Chapter 335 - 328: An Unconventional Arrest

Chapter 335: Chapter 328: An Unconventional Arrest

After a few bloodcurdling screams, everything fell silent, but Old Dan and Xiaohong still didn’t dare to move.

Sweat had already soaked through their clothes. After the initial nervous perspiration, the night wind now made their bodies feel exceptionally cold.

Time passed agonizingly slow. They didn’t dare look at their phones, so they had no idea how long it had been.

It was a good thing there were two of them. If either had been alone, they might have been scared to death.

In any case, there was no chance of them accidentally falling asleep until dawn like in the movies; time just kept ticking by in a state of constant tension.

Finally, Xiaohong had an idea. He quietly took off his overcoat, pulled it over his head, and carefully switched his phone to silent with no vibration. Then, he sent a text message to his coworkers, asking them to call the police.

It was only around nine o’clock at night, not yet the usual time for people to be asleep. He sent a group text, and several of his colleagues received the message.

The content was simple: "Someone’s been killed at the cemetery. Old Dan and I are in grave danger. Call the police for rescue, quick!"

Maybe twenty minutes passed, or maybe it was an eternity as long as two years.

When the sound of sirens finally rang out, the two of them let out a huge sigh of relief.

You don’t normally notice it, but when you’re in danger, the sound of a police siren is truly the most beautiful music in the world.

...

Although Jin County was directly administered by Rongcheng, a homicide case was not a common occurrence for the local police. They had to take it seriously, even if it turned out to be a false alarm, especially since they had received simultaneous calls from several employees of the Little Grey Mountain Cemetery.

A cemetery, and in a mountainous area at that—all sorts of speculations about murder and body-dumping or kidnapping came to mind. The moment the calls were received, a large number of police officers were dispatched.

A total of seven or eight police cars arrived at the cemetery.

The cemetery administration’s small building was the first place they checked. They found none of the lights were on, and there was no one inside.

The entire cemetery was deathly quiet.

Whether it was because it was colder in the mountains or just a psychological effect, the cemetery grounds felt exceptionally grim and chilly.

But with so many people, there was no time for such fanciful thoughts. Their minds were focused on one thing: where were the culprits, and where were Old Dan and Xiaohong.

Keeping their bodies low, they swept the cemetery with their high-powered flashlights.

"Officers!! We’re over here!!"

As if seeing long-lost relatives, the two men scrambled out of a ditch behind a slope and stumbled toward the police.

Their bodies were so stiff and cold that they nearly fell several times.

"Where are the perpetrators? The murderers?"

Facing the police’s questions, neither of them could speak coherently.

"Captain Cheng, there are two more people over here!!"

The voice of another officer from a different direction made Old Dan’s and Xiaohong’s hearts leap into their throats.

"Officer, there’s... there’s a ghost!! A ghost!!"

Xiaohong’s voice was already breaking into a sob, and his words were slurred.

...

The search of the cemetery lasted for more than two hours. Due to a shortage of manpower, they couldn’t conduct a deep search of the mountain, so they could only take all the witnesses and victims back with them.

The witnesses went back to the police station to give their statements, while the victims were sent for emergency treatment.

Xiaoliu and Hu Zi were both sent to the hospital. Hu Zi was still breathing, but Xiaoliu’s neck was twisted like a pretzel. He was likely beyond saving.

Old Dan and Xiaohong had prepared themselves not to be believed. After all, that’s how it always played out in movies and TV shows: the person who saw the ghost tells the police and just gets yelled at.

But unexpectedly, while the first batch of officers did criticize them harshly, a few more officers arrived just minutes later. These newcomers gravely asked them to reconfirm the information again and again, even asking which specific grave it was, who was buried there, and how long they had been buried.

Not only was the cause of Xiaoliu’s death bizarre, but his body was also incredibly cold. Even after a long time at the hospital, his body temperature remained frigid, which unnerved even the medical examiner.

By the next day, special personnel had already contacted the family of the person buried in that grave.

In a small conference room at the Kyoto Special Security Team headquarters, several personnel were listening to a report from Little Grey Mountain.

"Sun Xiaoran, female, twenty-two years old, committed suicide by jumping from a building half a month ago. According to her family, during the funeral, multiple people allegedly saw the deceased’s Ghost Soul. This scared away many distant relatives and friends, and the incident is well-known in the local village."

"Those who claim to have seen it firsthand include the deceased’s parents, her older sister, her paternal uncle, her male cousin..."

Tao Xingzhi exhaled a cloud of smoke from his lungs, not offering any opinion, just listening quietly to the report.

"During the funeral, the deceased’s family hired a Daoist to perform several rituals and purchased a large quantity of ’underworld supplies’ for her, including various paper goods, Netherworld Currency, scriptures, and tin foil ingots."

"When the deceased was cremated and interred at Little Grey Mountain Cemetery, a large amount of Netherworld Coins was also burned at the grave. The victims, Ma Xiaoliu and Chen Hu, were heading to Little Grey Mountain Cemetery that night to steal the ash from the burned tin foil."

"Before the incident, the staff at Little Grey Mountain Cemetery had generally noticed strange occurrences at the cemetery, but there were no actual sightings of any Ghost Souls until between eight and nine o’clock last night."

Huang Jiutian tapped his fingers on the edge of the table. When the report reached this point, he raised his hand to interrupt.

"Has the victim, Chen Hu, woken up yet? What was the testimony from the two witnesses? Could they describe the ’Ghost Soul’s’ appearance or provide any other information?"

"Chen Hu hasn’t regained consciousness yet. According to the local police transcripts, the witnesses stated they heard a conversation between the Ghost Soul and the victims."

