Chapter 238: The Arm-breaking Contraption (1/2)
Trapped in the contraction, the man continued crying and screaming. Although we already knew his ending, we were still covered in cold sweat, worried for him.
The sounds of a countdown timer echoed in the room and the man's expression grew terrified. ”Was there a bomb planted in the room?” I mused. “Looks like the murderer set a time limit for the victim to escape.”
”I fast-forwarded it earlier,” said Lao Yao. “There isn’t any explosion later on so it’s probably fake.”
Four minutes later, the man had tears streaming down his sweaty face and snot under his nose. Just when I thought he would buckle under the pressure, the man suddenly gave a loud roar and pulled his foot out.
Xiaotao grasped my hand nervously, her hands damp with sweat.
Although the man pulled his left foot out, the blade on his arm remained in place. He seemed to think he got lucky. Not just him, but even we, the audience, were relieved.
The next second, the blades snapped shut! Because it happened too quickly, the man didn't realize it at first. A few seconds later, he noticed his severed limb and started squealing like a pig. Blood spurted out of the wound like a fountain, spraying all over the ground and onto the camera. Dali screamed in horror at the video but none of us could blame him for it. Everyone seemed to feel the man’s pain, helplessness and despair.
The man turned pale, his lips blue due to excessive blood loss. He was shivering uncontrollably, probably because he felt cold.
He gritted his teeth and pulled out his other leg. The blades fell on his right arm at once. After losing both his arms, he staggered out of the contraption but immediately knelt to the ground weakly. Then, he struggled to prop his body up with his head and slowly disappeared from the picture.
”It’s not possible for him to survive with his arms cut off, is it?” asked Xiaotao.
I nodded. ”With this amount of bleeding, he wouldn’t be able to survive if he doesn’t receive medical assistance within five minutes! But this man looks strong enough to run some distance before his body goes into shock. The murderer must have killed him during this period.”
Lao Yao turned off the video and switched on the lights. Loud gasps filled the room. Many officers lit their cigarettes with quivering hands.
”At the time, countless people watched this on the Internet, but none of them had the conscience to call the police,” lamented Xiaotao. “How ugly human nature truly is!”
”This website has strict permission settings,” I said. “People who are allowed to watch this live stream must be VIP members with the highest permission. They have long been accustomed to these dark, vile things so their hearts have grown desensitized. In their eyes, it’s just entertainment.”
”If you stay in a fish market long enough, you won’t think it’s fishy!” remarked Xiaotao.
”You’re right!”
A short rest later, everyone had finally caught their breath.
”Do you want to continue watching?” asked Lao Yao.
”Wait a minute! Replay the video again!” instructed Xiaotao.
About a third into the video, Xiaotao called for a pause and asked everyone to analyze the location from the picture. The officers each expressed their opinions. Some suggested that it might be a building along the river because the bottom of the wall was damp and moldy, but others pointed out that it could have been altered using technology. They proposed investigating manufacturers by looking at the incandescent light models.
The room in the video was very clean with few leads to follow. Xiaotao asked me what I thought but I had nothing to offer.
Dali suddenly exclaimed, ”Xiaotao-jiejie, I’ve discovered something! The blades on this contraption look like they are driven by a hydraulic system. I think it was removed from agricultural machinery. You might be able to investigate from this angle.”
”That works, Dali,” laughed Xiaotao. “I didn't expect your idea to come in handy.”
Dali scratched his head and chuckled, ”Don’t forget that I’m an applied electronics student!”