Der umwerfende Premierminister

Kapitel 5

Suddenly, her phone vibrated in her pocket, startling her. Then it rang again, and she received a text message.

"Excuse me." Li Hong felt like she had suddenly returned to the real world. She quickly took out her phone. It was a text message from her policeman friend, Xiao Jia: "Zheng Zhihao, born in 1972, software engineer, died on July 23, 2005, in the 7.23 major traffic accident. Death certificate issued by Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau Traffic Management Bureau. Identification number: #＆※▲←＾★", followed by a bunch of gibberish.

Li Hong abruptly raised her head, staring at the man before her. In the dimly lit room, his face suddenly seemed unreal, and the wisps of smoke still lingering in the room seemed to be slowly conjuring strange images, making her feel as if she wasn't facing one person, but a group of…

18. Soul Hunter (1)

"Are you alright?" Zheng Zhihao leaned closer, wanting to help her up.

"Don't touch me!" Li Hong seemed to have gone mad, retreating rapidly to the wall, as if she had suffered a great shock.

"Calm down, calm down..." Zheng Zhihao said softly, "I don't want to scare you, it's you who wants to know the truth."

"Who exactly are you?" she asked weakly, her voice trembling. "Are you a ghost?"

Zheng Zhihao chuckled, "Of course I'm not a ghost. Why would you think I am? But there's something unclean in this room, which is why you feel uneasy." As he spoke, he glanced around the small room. The sunlight outside was blocked by clouds, making the room, with the curtains drawn, even darker. Combined with the lack of lights, the room had an eerie and terrifying atmosphere.

Li Hong looked around the room, and was even more speechless. She simply held up her phone to show the man in front of her, carefully avoiding him, afraid of bumping into him.

Zheng Zhihao saw the text message and smiled, but very softly. He didn't say anything, but suddenly grabbed Li Hong's hand, startling her so much that she screamed and dropped her phone to the ground.

"Shh! Don't shout. Can you feel the warmth of my hand? Do you still think I'm a ghost? I'm just using this ID card, I'm not a ghost!" Zheng Zhihao spoke almost in front of her, and she could feel his warm breath. However, no man had ever spoken to her so closely before, making her very uncomfortable. She pushed him away, picked up her phone, and tidied her disheveled hair. "I'm sorry," she said. "Then tell me what really happened, your real name, your purpose here—was it really a ghost that killed Ma Guiping?"

“I’m not sure yet,” Zheng Zhihao said, drawing back the curtains. “Now you believe me, right? So you don’t need to keep the curtains drawn anymore.”

Sunlight streamed into the room again through the window, and for a moment, Li Hong felt as if she had died and come back to life. She stared in disbelief at the person before her, and at the same time, she saw his shadow. She felt her mind was blank, mechanical, and she was completely stunned.

“You can leave here right now, pretend nothing happened, and continue with your life,” Zheng Zhihao said. “But I’ll be putting something on your door these next few nights. Don’t tear it off, and don’t go out, and everything will be fine.”

A thought flickered in her mind. She really wanted to leave, to ignore the hallucinations and the terrifying sensations, and, as he had said, pretend nothing had happened. But she knew she absolutely couldn't pretend nothing had happened; even now, she was experiencing a strange aversion to her past actions of investigating crime scenes and dissecting corpses. What had just occurred would keep her up at night, making it impossible for her to complete her future work.

Should she just leave like this? So close to the truth, should she leave? She kept asking herself this. Although she hadn't actually seen the unclean thing he mentioned, she had definitely felt the cold gaze and intense hostility behind her, and the sight of what appeared to be a group of faceless figures around him. Was that a ghost? Was that the incredible thing that made Ma Guiping set himself on fire and burn him to death? Were the strange things she saw last night also caused by ghosts? But why was she in danger? What danger?

Forget it, let it go. Let's leave this place with Li Li and get back to our own lives!

No, I want to know why. Why was it Ma Guiping who died? Why am I in danger? Why is it this man in front of her who knows all this? Am I a coward? Why should I be afraid? Are you scared out of your wits by just strange hallucinations and bad feelings? Where is your courage?

