Chapter 9: …The Truth?
“What are you saying, Sister…?”
Luo Ling paled. She hadn’t expected her sister to take the blame for her.
No, perhaps… it was expected.
Because this was her beloved sister.
But, from her last words, it was clear that her sister hadn’t believed her explanation from the beginning.
Just like the mad woman, no one believed her child was still alive.
—It was all just the ramblings of a lunatic.
But even if she was a lunatic, her sister still protected her carefully.
Unwilling to let her suffer any harm.
Looking at Su Wan’s forced smile, more painful than tears, and the sorrow in her eyes, Luo Ling felt a pang of heartache.
She looked up at the police officer and said urgently,
“Officer Ji, actually…”
“There’s no need to argue about this.”
Just then, Officer Ji Ying interrupted Luo Ling.
Her heroic face had remained impassive, like a machine, since her arrival. “First, regarding your report, the bureau has already reached a conclusion.
“Second, Ms. Su, compared to your sister, you might be the one with the mental health issue.”
“Huh?”
Luo Ling and Su Wan both looked surprised, although Luo Ling was concerned about Ji Ying’s last sentence, while Su Wan was anxious about the first.
“Officer Ji, what’s wrong with my sister?”
“No! My sister is frail, how could she possibly kill two adults?!”
They spoke simultaneously, then looked at each other, confusion in their eyes.
“Don’t worry, you two. If two people had actually been murdered, the bureau wouldn’t have sent just me, and not a day later.”
Ji Ying spoke calmly, then turned to Su Wan and said seriously, “Ms. Su, regarding the two victims you reported yesterday, one is Wu Qin from the psychiatric department of the County People’s Hospital, and the other is Li Tianming from the neurology department.
“It has been confirmed that Wu Qin died of a sudden heart attack at home a year and a half ago, and Li Tianming died of a cerebral thrombosis yesterday. Clearly, neither death is directly related to either of you.”
Ji Ying paused, then continued in her icy tone, “We live in a scientific society governed by law. Curses cannot be prosecuted as murder weapons.”
It sounded like a joke, but Ji Ying’s expression was as serious as if she were reciting legal articles.
After Ji Ying finished speaking, Su Wan froze, her mind reeling.
After a long while, she murmured in disbelief,
“No, impossible… I buried them with my own hands. Yes, I buried them in the wasteland near the scrap yard. Go and look!”
Su Wan had struggled internally before calling the police. She had initially chosen to bury the bodies to cover up the incident, but her conscience had ultimately prevailed.
“We excavated and examined the location you provided yesterday. Unfortunately, there was no trace of burial,” Ji Ying shook her head.
“But, but…”
Su Wan wanted to say more, but she had no evidence.
“Ms. Su, your current mental state is concerning. I suggest you contact Qingshan Hospital. It might be beneficial for you to go there,” Ji Ying said, then turned her gaze to the bewildered Luo Ling. “As for you, Miss Luo Ling, please come with me to the station to give a statement. Although you’re not a suspect, the report was about a homicide.”
“Could it be… that it really was me…?”
Meanwhile, confusion lingered in Su Wan’s eyes. She couldn’t tell if she was ill or if everything she had witnessed yesterday was just a dream.
She looked at Luo Ling pleadingly, but Luo Ling remained silent.
It wasn’t that Luo Ling didn’t want to respond to her sister, but she had thought of the Puppet Ballad.
The Puppet Ballad could not only control people’s actions but also implant memories and alter perceptions.
Luo Ling was certain that yesterday’s events were not a dream; her current appearance was proof enough.
If it wasn’t a dream…
Then the only explanation for the discrepancies in memory was the Puppet Ballad.
Besides Li Tianming, how many other people were under the Puppet Ballad’s control…?
Therefore, Luo Ling had to remain silent. She couldn’t be sure if Ji Ying was also a puppet.
If she revealed any weakness…
Yesterday’s tragedy might repeat itself.
Luo Ling didn’t want to make the same mistake.
“Let’s go, Miss Luo Ling,” Ji Ying said flatly. “It won’t take long.”
“Wait!”
Just then, Su Wan grabbed Ji Ying’s arm and pleaded, “I really killed them. It has nothing to do with Xiao Ling!”
“Neither of you killed them.”
Ji Ying turned around, placing her hand on Su Wan’s, her voice softening slightly. “Ms. Su, it’s just a routine statement. I haven’t even handcuffed her.”
“…”
Su Wan stared intently at Ji Ying, trying to find any hint of deception in her expression.
But she failed.
“Sister, it’s okay. I’ll go,” Luo Ling stepped forward, placing a comforting hand on Su Wan’s shoulder. “We have to listen to the police officer, that’s what you always told me.”
“I’m not an officer uncle.”
Ji Ying’s eyebrows rose slightly, a barely perceptible change in her expression.
After some internal struggle, Su Wan finally released her grip.
She lowered her eyes and said, “I… understand.”
Ji Ying nodded at Luo Ling, signaling her to follow.
Luo Ling carefully stepped past Su Wan and walked towards the door.
Before leaving, she couldn’t help but look back and saw her sister looking at her with helplessness in her eyes.
“I’m sorry, Sister, I can’t involve you in this,” Luo Ling thought silently, then closed the door.
However, Luo Ling took precaution, leaving a single “Spore” in the room, so she would know if anything happened to her sister.
Luo Ling and Su Wan lived in a sparsely populated area between the small town and the countryside, mostly inhabited by elderly residents. It was possible to walk for a long time without encountering anyone.
Along the way, Ji Ying didn’t speak to Luo Ling, walking silently ahead.
Luo Ling followed, keeping a certain distance.
She didn’t fully trust Ji Ying. Because Ji Ying had contradicted her memories, she might be a puppet controlled by the Puppet Ballad, or a puppet of a puppet, like Wu Qin.
However, after much deliberation, Luo Ling decided to test Ji Ying with a few words.
“Officer Ji, do you think… my sister’s illness is serious?”
Ji Ying stopped abruptly, and Luo Ling immediately became alert, reaching for the pen she always carried in her pocket.
“I don’t know about her illness,” Ji Ying said, glancing sideways at Luo Ling. “But your illness is very serious.
“It requires ‘treatment.’”
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