Chapter 30

"The Cannibal 5, Reason or No Reason"

Angler's words rooted Os in place, no longer moving, as he widened his eyes and asked, "The Gate of Reincarnation?"

Looking at the pattern drawn in blood, Mo Fei asked, "A kind of legendary charm?"

"It's all deception," Angler shrugged his shoulders, "Why does hell exist, and why heaven? Mostly because people are discontent but powerless."

Os and Mo Fei exchanged glances, listening as Angler continued.

But Angler stopped talking and squatted down to examine the skeleton, saying, "Now that we've found an ancient human skeleton, and it's complete, should it be called the 'Yinding Mountain Man'?"

"Isn't that how it usually goes?" Mo Fei said, "Named after the place of discovery, like the Mountain Top Cave Man, Peking Man, and so on."

"Os, I'm asking you," Angler turned to face Os, "If a world-shocking case occurred today and you solved it, would someone steal your credit?"

Os blinked and chuckled dryly, asking, "You mean office politics? It's inevitable."

"I've read some reports about previous cases. They mostly mention the police department but not you. Doesn't that bother you?" Angler asked again.

Oss shrugged, "So what? It's just work. After hours, I couldn't care less about these things, especially when there's a bonus involved."

"Then why did you become a police officer?" Angler inquired.

After pondering for a moment, Os replied, "It's a good job. Of course, there's a bit of a sense of justice and achievement in it too."

Angler smiled, "You're very honest."

Standing on a clean spot inside the charm, Os felt tired and squatted down to rest, resting his chin on his hands and asking, "Angler, what does this have to do with the case?"

Angler thought for a moment and said, "Everyone has different pursuits, and the level of dedication to these pursuits varies. In other words, some people see their aspirations and ideals as just a part of their life, while others regard them as their entirety, even the meaning of their existence."

Scratching his head, Os asked, "Angler, what's the point here?"

"Simply put, you're content being a laid-back police officer, satisfied with reaching the rank of detective. To others, you seem quite fortunate," Angler said with a smile.

Os grinned and chuckled.

"But on the flip side, if you were a remarkably diligent detective, putting in a thousand times more effort than now, and still remained just a detective, you'd feel resentful and unlucky, right?" Angler stood up, retracing his steps accurately out of the spell formation, and said, "It proves that being devoted to the process brings much more happiness than fixating on the outcome." After speaking, he patted Mo Fei on the back, "Let's go out and see, the officers might have made some progress."

Mo Fei nodded and followed Angler out the door.

"Ah, wait for me!" Os hurriedly chased after them...

Leaving the white research lab, they saw a police officer running back from behind the mountain, who urgently waved at Angler and the others to come over.

As they approached, Os asked, "What's the situation?"

The officer, frowning, said, "Detective, we took the police dogs to a house at the foot of the mountain and found a person there." He then led Os and the others down the hill.

"Only one person found?" Os asked Angler anxiously, "Wasn't there supposed to be another victim? Could they have already been killed?"

Angler didn't respond, just continued walking downhill.

Reaching the foot of the mountain, they saw some police officers with dogs standing in front of a simple shack-like house.

"What's going on?" Os stepped forward to ask.

"Captain, inside," one officer pointed inside the shack. Os, looking perplexed, pushed open the door and went in.

The scene inside the shack made Os frown – the first thing he noticed was a strong smell of blood. Inside, there were numerous electronic devices and scattered documents. In the center, a simple wire bed was set up, its dirty sheets stained with blood. An old man with a pale face leaned on the bed, an IV tube inserted in his hand. Os glanced at the blood bag hanging nearby... Was this man receiving a blood transfusion?

Looking closer at the man's appearance, Os's frown deepened. He saw a man in his fifties, thin but tall, with grey hair... covered in blood.

What was most disturbing were the multiple knife wounds on his body and a bloody hole where his right eye should have been... his right eyeball was missing.

"A victim?" Os was shocked and ordered his men, "Call an ambulance!"

The man on the bed quickly nodded, but then saw Angel wave his hand and said, "No need for an ambulance."

Everyone was startled, turning to look at him. Angel thought for a moment and said, "He's not just a victim, he's also the perpetrator... Of course, the plumber and Yang Le were harmed by him, while he was harmed by himself."

