Chapter 071: Who is the Gentleman?
"More complicated?" Yuan Yiping, looking quite exhausted, seemingly asked instinctively. As he spoke, he glanced at Li Xu through the rearview mirror. He seemed uncertain about Li Xu, as if he harbored suspicions but chose not to voice them.
Li Xu's hands fidgeted, rubbing against each other. Tonight, his usually somber eyes seemed ignited with a spark of curiosity. He looked as though he had something to say but glanced at Chi Shen before speaking.
Meeting Li Xu's expectant gaze, Chi Shen gave a nod of encouragement. "Go ahead."
Licking his lips nervously, Li Xu turned to Yuan Yiping, seeking his approval, "May I?"
Yuan Yiping nodded, "If you've noticed something, speak up. It might aid our investigation."
"It's a setup," Li Xul slowly articulated, clearly not used to speaking this way. Excited yet visibly anxious, he stumbled over his words, pausing after his statement.
Sitting in the front passenger seat, Xu Jiayuan was ready to hear more. Noticing the prolonged silence, he couldn't help but turn around, prompting, "What do you mean? What setup?"
Li Xul seemed to be collecting his thoughts. "Let me organize my words. I need to prepare a mental 'presentation'," he mused.
Xu Jiayuan offered, "You can start from the beginning."
After some consideration, Li Xul replied, "The issue is, there are many 'beginnings'. I'm not sure which one to start with."
A chill ran down Xu Jiayuan's spine as he remarked, "It sounds as though there are multiple heads involved..."
Chi Shen, with a hint of amusement in his eyes, suggested, "You could start with the first man-made haunting at the construction site."
"Alright."
Finally organizing his thoughts, Li Xul began, "The first haunting incident was about a week ago. A security guard patrolling the site found a bloodied garment during the night."
Astonished, Xu Jiayuan exclaimed, "We weren't informed of this. How come?"
"Tests confirmed it was chicken blood," Li Xul explained. "Thus, your... Special Security Bureau, perhaps? Might not have been notified since it wasn't really a supernatural incident."
Xu Jiayuan nodded, "We've been swamped recently. If it's not directly related to the supernatural, it might get overlooked."
"It was a probing attempt," Li Xul pointed out.
"A probe?" Xu Jiayuan questioned.
With a solemn nod, Li Xul confirmed, "Yes, a probe. I was puzzled as to why a headless ghost would appear here. But knowing about the Special Security Bureau's involvement, it all started to make sense."
"To see if we would intervene, right?" Yuan Yiping interjected.
"Exactly," Li Xul affirmed.
"Actually, I was aware of the haunting incidents here," Yuan Yiping continued, "We sent someone to check it out. Finding no traces of the supernatural, the case was handed over to the police."
Li Xul elaborated, "All their early actions were aimed at getting the case transferred to the police. When the police failed to resolve it, and the hauntings persisted, people started to believe it wasn't mere mischief but real ghosts. They thought the police were simply incompetent."
Xu Jiayuan responded, somewhat enlightened, "That seems about right. Even when we'd explain natural causes to the locals, they'd dismiss us, preferring to seek out spiritual experts. It always felt like they were... wasting money."
"Once that mentality took hold," Li Xul concluded, "the site's management would no longer turn to the police for subsequent hauntings."
Since Xu Jiayuan had been absent from the entire event and was considerably fatigued, he struggled to grasp the situation. Seeking clarity, he prompted, "What happened next?"
"Chi Shen and I found numerous burnt offerings outside—paper money, incense, candles—it's evidence that the construction site workers sought out spiritual intervention. This indicates the site's manager took the bait. Instead of turning to the police, they turned to mysticism," Li Xul's voice lifted with excitement. "At this point, a real ghost was introduced."
Xu Jiayuan pondered, "If a genuine ghost was set loose at that time, and the site workers refrained from alerting the police, and given the site's remote location, we wouldn't be notified..."
