Chapter 4: Returning to the Source of Clues

The figure was indistinct, and Sun Fatty was somewhat uncertain. He turned to Ouyang, who was slightly to his left, and said: "Director Ouyang, is this my friend? I mean, I can't see his face clearly. Is there a high-definition version available?"

No matter how Fat Sun spoke, the figure showed no reaction. Not only Fat Sun, but even Ouyang Pianzuo behind him felt something was amiss. He brought his team of investigators back to Fat Sun's side, took out a short incense stick, and lit it. The smoke from the incense wafted in a straight line towards the figure. Just as it was about to touch the figure, the smoke actually veered away, drifting past the figure's side.

"Do not be disrespectful to the leadership" After re-entering the warehouse, Sun Pangzi's reaction was much better than before; at least he could hold back his urge to vomit. He looked at Ouyang Pianzuo with a grin and said: "The deceased was a friend of mine; I saw him just yesterday. I never expected that just a day later, he would be in the realm of the dead. Not to mention, Director Ouyang, while you are observing, could you refrain from poking around in his brain with your hands? At the very least, you should wear gloves—ugh..."

After hanging up the phone with the team leader, Fatty Sun dialed another number, "Director Ouyang, let's go out and get some exercise..."

Gao Liang glanced at him and said, "There have been three incidents that we are aware of, and it is possible that similar cases will be reported soon"

The information provided is too limited, yet the scope for imagination is vast, such as the rituals of cults and the methods by which certain malevolent spirits conceal themselves among humans. It is precisely because there are too many possible answers, and the fear of them not being the correct ones, that no one has taken the initiative to speak up

After vomiting for a while, Fatty Sun finally propped himself up against the door frame. He did not dare to glance at the scene inside the door. At that moment, a plainclothes officer who had just gone out with the librarian returned with a bottle of mineral water. After watching Fatty Sun take a sip, he said: "Director Sun, you have also seen the scene. If there is nothing else, we should take the remains and related evidence and withdraw from here"

With Ouyang's words, Sun Fatty gained some confidence. He called out to the figure, "Boss Zhang, is that you? I am Sun Dasheng, do you remember me? We just met yesterday. Who did this to you? Tell me, I will avenge you!"

Although Sun Fatty had seen his fair share of the world, he had never encountered such a grotesque scene. He immediately covered his mouth and ran towards the door. Once he exited the room, he could no longer hold it in and, leaning against the door frame, began to vomit uncontrollably.

Ouyang Pianzuo squatted in the corner by the wall. The investigator he brought handed him a cigarette, and the few of them were squatting there, puffing smoke. After listening to Sun Pangzi's words, Ouyang Pianzuo replied a few sentences: "Whether it resembles your friend or not, I seem to be unaware, but this melon head is undoubtedly the owner of this piece of meat and the goods."

At this point, Director Gao paused, took a sip of tea to clear his throat, and said again: "What we have received so far is only verbal information; the remaining relevant written materials will arrive later. Currently, several provinces and cities are in a state of anxiety. We should first discuss a preliminary solution, and once the official materials arrive and we have a conclusion, we will set off immediately. Please share your thoughts on the possible scenarios for such cases."

After seeing a figure appear, Ouyang turned his head slightly to the left to look at Sun Pangzi and said: "Just like him, you two can have a chat."

Sun Pangzi's eyes were fixed on the dazed figure and the *illustrated* book, murmuring to himself: "What on earth is this thing that can scare even ghosts into a stupor..."

After drinking a few mouthfuls of water, Sun Pangzi glanced at the urine-soaked clothing and said: "You all can leave, but make sure to leave behind the relevant materials. Zhang Zihua and all the evidence must be retained. I'm not saying this lightly; no records related to this case can be taken away"

Do not say that he is just a second-rate individual; even experts like Ouyang Pianzuo cannot clarify the matter. In short, there are many methods that can scare ghosts senseless, but none of them are ones that a second-rate person like Sun Pangzi can afford to offend

The circle on the left side, arranged by Ouyang Pianzuo, was also set up. Suddenly, he took a step back, murmuring something under his breath. Then, a talisman appeared out of thin air in his hand. Ouyang Pianzuo threw the talisman into the center of the formation, and then a flash of fire occurred as the talisman ignited by itself

At the very moment when the talisman turned to ashes, a shadowy figure appeared in the center of the formation. Looking at the figure, it resembled Zhang Zihua, who had come out of the hospital restroom yesterday

"Enough with the nonsense, do I still need to remind you?" After Ouyang Pianzuo finished the last stroke, he continued, "This is the basement, your friend is still here. Wait a moment, you can ask him whatever you want." After saying this, he took out a handful of copper coins, arranged them in a circle, and enclosed the formation he had drawn within it.

After a chuckle, Fatty Sun said, "I’ve gotten used to being called Fatty, so when you suddenly call me Desheng, I really don’t know who you’re referring to for a moment"

Upon seeing Sun Fatty and Ouyang Pianzuo enter, Director Gao glanced at Sun Fatty and then at the seat beside him, indicating for Sun Fatty to sit next to him. Once the two were seated, Gao Liang began to speak: "We have just received reports from several cities regarding dismemberment cases almost simultaneously. Director Ouyang is not here, so I took a look on his behalf. The timing of these incidents is very close, and the methods of the perpetrator are nearly identical. After the two were seated, Gao Liang began to speak: 'We have just received reports from several cities regarding dismemberment cases almost simultaneously. Director Ouyang is not here, so I took a look on his behalf. The timing of these incidents is very close, and the methods of the perpetrator are nearly identical. The victims were bled to death, and then their skin, internal organs, and bones were separated and placed in three adjacent locations. Since there were witnesses nearby who saw strange occurrences at the time of these deaths, this case has been assigned to our Public Security Bureau for handling.'