Os looked at Angel in amazement as Angel smiled slightly and said, "Os, go have someone clean up the ancient human remains and store them. Then bury all the runes on the ground with soil, and inform the media that a history student named Yang Le discovered the ancient remains, and then... was brutally killed by his teacher."

"No! It was me!" The old man suddenly struggled to sit up upon hearing this and shouted, "It was me! I found it!"

"Is that so." Angel smiled and asked, "Then who left you in this state?"

"It was... the resurrected Amaucos people!" the old man cried out in panic, "Evil spirits!"

Angel sneered and shook his head, then said to Os, "Search his clothes for identification, and..." As he spoke, Angel started searching the room, then stroking his chin, he turned to Mo Fei and said, "Mo Fei, find something that can make a sound, convenient to carry... um, that kind of device."

"Uh..." Mo Fei seemed to understand, began to search through drawers, and eventually found a voice recorder, then near the computer, he found a small microphone speaker.

He examined the speaker, noting that its port could connect to the voice recorder's output... Then, Mo Fei studied the recorder's switch and pressed a button... Everyone heard a chilling roar of a beast emanating from the speaker.

"That's the sound," Mo Fei said to Angel, "The night Yang Le called, I heard this sound."

Angel curled his lips into a smile, while the severely injured old man lying on the bed had already turned pale.

Os searched Chen Mao's ID from his pocket, a history professor at a university, and asked him, "Are you truly Yang Le's teacher? What exactly is going on here?"

"Do you know why Yang Le called me that day?" Before Chen Mao could speak, Angel asked.

Everyone exchanged puzzled glances and looked at him in confusion.

"Yang Le had always been dedicated to studying the Amaucos people," Angel said. "The Amaucos are a mysterious existence in human history, existing at a crucial stage of human evolution. They worshipped totems, cannibalism was their custom, and runes were their script... Every time they consumed human flesh, they would draw these runes, the so-called Gates of Reincarnation. In their view, consuming an enemy's flesh through this ritual would grant them the deceased's power, an inconceivable wisdom and civilization for late Homo sapiens. Unfortunately, their existence has always been a gap in history, never confirmed. Yang Le had told me long ago that she was certain the Amaucos lived around Silver Ding Mountain and wanted to excavate, but her mentor, who didn't believe her, thought it was nonsense." He glanced at Chen Mao on the bed, "That person was you, right?"

Chen Mao remained silent, clenching his teeth.

"Angel," Os asked, puzzled, "you said he also killed the plumber? He's the cannibal?"

Angel nodded and said, "The cannibal is just a facade. Yang Le must have excitedly called him after discovering the Amaucos remains, seeking his help with the excavation."

"And then he killed Yang Le to monopolize the discovery?" Mo Fei asked.

"Ha... Yang Le was a straightforward and naive student. I bet she excitedly told her teacher, 'Teacher, I found the Amaucos! Do you think I'll win an award? Will history remember my name?'" Angel asked Chen Mao, "And this deeply wounded you... Yang Le's research and her discovery would surely have astonished society, earning her all honors and the title of a genius, something you've sought all your life but never attained."

Chen Mao's expression gradually twisted.

Angel continued, "On one hand, you accompanied her in excavating the skeletons, telling her to keep it a secret and not to tell anyone. On the other hand, you peeked at her research notes, learned about the Amaucos, and joyfully discovered their rune usage and cannibalistic trait, the so-called Gates of Reincarnation, and the mysterious resurrection ritual of the Amaucos... This ritual left a deep impression on me because Yang Le had discussed it with me."

"So you orchestrated this whole cannibal monster charade?" Mo Fei frowned, "You killed those people and created the illusion of a cannibal monster to prove the existence of the mysterious Amoscos civilization, as well as to collect human organs for that ritual we just witnessed?"

Os, frowning, told the police outside the door, "Bring someone to take his dental impressions, to compare

"No need..." Chen Mao began slowly, cutting off the officer before he could leave. With a cold sneer, he glanced at Angler and said, "I thought Yang Le was calling the police or her family... I didn't expect she was calling you."

"Did you intentionally let her make the call before you killed her?" Oss asked, "Because of the beast's roar, to suggest it was a demon devouring her?"

