Siheyuan: Hang Jia Dongxu, smash Banggeng to death!

As soon as Sha Zhu returned to the central courtyard, everyone immediately surrounded him. Qin Huairu was the first to greet him, anxiously asking, "Zhu Zi, how did it go?"

This is also the question everyone is most concerned about—is Lin Tian an evil spirit?

Sha Zhu shook his head, his face grim: "No... the talisman didn't react at all when I stuck it on."

"We're doomed!"

Yan Bugui was the first to cry out, his voice filled with despair.

Everyone else's hearts sank as well.

It wasn't Lin Tian...

The real evil spirit was the vengeful soul of Lin's parents.

Hidden in the shadows, unseen and intangible, it could take a life at any moment...

Yi Zhonghai took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down: "You all go back to the house first. Zhu Zi, Lao Yan, let's go to the police station and bring back Dong Xu's body."

Everyone understood Yi Zhonghai's meaning: claiming the body was a pretense; the real purpose was to retrieve the bones.

Suppressing the great evil requires three things, and Jia Dongxu was one of the three who killed Lin Tian. His bones are the "bones of the enemy".

"Okay..." Yan Bugui nodded, pushed up his glasses, "Then let's go now."

Qin Huairu looked at Sha Zhu with a complicated expression: "Zhu Zi... be careful..."

"Don't worry, Sister Qin," Sha Zhu patted his chest, "I'll definitely bring Dongxu back!"

He spoke with great bravado, but deep down he was unsure.

Everyone went back to their rooms.

Wang Cuilan helped the deaf old lady, while Qin Huairu held Xiao Dang.

Once inside, the group immediately began to discuss the matter.

"It's not Lin Tian... then... what do we do?" Wang Cuilan's voice trembled. "The vengeful spirit is hiding in the shadows... how... how do we defend ourselves?"

The deaf old woman, leaning on her cane, had a sinister look in her eyes: "So we must suppress it as soon as possible. With the blood of our closest relatives and the bones of our enemies, plus the sacrifice... we should be able to suppress it."

"But..." Qin Huairu said softly, "The police are watching so closely... how can we make a move on a full moon night?"

"There's always a way," the deaf old woman said. "We'll talk about it when Xiao Yi and the others come back."

……

Hongxing Police Station.

Yi Zhonghai, Yan Bugui, and Sha Zhu pulled a cart to the entrance of the police station.

Yi Zhonghai immediately spotted Director Li standing in the courtyard talking to someone and quickly went to greet him, calling out, "Director Li! Director Li!"

Director Li turned around, saw it was them, and frowned slightly: "Comrade Yi Zhonghai, what's the matter?"

"We've come to claim Jia Dongxu's body."

Yi Zhonghai tried to keep his tone calm, "Didn't you say yesterday... I could come and pick it up this afternoon?"

Director Li shook his head and sighed: "Comrade Yi Zhonghai, Jia Dongxu's body cannot be claimed now."

As you know, what's happened in your compound...it's all very strange, and the cause of death for all the deceased still needs further investigation.

He paused, then added, "Especially... how exactly they got up in the tree, that's crucial to the direction of the entire investigation."

"Huh?" Sha Zhu panicked. "Grandpa, what...what do we do?"

Yi Zhonghai stepped forward: "Director Li, is it really impossible to make an exception? Look, Yan Jiecheng and Liu Guangfu were both hanged. We can just keep their bodies for investigation."

Dongxu's mother is currently hospitalized with serious injuries and is in a coma... She had previously expressed her wish to give her son a proper burial...

He spoke with such sincerity that his eyes even reddened slightly.

Director Li looked at Yi Zhonghai, then at Yan Bugui and Sha Zhu, and sighed: "It's not that I'm unreasonable... it's just that now, I can't make the decision."

"What do you mean?" Yi Zhonghai's heart sank.

"The case in your court has been taken over by the municipal bureau's special task force."

Director Li said, "All decisions have to be made by Captain Qin; I'm just cooperating."

The three looked at each other, their faces grim.

