"I think this is a waste of time," Xiao Qinxian said, her mind elsewhere, her expression conveying a deep sense of anguish. "Our mission has been clearly defined: to find the Scarlet Beast! The answer is now clear: the beasts are inside the deceased's body! I think we should hold a meeting and vote as soon as possible! Maybe…"
Xiao Qinxian couldn't finish her sentence in front of Zhao Yanbao—maybe the beasts from Chi Lei and Zhi Chun combined could weigh 13 kilograms.
Lion chimed in, "Oh, I agree with Xiao. We should gather and discuss this."
Mu Yiran circled the word "title page" on the paper before saying, "Our police haven't arrived yet. Someone needs to guard the body." Xiao
Qinxian opened her mouth but couldn't say anything.
Lion said, "Once the police arrive, we'll go to the hospital immediately to discuss this."
Ke Xun patted Luo Wei on the shoulder, "I have to go downstairs to greet the two policemen and grab a drink."
The two went downstairs, followed by Wei Dong and Zhu Haowen.
The first floor had huge floor-to-ceiling windows, offering a view of a gray-green eucalyptus tree outside.
Ke Xun pulled up a chair and sat in front of the window: "Yi Ran and I just discussed it, and we think the whole thing should be explained to everyone. It's a bit risky, but at least it's fair to all those involved in the painting."
Luo Wei: "I said last night, you guys decide what to do."
Zhu Haowen: "Okay, we can announce it at the meeting later. Everyone'll find out sooner or later anyway."
Wei Dong: "Could you tell me first...?"
So, Luo Wei briefly told Wei Dong about the red marks he saw on everyone's faces. Wei Dong's eyes reddened as he listened: "So..." "Tell me, you can see the red spots that only appear after people die? Haowen has them, and Lao Qin has them too, and Lao Qin's is the biggest and most obvious? The forensic doctor just now called that thing a 'beast mark,' does that mean that people with these marks have a beast inside them?"
Zhu Haowen nodded: "I think so."
Wei Dong stared carefully at Zhu Haowen's forehead: "Haowen, how can you be so carefree? Luo Wei even saw your 'beast mark' with his Yin-Yang eyes, there's a big red dot right here!"
Zhu Haowen indicated that he already knew, and then asked Ke Xun: "Is the mark on Chi Lei's forehead the same as what Luo Wei described?"
"The location is the same, and the extent of spread is about the same," Ke Xun affirmed, "It's a pity that we couldn't let Luo Wei go in and see it for himself."
Luo Wei: "I just discovered something new."
"What?" Several people asked almost in unison.
Luo Wei lowered his voice: "Zhao Yanbao's forehead also showed a red mark, just now."
"When?"
"Ever since we learned that Chi Lei committed suicide, she started crying. When we rushed upstairs, I noticed a faint red mark on her forehead."
Everyone was somewhat shocked. These terrifying red marks could actually appear suddenly?
"Zhao Yanbao's change is definitely related to her emotions. The death of her friend has greatly shaken her, and suicide is very different from dying of illness. Zhao Yanbao seems to care a lot about this." Ke Xun analyzed. Zhu
Haowen: "No wonder Mu Yiran was observing Zhao Yanbao so carefully when he asked her questions."
As they were talking, two people in police uniforms came into the courtyard.
With these two legal "body guardians," everyone felt relieved and left the detective agency.
"It's really strange. Since this is a suicide case, it's not a criminal case. Why were we able to call in the police to guard it?" Wei Dong asked, puzzled.
Ke Xun explained, "When we called the police station earlier, Lao Chu said that any carcass containing animal remains needs to be strictly guarded to prevent them from being stolen by criminals."
Hearing this, Wei Dong thought of an inappropriate analogy: the animals inside people's bodies were as valuable in this city as bezoars and dog gallstones…
The Central Hospital was very close; just outside this small street was the intersection of the main street ahead.
Everyone walked forward in twos and threes. Xiao Qinxian walked the fastest, probably afraid others would think she was too hasty, so she pulled Lion along to accompany her.
Zhao Yanbao still looked distraught, with Zhu Haowen accompanying her as her "colleague."
Ke Xun and Mu Yiran walked at the back. Along the roadside were newly sprouted horse chestnut trees, looking like newly sprouted toon shoots.
Mu Yiran: "Has Luo Wei made another discovery?"
Ke Xun was never surprised by his lover's logical thinking: "You figured it out?"
Mu Yiran: "Yes, I discovered he's been observing Zhao Yanbao ever since. But I think the beast isn't just related to human emotions; the beast isn't that simple."
After entering the hospital, all eleven members were able to see Zhi Chun's body.
The body was placed behind a glass wall. Everyone looked at Zhi Chun on the bier through the glass. The bloodstains had been cleaned up, but the white sheets and the red animal mark on the deceased's forehead still created a stark contrast.
Everyone stared intently at their companion's corpse through the cold glass.
