Siheyuan: Hang Jia Dongxu, smash Banggeng to death!

Qin Huairu said in a hoarse, trembling voice, "An hour ago, after Uncle Yi, Uncle Er, and Sha Zhu went out, I was a little thirsty, so I came down to ask the waiter for some hot water."

Unexpectedly, when I got back, I was horrified when I opened the door. An old woman... an old woman was found dead in the house. I don't know who did it, I really don't know..."

She spoke haltingly, but Qin Ming judged from her micro-expressions and body language that she was not lying.

She didn't do it.

Who could it be?

Yi Zhonghai? Yan Bugui? Sha Zhu?

They went out an hour ago and haven't come back yet...

What did you go to do?

They had the opportunity to commit the crime.

But what about the motivation?

Wang Cuilan was Yi Zhonghai's wife. Yan Bugui had no grudge against her, and Sha Zhu had no reason to kill her...

Qin Ming rubbed his temples.

Headache.

They thought that moving the people out of the courtyard would temporarily prevent casualties...

It now appears that they have been "targeted".

No matter where you move, you can't escape it.

How can this be good?

Could it be... just like the people in the courtyard say, that we need to find a "master" to exorcise the evil spirits?

But he was the captain of the criminal investigation team, a Party member, and a materialist…

Promoting feudal superstition is illegal.

How could he knowingly break the law?

Qin Ming was caught in a deep contradiction and struggle.

Director Li, standing to the side, was also in a state of utter distress.

Within his jurisdiction, seven people died in succession…

Moreover, the methods of death were increasingly bizarre and gruesome...

This is no longer just a murder case; this is a shocking case!

His political career... is probably over.

"Damn it..." Chief Li gritted his teeth, his voice filled with despair and anger, "Damn evil spirits..."

He finally uttered that word.

Evil spirits.

Qin Ming glanced at him but didn't say anything.

But for the first time, there was a hint of... wavering in his eyes.

The hotel corridor reeked of blood.

The seventh body.

And the murderer…

Still in the shadows.

Who will be the next one?

no one knows.

All I know is that this is a bloody game…

Still going on.

……

The dormitory on duty was filled with the aroma of food.

Officer Han brought over a hot meal from the canteen: steamed cornbread, stir-fried cabbage, and a few pieces of rare braised pork.

An aluminum lunchbox was placed on a small table, and the three people sat around it, eating quietly.

"Tangtang, come on, have some meat." Officer Han picked up a piece of braised pork and put it in Tangtang's bowl.

Tangtang looked up, blinked her big eyes at Xiao Han, and said in a childish voice, "Thank you, sister."

Lin Tian buried his head in his food, but his ears were perked up.

The ghostly figure was still outside, watching the birds.

"Sister Han," Lin Tian suddenly looked up and asked casually, "Are Uncle Qin and the others still at the courtyard house?"

Xiao Han nodded, a hint of fatigue on his face: "Yes, Captain Qin and the others are still investigating. The case is too strange; they haven't found a single clue."

She paused, then lowered her voice: "Xiaotian, Tangtang, don't be afraid, your sister will protect you."

Lin Tian nodded obediently: "Yes, we're not afraid."

Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the police station.

"Another person has died! Someone help!"

"Quick! Carry it to the backyard!"

"Be careful, be careful..."

The sounds of hurried footsteps, heavy breathing, and suppressed gasps filled the air.

Xiao Han's expression changed, and he put down his chopsticks: "I'll go out and take a look."

She pushed open the door and went out, and Lin Tian followed her to the door, peeking out through the crack in the door.

Several police officers carried a stretcher and hurried towards the backyard.

The stretcher was covered with a white sheet, but the sheet was already soaked in blood and was still dripping blood.

A pale-faced police officer on duty asked, "What exactly happened?"

The police officers carrying the stretcher, panting heavily, said, "Wang Cuilan is dead at the Red Star Hotel. She was dismembered into eight pieces, and her head... her watermelon-shaped head, is hanging from a tree outside the courtyard."

"What?!" the police officer exclaimed in surprise.

The other officers who heard this also gasped, their eyes filled with unconcealed terror.

"They've gone mad, they've really gone mad!"

"This is the seventh one..."

"Do you think... this murderer is even human?"

Whispers filled the police station.

One of the officers recalled what Yi Zhonghai had said when he came to the police station earlier—something about "evil spirits claiming lives" and "vengeful ghosts seeking revenge"...

At the time, they thought it was feudal superstition, nonsense...

