Ghost Detective Records

Chapter 8

Date of death: June 1983.

The eighth victim: Liu Qin.

Gender: Female.

Identity: Daughter of Liu Fugen, wife of Zhou Zhifeng.

Cause of death: hanged (on a tree beside the Heart Lake)

Date of death: July 1985.

The ninth victim: Shen Jian.

Gender: Male.

Occupation: Sanitation worker.

Note: The sole survivor has gone insane and is currently residing in the West City Mental Hospital.

I flipped through the materials at the back, which were all clippings. I think the contents of those clippings have been condensed into this list.

"Very thorough." I put the documents down. It seems someone had already noticed these things. But what puzzles me is why there are nine people. I clearly remember Li Yang saying there were only eight! Moreover, the situation of the first victim is very vague, almost as if he had nothing.

"Aren't you curious about this first victim?" Cao Ying asked.

“Indeed, the information about this victim is very puzzling. I doubt whether this person even exists.” I told the truth. There was no information about this woman in the subsequent clippings. All the information indicated that Yu Zhongguo was the first victim of this series of strange events.

“I’m also puzzled. That’s one of the reasons why I’m hoping you can help me investigate.”

"Didn't you collect these?" I asked curiously.

"Didn't you notice that these documents are dated very early? I wasn't even born then!" Cao Ying rolled her eyes at me. It seems my intelligence is starting to be underestimated.

"Then, these things?" I decided to ask, not ashamed to ask, and to be a good boy.

“My parents, him, and my adoptive father collected them together.” Cao Ying took the stack of documents and gently stroked them. The tender expression on her face startled me.

"Is it Zhou Zhifeng and Liu Qin?"

“Yes,” Cao Ying replied softly. “People say my father was bewitched by a female ghost, and my mother died for love. But I’ve never believed any of that.”

"So you've been wanting Lao Cao to help you investigate, but he hasn't agreed. So there's some problem between you two, the adoptive father and daughter?" I asked.

"Looks like you're not so stupid after all!" Cao Ying smiled.

“Even a fool could see that Lao Cao has never mentioned you, and you said that Lao Cao always leaves messages on the answering machine. You must be deliberately not answering his calls, right? What a coincidence that every time he calls, you are not there? Besides, given Lao Cao's personality, it's normal for him not to let you check or not to check himself!” I said all my thoughts in one breath.

“Yes, it was him who wouldn’t investigate, and he wouldn’t let me investigate either. I hate him. He knew my parents died mysteriously, and as a forensic doctor, he didn’t investigate the truth! I despise him!” Cao Ying looked at me coldly.

I looked at the young girl before me, unsure whether she felt more hatred or love for Lao Cao. Perhaps it's because humans are inherently contradictory, capable of both love and hate coexisting. Lao Cao must have loved this daughter deeply, which is why he stopped her from investigating, why he became timid, afraid that his death would bring Cao Ying immense pain. I don't know if Lao Cao's actions were right or wrong, or perhaps neither was truly right nor wrong?

"How did you get this information?" I asked. Judging from Lao Cao's personality, he shouldn't have given this to Cao Ying.

“He called me the night before he died and told me to come to me if anything happened to him. He also told me that he had left something in a bank safe deposit box.”

I frowned. It seemed that Lao Cao had anticipated something might happen to him. What made him prepare for this? And what made him change his mind and voluntarily leave the investigation materials to Cao Ying?

Volume One: Tales of the Three Ghosts in the City, Chapter Seventeen: Twin Brothers

Volume One: Tales of the Three Ghosts in the City, Chapter Seventeen: Twin Brothers

"Has Lao Cao never told you anything about these murders?" I asked, rubbing my temples.

"No, he never answers me when I ask him." Cao Ying was a little angry.

I took a breath and jumped off the bed; after all, it's not gentlemanly to occupy a lady's bed for too long.

"Where are you going?" Cao Ying asked, looking at me.

"Black Forest Bar." I shook my head vigorously; the elevator ordeal still left me feeling dizzy.

What are you going there for?

"Now that we've reached a consensus, and you've shown me so much information, I think it's time for me to give back. Would you like to know some of the latest developments about Heart Lake?" I glanced at my watch; it was 9:30, probably when the bar opened.

"How so?"

"Let's go, I'll tell you more along the way," I said, extending an invitation.

"Okay." Cao Ying took a coat and obediently followed behind me.

After stepping out of the room, I hesitated for a moment, then turned and walked towards the stairwell.

"Hey, what are you doing? The elevator's over here!"

"Take the stairs to lose weight!" I said, pulling Cao Ying along. I would never take that awful elevator again; it's much safer to take the stairs.