They had always thought that only visiting babies in hospitals involved being in such glass-walled rooms, but they hadn't expected that visiting the dead would be the same.
Two young nurses happened to be passing by and couldn't help but stop to look, their eyes filled with curiosity. "Look," one said, "there might be a treasure inside. That pattern looks a bit like a fish, and the tail is even purplish. That kind of purple is quite rare."
The other nurse teased, "Haven't you heard of 'evil purple usurping vermilion'? Red is still more valuable."
Qin Ci's arrival caused the two nurses to fall silent and leave. It seemed that the chief physician still had a certain intimidating presence.
The older members had never seen Qin Ci in his white doctor's coat before. He looked even more serious, even authoritative, than usual.
"Those two nurses are new and don't understand the situation with the Beast Records," Qin Ci led everyone to the office, knowing no one wanted to linger in front of the glass room. "Last night I looked at some medical books on the bookshelf, and there were some records about beasts: the 'evil purple usurping vermilion' they mentioned earlier is just a rumor. That purplish color is an inevitable change after death, and as time goes on, it will gradually turn completely purple."
Xiao Qinxian immediately became anxious: "If it turns completely purple, does that mean… the beast inside the body is dead?"
Her words startled everyone; none of them had imagined that the beast was alive.
Qin Ci, however, affirmed this: "That's roughly the idea. The beast inside the deceased will lose its activity and value if too much time passes. However, Zhi Chun's body is in the freezer, so it will be preserved for a longer time."
"Then let's quickly move Chi Lei's body over too, in case it's unusable," Xiao Qinxian suggested.
Zhao Yanbao gave Xiao Qinxian a cold look but remained silent.
Ke Xun said, "Don't worry, the people in this city won't let those beasts become stale. Those two policemen guarding the bodies must have some kind of body preservation measures."
Xiao Qinxian finally felt a little relieved and chose a relatively well-lit spot to sit down.
Qin Ci's office was large, and even with eleven people sitting in a circle, it didn't feel cramped.
"Everyone already knows what happened today," Qin Ci glanced at everyone, "The main topic of our meeting is the resolution on the 'Corpse Handling Opinion Report.' Before everyone expresses their opinions, there's something I need to tell you all."
Next, Qin Ci announced that Luo Wei could see the marks on some members' faces. This caused most people to lose their composure, especially those with red marks on their faces.
Xiao Qinxian's reaction was the strongest: "Why weren't we told about this beforehand?! Now that someone has died, and the animal marks on their faces have appeared, some people can suddenly see the animal marks on our faces!" This was clearly a veiled attack on Luo Wei, "Who knows if some outsiders are deliberately trying to sabotage our plans!"
When Zhao Yanbao learned that she also had marks on her face, and that they had suddenly appeared just now, she remained silent, looking down as if deep in thought.
Qin Ci explained to Xiao Qinxian, "I only found out about this late last night. Since we hadn't thought of a plan, we decided to tell everyone this morning to avoid unnecessary panic. But then our companion committed suicide this morning."
Xiao Qinxian was both frightened and angry, and retorted to Luo Wei, "You can really see the mark on my face? Tell me where it is?"
Luo Wei's voice was icy: "Other people's marks are on their foreheads, only yours are below your eyes."
Xiao Qinxian rolled her eyes: "I knew mine was different from others—some people are giving me special treatment."
Luo Wei sneered but remained silent.
Yu Ji touched his forehead, trying to shake off his bewilderment, and steadied himself, saying, "We have limited time, let's discuss the important matters first. What are everyone's opinions on that 'Corpse Handling Opinion Report'?"
Xiao Qinxian leaned closer to Lion first, "We agree. We should prioritize the overall situation now. We advocate taking the animal."
Yu Ji seemed relieved and followed up, "I also advocate taking the animal. If we can gather 13 kilograms, we can go back sooner."
Su Benxin, who hadn't spoken until now, scanned everyone, finally fixing her gaze on Zhao Yanbao: "After all, Chi Lei is your friend. What's your opinion, Yanbao?"
It seemed they knew each other before; some of the people here appeared to be regulars at the Benxin Art Museum.
Zhao Yanbao didn't sit down, but stood ramrod straight to the side: "I have no say in Zhi Chun's case, so I abstain; as for Chi Lei, I disagree with removing the beast."
Su Benxin said, "Whether a beast is suitable to remain inside the deceased is something none of us can say for sure."
"But Chi Lei said in her last words that she wanted to preserve herself at her most beautiful and best moment, like amber." Zhao Yanbao's voice choked slightly, "I want her to retain her appearance completely before death."
Xiao Qinxian wanted to retort, but suddenly felt it was a waste of time, so she said, "Okay, now it's one veto and three affirmative votes, what about the rest of you?"
Zhu Haowen said expressionlessly, "I have no right to make this decision for the deceased, I abstain."
"You..." Xiao Qinxian trembled with anger, looking at everyone pleadingly, "What are everyone's opinions?"