Three Ghosts of the City

Chapter 22

"Damn it!" I glanced back at Fang Lei, who was still fighting fiercely. If I didn't make up my mind, Cao Ying would probably have to arrange our funeral when she came back! Gritting my teeth, I shoved Li Yang into Li Hai's arms, and the moment Li Hai caught Li Yang, I grabbed the blade of Li Hai's sword.

Ouch! It really is true that the ten fingers are connected to the heart. Thick and hot blood flowed from my palm and immediately gushed down along the edge of the sword.

"You...?" Li Hai looked at me in surprise.

"I'll take a gamble." I endured the excruciating pain and pulled my hand down the sword, immediately smearing the blade with my blood. I could feel and even hear the sound of my skin being cut by the blade. The sword, which had been emitting a blue light, suddenly burst into a blinding red light.

Li Hai glanced at the sword but said nothing more. Instead, he nodded gratefully to me, drew a circle in the air with his right hand holding the sword, and two beams of red and blue light instantly transformed into two bolts of lightning, sizzling as they shot towards the ghosts. With several loud booms, the ghosts struck by the red and blue lightning immediately turned back into black smoke.

"Let's go now!" Li Hai shouted, dragging the dazed Li Yang along as they ran.

"Fang Lei!" I quickly grabbed Fang Lei's hand and hurriedly followed behind them.

A heart-pounding sprint ensued, even more intense than a college physical education exam. The four of them ran at full speed, desperate to escape the forest before the black smoke transformed back into a ghostly face.

Perhaps it was the sportswear that really helped; I felt as if my legs had sprouted wings, and even while dragging someone along, my speed was now beyond my usual level.

"Hurry up!" Li Hai shouted from the front, waving his sword vigorously. The blue light from his swings gave us the correct direction to escape, making it even more useful than a compass.

"We're here!" Li Hai suddenly shouted. Just as we were running behind him, he suddenly stopped. Fang Lei and I, unable to brake in time, crashed into them. With a thud, the four of us fell together.

"What are you doing?" I complained to Li Hai while holding Fang Lei tightly, but I didn't realize that the four of us were already lying on the road next to the Heart Lake Forest.

"What happened?" Li Yang asked, rubbing his sore head.

"I'm...I'm out!" Li Hai gasped for breath, clutching his chest as he struggled to his feet. "My sword has the power to cleave through the Netherworld."

"How could this be? Why are they so strong?" I pulled Fang Lei up as well, asking unwillingly. I thought that with Li Hai and Fang Lei, plus the two treasures, we would surely gain something! At least we shouldn't have to flee in such a sorry state, practically running away with our tails between our legs. It was so uncouth!

“This is the death gate of the entire formation. The power of ghosts will be enhanced, while the magic will be weakened accordingly!” Fang Lei answered quite decisively.

"You guys knew all along?" I asked angrily, hands on my hips.

“I had guessed that, but now it’s been confirmed,” Li Hai replied.

"What?!" Li Yang and I exclaimed on the spot. We had been used as test subjects for nothing and almost lost our lives!

Chapter Forty-Eight: The Breakthrough in the Vicious Cycle

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48 A Breakthrough in the Vicious Cycle I rested my chin on one hand, scribbling on a piece of paper with a pen in the other, the original writing now completely obscured. I'm currently in the forensic office at the police station. Yesterday's humiliation still infuriates me. Now, even the Heart Lake has become a dead end, and everything has become a vicious cycle.

From Heart Lake and Death Avenue to St. Mary's Hospital, and then to vivisection, there are connections between them all, but in the end, everything returns to its starting point. As things stand, the old-style Western-style house on Ancient Locust Street is the only place lacking detailed information. But the question is, where is it? In which neighborhood does it exist, yet it cannot be found. According to Li Hai, this house is the center point of the entire Netherworld space, and is also estimated to be the location of the escape route within the entire formation.

Ugh! This is such a headache. I put down my pen and thought about Li Hai's decision yesterday: if we can't find the truth from the ghosts, we'll find it from the people. Of course, I know he's going to start with the driver who took the blame. So, I came to the police station early this morning, hoping to find a breakthrough in this vicious cycle through that driver.

"How did it go?" I asked, looking at Fang Lei as she entered the office.

"There's no way around it." Fang Lei sighed helplessly at me. "They're controlling him too much. He's been classified as a serious criminal, and without approval from above, no one can get close to him."

"Really?" I sat back down in my chair, feeling a bit dejected. It seemed Fang Lei's inquiry hadn't brought good news. A highly serious criminal was definitely someone an ordinary forensic doctor wouldn't have access to.

"What do we do now?" Fang Lei asked me worriedly.

"We'll just have to wait for news from Li Hai and the others," I replied helplessly, hoping that the two of them could get some useful clues from the driver's relatives.

※ ※ ※

At noon, I arrived at the cafeteria early. Although the food there was really not very appetizing, nothing could soothe my current depressed mood like eating.

