Chereads / Obscuris Labyrinth / Chapter 5 - Chapter 4: Catastrophe

Chapter 5 - Chapter 4: Catastrophe

In the afternoon of the next day, the sunlight slanted down on the earth. Zhao Yuxuan took Chen Shihan on their way home. Chen Shihan was extremely beautiful. Her delicate face was like a flower in full bloom in spring, so charming and tender. Moreover, she had a docile temperament, just like a lovely lamb. Such a girl quickly won the full affection of Sun Qiming and Zhou Yaqi. As soon as Zhou Yaqi saw her, her eyes were filled with a loving glow. She enthusiastically took Chen Shihan's hand and took out a pair of top - quality jadeite bracelets to give to her. While handing them over, she lovingly admonished Zhao Yuxuan with a full face of kindness, "Yuxuan, what a wonderful girl Shihan is. You should treat her well. Don't be as fickle as before. You two still have a long way to go in the future. I hope that no matter what you encounter, you can share joys and sorrows, just like the boats closely depending on each other in the wind and rain." Every time Zhou Yaqi said a word, Chen Shihan's face would be like a cloud reddened by the sunset glow, and she would nod shyly. She thought to herself that her future mother - in - law had already regarded her as a daughter - in - law. This feeling was like a reassuring pill falling into her heart, making her feel much more at ease.

This time, Sun Qiming and Zhou Yaqi didn't come and go in a hurry as they used to. As long as Zhao Yuxuan and Chen Shihan were free, they would go home. However, Zhao Yuxuan always felt vaguely that something was strange, as if there were undercurrents hidden beneath the calm lake surface. He thought that perhaps it was really time to find a chance to ask his parents what had happened.

Time is like the fine sand slipping through one's fingers. In the blink of an eye, half a month had slipped away quietly. One day, the sunlight shone through the window into the room. Zhou Yaqi called Zhao Yuxuan. Her voice on the phone was gentle and kind, "Yuxuan, after class this afternoon, you and Shihan come home for dinner." Hearing this, Zhao Yuxuan thought that it was just the right opportunity to ask his parents what was going on.

On that afternoon, Zhao Yuxuan had no classes. However, Chen Shihan's class wouldn't end until five o'clock. He returned to the dormitory. It was quiet in the dormitory, and he was the only one there. He walked to the desk and turned on the computer in the dormitory and began to play "Legend of Mir". This online game had accompanied him for many years. He had devoted a great deal of energy to this game. Now his equipment was extremely excellent. In the game world, he was like an invincible warrior, almost able to defeat any opponent he met.

This dormitory was the small world shared by him, Zhao Qiyang, and Wu Junhui. Since he started dating Chen Shihan, Zhao Yuxuan seldom spent the night in the dormitory. Zhao Qiyang was also always out for various reasons, so usually there was only Wu Junhui in the dormitory. For boys, the dormitory should have been an excellent place full of romantic possibilities for picking up girls, like a magical love paradise. However, Wu Junhui seemed to be born lacking in attraction to girls. He was like a star forgotten in the corner. Despite having such a "love paradise" full of infinite possibilities, not a single girl flew into his world like an angel with wings.

Zhao Yuxuan was immersed in the wonderful world of the game and was playing ecstatically when suddenly he felt his mobile phone in his arms vibrate. He slightly frowned, came back to his senses from the intense battle in the game, picked up the phone and saw that it was an unfamiliar number. A trace of doubt couldn't help rising in his heart. After hesitating for a moment, he still pressed the answer button. As soon as he connected the call, he heard a very serious voice on the phone, which was as cold as an iron block without any emotion, "Hello, are you Zhao Yuxuan, Sun Qiming's son?"

Zhao Yuxuan replied, "Yes, I am."

The voice continued, "Zhao Yuxuan, something has happened at your home. Come back immediately."

Zhao Yuxuan had been shrouded by that inexplicable strange feeling these days. At this moment, hearing these words, his heart seemed to be stabbed hard by an extremely sharp thorn. A sharp pain hit him, and his hands couldn't help trembling slightly. His eyes were full of panic, and he quickly asked, "What is it? What happened? Who are you?"

