Baxian Hotel: Volume 2

By Li GouHai

Noon people eat lunch, midnight soul knocks on the door. The Yang World cannot enter, the Underworld's soul does not exist. The Eight Immortals Hotel only cared about matters that it couldn't explain.

My name is Xia Siche, the fourth manager of the Eight Immortals Hotel, nicknamed "the fourth boss".

The previous three managers had all not lived past the age of 50, but the eight stewards on the eighth floor of the restaurant were concealing the secret of this hundred year old shop.

And the story I want to tell starts from the eight stewards …

• Language: English
• Publisher: Funstory
• Release date: Apr 25, 2020
• ISBN: 9781648973956

Book preview

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CHAPTER 101 - C101

I returned the phone to Captain Zhao and asked, Who are the missing people?

Captain Zhao took out a notebook and looked at it, All three of them are women and they are quite young. The two of them were unmarried, while the other one was married. His husband came back from a business trip and thought that she had gone back to his parents' home, but after three days, he called the police. The two of them went missing for a longer time, not living with their families. In the end, the family became the unit and the unit thought they were at home. Only three people and one person found out that they had been gone for half a month. "

In other words, those women who are lost are all women of the same age? Mao Babao came over and asked: Is it possible that it's some kind of international human trafficking organization?

The Captain Zhao shook his head and replied, They sent people to check, but they haven't found any signs of them going out yet. Moreover, among these people, only the married woman has a car at her house, but she hasn't driven it yet.

As he was speaking, a medical examiner came over and greeted them, Captain Zhao, the scene is ready. You can come in.

Captain Zhao followed him up to the third floor. The security door on the right was open and the policemen were going in and out. It seemed like this was the scene.

This was a small two-bedroom, two-room house. After entering, he carefully avoided all the traces marked by the police officers. There was a chair in the corner of the restaurant, and a heating pipe was exposed above the chair. A woman's body was placed quietly beside the chair. A few medical examiners were preparing to put her in a body bag.

Captain Zhao told the medical examiner to wait a moment, then he let us stand in front. She was a gentle and graceful woman who looked to be in her mid-twenties. Her skin had turned slightly green, unlike the time when she hanged herself in the morning. The long black head made her face small and pale. His lifeless eyes widened and his mouth was slightly open, as if he could say something at any moment. There was a thick and heavy scar on her neck, but it wasn't very heavy. It was just that it was particularly eye-catching against her white skin.

Bao Mu stood up and silently placed his hand on the female corpse's face. He closed his eyes for a moment, then shook his head at me. I looked at Mao Babao and he shook his head.

I frowned as I thought for a long time, but still couldn't think of a solution. I turned my head to Captain Zhao and asked, Does she live by himself?

Captain Zhao called the medical examiner to pack the corpse and carried it away. He turned around and took a notebook from another police officer and said while reading, You live by yourself. The clothes in the bedroom are all female's, their sizes are the same. Chopsticks in the kitchen and washrooms in the washing machine have been checked, and there is no sign of a second family member.

I sighed and patted him on the shoulder. We don't have anything to find for now, so we'll keep looking around. I'll head back first and come over at night. At that time, I'll be filled with dark energy. Maybe I'll be able to find something else.

Coming out of the scene, on the way back to the Baxian Hotel, I ran into Miss Kong the moment I entered the door, complaining to me. Fourth Boss, do you still want to care about things like that? If you don't care, then I will. As he said that, Miss Kong clenched his fist until it made a cracking sound.

I was confused, Miss Kong, what's wrong with Erha? Isn't he just in time?

Miss Kong's face was filled with anger: He's fine, it's going to be bad soon!

I pulled her into a chair and poured her a glass of water. Tell me about it. "

Miss Kong finished all the water in one gulp and said angrily, I took out my skirt and jacket to dry this morning, but they disappeared in a short while. After searching for a long time, she realized that Hamborg was wearing it, and was even strolling around! After saying that, the Miss Kong looked at Mao Babao fiercely, Mr Mao, did you casually find a woman's soul or an abnormal soul to make up for his?"

Mao Babao waved his hands: I came from there seriously, and Mr Chen was also there at that time, so I could tell if there was a problem already.

When they were talking, a loud sound came from behind them, and when they turned around, Hamborg was kicked out of a room. Hamborg stood up very awkwardly, the red dress he was wearing was already completely covered in dust, and on his hands was a pair of high heels that were crooked from his stomps.

