Hospital Investigations

In the hallway of the county hospital, sirens can be heard in the distance. Xu Meifeng was recovered, and she didn't run away — she just hid in the small garden behind the hospital, curled up under a pine tree, like when they found her in the woods.

In the ward, Xu Meifeng sat on the bed, her hands clenched, and her knuckles were white. Her eyes were red and swollen, but no longer watery. Chen Guoqiang sat on the chair next to the bed, while Lao Zhang leaned against the window, silently observing all this.

"Ms. Xu, we're not trying to hurt you." Chen Guoqiang's voice was very soft, "But you have to tell us what happened, so that we can help you." "

Xu Meifeng's gaze fell on her arm, and those Buddha bead-like bruises were particularly dazzling under the incandescent light.

"I... I can't remember. Her voice seemed to come from far away, "Only fragments... Like a dream. "

Chen Guoqiang took out an evidence bag from his briefcase, which contained the photograph found in Xu Meifeng's hand, which had been carefully cleaned and preserved.

"Can you tell us when this picture was taken?"

Xu Meifeng stared at the photo, her eyes gradually becoming trance-like. The photo shows her naked kneeling back, and the "🜏" symbol is painted in blood on the rock wall in the distance.

"Polaroid," she muttered, "Ah Sheng always carries that Polaroid... It is said that it can capture the moment of the soul..."

"Chen Shusheng took this picture for you?" Chen Guoqiang asked.

Xu Meifeng's fingers gently stroked the edge of the photo: "The fifth day... Or the sixth day? I can't remember... He said to record the process of 'purification'..."

The ward door was pushed open, and Forensic Dr. Wang walked in, holding a report and a thick reference book.

"There are discoveries." She said briefly to Chen Guoqiang, and then turned to Xu Meifeng, "Ms. Xu, can I take another look at the bruises on your arms?" "

Xu Meifeng hesitated for a moment, then stretched out her arm. Dr. Wang carefully examined the arrangement of the round bruises.

"As I suspected." Forensic Wang opened the reference book and pointed to the pattern on one page, "This arrangement is related to the rituals of certain secret societies, especially the variant organization of Freemasonry. "

She points to the "🜏" symbol on the photo: "This symbol stands for 'sulfur' in alchemy, which symbolizes purification and transformation. But in some extremist religious organizations, it is given a special meaning – 'the trial of the soul'. "

Xu Meifeng suddenly trembled violently: "Trial... He said the word... In the cave..."

"What cave?" Chen Guoqiang immediately asked.

Xu Meifeng's eyes became dazed again: "I... I don't remember... Just remember the cold... It's cold... And the stars..."

Lao Zhang walked over from the window: "You went to the Alps, right?" "

Xu Meifeng raised her head suddenly, a trace of horror flashed in her eyes: "How do you know?" "

"Chen Shusheng's passport records show that you went to Australia three months ago." Chen Guoqiang explained, "Are you looking at the stars? "

"Stars..."Xu Meifeng's voice became distant, "He said that stars are the eyes of God... On the seventh day, the stars will be arranged in a special pattern... Then is the time of the 'Revelation'..."

Forensic Doctor Wang and Chen Guoqiang exchanged a look.

"Ms. Xu, the scars on your back were caused by Chen Shusheng?" Forensic Doctor Wang asked softly.

Xu Meifeng's hand unconsciously touched her back: "No... It's my own request... As part of the 'sacrifice'..."

There was a moment of silence in the room.

"What rituals did you perform in the mountains?" Chen Guoqiang finally asked.

Xu Meifeng's eyes suddenly became clear, and she looked directly at Chen Guoqiang: "I don't remember." I really don't remember. Only fragments ... It's like a shredded photo... I remember the sound of chains, I remember the cold stones, I remember the light of the stars... But what happened in between, I can't really remember..."

Her voice carried real confusion and fear: "Sometimes I'm not even sure if those are real memories or nightmares..."

The TV in the corner of the ward suddenly started to play the news, which caught everyone's attention.

"... In the early hours of this morning, a man and a woman were found in the county forest farm, suspected of being subjected to unknown ritual abuse. According to reliable sources, the male injured Chen Shusheng is the son of a survivor of the Australian 'Wilderness Preaching' cult, which advocates the purification of the soul through extreme environments, and in 1998 there was a collective self-immolation in the Alps, resulting in 23 deaths..."

