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墨書 Inktalez
The bluish-purple light emitted by the blood vanished in the fields as Jiang He crouched down to examine the area. He picked up some loess from the ground; it was slightly damp and looser compared to the surrounding soil, indicating that someone had recently disturbed this land.
Everyone knew they had come tonight to search for a body, so they had prepared shovels and other digging tools early on. Yuan Jun ran back to get the car and drove it directly into the field. The trees in this area were not too dense, and despite the bumpy terrain, the SUV could make its way through. Yuan Jun turned on the headlights, illuminating the recently disturbed soil.
The men took out the shovels from the trunk of the car and began digging into the earth. They dug for a good half hour, but instead of finding a body, they didn’t even see an insect carcass. As the hole grew deeper—deep enough for two people to fit inside—everyone started to sense that something was off.
“Stop digging!” Old Shao waved his hand and said, “The body isn’t here.”
Yuan Jun tossed aside his shovel and wiped the sweat from his forehead. “This is strange; how could that blood just disappear?”
Xu Yiman nodded. “The traces of blood indeed stop here.”
Yuan Jun asked, “Then where did the body go? Did the dead person get up and walk away?”
At that moment, a cold breeze swept through, sending a chill down Yuan Jun’s sweaty back. “It’s possible that there’s no body buried here at all, or maybe that person isn’t dead.”
“Let’s try spraying!” Jiang He said to Xu Yiman. “Isn’t Rumino’s photochemical reaction particularly sensitive? Can it detect blood in the soil?”
“Turn off the headlights!” Xu Yiman replied.
Once the headlights were off, darkness enveloped them again. Xu Yiman shook a spray canister and sprayed it onto the soil. Moments later, a blue glow illuminated the area like eerie ghost lights in a graveyard, creating an unsettling atmosphere.
Xu Yiman said, “From the glow, it does appear to be blood; however, we can’t be certain it’s human blood. Blood from any mammal could cause the reagent to emit light. But given that the bloodstains lead continuously to this spot, I believe it’s highly likely to be human blood. The question remains: where did the body go? Could Li Dabiao have returned to dispose of it again?”
“No!” Old Shao looked at the blue light and said, “In typical murder cases, if a killer thinks that their initial disposal site is too easy to discover, they might indeed choose to dispose of the body a second time to avoid detection. However, such killers usually don’t flee in fear of punishment; otherwise, it feels like hiding something without success. Since Li Dabiao ran away three days ago, why would he need to hide the body again?”
“But the body is still missing,” Yuan Jun said with his hands on his hips.
Jiang He suggested, “There’s a possibility that Li Dabiao was in a hurry to deliver goods to Ladle and only buried it shallowly at first. After making his delivery, he could have returned to properly conceal the body and moved it elsewhere. After clearing out his vehicle's entrails, he would have been able to hide the body inside his own car.”
Hearing Jiang He's words, Old Shao nodded and said, "That's quite possible. It explains why Li Dabiao hasn't returned home; he must be dealing with the body. If that's the case, then Li Dabiao is likely to come back. He probably doesn't know that the situation has been exposed. Guan Deng, send a text to Captain Liu immediately and have him keep an eye on Li Dabiao's movements."
"Should we keep an eye on Xiao Fang to prevent her from tipping off Li Dabiao?" Yuan Jun asked.
"No need," Old Shao shook his head. "From Xiao Fang's attitude towards Li Dabiao, she might actually be hoping something happens to him, preferably that he stays in prison for life."
With that, the group looked at the pit.
Jiang He climbed out of the pit and said to everyone, "Regardless of what happens, we can't let our guard down regarding Li Dabiao. The matter of the human entrails is closely related to him."
"Let's keep searching," Old Shao suggested gently. "Zhai Qiang mentioned seeing something hanging from a tree. At the police station, Zhai Qiang couldn't tell exactly where it was because it was too dark that night. If I'm right, what was hanging from the tree should be the tools used for Zhu Liang's blood transfusion."
Xu Yiman spoke slowly, "I wonder if the murderer has any medical knowledge. If the blood type doesn't match, a transfusion could hasten Zhu Liang's death. The forensic team in the bureau is currently examining this to determine if there is any blood in Zhu Liang's body that doesn't belong to her, but this will take a long time."
Old Shao nodded. "Yes, take your time. If we can find out where the blood came from, we'll know who the murderer is. Now let's see if there are any traces left on the tree. According to Zhai Qiang's account, that tree should be located in the middle section of Qingchun Road, on a tree in the northern field."
