The People in the Wall 08 (Original Fiction, Suspense)

Chapter Eight: The Basement After the pencil was placed in an evidence bag, Officer Zhou received a notification from the forensics center: although the third set of DNA found in the bathroom had no match, investigators discovered something unusual in the basement of the old Gao family residence. The old Gao family residence had been abandoned for years, and the basement entrance was sealed with a padlock. As everyone entered, Wang Jing'an inexplicably felt a sense of familiarity. When they reached the deepest part, she suddenly heard two 'tap, tap' sounds from behind the wall. Forensics personnel removed the wooden planks from the wall, revealing it was covered in indentations of various sizes. Wang Jing'an immediately recalled that Gao Zhenxiang had once said his father would grab his head and smash it against the wall, and the marks on this wall were at least ten years old. Continuing their search, the police found a rusty iron box in the corner. Inside were several yellowed photographs and a child's drawing. In one of the photos, a young Gao Zhenxiang stood next to another boy. The back of the photo read: "Don't let them know brother is still alive." All records indicated that the Gao family only had one child, Gao Zhenxiang, and there was no such thing as a brother. Even more bizarre, the date on the photo was the same day Gao Zhenxiang was last hospitalized. Wang Jing'an also noticed that the iron box, except for its lid, was covered in dust, clearly indicating it had been opened recently. Suddenly, a loud door slam echoed from upstairs, and Officer Zhou immediately led his team in pursuit. Wang Jing'an remained in the basement, examining the photos closely. The boy's face had been repeatedly scribbled over with a black pen, and a line of text had appeared on the back of the photo at some point: "Teacher, do you remember me?" Wang Jing'an's face instantly turned pale. Because the familiar handwriting was the same as the threatening letter Teacher Zhang had received.