What do you mean by saying that the corpses I sew are all ominous creatures?

I put away my phone, leaned back in my chair, and glanced at the two people on the ground who were tied up like dumplings.

Although I had loosened the tension of the Mirage Silk a little, the man in the baseball cap was still being squeezed so tightly that his eyes rolled back.

With a slight thought, I used the bone needles to gently loosen the mirage dragon silk wrapped around his neck.

To allow him to breathe, so as not to actually strangle him.

While waiting for Fang He to arrive with his team, I didn't stay idle. Instead, I took a keen look at the layout of the back room.

Although the room looks unremarkable from the outside, the interior decoration is quite exquisite.

Several old-looking calligraphy and paintings hung on the wall, and a pair of half-person-high blue and white porcelain vases stood in the corner.

Even the chair I'm sitting in is made of the finest nanmu wood.

"Your boss is usually quite generous with money when it comes to you guys."

I looked at the middle-aged boss sprawled on the ground and started chatting casually.

"With this antique shop located here, it must have been helping him launder money or sell stolen goods quite a bit, right?"

The middle-aged boss had completely resigned himself to his fate.

He knew that I had just been calling the Folklore Bureau.

As someone in the industry, he naturally knew what kind of entity the Bureau of Folklore was.

I reckon he was thinking to himself at that moment: it's better for him to fall into the hands of the Bureau of Folklore than into the hands of me, a ruthless person who tortures people with hallucinogenic poison at the drop of a hat.

"Sir... please stop making fun of me."

The middle-aged boss smiled bitterly, his voice weak.

"People like us, to put it bluntly, are just dogs kept in the open by the big boss."

This shop belongs to him, and he hands over most of the profits; we just get a small share.

I nodded slightly and didn't ask any more questions.

Jin Wanliang had mentioned this kind of underground operation model to me in a casual chat before.

The big boss hides behind the scenes, controlling various industries through layers of agents.

If something goes wrong, they can cut off contact at any time and push the agent out as a scapegoat.

This also explains why they can only contact each other via anonymous phone cards.

Time passed by, second by second.

About fifteen minutes later, a series of light but rapid footsteps could be heard outside the antique shop.

Immediately afterwards, the sound of the roller shutter door, which had been locked by the middle-aged boss, being violently broken came from behind.

"Splash!"

The roller shutter door was quickly pulled open, and Fang He led several fully armed team members into the back room.

Stepping across the floor covered in wood chips, Fang He scanned the room.

"Advisor Chen, are these the two people?"

Fang He pointed to the two people on the ground and asked.

"Master Fang."

I stood up and nodded to Fang He as a greeting.

"It's these two people."

The chubby guy is the owner of this antique shop, and the one wearing the baseball cap is his employee.

They have a 'big boss' behind them; Ma Jianguo is one of their men.

As I was speaking, a thought suddenly occurred to me.

The mirage dragon silk binding the two of them instantly slipped to the ground.

The bone needle floated back into my pocket along its trajectory.

Without the support of the mirage dragon silk, the middle-aged boss and the man in the baseball cap collapsed to the ground like two puddles of mud.

The man in the baseball cap covered his neck and coughed violently, greedily inhaling the fresh air.

"Take them away!"

Fang He waved his hand, and several team members behind him immediately stepped forward, put specially made spirit-locking handcuffs on the two of them, and swiftly escorted them out.

"Advisor Chen, I'm busy with official duties, so I won't say much more about reminiscing."

Fang He walked up to me and said seriously.

"Director Lu has already arranged for interrogation experts. As soon as these two arrive at the station, we will immediately begin a surprise interrogation."

"Then I'll have to trouble you."

I nodded.

"These two know about an old incident from ten years ago that involves my missing colleague, Zhang Zhi."

During the interrogation, remember to dig deeper in this direction.

If you have any clues about Zhang Zhi's whereabouts, or any information about that "big boss," please notify me immediately.

"No problem, I'll contact you as soon as I have any news."

Fang He solemnly agreed.

After the handover was completed, I did not linger in the antique shop.

The subsequent search, evidence collection, and interrogation are all areas of expertise for the Bureau of Folklore and Customs, and there's nothing I can do to help by staying here.

Stepping out of the antique shop, the morning sun had already become quite scorching.

I walked to where I had parked, opened the door of the SUV, and got in.

After starting the car, I didn't immediately drive into traffic. Instead, I sat in the driver's seat, looking at the bustling street outside the windshield, lost in thought.

Old Zhang was a tomb raider ten years ago, which really surprised me.

A person who can become the sole survivor in a dangerous ancient tomb is definitely not the honest, timid, and cowardly person he usually appears to be.

He hid in the funeral home for ten years, facing all kinds of dead people every day, and even willingly endured all kinds of difficulties and reprimands from Director Wang.

Was all of this really just to escape the big boss's pursuit?

And what secrets does that bronze "military tally" engraved with a beast's head hold that would make Ma Jianguo risk his life to embezzle it, and cause the big boss to go to such lengths to investigate it?

The most crucial question is, where exactly is Lao Zhang now?

If he really took the military tally, where would he hide it?

I took a deep breath and temporarily suppressed the chaotic thoughts in my mind.

Since I can't find Lao Zhang's whereabouts at the antique shop, I have no choice but to go back to square one.

funeral parlor.

I started the SUV with one hand on the steering wheel.

As I watched the street scene rushing past the window, I silently planned my next move.

Firstly, I've already completed the task that Director Wang assigned me this morning.

He asked me to go check on Lao Zhang to see what was going on—he wasn't answering his phone and hadn't come to work…

Now everything is fine, the situation is very clear.

The person has gone missing and has also become involved in a far-reaching case.

The subsequent tasks of tracking down people and investigating underground forces were not my forte to begin with.

I'm a mortician. It's better to leave the job of finding living people to the professionals in the Bureau of Folklore and the Special Task Force.

Moreover, after confirming Lao Zhang's disappearance, I followed the trail and found so many clues.

Whether it's Director Wang or Old Zhang, this can be considered to have done everything possible.

Thinking about this, I shook my head helplessly.

I wonder if Director Wang will lose even more hair from his already thinning head when he hears the news of Lao Zhang's disappearance.

However, this lighthearted, joking thought only flashed through my mind for a moment.

Then, I stopped smiling and my expression gradually became serious.