After getting my food, I sat there alone, feeling sullen. Fang Lei refused to eat with me because she didn't want others to know about our relationship, so I had no choice but to go along with her.

"Hey, Lin Xiao, what's wrong?" Xiao Ren came over and sat down next to me.

"Nothing much, just eating!" I replied listlessly, poking at the food with my chopsticks.

"Why are you so downcast?" Xiao Ren patted my shoulder and said, "I have good news for you. The Xinhu case is almost closed."

"You're sure it's that driver?" I turned to look at Xiao Ren's excited face. No wonder, he was happy to encounter such a big case so soon after taking office. It seems that sometimes being a little ignorant is a blessing.

"Of course," Xiao Ren replied with a smile. Then he suddenly waved to the front. I looked up and saw Xiao Zhou, a police officer who had taken over the Xinhu murder case from Li Yang, walking over with food.

"Oh, Lin Xiao is here too!" Xiao Zhou said with a smile as he sat down.

I nodded politely to him and asked, "Is the case closed?"

"Yes!" Xiao Zhou knew exactly which case I was referring to. Although I knew perfectly well that the driver was just a scapegoat, I also knew that even if I told him about the ghost woman Lin Yuyan, no one would believe me. People always become complacent after finding what they believe to be the right answer.

"That driver really has good taste; all the victims are the same," I said jokingly, hoping to glean some more information from Xiao Zhou.

"Yes, it seems the killer likes quiet, pretty women like this," Xiao Zhou replied.

"Is there really no other connection between them?" I asked tentatively.

“Hmm…” Xiao Zhou tilted his head and thought for a while, then suddenly his eyes lit up and he said, “We found out that they all went to Sacred Heart Hospital before they died.”

What? I immediately forgot to swallow, my mouth agape.

"But it's nothing!" Xiao Zhou shrugged and said casually, "There's a lot of flu going around lately, and there are a lot of people going to the hospital. Besides, Sacred Heart Hospital is the most famous hospital in the area, so it's normal to think of going there first when you're sick."

"Is...is that so?" I forced a smile, not wanting to appear too surprised, and quickly changed the subject to chat with them. The meal was thus finished amidst our banter.

※ ※ ※

"Fang Lei, I have a lead!" As soon as I got to the office, I shouted to Fang Lei.

"Oh?" Fang Lei laughed and put down the phone, saying, "It's true what they say, when one door closes, another opens! Li Hai and the others just called to say they couldn't find anything wrong with us!"

"What did Li Hai and the others say?" I pulled up a chair and sat down.

"They said they've looked into the driver's family. His wife is in the hospital and will have surgery soon. As for his daughter, she's in university! Everything seems normal on the surface. But think about it, a family where only the husband, who's a driver, can earn money suddenly has the money for major surgery when he's in an accident. Where do you think that money came from?" Fang Lei asked me.

"Anyway, it won't come from that ghost that might be Lin Junxian," I replied.

“Yes, someone must be funding this from behind the scenes.” Fang Lei’s face showed an expression that said everything was clear.

"You don't mean to doubt our beloved deputy mayor, do you?" I asked.

"Hey, it's not just me who thinks that way!" Fang Lei winked at me playfully and said with a smile, "He's Yu Zhongguo's good friend. If Yu Zhongguo was silenced because he knew some secrets about the Heart Lake, then as his friend, this deputy mayor couldn't possibly be completely unaware, right?"

"Perhaps Yu Zhongguo never even had the chance to tell anyone?" I asked.

Fang Lei smiled and said, "Li Hai just told me that they found out Mao Aijun is this vice mayor's junior from school!"

"Really?" I frowned deeply now; it seemed that this deputy mayor was inextricably linked to Xinhu.

"If the person who murdered Lao Cao was a human, and a professional killer at that, and if the driver who caused the car accident involving you and Li Yang was also a killer, who do you think paid to hire them? A ghost?" Fang Lei pressed on, "And making that driver take the blame—nothing a ghost could do."

"Fine, fine!" I've already surrendered. Arguing with a woman is definitely not a wise choice. "You're right, so what are you going to do? Are you just going to rush up to the deputy mayor and say, 'Hey, you've been pulling all this behind the scenes, so I'm going to arrest you now?' Don't forget, all of this is just your speculation. You have no evidence, and even if you did, do you think people would believe your nonsense about the 'Ten Thousand Souls Locking Array'?"

"Hehe," Fang Lei suddenly laughed, and I immediately had the feeling that I was the chick and she was the weasel. This is bad!

“It’s us, not you!” Fang Lei pointed to herself and then to me. “This is the key issue we need to consider now.”

"I don't want to!" I stood up abruptly. Not fighting with officials has always been my principle in life. The most thankless and exhausting thing in this world is fighting between the people and the officials. Call me cowardly or opportunistic, but I have no intention of rebelling.

