Chapter 127
Chapter 127
Xia Sheng still hadn’t figured out how to explain why she was here, but seeing that Shen Zhuoyang had already come up with an excuse for her, she simply went along with it and nodded.
“That’s right. Master Quede has been busy with official business and didn’t have time to come investigate personally, so he sent me instead.”
Shen Zhuoyang believed her and said, “According to the reports from the personnel on site, the Fierce Ghost here has already killed two people in a row. It must be quite powerful.
“Stay behind me later. If that Fierce Ghost starts harming people, I’ll do my best to keep you safe.”
Xia Sheng nodded solemnly. “Thank you.”
Even after seeing her nod, Shen Zhuoyang still wasn’t entirely at ease, so he handed her a piece of Talisman Paper.
“This is a Protective Talisman issued by the Mystic Studies Association. It’s a hundred times more effective than ordinary Protective Talismans. Keep it on you at all times. If I can’t protect you, this Talisman should be able to save your life.”
Standing beside Shen Zhuoyang, team member Li Ziheng glanced at the Talisman he had handed over and looked displeased. “Captain Shen, President Lan specifically asked an expert for this Protective Talisman. Everyone in our bureau only got one each. It’s such a precious item, so how can you just give it away like that?”
Shen Zhuoyang waved a hand and said with righteous composure, “It’s fine. I can protect myself. Safeguarding young people is more important.”
Xia Sheng looked down at the Talisman in her hand, and her eyelid twitched.
She had sold this thing to President Lan for two hundred yuan. She never expected it would end up back in her hands like this.
Meanwhile, Li Ziheng was still complaining. “What young person? I think she’s just dead weight.
“In this line of work, it’s basically all men. I don’t know why a woman like her came here to butt in. If something happens later, we’ll have to protect her too…”
“Li Ziheng!” Shen Zhuoyang frowned and rebuked him. “Mind your manners when you speak to people.”
Li Ziheng curled his lip, clearly unconvinced, and muttered under his breath, “How was I being rude? I was just telling the truth…”
Xia Sheng cast him a sidelong glance and slightly lifted her fingers.
Li Ziheng suddenly felt something smack the back of his head.
He shouted and turned around to look behind him, asking the team member standing there, “Why’d you hit me just now?”
The man being questioned looked utterly baffled and shook his head. “I didn’t hit you.”
Li Ziheng frowned. Just as he was about to speak again, he felt another smack on the back of his head.
He turned around and looked at another team member. “Why’d you hit me again?”
That team member also looked confused. “I didn’t.”
The moment he finished speaking, Li Ziheng felt the back of his head get smacked again.
It didn’t hurt much, but the feeling of being toyed with made him furious.
“Are you two messing with me together or what?”
The two of them still looked confused. Then Li Ziheng got smacked on the back of the head again. This time, he spun around immediately and raised his hand, ready to slap the person behind him.
But before his hand could come down, he realized the person standing behind him was Shen Zhuoyang.
Meeting Shen Zhuoyang’s icy gaze, Li Ziheng’s heart trembled, and he quickly lowered his hand. “C-Captain Shen…”
Shen Zhuoyang’s face was frosty, his authority evident even without anger. “What’s all this commotion about?”
Li Ziheng said aggrievedly, “I’m not making a scene. They were the ones hitting me just now.”
Shen Zhuoyang’s gaze swept over the other two team members, and both of them explained that they hadn’t touched Li Ziheng.
Li Ziheng looked deeply wronged. “Captain Shen, I’m really not lying. They really did hit me just now.”
Shen Zhuoyang’s expression remained unchanged. “Then why did no one around here see them make a move?”
Under the pressure from his captain, Li Ziheng instinctively felt afraid, but he still couldn’t help saying, “But I really was hit. It couldn’t have been a ghost, could it?”
Shen Zhuoyang ignored his explanation and said coldly, “If you keep making trouble, then when we get back, copy the criminal code twice.”
The moment he heard that, Li Ziheng instantly quieted down. Covering the back of his head, he stood off to the side looking utterly aggrieved.
Once Li Ziheng had calmed down, Xia Sheng returned the Talisman Paper in her hand to Shen Zhuoyang. “Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Shen, but Master Quede already gave me a Protective Talisman when I left home, so you should keep this Talisman for yourself.”
Seeing that Xia Sheng was not merely being polite, Shen Zhuoyang took the Talisman back. “All right. Just be careful later.”
After reminding Xia Sheng, he turned back and said to the people behind him, “Check the surrounding area. If you find that Fierce Ghost, kill it on the spot.”
The few people with him all nodded.
When Uncle Liu heard that this group intended to kill his son, he immediately grew anxious and wanted to plead on his son’s behalf.
However, before he could say anything, Xia Sheng pressed down on his hand and shook her head at him.
Uncle Liu didn’t understand what Xia Sheng meant, but since she was telling him not to act rashly, he said nothing. He only watched uneasily as Shen Zhuoyang walked into the hospital room.
Shen Zhuoyang looked around the hospital room, but did not find Haohao anywhere.
The rest of the team searched around the hospital as well, but none of them found any trace of Haohao.
Seeing that Shen Zhuoyang was unable to find Haohao, Uncle Liu finally felt relieved.
Xia Sheng put on a show of following Shen Zhuoyang around the hospital grounds for another round of inspection, then used the excuse of going back to report the situation to Master Quede and prepared to leave with Uncle Liu.
Before she left, Shen Zhuoyang called out to her, “Little Friend Xia, when you go back, please tell Master Quede about the demonic disturbances on Baiyun Mountain. Several of our team members we sent there to investigate have all gone missing.
“President Lan has been handling another incident recently and can’t personally go over to check on the situation. Please ask Master Quede for his opinion and whether he would be willing to go with us to capture that demonic creature.”
Xia Sheng stopped and asked, “What happened over at Baiyun Mountain?”
Baiyun Mountain was a mountain located at the southernmost edge of the Capital City, near the countryside. Xia Sheng had passed by there before when she took the high-speed rail into the city, and at the time she had not sensed anything unusual on the mountain.
Shen Zhuoyang explained, “I don’t know the exact details either. We only received a report before from villagers saying that, over the past month, five young women in the village had gone missing one after another.
“The local police searched the area around the village for half a month. During the search, a female officer on the team accidentally fell into the reservoir while passing by it, and afterward simply vanished into thin air.
“The police suspected demonic interference, so they reported it to the Special Management Bureau. A few days ago, we sent several team members over to investigate, but all of them went and never returned.
“If even four members of our Special Management Bureau disappeared there, then that demonic creature must have some real ability. We likely won’t be able to capture it on our own, so we hope Master Quede will be willing to lend us his help.”
Xia Sheng nodded. “I’ll pass the message along when I get back.”
“Many thanks.”
Xia Sheng returned to Uncle Liu’s home with him, then released Haohao from the Red String on her wrist.
After coming out of the Red String, Haohao instinctively feared Xia Sheng and immediately shrank into a corner, trembling all over.
Xia Sheng opened Uncle Liu’s heavenly eye. The moment he saw Haohao huddled in the corner, Uncle Liu’s eyes reddened, and in a trembling voice he called out, “Haohao…”