Chapter 64

The Possessed 4, The Swallow on the Tombstone

Anger’s story about the town left Mo Fei feeling quite perplexed.

"Anger," Mo Fei said, "Could the name just be a coincidence?"

Anger smiled, "Mo Fei, true coincidences are actually quite rare in this world."

Mo Fei looked at him.

Anger chuckled, "Think about it. If coincidences became common, then by human linguistic logic, the common would become coincidental, and coincidental would mean common."

Mo Fei chuckled, nodding, "That makes sense."

"Anger," at that moment, Os approached after finishing his call, "Should we go see Ma Kai and the others?"

"Sure," Anger nodded, following Os to the second-floor lounge.

In the lounge, several patients dressed in hospital attire were resting. Their lives seemed no different from those of ordinary people: some were reading, others chatting, and a few watching TV.

Enchanting music filled the room... In a corner stood a white piano, where a gaunt man played passionately, the melody captivating and immersive.

Anger shook his head, remarking, "He truly is a genius."

Os asked Anger, "Shall we call him over?"

Anger waved his hand to dismiss any help and sat down on the sofa in the lounge, listening to Mark play.

Ma Kai played for nearly half an hour. When the piece concluded, Anger softly began to applaud.

Many other patients followed Anger's lead, clapping their hands. Ma Kai stood up with a smile and bowed to everyone as if he were on stage.

Leaving the piano, he sat down on the sofa opposite Anger and asked, "Are you with the police?"

Os approached and said, "His name is Anger, a detective."

"Oh," Mark nodded, saying, "I've heard about it."

Somewhat surprised, Anger chuckled, "My name might have a bit of fame in certain circles, but it shouldn't be known to the general public."

Ma Kai smiled, "I heard about you from someone who always speaks of you with joy."

Anger laughed, "You seem to respect him greatly. Did he help you in any way?"

"Yes," Ma Kai nodded, "He was a great help, especially in sparking my musical inspiration."

Anger, slightly taken aback, chuckled, "What advice did he give you to stimulate your inspiration?"

"Hmm... He provided me with a different mindset," Ma Kai said, his voice tinged with sadness, "Anger, I know you too are passionate about artistic creation. Where do you find your inspiration?"

Anger pondered for a moment and said, "Probably... from the thrill of solving cases and from love."

"Ah, love, a wonderful thing," Ma Kai remarked. "Of course, the thrill of solving cases... Anger, you truly are an enviable creator, having such varied preconditions to support your creativity."

Anger nodded with a smile and asked, "What about you? Why did you hit a roadblock?"

"Due to a fixed lifestyle... and that detestable label," Ma Kai spoke angrily. "Society has pigeonholed me, constructed a cage around me. I have nowhere to escape. When they label me as a dog, and I want to be a cat, I am restrained. People question, 'You are clearly a dog, why act like a cat?'"

Anger raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Yes, it's indeed quite interesting."

"Anger," Ma Kai sighed, "Devil's Bay is a heartbreaking place."

"Which Devil's Bay are you referring to?" Anger inquired.

"Ah, you do know of it," Ma Kai nodded. "He was right, you've been there before, led by him."

Anger frowned slightly, "Who are you referring to?"

"The devil," Ma Kai replied. "The one who saved me this time and guided me through all this."

"You don't seem to hate this devil?" Anger asked.

"Why would I hate him?" Ma Kai seemed surprised. "I am very grateful to him; he gave me a chance to be reborn."

"How so?" Anger was curious.

"Think about it, I was once a perfect genius, surrounded by a halo of pure white," Ma Kai said, then burst into laughter, "But now, I am the devil's spokesperson, a deranged psychopathic killer. The halo above me has vanished, turning into black horns of a devil. I went from being admired and envied by everyone to being despised and feared... This transformation of roles floods me with inspiration."

Anger nodded in understanding after listening, "So this is what you call rebirth... Indeed, such a drastic change in circumstances can greatly inspire you. Is that why you composed the piece you just played?"

"Exactly," Ma Kai nodded affirmatively. "That was just one of my new compositions, inspired by the mindset of those lovers I killed. Betrayed and abandoned by me, imagine how lost and helpless they must have felt. By merely putting myself in their shoes, I was overwhelmed with heartache... and that's how I created that piece. See, how charming inspiration can be?"

"About this inspiration, did you discuss it with him?" Anger asked curiously, "Before the act?"

"No," Ma Kai shook his head, "It was before being possessed by the devil at Devil's Bend."

Anger nodded slightly, "I think I understand now. By the way, what's the name of your devil benefactor?"

Ma Kai smiled, "He said I could only reveal his name to you, as a condition of our exchange."

