Siheyuan: Hang Jia Dongxu, smash Banggeng to death!

"What's wrong now?" Qin Ming's heart tightened.

"Captain Qin, someone's dead! Something terrible has happened again!"

"Who died?"

Xiao Wang swallowed hard, his face pale: "A resident from nearby just reported that they smelled a burnt smell, like...like burnt meat."

I happened to be passing by and went to take a look. I found a big oil pot in the yard, and inside the pot... inside the pot were two people being deep-fried...

"What?" Everyone was stunned.

"And," Xiao Wang continued, his voice trembling, "there are two more corpses in the house. One's watermelon wasn't ripe, and the other was... was cut into a thousand pieces..."

The scene was deathly silent.

"There's...there's more..."

besides?

Everyone looked as if their father-in-law had died.

Xiao Wang took a deep breath and continued, "Also, there was a person in the courtyard whose heart had been ripped out, and two headless corpses in another room next door."

They seem to be the brothers Yan Jiefang and Yan Jiekuang. The one who was scraped was the escaped convict Sha Zhu, and the one who stole hearts and lungs was the latrine cleaner San Ye.

The one who couldn't guarantee the watermelon's ripeness was Old Liu, who seemed to be a barefoot doctor with questionable background. As for the two people in the oil pan, it's unclear who they were.

quiet!

A deathly silence!

Everyone looked at Director Zhao.

Director Zhao stood motionless, as if frozen in place.

After a long silence, he finally spoke, his voice dry and hoarse, like sandpaper scraping:

"Notify the department and request support."

"Seal off the area; no one is allowed to enter or leave."

"besides……"

He paused, then looked at Qin Ming: "Qin Ming, come with me."

Qin Ming followed Director Zhao to the side.

Director Zhao looked at him, his eyes filled with complex emotions: "Qin Ming, who do you think the murderer is?"

Qin Ming closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

A few seconds later, he opened his eyes and shook his head: "Chief, I don't know either, but the facts tell me it's not human."

It's like Jia Banggeng suddenly being crushed to death against the wall in front of him, Jia Zhangshi suddenly disappearing from the dark room, Xiguatou hanging from a crooked tree, and his body inexplicably appearing in the police station.

The people detained in the small dark room disappeared one by one under guard, and when they were found again, they were already corpses.

Director, tell me, is this something a human could do?

Sometimes, I wonder if it's some kind of supernatural power, after all, there are so many myths and legends in China's five thousand years of civilization.

I know that by saying this, I am breaking the law, promoting feudal superstition, and going against the tide of the times, but the facts are undeniable.

Director Zhao remained silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Qin Ming, do you believe in karma and retribution?"

Qin Ming was stunned.

I don't believe it.

Director Zhao answered his own question, "I served in the army for thirty years and I've never believed in this. I only believe in evidence and the law."

He paused, then lowered his voice: "But now... I'm starting to have doubts."

He looked at the six corpses covered with white sheets in the yard, and at the shocking bloodstains.

The people Xiao Wang described were in dire straits.

"If there really is retribution in this world," Director Zhao murmured, "then what is meant to come will come sooner or later."

He knew that there were some things the police couldn't control.

Some grudges cannot be avenged by the law.

Some debts must be repaid with blood.

He didn't know whether the killer was a human or a ghost, but he knew that since the killer chose to commit such a cruel murder, there must be a deep-seated hatred between them.

"Qin Ming, go and interrogate the remaining people thoroughly. They must know the identities of some of the murderers and why they targeted the people in their courtyard to kill."

Qin Ming nodded, his expression grave: "Director, what do you think...?"

I don't think it matters.

Director Zhao interrupted him, his voice hoarse, "The important thing is the truth. Only by understanding the situation clearly can I prescribe the right medicine. Conventional arrests of criminals are useless."

The words were spoken cryptically, but Qin Ming understood them.

Conventional methods are ineffective.

Because the killer might not even be human.

"Okay, Chief, I understand." Qin Ming took a deep breath. "I'll go interrogate him right away."

He turned and walked away quickly.

Director Zhao watched his figure disappear before turning to Director Li, who was standing to the side.

"Xiao Li, take some men and bring back the bodies that Comrade Xiao Wang mentioned. Notify the forensic doctor to examine them carefully. Don't overlook any clues."

Director Li's expression was also grim, but he still stood at attention and saluted: "Yes, Chief! I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"

"Remember," Director Zhao stepped forward and lowered his voice, "the scene might... not look good. Tell the guys to be mentally prepared. Also, be careful."

Director Li's eyes flickered for a moment, then he nodded: "Understood."

He left with a dozen or so police officers.

Only Director Zhao and a few police officers on duty remained in the courtyard.

The sun was obscured by dark clouds, and the sky grew dark.

Director Zhao looked up at the sky and felt a wave of dizziness.

He grabbed onto a nearby pillar to steady himself.

The sky is falling.

That was his only feeling at that moment.

I've only been here for less than an hour, and such a big thing has happened.

More than a dozen more tragic incidents occurred, with methods so cruel as to be appalling.

This pot is too big; he can't carry it by himself.

I should have known better than to come.

Even an hour later would be better.

Director Zhao stubbed out his cigarette hard. What's the use of thinking about these things?

Since things have come to this, we have no choice but to bite the bullet and move forward.

He turned and walked back to his office, closed the door, sat down in his chair, and stared at the phone on the table for a long time.

I dialed a number.

That was a call from his former boss.

The call was connected.

"Hello, old leader, it's me, Xiao Zhao." Director Zhao's voice trembled slightly.

"Xiao Zhao, what's wrong? You sound off." A steady old man's voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Old leader, something big has happened." Director Zhao took a deep breath and briefly explained the case from the past three days.

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

After a long silence, the old leader finally spoke: "More than twenty lives? In just three days?"

"right."

"Any leads on the killer?"

"Yes, but..." Director Zhao hesitated for a moment, "but the clues don't point to a person."

Another silence followed.

"Xiao Zhao, do you know what you're saying?" The old leader's voice became serious.

"I know."

Director Zhao smiled wryly, "But the situation at the scene... old leader, in all my years of handling cases, I've never seen anything like this."

Split in half, cut into a thousand pieces, some deep-fried, some decapitated, some swung on swings… This is simply not something a normal person could do.

"So what do you think it is?"

"I think..." Director Zhao lowered his voice, "it might be a ghost, a vengeful spirit seeking revenge."

A gasp came from the other end of the phone.

"Xiao Zhao, you can't just say things like that."

"I'm not making this up."

Director Zhao recounted Qin Ming and his team's investigation in detail.

After he finished speaking, the office fell into a deathly silence.

The only sound was a faint electrical hum coming from the phone.

"Old boss, this case... I can't handle it."

Director Zhao finally spoke his mind, "More than twenty lives lost, all family annihilation cases, the methods were cruel, and the social impact was extremely bad. If the higher-ups investigate, I..."

"I see."

The old leader interrupted him, "Okay, hold on for now. I'll contact someone immediately and request support. Also, I'll get the special investigation team and the military involved."

"Special Case Investigation Team?" Director Zhao was taken aback.

"right."

The old leader's voice lowered even further, "Some cases can't be handled by conventional methods, so this team is specifically for... these kinds of cases."

Director Zhao felt a chill run down his spine.

A special team that handles "this type of case"?

Is it...

……