Chapter 7, Archive Investigation

What can be done about this? I am inherently reckless.

This girl actually calls him "uncle". Look at her, she is already in her twenties, and he is not yet thirty. How did he become an uncle? He is still very youthful! In the realm of romance, he sweeps through women aged from eighteen to eighty, leaving none behind!

Bao Datong completely ignored her, understanding that she would definitely find him.

Hua | Lei was unwilling to let him go, rushing over to snatch things back. However, her martial arts skills were far inferior to those of Bao Datong, and her abilities in Taoist techniques were also significantly lacking compared to the greatly diminished Bao Datong. Now, even the Binding Spirit Spear had been taken away, leaving her utterly powerless, stomping her feet in frustration as she watched Bao Datong walk further and further away.

Oh? Is that so? Why wasn't it reported?" Principal Zhang furrowed his brows

From the fact that she can conceal her presence to the extent that he cannot perceive it, it can be inferred that she possesses at least a century of cultivation. However, the Fine Arts Academy has only been an independent institution for fifty years. If she were a spirit from a hundred years ago, she should be lingering in the main campus. The fact that she is wandering here proves that she must have appeared only after the school was divided.

It is important to understand that spirits, like humans, are all different, and there exists a distinction between geniuses and fools. In addition to the grievances from their previous lives, many factors influence their abilities. Therefore, although this malevolent spirit has a century of cultivation, it could have formed within any time frame of fifty years. This means that in order to not overlook any possible clues, he must investigate the archives from the past fifty years

However, she did not expect that Bao Datong was already prepared. A small electric spark caused her hand to go numb, and the Spirit Binding Gun fell to the ground. By the time she reached down to pick it up, the ground was already empty; Bao Datong was much faster than her and had already inserted the gun behind his waist.

Principal Zhang nodded eagerly, "Which year's archives would you like to see? Our school separated from a century-old prestigious institution and has a history of fifty years as an independent entity. The archived materials cover these fifty years. However, we undertook extensive renovations of the school buildings twenty years ago and introduced technological management, so the archives for the past twenty years are stored on computers, while the remaining thirty years are in card files—quite a lot."

I am here to help, as for the money issue—uh—just a transportation fee would suffice

After further discussion with Principal Zhang regarding the details, Ba Datong has commenced work

No problem, no problem. I just don't know how I should cooperate with you

***

Secondly, it is the time of the death of the malevolent spirit

First, it is about the origin of the malevolent spirit

Of course, money is necessary. This person has never been one to plan; he never takes money seriously and spends it casually. However, pursuing women is quite costly, and now he feels the lack of funds when he needs them the most

The bud and the flower are essentially the same! Bao Datong thought to himself, and suddenly had a brilliant idea to focus his attention on investigating matters related to the oil painting department the next day

"I wonder where Mr. Bao should start looking?" Principal Zhang asked humbly, "To be honest, this matter has me quite overwhelmed. I truly hope it can be resolved soon, but it seems the police won't be able to crack the case in the short term. Mr. Bao, you must help me; the cost is not an issue."

It is said that Principal Zhang believes in supernatural events, which makes things much easier. Therefore, he straightforwardly explained his intentions. Of course, Principal Zhang could not directly believe him; however, during his time as a professional fortune teller, he had indeed helped several prominent figures, earning him a commendable reputation. Just by casually revealing a bit of information, Principal Zhang was able to easily inquire further and immediately regarded him with utmost reverence.

"I am not a thief; I simply possess the art of sleight of hand." Ba Datong waved the item in his hand and said good-naturedly, "Want something? Sure, tell me how to lift the seal, and I will return it to you. If there's nothing else, I will take my leave. If you think of anything interesting, you can find me at the Miscellaneous Magazine office in the Fengmao District."

Give it back! She got up and rushed over to grab it, only to feel a chill around her neck as the beast tooth necklace she had worn for many years was also torn away.

