"Huh!" Director Zhang immediately felt the pain stop and felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders. He exclaimed in surprise, "You...you're a miracle doctor!"
Song Hao smiled, examined his pulse again, and shook his head, saying, "Not only does he have heart disease, but he also has stomach ulcers and rheumatism, and he must have had an injury on the outside of his right knee."
"How did you know all this?!" Director Zhang exclaimed in shock.
"Wow! We've really met a miracle doctor! Chief Zhang's illness is all from overwork, can you cure him?" the young policeman exclaimed in surprise.
Upon hearing this, Song Hao was filled with respect and said, "The acupuncture has already eased the situation. For chronic illnesses, decoctions should be used. I will prescribe three kinds of medicine, which should be taken in rotation every day. If we persist for two months, all the illnesses will be cured."
"If that's the case, thank you!" Director Zhang said gratefully.
Song Hao found paper and pen, wrote out three prescriptions, and explained the precautions for taking the medicine. The young policeman took the prescription as if he had received a life-saving charm, and said excitedly, "Chief, your illness can be cured! I'll get the medicine for you today."
Song Hao seized the opportunity to demonstrate his medical skills, earning the respect and gratitude of the two policemen. During their conversation, they learned that the police chief's name was Zhang Yonghe, and the younger man was Liu Yong, both from the town's police station.
Seeing that the other party had become enthusiastic, Song Hao asked, "Perhaps I shouldn't ask about the case you're handling. But I really want to know what happened in this village that made you go to such lengths to set up an ambush at night?"
“This village is haunted!” Liu Yong blurted out.
"Haunted!" Song Hao and Tang Yu were taken aback upon hearing this.
“There’s no such thing as a ghost. We can’t jump to conclusions before the case is clear. Haven’t we caused enough panic in the past three months?” Zhang Yonghe gave Liu Yong a reproachful look, then said to Song Hao, “It’s fine to tell you, but given the current special nature of this case, let’s not tell outsiders for now.”
Song Hao said, "We're just curious. Don't worry, we won't tell anyone."
Zhang Yonghe nodded and said, "That's good. Since you've run into this, tell us. This village is called Aken Village. Three months ago, the village chief went to the town's police station to report that the village was haunted. Some chickens and sheep were mysteriously bitten in the throat and had their blood sucked by something at night. Several dogs kept by villagers were the first to be bitten to death, and then that thing started attacking other animals."
Tang Yu said, "It's probably a wolf from the wild or some kind of starving wild animal that came to the village to look for food."
Zhang Yonghe said, "At first, I thought so too, but later the investigation revealed that it wasn't like that at all. After the incident, the villagers reinforced the walls and locks of the sheepfolds; not to mention wolves, even leopards couldn't get in. But even with such high walls and strong gates, sheep were still being killed at night every few days. That thing seemed to be able to fly. And some villagers had unintentionally seen its shadow, which turned out to be a standing human figure, occasionally flashing across the wall. This incident has caused some panic in the area; at night, everyone locks their doors, and no one dares to go out anymore. Me and..." Xiao Liu has been staking out the village for three months, organizing villagers to set up ambushes at night to capture it, but to no avail. It's also the season for strong winds and sandstorms, which have covered up some traces, and the thing continues to attack the village animals without our noticing. Furthermore, a stone mill weighing five or six hundred pounds at the village entrance is frequently moved overnight from the east end of the village to the west end, which is clearly not human-made. "I don't believe in ghosts, but that thing is truly bizarre, appearing and disappearing without a trace, unpredictable. If we can't catch it, we really can't explain it to the villagers." Zhang Yonghe finished speaking with a helpless expression.
"What could this be?" Song Hao and Tang Yu looked at each other in astonishment.
Volume Two: The World of Traditional Chinese Medicine - Chapter Thirty-Four: Ambush
It was already daylight. Zhang Yonghe personally drove a police car, taking Song Hao and Tang Yu along the highway until they found the car. They then towed it to a town about twenty miles away. At a car repair shop, the workers inspected it and said it would take a week to fix.
Seeing this, Zhang Yonghe said, "Then you can stay here. I'll find you a place to stay."
Left with no other choice, Song Hao and Tang Yu had to nod in agreement.
The ghost incident in Aken Village had caused widespread panic. Zhang Yonghe returned to the town's police station during the day to study the case, and at night he personally went to Aken Village to organize the villagers to guard the pit and set up an ambush to capture the ghost. Although three months had passed without success, there was no other way to proceed.
Zhang Yonghe found a guesthouse for Song Hao and Tang Yu, and after settling them in, he returned to the police station.
"The ghost incident in Aken Village is suspicious. Do you believe in ghosts?" Tang Yu asked.
“The world is full of wonders. But ghosts and monsters are mostly just idle talk. We can’t leave right now, so why don’t we help Chief Zhang solve the case?” Song Hao said.
Tang Yu smiled and said, "That's exactly what I was thinking too."
Song Hao said, "According to Director Zhang, although that thing comes and goes without a trace and feeds on animal blood, it must be a tangible object. Moreover, it is incredibly strong. If it really encounters the villagers, the villagers may not be able to subdue it. Although Director Zhang and Xiao Liu have pistols, their firepower is not great, so they may not be able to deal with it either. Let's lend them a hand."
Tang Yu laughed and said, "Does a doctor heal people, but also have to slay demons and monsters?"
Song Hao said, "It's because you have that ability. If you weren't here, I would have left far away."
Tang Yu said, "Don't forget, your Thunder Needle Technique is something even gods and demons can't resist."