She recalled her time in medical school. In her first few years as a freshman, she struggled to get used to the pungent smell of formaldehyde and overcome her fear of morgues. She also felt a pang of unease at the sight of cold, hard, bluish corpses. But she didn't give up. She spent two years trying to calm herself, to become accustomed to it, to numb herself. She let her scalpel cut through corpses covered in lividity, she let herself use a Griggs saw to split open skulls with their scalps removed, and she even became known as "Bold Li" in her department. How did you manage that before? And now, are you just going to pat your behind and walk away as if nothing happened?

The unknown is what's frightening, and now that she truly knows what she's facing, she shouldn't be afraid. She's very happy with her decision.

"I'm not going anywhere," she said to him, as if she were saying to herself. "I need to know the truth."

19. Soul Hunter (2)

Zheng Zhihao quietly observed the woman before him—she was unpretentious. Despite her beautiful face and short, jet-black hair, she wore a simple light blue uniform-style shirt and slightly baggy trousers, paired with ill-fitting high heels, making her seem out of place in this era. He thought she probably didn't know how to apply makeup; perhaps her only cosmetics were a few lipsticks, which seemed completely out of place for her age. Zheng Zhihao had interacted with many female police officers before, and even traffic policewomen who frequently stood on the streets wouldn't let their faces age under the sun. Yet, despite her beautiful face and fair skin, she seemed indifferent to protecting them. Her eyes were captivating; beneath long eyelashes, clear eyes gazed firmly at him. In those eyes, Zheng Zhihao saw her heart—a clear and transparent heart.

Should I bring her in? He hesitated.

My existence must have been a devastating blow to her faith; I made her truly see the world clearly again. But do you have the right to do this? What will you bring to this pure heart? My world is dark, and she and you are from completely different worlds. Can you bear to let a few words from you rob this person, who should have a happy life, of the sunlight forever?

"What's wrong?" she asked.

He snapped out of his reverie and saw her staring at him with curiosity. What should I do? I've asked her several times not to interfere, but it seems to have backfired, making her even more interested. It certainly isn't because of the danger she faces; she hasn't realized how serious it is.

“Are you sure you want to continue pursuing this? This matter has reached a point beyond your control. Once you get involved, it might be impossible for you to back out. Now is the best time to withdraw,” Zheng Zhihao told her.

“I said I wouldn’t back down,” Li Hong said seriously. “Are you going to back out now? You said you’d tell me everything.” He saw her frown. Her eyebrows, though not meticulously groomed, were perfectly proportioned and beautifully shaped…

Suddenly, he realized that he wasn't thinking about how to tell her, but rather about all sorts of random things. This made him a little embarrassed, like a country bumpkin who had never seen a pretty woman before.

He coughed lightly: "Okay, I'll tell you everything, but it'll be faster if we dig and talk at the same time."

"Then can you tell me first how you knew there was a body there? Not a human body?"

“I discovered it using my own methods, but it’s a long story, I’ll tell you about it later when I have time.” Zheng Zhihao said as he walked towards the bathroom. “It’s definitely not a human corpse buried there, I don’t know exactly what it is, we’ll only know when we dig it out.”

"Who buried it?" Li Hong asked, following behind him.

"I don't know. If possible, we can check who lived in this room before. He used strong acid to destroy the cement and waterproof layers and dug up the compacted soil to bury this thing. It took a lot of effort."

Like a movie playing in her mind, Zheng Zhihao's words conjured an image in Li Hong's head: in a dimly lit bathroom, a person with long hair stood there, holding a black object in their right hand, looking down at a hole in the floor. The long hair obscured their face, making it impossible to tell if they were male or female. This image was imprinted in her mind like a photograph, as if she had witnessed it herself. The person stood motionless, then suddenly noticed her without warning, turning to look at her.

She shuddered, infected by the eerie chill emanating from the person in the image. Why is it this guy again? The ghost she felt behind her just now looked so much like the person in the image—was it the same person?

Zheng Zhihao had already entered the bathroom, and now he had picked up the shovel again, completely ignoring the ominous atmosphere in this strange room.

