Zyklon-Säbel

Kapitel 16

"No way, Xiao Ren, you're a grown man, why do you carry a mirror around with you?" I took the item and made a few teasing remarks to Xiao Ren.

"Ha, what's wrong with men? Can't men be brought along? Prejudice!" Xiao Ren rolled her eyes at me, her face full of disdain. It's like I'm the abnormal one. I gave an awkward laugh and looked at myself in the mirror. My face was unusually pale, devoid of any color, while my eyes were as dark as the night. Putting the mirror down, I subconsciously touched my chest. Thankfully, my heart was still beating.

"Hey, come here, found it!" Someone called out from afar. Xiao Ren glanced at me, and I nodded knowingly. We quickly walked over together.

"Let me see." I walked over, and a police officer pointed with a branch behind a clump of bushes, gesturing towards me. A striking pile of red and white bones lay conspicuously on the green grass. Because the killer hadn't disposed of them thoroughly, the red flesh and white bones were gruesome. I saw several officers beside me glance at them with disgust before quickly retreating. I crouched down, took the gloves and evidence bag Xiao Ren handed me, and carefully placed them inside. A clump of yellowish-white marrow peeked out from the obvious cut, mingling with the stench of rotting bones, making even me frown. What kind of deep-seated hatred could drive someone to treat a fellow human being like this, especially his girlfriend? Is this what they call love? So terrifying! Or should we say it's love turned to hate? But I just can't understand it. To kill someone and treat their body like that, cutting it up like pork, what kind of feelings must he have had when he held that knife? Or perhaps, his heart had long since ceased to be human. To murder one's partner and dismember them—this is an act even beasts wouldn't stoop to! Humans, what kind of animals are we, really?

********

It was already past 9 p.m. when I knocked on Fang Lei's door. My insistence on working overtime to examine the pile of remains and letting Fang Lei come home first wasn't out of any chivalrous spirit, but rather because I subconsciously didn't want her to be exposed to such horrific and tragic things. A beautiful woman like her isn't suited to be a forensic pathologist. She should be doing work that exposes her to the brighter side of society, not like now, where she's a forensic pathologist who spends all her time dealing with corpses.

Seeing Fang Lei thoughtfully bring me a cup of hot tea, I felt a surge of emotion. She looked like a devoted wife waiting for her husband to return home late; her gentle eyes brought back the warmth of home after so many years. Since my parents' death, I've lived a lonely life. My sister's existence only slightly proved that I wasn't the most lonely one. I always seemed to eat alone, go to school alone, and live alone, until Yin Xue appeared. She brought me warmth again. But so what? God always tests my ability to adapt. He gave me Yin Xue just when I was getting used to loneliness, and then called her back just when I had fully adapted to her. The steam from the hot tea rose before my eyes, my eyes seemed to mist over, my nose tingled, and I felt tears welling up in my eyes.

"What's wrong?" Fang Lei asked with concern.

"Oh, it's nothing, maybe I'm just tired." I quickly buried my face in my hands and wiped away the tears that were about to spill from the corners of my eyes.

"I told you I should stay and work overtime, but you wouldn't listen!" Fang Lei complained to me. I grinned and made a face at her, which made her giggle. A faint blush spread across her face, and her eyes seemed to be about to drip water. Seeing this made my mouth go dry. Unfortunately, this was not a good time for the two of us to be alone. Cao Ying was watching us intently from the side!

Sigh, I thought. If only it were just Fang Lei and me at this nightly five-person meeting! But the reality was, Li Hai insisted that everyone meet at Fang Lei's house every day, no matter how late, so we could discuss the case's progress and ensure everyone's safety. I glanced at the clock; it was already 9:30, and Li Yang and Li Hai still hadn't arrived. So I asked Cao Ying, who was watching TV beside me, "What are you watching?"

"Oh, it's nothing. It seems the TV station recently bought a new helicopter, so they filmed some aerial views of the city to show off!" Cao Ying answered while munching on potato chips. In a way, she was still a girl who hadn't grown up.

"The TV station is really rich!" Li Yang's voice came from behind me. I turned around and saw Li Yang following behind him as he walked in. Fang Lei was standing next to him, and both of their eyes seemed to be drawn to the TV screen in front of them. Li Hai's mouth was wide open, big enough to fit an egg.

