"CHAPTER 1: THE ALBINO MYSTERY

It happened during the summer of 1998.

At the time, Luo San was just a freshman at Chengdu's S University. To fill his time outside of classes, he’d joined a longstanding underground club on campus: the Paranormal Society. Their goal was to uncover the truth behind anything unusual. That afternoon, guided by his professor-advisor Shi Wuwei, Luo San headed toward the Liberal Arts Building in the university’s east district.

Professor Shi had been acting strangely for days. During society meetings, he often seemed distracted, muttering to himself about Chengdu. His summons for Luo San and Shen Yuan to come to the Liberal Arts Building came with a firm warning: tell no one.

""Is it done?""

""Completed as planned.""

""What about the Sea-Eye?""

Suddenly hearing this exchange, Luo San looked up to see two unusual figures before him: people with albinism. Their hair was pure silver-white, their skin pale with a hint of pink, and their eyes held a faint green glimmer.

The instant they spotted Luo San, they lowered their heads warily and hurried away.

The reason these strange words caught Luo San’s attention was the sheer number of people with albinism at S University. Groups of them were a common sight across campus. But these individuals were different from typical albinism patients.

Albinism is a genetic disorder characterized by a lack of pigment in the skin and its appendages. Those affected usually have skin, hair, and eyes deficient in melanin, resulting in unpigmented retinas, pale pink irises, sensitivity to light, and a tendency to squint. S University’s albino population, however, showed no fear of light, and their eyes held that distinct, pale green tint.

Luo San had enlisted other Paranormal Society members to investigate their background, uncovering an even more startling detail: every single one hailed from Wuyishan City in Fujian Province.

Wuyishan lay only sixty kilometers from Luo San’s own hometown of Jianyang, Fujian. While the area was familiar to him, he’d never imagined so many albino people lived there.

He had suggested to Professor Shi that they investigate these individuals. Shi Wuwei refused, stating, ""In a few days, I’ll have you looking into something truly momentous. This albino business can wait."" As for what this earth-shattering event was, Shi kept his lips sealed.

""Hey, you two students ahead! Stop that dog!"" A sudden shout from behind made Luo San turn. A dog was bolting towards him, a bone clenched in its jaws, with a police officer in hot pursuit, calling out to the two albino individuals as they fled.

The two albino people were walking closely side-by-side. Instead of stopping the dog as the officer yelled, they instantly split apart, clearing a path. The dog darted between them, heading straight for Luo San. Reacting instinctively, Luo San blocked its way. Seeing him blocking its escape, the dog veered sharply toward a nearby shrub. It squeezed through, but the bone fell from its mouth.

It was a human thigh bone. The flesh had been meticulously stripped clean. Numerous cracks marred the surface, and bamboo skewers had been thrust into these cracks.

Luo San crouched to look closer, but the officer reached him first, snatching up the bone.

""How did the police find this thing?""

""Careful, don't discuss this here.""

Catching fragments of the albino people's hushed conversation as they departed, Luo San felt his puzzlement deepen. Suddenly, a voice interrupted his thoughts: ""Sanzi! What are you doing here?""

Turning, Luo San saw Yan Qingbo. A fellow Paranormal Society member who had graduated and become a police officer, Yan still participated in club activities. Clearly drawn to the bone, he merely nodded when Luo San explained he was heading to the Liberal Arts Building on business, then focused intently on the object.

""The bone's been boiled and struck by something hard. What are these bamboo skewers for?"" the other officer asked Yan Qingbo.

""Not sure. Likely tied to that case. Whatever, let's collect this along with the bones found by the Funan River earlier and take them all in for analysis.""

""If I had to guess, these bones should be...""

""Alright, let's go."" Yan Qingbo abruptly cut him off. He turned to Luo San. ""Sanzi, get going. We’ll be in touch."" He shot Luo San a significant look.

""What the hell is going on?"" Luo San’s mind was swirling with the day's events, yet his feet had carried him almost unconsciously to the entrance of the Liberal Arts Building.

He collided squarely with someone rounding the corner. It was Shen Yuan. Perhaps from rushing, her cheeks were flushed, and beads of sweat dotted her nose. A third-year student and fellow Paranormal Society member, she scolded him briefly before they boarded the elevator together.

The moment the elevator doors slid open on their floor, the coppery tang of blood hit Luo San. As he reeled from the shock, he saw Shen Yuan’s face drain of color. Her footsteps quickened inexplicably. The long corridor swallowed the silence, echoing only with their own hurried steps.

The smell emanated directly from the Paranormal Society’s meeting room.

Standing before its firmly shut door, Luo San’s eyes swept over it. Three yellow sheets of paper were pasted onto the lintel. Strange red symbols adorned them – drawn with blood, still strikingly fresh, indicating they’d been applied recently.

Luo San pressed his eye to the narrow gap between door and frame. Inside was chaos. Blood stained the floor. Anything beyond that remained hidden from view.

Minutes later, police arrived in haste. Yan Qingbo was among them. He had no time for pleasantries with Luo San or Shen Yuan. A single glance at the lintel made his face pale. He turned to another officer, speaking urgently in a low voice, ""Sir... it's the Yellow Paper case again.""

