Gamers Are Fierce-Chapter 561 - 559

The staff dormitory building of the Special Affairs Bureau was recently constructed. Apart from its high security, it looked no different from an ordinary upscale residential complex. The two families lived across the corridor from each other.

When Wei Linglan returned home, she saw dishes laid out on the dining table. Both sets of parents were sitting on the sofa; Wang Congshan’s mother appeared anxious, while Officer Wang silently smoked, his expression somber. Her own parents sat beside them, offering comforting words.

Wei Linglan briefly explained the current situation. After much persuasion, she finally managed to somewhat relieve the parents’ concerns, and they returned to the dining table to eat.

"BRRRING—"

A phone rang. Wang Fengnian took out his mobile, glanced at the caller ID, and his expression changed almost imperceptibly. He silenced the ringer with a finger and stood up. "I’m going outside to take a call," he said, his tone normal.

Jiang Xinwan subconsciously asked her husband, "Is it Shan Shan?"

"No, something work-related."

Wang Fengnian shook his head, left the dining table, and walked out of the apartment, gently closing the door with its keypad lock behind him. He stood in the deserted hallway to answer the call.

Wei Linglan glanced towards the door, her interest piqued. Although Wang Fengnian had deliberately lowered his voice, as a player, her hearing was far superior to that of ordinary people. She still caught fragments of the conversation drifting from the gap under the door.

"Hello? Why are you calling again?"

"I told you, I can’t help you with anything!"

"We’ve already verified it; what you’re talking about doesn’t exist! It’s all your imagination!"

"If you want to go, then go."

Wang Fengnian irritably hung up the phone and walked back inside.

After finishing the meal, Wei Linglan put down her bowl and chopsticks and curiously asked, "Uncle, whose call was that?"

"A criminal I encountered before."

Wang Fengnian sat down and said indifferently, "He always thinks someone is trying to kill him."

"Trying to kill him?" Wei Linglan raised an eyebrow. "Is that actually happening?"

"Of course not." Wang Fengnian sighed. "This person is somewhat deranged. He spent ten years in prison, and not long after getting out, he became convinced someone wants to murder him. He constantly comes to the police station to report it and calls the officers who handled his original case, demanding protection. After his family kicked him out, he even pitched a tent across the street from where we commute to work every day. He lives there, handling all his daily needs inside the tent."

Wei Linglan’s father interjected, "Persecutory delusions?"

"Something like that." Wang Fengnian nodded. "After the murder game came out, this person changed his story, claiming the one trying to kill him was a player with special abilities. He even collected quite a lot of information and formally submitted a report to the Special Affairs Bureau. The Bureau has always taken murder cases involving players very seriously and even dispatched personnel to assist with the investigation, but ultimately, they found nothing."

Wang Fengnian paused, then said with slight hesitation, "However, I must say, some of the content in those documents does look quite strange..."

Wei Linglan couldn’t help but feel curious. She had previously boarded at Wang Congshan’s house and knew Officer Wang was an experienced and excellent criminal investigator. What kind of case could even he find abnormal?

"Uncle, did you bring those documents home? I’d like to see them."

"Yes, they’re in the study."

Wang Fengnian nodded, stood up, and went to the study to retrieve a bulging document bag.

Wei Linglan took the document bag, opened it, and pulled out several files.

Date: 17.8.1

A middle-aged man, surnamed Fang, died in a hostel in Yongding County.

The room’s doors and windows were locked from the inside, with no other point of entry. There were no signs of a struggle at the scene.

The deceased was sitting on the ground, his back against the wall on the side with the door.

An electrical wire was wrapped around his neck several times. One end was tied to his left arm, and the other was attached to a kettle filled with Natural Water.

A suicide note was found on the bedside table. Handwriting analysis confirmed it was the deceased’s own. The autopsy also indicated that the cause of death was mechanical asphyxiation.

