"You don't have to worry about us." Song Jia obviously did not take the lame man's warning to heart.
After a pause, she said, "You said that you are different from those people downstairs. Then let me ask you separately. Who are you and those guys downstairs?"
"The people who died downstairs are fanatics of Voodoo. Of course, they are not the Voodoo religion that originated from West Africa that you know of. No, strictly speaking, they are indeed the Voodoo religion that you know of. It's just that they have been taken over by someone else." The crippled man was indeed very cooperative and answered every question.
"Taken over?"
"Yes. Their original god has declined, or rather … it was never that powerful. In short, it was replaced by another more powerful existence. So, some of the believers have been converted. As far as I know, except for their old nest in Africa, many other Voodoo religions are different from the original ones. In fact, even a small part of Africa has changed."
"Those fanatics … Why did they attack Ole and Alicia? And where did Dr. Baker go? I saw his car in the parking lot outside. He should have been here not long ago. "
"They attacked the two Inuits because the Inuits have been tracking them down, and they have been very aggressive recently. As for the doctor, he did come here once to retrieve something, but he left after he got it. I don't know where he went," Gu Shenwei said.
As soon as the lame man finished speaking, he saw Zhang Heng taking out the knife again. Song Jia did not even finish translating, so he had no choice but to change his words. "Okay, I lied just now. Dr. Baker did come here, but he is dead now."
Zhang Heng frowned when he heard that. Saving Ole and Alicia was just a matter of convenience. His main purpose of coming to the art museum was to find the doctor and learn more about the expedition team from him. He did not expect the doctor to be dead. Fortunately, he caught Satchus here. The latter was originally the expedition team's guide, but for some reason, he had become the museum's curator.
From the looks of it, he had changed his name, and even his appearance had changed a lot. If it weren't for Zhang Heng's keen observation skills, he wouldn't have been able to recognize him. No wonder he couldn't find any news about him on the internet.
"Who killed him?" Song Jia was shocked upon hearing this.
"Me." Since he couldn't lie, the crippled man could only tell the truth. "But believe me, I had no choice. After all, Beck and I have been friends for almost 20 years. I didn't want to kill him, but if the fanatics knew what he did, neither of us would have a good ending."
"He's telling the truth." Zhang Heng said to Song Jia.
"Are you still his friend? So you killed an old friend of twenty years?! " Song Jia found it hard to understand. "Just because he took something from you, and you're afraid of being implicated by those fanatics. Aren't you the leader of those guys?"
"Yes, I'm their commander, but they only listen to me when there's an operation. I can't control them during normal times. They only worship one person, and they listen to that person. Besides, you have never been in contact with those guys, and you don't understand their way of doing things. They won't reason with you. To you, it may seem like a trivial matter, but to them, it's enough to trigger their killing intent. In fact, those people take pleasure in killing, and when they can't find a suitable sacrifice, they will even attack their own people."
The crippled man's words sent a chill down Song Jia's spine. It seemed that it wasn't a bad thing for Zhang Heng to kill them all this time. However, with so many people dead, Song Jia didn't know how Zhang Heng was going to clean up the mess. As she said before, the police might not be willing to believe such a story. And even if they were willing to believe it, Zhang Heng was just a tourist. He had no law enforcement power in Greenland, let alone killing people.
As if he knew what she was worried about, the crippled man said, "I can help you deal with the bodies downstairs, as long as you are willing to spare my life. Most of these guys aren't Greenlanders, and a small number of them have cut off contact with their relatives and friends after joining Voodoo. They have long been regarded as dead by their families. So even if they go missing, as long as they are dealt with properly, the police won't notice them."
"But you also killed Dr. Beck!" Song Jia said.
"I said I'm sorry, but Dr. Beck is not a local. His clinic has been closed for some time, and he rarely interacts with people. I can find someone from the school to help him apply for a long leave. Just say that he … returned to China to recuperate. We can always cover it up."
"What exactly is wrong with Dr. Beck? What made him become like this?"
"How should I explain it?" The crippled man thought for a while, "On a physiological level, he's actually fine. At most, he has a little anxiety disorder and insomnia. But on the other hand, he and I have been suffering for a long time. Really, you're not us. It's hard for you to understand this kind of pain, especially recently. We haven't had a good night's sleep."
"Why?"
"Because that thing will come to us when we're asleep," the crippled man said. "We can't get rid of it. It's like a ghost that has been haunting us for so many years. Dr. Beck and I have been looking for a way to get rid of this nightmare, but unfortunately, neither he nor I have succeeded. So, you don't have to feel too sad for him. Death is actually a relief for us."
"Then why are you still so afraid of death?" Song Jia asked rhetorically.
"Do you think I haven't thought about killing myself?" The crippled man sighed, "If you have tried to commit suicide, you will know how strong the human instinct to survive is. No matter what happens tomorrow, it's always good to live one more day."
"So, did you become like this because of that scientific expedition a decade ago?"
The crippled man had been answering Zhang Heng's questions smoothly until he heard Song Jia's question. "Who the hell are you? How do you know about that scientific expedition?"
"It looks like we can finally get to the point," Zhang Heng said. "Let him talk about that scientific expedition. Tell us everything he saw and heard. It's best if you don't tell us anything."
Song Jia translated Zhang Heng's words to the crippled man, "We know that you were the guide of that expedition. You brought them into the No Man's Land. What did you see there?"
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