What should we do?

If they can't get Jia Dongxu's bones... how will they suppress the evil spirit?

Unwilling to give up, Yi Zhonghai probed again: "Director Li... then... then what about our bodies, Yan Jiecheng and Liu Guangtian?"

They were also from the hospital... The families also want them to be laid to rest...

Director Li shook his head, giving a helpless look: "No, all the bodies are now important evidence, and none of them can be taken away."

Yan Bugui's eyes darted around, and he suddenly said, "Then...can I go see my son's body? Just...just one look...I'm his father..."

As he spoke, tears streamed down his face.

That sight would break anyone's heart.

Director Li hesitated for a moment, thought for a moment, and then nodded: "Well... that's fine. You are family members and have the right to see the body, but... you can only look, not touch, and you certainly can't take it away."

"Thank you, Director Li! Thank you, Director Li!" Yan Bugui thanked him repeatedly, a barely perceptible glint in his eyes.

The three of them were secretly delighted.

If you can see a corpse... then you have a chance!

Even just a glance, as long as the location of the body can be confirmed... the rest will be much easier.

Chief Li led the three men into the backyard of the police station.

A makeshift morgue was set up there, containing several bodies covered with white sheets.

The air was thick with the smell of disinfectant and formaldehyde, and the damp chill gave me goosebumps.

"Over here." Director Li walked to a corpse and lifted a corner of the white cloth.

It's Jia Dongxu.

His face was already somewhat deformed, the ligature mark on his neck was particularly glaring, his eyes were closed, but his face still retained the painful expression before death.

Sha Zhu glanced at it, felt a chill run down his spine, and instinctively took a step back.

Qin Huairu... if she saw Dongxu like this...

"Dongxu..." Yi Zhonghai cried out in "grief," reaching out to touch the corpse's face.

"Don't touch it!" Director Li immediately stopped them. "You can look, but you can't touch it!"

Yi Zhonghai awkwardly withdrew his hand, but his eyes quickly swept across the entire morgue.

There were five bodies in total: Jia Dongxu, Liu Guangtian, Bang Geng, Yan Jiecheng, and Liu Guangfu.

They're all here.

He also memorized the location.

"Have you finished reading?" Director Li asked.

"I've finished reading...I've finished reading..." Yan Bugui wiped away his tears as he glanced at Yan Jiecheng. "Thank you, Director Li...for letting us...for letting us see our son one last time..."

He choked up as he spoke, not because of his superb acting skills, but because of the sight of his son lying there.

Director Li nodded and covered the body with the white sheet again: "Please accept my condolences. We will notify you to come and collect the body once the case is solved."

The three walked out of the morgue and returned to the front yard of the police station.

Yi Zhonghai said to Director Li, "Director Li, well...we'll head back now. Please let us know if there's any news."

"Okay." Director Li nodded. "Go back now, be careful in the yard."

The three men pulled the empty cart and left the police station.

After leaving the alley and making sure no one was around, Yi Zhonghai lowered his voice and said, "Did you remember the location?"

"I've got it."

Yan Bugui nodded. "The second one from the left is Dongxu, the third is Guangtian, the fourth is Banggeng, the fifth is Jiecheng, and the sixth is Guangfu."

Sha Zhu scratched his head: "Grandpa...you want to...?"

Yi Zhonghai's eyes were icy: "Come and collect it tonight."

Sha Zhu's heart skipped a beat: "Steal...steal a corpse? This...this is illegal..."

"What else can we do if we don't steal?" Yi Zhonghai retorted. "Wait for the big culprit to kill us all?"

He paused, then looked at Yan Bugui: "Old Yan, what do you say?"

Yan Bugui's eyes flickered: "Old Yi is right... If we don't take it, we'll all die. Stealing a corpse is risky... but it's better than waiting to die. However, we don't need to actually steal the corpse. Just take a piece of bone. A finger bone is a bone too."

Sha Zhu gritted his teeth: "Fine! I'll do as you say!"

He was willing to go all out for Sister Qin.

……