Chapter 5, Black Enchanted Hair

"We have arrived," said Shi Yong, while Ma Xiaofeng, sitting in the passenger seat, jumped out of the car by himself

The convenience store is located on Changping Road in the northern district of Nanwen Road. The northern district of Nanwen City is relatively quiet at night, as it is an industrial area with not many residences. The convenience store is situated next to a factory, and usually, workers from the nearby factories would come to this store to buy daily necessities. However, the store has now closed, and it is believed that in the short term, no one would be willing to take over this shop where a tragic murder incident once occurred. The convenience store is situated next to a factory, and usually, workers from the nearby factories would come to this store to buy daily necessities. However, the store has now closed, and it is believed that in the short term, no one would be willing to take over this shop where a tragic murder incident once occurred

Shi Yong was taken aback and said, "You mean two monsters have appeared?"

Shi Yong was utterly exhausted. The first crime scene was manageable, but the second case was located within a school. There was no choice; Shi Yong had to accompany Ma Xiaofeng in this madness. In the dead of night, they climbed over the school wall to sneak into the campus. If they were discovered, Shi Yong would have to smash his head against the wall in despair. A dignified people's police officer was actually engaging in such clandestine activities at midnight, resembling a thief, while enduring Ma Xiaofeng's mockery about his long hours in the office, suggesting that he had forgotten how to climb walls.

Ma Xiaofeng carefully examined other areas of the alley with a small flashlight, but unfortunately, aside from some trash and clutter, he did not find anything helpful to the case. Instead, next to the blood-stained wall, the light revealed a shadow.

Holding a dagger in his left hand, Ma Xiaofeng stealthily approached the gate of the recycling station. The items inside could be described as scrap, but less charitably, they were merely garbage. Moreover, someone had died here a few days ago, and the recycling station was clearly abandoned, yet a lock still hung on the gate. Ma Xiaofeng smiled, took off the ear stud from his left ear, and began to fiddle with the cheap five-yuan padlock on the gate. Before long, with a click, the lock opened. Seeing this, Shi Yong secretly resolved to replace his own door lock with a high-end model when he got home, lest Ma Xiaofeng, in a good mood one day, decide to break into his house.

Moreover, because this is an industrial area, it becomes very quiet at night; otherwise, the phenomenon of a deceased person's severed body being dragged for hundreds of meters without anyone noticing would not occur

Following the instructions, Shi Yong took the small flashlight. He saw Ma Xiaofeng draw a symbol in the palm of his right hand with his left hand. Then, Ma Xiaofeng thrust his right hand towards the shadow, and a small spark of electricity shot out, striking the shadow. After a flicker of flames, the shadow disappeared

Four homicides, four crime scenes, nearly caused Shi Yong to drive all over Nanwen City. Each location was quite far apart, and it was not until after midnight that they had finished examining two of the crime scenes

Ma Xiaofeng paid him no mind and crouched down on the ground, carefully searching for something. Before long, he discovered a small tuft of black hair caught on a broken piece of barbed wire beside him. The black hair was faintly infused with a sinister aura. Ma Xiaofeng's eyes lit up, and he then picked up the tuft of black hair with two fingers.

However, after examining the two crime scenes, Ma Xiaofeng found not a single clue. Aside from the gruesome state of the deceased, which left a strong sense of resentment at the scene, Ma Xiaofeng did not even detect any demonic energy from the monster, let alone any other clues

What did you discover?" Shi Yong looked at Ma Xiao Feng in a daze and couldn't help but ask.

Shi Yong replied loudly: "I am a police officer, what do I have to fear? I was just thinking, could that monster be hiding in those factories? You must know that the factory owners in this area are generally very stingy and do not build employee dormitories for the workers, forcing them to rent houses elsewhere. Therefore, it is very quiet here at night. I believe that among the entire Nanwen area, this is the most suitable place for hiding."

At this moment, they are driving to the scene of the third murder case

Shi Yong fumbled for a while, and then a beam of white light pierced through the darkness of the alley. The light came from a portable flashlight on Shi Yong's keychain, which he usually only used for decoration. Unexpectedly, it proved to be useful now

Ma Xiaofeng had no idea what was on Shi Yong's mind. After opening the door, he turned back and waved to Shi Yong. The two of them sneaked in like thieves. Inside the door, the aura of malevolence was even stronger on the lawn. Ma Xiaofeng looked around, and finally discovered a strange scene among the items in the recycling bin.

Ma Xiaofeng studies the authentic Thunder Technique of the Xuanmen sect and does not possess the ghost-exorcising skills of the Tianshi sect. However, the electric spark he just produced is derived from the Palm Thunder that Ma Xiaofeng has been unable to master. Although the power of the electric spark is inferior to that of the Palm Thunder, the righteous energy of heaven and earth contained within the lightning is more than sufficient to disperse resentful and other negative energies.