I hurriedly pulled Miss Kong, who was about to fight with Hamborg, turned around and asked him, Who hit you?

Me! Gouer angrily took a step forward.

What did he do? I was completely stupefied.

With one hand on's waist and the other on her other hand, Gouer pointed at Hamborg. After holding back for a long time, she finally said, He ~ he ~ he secretly drank my brown sugar, ginger water ~ ~

Before I could go in the evening, Director Duan and Captain Zhao directly went in. However, this time it was the two of them who wanted me to use my personal identity to help.

We don't have much evidence so far. The surveillance has also seen it. No one has left the city. Captain Zhao placed a pile of materials in front of me.

Speak, how do you want me to cooperate? I randomly flipped through the photos. They showed a few girls in their twenties. No matter who they were, their motives were still quite strong.

Captain Zhao glanced at Commissioner Duan, then smiled at me and said, We want to deal with things according to the general nature of a gang. Thus, he decided to first arrange for a female officer to move in. However, he was afraid that there might be something in that aspect, so he invited Fourth Boss out of the mountain ~ ~ His words emphasized the word that aspect , as if he was referring to something.

You mean, let me live with a policewoman and pretend to be husband and wife? I was a little surprised. I've watched too many movies like this, and it really surprised me when it happened. There are a lot of people in the Baxian Hotel, do you guys think I can do it?

At this time, Director Duan, this old fox, spoke up. Little Xia, Chief Xia Why don't you meet with our policewoman and talk about work? "Let's see if we can work together.

He tilted his head and glanced at Mao Babao and Brother Tao the cooks who were using the alcohol as cover and laughing beside the table. I knew that these old fellows had probably colluded with them long ago. I casually picked up a peanut and smashed it towards Mao Babao: Mr Mao, are you guys looking to quickly change to Fifth Boss?

Mao Babao laughed and avoided the question, Fourth Boss, stop messing around. I, Director Duan, am seriously discussing work with you, so listen carefully and actively cooperate with me. Don't think too much into it.

I sighed, took out my cell phone and tossed it to Director Duan. Director Duan asked, What does that mean?

I rolled my eyes. Give me the phone number of that police officer. How else can I contact him?

I have to admit, the efficiency of the people's police force is still very high. Before noon the next day, I saw my partner, the policewoman called Bai Ning.

Bai Ning is a full ten years younger than me, and had just graduated from the police academy for less than two years. She had always been quarreling with the idea of becoming a criminal investigation officer, so Captain Zhao took this opportunity to transfer her over. The other reason is because Bai Ning is single right now, and she has a pretty good appearance, matching the care these old guys have towards my private life.

I drove Bai Ning to our new home, which was above the victim's building. Ever since then, a few more missing girls were exposed, and the residents upstairs were all shocked, it was said that someone had moved out on the same day. Aside from taking away my clothes and valuables, I rented out the furniture for the night.

The two of us announced to the outside that we were a couple that had moved out temporarily because of the renovation of the new house. We carried the suitcases upstairs in a hurry, and other than the clothes, there were also some other necessary equipment for handling the case.

Seeing that we were new here, the neighboring auntie was quite enthusiastic. She helped to open the door while boiling water for us to drink, but in the midst of her enthusiasm, she secretly pulled me to the side. Little fellow, don't blame us for not reminding you. There was something wrong with this building. One of them had just died yesterday, and the police said that a few of them were still missing. You youngsters may not believe this, but you have to be careful. "

I hastily nodded my head and took the opportunity to ask, Aunt, what's going on? Is there something dirty here, or is there a bad person?

The neighboring auntie lowered her voice even more, I heard that there's something dirty. The one that died yesterday is really strange. They say the girl came back after she was dead and hung herself on the rope. Tsk tsk, you said that was so scary. What kind of master did the police find? "

I subconsciously looked at my clothes. Luckily, they were different from the ones I wore yesterday. I didn't show my face, otherwise, when I stood here, half of the people in this building would have to run away.

While I was chatting with my auntie, Bai Ning had already packed everything. She even washed a few fruits for her to give her as thanks, making her smile blossom from happiness. She repeatedly said to me, Your wife is so sensible. I stretched out my hand to pull Bai Ning away. With the excuse of going out to eat, I escaped from this passionate aunt.

After a simple meal in the restaurant, Bai Ning and I slowly walked back. Bai Ning leaned close to my side and whispered, Manager Xia, we have a basic understanding of the situation in the building, there are two suspicious areas. One of them is the cistern for the employees to bathe in, the other is the one on the roof. There were also basements, many of which had not been used for a long time. Where do you think it might be if it was?"