The voice answered unhurriedly, "I'm Liu Jiahao, an officer from the Municipal Criminal Police Brigade. Come back home and we'll talk about it. I'll wait for you here."

After that, Liu Jiahao simply hung up the phone.

After hearing this news, Zhao Yuxuan felt that things were getting worse. A deep fear surged towards him like a dark tide. At this time, he only felt that his legs were as weak as two noodles without any supporting force. He tried hard to calm himself down, took a deep breath, and stood up. He was extremely worried, and his mind was full of possible things that might have happened at home. So worried was he that he didn't even think of calling Chen Shihan and ran towards the parking lot outside the school like a gust of wind. Just as he was running, suddenly an idea flashed through his mind like lightning. His parents were at home. If something serious had happened at home, why didn't his parents contact him but let the police inform him?

This thought made his body go limp again as if all his strength had been drained away. He didn't even know how he got into the car. Sitting in the driver's seat, his hands tightly gripped the steering wheel, his eyes full of anxiety and worry, and then he drove towards home quickly. Along the way, he was so impatient that he only thought of getting home quickly to see what had happened. Because he was too impatient, he ran through four red lights in a row. Pedestrians and vehicles on the roadside were all startled by his crazy behavior and hurriedly made way for him.

Forty minutes later, Zhao Yuxuan arrived at the villa area in the northern suburbs of City C. It was quiet here, but there was also a repressive atmosphere. A group of security guards in uniform, their faces full of nervous expressions, and their eyes vigilantly looking around, like a group of hounds guarding their territory. Another two police cars roared towards his home at high speed. The siren of the police cars was extremely harsh in the quiet villa area, like a sharp knife cutting through the calm air.

Seeing this scene, Zhao Yuxuan became even more flustered. He stepped on the accelerator, and the car rushed towards his independent villa like an angry bull. Soon, he arrived outside his villa. There were already a lot of people here. Police officers coming and going had solemn faces like cloudy skies, and they had also set up a cordon. The cordon was like a ruthless barrier, separating the villa from the outside world.

Zhao Yuxuan got out of the car dizzily. His mind was in chaos, and for a moment he couldn't even remember the name of the officer who had called him just now. He was like a lost deer, his eyes full of confusion and panic. He grabbed a police officer passing by. The police officer was startled by his sudden action. Zhao Yuxuan shouted loudly, "What happened to my family? What on earth happened to my family? Where are my father and mother? Where are they?"

The police officer stopped, looked him up and down, and then calmly took out a walkie - talkie and said, "Captain Liu, Captain Liu, the Zhao family's child is back and is right outside the door."

Not long after the call ended, a man about forty years old hurried out of the villa. He looked majestic, tall and straight. The police uniform on him looked extremely neat. He was Liu Jiahao, a second - grade police superintendent. He came to Zhao Yuxuan, looked at him sympathetically, his gaze like a faint warm light, trying to penetrate the fear and confusion in Zhao Yuxuan's heart. Then he said, "You are Zhao Yuxuan, right? I'm Liu Jiahao, the one who just talked to you on the phone, the captain of the Municipal Criminal Police Brigade."

Zhao Yuxuan nodded silently, and suddenly rushed towards the villa like a madman, but was quickly stopped by two police officers. The two police officers were like two solid hills, firmly blocking his way.

Liu Jiahao stepped forward, waved his hand, and signaled the police officers to step aside. Facing Zhao Yuxuan, he said earnestly, "Zhao Yuxuan, you are already twenty - one years old and can be considered an adult. An adult should look like an adult, be like a big tree standing firmly in the wind and rain, be able to withstand any blow, and be a real man, okay?" While saying this, he gently patted Zhao Yuxuan on the shoulder, an action like an elder comforting a frightened child.

Zhao Yuxuan didn't say a word. His eyes were full of determination as he walked towards his home. He had a very bad premonition in his heart, a premonition as terrifying as a bottomless dark abyss that he dared not imagine.

Just as he walked onto the lawn, he saw a body wrapped in a white cloth lying horizontally on the ground in front. The body lay there quietly, like a cold hillock. Zhao Yuxuan's head suddenly "buzzed" as if countless bees were buzzing chaotically inside. He only felt his vision go black, and his body was like a leaf blown off by the wind and almost fell down.

