A subtle sensation emerged from Ed's chest, then surged upwards and tumbled, and finally burned into his skull, roasting his brain like a turkey.

All of a sudden, he realized that he had made a mistake, as if he had made a mistake about something, about a situation, about something. And now the snarky, gloomy, unceremonious old man in front of him laid out the last and only opportunity to correct his mistakes, waiting for him to make a choice, to see if he could grasp it like a smart man who could see clearly.

Ed licked his lips. He liked the situation, he liked the feeling that there was only one choice in front of him when he had to make a choice, which meant that he didn't have to think too much about it. People have a number of brains, and they have to be used in a planned way.

"All right, Mrs. Bing." Ed sat up straight unhurriedly, lowered his head slightly, lifted his glasses, and stared at the old man in front of him, "If you really see everything as you say, then let's start with a very simple question." ”

“…… I don't like the tone of your voice. The old lady squinted at Ed, her voice low and unkind, "You seem to be interrogating a prisoner by the police." But even real police officers wouldn't dare talk to me like that. ”

"We'd better hurry up, Mrs. Bing. It's almost noon now. Ed patiently glanced at the sky outside, "I guess you don't want me to stay and share your lunch, do you?" ”

“……”

"It's okay, you don't need to worry about that, I'll finish asking the question and leave soon. I remember there was a food truck around the corner, and I hadn't eaten there, but business seemed to be good, and things should be enough for my cheap tooth. ”

"I'd better hold you up."

"I thought, too, that sounds like a good death, especially for someone like me who lacks an extra option. But the problem is that our bodies will always have some obsessive mechanism that affects our brain, so as to protect ourselves in a roundabout way. Ed grinned, gave a hard smile, then crossed his fingers on his lap and leaned forward slightly, "Now, tell me - how much do you know?" ”

“…… What the? For the first time, the old lady's face showed a look of surprise.

"There's enough time wasted, let's take it easy and get straight to the point." Ed's expression remained unchanged, staring at the old man's eyes seriously, "You said that you don't like the tone of my speech, which means that you have heard the previous question." That's a very simple question, and the only one — what do you know about the family across the street from you, and what do you want to tell me? ”

"What do you want to know?"

"Need to get started, right?" Ed smiled, "So how about starting with the part you hate the most - how much do you know about their drug use?" ”

"I know they're poisonous insects."

"How do you know?"

"I just know." The old lady snorted, "How many bugs do you think I've seen in my life?" Not to mention that they've started to go crazy uncontrollably. ”

"Have you seen them when they were addicted?" Ed clasped his arms together, "Tell me, how serious does that look?" ”

"It's like a smoked groundhog."

"Is it serious enough to attack each other?"

"This ...... I haven't seen it. The old lady said, and then suddenly reacted, "Why are you asking this?" ”

"It's nothing." Ed said, shrugging his shoulders, "It's just, they're dead." ”

"Who?"

"Them." Ed reached out the window, pointing across the street, "It seems like a drug overdose, and then a fight." It's probably going to be 'jumping out of bed, the man kicking the woman, the woman stabbing the man, and then they're dead' — something like that. Because I didn't find too many traces of a fight at the scene of their deaths. At the same time, I didn't find any drug remnants...... and any traces left by drug use. Not a single needle, not a single tube. ”

The old lady was silent for a moment. She sat there, frowning, looking at Ed with a dark gaze, then sighed.

"No wonder she took Susan away." She muttered, as if talking to herself.

"Susan?"

"Their daughter." The old lady paused, "A very good girl, she only celebrated her fifteenth birthday last month. ”

"Daughter, fifteen years old." Ed's eyes widened, and he looked at the old lady without blinking, "There's a fifteen-year-old daughter in that family?" ”

"That's what I said."

"You're still saying she was taken away—by 'her'?"

"'She'." The old lady nodded, "Yes, 'she'." She took Susan with her. ”

“…… So who is this 'she'? Ed's brow furrowed slightly, "When is 'she' again...... Under what circumstances did Susan take it? ”

"Don't worry, detective boy." The old lady said, moving her feet on the carpet as if she were very tired, and her eyelids drooped down a little, "I don't know what her name is...... But I know what she does. She's a doctor. ”

"Doctor."