I looked at her in astonishment. I didn't expect that this girl was even more concerned about this kind of thing than her captain. I pondered for a moment. Let's not think about those things and see if they are possible criminals. My main task is to protect you. If you have those things, you have to leave immediately. I will take over from here.

Just as Bai Ning wanted to say something, a woman in front of him suddenly called out to me.

Xia Siche, why are you here? Who is she to you?

CHAPTER 102 - C102

In front of him stood a woman wearing a black coat with a ball tied casually on her head. She was holding a little boy in her hand. Her name is Wu Sisi, she's my high school classmate and also my first love girlfriend. We had been together since high school, and then she had gone away to college, and I had wandered between companies. Even though it was a strange place, it didn't hinder our relationship. A whole drawer of train tickets was the best witness to that period.

A few years later, she returned to work. She was a top student at a prestigious university, and her unit was good, but I was still working my way back from one company to another as a bad family. After a few quarrels, we decided to live together first, perhaps after we were together, life's monotony would make us more tolerant of each other. However, the closer they were, the closer the gap between their hearts. Living together made many small things even more troublesome. Finally, after a fight, she went back to her parents and never again appeared in my life. Now that he thought about it, nearly ten years had passed.

In the past few years, I have lost count of the number of so-called girlfriend, only a few years before I began to slowly converge. I even forgot some of their names. I desperately tried to fade this woman's memory, but I couldn't do it. No matter who was lying next to me, it always hurt to think of her.

Actually, I met her a few days ago at the same Shining Pill Shop where Wang Baqi bought the snacks. At that time, she really wanted to push open the car door to greet her, but she didn't have the courage to do so. She didn't expect to meet her here tonight. She didn't look much different from back then, except that she looked a little older. The child she was holding in her hand was also skinny. A pair of big eyes blinked at me timidly.

Bai Ning leaned on me, and purposely asked a little loudly. Hubby, who is she? You know her?

This was what we had agreed upon at the beginning. Any one of us in this compound could be a suspect's spy, and we cannot reveal our identities at any time. What Bai Ning did was correct, but at the moment, I felt extremely uncomfortable.

I lightly pulled at the arm that Bai Ning was hugging tightly and stammered, Oh ~ this, this is my high school classmate. Wu ~ Wu Sisi ~ ~

Bai Ning laughed and extended her hand: Hello, my name is Bai Ning.

Wu Sisi paused for a moment, and then smiled, gently stroking the long hair by her ear, she gracefully held Bai Ning's hand. Hello, Wu Sisi. I was a bit too excited just now, I didn't expect to meet an old classmate here."

Is this your son? So cute. What's your name? How old are you? Bai Ning squatted down and gently pinched the boy's face, causing the boy to shyly shrink back.

He's called Wu Mingzhe. He's nine years old, but he's so shy. He's so old yet he doesn't know how to call people. Wu Sisi also squatted down, encouraging the little boy with a doting look.

Looking at this scene, I silently walked away for a few steps and lit a cigarette. I was unable to tell what it felt like. From the name, Wu Mingzhe's life after marriage did not seem to be very pleasant.

When do you want a child? It's nice to have a kid. Wu Sisi suddenly asked.

Oh ~ We … Still not in a hurry, not in a hurry … I hastily took over the conversation.

Bai Ning glanced at me, then quickly added, I just moved today, so I'm a bit tired. We'll stay at the building in front of us. If you have time, come over and play.

Wu Sisi was startled for a moment, I also live in that building, Unit Two. What about you?"

Unit one, fourth floor. Bai Ning quickly replied.

Back in my room, I threw my coat down on the sofa. Bai Ning brought a cup of water for me. Looks like she's an old girlfriend.

I took the water and drank it down. Nothing. When do we start working? "

Bai Ning laughed, "Captain Zhao did not say anything, but wanted us to pay more attention to the suspicious personnel in the courtyard. If we have the chance, we can arrange a few more locations where the corpses could be hidden. Seeing how tired you are today, you don't seem to be in the mood.

I nodded and said nothing more. Bai Ning sensibly took the cup and placed it aside as she walked into the bedroom. I put my arm behind my head and lay quietly on the sofa, lost in thought. Maybe I was sleepy, but it didn't take me long to fall asleep.