"The main topic was asking how to use Netherworld Coins. We have a video of the statement."

Huang Jiutian nodded at him, and the man immediately connected to the multimedia system and played the recording of Old Dan and Xiaohong’s statements.

It lasted about five minutes. Throughout the recording, the two men looked terrified, and police officers could be seen asking solemn questions to confirm details.

After watching the video, everyone in the conference room fell into a state of contemplation.

"Comrades, there are two possibilities here. One, Sun Xiaoran’s Ghost Soul was influenced by something from the Otherworld before or at the moment of her death, making her a unique type of Evolver."

"Two, Sun Xiaoran’s case is part of the changes our world is undergoing. The emergence of ghost-like entities may no longer be an isolated incident!"

Tao Xingzhi paused here.

"It will be difficult for the local police to quickly uncover whether there are hidden circumstances behind Sun Xiaoran’s death. This Ghost Soul has clearly lost most of her memories from when she was human. She possesses only basic logical abilities and is prone to emotional and paranoid behavior, making her quite dangerous."

"Jiutian, you make a trip. Investigate the cause of Sun Xiaoran’s death. And, unless it’s absolutely necessary, do not choose to eliminate it. Capture the Ghost Soul."

After giving the order to Huang Jiutian, he turned to the other members.

"Next is a nationwide investigation. Starting now, conduct a detailed search of all public and private cemeteries, all types of burial sites, and all cremation facilities across the country to determine if similar situations exist."

After the meeting, everyone went their separate ways to carry out their tasks. Huang Jiutian went directly to board a plane to Rongcheng.

Nowadays, whenever Jiutian had to travel a long distance, he took a private jet. It had been a long time since he’d had to buy a plane ticket.

The news, of course, quickly reached Dawn.

It also left Qin Xiaoxia pondering in confusion.

’Sun Xiaoran’s situation was somewhat similar to certain Yin Spirits, but there were also significant differences.’

’Yin Spirit’ was just a translation that fit human language; in reality, they were very different from the ghosts of popular tradition.’

’They aren’t the product of a living being’s death in the conventional sense. Instead, they are an alternative form of life with reproductive behaviors, group cohabitation or solitary existence, and even their own forms of communication, customs, and culture.’

’But Sun Xiaoran was originally a human; she truly became a "ghost" after she died.’

’This was different from the birth of the Holy Spirit back then. Without the Demon Spirit Potion and the Association’s help, Zhang Yi would have been completely obliterated, body and soul, when his physical form collapsed.’

’Based on the nature of the human Soul Essence, some special cases might not dissipate immediately in the brief moments after death, but this only lasts for a short while. Most souls dissipate along with the death of the physical body.’

’It’s more common during emergency medical procedures for a soul to temporarily leave the body, but it is always pulled back by the physical form.’

’Is this phenomenon unique to Earth, is it truly the influence of something from the Otherworld, or is it a combination of both?’

...

After communicating with the Association, Jiutian was naturally aware of this as well. That was why Tao Xingzhi’s order was to capture her alive if possible, which he personally interpreted as ’she must be captured alive.’

He first went to the places the deceased used to frequent and the spot where she jumped to investigate with his Perception, but he didn’t find anything. Afterward, he headed directly to Little Grey Mountain.

The military had temporarily taken control of the area. People who came to pay respects during the Qingming Festival were temporarily turned away with the promise that the cemetery would reopen within three days.

It was now noon. Three people in special uniforms were being led by several soldiers toward Sun Xiaoran’s grave.

In addition to their standard-issue firearms, some of the Soldiers were also equipped with flamethrowers.

"Sir, it’s right over there."

A Soldier pointed toward the headstone.

"Alright, you can go back. Don’t let anyone get close."

"Yes, sir!"

Next to Jiutian was a sturdy, middle-aged man with sharp features. The other person was a girl with an elegant braid that draped over one shoulder, resting against her neck and stopping just above her ample chest.

"Captain Huang, should I go flush it out?"

The middle-aged man opened the large briefcase he had been carrying, revealing a special, hermetically sealed metal box inside.

"No need. We’ll go talk to it directly."

Through the prior investigation, they had gained a detailed understanding of the deceased’s personality from when she was alive. Jiutian wanted to see if that had any bearing on her posthumous state.

The three of them walked step-by-step to the grave. Huang Jiutian squatted down directly in front of the headstone, carefully examining the photograph embedded in it.

"Sun Xiaoran, you have committed murder. We are here to arrest you."

They could feel a cold, grim presence hiding inside the small grave pit. It had to be the Ghost Soul of Sun Xiaoran.

"They stole from me first!!"

A sudden voice came from within the grave.

"Stealing is wrong, of course, but that’s a matter for the police or the cemetery management to handle. By killing someone yourself, you have broken the law. Come with us, and we’ll try to get you lenient treatment."

"But... but I’m a ghost..."

The confused voice drifted eerily from the grave.

The girl standing to the side had to fight to keep a straight face, trying her best not to laugh out loud.

"There is no Underworld in this world. Ghosts in Hua Country are also under the jurisdiction of Hua Country. If you break the law, you will be arrested just the same. Seeing as you were unaware, we will treat you with leniency. But if you resist arrest, the problem will become much more serious!"

Huang Jiutian’s voice was steady and serious, with no hint of a joke. Meanwhile, the middle-aged man and the girl at his side stared wide-eyed, trying not to let any expression show on their faces.

The chilly presence within the grave pulsed for a moment. After a brief silence, the voice spoke again.

"Alright... I’ll go with you..."

’Holy crap! That’s all it took??’

His two colleagues were having a spectacular internal meltdown, their minds a stampede of utter disbelief.

P.S. First Chapter for Saturday.