""What? Are you certain?""

""Absolutely.""

""Move! Break it down!""

Though hushed, Luo San and Shen Yuan heard every word. What kind of case could unsettle experienced officers like this?

The door was battered open. Luo San took one look inside and nearly vomited. The meeting room was chaotic, though not in a way that suggested struggle. Blood covered the floor. Professor Shi Wuwei’s entire body looked drenched in it. He was posed grotesquely: head thrown back sharply, arms bound behind him, wrists clasped together, feet similarly bound and forced backwards. He lay face down on the massive conference table. Luo San noticed Shi Wuwei’s legs looked unnaturally soft, as if they lacked bones entirely. He tried to step in for a closer look, but officers swiftly restrained him and Shen Yuan, pulling them aside to take statements. As they were led away, Luo San caught the team leader muttering under his breath, ""Another chicken... what kind of conspiracy is this?""

They were tied up with statements all afternoon before finally being allowed to leave. ""I never imagined Professor Shi would die so horribly,"" Luo San said, taking deep breaths as they exited the Liberal Arts Building. ""Hope Yan ge can crack this case soon and catch the killer.""

""Counting on them is useless,"" Shen Yuan retorted. ""Didn't you hear them call it a 'series'? If they had clues, Professor Shi would still be alive. Let's get Yan Qingbo over here. We need the full story.""

Yan Qingbo arrived after dark. He looked exhausted, yawning constantly when he met Luo San and Shen Yuan. ""You want to know about Professor Shi? Straight talk: His case isn't isolated. It’s part of a serial murder series.""

Shi Wuwei’s murder was the seventh in the series. The first victim, a retired official, died in May. Yan Qingbo recalled arriving at the scene back then. Even some distance from the door, the overwhelming stench of blood hit him. Yellow paper talismans smeared with blood pasted to the door lintel told him instantly this was something far from ordinary.

He’d braced himself before entering, but the sight inside still made his stomach churn violently. It was identical to Shi Wuwei’s scene today. What truly horrified him was how the victim’s throat had been slashed, the chest cavity opened, the arms and thighs sliced into. Three ribs, two arm bones, and two thigh bones had been removed – bones never found. The subsequent autopsy revealed the fatal blow was the throat slash. It seemed the killer had severed the victim’s throat and carotid artery, draining the blood, before opening the torso and limbs to extract the bones, finishing by drenching the body in blood.

Given that nothing in the home had been stolen, and investigation revealed no personal enemies, the police, combined with partially burned blood-soaked yellow talismans found at the scene and others pasted on the lintel bearing the victim’s blood, concluded this was likely the work of some cult performing a bizarre ritual.

Five more murders followed around S University. The victims varied – a teacher, a janitor, an unemployed man, a restaurant owner, and a retiree. But each died covered in blood, arranged in that same horrific posture, stripped of the same bones. At every scene, they found charred remnants of yellow paper and identical talismans stuck to the door lintel, smeared with the victim’s blood.

The police had linked the cases to the same perpetrators, classifying it as a serial cult killing. From what they knew, the victims shared no obvious connections, making it impossible to discern any pattern to the killings. The investigation had stalled completely.

""Nothing this vicious has ever happened in Chengdu,"" Yan Qingbo stressed. ""So this stays confidential. And you both need to be careful.""

""Yan ge, any leads at all on the killer? Did you figure out what cult this ritual belongs to?"" A thought suddenly struck Luo San: could the albino group be involved?

""We’ve scoured archives for weeks,"" Yan Qingbo answered wearily. ""Couldn’t find a single cult known to conduct a ritual like this. Oh, another thing... this afternoon, we found a black garbage bag by the Funan River. Inside were three ribs, two arm bones, and two thigh bones. Definitely taken from one of our victims. The weird part? Only the thigh bones were specially prepared – meat stripped off, boiled clean, bamboo skewers stuck in. The other bones were untouched.""

""Yan ge,"" Luo San ventured, ""have you ever heard of 'Sea-Eye'?""

""Sea-Eye? Yeah, heard of it.""

""What is it?""

""Hard to explain... Think of it like an artesian well,"" Yan Qingbo said thoughtfully. ""But for the ocean. Water from the underground sea surges up to the surface through a Sea-Eye.""

""Chengdu has one?""

""Legend says it does. Supposedly beneath a Buddha statue in the Daci Temple in Chengdu. On a quiet night, they say if you press your ear to the statue, you can hear ocean waves echoing from deep below.""

""That can't be real?""

""Of course not. Just a myth. Sanzi, why suddenly ask about this?""

""Because I saw two weird guys on my way here."" Luo San recounted the encounter with the albino people to Shen Yuan and Yan Qingbo.

After hearing the story, Yan Qingbo’s expression turned grave. ""Sanzi, those albinos have to be connected to the serial killings. It’s late now, but I’ll track them down tomorrow. But why mention Sea-Eye?"" He shook his head. ""Forget it, no use guessing. Finding those albinos tomorrow should clear things up. You two get some rest. Shen Yuan, be careful heading back."""