The police car drove at an incredible speed, though toward the First Public Hospital instead of the police station.
The car was parked at the hospital and the two people got out. Tang Hao saw Captain Zhou walking toward him, bringing along a squad of police officers.
“You’re here, Brother Tang!”
Captain Zhou walked in front of Tang Hao and shook his hands passionately.
“There’s something uncanny about this case. I’ll have to rely on a master like you, Brother Tang!” Captain Zhou said flatteringly.
Tang Hao smiled and said, “What’s the matter, Captain Zhou? Is it a ghost or some other malign force?”
“Well… I’m not too sure myself. You’re the ghost expert,” Captain Zhou said as he shook his head.
“It’s like this. There was a murder at a countryside mansion yesterday night. A couple was living in the mansion. One of them died, and the other survived.
“The one who died was the male. His corpse was found in a gruesome condition. Both of his eyes were gouged from their sockets, and his entire body has been twisted like a breadstick by an immense force. Meanwhile, the female managed to escape though she suffered injuries. She is currently under treatment in the hospital.”
Tang Hao frowned slightly when he heard that.
“The entire body was twisted? That is indeed uncanny,” Tang Hao mumbled.
“Hah! Brother Tang, you should know that there is a recording of the scene. It looked just like a horror movie.”
As he spoke, Captain Zhou trembled and his face turned pale. He instinctively clutched the amulet on his chest.
That amulet was none other than the one bought from Taoist Master Chang Qing.
Captain Zhou then noticed that the police officers regarded him differently. He coughed and shook his body, then assumed a gallant pose.
“Ahem! Why are you all looking at me like that? Hm? All you whelps need to be whipped! Do I look like I’m afraid of ghosts? We’re the citizen’s police radiating with positive energy! Even ghosts would run away when they see us,” Captain Zhou thumped his chest as he spoke.
The other officers regarded him more strangely. Even Zhao Qingxue rolled her eyes at him.
“Ahem! Anyway, Brother Tang, look at this recording. It’s from the victim’s phone.”
Captain Zhou smiled at Tang Hao and lifted the tablet computer in his hands.
He tapped several times. Soon, heavy breathing sounds were heard.
The corridor fell into silence. Even the passers-by stopped to see what was going on.
Captain Zhao’s face turned bright red. He hastily pressed the pause button.
“Haha! My bad. I forgot to skip to the correct scene,” Captain Zhou said awkwardly, “Sigh! Why are young people nowadays so depraved? Why did they have to record the scene of them doing it?
“Anyway, it’s fortunate that we have a recording of this rare occurrence.”
Captain Zhou tapped on some more buttons on his tablet computer, then lowered the volume before handing it to Tang Hao.
“Wow, they have a water bed too! They must know how to enjoy life!” Tang Hao mumbled.
“Ahem! That’s not the main point, Brother Tang!” Captain Zhou reminded him.
Tang Hao coughed awkwardly, then placed all his attention on the screen.
On the screen, a sudden wind rose and shook the furniture around the bed. Then, the young male looked like he was lifted from the bed by an invisible, gigantic hand.
His body twisted and contorted as it hovered in the air. A heart-rending scream was heard. The scene was beyond cruelty.
Meanwhile, the female shrieked as she rolled off the bed and ran out of the room.
After that, the male died a slow and painful death. His entire body was twisted, and his eyeballs burst out of their sockets.
The lifeless body then landed on the bed with a thud.
Nothing happened on the screen for a while. Suddenly, a red shadow hovered past the left corner of the screen.
Tang Hao was stunned. He immediately tapped on the screen.
The video was paused, showing the blurry red shadow.
Tang Hao stared at the screen for a very long time.
The shadow was blurry and its face could not be clearly seen. Even so, he was very sure that it was a ghost, and not a tame one at that.
Only a malicious ghost with immense power could lift a grown adult man and twist his body like a breadstick.
“What about it, Brother Tang? Can you discern anything?” Captain Zhou asked.
Tang Hao pondered for a while, then said, “It’s a malicious ghost. And it’s very powerful too.”
Captain Zhou shuddered and his face turned pale when he heard that.
“How… How powerful is it?”
“More powerful than the last one!” Tang Hao said honestly.
Captain Zhou sucked in a breath of cold air. His face turned paler than ever as he clutched the amulet that he wore.
Tang Hao laughed. “Where’s the mansion, Captain Zhou? We should go take a look!”
Captain Zhou’s head shook like a rattle. “No no no, I don’t think I should go. Lil… Lil Zhao, you can follow him there!”
“Me again?” Zhao Qingxue said, frustrated.
“Don’t talk back, Lil Zhao, this is an order!” Captain Zhao coughed and said.
“Hmph!”
Zhao Qingxue stamped her foot but still brought Tang Hao outside anyway.
The incident happened in the northern countryside. It was a secluded mansion in the mountains.
The car ride there took more than half an hour.
After he got out of the car, Tang Hao channeled qi into his eyes and opened his third eye, then scanned the surroundings.
At first glance, the area had a strong flow of positive qi. It did not look like a haunted place at all. Upon closer inspection, he could sense traces of ghostly qi in the air. It must have been left behind by the ghost from last night.
“That’s weird!” Tang Hao mumbled to himself, then walked toward the mansion.
He entered the room in which the incident happened, then checked the other rooms of the mansion and found nothing.
He circled the perimeter of the mansion, and once again found nothing.
“Something’s not right.”
The activity of a typical ghost would usually be restricted to a certain area. Wandering ghosts were exceedingly rare.
Ghost attacks usually happened when humans entered their territory.
Other than that, the other common reason for a ghost attack would be revenge.
If a human died while bearing a serious grudge, they could easily turn into a vengeful ghost and seek revenge from the people that wronged them.
Tang Hao pondered carefully. He was coming close to a conclusion.
“What’s the identity of the deceased victim, Officer Zhao?” Tang Hao asked.
“The victim’s name is Sun Yu. He’s a famous rich kid with a wealthy background. His family is the biggest furniture maker in the district.”
“What’s his personality like?” Tang Hao asked again.
“Um, well, how do I put it… He’s a rather detestable playboy. All he ever does is flirt with women. His reputation isn’t exactly pristine.”
Tang Hao lifted an eyebrow. “And the female?”
“Her name is Qian Yifei. She also comes from a wealthy family.”
“Did she say anything about the incident?”
“Not much. She said that she didn’t quite remember what happened last night because of the extreme fright she suffered. She couldn’t even remember how she escaped from the place. One thing she knew was that her Buddhist prayer beads had blocked the thing that attacked her.”
“Buddhist prayer beads?” Tang Hao was surprised to hear that.
“According to her, it was a protective charm from her father which he received from an eminent monk. She had been wearing it on her wrist, though the beads shattered after yesterday’s attack.”
“I see! This is interesting!” Tang Hao mumbled as he narrowed his eyes.
“What’s so interesting? What are you talking about?” Zhao Qingxue was clueless.
“Let’s return to the hospital! If I’m not mistaken, the ghost should appear again tonight. I’ll have a chat with it.”
After that, Tang Hao walked directly to the entrance of the mansion.