He assigned the computer-related tasks to Xiaoxia, as this type of work is relatively easy and will not overburden Xiaoxia, who has health issues. Azhang is very considerate of his wife and will certainly help out voluntarily, effectively giving him two subordinates.

Seeing his respect and trepidation made Bao Datong begin to doubt whether abandoning the promising profession of a charlatan was unwise. For some reason, he thought of Fan Li; although he possessed keen insight and exceptional abilities, he might never become a principal.

Goodbye, flower bud. He waved his hand without looking back

The night is already half over, and he understands that the malevolent spirit will not appear this evening; he just does not know in which dark corner she is lurking.

Thirdly, given that the workload is indeed substantial, he must prioritize certain aspects.

Uncle, mind your own business! Don't recklessly block my way!

Nevertheless, the workload remains substantial, and although the focus is on the past decade, the previous forty years cannot be overlooked. Currently, this is the only lead; it is necessary to identify the female students from the oil painting department among a vast number of student records, and then find a way to investigate through the police census network to determine whether these individuals are still alive and who may have met with misfortune.

Then die, you! The flower bud was blocked by Baidong, fearing it would delay the ghost-catching operation. Unable to contain his anger, he took out the Spirit Binding Gun from his waist to threaten.

Principal Zhang is an elderly man in his sixties, possessing an extremely ordinary appearance, resembling a kind old man who takes care of his grandchildren. He has no distinctive features and appears somewhat timid. It seems that he attained the position of principal either through his social skills or because he is sufficiently obedient and compliant

He can be certain that the vengeful spirit is someone from the school. From the ghostly drawings she left behind, it is evident that she was a talented artist. Although she has been dead for many years, she remains attached to the campus, which suggests that there is something she cherishes in the school, or perhaps she has returned to the school to seek something or to accomplish something.

If you can rest assured, I would like to take the students' electronic files and have my two subordinates check them. As for me, I fear I will have to spend time in your school's archives doing some menial work. If that information does indeed surface, I can be there at the first opportunity

Since she is a painter of oil paintings, we will check the records of the oil painting department; since she appears in the form of a female figure, we will look into the female students of the oil painting department; since she only emerged ten years ago and there were no legends about her on campus prior to that, we will focus on the student records from the past ten years

The next morning, Bao Datong found Principal Zhang

In this day and age, compliance with authority and being adaptable are the fundamental elements for advancement, while ability has become secondary

I can trust Mr. Bao, and I believe you will not leak student information. As for your work in the archives, I can also make arrangements. I will arrange for the staff in the archives to take leave, and you can investigate freely. Principal Zhang is quite cooperative

"Are you a thief? Return my things!" She was so angry that she was jumping up and down

Currently, I am only allowed to check the archival materials. Ba Datong said: "In the past few days, I have also inquired about some matters at school, and I now seriously suspect that the malevolent spirit is closely related to the oil painting department. In this incident, all the deceased were students of Western painting, and among those who have not encountered any incidents, some reported that they were unable to control their paintbrushes while painting. I do not understand art, but I believe that everyone has different preferences in style. However, according to my classmates, the paintings all resemble the style of Van Gogh. Therefore, I would like to check the archival materials to see if there have been any incidents involving students studying Western painting or teachers teaching Western painting." In this incident, all the deceased were students of Western painting, and among those who have not encountered any incidents, some reported that they were unable to control their paintbrushes while painting. I do not understand art, but I believe that everyone has different preferences in style. However, according to my classmates, the paintings all resemble the style of Van Gogh. Therefore, I would like to check the archival materials to see if there have been any incidents involving students studying Western painting or teachers teaching Western painting.

I am called Hua | Lei! The girl behind jumped up and shouted

As for the arduous task of flipping the cards, it can only be done by him alone; it would be great if there were a laborer to direct him.

Bao Datong smiled slightly, "Such matters are difficult to articulate, so one can only suppress the fear within. Unfortunately, in their fright, they burned the paintings; otherwise, I might have been able to discern some clues."

Bao Datong contemplated for a moment