But now…

Seven people died in a single day, right under the noses of numerous police officers…

There are no coincidences.

Where are there so many "unexplainable" things?

unless…

The killer was not "human".

This thought, like a plague, spread in everyone's mind.

Officer Han stood at the door, listening to these words, his face growing paler and paler.

She turned and went back into the house, closed the door, leaned against the door panel, and took a few deep breaths.

"Sister Han..." Lin Tian looked at her, "What's going on outside?"

Officer Han forced a smile: "It's nothing... it's just... another case..."

She didn't dare to say the specific details.

But Lin Tian already knew.

He could "see" everything clearly through the ghostly figures.

Just then, another exclamation came from the backyard:

"Hey? Look! This corpse... isn't it missing a finger?"

It was the voice of a forensic doctor.

"If I remember correctly, he was the first body brought in these past two days, what was his name... Jia something?"

"Jia Dongxu. The first person to hang himself."

"Oh, oh, I remember now... Hey, you know what... I remember the body was intact when it was brought over, so how come it's missing a finger?"

His voice was filled with doubt and shock.

Another forensic pathologist said, "Let's check the other bodies for any abnormalities?"

A sound of rummaging through things.

Then came a young police officer's trembling voice:

"Report! Yan Jiecheng is also missing a finger..."

"What?!"

It immediately caused an uproar.

"Someone even stole the fingers from the corpse?"

"Outrageous! How dare they come to the police station to steal? They really don't know how many eyes the King of Horse has."

An angry roar.

Director Li returned just then.

When he heard that fingers had been stolen from the corpse, he slammed his fist against the wall in anger: "Outrageous! Utterly outrageous!"

He was panting heavily when he ordered in a stern voice, "Send men to keep a close watch on this. I'll send people to investigate this matter immediately!"

He paused, as if remembering something, and asked the officer on duty, "Has anyone been to the police station before?"

The on-duty officer, Xiao Liu, immediately responded, "Chief, Yi Zhonghai just came by..."

"Yi Zhonghai?" Director Li frowned. "Is he alone?"

"Yes, he was the only one." Xiao Liu nodded.

"That's strange," Director Li muttered to himself.

If he remembered correctly, Qin Huairu said at the Red Star Hotel that Yi Zhonghai left with Sha Zhu and Yan Bugui.

The three of them went out together...

Only Yi Zhonghai came to the police station…

What about the other two?

A terrifying thought suddenly flashed through Director Li's mind—

Could it be that Yi Zhonghai was distracting the officers on duty while Sha Zhu and Yan Bugui were stealing the corpse's fingers from behind?

This conjecture sent chills down his spine.

But thinking about it carefully... it really is possible!

When Yi Zhonghai came to the police station, he pulled Xiao Liu aside and talked for a long time about the "strange things happening in the courtyard," which made Xiao Liu feel uneasy...

Doesn't this just give the accomplices time to commit the crime?

But the problem is...

What use are they to stealing the fingers from the corpse?

Director Li suddenly remembered what the people in the compound had been saying about "evil spirits killing people" and "vengeful ghosts claiming lives"...

Are they about to perform some kind of exorcism?

Using the bones of the dead... to perform rituals?

This thought sent a chill down Director Li's spine.

It might be some kind of evil magic.

"No..." he murmured, "I have to discuss this with Qin Ming."

He instructed the officers to keep an eye on the body, then hurriedly turned around and rushed out of the police station.

After parting ways with Qin Ming at the Red Star Hotel, Qin Ming did not return to the police station, but continued to stake out the area near the courtyard house, searching for clues.

Director Li must find him now.

This is no longer an ordinary murder case.

It involves "feudal superstition" and "stealing fingers from corpses"...

This is extremely serious!

Meanwhile, in the dormitory where he was on duty, Lin Tian had already finished eating.

Tangtang has finished eating too.

"Brother..." Tangtang looked up, her big eyes full of dependence, "Tangtang is sleepy..."

"Go to sleep if you're sleepy." Lin Tian patted her head. "Your brother's here."

Officer Han also came over and picked up Tangtang, saying, "Come on, let me lull you to sleep."

She placed Tangtang on the bed and patted her gently.

Tangtang fell asleep quickly.

Officer Han sat by the bed, looking at Tangtang's peaceful sleeping face, then at Lin Tian eating quietly, and a complex emotion welled up in his heart.

These two children…

So pitiful.

Their parents died, they were bullied by the people in the compound, and now they've been dragged into this horrific case...

She must protect them.

……