Myriad Calamities - Chapter 40
Deputy Captain Feng couldn't help but confirm again: "Are you sure?" Of the rescue team that entered the Jingyun Mountains, only Xu Haicheng and Xiao Zhang were carrying pistols.
"yes."
With Lao Chuntou's affirmation, Deputy Captain Feng glanced at the monitor, seemingly asking Xu Haicheng, "No more questions, right?" Xu Haicheng, sitting next door, secretly breathed a sigh of relief. With Lao Chuntou's testimony, it could be cleared that the close-range shooting of the four people in Julong Cave had nothing to do with him. However, thinking of Ma Junnan, he felt a pang of sadness.
"Old Chun, now explain how you participated in the murder of Professor Lei Yunshan?"
Old Chun's eyes widened. "What murder of Lei Yunshan?" he asked.
"What were you doing at the TV station on the evening of November 4th, when Lei Yunshan was doing a program?"
"We're also recording a program, I have witnesses..." Old Chun said anxiously.
"I know that most of the people in your Nuo dance troupe are from a shamanistic background; they know witchcraft and can kill without anyone being present."
Old Chuntou exclaimed in astonishment, "How could it be so miraculous?"
"Tell me, did you summon undead to kill people?"
"Summoning the undead to kill..." Old Chun muttered, repeating himself, a strange light flashing in his eyes. His expression was very strange, and both Deputy Captain Feng and Xu Haicheng in front of the monitor screen were puzzled, unable to figure out what he meant.
Next, no matter how much Deputy Captain Feng threatened, bribed, beat around the bush, or went straight to the point, Old Chun insisted that he had never heard of this matter before and refused to admit any involvement in the murder of Lei Yunshan and others. After a while, both sides were exhausted.
Deputy Captain Feng decided to send him back to the detention center first. When Officer Chen escorted Lao Chun out of the interrogation room, Xu Haicheng also came out of the interrogation room next door, and the two met briefly.
Old Chun turned his head quickly, concealing the surprise in his eyes. He had been wondering if he had seen Xu Haicheng since he heard Deputy Captain Feng's strange question. He only recognized Xu Haicheng from the TV station because he was wearing a police uniform in the photo. Now, looking closely at him in civilian clothes, he vaguely remembered seeing him in Julong Cave, but he was already seriously injured at the time.
That day in Julong Cave, after watching He Juzhi being dragged into the dark pool by the giant python, he noticed the cave, which had been filled with the thunderous gunfire, had fallen silent, save for the occasional bang of a gunshot and the flapping of birds' wings. Curious, he went to investigate. As he approached, he heard continuous, pitiful groans and saw countless bats flying into the cave, a dark cloud overhead. He quietly reached the entrance. The flashlights inside were still on, a beam of light slanting across the cave walls, and countless bats flew past it. The air was thick with the stench of blood and the smell of animals. Many limbs lay scattered on the ground. A shadowy figure dragged himself to his feet, picked up a pistol, and fired a shot into the heart of a soldier holding a gun nearby, the echo reverberating.
The gunshot startled the bats, which then gathered again. These beasts, fond of blood, pounced on the corpses and wounded soldiers on the ground… Even the fierce Old Chuntou found the scene horrifying, his back drenched in sweat. He saw some good guns on the ground and was about to grab a few when he suddenly heard the sound of rushing water. A moment later, he heard the pattering of footsteps. He quickly slipped aside and hid.
The torches flickered, and five or six people approached. Old Chun recognized them immediately as his former tribesmen; the leader was called Black Mountain, his childhood playmate who had later become his mortal enemy. Beside Black Mountain walked a woman, her face filled with anxiety. He recognized her as one of the girls from the expedition team, and was secretly surprised. They had always been quite hospitable, but over twenty years ago, an outsider broke into the temple, stole valuables, and kidnapped a baby shaman. Since then, they had developed a deep hatred for outsiders, killing any unsuspecting intruder. Why was this girl an exception?
The bats, afraid of fire, were quickly dispersed by the torches, squeaking and flying high and far away, the noise fading into the distance.
Two men restrained Ma Junnan, pulling down his collar to expose his neck. Heishan, from back then, removed a wine flask from his waist, took a swig, and spat it onto Ma Junnan's neck. Then, with a torch close at hand, a piercing hissing sound rang out, and a small flame flew erratically in mid-air for a moment before suddenly falling to the ground. Old Chun secretly regretted his actions; the Ghost Gu had been so easily destroyed. However, he guessed the bat swarm had already carried the virus. He chuckled coldly, thinking that they would die sooner or later anyway; bats were the most difficult creatures to deal with in these mountains.
Suddenly, a young woman from the expedition team heard a scream and threw herself onto a blood-soaked body on the ground. She carefully cradled the severed head, calling out softly, her eyes brimming with tears. Then she looked up and spoke to Heishan, who simply shook his head. Suddenly, she knelt down, and Heishan quickly helped her up, the torchlight illuminating the distress on her face.
Old Chun saw the girl raise her right hand and say something, her expression very solemn, as if she were making a vow. Then Heishan finally nodded. At this moment, the man who had been keeping watch at the cave entrance ran in, said a few words, and the group of men all became tense, forcibly dragging the girl away.
Old Chun was wondering what had happened when he saw six fully armed soldiers rush in...