What are you looking at? I turned my head curiously to look at the TV. The screen showed a panoramic view of Heart Lake taken from the air. What was wrong with that? It was just a large green forest.

"My God!" Li Hai exclaimed.

"My god!" Fang Lei even used English.

"What's wrong?" Cao Ying, Li Yang, and I all turned around and looked at the two of them in unison, asking in confusion.

"The Myriad Souls Locking Spirit Array!" Li Hai and Fang Lei answered in unison.

What? What formation? I looked at Li Yang with a questioning look, and Li Yang also looked clueless and shook his head at me. I could even see several big question marks popping up above his head.

Book One: Tales of Three Ghosts in the City, Chapter Thirty-Eight: A Beauty's Favor

Book One: Tales of Three Ghosts in the City, Chapter Thirty-Eight: A Beauty's Favor

"My God, I thought this was just a legend, I never thought it was real!" Li Hai said, looking at Fang Lei.

“I didn’t expect this to be true either.” Fang Lei looked at us, who were still confused, and began to explain, “The Ten Thousand Souls Locking Spirit Array is a formation that has been lost for hundreds of years. It was originally set up to lock down powerful ghosts or monsters, but unexpectedly, it gradually changed and was used by those crooked sects to turn it into an evil formation to lock down cultivators with profound spiritual power. Therefore, it was banned by righteous people hundreds of years ago, and some evil people who used this formation to harm others were even executed. The specific usage and details of this formation were lost. Li Hai and I only knew some general information, and we thought that no one in this world could use it anymore.”

"So where is the Soul Locking Array you mentioned?" Cao Ying asked.

“It’s Heart Lake!” Fang Lei touched her forehead, looking as if she had just realized something. “No wonder the ghost whirlwinds that formed there were so powerful, and no wonder there were so many locust trees there.”

"You mean, Heart Lake is actually a strange formation?" I asked. This was really unbelievable. Who would go to such lengths to arrange such a large forest into a formation? It must have taken a lot of resources and money!

"Isn't it incredible?" Li Hai's face turned bright red as he said, "Such a large formation, yet people think it's just a natural landscape. If you didn't see its full view from the air, I doubt anyone would realize it even a hundred years from now."

Li Yang suddenly interjected, "That area is flat; there's nowhere to overlook Heart Lake! But judging from this, it definitely wasn't formed naturally; it must be man-made. Do you really think such a massive project wouldn't have any clues to investigate?"

"Do you think we can start from this point?" I asked.

“Of course, Heart Lake has existed for a long time, but I heard it wasn’t always like this. Do you think it’s normal for an entire grove to be full of locust trees?” Li Yang replied.

“Alright, we’ll start the investigation tomorrow,” Li Hai said.

"But wait, what about Lin Yuyan?" Cao Ying asked.

“Lin Yuyan’s matter is not simple. If, as Lin Xiao said, that mysterious woman is indeed Lin Yuyan, then I can be almost certain that she is related to this Myriad Soul Locking Spirit Array.” Li Hai paused and said, “The Locking Spirit Array, which spirit do you think it locks?”

"Is it to lock Lin Yuyan up? But why?" I asked.

"This is the place we're looking for!"

"But why is she here now? Has the spirit-locking array failed?" As soon as I asked the question, Li Hai frowned, clearly unable to come up with a suitable answer either.

"What if the formation malfunctioned?" Fang Lei said, her eyes lighting up. "Think about that dismemberment case. Perhaps the victim's remains disrupted the formation, giving Lin Yuyan a chance to escape."

“That’s possible. Then why did she appear earlier and kill so many women?” Li Yang pressed.

“There might be a murder in the Heart Lake that has disrupted the formation!” Cao Ying answered on Fang Lei’s behalf.

“Everyone’s points make sense. How about this: tomorrow we’ll split up and investigate the clues around Heart Lake. I think if we can find out who changed the settings around Heart Lake, we’ll probably know who the mastermind is,” Li Hai concluded.

