Chapter Seven: Lolita

The mannequins on the carousel were left behind by that earlier performance artist, and they looked even more dilapidated than they had in the photographs. Each mannequin wore a different little dress, though none of them looked very clean. It hadn't been obvious in the photos taken by the young people, but up close, it was easy to see that the clothes were covered in dust.

The plaster figure fixed to the carousel horse, however, was dressed much more extravagantly. Both the style and the quality of the fabric were on an entirely different level from the other mannequins. The dress was composed primarily of black, white, and red, with lace trim at the collar and chest. The sleeves were ornate, pleated affairs, and a bow was tied at the waist. The skirt was voluminous and decorated with intricate lace, giving it a Victorian-inspired look—a strange blend of courtly aesthetics and modern elements.

Had it been a more luxurious or a cuter color scheme, the visual impact might have been different. But as it was—white sleeves with black-and-red lace, and a black-and-red main body, all draped over a pale, plaster figure—there was an indescribable, eerie quality to it. Even more unsettling was that the plaster figure had hair—a chestnut-colored bob-cut wig, accessorized with a small clip that matched the dress.

The plaster figure had facial features, clearly applied with stickers in a full-blown cartoon style. Yet, paired as they were, they didn't feel cute in the slightest; they only added to the sense of dread.

"Good grief, this looks like something straight out of a horror movie!" Qi Tianhua exclaimed, having not looked closely before. Now that he had, he sighed, "Those college students were actually quite lucky. If they had come here at night, they probably would have been scared out of their wits. I haven't really seen this kind of dress out in the wild before. What style is this? Yan Xue, do you know?"

"It... I think it's called Lolita?" Yan Xue replied, though she wasn't entirely certain. While she didn't avoid dresses entirely, her work didn't leave much room for such attire, and this style certainly wasn't her thing. A spirited girl like her wearing such a flamboyant, poofy dress would feel rather strange. However, she had a young cousin who was obsessed with buying such dresses and was often scolded by the family for spending too much money. Yan Xue had seen similar dresses at her cousin's place and remembered the name, even if the complex subcategories had escaped her.

"This kind of clothing... it can't be cheap, right?" Qi Tianhua might not have known the style, but he could recognize the quality of the materials.

"Hmm, my cousin said that some of these can cost thousands, and even the 'cheap' ones aren't what we would traditionally consider cheap." As she spoke, Yan Xue took out her phone, cropped out the plaster figure as best she could, blurred the rest, and sent the photo to her cousin. "I'll ask her; she's an enthusiast, so she might know how much a dress of this quality is worth."

The dress was worn over the plaster figure and was remarkably clean and intact, showing no stains or blood. It was clear that it had been carefully put on after the plaster figure was finished. If the garment was expensive, the perpetrator’s intent in spending so much money on new clothes for the victim was highly suspicious.

Kang Ge leaned in and gestured. "Look, the dress has been altered. I was just wondering—the plaster figure is molded into this riding position. The legs are one thing, but with the arms bent so stiffly, it would be impossible to slide them into the sleeves. But with these modifications, it becomes much easier!"

Yan Xue looked closely and saw that at the seam under the sleeves, someone had unpicked the stitching and sewn in narrow strips of Velcro. By opening the Velcro, the wide sleeves became a flat piece of fabric, making it simple to slide over arms in any position. Extending this logic, she checked the back of the dress and found that the zipper had been modified similarly, with Velcro added down to the skirt to make dressing the stiff plaster figure far less difficult.

The stitching was fine, dense, and discreet, tucked perfectly into the folds of the dress. Without a close look, it was impossible to tell that it could be fully opened. Clearly, the person who made these modifications was skilled with a needle; it was not the work of someone unaccustomed to sewing.

Soon, the plaster figure was carefully removed from the carousel. This caution wasn't entirely to protect the plaster—which would eventually be broken away to examine the body inside—but because the carousel was so rusted and fragile that a careless move could result in a nasty cut from jagged metal or cause the whole structure to collapse.

Yan Xue stood to the side, messaging her cousin. The girl had replied, confirming it was indeed a Lolita-style dress, but likely not a high-end designer piece. It was probably a decent-quality design from a smaller brand or an individual creator—more expensive than a standard dress, but far cheaper than the truly astronomical prices some commanded. Her cousin estimated it was worth around one or two thousand yuan. She also noted that it could have been handmade by a skilled sewing enthusiast, which would lower the cost.

One or two thousand yuan wasn't a fortune, but it wasn't cheap either. For an enthusiast like her cousin, buying it wouldn't be surprising. But spending that much just to dress a corpse seemed like a heavy investment—unless the victim held some special significance to the perpetrator that made the expense worthwhile.