Xu Meifeng's face instantly turned pale: "Cult? No... No way... Ah Sheng just loves photography... He just wanted to honor his father..."

Chen Guoqiang turned off the TV: "Ms. Xu, do you know that Chen Shusheng's father is a member of the 'Wilderness Preaching'? "

Xu Meifeng shook her head, her eyes full of shock: "He only said that his father was a 'seeker'... I thought it was just... Some kind of spiritual pursuit..."

Forensic Doctor Wang turned another page of his reference book: "The 'Wilderness Preaching' is an extremist organization that believes that through the extreme trials of the physical body, the soul can be purified and the state of direct communication with God can be reached. Their core rituals include fasting, self-flagellation, extreme environmental exposure, and more. "

Xu Meifeng's fingers clenched the sheets: "No... Ah Sheng is not that kind of person... He just wanted to shoot the stars..."

Lao Zhang walked to the side of the bed, and his voice was surprisingly gentle: "Miss Xu, you still have pine resin between your fingers." How long have you been in the woods? "

Xu Meifeng looked down at her fingers, as if she noticed the brown substance embedded in the nails for the first time: "I don't know... Few days? Maybe a week? We were going to the Alps... But after returning to China, Ah Sheng said that the plan has changed... We drove to the woods..."

She stopped suddenly, her brow furrowed: "Wait... How did we get back from Australia? I remember getting on the plane ... But then..."

Chen Guoqiang took out a photo from the folder: "This is a screenshot of your entry into Shanghai Pudong Airport three months ago. "

Xu Meifeng stared at the photo, her expression becoming more and more confused: "I don't remember... Why don't I remember going back home? "

Dr. Wang explained softly: "It could be traumatic amnesia, or... Drug effects. We've found trace amounts of hallucinogens in your blood that may affect memory formation. "

A trace of fear suddenly flashed in Xu Meifeng's eyes: "That cave... I remember that there were a lot of symbols on the rock walls in the cave ... Ah Sheng said that it was a message left by the 'forerunners'..."

Her voice grew more and more urgent: "He made me kneel in front of those symbols... Say you want to 'receive the message'... And then he took out the Polaroid..."

Xu Meifeng suddenly covered her mouth, her eyes full of fear: "Oh my God... Those photos... He took a lot of pictures..."

Chen Guoqiang immediately asked, "Where is the photo?" "

"I don't know... Maybe in his backpack? We escaped without anything..."

"Run?" Lao Zhang keenly caught the word, "What are you running away?" "

Xu Meifeng's expression became hollow: "On the night of the seventh day... The stars are arranged in a special pattern... Ah Sheng said, 'The time has come'... He began to recite scriptures... And then..."

She suddenly hugged her head in pain: "I can't remember!" Why I can't remember! "

The door of the ward was pushed open again, and a nurse walked in: "Officer Chen, the ICU said that Chen Shusheng is awake, but his condition is not stable, and the doctor recommends that you ask questions as soon as possible." "

Chen Guoqiang stood up, nodded to Lao Zhang, and then turned to Xu Meifeng: "Ms. Xu, we'll talk later." Please rest well and try to recall as many details as possible. "

Xu Meifeng suddenly grabbed Chen Guoqiang's wrist: "Police officer... If you meet Ah Sheng... Ask him what happened on the seventh night... Why are we in the woods ... Why do we have these wounds..."

Her voice dropped to the point where it was almost inaudible: "And... Ask him where those pictures are... I need to know the truth..."

Chen Guoqiang nodded and left the ward with Lao Zhang and Forensic Doctor Wang.

Xu Meifeng sat alone on the bed, her eyes falling on the woods outside the window. Sunlight shines through the gaps in the leaves and spills on the ground, creating dappled light and shadows, like the symbols on the rock walls of the cave. Her fingers unconsciously drew "🜏" on the sheets, and her eyes gradually became hollow.

The TV in the corner of the ward continued to play the news, but the voice had been turned to a minimum: "... The police are investigating the connection between this incident and the 'Wilderness Preaching' cult incident 20 years ago... It is reported that the surviving members of the group continue to operate secretly around the world..."