"It... it was like that," Yuan Xiaoyi nodded repeatedly, "And later, the police retrieved the catalog of sculptures exhibited at the exhibition, and found that there were a total of 53 exhibits, all sculptures, with corresponding photos in the catalog."

"They also confirmed at the scene that none of the 53 sculptures were missing, and they could all be accounted for!"

"That sculpture was indeed not among them." Yuan Xiaoyi hesitated for a moment, then said in a very low voice, "That sculpture seemed to appear out of thin air, and then, after the male teacher had the accident, it disappeared again."

"What kind of sculpture was it?" Jiang Cheng asked curiously.

"It was a portrait," Yuan Xiaoyi recalled, "A half-body one, just like the ones we usually see."

"A half-body portrait..." Jiang Cheng suddenly thought of a task that Huai Yi had mentioned, a task that was related to a strange half-body portrait.

"Senior," Yuan Xiaoyi said, seeing Jiang Cheng lost in thought, and couldn't help but remind him.

Jiang Cheng came back to his senses.

Yuan Xiaoyi looked at Jiang Cheng's face, revealing a look of heartache, "Senior, are you alright?"

Jiang Cheng rubbed his temples and answered in a tired voice, "I'm fine, Xiaoyi, don't worry about me, saving people is the priority, you... you continue, I can hold on."

Hearing this, Yuan Xiaoyi nodded, and then spoke, but this time, her tone changed, which Jiang Cheng keenly noticed.

"Senior," Yuan Xiaoyi lowered her voice and said mysteriously, "This strange sculpture... has appeared more than once."

Jiang Cheng immediately raised his head after hearing this, "It appeared again later?"

Yuan Xiaoyi pursed her lips tightly, nodded, seemingly with some misgivings, her face was very strange, and after a long while, she spoke to Jiang Cheng again, "Senior, do you remember the security guard mentioned earlier, the one who found the male teacher's body?"

"I remember," Jiang Cheng recalled, "You said he was released by the police, it seems they confirmed he had nothing to do with the case."

"Yes." Yuan Xiaoyi's eyes were strange, and so was her expression, "He was released, but... but it wasn't of his own free will."

Jiang Cheng didn't quite understand this sentence. Being released by the police should be a good thing, as it cleared his suspicion.

How did the security guard become reluctant in Yuan Xiaoyi's mouth?

"Senior, you heard me right, it really wasn't the security guard's own will, he didn't want to leave the police station, and even made a lot of noise inside because of this." Yuan Xiaoyi quickly explained, "He said he didn't want to go out, because someone was waiting for him outside, waiting to kill him!"

"Waiting to kill him?"

"Yes, that's what he said!" Yuan Xiaoyi nodded.

Jiang Cheng thought for a moment, then nodded to Yuan Xiaoyi, "Continue, what happened next?"

"The police didn't believe it at first, but after so many years, they've seen many people who were arrested and shouted injustice, only thinking about how to get out of here, but they've never seen anyone like the security guard, who wasn't guilty but insisted on staying in the police station."

"Gradually, the police also felt something was wrong, because the security guard didn't seem to be pretending."

"His eyes were wide open, and he didn't sleep for nights on end, just staring at the corner of the wall, as if he were possessed, a sight that frightened everyone."

"The police also brought in a psychologist who used to be in charge of post-disaster intervention to see him, but the psychologist said a lot, and the security guard didn't react at all."

"Just when the psychologist was helpless and ready to leave, the security guard finally spoke."

"But it would have been better if he hadn't spoken, because when he did, he shocked the psychologist."

"He pointed to the corner of the wall behind the psychologist and asked tremblingly: 'Is this person... did he come with you? Why is he always craning his neck and staring at me?'"

"But... but there were only the security guard and the psychologist in the room!" Yuan Xiaoyi said excitedly, "Only a clothes rack was standing in that corner, with a piece of clothing hanging on it!"

"Just a piece of clothing!"

"Calm down, Xiaoyi," Jiang Cheng comforted, "I'm here."

"But no matter what, the security guard is not a criminal after all, and it's not a long-term solution to keep him in the police station."

"Later, the psychologist suggested that his family come to accompany him, and the next day his two sons came."

"As soon as they saw their father's appearance, the two sons were furious, saying that their father must have suffered a lot inside, and might even have been forced to confess."

"They also said they would appeal to higher authorities and would never swallow this insult."

"The police officers in charge of the case couldn't explain their situation either."

"The security guard didn't react much when he saw his two children, and he seemed to have lost his soul."

"But when he saw that his two sons were about to take him out, the security guard struggled desperately, grabbed the door and refused to let go, kicking, punching, and even biting people."

"But in the end, he couldn't resist his two sons, who forcibly carried him away. At that time, the security guard was crying and shouting, which also attracted some passersby to watch at the entrance of the police station."

"His two sons thought that their father had suffered a great grievance inside, and while carrying their father out, they comforted him, saying that they would take him out to eat good food, buy him new clothes, and that he wouldn't do the security guard job anymore, and that they would take him to enjoy a good life."

"But who would have thought..." Yuan Xiaoyi changed the subject, sighed, and said, "Just 100 meters away from the police station, the security guard bit one of his sons on the hand, took the opportunity to break free, and ran back desperately, in the direction of the police station."

"His two sons chased after him, but when they rushed across the road, the security guard didn't know what happened, and suddenly stood on the road, staring straight ahead, without moving."

"As a result, a truck crashed into him, directly rolling him under the wheels." Yuan Xiaoyi exhaled and said in a low voice, "When they found him, his entire upper body was flattened, like a piece of paper, stuck to the ground, and they couldn't even peel it off."

"The truck was fully loaded with sand and gravel for paving the road, and couldn't stop at all."

"His two sons fainted on the spot."