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# **Chapter 1 of "The Disappearing Pension": The bloody advertising flyer at the square dance**
## **1. The Champion's Anomaly**
What Wang Jianguo regrets most in his life is not stopping his wife Li Sufen from signing up for that damn square dance competition three days ago.
At this moment, the setting sun dyed the community square scarlet red, as if it had poured a layer of blood on the concrete floor. On the podium, the host shouted at the top of his lungs: "Congratulations to the Sunset Red Dance Team for winning the championship!" There was sparse applause from the audience - the auditorium was mostly empty. In the past three months, fewer and fewer elderly people came to watch the performance.
"Lao Zhang! It's time to go on stage!" Li Sufen grabbed her dance partner's arm, her sequined dance skirt shining strangely in the dusk. She is fifty-eight years old, has been dancing ballroom for thirty years, and has a straighter back than Wang Jianguo, a retired criminal police officer.
Accountant Zhang was stuck in place like a piece of wood. Wang Jianguo narrowed his eyes - there was a purple-black bruise on Lao Zhang's ankle, as if it had been hooped by some metal ring for a long time. This mark was so familiar to him. When Lao Liu, who disappeared last week, was found, he also had such a circle on his ankle.
"Now, please let Accountant Zhang accept the award on behalf of the team!"
As soon as the host finished speaking, Lao Zhang suddenly twitched all over. The gold-plated trophy hit the concrete floor with a bang and rolled to Wang Jianguo's feet. He bent down to pick it up and found a line of small words engraved on the bottom of the cup: "The 7th Kangyang Cup Square Dance Competition".
"I... Where am I?" Lao Zhang's voice was like bubbles emerging from the bottom of the water. He scratched his gray hair blankly, "Who am I? What is my bank card password?"
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