Chapter 5: The Haunted Police Station

Upon seeing me perform the trick of transforming copper coins into a straight stick, he immediately stood up in awe, trembling slightly, and followed me out the door. Inside and outside the door felt like two different worlds; after a moment of adjusting to the darkness indoors, I could still faintly make out some shapes, while outside was shrouded in a thick, inky black mist, rendering it impossible to see my own hand in front of my face

"Ah, I tripped over something!" exclaimed the police officer named Liu Kun suddenly

I thought to myself, what use is it to block the main door? Ghosts rarely enter through the front. Moreover, those who dare to come to kill would never leave after just one; they would only stop when they have had enough fun. As I pondered this, I couldn't help but stand up. At that moment, the police officer watching over me took out a flashlight and turned it on, shining it in my face, making it impossible for me to open my eyes.

Wait a moment, I called out to him, "Do you believe in ghosts?"

The chaotic sounds outside suddenly fell silent, as if everyone had vanished, leaving not a trace of noise, creating an especially eerie atmosphere. I turned to look outside the door; the beams of several powerful flashlights that had just been shining were now extinguished, and the entire police station was shrouded in darkness, enveloped in an unsettling silence that made one feel uneasy.

Starting from the spirit banner, I noticed that the ground ahead was sparsely covered with patches of white paper money. This type of paper money is also scattered during funerals, distinct from the yellow paper money burned during the Ghost Festival. The paper money twisted and turned, leading from the center of the courtyard all the way out the front gate, resembling a guidepost for the lost souls. I understood clearly that this was a method used by ghosts to lure souls; wherever the paper money was scattered, one would often find the person who had been taken away. Therefore, without hesitation, I followed the trail of paper money, confident that I would ultimately locate all the missing persons reported at the police station.

In the silence, a sudden "rustling" sound emerged from the courtyard, resembling someone tiptoeing quietly, or perhaps the sound of leaves falling in the wind. In any case, in this eerie dark night, it was enough to make one feel a pang of anxiety in their ears. The police officer's expression changed dramatically, and he slumped down onto the chair.

I lowered the volume, and they still wouldn't hear it. Moreover, with the sudden power outage, they would immediately struggle to adapt to the darkness before them. Not to mention that if I just threw out a small flag, even if I jumped out myself, they wouldn't be able to see me.

"Follow me." I waved to the police behind the table, opened the door, and walked out

As soon as we stepped out the door, the flashlight beam illuminated an extremely pale face, blood streaming from all seven orifices, staring intently at us. My heart skipped a beat, and Liu Kun behind me shouted and turned to run back. I quickly pulled him back and said, "Look closely, this is a corpse, not a ghost"

I patted him on the shoulder and told him not to be afraid. At the moment, apart from the two of us, there was no one else in the police station. Upon hearing this, he became even more terrified, his face ashen. To ease his anxiety, I asked him what his name was, how old he was this year, how many years he had been working, and posed some trivial questions to divert his attention. He was as obedient as a grandson, answering whatever I asked, as if I were the interrogator and he were the suspect. To ease his anxiety, I asked him what his name was, how old he was this year, how many years he had been working, and posed some trivial questions to divert his attention. He was as obedient as a grandson, answering whatever I asked, as if I were the interrogator and he were the suspect

I have seen shamelessness, but I have never seen such shamelessness as his. He claims to disbelieve in feudal superstitions, yet a single word from me has left him in this cowardly state. This is also good; there is no need to write his surname backward.

Liu Kunzhuang mustered his courage to take a look ahead, then pressed his hand to his chest and said, "Yes, it is Old Zhang."

I am well aware of the reason for the power outage; it is not a natural incident. I just sensed a heavy aura of malevolence infiltrating the police station compound. Spirits fear light, so a power outage is inevitable; this is a common tactic they employ wherever they go. I believe the entity that has come is the malevolent spirit I previously repelled with the Eight Trigrams copper coin array, which has now given rise to a zombie. It cannot simply let this matter rest. If the target is solely me, that would be the best outcome; what I fear is that it may not spare Shen Bing and might vent its anger on unrelated individuals after its failure. This is precisely the trouble I was concerned about earlier.

This fellow stands on the ground like two roots, and I dare say, if he had the courage to go out, I would write my surname backward.