We nodded. This was indeed a more feasible solution at the moment. Although there was some progress in Lin Yuyan's case, it was like a kite that had suddenly broken, with no clues left to follow. Unexpectedly, a TV program we watched today opened another door for us. So, when God closes a door, He always opens a window for you somewhere else. As for whether you can see the truth through that window, that depends on your own ability. I looked at everyone. Although I didn't want them to worry, I finally decided to tell them what happened at Heart Lake this afternoon. Li Hai was very interested in that open space, believing it was very likely the center of the Ten Thousand Souls Locking Spirit Array, or even an entrance to the Netherworld space formed by the hospital, No. 77 Ancient Locust Street, and Heart Lake. Fang Lei, on the other hand, quietly scolded me, saying that what I did was too dangerous, and stipulated that I could never go to Heart Lake again without her accompaniment. Hehe, a little danger in exchange for the sincere care of a beautiful woman is still worth it.

※※※

The next day, Li Hai and the others went to the city library, while Fang Lei and I went back to the police station to work. We also went into the station's archives to look up some information.

The archives room was filled with bookshelves, stacks of thick documents piled up there. Countless murder cases, countless missing persons, all reduced to a few scraps of paper with a few words in them, then falling silent, awaiting oblivion. Touching the dusty bookshelves, I suddenly felt how cruel this world truly was. No one remembers bloodshed forever, yet it continues to be created, only to return to dust. Perhaps nothing is worth remembering. I turned to look at Fang Lei. Sunlight streamed through the glass, illuminating her cheeks with a golden glow, so warm and real, instantly jolting me out of my previous pessimism, replaced by a surge of intense desire. I was startled, swallowing hard. I felt like the Big Bad Wolf eyeing Little Red Riding Hood. Perhaps Fang Lei sensed my gaze, for she turned to look at me, a blush spreading across her cheeks, resembling a beautiful lady in an ancient painting. This made this already classically beautiful woman even more alluring.

"What are you looking at?" Fang Lei said reproachfully.

"Looking at a pretty girl!" I replied shamelessly, winking at her as I did so.

"Why aren't you being honest, you forensic doctor?" Fang Lei slammed the book shut on the bookshelf, put her hands on her hips, and complained to me in a coquettish tone.

"What, who says a forensic doctor should be obedient?" I took a big step and walked up to Fang Lei. Because there were bookshelves on both sides, I was almost pressed against Fang Lei's body. A faint, almost imperceptible fragrance immediately entered my nose, making my mouth even drier. Actually, it doesn't have to be a naked woman to arouse a man's desire. If done properly, the more fully covered a woman is, the more it can make a man's blood boil.

"Ugh!" Fang Lei rolled her eyes at me coquettishly and turned to leave. I immediately pulled her into my arms, instantly embracing her soft, fragrant body. Although I was hugging her from behind and couldn't enjoy the softness of her breasts, her full, pert buttocks gave me a strange stimulation. Her buttocks, pressing against my lower abdomen, swayed incessantly as she struggled, and inadvertently brushed against my crotch. It was maddening; my breathing immediately became rapid.

"Don't move, or I'll shoot you on the spot!" I mischievously thrust forward, and Fang Lei, feeling my erection, immediately lay still in my arms. I then kissed her neck without hesitation; her smooth skin and warm body were incredibly intoxicating.

"You, you let go...please let go first?" Fang Lei gasped, her voice trembling with tears, her pitiful expression heartbreaking. I quickly released her and noticed her eyes were red, tears welling up. Oh no, I can't bear the accusation of bullying a beautiful girl!

"Do you truly love me, or are you just using me as a substitute?" Fang Lei asked, her head lowered as she fiddled with her fingers.

"A stand-in?" I was still reeling from the shock of being beaten up by Li Yang and his gang for bullying a beautiful woman.

"You, you!" Fang Lei stamped her foot and said, "Are you using me as a substitute for Yin Xue?"

"Yin Xue's stand-in? How could that be?" I immediately understood Fang Lei's youngest daughter's thoughts, grabbed her small hand, and practically swore an oath to the heavens, "You are you, and Yin Xue is Yin Xue! The person I like now is you, do you understand?"

Fang Lei's face immediately flushed with desire, and she said weakly as if she had been drinking, "I grew up in Emei since I was a child, surrounded by senior and junior sisters. The fellow disciples from other sects only treated me as a rising star of Emei, and no man has ever treated me like this before."

"Silly girl!" I held her hand tightly with pity. It's a sin that such a beautiful woman doesn't have a man to cherish her. It seems that all men who cultivate Taoism have problems. But it's also a good thing that this is the case, because I got a great deal. Hehe, while secretly laughing, I hugged Fang Lei again and whispered in her ear, "I will make you happy. Believe me. Will you be my girlfriend?"

