he served in the regular military."

"How so?" Ouyang Chun asked.

Bai Yutang thought for a moment, looking somewhat troubled as he said, "I can't quite put my finger on it, but it feels like something is missing."

"Is it stuff related to the armed forces?" Zhan Zhao surveyed the bare walls and simple furnishings.

"Ah! Right!" Bai Yutang snapped to awareness. "Usually, anyone discharged from the service keeps some items from the military, like a uniform, medals, a mug, or something."

"They could have thrown them out," Ouyang Chun suggested.

"Unlikely." Zhan Zhao shook his head, reaching out to lightly brush the wall as he slowly circled the room. He explained, "When an ordinary person maintains a certain abnormal lifestyle habit, there are only two possible reasons: extreme fondness, or extreme conditioning. For instance, Bai served in the air force and really enjoyed that feeling while in the military, so he retained some of those lifestyle habits after discharge. Moreover, his uniform and everything related to the military are placed in prominent spots because they are his pride. Conversely... if he were a deserter, or if military life made him miserable, he would go to every length to wipe away the traces of his time in the service... Preserving these habits can only mean that this way of living has already become an instinct."

After listening to Zhan Zhao's explanation, Ouyang Chun still didn't quite understand and asked, "Are you saying he's a deserter?"

"Judging by his behavior, this militarized lifestyle has eroded his entire existence. In most cases, influences this deep are formed in early childhood. In this day and age, what regular military recruits toddlers? If he were an adult soldier, for his lifestyle habits to reach this extreme, it's impossible for him not to keep any souvenirs."

"Many Vietnam War veterans who suffered psychological trauma rely on military fatigues and firearms even more than on normal lifestyles." Bai Yutang agreed with Zhan Zhao's perspective, emphasizing, "This guy's lifestyle is even more brutal than standard militarization!"

"Then what on earth is it?" Ouyang Chun's identity as an International Interpol officer brought to mind quite a few training methods associated with terrorist organizations, but a second thought dismissed it as unlikely.

Zhan Zhao shook his head with a smile. "I can only say that he lived in a militarized, managed environment for so long that he completely adapted to that mode of existence and couldn't change it. He feels an extreme aversion to it, yet cannot break free." As he spoke, Zhan Zhao had slowly circled the room nearly three times. Finally, it seemed he touched something, tapping lightly twice against the wall and producing a hollow thump, thump sound.

Bai Yutang's eyes lit up. "Hollow?"

Zhan Zhao nodded and stepped back. Bai Yutang stepped forward, tapped the wall a few more times, and pried at a crack in the masonry with his key. With a sharp click, a square stone slab was leveraged open, revealing a cavity behind it.

Bai Yutang reached his hand inside and pulled out a box roughly the size of a shoebox.

Ouyang Chun and Zhan Zhao both crowded around to look, and even Luo Yang eagerly craned his neck to get a peek.

Bai Yutang lifted the lid, and everyone froze upon seeing a stark white human skull resting inside the box.

Since all three of them were police officers, they could tell at a glance that this skull wasn't a replica, but belonged to a real human. Instinctively, Zhan Zhao lowered his gaze to look at Luo Yang, only to find the boy standing on tiptoe with his neck craned, his eyes filled entirely with surprise and curiosity, showing zero trace of fear. Realization dawning, Zhan Zhao suddenly reached out and gave Luo Yang's shoulder a sharp slap. The crisp slap actually startled Ouyang Chun and Bai Yutang standing nearby. Looking closer at Luo Yang, they saw him staring back at Zhan Zhao with wide, puzzled eyes, as if asking, "Are you calling me?"

Bai Yutang also picked up on the clues, instantly recalling how that ferocious dog at the orphanage had barked at Luo Yang earlier without the boy even flinching.

Ouyang Chun caught his breath and muttered to himself, "Can an ordinary child's guts really be this big?"

Hesitating for a moment, Zhan Zhao reached out to pinch Luo Yang's arm, asking, "Yangyang, does it hurt?"

Luo Yang blinked and shook his head. "Doesn't hurt."

"Cat, what are you doing?" Bai Yutang was completely baffled by Zhan Zhao's actions and opened his mouth to question him, only to watch Zhan Zhao turn around and pinch his arm too.

"Hiss..." Bai Yutang hissed from the pain, wanting to glare at him, when he heard Zhan Zhao say softly, "I used the exact same amount of force."

Both Bai Yutang and Ouyang Chun received a jolt. What kind of situation was this? The kid didn't feel fear, and he didn't feel pain either!

Zhan Zhao squatted down, looking Luo Yang straight in the eyes. "Yangyang, do you have unusually great strength?"

Luo Yang thought about it for a moment and nodded. "Mm."