"Let's turn on the lights," Yuan Jun suggested. "It's too dark here."
Everyone nodded; it was indeed quite eerie in this pitch-black place.
Just then, they noticed a fireball suddenly appear in the distance. It was about the size of a palm and was floating roughly four feet above the ground. The fireball bobbed and swayed as it drifted through the darkness, seemingly searching for prey.
No one spoke; they simply stared at the fireball in astonishment as it drew closer, appearing to float toward them.
At the same time, a faint sound reached their ears.
Old Shao listened closely; it sounded like some kind of scripture. After straining to hear it better, he murmured, "Great Compassion Mantra."
The Great Compassion Mantra is a Buddhist incantation that can save the world and drive away evil spirits. Yet, in this environment, even hearing the scriptures sends a chill down one's spine. The voice grew closer, and the fireball approached as well, leaving everyone uncertain about what it truly was.
Jiang He suddenly said, "Old Wei."
"Old Wei?" Old Shao looked at Jiang He and asked, "How can you see in this darkness?"
Jiang He shook his head and replied, "I can't see; I can only guess. Old Wei's home doesn't have electric lights, but it does have coal balls. I think this must be a lantern made by Old Wei himself. We found a lot of yellow paper here, which suggests someone often comes to scatter it. The closest person is Old Wei; I believe he came to scatter the yellow paper."
In the dim light, it was hard to tell what was ahead until the figure drew closer. Only then did they realize that the fireball was none other than Old Wei. Standing upright, he held a white lantern in his hand, inside which was an oil lamp with flames dancing within—this was indeed the source of the fireball.
The Great Compassion Mantra was being murmured from Old Wei's lips as he sang softly.
While chanting the Great Compassion Mantra, Old Wei reached into his chest pocket and pulled out handfuls of yellow paper to scatter around him. The yellow paper floated gently down, and when caught by the autumn breeze, some landed in the fields while others settled on treetops.
"What are you doing here?" Upon seeing the project team members, Old Wei stopped chanting and walked over.
Surrounded by darkness, only the glow of Old Wei's oil lamp illuminated his face. In the flickering light, his face appeared darkened, with his eyes squinting so much that his pupils were barely visible. Shadows danced across his features, creating a play of light and dark.
"We were just about to ask you," Yuan Jun said upon spotting Old Wei. "Why aren't you watching over the crematorium? What are you doing here?"
Old Wei pulled out a stack of paper money from his pocket and said, "Me? I'm feeding the lonely souls and wandering ghosts!"
"Feeding lonely souls and wandering ghosts?" Jiang He looked at Old Wei.
Old Wei replied coldly, "Who knows how many people have died at the crematorium? And how many unclaimed bodies are in the funeral home? These are all lonely souls without anyone to worship them. If they aren't honored, they'll seek substitutes."
"Seek substitutes?" Yuan Jun remarked. "First it's Corpse Robbers, now it's substitutes—your stories are quite abundant."
Old Wei finished scattering the last handful of yellow paper from his arms and lifted the lantern, casting its light on Yuan Jun's face. "If a wild ghost can't find offerings, it will come looking for a substitute. When walking at night, you often encounter them. Have you heard such stories? There are tales of someone who walked around at night and returned as if they were a different person, not saying a word or doing anything."
"What happened then?" Yuan Jun shrugged.
Old Wei snorted coldly and continued, "Because he is no longer himself; he has been possessed by a ghost. As soon as he speaks or does anything, his family will realize he is not the same person anymore. So he does nothing, waits until others get used to him, and then he can continue living in place of the original."
"Those who narrowly escape death from serious illness or recently buried corpses can be possessed by spirits and live on as another person!" Old Wei said calmly. "I am here to save people, and I advise you all to head back soon. This place is not clean; you don't want to be entangled by something dirty."
As he spoke, a gust of autumn wind blew by.
Even with the paper lantern shielding them, the flame of the oil lamp flickered, dancing like a lively spirit. Old Wei then lowered the lantern and looked around at the endless fields before saying, "That's all I have to say; take care of yourselves."
With that, Old Wei began reciting scriptures again and hunchbacked away. The group watched as his figure gradually faded into the distance, leaving only the floating fireball behind. Soon, that fireball shrank into a dot and melted into the darkness.
Listening to Old Wei's words, everyone in the group imagined a scene in their minds:
A lonely ghost possessed a freshly dead corpse, which slowly crawled out of its grave with a grin, gradually departing from the fields.
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