Chapter Thirteen: The Third of the Void Calamity
Everyone has a snake inside them, whether it's hatred, fear, doubt, or jealousy, it slowly gnaws at the soul...
With his suspicions finally cleared, Xu Haicheng knew the investigation team would interrogate Lao Chuntou again before reporting the case up the chain of command to the municipal government, and his reinstatement would take time. But a huge weight was lifted from his shoulders. Remembering that Pan Xiaolu was still in the hospital, he called to inquire and learned that she had regained consciousness and insisted on being discharged to return to the police station.
He went to the Criminal Investigation Division office but didn't see her. When he asked, she said she was at the technical department working on a jigsaw puzzle. He went to the technical department and saw Pan Xiaolu sitting next to a technician, her face extremely pale, her brow furrowed with the fear of someone who had just survived a close call—a stark contrast to her usual self. He had never considered her gender before, seeing her as cheerful and outgoing; only now did he realize she was just a frail woman, albeit a police officer.
Xu Haicheng silently watched her for a moment before walking over to her and looking at the computer screen. The image was almost completely pieced together, and it bore a striking resemblance to what He Qing had described, except that the mouth didn't take up half the face. Pan Xiaolu, unaware of his approach, bit her lip and frowned, thinking hard for a moment before telling the forensic officer, "I feel like there's something else, but I can't remember right now. I was too scared at the time and only glanced at it; I didn't see it clearly." Her tone was tinged with regret.
While editing the image, the tech-savvy police officer comforted her, saying, "You're already very skilled. If I saw a face floating around, I'd probably faint from fright. Just looking at the mosaic gives me goosebumps."
Pan Xiaolu forced a pale smile and said, "Don't try to comfort me. I know I'm useless, I was so scared..."
Xu Haicheng couldn't help but interrupt her, "Nonsense."
Pan Xiaolu looked up at him in surprise and said, "Captain Xu, when did you arrive?"
"just."
The forensic officer printed out the image and handed it to Pan Xiaolu, who then passed it to Xu Haicheng. He examined it closely, frowned slightly, and said, "Why is this face so flat?"
Upon hearing this, Pan Xiaolu also noticed that the face was very flat. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Huang Yisen told me that this face is actually more than just a face..."
Xu Haicheng gave a soft "Oh": "What do you mean?"
Pan Xiaolu recounted the events of last night in general, "I also felt like there was something else, but I vaguely saw this face, and this face wasn't a phantom, I think I touched it..."
Xu Haicheng's heart pounded a few times. He said, "You mean, not a ghost?"
"I don't know either." Pan Xiaolu frowned in distress and recounted in detail what happened in Huang Yisen's ward last night. Xu Haicheng listened attentively. When she said that she had touched something cold and felt very pungent, he raised his thick eyebrows and vaguely understood something, but it was like a thin cloud obscuring the sun, and he couldn't see it clearly no matter what.
Before they knew it, they had returned to the Criminal Investigation Brigade's office. When Deputy Captain Feng saw Pan Xiaolu, he quickly came over and asked her gently how she was feeling and why she wasn't resting properly.
Pan Xiaolu said she was fine, but she apologized for the terrible mistake she made last night due to her negligence. Her face was pale, and she looked dejected; the shock of the ordeal was clearly written on her brow. Although Deputy Captain Feng knew she was responsible for Huang Yisen's incident, he couldn't bring himself to say anything to blame her.
"Everyone's here, let's start the meeting." Deputy Captain Feng clapped his hands to gather everyone together, then pulled Xu Haicheng, who was standing to the side in a dilemma, "Come on, Director Chen instructed that even though you haven't been reinstated, you still have to participate in this case."
Xu Haicheng's face lit up with joy, and he blurted out a "thank you".
Deputy Captain Feng laughed and said, "Thank me my ass. If we can't solve this case, we'll all starve."
The two men put away their smiles and went into the conference room. Xu Haicheng sat next to Pan Xiaolu and was surprised to see that Detective Wu, who had gone to Tongtianzhai, had returned. He looked travel-worn and had a full beard, probably having rushed back day and night. However, the other officers were not much better off. After days of hard work and a midnight raid last night, they all looked pale and tired.
Deputy Captain Feng pasted Huang Yisen's death photo next to the other three. Four lives were reduced to four photos, yet the murderer remained elusive. The officers couldn't help but feel discouraged, and the atmosphere in the meeting room was unusually somber.
"Xiaolu, tell me the details of what happened last night..."
Pan Xiaolu stood up and recounted in detail how the other party had premeditatedly cut off the power and then killed Huang Yisen while the plainclothes guards were on duty. She then explained her perspective: "If the murder weapon was truly a ghost, it wouldn't be so elusive and insidious. Huang Yisen's death yesterday at least shows that it couldn't have broken in when the doors and windows were securely closed. Furthermore, its operator was a very meticulous person; he took advantage of the power outage to make us momentarily careless and open the door..." She paused, "...I should take responsibility for this."
“Now is not the time to assign blame,” Deputy Captain Feng said. “You said you touched that…face?”
Pan Xiaolu thought for a moment and used cautious words, "This is how I feel."
“If that’s the case, then it’s a physical entity.” Deputy Captain Feng frowned, finding it utterly unbelievable. “A physical face floating in the air…”
“Or it’s not just the face…” Xu Haicheng said thoughtfully.