Li Hong stood at the doorway, looking up and surveying the area. She didn't intend to go in, though she wouldn't admit it was out of fear; she also didn't want to put her hand into that dark hole, which disgusted her. The bathroom had been cleaned, and the previously cluttered items had been neatly arranged, except for the blackened parts of the ceiling, which still lingered, and a faint burnt smell permeated the air.

"How long do you estimate it will take to dig?" Li Hong asked.

"I don't know, but I estimate it won't be long, he shouldn't be buried very deep," Zheng Zhihao said as he dug.

"Then I'm ready to hear the whole story."

“Oh, okay.” Zheng Zhihao paused, probably thinking about where to begin. After a while, he moved the shovel and said, “My real name is Yang Yunhui, and I am a spirit hunter.”

"Where are you from? From Lieling?"

"No, it's the 'hunting' in 'hunting' and the 'spirit' in 'soul,' so it's called a 'spirit hunter,' which means someone who catches ghosts."

"Huh?" Li Hong's mouth dropped open. She suddenly felt like she was watching a Hong Kong ghost movie, the protagonist so far removed from her, and she was merely a spectator. She didn't have to do anything, just grab her popcorn and wait for the ending. She shifted slightly, a little uneasy.

"Is it disbelief or something you just didn't expect?" Zheng Zhihao continued digging, examining the soil as he spoke. He had dug about 20 centimeters deep; the soil was dark black, very damp, and had a peculiar smell.

“I didn’t expect this, and I’ve never heard of such a profession before,” Li Hong said, then glanced at the soil he had dug up and said, “This is soil formed from highly decomposed organic matter, and it has been formed for about one or two years. It seems your judgment was correct. I’ll continue to call you Zheng Zhihao.”

“Okay, I think we’re close to finding it. But it should only be bones left,” Zheng Zhihao said, bringing the soil close to his nose to smell it. “It must have been buried about 10 months ago.”

“Continue,” Li Hong reminded him. As she spoke, she cautiously glanced at the pit again. She felt something rising from it, a steaming sensation. She wouldn't be too surprised if a pale hand suddenly reached out from the pit. Whatever was buried there, the intent of the buryer was terrifying.

“I’ve been doing this for about five years now. By chance, I sensed an unusually powerful soul field here.” Zheng Zhihao quickened his digging. He was sweating a lot because the bathroom was stuffy. “The so-called soul field is a special magnetic field and aura formed by abnormal souls. You can understand the aura I’m talking about as a special energy field similar to Qigong.”

"You can sense the soul field, right?" Li Hong couldn't help but ask.

“Yes, it’s like I have sensors inside my body. Abnormal souls are different from ordinary souls. Ordinary souls formed from normal deaths cannot be preserved for long because their energy is limited, and the soul field they form is very small, generally undetectable. Abnormal souls, however, possess great energy from the moment they are formed due to various reasons, so their soul field is extraordinary.” Zheng Zhihao paused for a moment, then continued, “We can talk about souls slowly, but for now, let’s just talk about Ma Guiping. After sensing this soul field, my intuition told me that something unusual was about to happen here, so I rushed over. At the same time, because I am a spirit hunter, I also hoped to subdue this soul. When I arrived here, Ma Guiping was already dead, and his death was inexplicable, but as soon as I entered this bathroom, I felt that this powerful soul field originated from here. So his death couldn’t be so simple; it must have been this soul field that affected him.”

"How can a soul field affect a person?" Li Hong was a little confused. If the soul is an energy substance with energy, then forming a corresponding energy field is normal; it's just that currently there are no instruments or methods to detect this special energy. But how can an energy field affect a person's will?

“This energy isn’t pure physical energy,” Zheng Zhihao said, looking up at her. “It’s a kind of will energy, understand? Just think of it as… well, how should I put it… just think of it as energy with the ability to think. Actually, it’s what we commonly call a vengeful ghost.”

Li Hong nodded. Actually, she didn't understand at all, because these things were completely foreign to her. She hadn't expected that the person in front of her was someone who specialized in dealing with ghosts; it was becoming more and more like a movie.

"So what did this abnormal soul field (she didn't want to use the word 'vengeful ghost') do to Ma Guiping?" Li Hong asked again.