It was presumed that the deceased first tied the ends of the electrical wire to the kettle and his left arm. He then wrapped the wire around his neck, stood with his back against the wall, and then forcefully stretched his left arm outward. The weight of the kettle tightened the wire, ultimately causing death by self-strangulation.

"..."

Wei Linglan looked up, puzzled. This file seems to describe a straightforward suicide, with no obvious suspicious points.

Wang Fengnian gestured with his chin. "Keep reading."

"Okay."

Wei Linglan nodded and turned to the next file.

Date: 16.12.7

An elderly man, surnamed Rong, died in his rental unit. The scene was sealed, doors and windows intact. Several empty alcohol bottles were on the bedside table.

The body was in a natural prone position, upper limbs clutching the bedding, which covered his face; his head was turned slightly to the left.

No obvious injuries were found on the entire body, and no fractures. There was multi-organ edema. Ethyl alcohol was detected in his heart blood, with a concentration of 132.3mg/100mL.

The direct cause of death was mechanical asphyxiation.

It was presumed that after drinking, the deceased lay on his bed, and the bedding covered his mouth and nose. Due to old age and frailty, his body’s responsiveness and instinctive functions were diminished. Compounded by his intoxicated state, his central nervous system was suppressed, counteracting any reflexive increase in respiratory effort. This allowed the obstruction of his mouth and nose by the bedding to persist until death.

Based on the case investigation and inquiries in the surrounding area, it can be determined that the deceased died accidentally from asphyxiation caused by the bedding covering his mouth and nose after consuming alcohol.

"This..."

Wei Linglan flipped through the two files, a hint of confusion on her face. The two deceased were of different ages and had different causes of death. They had no blood relations, lived in different provinces, and their cases were handled by different authorities. Apart from both being dead, they seem to have nothing in common, she thought.

"There’s more," Wang Fengnian said, his brow furrowed. "Continue reading."

Date: 17.5.6

A middle-aged man, surnamed Zhang, died in an underground pipeline access well at the village entrance. A half-empty bottle of Dichlorvos and a large amount of vomit were at the scene. There were no signs of a struggle.

A relatively long iron wire was tied around both of his wrists, the middle section of which was then wrapped around the rungs used for climbing in and out of the well.

His clothes were neat, with no obvious external injuries. His pupils were pinpoint. Bloody fluid trickled from his nostrils. The exterior of his lips was undamaged, but the lip mucosa was eroded, and pesticide residue was found in his mouth.

As the deceased was found with his hands and feet bound, homicide was initially suspected. However, after extensive police investigation, it was determined that the deceased was fully capable of creating the scene as found.

Combining scene evidence with interviews from the surrounding area, it was inferred that the deceased, due to long-term financial distress and low spirits, committed suicide by ingesting poison. To solidify his determination and prevent himself from backing out, he deliberately bound his hands and feet with the iron wire to render himself unable to self-rescue.

The more Wei Linglan read, the more perplexed she became. Her fingers flew as she quickly flipped through several more files.

Around noon, two middle-aged individuals, both already married, were found dead in a rental unit. The woman’s clothing was in disarray; she died from asphyxiation due to strangulation by another person. The man, still wearing his trousers, had strangled himself with an electrical wire under an electric fan.

It was inferred that the two had a long-term clandestine affair. During one tryst, the man, after overdosing on drugs, lost control and strangled the woman. Afterward, he committed suicide out of fear of punishment.

In Holly Village, a man drank a large amount of strong white liquor. On his way home, as the alcohol took effect and his body grew hot, he attempted to remove his upper garment. In the process of taking it off, the garment covered his eyes. He then stepped on a patch of ice, fell backward, and died when the back of his head hit the ground.

In Xinghe Village, a man living alone was clearing icicles from his eaves when an icicle accidentally pierced his eye socket, resulting in death. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

In Longwen Town, a man was driving home when a wild dog suddenly darted out from the roadside. The man instinctively yanked the steering wheel to the left, causing the vehicle to veer off the road and crash into a tree. A tree branch pierced his chest, killing him.

The dozens of files in the document bag were all cases of accidental death or suicide.