247: Chapter 45: The Boundary between Trust and Doubt 247: Chapter 45: The Boundary between Trust and Doubt Gao Shan found that each time he visited Wang Yunxiao, he would have to update his stereotypical impression of the young man.
He was either seriously studying or earnestly exercising, showing none of the characteristics one would associate with a gang member of the Jianghu World.
But undeniably, the student engrossed in his book was the most notorious troublemaker in Nantong District, without parallel.
It only goes to show that, no matter the profession, those who engage their minds always outshine those who merely exert physical effort.
“What book is that?”
“A dictionary.”
“An English dictionary?”
“Latin.”
“What is Latin…
no, what’s the use of learning Latin?”
“Who knows when it might come in handy.”
Wang Yunxiao closed the dictionary and looked up at Gao Shan, “What does Director Qin want with me now?
Doesn’t he know that my brothers are all still in the hospital and haven’t returned?”
“It’s not Director Qin, there’s a case I’d like your help with.”
“Firstly, I don’t solve cases, and secondly, I only take orders from Director Qin, so please don’t bother me with this.”
Wang Yunxiao did not immediately agree.
With the fifteenth of the month approaching, he had no desire to get involved in any trouble.
Gao Shan said helplessly, “Could you please just take a look and give some advice?
Consider it a favor you’re doing for me.”
Wang Yunxiao puzzled, “What kind of case is it?
How can I help you if you don’t explain it clearly?”
Gao Shan took out a case file from his briefcase and handed it to Wang Yunxiao.
At the crime scene, there was only a pool of blood, with no body to be found.
It seemed the body had been taken away, as bloodstains are difficult to deal with on the streets, and by dawn, someone had already discovered them.
Apart from the bloodstains on the ground, a large number of live silkworms were found around the crime scene.
Some said these were Sorcery Worms from the Southwest, creatures that dine on human flesh and drink human blood, possibly highly poisonous, and should not be touched at all costs.
Others heard poisonous?
Why not take them home to brew wine!
Still others did not believe in Sorcery Worms at all, picking them up and deep-frying them at home, resulting in a family of seven ending up in the hospital that evening.
It only serves to highlight the extraordinary bravery of the People of Ming in this particular regard.
“I know cicadas can be fried and eaten, but can silkworms?
It’s not even silkworm pupae; wouldn’t they burst in hot oil?”
Wang Yunxiao didn’t ask whether it tasted good.
Presumably, the flavor must have been decent; otherwise, it wouldn’t have landed a family of seven in the hospital.
People in the North have a tradition of eating roasted silkworm pupae, and even the moths that emerge from the pupae can be grilled and eaten after removing their heads.
This is akin to the dark cuisine of the Northern barbecue world, secret recipes like hairy eggs and hairy claws.
Until this point, the case had nothing to do with him, and it wasn’t even something for the police to handle.
The police stations of those days weren’t like those of future generations where you could dial 110 after quarreling with someone on the street.
If you poison yourself eating bugs you picked up off the street, what use is calling us?
What, expect us to go catch Kerrigan?
But the complications began to arise later in the case.
Those who were hospitalized due to food poisoning were not in life-threatening danger, but they insisted, as if possessed by evil, that the insects they had eaten were not dead but had crawled into their brains, demanding cranial surgery from the doctors.
In the end, it was the doctors in the hospital who called the police.
The initial diagnosis by the doctors suggested that the toxins within the insects had damaged the patients’ brain nerves, causing them to hallucinate.
However, further investigation by the police revealed that the situation might be worse than imagined.
It wasn’t just the family that ate the insects, but also those who took them home to soak in liquor, played with them in their hands, or intentionally crushed them…
in short, those who were overly curious or couldn’t resist meddling almost simultaneously experienced similar hallucinations.
They either dreamt of silkworms crawling on their bodies or felt as if silkworms were pupating in their brains.
And this was in a big city.
In some remote rural area, they wouldn’t have gone to the police but would have called a master to perform rituals.
But then again, even in a big city and going to the police…
Gao Shan turned around and still had to find Wang Yunxiao.
Echo Erosion, this is.
Having read to the end, Wang Yunxiao had already come to a conclusion.
A typical Echo Erosion scene, one source of pollution, inexplicably spreading the contamination.
The solution was also very simple: visit the hospital, have the doctor prescribe some sedatives, go home and get a good night’s sleep.
Sleep for a couple more days and it would all be fine.
If it were just the contents of these archives, Gao Shan would have had no need to come to him.
“Director Qin asked us to send more personnel to investigate this case, especially those I picked out,” said Gao Shan, his brows tightly furrowed.
“Now, I feel like there are insects crawling inside my head, too.”
So, you’re bringing the bugs to me, is that it?
Wang Yunxiao put down the file and asked Gao Shan, “Do you want me to give you an explanation or the truth?”
Gao Shan, puzzled, replied, “Is there a difference between the two?
I just want you to help me see if there’s any breakthrough in this case or a way to resolve these hallucinations.”
“There is a difference,” said Wang Yunxiao patiently.
“If I give you a reasonable explanation that you accept, it will be the best solution for what you call hallucinations.
Have you ever heard of the story ‘Suspecting Neighbors of Stealing an Axe’?”
“I haven’t,” Gao Shan said.
“Good, that’s very spirited!” Wang Yunxiao thought to himself that he now understood how Nurse Liu felt when teaching a class.
Really feels like grabbing an AK and going full auto on the students seated below the podium…
“To put it in terms you can understand, let’s assume you are catching a thief.
There’s a suspect who looks guilty no matter how you look at him, and although there’s no evidence, you’re confident he did it.
What do you do when someone tells you he doesn’t have an alibi for the time of the crime?”
Gao Shan immediately replied, “Then he’s cleared of suspicion.”
“Right, it’s the same principle.
Right now, you feel like there are insects crawling in your head.
It doesn’t matter how much others tell you it’s an illusion, even if you tell yourself it’s an illusion, you don’t believe it in your heart.
The more you imagine it, the more real it becomes.
Unless I give you a reasonable explanation that allows your brain to relax, only then can the current symptoms be alleviated.
Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“I understand,” Gao Shan said crisply.
“I want to hear your explanation.”
“Just listening is not enough.
You have to believe it.
Don’t be stubborn, don’t argue for the sake of arguing, don’t refute just to refute,”
Wang Yunxiao looked earnestly into Gao Shan’s eyes and said, “There is no medicine in this world that can cure any disease one hundred percent, nor is there any language or text completely correct without any flaws.
It’s very hard to establish trust between people, but trust is a prerequisite for solving this problem.”
Nurse Liu didn’t teach it that way originally, but Wang Yunxiao couldn’t preach by the book.
His brothers trusted him too much, believing whatever he said, which is why Nurse Liu wanted to teach them not to believe everything on the first day of class.
Trust and doubt have no clear standards of measure in a world view based on idealism.
And the people of Ming have always been adept in moderation and reconciliation.
Gao Shan didn’t waste even a second hesitating and said on the spot, “Alright, from this point on, I will believe every word you say unconditionally.”