Li Xul clapped his hands in agreement, "Exactly! Their aim was achieved. They went to great lengths to ensure that the haunting would go unnoticed, or more precisely, that the Special Security Bureau remained oblivious."
Confused, Xu Jiayuan asked, "Why go through all this trouble? Just to keep us in the dark?"
From behind the wheel, Yuan Yiping suddenly interjected, "Scam rituals."
Li Xul nodded, "I suspected it was a scam ritual too."
Yuan Yiping elucidated from the front, "We've encountered such situations before. Individuals, familiar with some mystic arts, would capture and nurture a minor ghost, release it in the homes of the wealthy to create disturbances, only to then present themselves as the solution."
After absorbing Yuan Yiping's explanation, Xu Jiayuan fell silent for a moment.
Pleased with his accurate speculation, Li Xul chuckled, "In the past, when there was no oversight, this would've been an easy trick. But now, with the Special Security Bureau around, people think of alerting the police when supernatural events arise. So, these tricksters first had to rule out the possibility of their specters being handled by you."
"That's the case," Yuan Yiping confirmed.
Xu Jiayuan, resting against his seat while fidgeting with his seatbelt, pondered aloud, "Then... the person who released the ghost, could they still be nearby? Should we go back and search for them?"
"I suspect they fled once the police arrived," Li Xul speculated, "Common sense dictates that after unleashing such chaos, the perpetrator would observe from a distance. Seeing the police would've spurred an immediate escape, making capture challenging."
At a red light, Yuan Yiping rubbed his temples, conceding, "Catching them would indeed be tough, but we must still make the effort."
He pulled out his phone to make arrangements. Although they were currently acting on Li Xul's accounts, they couldn't afford to overlook any possibility.
Xu Jiayuan responded despondently, "It's likely a lost cause. Given the situation, they've surely fled by now."
Unexpectedly, Chi Shen chimed in, "Perhaps they had a change of heart and turned themselves in."
Xu Jiayuan loosened his seatbelt, looking back at Chi Shen, earnestly advising, "You can't gauge others' morality based on your own. If they were as noble-hearted as you, they wouldn't resort to such scam rituals. Bai Ran is a prime example. Considering all you've witnessed, it amazes me that you can maintain such an altruistic view of people. You're incredibly kind-hearted."
Seeming slightly embarrassed, Chi Shen smiled sheepishly and blinked, remaining silent.
——
Outside the construction site in the northern harbor.
A young man is sprinting desperately.
Tonight, the sky is laden with heavy clouds. The air smells damp. Although it hasn't rained, neither the moon nor stars shine brightly. Throughout his run, he has tripped and fallen countless times, but he keeps picking himself up and continues.
If he doesn't get up, he'll die right here!
Ignoring the wounds on his scraped knees, he runs, clutching an arm that feels like it might break. Only by running does he have a chance at survival.
His phone broke during a previous fall. He can't call for help. Now, only he can save himself.
"Mister."
He hears the voice of a little girl, sounding so close, as if she's right next to him.
"Come play with me."
He stops abruptly.
Ahead by the roadside sits a little girl covered in blood. Her lower body is missing, with a gruesome sight below her waist as blood drips steadily, emitting a foul smell.
"Your blood smells so sweet."
In the split second he stopped, a withered hand grabs his neck while another pulls at his clothes. A chilling coldness seizes the bleeding wound on his arm – a ghost is feasting on his blood.
He feels a coldness on his calf and looks down to see a ghostly face pressed against his leg. The icy sensation penetrates the fabric, chilling him to the bone and making him shiver.
"Help me, someone, please help!"
Perhaps the heavens heard his desperate cry. He sees a man with glasses approaching. Struggling to break free from the ghostly girl's grip, he yells, "Quick, call the police! Help! Hel—"
But upon getting a clearer look at the man, his voice falters. The man, though appearing as an ordinary office worker wearing glasses, has a translucent quality.
He too is a ghost.
"I'd suggest you go to the police station on your own," the bespectacled ghost remarks.