After leaving the aftermath of the investigation in Room Five, Fatty Sun personally drove Ouyang Pianzuo back to the polling bureau. By the time they arrived at the small conference room, all the prominent figures in the polling bureau were present, except for Wu Rendi. Even Ximen Lian, Old Mo, and Xiong Wanyi from Room Two were seated a bit further away, listening in.

"Are you suggesting that I should deal with the ghost? I can easily get rid of it," Ouyang said with a slight curl of his lips. "Even if it were a human with a mental illness, it would be difficult to treat, let alone a ghost. You should let it reincarnate sooner; if it reincarnates later, it will be born with a mental illness in its next life..."

After seeing this image, Ouyang frowned slightly, turned his face to look at Sun Fatty, and said: "Consider yourself unlucky, your friend's three souls and seven spirits are misaligned. He has truly become a coward now, most likely a problem that arose from being frightened at the moment of death"

"I dare not speak of the future," said Fatty Sun, "but for now, at least four incidents have occurred..."

Then don't handle it? Sun Fatty glanced at the plainclothes officer, initially wanting to chuckle, but as he opened his mouth, it felt as if something was about to burst out, so he could only purse his lips and say: "Still not clear? This is no longer within your police jurisdiction. Inform Captain Zhang that from now on, this case will be taken over by the Civil Affairs Bureau"

The plainclothes officer who entered with me watched as Sun Fatty vomited for a while, then said: "Director Sun, you really have quite the endurance. This morning, we came in with a total of twelve people, and eleven of them vomited on the spot. The remaining one suffered a heart attack and was directly sent to the hospital for emergency treatment. I have been a police officer for nearly twenty years, and this is the first time I have encountered such a brutal criminal. Director Sun, are you alright? There is water outside; should I bring you a few bottles?"

When Ouyang Pianzuo arrived with the investigators from the Fifth Division, only Sun Panzai and a few small police officers responsible for maintaining order at the scene remained. After entering the basement with Sun Panzai, Ouyang Pianzuo's small eyes narrowed: "Indeed, there is a very strong aura of malevolence here. I didn't expect you, this coward, to be able to notice this."

Just as Sun Pangzi was struggling with how to take revenge on Zhang Zihua, both his and Ouyang Pianzuo's phones rang simultaneously. His call was from Gao Laoda, while on the other end of Ouyang's call was Wang Lu, the chief secretary of Director Gao. Both calls conveyed the same message: return immediately, gather in the small conference room, something significant is about to happen

Taking advantage of the moment, Fatty Sun approached a five-room investigator and whispered, "What’s wrong with your director? Summoning spirits in broad daylight?" Ouyang's assistant glanced at Fatty Sun and replied, "Director Sun, this is the basement, which is meant to avoid the three lights. If the soul is still here, we can find it. He has been dead for less than twenty-four hours, and his memories at the time of death are still intact. In a moment, you can ask him yourself, and you will know the truth of his death." After saying this, the investigator walked to the door and turned off the lights in the room. Suddenly, the warehouse was plunged into darkness.

After finishing his words, Sun Pang took out his phone, found a recorded number, and immediately dialed it: "Team Leader Zhang, I have good news to report to you. Your personnel can be withdrawn. Yes, that's right, this case has been taken over by our Public Opinion Bureau. I’m not saying this lightly, but this counts as a special case you provided us. You owe our Public Opinion Bureau a favor now, haha"

Do you know why you've been a small-time officer for nearly twenty years? It's because you talk too much! Sun Fatty cursed inwardly. He had already vomited quite a bit, but this reminder from the plainclothes officer brought back the scene he had just witnessed, causing him to lean against the door frame and vomit again.

The plainclothes officer was momentarily taken aback and murmured, "Not taking them away? Then what should we do?"

Before answering the highlighted question, Fatty Sun first asked back: "Director Gao, how many dismemberment cases did you just mention?"

As Sun Fatty ran out the door and returned after vomiting, he saw Ouyang Pianzuo leading a group of investigators, drawing symbols on the ground with a vermilion brush. Although Sun Fatty could not name it, he recognized it as a ritual for summoning souls. Looking back at the sunlight above, Sun Fatty said, "Director Ouyang, I’m not saying anything, but shouldn’t summoning souls wait until after sunset?"

"I was shocked..." Sun Fatty looked at the hazy figure and continued to speak to Ouyang Pianzuo, saying: "Can he be cured? I don't need much, just as long as he can tell me how he ended up like this"

"Desheng, why don't you share your thoughts first?" Gao Liang actively brought Sun Fatty into the conversation, as this fatty was merely a secondary player, so it wouldn't be embarrassing if he said something wrong. However, at that moment, Director Sun was exchanging glances with Ouyang Pianzuo and did not hear Gao Liang's words the first time. It was only when Gao Liang spoke a second time that he finally understood.