Fang Lei shyly buried her head in my chest and nodded, her ears turning bright red. I couldn't resist licking her small earlobe, and immediately felt Fang Lei's body tremble in my arms, like a frightened kitten. Desire surged like a tide, and I almost pressed her to the ground, but then everything suddenly went black. Yin Xue's resentful eyes flashed before my eyes, instantly extinguishing the flames of passion. I shuddered, my body turning ice-cold, and released Fang Lei.

"What's wrong?" Fang Lei looked at me with concern.

"Oh, it's nothing, we're just in the wrong place!" I deliberately hid my nervousness and smiled at Fang Lei. Perhaps her earlier confession had made her a little shy, and now that I was teasing her like this, she just smiled back at me, and the two of us got back to business.

I glanced at Fang Lei; she was engrossed in studying the materials, while I couldn't concentrate at all. I felt uneasy, as if Yin Xue was standing in the corner of a bookshelf watching me. Was this a sign of guilt? Yin Xue, Yin Xue, do you think I've betrayed you, or that I'm too fickle? I'm sorry, I'll repay the debt I owe you in this life in the next. Right now, I only want to be with Fang Lei, so please grant me that wish!

Book One: The Three Ghosts of the City, Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Avenue of Death

Book One: The Three Ghosts of the City, Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Avenue of Death

"How's it going? Did you get through?" I asked Fang Lei, who was sitting next to me, anxiously. Looking out the car window, the thick fog made the scenery a meter away blurry. And we were driving on that deadly avenue leading to the city library, which made my hands on the steering wheel tremble slightly.

"No, still no signal." Fang Lei shook her head, put her phone down, and looked at me with a worried expression. I forced a calm smile and smiled at her. The fog outside the window was getting thicker and thicker, which seemed very strange in this weather that should have been sunny. I remembered the phone call Li Yang had given me more than an hour ago, saying that he might have found the mastermind and that Fang Lei and I needed to meet at the city library immediately. So the two of us excitedly drove there, but unexpectedly, the thick fog rolled in and the cell phone signal disappeared.

"I wonder if something strange is going on?" I wondered to myself, glancing out the window. I suddenly realized that we were the only car speeding along this road. The inability to see clearly made me uneasy, as if a trap was lurking ahead, and I couldn't see it. I checked my watch; we'd been driving for about twenty minutes. We should have reached another road by now, but it felt like we were on a death knell. I had no idea this road was so long. My impatience made me a little impatient, and I slammed on the gas, instantly reaching 140 kilometers per hour. The bumpy ride made Fang Lei grab the handrail beside her.

"Slow down!" Fang Lei said, pointing to the speedometer, which was still climbing.

"I want to get out of here quickly, this damn fog!" I slammed my hand on the steering wheel. Even at this high speed, there was still no sign of getting out of the thick fog, making my heart sink. The icy air brushed against my cheeks, making me shiver. It wasn't just cold, but a fear and worry rising from the depths of my heart. The chill felt like an invisible hand caressing me, making my hair stand on end, touching the very core of my being. I glanced at Fang Lei beside me. The thick fog had somehow entered the car, making her face appear both near and far.

"This is strange!" Fang Lei frowned and took out a yellow talisman from her pocket. But before she could even chant the incantation, the talisman turned black as soon as it touched the white mist, and finally turned into a pile of ashes.

Fang Lei's face turned pale instantly, and she said nervously, "Oh no, it's the resentment mist! I should have known!"

“What is this resentful mist?” I asked.

"Some people generate resentment after they die. If a lot of resentment comes together, it will form a resentful mist, which is basically the same as the ghost whirlwind. However, the resentful mist doesn't seem to be very harmful, but if a person stays in it for a long time, they will be poisoned by corpse poison!" Fang Lei said anxiously.

"What, poisoning?" I gasped, and pressed the accelerator harder, but it didn't work. I felt like the car was going around in circles, like it was driving in circles, and the feeling of being like a headless fly made me very uncomfortable.

"Stop the car," Fang Lei said, patting me firmly.

"Park? You don't mean you're planning to walk?" I asked curiously.