※※※

The Black Forest bar was still packed. Under the cover of night, people were revealing a side of themselves that no one knew during the day, recklessly indulging their bodies and minds. I didn't realize so many people needed to drown their sorrows in alcohol. I took a sip of the chilled Blue Danube, a currently trendy cocktail, but to me, it was nothing more than a combination of soda, liquor, and blue dye.

"Seems perfectly normal. I suspect you're just being paranoid." Cao Ying took a sip of Bloody Mary, the red liquid still lingering at the corner of her mouth. Her languid expression resembled that of a vampire who had just been satisfied. It gave me an irresistible urge to lick her lips.

“No normal person would believe this, so I feel extremely abnormal right now. Psychologist, do you have any advice?” I raised my glass to her. After I finished telling her about what I had experienced in the past few days, Cao Ying’s incredulous expression was really quite cute.

"If you inject too much insulin, it could cause an excessive secretion of adrenaline, leading to heart and lung failure and death!" Cao Ying insisted, trying to correct my superstitious beliefs.

"Miss, there should be needle marks left from the injection on the body!" I replied irritably. Actually, I had never considered this method, but firstly, I had not found any similar needle marks on the body, and secondly, even if there were, where did the murderer, the so-called murderer, Ren Gang, get all these insulin from?

Cao Ying shrugged at me. "Then that might be your fault."

Her words really made me furious. You know, I've examined these corpses down to the point where I don't miss an inch or a centimeter. I'm practically using a microscope to look at them. You can't believe how hard it is to stand up when you're sitting down!

I sighed, regretting bringing her along. She was completely useless and only served to erode my confidence. Looking around, I couldn't find the person I was looking for; the mysterious woman seemed to have vanished. Suddenly, I spotted a familiar figure.

"Li Yang?" I put down my cup. What's this kid doing here? "Cao Ying, wait a minute. I think I saw a friend. I'll go say hello." After saying that, I hurriedly walked towards the guy.

Today, Li Yang was wearing tight jeans and a black shirt. His hairstyle seemed different too; instead of his usual buzz cut, he had slightly longer, dark brown hair, which made him look really handsome. I had never seen Li Yang like this before, and I was stunned. Does everyone have two selves? One side that everyone knows during the day, while the other side hides in the darkness, always surprising others. And what about myself? Do I also have another self that I don't even know about?

Li Yang seemed to have seen me too, but his gaze was strange, as if he had seen something dangerous, a wary expression on his face. I looked around, and it seemed he was indeed looking at me, but his expression made it seem as if I were a monster.

I scratched my head and walked up to him, and he actually took a step back.

"Hey kid, what are you doing?" I reached out and patted his shoulder, teasing him.

"Come with me!" Li Yang looked at me with a strange expression, then walked towards the back door of the bar. I was completely confused. Was he upset that I brought a beautiful woman and didn't introduce her to him? I could just introduce Cao Ying to him later. Why did it have to be like we were going to fight?

After leaving the bar, Li Yang and I arrived at the back entrance, which was an empty alley. Under the lights, I suddenly felt that Li Yang was very, very far away from me, so unfamiliar.

"Are you human?" That was the first thing Li Yang said!

"Nonsense, what's wrong with you today? Do you have a fever?" I resisted the urge to kick him.

"Who exactly are you?" Li Yang asked, striking a pose resembling Wong Fei-hung, his entire body seemingly enveloped in a faint blue light.

"Are you sick in the head? You..." I was about to start cursing when a gasp from behind stopped me.

"Stop! Li Hai, that's Lin Xiao!" A familiar voice rang out from behind. Turning around, I saw Fang Lei. Her black dress accentuated her beautiful figure, and her hair was styled in an updo, revealing her delicate neck. A few strands of black hair casually framing her face added an indescribable sexiness. I suddenly felt a pang of jealousy. Yes, absolutely jealousy. Jealous that she could wear matching outfits with Li Yang, jealous that Li Yang could admire her beauty before I could, jealous that Li Yang could make her look so feminine. I pursed my lips in a sour expression, completely forgetting about Fang Lei calling Li Yang "Li Hai."

"What, you want to beat me up just because I saw you on a date?!" Damn it, why am I saying that? I feel like hitting myself a few times. Right now, I'm acting like a jealous husband who caught his wife cheating.

“He is Li Hai!” Fang Lei pointed to Li Yang and explained to me.

"Li Hai? When did he change his name?" Poor me, I still don't understand.

"He didn't change his name."

"Then why do you call him Li Hai?" As soon as I said it, I realized something was wrong. Fang Lei had a look on her face that looked like she wanted to hit me. Did I say something wrong?

“Let me explain. It seems he’s got me and my brother together.” Li Hai stepped forward and stared at me.

"Your brother, you're having an affair? What do you mean?" I glared back at him defiantly.

“My name is Li Hai, Hai as in ocean. Li Yang is my younger brother; we are twins.” Li Hai extended his hand. “Hello, you must be Lin Xiao. Fang Lei often mentioned you to me.”