"How could you do this?" Fang Lei stood up, not to be outdone. The beautiful woman's face was full of anger, but it was also a pleasing sight.

"Sigh!" I sighed and helplessly explained to the innocent beauty who only knew magic and forensic medicine: "First, we have no evidence; second, even if we had evidence, we couldn't convince people; third, if he is an accomplice, he is an accomplice to ghosts. We should not act rashly before the situation is clear."

"So what are you going to do? Just settle it like this?" Fang Lei asked, one hand on her hip and the other poking me with her finger, her voice full of allure.

"Hehe," I swallowed hard. We were at work, so I couldn't do anything reckless. I resisted the urge to pull her into my arms and said, "That's why I said there was a new lead, right?"

"A new clue?"

"Yes, Xiao Zhou told me that the victims of the Xinhu murder case had all visited Sacred Heart Hospital."

"Oh?" Fang Lei seemed intrigued.

"So I think we should check this place again," I said.

"How do we get checked?" Fang Lei asked, frowning. "Don't forget!" I said smugly, "We can go see Dr. Yang!"

"Don't you distrust him?"

"Whether you trust him or not is one thing, asking him for help is another!" I replied confidently. Why not use what you can? I always act according to the principle of making the most of resources.

"You~~~~!" Fang Lei gave me a reproachful look, but there was no blame in her eyes. She was incredibly charming, making my bones almost melt. I finally understood what it meant to have seductive eyes.

"You still like it, don't you?" I winked at her shamelessly. When it comes to flirting, I'm not one to be outdone!

"Show-off!" Fang Lei made a face at me, then turned and dashed out of the office with a charming smile just before my hand could reach her waist, leaving me still savoring her alluring demeanor. And what we never expected was that our plan to visit Yang Tianxing after get off work to ask him to help investigate the victim would become the prelude to the truth coming to light!

Chapter Forty-Nine: The Death of Yang Tianxing

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"So, how much longer do we have to wait?" I asked Fang Lei, who was sitting next to me in the car.

"Let's wait a little longer, Li Hai said he'll be here soon." Fang Lei anxiously glanced at her watch. They had agreed to meet at eight o'clock, so why hadn't Li Hai arrived yet? They were waiting for him to come so they could go find Dr. Yang together.

"Excuse me!" Li Hai's voice came from over here. When we turned around, we saw him running towards us.

"Hey buddy, why are you so late?" I pointed to my watch and realized that Li Yang hadn't come along. Wasn't he really concerned about this case?

"Hey, where's Li Yang?" Fang Lei asked.

"Ha!" Li Hai rolled his eyes and said angrily, "You took that little girl away!"

"Huh?" I was surprised by how quickly Li Yang identified his prey. "Who is it?"

"It's that pretty librarian from the library last time!" Li Hai replied viciously, clearly outraged by his brother's inhumane behavior towards a woman!

"He's quick on his feet!" I chuckled. Could this kid have been spurred on by my success in winning over Fang Lei and decided to go on a killing spree?

“He really is…” Fang Lei glanced at Li Hai out of the corner of her eye, her face clearly saying, “How could your Li family be like this?”

Fang Lei's disdainful look nearly made Li Hai choke with anger. His face immediately contorted with deep resentment as he uttered, word by word, "A disgrace to our family!"

"Alright!" I patted Li Hai on the shoulder and said, "Let's hurry up and go upstairs. We agreed with Dr. Yang that it would be eight o'clock, and we're going to be late!"

Fang Lei and Li Hai nodded, and the three of us went into Dr. Yang's apartment building.

※ ※ ※

Yang Tianxing's home was on the top floor of a high-rise apartment building. Perhaps because of the height, a chilling gust of wind sent a shiver down my spine the moment the elevator doors opened. Only a few dim lights flickered on the floor above. Because it was a high-rise, everyone used the elevator, and while there was no noise of people going up and down, the excessive quiet was unsettling. The howling wind sounded like a person's desperate scream; I had never known the wind could sound so heart-wrenching. A strange sound rang out as we stepped out of the elevator, then abruptly stopped when we stopped to listen carefully. I thought it sounded like furniture being dragged from upstairs, but we were already on the top floor!

Shrinking back nervously, I glanced back at the dark stairwell, which now seemed like a gaping maw of a demon. A sudden movement flashed before my eyes, and I sensed a figure behind the stairwell.

"What's wrong?" Li Hai asked, looking at me. His voice echoed in the empty stairwell.

"It looks like someone's there!" I said, walking to the bottom of the stairs and looking down. It was pitch black, and there was nothing there. I guess I was just being paranoid. I smiled apologetically at Li Hai and Fang Lei and said, "Let's go. Dr. Yang's house should be in room 03 up ahead."

As the three of us walked to Dr. Yang's door, I suddenly smelled a familiar scent—the smell of blood.

"Can you smell it?" I turned to look at Li Hai and Fang Lei. Their expressions turned serious, and an ominous feeling, like a snake, was creeping into our hearts.