"I think we've entered a maze, so no matter how you drive, it's useless. Why don't you get out of the car and check the situation?" Fang Lei said.

"Okay then!" I hesitated for a moment, but finally stopped the car. I figured no matter how much I drove, it wouldn't get me anywhere, so I might as well take a chance. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

**********

"Careful!" I supported the swaying Fang Lei. Although I had a beautiful woman in my arms, the erotic excitement of the afternoon in the archives was completely gone. Her pale face broke my heart, but I was helpless.

"I...I think I'm a little poisoned," Fang Lei said weakly.

"What? What do we do?" I looked around anxiously, but there was no sign of life. The thick fog obscured all scenery for Fang Lei and me, making us feel like we were in a maze, with no shops or villages in sight. What worried me even more was that we were completely lost; we couldn't even find our car. It seemed to have been swallowed up by the fog the moment we got out. All around us was fog, nothing but fog. I stretched out my hand, and I could only vaguely see my palm, while my fingers felt like they were plunging into a cloud of mist. The coldness between my fingers made me feel as if I were touching the skin of a corpse.

"How come you seem perfectly fine?" Fang Lei asked curiously, looking at me who still seemed energetic.

"Perhaps, perhaps it's this that's the effect!" I took out the jade pendant, which had become slightly warm since I got off the bus, and touched its surface. Yin Xue, oh Yin Xue, you've helped me again. Looking at Fang Lei's expression, I squeezed the jade pendant in my hand and said, "This is for you." As I spoke, I was about to take it off from around my neck.

"No!" Fang Lei stopped me, saying, "This was given to you by Yin Xue. She would definitely want you to wear it all the time."

"But……"

"Stop talking," Fang Lei shook her head, then her eyes lit up and she pointed ahead, saying, "Look, it looks like there's something there."

"What?" I looked ahead, where the undulating horizon swayed in the white mist. As the mist gradually dissipated, the scenery ahead became clear.

"Ah!" Fang Lei suddenly threw herself into my arms. I held her tightly, tense. What a hellish scene this was! Even I, who was used to seeing corpses, felt a chill run down my spine, and my legs trembled involuntarily. In a desolate field lay many corpses, some still fresh, but most already rotting. White, wriggling maggots writhed from rotting eyeballs, nostrils oozing yellow pus, and mangled ears. Several enormous rats were gnawing on fingers that had reached the bare bone; the crunching sound made my fingers numb, as if they were gnawing on my own. The rats were covered in pustules, blood dripping from the corpses onto their black fur, making me nauseous. I pressed Fang Lei's head into my chest. I thought no girl would feel any affection for such creatures! A stiff, pale hand emerged from the black soil, reaching towards the sky. Its blackened fingers curled up, as if telling of the suffering its owner endured in life. Through the tattered clothes of some of the corpses, I could even see the decaying internal organs, with many unknown worms wriggling inside. I immediately felt an itch all over my body.

“This should be a highway, how come there’s a place like this?” I asked Fang Lei, who was in my arms.

"Perhaps, perhaps the effect of the resentful mist has caused spatial distortion!" Fang Lei struggled to stand up from my arms and looked at the corpse. What a strong girl she is.

"Let's go check the body; maybe we'll find some clues," Fang Lei said, fighting back the urge to vomit.

"I'll go take a look, you stay here." I immediately walked forward. Although I was quite disgusted by these corpses, it would be a sin to have a beautiful woman examine them!

I walked over, and there were signs of crawling on the ground. Many insects scattered, but the rats didn't seem to be afraid of living people. They stood next to the corpse and stared at me coldly with their little black eyes, which gave me the creeps. Who said Mickey Mouse was cute? I'll definitely be the first to beat him up in the future!

Upon closer inspection of the corpses, I suddenly realized they were all wearing the same clothes—blue and white striped uniforms—clearly hospital patient gowns! What kind of hospital is this, disposing of the dead like this? It's inhumane! I cursed inwardly, determined to expose their evil deeds once I found the hospital's name. But after searching for a long time, I couldn't find any information other than knowing they were patient gowns; I couldn't find out which hospital was responsible.

"Lin Xiao, you should come back!" Fang Lei's trembling voice came over.

"Oh, okay, I'll be right there." I stood up, turned around, and walked towards Fang Lei. In that instant, I seemed to catch a glimpse of something that looked familiar.