Zheng Zhihao raised his left hand, signaling her to be quiet. Then, he lowered the small shovel with his right hand and slowly reached into the pit; he must have discovered something. Li Hong felt inexplicably tense as he moved, wondering what he would pull out of the pit.

20. Raid

Zheng Zhihao had already reached in. Unlike Li Hong, who usually inspected crime scenes by wearing gloves and slowly brushing away the topsoil like an archaeologist, he was like a farmer, rummaging through the soil with his hands, and finally pulled something out of the pit.

Li Hong couldn't see clearly what he had taken out, which made her very curious, and she tried her best to open her eyes wide to see what it was. However, her curiosity didn't last for more than a few seconds before she was interrupted by a sensation on her body. She felt something gently stroking her, first from her back, then around to the front, stroking her from head to toe.

What was going on? She looked around, but there was nothing around her. Had something strange happened? She smelled a strong, fishy odor around her, like a wolf's den in a zoo, which gave her goosebumps. She saw Zheng Zhihao slowly cleaning up what he had just taken out, unaware of her discomfort, so she didn't want to disturb him. She simply rubbed her arms together vigorously, trying to get rid of the sudden caress.

However, the feeling grew stronger and stronger. She felt as if the air around her was being pushed aside by some mysterious aura, lingering and weaving around her. The icy chill and the dampness clinging to her skin formed a black shadow, slowly enveloping her. An inexplicable sense of oppression was pressing down on her chest and squeezing her ribs.

What is that?! Li Hong panicked. She tried to move her body, but the force seemed to have taken control of her, and her struggles were completely ineffective. There was nothing around her; she was now only leaning against the door frame, but there must be something unseen binding her. She felt like she was about to lose her footing.

She wanted to speak to Zheng Zhihao, begging him for help, but she couldn't. Her mouth was covered, an invisible hand pressing tightly against it. Her hands and feet grew increasingly stiff; the icy aura completely enveloped her, rendering her utterly immobile. Fear gripped her; she desperately tried to break free from this mysterious force, but to no avail. She tried to attract Zheng Zhihao's attention, struggling to free her hand, but the immense force tightened, and she felt herself suffocating.

Her heart was pounding, blood rushed to her head, her temples throbbed with sharp, throbbing pain. Her brain was powerless to cope with the situation; she commanded her body to struggle, to break free from its grip and escape its control.

Finally, perhaps realizing that Li Hong in front of him had fallen silent, Zheng Zhihao abruptly raised his head and discovered that she was struggling. Her face was flushed red, her eyes filled with terror; she wanted to scream, but could only keep her mouth tightly shut. She seemed to be abducted, or rather, tightly bound by something unseen.

He knew he was in trouble. He immediately put down what he was holding, stretched out his right arm, made a sword gesture, and shouted at Li Hong, "Break!"

Li Hong saw him leap up from the ground, pointing at her and shouting, but she didn't hear Zheng Zhihao's shouts at all. She felt the restraints around her loosen a little, but they didn't leave. She still couldn't breathe, but at least she could move one hand. She reached out that hand, trying to pull away what was stuck between her neck and mouth. However, she couldn't grab anything, and instead left several deep bloody marks on her neck with her fingernails.

Zheng Zhihao rushed over, grabbed the hand that had scratched her, and then hugged her. With a shout, veins bulging on his forehead, he used all his strength to lift Li Hong up, but he swayed as if he couldn't support her weight. He carried her towards the bedroom, muttering something rapidly as he went.

Li Hong felt she was about to die. She desperately tried to breathe through her mouth and nose, but it was as if a huge rock was pressing on her chest, preventing her lungs from expanding. She was losing consciousness. The last thing Li Hong saw was his feet, and then, finally, she saw the black, furry thing wrapped around her, like a thick tail. Her brain was dying; she saw stars before her eyes, her ears began to ache, and her body slowly went limp.

She fainted.

21. Li Hong

Every year as the Lunar New Year approaches, Lin Xiaoye feels incredibly lonely. She's only seven years old, old enough to go to school, but she still lives in the kindergarten—she hasn't seen her parents for almost two years. She still remembers the last time her mother took her to kindergarten. Her mother stood by a tree, the shade obscuring her face, so Xiaoye couldn't see her expression. If Xiaoye had known then that she would never see her mother again, she definitely wouldn't have run to the other children. From then on, the kindergarten became her home. Although the teachers were very kind to her, she still missed her mother.