While Yan Xue communicated with her cousin, the forensic team began processing the body. After some discussion, they decided that to avoid damaging potential microscopic evidence during the removal of the plaster at the scene, it would be better to transport the entire figure intact. The stiff, plaster-encased corpse was carefully bagged and loaded into a vehicle for further processing.

"Come on, let's look around the area, then we can head back," Kang Ge signaled to Yan Xue. With the body loaded, there wasn't much left to do at the scene. The snow would bury any traces, and the crime scene technicians had already done what they could.

Yan Xue walked with him around the abandoned amusement park. Beyond the carousel, there were swing sets, two seesaws, and a large, rusted circular platform. Its original purpose was unclear, but a central groove in the base suggested something had once been mounted there. Several mannequins lay strewn about, also dressed in various clothes. Because of their poses, the light snow hadn't slid off them, and they were covered in a thin layer of white, giving the area a grim, mass-grave appearance.

Yan Xue approached them. The clothes on these mannequins were cheap and rough, made of inferior fabric with no discernible style. "The mannequins wear cheap, inferior clothing, while the victim wears an exquisite dress. I didn't think there would be such a distinction in 'class'!" She asked Kang Ge, "The clothes on these mannequins don't look like they were put on in the last day or two; they're covered in dust. But the victim's dress is very clean. So, the victim must have been placed here recently, shortly before the photographers found her."

"Transporting such a heavy plaster cast must have required a vehicle. A large, rigid object like that wouldn't necessarily fit in the back seat, and the trunk is out of the question... Do you think we can find any traffic surveillance nearby?"

"Unlikely. I noticed on the drive in that this area is incredibly remote. There's a reason the park project was canceled—it's in the middle of nowhere. It's a hassle to get to and from. Didn't you notice there were hardly any cars on the road? If not for that performance artist's show, you wouldn't see a soul—or even a ghost—around here," Kang Ge replied, shaking his head.

"Right, that news report you showed us earlier—I didn't look closely. Did the mannequins the performance artist set up have clothes on them?" Yan Xue asked as they walked.

Kang Ge shook his head. "No, his performance art didn't involve clothes. Otherwise, the white bodysuit he wore—the one that covered his head—would have looked out of place."

Yan Xue sighed, her brow furrowed. After chatting with her cousin, a worry had taken root in her heart, making her feel as heavy as if she were carrying a block of iron. "Do you think the style of the dress is just a matter of aesthetic preference, a coincidence from a fashion standpoint, or does it carry some kind of metaphor?"

"You mean the original connotation of 'Lolita,' beyond just the clothing style?" Kang Ge understood her meaning.

Yan Xue nodded. She didn't dabble in Lolita fashion, but she knew the term. It was famously coined in a highly controversial novel, which later spawned a film that sparked intense debate. Some praised it from a literary and artistic perspective, while others were deeply concerned and repulsed by its human and social implications. Before "Lolita" became a popular fashion style, it represented girls under the age of fourteen or fifteen. The mindset of adult men who lusted after "Lolitas" was obvious.

This was what worried Yan Xue. If the dress wasn't just a style, but a signifier of the victim's identity and age, the nature of this case could be truly vile and disgusting.

"It's hard to say. We'll have to wait for the forensics report," Kang Ge said, remaining cautious. "Judging by the figure of the plaster cast, she isn't short. But kids these days are well-nourished and grow tall at a young age."

After walking around, the two trudged back to the car. In that short time, a layer of snow had accumulated, and the flakes were growing larger, threatening to turn into a heavy storm. Kang Ge didn't rush back to the police station but drove slowly through the main roads. Visibility was poor and road conditions were worsening. Finding no surveillance equipment, he gave up on further exploration and headed back to the city before the snow made driving impossible.

When they returned to the station, the forensic team had already extracted the victim from the plaster. According to Qi Tianhua, who had accompanied the body, there was a layer of gauze inside the plaster, and a layer of plastic wrap beneath that, protecting the body.

"Those photography enthusiasts were incredibly curious! It was wrapped so thoroughly that you wouldn't have known it was a corpse just by breaking off a piece of plaster," Qi Tianhua said, sounding frustrated. "They clearly realized it was solid inside, so they used tools to pick away the gauze and plastic, which is when they realized something was wrong and got terrified."

"Is there any definitive information yet?" Yan Xue asked hurriedly.

"The cause of death is confirmed: exsanguination," Qi Tianhua said, gesturing to his wrists. "There were two large needle marks on each wrist. The forensic team believes a large-bore needle was used to draw blood until the victim went into shock and died. There are no signs of a struggle; she was likely unconscious when it happened."