Song Hao shook his head and said, "That would only work if I got close enough to have a chance. If it really is a ghost, I'm afraid I would have been eaten by it before I could even get close."
Tang Yu said, "There are no ghosts or monsters in the world. People just scare themselves. Let's go find Director Zhang and get some more information."
Inside the police station, when Zhang Yonghe heard that Song Hao and Tang Yu wanted to help solve the case, he shook his head and said, "This case won't make any progress anytime soon, and it will also delay your plans. Besides, there's a certain amount of danger involved. Solving cases is our job as police officers, so we won't trouble you."
Tang Yu said, "The repair shop will tell us we can pick up the car in a week. We don't have much to do in the meantime, so let us help you solve the case."
Zhang Yonghe shook his head again, saying, "That won't do. You and Song Hao are doctors, and your medical skills are so high. If something goes wrong, I can't bear the responsibility. Besides, treating patients is your profession. This case is special. It hasn't been solved for three months, and the villagers are still suffering losses. Even more seriously, rumors are spreading, causing a negative social impact. I have already submitted a report to my superiors, requesting that more technical personnel be sent. They will arrive in a few days."
Song Hao said, "You've been lying in ambush in the village for three months, yet you still haven't found any trace of that thing. This means it's something special, which is why we decided to lend you a hand. Director Zhang, please don't worry about safety. It's true, I'm only good at treating illnesses. However, Tang Yu comes from a family of martial artists; even a dozen well-trained experts might not be able to get close to her. With her around, we can prevent any accidents from happening."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yonghe looked at Tang Yu in surprise, then at Song Hao, and said, "I didn't realize you two were such highly skilled individuals. After you gave me two acupuncture needles, my chest hasn't hurt at all. You two are so kind; you must have the ability. Alright, the police force here is insufficient, and several comrades who went to guard Aken Village at night have fallen ill. If you two are willing to help, I thank you, but you must follow orders."
Song Hao laughed and said, "That's no problem. Actually, we're just curious. There shouldn't be any ghosts or monsters in the world, so there must be something fishy about this. If we get to the bottom of this, we can set off in peace."
Zhang Yonghe said worriedly, “This is the most difficult case I’ve encountered in my thirty years as a police officer. After receiving the report, we sent people to Aken Village. That thing doesn’t come out every night, but it appears every three to five days, kills a few sheep, and then disappears. Judging from the current situation, it’s not a wild animal that came out of the mountains, but a monster that can walk through houses and walls, and it’s incredibly strong. It can move a stone roller weighing five or six hundred pounds when no one is paying attention. This is what I’m most worried about. Right now, it’s only attacking the animals in the village and hasn’t attacked people yet, otherwise it would be out of control.”
Tang Yu said, "Director Zhang said that someone once saw it by chance; it was an upright human figure."
Zhang Yonghe said, "That was a month ago. A villager who was lying in ambush in the village accidentally saw a figure flash past the wall of a house. When we surrounded that house, we found two more sheep dead in the pen. The monster was extremely fast, and it left as soon as it got its hands on them. You know, that house's sheep pen was two meters high. Even if something climbed over it, it would leave a trace, but there wasn't a single suspicious trace to be found at the scene. This can only mean that it jumped over in one go. I can't imagine what kind of wild beast in the world could silently jump over a two-meter-high wall, stand upright, move quickly, and stealthily attack a flock of sheep right under the noses of so many people without being noticed."
Tang Yu suddenly remembered something and hurriedly said, "Director Zhang, have there been any stories about wild men in your area? I've read about them in the news. They're said to be strong and, because of their wild nature, bloodthirsty."
Zhang Yonghe shook his head and said, "I've had that thought too, but the places where wild men have been found are mostly in primeval forests and snow-capped highlands. These places have sparse vegetation, so it's impossible for them to have an environment suitable for wild men to live in, and there are no legends or records about them. In particular, there is no evidence to support the claim that they are wild men."
Song Hao asked, "What's the current situation?"
Zhang Yonghe said, “All 67 households in the village raise sheep, and almost every family has suffered losses. A total of 123 sheep were inexplicably killed in the sheepfold at night. Strangely, the teeth marks on the sheep's necks are very shallow, unlike those caused by the long teeth of a wild animal. Most of the sheep were bitten by the monster after its neck was broken. What's even more puzzling is that no trace of the monster was found in the sheepfold, not even a tuft of hair. When the monster was devouring the sheep, the flock panicked and covered up the monster's tracks.”
Tang Yu asked in confusion, "It's strange, isn't it? With so many of you lying in ambush in the village for three months, apart from catching a glimpse of that monster once by chance, you really haven't found any other traces?"
"No, it seems that monster possesses superb counter-surveillance skills. It appears and disappears mysteriously when it commits its crimes. Sometimes, our ambush personnel only discover that the monster has visited their sheepfold after dawn, without them noticing. Moreover, this monster is very intelligent. It first kills the village dogs before continuing its crimes. We also brought in several wolfhounds from outside, hoping they could serve as a warning. But it was useless; they were also inexplicably killed, just like the sheep. By the time we heard the noise and went to investigate, it was already too late," Zhang Yonghe said helplessly.
"Wow, that's amazing!" Song Hao and Tang Yu looked at each other in astonishment.
“There’s one more thing!” Zhang Yonghe hesitated for a moment before saying, “Just keep this to yourself, and don’t tell the villagers of Aken Village. It’s because you’re helping me solve the case that I’m giving you another clue. That is, I suspect that this monster didn’t come from outside the village, but from within Aken Village.”
"What!" Song Hao and Tang Yu were shocked to hear this.