"It would be too easy to let that girl monopolize such a discovery... The world is unfair!" Chen Mao spoke bitterly, "I concocted this brilliant plan. I killed a vagrant, discarded him in the trash, and took his stomach. Then I killed a passerby, using the same method to remove his lungs... Finally, I targeted a plumber, extracting his intestines. Yang Le's notebook detailed the rituals of the Amoscos portal, requiring a young woman's heart, liver, left eye, a scapula, and a clavicle... Yang Le was the perfect candidate. And of course, the right eye and blood were mine!" Mao spoke with a grin, "Even if you prove I killed them, I will be immortalized in history. It was me! I discovered the Amoscos, merely possessed by their bloodthirsty spirits!" The others furrowed their brows, indeed, this man seemed possessed by the savage Amoscos cannibals.

"You knew you'd lose too much blood, so you prepared a transfusion apparatus and blood bags here in advance, to ensure your survival. Then you planned to lead us to discover you and take us back to that lab, concocting stories about the resurrected Amoscos culture," Oss observed. "Most importantly, being the discoverer, all your student's work and achievements, the glory, and the Amoscos themselves would belong to you?"

Chen Mao laughed, "You can't erase me from history. The Amoscos are mine!"

"And your tool?" Oss frowned, motioning the officer to handcuff him, "For such a worthless honor, you killed so many people?"

"This must be it?" Mo Fei picked up a large pair of gardening shears from the windowsill.

"Used to sever limbs," Oss nodded. "Clean and smooth cuts, it's definitely these." He patted Chen Mao on the back with a smile, "I assure you, your photo and name will never appear in the newspapers. That honor, and that 'Ah-something' skull, belong only to the girl. Your name won't be in history." After speaking, he ordered the officers to push the screaming and struggling Chen Mao out and into the police car.

Oss sighed, shook his head, and patted Angler's shoulder, proceeding as he had suggested. As he was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something and turned back to ask, "By the way, Angler, what was that creature we saw in the sewer?"

Angler shook his head, replying indifferently, "Until it caused trouble by eating a living person, it might have been just a creature hiding in the sewer. As for those bones, let's wait for the investigation to determine the cause of death and identity."

Oss pondered for a moment, nodded, and then turned to leave.

Afterwards, Angler emerged from his room and stood amidst the mountains, slowly walking downhill. Mo Fei caught up and walked beside him, asking, "Angler?"

"Hmm?" Angel turned to look at him, his expression calm.

"Yang Le's death, it must be hard for you, right?" Mo Fei asked softly.

"It's okay," Angel honestly replied.

Mo Fei looked at him somewhat surprised, then heard Angel say lightly, "I didn't know her very well, just a stranger I had a long conversation with once. But her death is regrettable, it feels like a waste."

Mo Fei quietly watched him for a while, then sighed and shook his head, placing a hand on his shoulder as they walked together, "You know, Angel."

"Hmm?" Angel, who had already lowered his head, looked up again at Mo Fei.

Mo Fei met his gaze, "Sometimes, you don't need a reason to feel sad."

Angel blinked.

"Sadness, happiness, liking, disliking... none of these necessarily need a reason," Mo Fei shook his shoulder, smiling, "I'd feel sad if I saw a little dog frozen on the roadside. It's normal."

Angel fell silent for a moment, then nodded, "Yeah, then I'm sad."

Mo Fei looked at him, and Angel looked back, adding, "Quite sad, actually."

Mo Fei continued to look at him, and Angel continued to look back, then finally lowered his head, "Very sad."

Mo Fei shook his head, walked in front of Angel, and asked, "Want a piggyback?"

"Hmm," Anger nodded.

Afterwards, Mofei, carrying Anger on his back, made his way unsteadily down the mountain. Anger, idly twirling a finger around the nape of Mofei's neck, seemed lost in thought.

Mofei glanced back at him and said, "Let's eat something really spicy tonight, and then in a couple of days, Os will tell you that Chen Mao has been executed. We can visit Yang Le's grave during Qingming."

Anger withdrew his finger, wrapped his arms around Mofei's neck, and rested his cheek beside his ear, nodding in agreement, "Hmm."

……

That night, as they prepared to sleep, Anger nudged Mofei and said earnestly, "Mofei, I think I'm not sad anymore."

Mofei nodded and turned off the light.