"I'm all ears," Anger nodded, realizing this case was indeed targeting him, and that it related to the past events at Devil's Bay.

"He is called... Black JK," Ma Kai answered.

Anger slightly furrowed his brows, not saying much more, just nodding and acknowledging, "Understood."

Afterwards, Anger met several other patients. Without exception, their mental state was not too stable, and their devil, always the same, Black JK, only allowed them to communicate with Anger.

After finishing his inquiries, Anger stood up and went to the balcony for some air.

"So it seems," Os emerged, "Ma Kai and the others aren't mentally ill at all. They committed murder and should be held legally responsible."

Anger smiled, "You didn't gather evidence just now. If they continue to feign insanity, it will be hard to prove. Os, you handle the rest."

Oss nodded and turned to leave, but then turned back and said, "Hey, Anger, I've told you many times about Black JK. He's a troublesome character, be careful."

Anger nodded in acknowledgment.

After Oss left, Mo Fei looked at Anger with concern and said, "Black JK seems to have been particularly focused on you from the start."

"Yes," Anger nodded, "Or perhaps it's you they're interested in."

Mo Fei, somewhat resigned, asked him, "Where are you going now? Aren't you going home?"

"I'm going to visit my grandmother," Anger replied. "I want to ask Emma about some things."

"Emma?" Mo Fei asked, puzzled.

"Yes," Anger nodded. "Mo Fei, have you ever heard me mention my parents?"

Mo Fei shook his head, "Not at all. Weren't you raised by Emma? I thought your parents passed away early."

"Right," Anger said. "My mother was an artist, and my father was a detective."

Mo Fei couldn't help but laugh, "Anger, you've certainly inherited the best of both of them."

Anger nodded and said, "I've heard that my father was a highly controversial detective."

"Controversial?" Mo Fei asked, puzzled.

"I never met my father, only read some of his diaries," Anger explained. "He mentioned more than once that he had made some serious mistakes. Specifically, my artistic talent is inherited from my mother, while my detective skills are based on the methods recorded in my father's diaries, along with some innate abilities he passed on to me."

Mo Fei, curiously, asked, "How was he controversial?"

"My father became a detective in his teens, traveled extensively, and solved many puzzles. He solved numerous cases across Europe and became quite famous," Anger explained. "However, some questioned his deductions, even accusing him of being reckless in his youth, obstructing justice, and wrongfully accusing innocent people."

Mofei nodded and asked, "What happened to him afterward? How did he die?"

"He disappeared," Anger said. "He lost contact while investigating a case and has never been seen since."

"Do you have a photo of him?" Mo Fei asked. "If his body was never found, shouldn't there be a search for him?"

"No, I don't know why, but there are no photos of him," Anger replied. "My grandmother never attempted to find him or even mentioned him, so I've always thought that he had some secret that made her deliberately remove him from my life."

After hearing this, Mo Fei asked with concern, "Anger, why suddenly think of your father? Is it related to the Devil's Bay case?"

"The story I just told you, I only told you half of it," Anger said. "Years ago, at the Devil's Bay village, I saw a carving on the gravestone of a victim who was buried alive."

"A pattern?" Mofei was curious.

"It's a swallow," Angler explained. "My mother’s maiden name was Yan, and she designed that signature for herself. You can find that pattern on each of her paintings."

Mofei paused, then suddenly remembered, "Ah, Angler, I've seen those paintings in an album. Your mother seemed quite famous."

Angler smiled proudly and nodded, "Yes, she was an exceptional painter."

"How did she pass away?" Mofei inquired.

Angler shook his head, "It’s all a mystery."

Mofei couldn’t help but furrow his brow.

"Angler, do you think the pattern suggests the case might be related to your parents?" Mofei asked.

"As far as I know, my mother was quite young during that era. She probably never went to Europe... But she was already in love with my father then, so it's possible that he left it."

Mofei thought for a moment, then suddenly asked, "By the way, Angler, how old were you when you went to Europe? You must have been very young. Were you already working as a detective then?"

"When I was in my teens," Angler spoke softly, "I resembled my father, as Emma used to say. Naïve, arrogant,

and smart, most people found me disagreeable."

"Not really," Mo Fei laughed.

"Mo Fei, you're an exception," Angler shrugged nonchalantly. "In this world, nobody is completely disliked, without even a single friend... In some ways, we are quite similar."

After a moment of thought, Mo Fei also smiled and nodded, "Angler, I almost forgot... I, too, am a despised stray dog."

Angler looked at him and nodded with satisfaction, "It doesn't matter. My liking you is enough. As for others, you can choose to ignore them. In one's life, having a single emotional bond is sufficient. You don't need everyone's love. Love and hate can transform into each other; it's easy to turn love into hatred. Too many emotions are a burden."