What kind of magic? This is called cultivating immortality!

After all, if there were no problems, Zhong Hui wouldn't have called people over.

Sure enough, he nodded: "This was a homicide, and I already have a suspect in mind. Come with me, back to the clothing store!"

The two weren't stupid; after hearing this, they immediately recalled a conflict that Zhong Hui had mentioned at the clothing store.

An arrogant and domineering customer, and a sales assistant who feels wronged and has their wages deducted.

Now that a customer has mysteriously fallen to his death, the only suspect with a conflict and a motive seems to be the young girl who was publicly harassed.

The three rushed back to the clothing store. When they arrived, they found the store in complete chaos. Both the shoppers and the staff were pale-faced, and several were screaming in terror.

Zhong Hui grabbed a sales assistant who was running away in a panic and asked sternly, "What happened in the store?"

"Someone...someone's dead!" The sales assistant stammered, shaking all over, and pointed to the screen behind her.

The three exchanged a glance and quickly walked behind the curtain.

Reaching out and lifting the curtain, a corpse hanging in mid-air suddenly appeared before my eyes.

It was the same female store manager who had just bullied her employees and sided with the customers.

Just a short while ago, he was a vibrant person, but now he is a dead body with a livid face and his tongue sticking out.

It's all related to that sales assistant again... Zhong Hui's eyes darkened, and he turned to the panicked crowd in the store, shouting loudly, "Where is Zhang Yun?!"

The entire room fell silent.

Everyone was trembling with fear at the sight of the hanging corpse, and no one dared to utter a sound.

"I am a police officer, Ying Honglian, badge number..."

At the critical moment, Qianjia stepped forward, showed her police ID, and then looked at a slightly bolder, chubby girl in the store, asking in a deep voice, "What just happened in the store? Where did the sales assistant Zhang Yun go?"

The chubby girl took a deep breath, suppressing the fear in her heart, and answered in a trembling voice, "I... I don't know the specifics either... Just now, we suddenly heard the shopkeeper's painful voice coming from behind the curtain. When we went over and lifted the curtain to check, we found that she had hanged herself. Zhang Yun has been missing since then and hasn't appeared at all."

"It really is related to her!" Cang Xing exclaimed in disbelief. "She seemed like a very optimistic and well-behaved person. How could she kill two people just because she suffered a little injustice? This is insane!"

“It might not have been her intention.” Zhong Hui noticed the security camera footage inside the store and calmly analyzed, “It’s possible she was controlled by a witch or a calamity beast. Let’s review the footage and see the whole story before drawing any conclusions.”

Qianjia immediately turned on the store's computer and skillfully retrieved the surveillance footage. Zhong Hui and Cangxing stood close behind her, their eyes glued to the screen.

Soon, the surveillance footage was switched to the most recent time.

In the scene, the shop manager looks dazed, as if he has lost his own consciousness. He holds a rope in his hand and moves stiffly and woodenly, as if he is being controlled by an invisible force, walking step by step behind the curtain.

What followed was the entire process of the shop assistant hearing the noise, rushing to check, and discovering the body.

Zhang Yun, the prime suspect, did not appear in the entire footage.

Chika dragged the monitoring progress bar forward, switching to the time when the three people paid and left.

In the footage, Zhang Yun politely saw the three people out of the shop. After they left, she turned around and took a few steps. As if she had thought of something, she took out a piece of paper from her pocket and quickly wrote on it with a pen.

Chika immediately paused the video feed and zoomed in repeatedly on the details. Unfortunately, the store's surveillance footage was too blurry; no matter how she adjusted it, she couldn't make out the words she was writing on the paper.

She could only continue playing the surveillance footage.

After writing the message, Zhang Yun smiled gently and put the note back in her pocket with satisfaction.

The next second, the monitor screen flickered wildly, and in just a few seconds, she disappeared from the camera's view.

As the series of unusual events unfolded, the truth became clear: this matter was definitely related to the witch, and might even involve those mysterious beings who called themselves gods.

"What should we do now?" Cangxing asked.

“Report it,” Zhong Hui suggested after a moment of contemplation. “This is Jiangbei, under Xiao Henu’s jurisdiction. The witch who dares to cause trouble here is definitely not to be underestimated. If we rashly investigate, we might not be able to defeat her.”

Both nodded in agreement. Cang Xing took out his phone, spoke concisely, and quickly reported to headquarters.

A few minutes later, a gust of wind blew by, and a petite and lovely girl suddenly appeared.

She was slightly out of breath, her gaze quickly sweeping across the chaotic store before landing precisely on the three calm-looking people. She strode forward and said softly, "I am Lu Yusheng from the book club. You're the one who reported to headquarters, right?"

The reading club was a small group formed by Xiao Henu.

"Yes, it was us. This matter..."

Zhong Hui nodded and recounted everything that had just happened in a clear and organized manner, while also sharing his own speculations.

After listening to the entire background and analysis, Lu Yusheng said, "I understand the situation. Thank you for reporting. From now on, this matter will be handled entirely by our reading club."

"Do you need any help?" Sousei asked kindly.