"No, no—" he collapses, crying out in anguish. He attempts to rise and run once more, but a shadow emerges from his own, grabbing hold of his ankle.
The spectacled ghost gazed at him indifferently, yet spoke in a courteous tone: "Then drag him over."
He understood that this politeness wasn't directed at him.
——
Chi Shen and Li Xu had already gone to the special security bureau for questioning. After a while, someone suddenly knocked and entered, looking quite strange: "A suspect has come to turn himself in."
Xu Jiayuan, nearly dozing off with a pen in hand, jolted up, "Who? Where? Turned himself in?"
Yuan Yiping was already out the door, and soon returned with a trembling young man who seemed out of it and could barely articulate. Xu Jiayuan hurriedly tried to find someone to examine him, but Yuan Yiping stopped him.
"It's alright, just scared," Yuan Yiping said, "Get him a cup of hot tea."
Xu Jiayuan stood up to pour the tea. Chi Shen had walked out of the interrogation room by then. Looking at the trembling man in the hall, he tilted his head and asked, "From the Bai family?"
Yuan Yiping looked up at Chi Shen: "You know him?"
"Saw him at Bai Hengqing's place," Chi Shen replied.
Xu Jiayuan returned with the tea, questioning: "So many people that night, and you remembered him?"
Chi Shen smirked, "He was the most active, right at the forefront."
Upon hearing Chi Shen's words, the man suddenly snapped to his senses. Seeing Yuan Yiping and Xu Jiayuan, he froze.
Xu Jiayuan eyed him closely: "Did you have anything to do with the incident at the northern harbor construction site?"
The man vehemently shook his head: "No!"
Li Xu couldn't help but show a pitiable expression: "He hasn't even specified which incident."
Yuan Yiping chimed in: "I'll fetch the axe."
The man lost his balance, sliding off the chair in terror: "I did it, I did it! I just wanted to make some quick money!"
Yuan Yiping gave a tired, wry smile: "Let's follow procedure."
Chapter 071: Who is the Gentleman?
"More complicated?" Yuan Yiping, looking quite exhausted, seemingly asked instinctively. As he spoke, he glanced at Li Xu through the rearview mirror. He seemed uncertain about Li Xu, as if he harbored suspicions but chose not to voice them.
Li Xu's hands fidgeted, rubbing against each other. Tonight, his usually somber eyes seemed ignited with a spark of curiosity. He looked as though he had something to say but glanced at Chi Shen before speaking.
Meeting Li Xu's expectant gaze, Chi Shen gave a nod of encouragement. "Go ahead."
Licking his lips nervously, Li Xu turned to Yuan Yiping, seeking his approval, "May I?"
Yuan Yiping nodded, "If you've noticed something, speak up. It might aid our investigation."
"It's a setup," Li Xul slowly articulated, clearly not used to speaking this way. Excited yet visibly anxious, he stumbled over his words, pausing after his statement.
Sitting in the front passenger seat, Xu Jiayuan was ready to hear more. Noticing the prolonged silence, he couldn't help but turn around, prompting, "What do you mean? What setup?"
Li Xul seemed to be collecting his thoughts. "Let me organize my words. I need to prepare a mental 'presentation'," he mused.
Xu Jiayuan offered, "You can start from the beginning."
After some consideration, Li Xul replied, "The issue is, there are many 'beginnings'. I'm not sure which one to start with."
A chill ran down Xu Jiayuan's spine as he remarked, "It sounds as though there are multiple heads involved..."
Chi Shen, with a hint of amusement in his eyes, suggested, "You could start with the first man-made haunting at the construction site."
"Alright."
Finally organizing his thoughts, Li Xul began, "The first haunting incident was about a week ago. A security guard patrolling the site found a bloodied garment during the night."
Astonished, Xu Jiayuan exclaimed, "We weren't informed of this. How come?"
"Tests confirmed it was chicken blood," Li Xul explained. "Thus, your... Special Security Bureau, perhaps? Might not have been notified since it wasn't really a supernatural incident."
