Siheyuan: Hang Jia Dongxu, smash Banggeng to death!

"Who else could it be!" Li Zhaodi roared. "My son is just gone! Just gone!"

She collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably, "My Guangfu...where are you...Mom is so sorry..."

The cries were so mournful and desperate that they chilled everyone who heard them.

Qin Ming took a deep breath and looked at the crowd at the door: "Everyone, follow along and look for Xiao Han. You continue to protect Lin Tian and his sister."

He then looked at Li Zhaodi and said, "Comrade Li Zhaodi, you should go back and rest first. We will definitely find Liu Guangfu."

Li Zhaodi was helped out of the house by two police officers.

The room returned to silence.

But that oppressive atmosphere lingered.

Officer Han closed the door, turned to look at Lin Tian and Tangtang, his eyes filled with heartache: "Don't be afraid...it's alright now..."

Lin Tian nodded and hugged his younger sister tightly.

But his heart was ice-cold.

Liu Guangfu...

This is just the first one today.

Just as everyone was searching for Liu Guangfu in the courtyard, terrified cries suddenly came from outside, each one more shrill than the last:

"Another person has died! Another person has died! Another person has died!!!"

Qin Ming's expression changed, and he immediately led his men out of the courtyard. Everyone stopped searching and followed him out.

It's still that same old, crooked locust tree.

A familiar figure hangs from the tree trunk, swaying slightly in the air.

Liu Guangfu.

He had a hemp rope around his neck, and the knot was exactly the same as that of Jia Dongxu and Yan Jiecheng.

His eyes were half-open, his pupils were dilated, and his face still held the look of terror he had before his death.

His lips were purple, and his tongue was sticking out very long.

"Guangfu! Guangfu! My son—"

When Li Zhaodi rushed out and saw this scene, she let out a heart-wrenching wail, collapsed, and fainted.

"Quick! Get him to the hospital!" Qin Ming ordered sternly.

Xiao Zhang and Xiao Li quickly lifted Li Zhaodi up and ran towards the alley entrance.

Looking at Liu Guangfu's corpse hanging in the tree, Yi Zhonghai felt his hands and feet turn cold, and his heart grew increasingly fearful.

Yesterday morning, his apprentice, Jia Dongxu, was hanging there like this.

This morning, another one was hung...

So, are three more going to die today?

Who are the three people?

Do I have...myself?

Third Master said it would take three days to prepare for the human sacrifice...

There are still two days left.

He was afraid... he was afraid he wouldn't live to see the third day.

Yan Bugui stood to the side, trembling all over.

He clearly shared the same idea as Yi Zhonghai.

Yesterday, three people died: Jia Dongxu, Liu Guangtian, Yan Jiecheng, and Banggeng.

Today... Liu Guangfu died.

So what's next...?

Yan Bugui pushed up his glasses and glanced at the other people in the courtyard with a look of fear in his eyes.

Who will be next?

Could it be myself?

Qin Huairu was meticulous. Although she was heartbroken, fear had overwhelmed her grief at this moment.

Another one died...

Who's next?

She is afraid.

She really didn't want to die.

She didn't sleep well last night, and after the blows of her husband and son dying one after another, her nerves were stretched to the limit.

"Zhu Zi..." Qin Huairu leaned weakly against Sha Zhu, her voice trembling, "I...I'm fine...it's just...it's just..."

She couldn't continue, and tears streamed down her face silently.

Sha Zhu supported her with heartache and whispered comforting words: "Sister Qin, don't be afraid. I'm here. I will protect you. Anyone who wants to hurt you will have to step over my dead body first."

Upon hearing this, Qin Huairu felt a slight sense of comfort.

At least... at least there are still pillars.

Yi Zhonghai then walked up to Qin Ming and tentatively asked, "Captain Qin, did anything... unusual happen at Lin Tian's house last night? Like... anything strange or scary?"

Qin Ming turned his head and stared into Yi Zhonghai's eyes.

The old man's eyes flickered, clearly he was hiding something.

But Qin Ming wasn't going to hide it, and there was nothing to hide anyway.

Lin Tian was indeed with them all night.

"No," Qin Ming said calmly. "I didn't sleep all night. After Lin Tian and his sister ate the dinner that Director Li brought, we chatted for a while, and then they got sleepy and went to sleep."

He paused, then added, "The whole night was peaceful, nothing unusual happened."

Feeling a little guilty under Qin Ming's gaze, Yi Zhonghai quickly looked away.

to chat with?

What should we talk about?

Could it be... that brat Lin Tian said something to Captain Qin?

Damn it...

Judging from this situation, things have changed.

If Team Leader Qin and his team weren't injured, then the "major calamity"... is it probably not Lin Tian himself, but rather Lin Tian's parents?

After all, what parent would kill someone in front of their child?

Yi Zhonghai recalled the Third Master's previous tests—the glutinous rice was scattered, the yellow talisman was tested, and the bronze mirror was used, but Lin Tian did not react.

Now it seems that if Lin Tian is not a calamity, but a human... then what's the point of these exorcism methods?

no...

We need to reconsider this matter with Third Master.

"I see."

Yi Zhonghai forced himself to remain calm and nodded. "Captain Qin, you guys are busy. I'll go to the factory to ask for leave. So many things have happened in the yard..."

Qin Ming nodded without saying anything more.

But he knew in his heart that Yi Zhonghai... was definitely not telling the truth.

This courtyard house is truly a small temple with a lot of evil spirits, and shallow water with many turtles.

He turned around and beckoned the police officers to help Liu Guangfu down from the tree.

The body was already stiff, and the time of death was probably between 5 and 6 a.m.

It's that time of day again...

Director Li had just arrived early in the morning when he saw this scene.

He originally wanted to check on the situation, since police officers were living with the residents of the compound, and he was somewhat worried.

This is a crime committed by evil spirits...

Sure enough, something bad happened.

"Captain Qin, this is..." Director Li asked with a grim expression.

Qin Ming shook his head, his expression grave: "Chief Li, was there any commotion outside the compound last night?"

Chief Li immediately summoned the officers who had been on patrol the previous night.

The officer was pale and clearly frightened.

"Chief, Captain Qin, we patrolled all night but didn't find a single clue, and Liu Guangfu... we only discovered him this morning when we changed shifts..."

He pointed to the tree as he spoke, "It's like...like it appeared out of thin air..."

Surprising.

That's so weird.

Qin Ming fell into deep thought.

A perfectly healthy person vanished right under the noses of two policemen, then hanged themselves from a tree outside the courtyard...

The police patrolling outside the compound found nothing...

Was this really a deliberate crime?

Or... is it really as the people in the compound say, that it was the work of evil spirits?

Qin Ming rubbed his temples.

He had been a criminal investigator for twenty years, solving countless cases, but he had never felt so...lost.

The materialist worldview began to waver in the face of this series of inexplicable deaths.

But he could not waver.

He's a police officer; he has to stay alert.

"Take the body back first."

Qin Ming ordered, "Conduct a detailed autopsy. Director Li, we'll take men and search the yard inside and out again carefully. We can't overlook any clues."

"Okay!" Director Li replied.

Qin Ming turned around and looked at the courtyard house.

This courtyard...

What secret is hidden?

In the shadows, Lin Tian's ghostly figure silently watched all this, a cold smile curving his lips.

Liu Guangfu is dead.

Who's next?

It's a tough choice.

……