What, bro? I raised an eyebrow. Looks like I really messed up today. Hehe, I chuckled awkwardly and extended my hand.

"Wow!" I yelled. I didn't expect his hand to feel like a red-hot iron. The burning pain made me quickly pull my hand back. But seeing his expression as if he had also touched something, it seemed that he must have felt something too.

Before I could figure out what was going on, Li Hai suddenly pounced on me and, without saying a word, ripped open my clothes. Good heavens! Could he have that kind of fetish? But he was too hasty, with a bystander right there!

"The Seven Star Heavenly Dragon Pendant!" Li Hai exclaimed, staring at the jade pendant on my chest. I immediately saw something glowing beneath his black shirt, the blue light growing brighter and brighter. At that moment, the familiar burning sensation returned from the jade pendant, this time more intense than ever before, like being slashed open with a knife and then molten iron poured into my chest. Yet, my mind was unusually clear; I could even feel a strange power I had never experienced before gradually seeping into my body from the pendant, then coursing through every part of my body.

From Fang Lei's perspective, the azure light emanating from Li Hai was gradually enveloping her body, while she herself was radiating an eerie, glowing green light, like will-o'-the-wisp, burning her entire body. A powerful demonic aura was spreading from her body, while Li Hai's azure light was filled with Taoist immortal energy. The two currents of energy intertwined and resisted each other, forming a strong current around them, keeping Fang Lei far away.

Volume One: Tales of Three Ghosts in the City, Chapter Eighteen: The Ten-Thousand-Year-Old Ghost Jade

Volume One: Tales of Three Ghosts in the City, Chapter Eighteen: The Ten-Thousand-Year-Old Ghost Jade

I was in so much pain, my whole body felt like it was being cut with knives and burned by fire. I couldn't help but wonder if I had committed some sin in my past life to be in such agony now. My clear consciousness gradually blurred, and I felt many blurry faces suddenly appear around me, familiar or unfamiliar dead faces, floating towards me.

"Seven Stars Shine, Heavenly Dragon Soars, Evil Spirits Retreat, Disperse!" Li Hai roared, and the azure light on his chest suddenly shone brightly, a beam of intense light immediately disappearing into my body. I felt as if I had been struck heavily by something; my already aching body suddenly felt like it was being torn apart, a throbbing pain spreading through my throat. A mouthful of blood gushed out, and my vision went black; I was about to faint again. It seemed today was truly my unlucky day; I even had to faint twice.

The strong airflow around the two of them immediately disappeared, and Lin Xiao's body fell backward.

"Lin Xiao!" Fang Lei shouted my name and rushed forward to catch Lin Xiao's body. His face was terribly pale, without a trace of color, and the blood overflowing from the corner of his lips was so bright red.

"What did you do to him?" Fang Lei shouted at Li Hai, but when she looked up, she saw that Li Hai had already fallen to the ground, panting heavily with sweat all over his face. He looked completely exhausted.

"What's wrong with you?" Fang Lei realized her impulsiveness and wanted to go forward to support him, but she had to give up because she was also supporting Lin Xiao.

"I'm fine, I just overdid my magic power." Li Hai stumbled to his feet.

"Then, where is he?" Fang Lei glanced worriedly at Lin Xiao, who was still unconscious. She didn't know why, but she was so worried and afraid that he might be hurt or never wake up again. This was a feeling she had never had before.

"It's hard to say," Li Hai said, hands on his hips, panting. "Let's leave here first!"

"Alright then!" Fang Lei hesitated for a moment before finally nodding in agreement. After all, Lin Xiao needed to find a place to rest first.

※※※

Finally, they arrived at Fang Lei's house. Fang Lei and Li Hai worked together to put Lin Xiao on the bed. Lin Xiao still didn't wake up, but his complexion had improved remarkably, becoming rosy and healthy. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought he was just asleep.

"He recovered pretty quickly!" Li Hai plopped down on the edge of the bed. He was exhausted, but Li Hai was sleeping soundly.

"You should rest too, have some water!" Fang Lei poured a glass of water for Li Hai. Lin Xiao seemed to be fine now. She had been worried sick just now, and if it weren't for Li Hai's repeated dissuasion, she would have taken him straight to the hospital.

"What exactly happened to him?" Fang Lei couldn't help but ask.

"It's probably because of his Seven Star Heavenly Dragon Pendant!" Li Hai glanced at the jade pendant on Lin Xiao's chest, then unbuttoned his shirt and took out something from his neck pocket—a jade pendant exactly like Lin Xiao's. However, upon closer inspection, one would notice that Lin Xiao's pendant was emerald green, while Li Hai's was pale blue. Aside from this subtle difference in color, the two pendants were practically identical, as if carved from the same mold, indicating they were likely made by the same sculptor.