In the laboratory of the headquarters, the atmosphere was so solemn that it seemed as if water could drip out. The technicians gathered around the skeleton brought back from the railway. Various precision instruments flashed cold light and made a slight buzzing sound, as if they were having a conversation with the deceased across life and death. Holding tweezers, magnifying glasses and other tools, they carefully analyzed the skeleton in all aspects. Every action was precise and cautious, and they did not dare to slack off.
As the inspection gradually deepened, a new identity information exploded in everyone's mind like a heavy bomb - the deceased was Michael who disappeared while climbing eight years ago. This news made the already complicated case even more confusing, and everyone's heart seemed to be shrouded in a heavy haze.
Further test results were even more horrifying. Michael's skeleton had obvious traces of being bitten by wild beasts. The tooth marks were uneven and deeply embedded in the bone surface, like the hideous marks left by wild beasts when they were gnawing wildly. This means that after Michael's death, these bones were torn and eaten by wild beasts in the wilderness, and the remaining parts were carefully placed by the murderer beside the railway as part of his evil sacrificial ritual. Such a tragic scene makes people feel cold and cruel at the murderer's coldness and cruelty, and also makes the investigation process deadlocked again, as if walking into a dark and deep dead end with no end in sight.
Li Yi took a deep breath, suppressed his anxiety and uneasiness, and decided to go to Michael's home to look for clues. Michael's wife lives alone in a small house on the outskirts of the city. The trees around the house are lush and green, casting a large shadow, making the small house look particularly lonely and deserted. When Li Yi knocked on the slightly old door, a long time before a sluggish sound of footsteps came from the house.
The door slowly opened, and a pale-faced, sad-eyed woman appeared in front of him. Her eyes were red and swollen, as if she had just cried. Her hair was casually tied behind her head, with a few strands of hair hanging messily on both sides of her cheeks. She was wearing a loose sweater, which made her look even thinner. When she saw Li Yi, a trace of doubt and vigilance flashed in her eyes.
"Who are you?" She asked softly, with a hint of fatigue and hoarseness in her voice.
Li Yi showed his ID and tried to make his tone gentle: "Hello, I am responsible for investigating some case clues. I want to learn more about your husband Michael."
The woman trembled slightly, tears welled up in her eyes, and she stepped aside to let Li Yi enter the house. The furnishings in the house were simple and plain, and there was a faint atmosphere of sadness. A photo of Michael and his wife hung on the wall. The two people in the photo were smiling brightly and full of happiness, but now it seems even more desolate.
After sitting down on the sofa in the living room, Li Yi slowly spoke: "Your husband has been missing for so many years, you must have had a hard time. I want to ask, does Michael have any special hobbies?"
The woman raised her hand to wipe her tears and nodded gently: "He likes to study astronomy very much. In his spare time, he always holds those books about stars and reads for several hours. Sometimes he gets up in the middle of the night, runs to the yard, and looks at the stars with a telescope, saying that he is afraid of missing some astronomical wonders." As she said, she stood up and walked to a cabinet, opened the cabinet door, took out a thick notebook and handed it to Li Yi, "This is his notebook, which is full of his observation records of stars and some of his own thoughts. During the period before he disappeared, he seemed to be particularly fascinated by the starry sky in the mountains. He said that there was no light pollution in the mountains, and he could see clearer stars, so he often went hiking."
Li Yi took the notebook and gently opened it. He saw that it was densely covered with constellation patterns, star track maps, and some notes written in small handwriting, recording the changes of stars observed at different times and places. Looking at these, Li Yi's heart moved, and a vague connection gradually emerged in his mind.
After saying goodbye to Michael's wife, Li Yi returned to the car and carefully studied the notebook. He compared the information about Chuck and Charles he had investigated before with Michael's situation. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration flashed in his mind - the connection between the three of them! After an in-depth investigation, he was shocked to find that they were all members of an astronomy enthusiasts association. This discovery was like lighting a bright light in the darkness, pointing out a new direction for the investigation of the case.
Li Yi quickly informed the FBI team of this situation, and everyone immediately regained their spirits and headed non-stop towards the mountain where Michael disappeared. The air in the mountain was damp and cold, filled with the unique smell of rotten leaves in the primeval forest. They followed the hiking route provided by Michael's wife and searched hard in the mountains and forests. The fallen leaves under their feet piled up like a mountain, and every step made a "crunching" sound, as if a ghost hidden in the dark was whispering.
After hours of hard searching, they finally found Michael's backpack in a remote valley. The backpack was worn out and covered with dirt and moss, as if it had been sleeping in the deep mountains and forests for many years. Li Yi carefully opened the backpack, and a foul smell came to his face, making everyone cover their mouths and noses.
What came into view was a creepy scene - it contained a human skull and something in the shape of a "horn" carefully ground from the calf bone. Li Yi recognized at a glance that this was a shape imitating the Taurus constellation. There was no doubt that this was the fourth victim. The murderer once again brutally killed and desecrated an innocent life in the order of the zodiac, pushing this bloody sacrifice step by step into a more crazy abyss.
Li Yi clenched his hands into fists, with angry flames burning in his eyes: "We can't let this madman continue to do evil!" He and the FBI agents quickly went down the mountain and returned to the headquarters with the newly discovered evidence.
Then, they set out to investigate the astronomy enthusiasts association. By retrieving information and visiting association members, they tried to uncover the secrets hidden behind this seemingly ordinary society. They found that when the association was first established, it was indeed just a place for a group of astronomy enthusiasts to gather and communicate, but in recent years, with the replacement of members and the infiltration of some unknown forces, there seemed to be some strange atmosphere inside the association. Some members began to be keen on exploring the combination of some mysticism and astronomical phenomena, and even held some private gatherings with a sense of mysterious rituals.
During the investigation, an old member who had contact with Chuck, Charles, and Michael, after hesitating again and again, revealed a key piece of information to Li Yi: At a gathering of the association, he heard Chuck and several other people fiercely discussing an ancient legend. The legend mentioned that according to the specific order of the zodiac, in the year and place corresponding to each constellation, offering sacrifices that match the characteristics of the constellation can open the door to the mysterious world and gain extraordinary power and endless knowledge. At that time, he just thought it was everyone's idle chat fantasy and didn't care. Now it seems that it may be the fuse of this tragedy.
Li Yi's heart trembled, and he became more and more certain that behind this cruel killing, there was a huge conspiracy that attempted to subvert reality with the help of evil forces. And they must race against time to bring the murderer to justice before he completes the next sacrifice and prevent this human tragedy from continuing...