“I appreciate your kind offer, but I won’t trouble you three. This matter happened in Jiangbei, so it’s our responsibility. Besides, you have to participate in the experiment initiated by headquarters tomorrow, so you shouldn’t be too distracted,” Lu Yusheng said with a smile, politely declining.

Upon hearing this, the three of them stopped insisting, said goodbye, and turned to leave the mall.

Since the other party has clearly refused, they have no reason to force their way in.

Moreover, this is Jiangbei, one of the nine core areas, with the top magical girl Xiao Henu in charge. The strength of the other members of the reading club should not be underestimated either, so they should be able to handle this matter properly.

As they reached the mall entrance, Cangxing said regretfully, "I was in too much of a hurry just now. If I had known, I should have asked what tomorrow's experiment would be like. Maybe I could have cheated."

“It’s not too late to go back and ask now,” Qianjia said.

"Never mind, let's wait until tomorrow to find out."

Cangxing, carrying shopping bags full of clothes, walked out of the mall, glancing back one last time, her voice tinged with sadness: "I wonder what will happen to Zhang Yun. She's such a positive and optimistic girl, and yet she's been targeted by that hateful witch..."

"As long as she hasn't been transformed into a calamity beast, there's still a chance she can be saved," Qianjia reassured her.

This is not unprecedented.

Some people have been tainted by the witch's power, manipulated into committing crimes, or bewitched by the witch. In short, as long as they are not transformed into calamity beasts, they can all be saved in the end.

However, physical wounds, mental erosion, and psychological trauma are not so easy to heal.

"Yes, she'll be alright."

"Woooo..."

The piercing sound of police sirens came from not far away, attracting the attention of the three people. They saw police cars arriving at the scene one after another.

Chapter 82 The Wish-Granting Witch

Strangely, two of the police cars that arrived turned around and drove towards the back of the mall.

The three of them immediately sensed something was wrong and quickly followed in unison.

The open space behind the mall has been cordoned off, and the area is crowded with passersby, all taking pictures with their phones.

The three people who rushed over stopped a short distance away and looked into the area behind the police line.

A corpse lay on the crimson ground.

Judging from that bewildered and confused face, it was Zhang Yun, the sales assistant who had disappeared without a trace.

Just minutes before, they were discussing the little girl, clinging to a sliver of hope that she was merely being controlled by a witch and that there was still a chance of her being saved.

In just a few minutes, a vibrant life was lost silently.

The three of them were used to this kind of scene, but looking at the broken and twisted corpse on the ground, they still couldn't help but feel sorry for it.

She was a humble, positive, and optimistic girl who never made a mistake, yet she was inexplicably caught up in disaster and ended up like this.

He died inexplicably, absurdly, and utterly worthless.

Zhong Hui took a deep breath and walked towards the cordon.

"Comrade, please stop!"

The police officers on duty quickly reached out to stop them.

"We were also ordered to come and investigate."

After saying that, Qianjia took out a spare police ID and handed it over.

The young police officer took it and was stunned. He repeatedly compared the ID with the person in front of him.

So young, yet he's a first-level police superintendent in the Jiangbei district?

The more experienced police officer next to him took the ID, verified it, and handed it back with both hands after confirming that it was correct. He saluted, and no one dared to stop him anymore.

Zhong Hui crossed the cordon and crouched down to examine the body.

Zhang Yun's body was covered in shattered flesh and exposed bones. His death was exactly the same as that of the previous rude customer, both dying from a fall from a great height.

Her face still held the bewilderment and confusion of dying, and she seemed not to have realized that she would die like this until the very last second of her life.

At this moment, Zhong noticed that one of her hands was clenched tightly.

He reached out and pried open those stiff knuckles, revealing a crumpled, blood-soaked note lying quietly in his palm.

Zhong Hui unfolded the paper; the handwriting on it was neat and legible, containing only seven small characters:

"I hope I won't be bullied anymore."

So this is what Zhang Yun secretly wrote in the surveillance footage.

An ordinary, humble, and pure expectation of a young girl.

There was no resentment, no desire for revenge, only a hope to no longer suffer injustice and bullying.

Zhong Hui sighed inwardly, repeatedly examining the paper in his hand, but found nothing. He frowned: "This is just an ordinary notepad; I can't detect anything unusual. If the problem isn't with the paper, then what was the witch's motive? Could it be random killing?"

“This method of murder… I think I’ve heard of similar cases before. The victims would always have a note in their hands.” Cangxing suddenly spoke up, biting his finger as he tried to recall.

Zhong Hui and Qian Jia did not urge them, and waited quietly.

A moment later, Cangxing suddenly slapped his forehead and took out his phone to search.

A few seconds later, her eyes lit up, and she said with a hint of smugness, "It really is this! My memory is much better than that idiot captain's, look!"

She turned her phone screen towards the two of them; it displayed a witch's exclusive file.

Wishing Witch, six-star.

Ability: Can grant the wish of the person making the wish, but the result of the wish will be distorted by the witch's perception.

File Notes: Killed by Xiao Henu in Canghai City five years ago, his body was completely destroyed, and the Seed of Sorrow has been archived at headquarters.

He's already dead?

Zhong Hui and Qian Jia were both stunned.

A witch who had long been killed and completely destroyed has reappeared and committed crimes again after five years.