However, this red light is not intense; it is merely a hazy layer of glow, indicating that the malevolent energy within this recycling station is not strong. Ma Xiaofeng thought to himself that it should only be the residual aura left behind by the monster

The unpleasant odor originates from the debris on the ground, while the smell of blood may be a remnant of a recent homicide

The shadow seemed almost alive, twisting slightly when illuminated by the light

Shi Yong whispered, "What is that thing, a ghost?"

In order to prevent the grievances of the deceased from causing trouble, Ma Xiaofeng casually dispelled them. This action made him sigh in regret, and had it not been for Shi Yong pulling him away, Ma Shengen would have almost approached the deceased's family to demand a fee for the ritual of transference.

Shi Yong found his argument reasonable, so he did not dwell on the issue. He silently drove the car until he finally stopped in front of a small shop called "Hao Ping Shi Duo Dian".

The upper garment lifted, Ma Xiaofeng's back revealed a black leather sheath fastened to the belt of his jeans. Inside the sheath was a brass dagger, which Ma Xiaofeng drew with a reverse grip. This dagger, measuring only about 20 centimeters in length, was unsharpened and inscribed with numerous intricate Sanskrit characters. It was a talisman given to him by his master, said to be sealed within it a spirit from the Night Demons of the Eight Heavenly Dragons, thus possessing the power to vanquish evil and shining when encountering malevolence. At this moment, the dagger held in Ma Xiaofeng's hand was radiating a red glow.

This recycling station is built on a patch of lawn. Although it is called a recycling station, it merely consists of a few wooden sheds, with piles of waste materials stacked as high as small hills, all enclosed by a rudimentary structure made of wire mesh.

The alley ended a hundred steps away, and Ma Xiaofeng came to a halt, nearly causing Shi Yong, who was following him, to bump into him.

The alley is very narrow, only one and a half people wide, with tall walls on both sides separating the two factories. This alley is clearly not well-maintained, with various debris and garbage scattered everywhere, evidently carelessly discarded by the workers from both factories. A strange odor lingers in the alley, along with a faint, barely perceptible scent of blood

Aren't you afraid?" Ma Xiaofeng asked gossipingly

Following him, Shi Yong, who also got off the vehicle, was even more excited, his eyes lighting up as he stared at Ma Xiaofeng and exclaimed, "Crazy man, your thing is shining."

In the alley, there was only a small light bulb hanging on the wall serving as illumination, but the range of its light did not extend beyond half a meter. By the time I reached the end of the alley, it was completely dark, making it impossible to see anything.

Taking the small flashlight from his close friend, Ma Xiaofeng shone it into the alley. Under the white light, he saw a dark red stain of blood on the wall at the end of the alley, and the faint smell of blood must have originated from this stain

"Why do I feel like you lack confidence in your words?" Ma Xiaofeng mocked his old friend, then continued, "Your guess has only a 20% chance of being correct. If it were a human, the likelihood would be higher, but since the other party is a monster, and a man-eating one at that, do you really think it would hide here and stare blankly at the concrete every day?"

As Shi Yong drove onto Changping Road, the entire highway was eerily quiet, save for the streetlights on either side. Looking at the buildings, which appeared only as black silhouettes in the darkness, Shi Yong inexplicably felt a chill in his heart

He sniffed, and indeed, there was a peculiar scent in the air that ordinary people could not detect

The convenience store is located next to a toy factory, and beside the store is a narrow alley. In the alley, there is only a small yellow light bulb glowing, casting a dim yellow light that obscures the scene within the alley. Ma Xiaofeng pointed towards the alley, indicating a desire to go in and take a look.

Ma Xiaofeng stroked his chin and said: "It is strange; it seems that the monster once fought something here, but this place only has a trace of demonic energy. So, does this demonic energy belong to the man-eating monster, or is it left by another monster that fought with it?"

Although Shi Yong found this place oppressively maddening, he still gritted his teeth and nodded, following Ma Xiaofeng into the alley.

Stone, do you have a flashlight? Bring it over to shine a light.

Ma Xiaofeng was driven mad by his calls. He irritably lifted his shirt and said, "How many times have I told you? It's called Yasha, stop calling it that thing."

Ma Xiaofeng shook his head: "No, it is the resentment of the deceased before their death. This alley is inherently eerie, and its structure is not conducive to the flow of energy. Therefore, this resentment quickly coalesces into form, gradually transforming into malevolent energy. You take down the flashlight, and I will disperse it. Once the malevolent energy takes shape, it will adversely affect the energy field in this vicinity"

Having emerged from the alley, the two remained empty-handed. Just as they were about to get into the car to head to the scene of the fourth murder, Ma Xiaofeng suddenly recalled that the body of the victim from the third murder had been dragged to a recycling station located five hundred meters away. Consequently, after getting into the car, Shi Yong made a turn, and it did not take long before they arrived at the recycling station.

To the east of the recycling station, the waste materials are strewn all over the ground, completely unlike other areas that are tidily organized. Particularly, there is a large gash in the wire mesh behind the waste, giving the impression that it has been torn open by something.

As Ma Xiaofeng stepped down from the vehicle, an invisible wave surged forth, akin to the wind sweeping across a tranquil lake, stirring up slight ripples