Xu Jiayuan nodded, "We've been swamped recently. If it's not directly related to the supernatural, it might get overlooked."
"It was a probing attempt," Li Xul pointed out.
"A probe?" Xu Jiayuan questioned.
With a solemn nod, Li Xul confirmed, "Yes, a probe. I was puzzled as to why a headless ghost would appear here. But knowing about the Special Security Bureau's involvement, it all started to make sense."
"To see if we would intervene, right?" Yuan Yiping interjected.
"Exactly," Li Xul affirmed.
"Actually, I was aware of the haunting incidents here," Yuan Yiping continued, "We sent someone to check it out. Finding no traces of the supernatural, the case was handed over to the police."
Li Xul elaborated, "All their early actions were aimed at getting the case transferred to the police. When the police failed to resolve it, and the hauntings persisted, people started to believe it wasn't mere mischief but real ghosts. They thought the police were simply incompetent."
Xu Jiayuan responded, somewhat enlightened, "That seems about right. Even when we'd explain natural causes to the locals, they'd dismiss us, preferring to seek out spiritual experts. It always felt like they were... wasting money."
"Once that mentality took hold," Li Xul concluded, "the site's management would no longer turn to the police for subsequent hauntings."
Since Xu Jiayuan had been absent from the entire event and was considerably fatigued, he struggled to grasp the situation. Seeking clarity, he prompted, "What happened next?"
"Chi Shen and I found numerous burnt offerings outside—paper money, incense, candles—it's evidence that the construction site workers sought out spiritual intervention. This indicates the site's manager took the bait. Instead of turning to the police, they turned to mysticism," Li Xul's voice lifted with excitement. "At this point, a real ghost was introduced."
Xu Jiayuan pondered, "If a genuine ghost was set loose at that time, and the site workers refrained from alerting the police, and given the site's remote location, we wouldn't be notified..."
Li Xul clapped his hands in agreement, "Exactly! Their aim was achieved. They went to great lengths to ensure that the haunting would go unnoticed, or more precisely, that the Special Security Bureau remained oblivious."
Confused, Xu Jiayuan asked, "Why go through all this trouble? Just to keep us in the dark?"
From behind the wheel, Yuan Yiping suddenly interjected, "Scam rituals."
Li Xul nodded, "I suspected it was a scam ritual too."
Yuan Yiping elucidated from the front, "We've encountered such situations before. Individuals, familiar with some mystic arts, would capture and nurture a minor ghost, release it in the homes of the wealthy to create disturbances, only to then present themselves as the solution."
After absorbing Yuan Yiping's explanation, Xu Jiayuan fell silent for a moment.
Pleased with his accurate speculation, Li Xul chuckled, "In the past, when there was no oversight, this would've been an easy trick. But now, with the Special Security Bureau around, people think of alerting the police when supernatural events arise. So, these tricksters first had to rule out the possibility of their specters being handled by you."
"That's the case," Yuan Yiping confirmed.
Xu Jiayuan, resting against his seat while fidgeting with his seatbelt, pondered aloud, "Then... the person who released the ghost, could they still be nearby? Should we go back and search for them?"
"I suspect they fled once the police arrived," Li Xul speculated, "Common sense dictates that after unleashing such chaos, the perpetrator would observe from a distance. Seeing the police would've spurred an immediate escape, making capture challenging."
At a red light, Yuan Yiping rubbed his temples, conceding, "Catching them would indeed be tough, but we must still make the effort."
He pulled out his phone to make arrangements. Although they were currently acting on Li Xul's accounts, they couldn't afford to overlook any possibility.
Xu Jiayuan responded despondently, "It's likely a lost cause. Given the situation, they've surely fled by now."
Unexpectedly, Chi Shen chimed in, "Perhaps they had a change of heart and turned themselves in."
