"We're looking for that cat. I'll stay here and search for it. You continue the investigation."
"Uh, is that cat hard to deal with?"
"It's probably eaten a lot of souls, so it's much stronger now. But it's not an evil spirit or a malevolent ghost, and it won't attack innocent people."
"If you ask me, we should just leave it alone. Su Zhuoqin and those people got what they deserved. Being eaten by a cat serves them right. Don't you agree, Mushroom?"
"Living beings are living beings, and dead souls are dead souls. Since they're ghosts, they shouldn't be walking around among the living. Even if they don't attack anyone, people who encounter them will still be affected."
"That... is true."
"Zhou Yanghui's yang energy seems very weak, and his mental state has already deteriorated. That cat is probably trying to slowly drain his yang energy, not eat his soul. His ancestors and the joss paper and incense he burns can't protect him for the rest of his life. Zhu Bin probably died the same way. Go check on the other two roommates, then ask Fei Wen about it to confirm what happened with the cat."
"Okay."
On May 1, 2006, the investigation revealed that Wang Shuangning, one of the other two roommates, had gone missing in 2003, while Fan Le, the other, had died suddenly in 2005.
On May 2, 2006, Fei Wen was questioned about Wang Shuangning. Audio file 03520060502.wav.
"Mr. Fei, Zhou Yanghui told us about a strange cat that was actively seeking death. Do you remember anything about it?"
"I... I don't remember."
"You told us that, of the five roommates at the time, aside from Su Zhuoqin and his two coworkers, one of the remaining two had returned to his hometown, while the other had changed jobs and moved away. Was the one who moved Wang Shuangning?"
"Yes. Fan Le went back to his hometown, and Wang Shuangning moved away. Why?"
"We've since learned that Wang Shuangning went missing in 2003."
"Th-that's impossible. He really did move! He got a new job with pretty good pay and treated us to drinks. I watched him pack his things and take his luggage..."
"Take his luggage where?"
"He... he... that day..."
"Mr. Fei, what happened that day?"
"That was the day! That was the day! We had our farewell dinner that day, and when we came back, Su Zhuoqin caught that cat! The cat you just mentioned! It was that day! Wang Shuangning did it. They even said something about commemorating someone, and Wang Shuangning was the one who stabbed it with the last knife! When he left, he took the cat's corpse with him to help us throw it away... Yes, that must be it. That's why he disappeared... It must have been that cat..."
"Think carefully. Is there anything else you might have forgotten?"
"Um... I don't think so... That cat must have killed Wang Shuangning..."
On May 4, 2006, a cat was heard meowing. Audio file 03520060504.wav.
"Hey, you all heard that, right? That was a cat, wasn't it?"
"It was. Mr. Fei, don't worry. It can't get in."
"It really can't get in?"
Mrowr—!
"Aaaaaah!"
"Mr. Fei, calm down."
"I'll go take a look."
"Be careful opening the door. Don't let the cat in."
"How could I?"
Tap, tap, tap... Creak—thump.
"G-g-g-g..."
"What's that sound?"
"He's shivering. There, even that blockhead went to check. It's fine now. Let's go back to sleep. Yawn—"
"I-I-I... I can't sleep..."
"Mr. Fei, the meowing has stopped. It's fine."
"Really?"
"Really. There's no more meowing."
"Phew..."
Creak—
"Meow!"
"Aah!!! It's inside! It's inside!!"
"Mr. Fei..."
Thump. Tap, tap, tap...
"Meow! Meow—mrowr!"
"Quick, help me! Please, help me! Don't let it come near!"
"Blockhead, what are you doing?!"
"What do you mean?"
"Why did you bring the cat inside?"
"This is the cat the boss said was suspicious! Look, I caught it in no time."
"Meow! Meow!!"
"Hey, is this really the one?"
"Yep, a big mottled cat. And look, it's covered in blood. This spot on its head—isn't that where Su Zhuoqin hit it before?"
"We should still confirm. I'll draw a tube of its blood and take it to the lab tomorrow."
"Blockhead, how did you catch it?"
"I ran outside and saw it. It was probably injured, so it couldn't get away."
"Its legs look fine."
"Meow meow meow meow meow meow..."
"Hey, it's pretty agile! Why didn't it run away just now? Is it hungry?"
"Just take it away! It'll kill people! It's the one that killed them!"
"Meow meow meow..."
"It's so noisy. Looks like we won't be sleeping tonight."
"I'll lock it up for now and wait for the boss to come back before we deal with it."
"I'll get it something to eat."
"One of you, call the boss!"
Attachment: Photo of the stray cat; blood sample 03520060504.
On May 5, 2006, Fei Wen was found missing, with bloodstains left on the floor. The cat showed no unusual behavior. Blood sample 03520060505 was collected.
On May 5, 2006, the audio file was analyzed. Audio file 03520060504G.wav.
"...Meow meow meow meow meow..."
Click!
"What's wrong with the cat's meowing?"
"I heard a human voice—Su Zhuoqin's voice. It was very clear. He said he was Su Zhuoqin and asked us to save him, then said to kill him, and called Fei Wen's name."
"What's going on? Is Su Zhuoqin's ghost following the cat?"
Click!
"...Meow meow meow meow..."
"The rest is more or less the same. He keeps asking us to kill him. He seems desperate to die."
"If I could only follow a stray cat around, I'd want to hurry up and reincarnate too."
"But only Su Zhuoqin? What about Kong Rongde?"
"Who knows? When's the boss coming back?"
"He said yesterday that he still hadn't caught the cat's ghost, so he wouldn't be back for now. He told us to keep an eye on the cat. I sent him the photos yesterday, but the signal over there is bad, so he hasn't received them yet."
"Meow—meow—"
"Tsk, the cat's meowing again. Mushroom, did you hear Su Zhuoqin speaking?"
"Mushroom?"
"I've been wondering about something. Su Zhuoqin only speaks when the cat meows. Maybe he isn't following the cat. Maybe he's become the cat."
"You mean his soul is inside the cat's body?"
"Wait a moment. I'll record its meowing now."
Attachment: Audio file 03520060505.wav.
On May 5, 2006, the cat's meowing was analyzed. Audio file 03520060505G.wav.
"...Meow meow meow meow..."
"Mushroom, what do you think?"
"Gulp! This..."
"Hey, don't keep us in suspense!"
"This is Fei Wen's voice."
"Uh..."
"Do you mean..."
"It's Fei Wen speaking. He wants us to save him, or kill him as soon as possible."
"Could the people who kill that cat end up trapped inside its body?"
On May 5, 2006, a keyboard was provided to the stray cat to communicate in writing.
Attachment: Document 03520060505.doc.
"Last night, I kept hearing the cat meow. You shut the doors, gave me earplugs, and even gave me headphones, but nothing worked. I buried myself under the covers, but the meowing sounded like it was right beside my ears. I couldn't take it anymore. I really couldn't! So I killed it. I killed it while you were asleep. When I killed it, I saw something float out of its body. I was so scared my legs went weak, and it took me a long time to make out what it was. It was Su Zhuoqin. He looked really happy and even smiled at me. I was completely stunned. Then the cat's corpse moved. It suddenly leaped up, knocked me down, and bit my face."