After who knows how long had passed, Bai Ning suddenly released a mournful scream. I fiercely jumped up from the sofa, slammed the door open and rushed into the bedroom.

Bai Ning hugged her blanket, her entire body curled up on the bed, his finger trembling as she pointed towards the window: Just now, just now, there was a white shadow looking at me from there.

I pulled out the folding fan and walked over to the window. I yanked open the curtain. I looked around again and confirmed that there was nothing. I frowned and asked Bai Ning, Did you have a nightmare?

No ~ ~ No ~ I'm sure it's not a dream. Bai Ning's voice was still trembling, White clothes, black hair, and red eyes, just like the virgins in the movies.

I frowned, but just as I wanted to say something, Bai Ning suddenly screamed, Xia ~ ~ Xia director! That woman is right behind you! "

I spun around, and a woman about my height stood behind me. White clothes, black hair, red eyes.

This woman didn't do anything to hurt me. She only stared at me. Her bloodshot eyes didn't have the slightest hint of life within them, making me feel as though I was being stared at by a snake or lizard.

After a few minutes of this cold feeling, the woman suddenly drifted backward, her white skirt barely hanging on the floor. It looked empty inside, and the bars and glass were no barrier to her.

When that woman floated out of the window and disappeared, I felt my back getting wet from the cold sweat. I faced my scalp and walked to the window, forcefully pulling the curtain closed slightly. After exhaling a long breath of air, I was just about to leave when Bai Ning suddenly reached out and grabbed my sleeve: Manager Xia ~ ~ I ~ am a little scared, can you not leave?

I froze for a moment, then nodded. I pulled a chair in from the door and placed it against the wall. I sat down on the chair and put my feet on the edge of the bed. Bai Ning didn't dare to turn off the light as she curled herself under the blanket. After a long while, she suddenly asked me, You guys dealt with this kind of thing before?

I nodded. That's fine, at least not yet.

Bai Ning's face turned white: This can even attack people?

I smiled at her. Sure, but I don't think it's the usual way to attack.

Then … can you tell me about it?

After hearing what she said, I suddenly remembered the stack of red meat slices from before. Thus, I shook my head. Don't think about it anymore. After you finish speaking, you won't be able to fall asleep. Rest well.

I closed my eyes, but I couldn't fall asleep, and I knew that Bai Ning couldn't fall asleep either.

After an unknown amount of time, I felt like I was about to fall asleep. Suddenly, I heard clattering sounds in my ears, and opened my eyes. Bai Ning had also sat up. The two of them listened in silence for a while. It was the sound of high heels coming from upstairs.

I looked at the time. It was four in the morning. I asked with an evil smile.

Bai Ning ignored my so-called humor, scratched her head and laid back down, after muttering a few words, in a moment she was already asleep. Seems like the sound of her high heels made her feel at ease, at least other than me, there were other people by her side.

A few hours later, it was already dawn. Seeing that Bai Ning was still sleeping, I quietly went out to buy breakfast, and on the way, I called Bao Mu and had him find a few talismans from the Old Taoist Qiu.

After hanging up, he walked back with the breakfast and met Wu Sisi head on. With one hand on Wu Mingzhe's, she looked at me while smiling: You came down so early to buy breakfast, you really doted on your wife.

I mumbled, You ~ ~ ~ You're already here ~ ~

Wu Sisi nodded her head, I'll send this little fellow to school first, then I'll go to the store.

What about the child's father? I gathered up the courage to ask the question

Wu Sisi's face turned cold, shshesquatted down and covered Wu Mingzhe with a scarf, and when she got up, he walked past me and said in a low voice, He doesn't have a father, I adopted him.

Looking at her back as she walked into the distance, I softly sighed before carrying my breakfast up the stairs. Just as I walked to the door, I saw the woman next door. I recalled what happened last night and casually asked, Auntie, who are we living in upstairs?

The woman's expression suddenly became strange, You are upstairs? Fifth floor?

That's right. Yesterday, my high heels rang in the middle of the night and woke me up. I nod

The grandma's expression was filled with fear, There's no one upstairs.

CHAPTER 103 - C103

When it was almost noon, Mao Babao and Bao Mu arrived, and the Captain Zhao entered the door one after another. Only then did I tell them what the woman next door had said.

Captain Zhao rummaged through the folder, took out a piece of paper and handed it over to me. The house upstairs is indeed empty, it is one of the two single girls who went missing.