Xu Jiayuan loosened his seatbelt, looking back at Chi Shen, earnestly advising, "You can't gauge others' morality based on your own. If they were as noble-hearted as you, they wouldn't resort to such scam rituals. Bai Ran is a prime example. Considering all you've witnessed, it amazes me that you can maintain such an altruistic view of people. You're incredibly kind-hearted."
Seeming slightly embarrassed, Chi Shen smiled sheepishly and blinked, remaining silent.
——
Outside the construction site in the northern harbor.
A young man is sprinting desperately.
Tonight, the sky is laden with heavy clouds. The air smells damp. Although it hasn't rained, neither the moon nor stars shine brightly. Throughout his run, he has tripped and fallen countless times, but he keeps picking himself up and continues.
If he doesn't get up, he'll die right here!
Ignoring the wounds on his scraped knees, he runs, clutching an arm that feels like it might break. Only by running does he have a chance at survival.
His phone broke during a previous fall. He can't call for help. Now, only he can save himself.
"Mister."
He hears the voice of a little girl, sounding so close, as if she's right next to him.
"Come play with me."
He stops abruptly.
Ahead by the roadside sits a little girl covered in blood. Her lower body is missing, with a gruesome sight below her waist as blood drips steadily, emitting a foul smell.
"Your blood smells so sweet."
In the split second he stopped, a withered hand grabs his neck while another pulls at his clothes. A chilling coldness seizes the bleeding wound on his arm – a ghost is feasting on his blood.
He feels a coldness on his calf and looks down to see a ghostly face pressed against his leg. The icy sensation penetrates the fabric, chilling him to the bone and making him shiver.
"Help me, someone, please help!"
Perhaps the heavens heard his desperate cry. He sees a man with glasses approaching. Struggling to break free from the ghostly girl's grip, he yells, "Quick, call the police! Help! Hel—"
But upon getting a clearer look at the man, his voice falters. The man, though appearing as an ordinary office worker wearing glasses, has a translucent quality.
He too is a ghost.
"I'd suggest you go to the police station on your own," the bespectacled ghost remarks.
"No, no—" he collapses, crying out in anguish. He attempts to rise and run once more, but a shadow emerges from his own, grabbing hold of his ankle.
The spectacled ghost gazed at him indifferently, yet spoke in a courteous tone: "Then drag him over."
He understood that this politeness wasn't directed at him.
——
Chi Shen and Li Xu had already gone to the special security bureau for questioning. After a while, someone suddenly knocked and entered, looking quite strange: "A suspect has come to turn himself in."
Xu Jiayuan, nearly dozing off with a pen in hand, jolted up, "Who? Where? Turned himself in?"
Yuan Yiping was already out the door, and soon returned with a trembling young man who seemed out of it and could barely articulate. Xu Jiayuan hurriedly tried to find someone to examine him, but Yuan Yiping stopped him.
"It's alright, just scared," Yuan Yiping said, "Get him a cup of hot tea."
Xu Jiayuan stood up to pour the tea. Chi Shen had walked out of the interrogation room by then. Looking at the trembling man in the hall, he tilted his head and asked, "From the Bai family?"
Yuan Yiping looked up at Chi Shen: "You know him?"
"Saw him at Bai Hengqing's place," Chi Shen replied.
Xu Jiayuan returned with the tea, questioning: "So many people that night, and you remembered him?"
Chi Shen smirked, "He was the most active, right at the forefront."
Upon hearing Chi Shen's words, the man suddenly snapped to his senses. Seeing Yuan Yiping and Xu Jiayuan, he froze.
Xu Jiayuan eyed him closely: "Did you have anything to do with the incident at the northern harbor construction site?"
The man vehemently shook his head: "No!"
Li Xu couldn't help but show a pitiable expression: "He hasn't even specified which incident."
Yuan Yiping chimed in: "I'll fetch the axe."
The man lost his balance, sliding off the chair in terror: "I did it, I did it! I just wanted to make some quick money!"
Yuan Yiping gave a tired, wry smile: "Let's follow procedure."