Why doesn't Mom want me anymore? This is the question she thinks about most. I haven't been naughty or mischievous. I've studied hard what the teacher teaches, but Mom still won't come to pick me up.

She thought of her home again. Only her mother and new father lived there, but she was always terrified of him. Her mother would shield her behind her, yelling at her drunken new father. She was afraid of her mother's angry shouts, her hair disheveled, but she was even more afraid of her new father's stiff beard and rough hands. She had told her mother that Xiaoye didn't like this new father, but her mother could only manage a bitter smile.

The kindergarten teachers took Xiaoye everywhere in search of her mother. They dressed her up very nicely, hoping that seeing her mother would soften the heart of this heartless woman. However, they could no longer find her mother. Even when they went to her mother's hometown, they couldn't find her. Everyone who knew her mother told the teachers that she was dead.

Xiao Ye continued to live in the kindergarten, like an abandoned kitten. Although the teachers continued to care for and love her, they all had their own homes, so by the Lunar New Year, the kindergarten was deserted except for her. She didn't want to go to any of the teachers' homes because she didn't want to upset them, and she also wanted to continue waiting for her mother at the kindergarten. She believed her mother would definitely come to pick her up.

The kindergarten was extremely quiet. It was completely dark, and the old man who looked after the gate was cooking in his room. He would come to call Xiaoye when the food was ready. She sat alone in the classroom, drawing her mother's face on the drawing paper in front of her.

Perhaps it was too quiet; Xiao Ye felt her ears ringing, making it impossible for her to concentrate on recalling her mother's appearance. She put down her crayons and sighed softly. Then, she propped her head up, looked out the window, and fell into a daze.

The garden was dark; the rocking horse, seesaw, and slide were no longer visible, but she knew they were still there. The new children loved them, and Xiaoye always let them play first. Whenever she saw other children fall to the ground, their mothers or fathers rushing to comfort the wailing child, a pang of guilt shot through her heart. Where was her mother? Where was her mother…?

Xiao Ye burst into tears, heartbroken. She was usually so sensible and obedient, but at this moment, she couldn't hold back anymore, and tears streamed down her face.

"Xiao Ye, are you crying by yourself?" A voice came from behind Xiao Ye.

"Mom?!" Xiao Ye heard her mother's voice in disbelief and turned around in surprise. It was indeed her mother, standing behind Xiao Ye with a face full of love and joy as she saw her beloved child.

"Mom!" Xiao Ye ran over crying and threw herself at her mother. "Mom, Mom, how could you be so cruel..." Tears and snot made her unable to continue.

The mother squatted down, hugged her tightly, and then looked at her carefully, stroking her while murmuring to herself, "My little Ye has grown taller and more beautiful."

"Mom, why did it take you so long? I missed you so much!" Xiao Ye said, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Mom went to a very far place, but she came back specifically to see you," Mom said softly.

"Mom, take me home."

"I can't take Xiaoye to the places Mommy goes," Mommy said sadly. "Mommy can only come here to see you."

Xiao Ye is about to cry again.

"Don't cry, Xiao Ye. An old man will take you back to your new home soon. You have to live a good life!"

"I want my mom!"

The mother gently pushed Xiaoye away, turning her head away as if to hide the tears that were about to fall. She didn't look back, and a white light gradually appeared around her.

Xiao Ye stood there, stunned. She didn't know what had happened to her mother, or why her mother hadn't taken her home. When she came to her senses, her mother was gone.

The classroom door opened, and Xiao Ye's favorite teacher appeared in the doorway. She saw Xiao Ye standing there alone, her face streaked with tears, and for a moment, she didn't know what had happened. Behind her stood an elderly woman with white hair, but still very sprightly. The old woman walked towards Xiao Ye.

He stroked Xiao Ye's head, as if speaking to Xiao Ye, or perhaps to the void: "From now on, you won't be called Lin Xiao Ye anymore. You're wearing red, so from now on you'll be called Li Hong!"

Xiao Ye looked up at the old man and softly repeated, "Li Hong..."

22. Sober