Liu Jiahao followed beside him and said softly, "This is Wang Qiang, the doorkeeper of your family."

Hearing this, Zhao Yuxuan suddenly seemed to be injected with a powerful force and started running very fast. His footsteps were as rapid as drumbeats. He didn't know where his strength came from, but he had only one thought in his mind, that was, he must see his parents, he had to see them.

He kept comforting himself in his heart. He believed that his parents would be okay. He thought that perhaps it was just a robbery and his parents might just be injured. His father was so smart that he wouldn't sacrifice his life just to protect money.

Just as he ran into the hall, he saw two bodies wrapped in white cloth being carried downstairs by the police upstairs. One of the police officers said to Liu Jiahao, "Captain Liu, the on - site investigation has been completed. Should the bodies of the Zhao couple be sent to the funeral parlor?"

Hearing this, Zhao Yuxuan stopped in his tracks. He was like being under a body - freezing spell, staring blankly at the two bodies being carried down. His whole body suddenly began to tremble violently, like a leaf swaying in the strong wind. Then he kept shaking his head and making sounds like mumbling.

"No."

"It's not them."

"This is impossible."

"Absolutely impossible."

"I just talked to my mother on the phone at noon."

At this time, Liu Jiahao put his arm around his shoulder and said in a low and powerful voice, "Zhao Yuxuan, cheer up and face the reality. Something really terrible has happened to your family. Your parents, as well as the maid Aunt Zhang and the doorkeeper Wang Qiang, have all been killed. Our police will do our best to solve this case and give the victims justice. But now you must be sober and recall carefully if there were any unusual behaviors of your parents after they returned home. This is not only helping us but also helping yourself."

Seeing the two bodies wrapped in white cloth on the stretchers in front of him, Zhao Yuxuan suddenly roared like an angry lion and was about to pounce forward.

At this time, Liu Jiahao suddenly stopped him and shook his head, saying, "Zhao Yuxuan, the death state of your parents is very strange and horrible. You'd better not look."

However, Zhao Yuxuan at this time was like a runaway bison and suddenly pushed hard against his chest.

Liu Jiahao was 1.85 meters tall and was originally from the special forces. His body was as strong as an iron tower. But being pushed by Zhao Yuxuan, who was half a head shorter than him, he actually staggered back five or six steps and finally leaned against a sofa to stand still. A trace of surprise also flashed in his eyes. He really didn't expect that this fair - skinned rich young master would have such strong explosive power.

At the same time, Zhao Yuxuan had already reached the front stretcher. His hand seemed out of control and suddenly lifted the cloth covering the face of the body.

At this very moment, Zhao Yuxuan's heart seemed to be hit hard by an iron rod. The impact was so strong that it almost shattered his soul, and he almost fainted. What a face it was! It was as pale as a zombie, without a trace of blood. All the facial features were horribly sunken, as if suddenly sucked dry of all the blood by some evil thing. The whole person was withered, leaving only a thin layer of skin attached to the skeleton, like a skeleton, extremely strange and terrifying. Even the police officers who were carrying the body and had already seen this scene couldn't help closing their eyes. And a female police officer who was videotaping in the downstairs hall saw it from a distance and was so frightened that she screamed all of a sudden. The scream echoed in the hall, and then she began to vomit continuously, and her body trembled like a willow branch in the wind.

Zhao Yuxuan had already seen clearly who this horrible body was. It was his father, Sun Qiming. Although the whole face had been deformed, he knew it was his father without a doubt.

With this thought flashing into his mind, Zhao Yuxuan didn't feel any fear at all. All he had was despair, a despair like falling into an endless dark hell. He seemed to be frozen by ten - thousand - year - old black ice all over his body. His throat seemed to be choked by something, unable to cry out, and his body seemed to be nailed to the spot, unable to move. He didn't even have the courage to lift the cloth of the body behind to have a look. He didn't dare to look, and he couldn't bear to look, because he knew that his mother must also have been killed, just like his father.

Blank.

His mind was completely blank.

When he came to his senses, he found himself sitting on the sofa. The bodies of his parents had been carried away. In the downstairs hall, besides a female police officer who was still videotaping while constantly retching, only Liu Jiahao was sitting beside him.