The entire police station courtyard was eerily quiet, appearing very empty. The police officer behind me called out the names of several colleagues loudly, but there was no response for a long time. His breathing became increasingly rapid and labored.

A sudden sharp scream pierced the night from outside, particularly jarring in the darkness, causing my heart to leap in alarm

With the power outage, the outside became lively. Someone shouted for Old Zhang to check the distribution room to see if it had tripped. Others arranged for police to keep an eye on the holding cell, where two clients arrested just tonight were still detained; they must not be allowed to escape. Several bright beams of light intersected and flickered outside, and the police were never short of such powerful flashlights.

The police officer across from me seemed a bit anxious; he stood up, walked around the table, and shone his flashlight outside. There was no one visible in the yard, and he appeared somewhat flustered. He turned to me and said, "Don't move; I'm going outside to take a look"

Of course, we cannot rule out the possibility of other malevolent spirits causing trouble, especially since tonight is the Ghost Festival, when all spirits are released. The police station is also one of the places where people celebrate the most, so it is quite normal for those who suffered grievances here during their lifetime to come looking for trouble.

Under the beam of the flashlight, visibility did not exceed two meters, and a chilling wind blew gently, causing a tightening sensation in my chest

The moment this guy heard it, he shivered all over, nearly dropping the flashlight from his hand. He looked at me, his mouth trembling, and said: "I know you are the charlatan in town, so don't try to fool me with your superstitions; this won't scare me." However, despite his words, his facial expression betrayed him; he looked so cowardly, even more so than Shen Bing.

Ah, ah, sit properly and do not think of slipping away at this opportunity

The old man, in his sixties, stood upright outside the main gate, his eyes bulging out prominently, starkly contrasted by the blood, creating an extremely hideous and terrifying appearance

I can only sit down helplessly. Even if I have not committed a crime, I cannot oppose the police. In the police station, they are the kings of hell, and I am but a little ghost

Interrogating my two sons, they told me to sit still and not move. One went out to see what was happening, while the other stayed in the room to keep an eye on me. I couldn't help but sneer inwardly; I was merely giving a statement, yet it felt as if I were being treated like a murderer. I was angry, but I couldn't just sit idly by. I took out the Soul-Chasing Flag from my pocket and quietly instructed Er Mao a couple of things. Just then, the police officer opened the door, and I quickly threw the small flag out the door.

I perked up my ears to listen for a while, and I roughly understood what was happening. I took out the eight copper coins from my pocket, threaded them onto a red string, bit my middle finger to draw blood, and smeared it along the coins. With a flick of my right wrist, the eight copper coins rang out with a crisp sound and stood upright, forming a copper coin sword approximately half a foot long

I lowered my head to look at the ground; there was a bundle of white paper spirit banners, which are items carried by filial children during funerals and are ultimately placed on the grave, never to be retrieved. It was evident that such things, seen in books and images, were left behind by ghosts. The rustling sound I heard was the result of a chilling wind blowing through the spirit banners. I instructed him to keep his head up while walking, not to look back, and simply to follow me, under no circumstances should he run around. Tonight, there are too many ghosts released during the Ghost Festival; if we were to provoke one, it would be difficult for me to handle. I instructed him to keep his head up while walking, not to look back, and simply to follow me, under no circumstances should he run around. Tonight, there are too many ghosts released during the Ghost Festival; if we were to provoke one, it would be difficult for me to handle.

My profession is rather mysterious; the people in the town do not know what I do. However, the rumors behind my back vary greatly, and one of them is that I am a shaman. I do not take it to heart and simply chuckle, saying, "Well, go out and see for yourself; if you encounter anything, don't say I didn't warn you in advance."

I said, "Brother, are there really ghosts outside?" He widened his eyes and asked me

I find it quite amusing; even the way of addressing has changed, becoming much more affectionate. With a serious expression, I raised a finger to my lips to signal silence, then gestured for him to come back and not block the door. He was so startled that he covered his mouth and quickly ran back behind the table

He stood still for quite a while, peering outside, but there was still no movement; not even a whisper of wind. The expression on his face grew increasingly tense. Suddenly, he lifted his leg and walked outside. I thought to myself, this is bad; it seems my surname is about to be written backward. To my surprise, he ran to the door, slammed it shut, turned around, leaned against the door panel, and began to pant heavily, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

Old Zhang has died, quickly block the main entrance, do not let the murderer escape The courtyard was thrown into chaos in an instant