Bai Yutang also recalled how Luo Yang had literally torn a dog apart with his bare hands, beaten Yu Qingyan into a state of severe injury barehanded, and how that heavy iron door earlier was certainly not something an average seven-year-old could pull open.

Zhan Zhao stood back up, turned to look at Bai Yutang, and asked, "Who does this remind you of?"

Bai Yutang froze, taking a long moment before answering, "My older brother..."

"Big Brother's strength also exceeds that of an ordinary person." Zhan Zhao nodded. "And his pain receptors are dulled, with a total lack of fear."

Ouyang Chun, who had been listening to all of this, blinked and asked Bai Yutang, "Could this be your older brother's son? Meaning your nephew? And you're still planning to adopt him? This family tree is way too messy."

Zhan Zhao looked at him powerlessly, thinking that Ouyang Chun actually possessed a decent sense of humor. Who would have expected Bai Yutang to wave his hand dismissively and state firmly, "No way! A Bai could never grow that tan! If we're claiming kin, it'd have to belong to the surname Bao!" No sooner had those words left his mouth than he was pinched by Zhan Zhao again.

"But do you remember, Big Brother wasn't like that before; he only changed after he was rescued." Zhan Zhao rubbed his chin and continued, "And... his condition isn't as severe as Yangyang's."

Bai Yutang nodded, his mind a tangled mess with a heavy, clogged feeling in his chest. Shaking his head, he looked down, pulled out the skull to show Zhan Zhao, and asked, "Should be male?"

Zhan Zhao took it and inspected it. "Adult male."

"Looks like there's still something else in the box." Ouyang Chun pointed to an envelope at the bottom of the box.

Bai Yutang pulled out the envelope, feeling a thick stack of items inside. Opening the flap and tilting it downward, he dumped out a bundle of photographs.

These photographs were extremely old; they were black-and-white snapshots showing a group of over a dozen teenagers posing for a group photo, seemingly during a camping trip given the shrubbery background. Every single one of these teenagers looked rather strange, completely lacking the smiling faces normal children should have during a camping excursion, wearing expressionless masks instead.

"It looks like they're growing up!" Zhan Zhao reached out to pull a few photos out. "These look about five or six years old, here they're seven or eight, and these few are getting close to ten."

Ouyang Chun picked up a few photos to examine them as well, letting out a sharp intake of breath after a long moment. "Such terrifying expressions..."

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang both agreed with his assessment. How should one even describe expressions like these? Utterly devoid of vitality, lacking facial expressions, completely deadpan—you could practically call them the faces of the living dead.

As Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao stared at the photos, their eyes suddenly locked in a mutual realization—this expression looked intimately familiar. It was the exact face Bai Jingtang had worn when he first emerged from the sterile isolation chamber after being rescued. Back at the very beginning, the resemblance was truly uncanny.

Right at that moment, a loud clatter suddenly echoed from the entrance, as if something had slammed directly into that heavy iron door.

Everyone jolted in surprise. Bai Yutang bolted outward in an instant, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Stop right there!"

Panicking, Zhan Zhao gave chase while shouting, "Bai, don't run around blindly, you'll get lost!" But Bai Yutang was already tearing after a pitch-black, fleeing figure, watching them distance themselves further and further ahead. Relying on quick wits in a crisis, Zhan Zhao bellowed at the top of his lungs, "-17-1!"

The moment those words left his mouth, that shadowy figure abruptly froze in place. Taking advantage of the opening, Bai Yutang lunged forward, slammed him facedown to the ground, and slapped the handcuffs on. Yet after hearing that string of numbers, the dark figure acted as though he had been struck by an immobilization spell, showing zero reaction whatsoever—leaving even Bai Yutang, the one slapping the cuffs on him, feeling rather weird about it.

"Uncle Big Beard!" Luo Yang tried to charge forward, but Ouyang Chun scooped him up in a bear hug. "You guys promised not to arrest him..." Luo Yang protested to Zhan Zhao.

Zhan Zhao patted his hair and said in a low voice, "Don't worry, as long as he hasn't done anything bad, we won't hurt him. We just want to ask him a few questions."

Luo Yang looked into Zhan Zhao's eyes and finally quieted down.

Bai Yutang reached down to pull the man in black up from the floor, bringing him back inside the brightly lit room. Under the illumination, the group got their first clear look at the man's face beneath that dense thicket of beard.

Zhan Zhao was somewhat startled by how youthful the face hidden beneath those heavy whiskers actually appeared. A pair of eyes gazed out with a faint, hopeless despair, and just as Zhan Zhao opened his mouth to speak, he heard Bai Yutang let out a slightly puzzled "Huh?" before furrowing his brow and saying, "Cat, the guy who rammed into me that night wasn't him!"