I approached the handcuffs, finding them still in place, showing no signs of being opened. Yet, Gao Mingqiang had vanished into thin air. Not only I, but everyone present stared with wide eyes.
"How is this possible?" Xiao Yuande came over to check his handcuffs. I circled around the pillar viciously, thinking the problem must be here. People couldn't just disappear mysteriously. The only explanation was a hidden area.
I kicked and felt around everywhere, but found the surrounding walls to be solid, and the floor exceptionally firm. I couldn't find any gaps. There weren't even Gao Mingqiang's footprints nearby, which made it even harder to explain, as if he had never been taken away.
Later, I looked back and realized something I hadn't considered: "No, our footprints are gone too!"
"What did you say?" Xiao Yuande exclaimed, surprised. Xie Chuchu and Zhang Keying reacted quickly, immediately realizing something was amiss. Zhang Keying said, "I saw my footprints just now, how did they disappear in an instant?"
"Yes, yes, I noticed it too!" Xie Chuchu covered her mouth, shifting her feet on the ground a few times as if checking.
"Everyone, don't panic! There's a window over there, let's go take a look!"
I directed them. The group stepped out through the window and discovered it led to a lounge opposite the dean's office. This area was furnished with several bunk beds. It didn't look like a ward for the mentally ill; it seemed to be for treatment. I remembered that in places like mental hospitals, patients who suddenly lost control would be confined here, given large syringes filled with sedatives. Once they recovered slightly, they would be sent back to their rooms, and the treatment process would be arranged here.
We searched through several beds and suddenly found a person in the last one. The individual was curled up in terror on the bed, pressed tightly against the worn wall, covering themselves with blankets and pillows. A chain hung around their neck, and iron railings surrounded the bed area. Lying on the bed, they looked like a chained wolfhound.
However, I immediately recognized this person's identity – it was the streamer from the live video sent to the provincial department, Da Xingren!
We approached him, intending to ask what was happening. However, the man let out dog-like barks from his mouth: "Woof, woof!"
"Calm down, Da Xingren, we are police officers, here to rescue you! May I ask where the others are?" I asked.
"No others, just me, ah! I saw that thing, it's coming! It's coming! Ah! Don't come near me, don't mind me, let me stay here, I want to stay here! Guarding, protecting, ahhhhh..."
Da Xingren spoke incoherently, appearing completely insane, oblivious to his actions. His body convulsed severely, and his eyes held a gaze that was clearly not human.
"Da Xingren, we are indeed here to save you! Don't be impulsive, calm down!" I tried to soothe him. Xiao Yuande and Xiahou had already moved closer and pulled hard on the chain around his body. Xiahou had intended to use his gun to break the chain directly, but Zhang Keying stopped him: "If this guy is set free, he might be very dangerous!"
Everyone dared not act rashly, staring at Da Xingren with confused expressions. At this point, the only option was to call for medical personnel, as Da Xingren appeared extremely emaciated, as if he had been starved for a long time.
Someone from the group unexpectedly pulled out a piece of chocolate and offered it. Da Xingren ignored it. The kind person turned out to be Xie Chuchu, who even took the initiative to place the chocolate into his mouth. Da Xingren sniffed it casually, then turned his head away. "You don't like chocolate?"
"I think he has anorexia?" Zhang Keying speculated.
"I've already called for medical staff. Let's not bother with him for now and continue searching!" I said.
"Will the medical staff be able to find this place?" Zhang Keying asked me.
I thought they probably could. Even if they couldn't, we would directly escort Da Xingren out. We couldn't abandon him.
Given Gao Mingqiang's situation, I didn't dare let anyone stay alone here anymore. If we moved forward, we would go together. As we passed Da Xingren, Xiahou said, "Will he disappear by the time we get back?"
"Don't talk nonsense. He's chained up, how could he disappear?" I chided, and was the first to pass through a door in the adjacent wall, moving on.
The others followed me closely, not daring to delay. We soon arrived at the stairs to the second floor of the mental hospital. The way upstairs was here.
However, the stairs were broken in the middle. Ascending without any tools would be very difficult. Xiahou took a look and suddenly spotted a panel nearby, but it looked very flimsy, clearly unable to support the weight of even one of us.
"Forget it, climbing up like this might not end well if we fall," Xie Chuchu said with a wry smile.
Xiao Yuande said, "Then what do we do? We can go upstairs, but we're blocked."
"Uncle, even you would say something like this?" Xie Chuchu said. Suddenly, from a wall not far away, she spotted an extendable ladder, drawing everyone's attention.
The group picked up the ladder and placed it on the edge of the broken stairs. I pushed it cautiously and felt it was quite sturdy. I had someone hold it, and then I was the first to climb up.
Upon reaching the upper floor, the others followed my lead and slowly ascended. But just as Zhang Keying was about to move, she suddenly said, "Team Leader, behind you!"
Her words startled me immensely. This was no joking matter. We were in a bizarre mental hospital. Something appearing behind us could be terrifying. I was so frightened that I couldn't even bring myself to turn around.
I stood there rigid, like a zombie. It wasn't until Zhang Keying called out again that Xiahou, Xie Chuchu, and Xiao Yuande, who had already climbed up, convulsed violently as if electrocuted.
But at that moment, I wouldn't cower any longer. I drew my baton and swung it back furiously. To my surprise, my baton hit nothing, and there was no sign of anyone escaping from behind me!
Everyone turned to look back with me, raising their guns or batons defensively. We police officers had dealt with countless dead bodies and possessed strong righteousness, which usually kept malevolent spirits at bay. I say "if there were spirits," but the back was empty, revealing only the corner of the corridor.