"I may have a bit of an extreme view of bugs, and I know that...... But those two people, those two poisonous insects, they are not so incorrigible in my opinion. They found a doctor to help them and wanted to kick their addiction. A female doctor. ”

"Female doctor."

"I don't like that person."

As if recalling the appearance of the person he was talking about, the old man's face showed a look of disgust. What made Ed frown was that he could see that the old man was not just a simple annoyance, but also a little more complicated and jealous in it. It's just incredible.

"She would come here every once in a while to do regular care for those two bugs. She knew everyone in the house, especially Susan. I've seen the two of them talk together more than once. Susan seemed to like her very much. ”

The old lady said, her face was not very good. Ed looked at her quietly.

"You don't seem happy with that?"

"I said, I don't like that woman."

"Why?"

"She ......" the old lady opened her mouth, but this time, she had always been extremely self-conscious, but this time she suddenly did not speak well, her mouth opened and closed, her lips squirmed twice, and after a few seconds she opened her mouth again, "There is a smell of death on her body." ”

“……”

Ed coughed dryly, his skin tensed, and he was trained to control himself. He couldn't believe that the description ...... "Xuan" actually popped out of the mouth of the lady in front of him. It was as much fun to him as seeing a black cat learn to bark, and the dog was a husky.

"You mean to say," Ed made an expressive gesture as he rubbed his fingers against his cheek, "she likes to wear that red nurse's uniform—that red nurse's uniform soaked in blood...... Or a red coat or something? ”

"Don't laugh at me there, boy." Lady Bean glared at Eddard's taunt viciously, her gloomy gaze as if she was about to scrape the bastard in front of her, "I know what I'm talking about—my father was a soldier, and he died on the battlefield. My husband, who was his subordinate, swore to avenge him and also died on the battlefield. My son, in order to avenge his father and grandfather, grew up to join the damn war and died on the battlefield. I know what it's like to be in 'that world', I've lived my whole life with that kind of people, I can smell them, I can recognize their eyes! ”

“……”

"Or maybe let's just make it clearer." The corners of the old lady's mouth suddenly curled a little, and a somewhat hideous smile appeared, "What is left of 'that world' in her eyes is even more pure and intense and disgusting than yours—do you understand?" ”

Looking at the old lady deeply, Ed closed his mouth silently at this moment, did not make a sound, but nodded slowly. If he was bald, he would have touched his bald head now. It's a pity he wasn't, so he just stuck out his tongue and licked his lips.

"She came here in the middle of the night last night," continued the old lady, "and she came to the house, and took Susan with her as she went. ”

"Why did she come in the middle of the night?"

"I don't know...... Probably something to do with the man. ”

“…… What man? Ed asked, but he almost had the answer in his heart.

"Before her, a man came here and entered the house." The old lady said, "He was not much earlier than her." Almost a few minutes later, she arrived. When she left with Susan, I didn't see the man leave. He went in and didn't come out again, at least not through the main entrance. ”

Ed's mind came to mind of the man with a red and swollen nose, who was tied up as a silkworm chrysalis and thrown in the closet, and unconsciously touched his nose.

"And then?" He asked, "The man came first, then the female doctor came and took the family's daughter, Susan, and then what happened?" ”

"And then it's up to you." The old lady glanced at Ed, "I saw you come to my door after the morning and stare at my house for a long time. ”

"Right...... I got a job. Ed nodded, "Your house is beautiful. ”

"I saw you come into their house. Then, after a while, three people followed. But like the man, I didn't see them come out again. ”

"Didn't you sleep all night?"

"I slept, but I was woken up." The old lady glanced out the window, "Either it's an attack of addiction or an overdose." Anyway, they had been a little too noisy last night, but it stopped at midnight. ”

"After the man came?" Ed asked suddenly.

"Nope." The old man shook his head, "Until then." ”

“……”

"So," the old man asked in a deep voice, looking at Ed, who had fallen silent, with his chin raised, "I think I've told you everything you want to know." What's next? ”

“…… Very simple. Ed said, looking up at the old lady, "Do what everybody in a similar situation would do." ”