Why didn't you say so earlier? I complained as I gave the results. In the photo, there was a girl with delicate features. She wore a pair of small round glasses, giving off the vibe of a talented woman from the Republic of China.

Tsk tsk, you sure know how to pick people. This girl looks pretty good. Mao Babao sighed with emotion.

I passed the information to Bai Ning and told him, You haven't seen those few, so they look pretty good. If not for the fact that they were suspected of being criminal gangs in the beginning, they would not be so picky about their appearance and picky about their food, right?"

Mao Babao laughed, That's right, compared to the word 'birthday', whether it's good or not is not the most important thing. In any case, we have to report to them in the end, everything is the same.

Bai Ning, who was looking through the information, shivered upon hearing this, and couldn't help but lean towards me.

I know that she recalled what happened last night and changed the topic: Brother Bao Mu, that talisman?

Bao Mu nodded his head, and took out a stack of talismans from his pocket and gave it to me. Taoist Qiu usually makes these kind of array runes, he actually told me how to set them up. You also know that he usually uses a horsetail whisk ~ ~ ~"

I took the rune and looked, it was much more complex than Hamborg's mess, as expected of someone who almost became sect leader. But he and Hamborg had something in common, they didn't normally rely too much on runes, and Hamborg often relied on his physical strength to barge into his pockets, occasionally making Fire Talisman s and the like. Those were all the kinds that he had brought to the street corner to copy. Furthermore, the Old Taoist Qiu was proud of his status and had never needed to use such low level runes. Furthermore, he was extremely powerful with just his horsetail whisk, so he would normally not use it.

Mao Babao took the runes and looked at it, then praised it a few times: This old cow's nose is not bad, I brought all of the stock for you. Fine, I'm really bleeding now.

After that, the few of them did not chat anymore. Bai Ning helped Bao Mu to lay down the runes in our room while I pulled Captain Zhao and Mao Babao up to the fifth floor.

The fifth floor has long been searched by the police. It was just that Bai Ning and I overlooked it and forgot that the one up there was also the scene. After opening the door, I immediately felt a chill down my spine. Even though the sun was already high outside, I couldn't help but tighten my coat. There was a bone-piercing chill in the room.

There was nothing unusual about the room, it was just the room of a single girl. On the bed in the bedroom, there was a pair of red high heels.

Did you search for this yesterday? I asked, pointing to my high heels.

Captain Zhao's eyebrows were about to scrunch together, Nope, we even lamented about the life of this girl. She only had three to five pairs of shoes in total, not as many as the old masters. They were in the closet where she had come in, I remember, because the girl had only two pairs of high heels, a pair of red and a pair of black.

As he said that, Captain Zhao walked back into the living room and pulled open the shoe cabinet. As he had expected, there was a pair of slippers and sneakers on the first floor, two pairs of flat shoes on the second floor, a pair of black high-heeled shoes on the right side of the third floor, and an empty pair on the left.

Then, can I understand that she came back yesterday and wore her own high-heeled shoes to circle around? I turned my head to look at Captain Zhao.

The Captain Zhao laughed bitterly: Then that's better. This means that she is safe and sound. We don't have to look for her.

I scratched my chin. But I have another question. This girl is missing, and the shoe cabinet can only release six pairs of shoes. Which pair is she wearing when she goes out?

Captain Zhao was stunned by my question and paused for a while before replying, We don't know the exact time of disappearance yet, so some police officers are still watching the surveillance. But it's not without reason that she has seven pairs of shoes. The position of these slippers is the shoes he wears outside the door.

It feels weird. At least I'm used to putting my slippers at the door so I can change out anytime. I lit a cigarette and said, I know I'm being unreasonable, but that's a hypothesis, isn't it?

Captain Zhao nodded his head: Fine, but what do your assumptions mean?

I pointed to the bedroom. I want to make it clear that she was probably killed here, and even if you find the surveillance cameras, you'll see a body walking out on its own. Think about how that girl came back from the third floor."

Captain Zhao's face was full of surprise: Could it really be that kind of thing?

Mao Babao came out of his bedroom and handed the red high heels to Captain Zhao: Here, Captain Zhao, smell it.

Captain Zhao held her high heels close to his nose in shock, and only then did he remember to lift them up, Why do I smell this?

Mao Babao laughed mischievously. There's a ghost here.

Mao Babao's words were filled with a sinister aura, proving that what I had said was not an impossibility. The three of us discussed for a while and decided to split up. Captain Zhao went to call for more detailed information on the girl, her exact time of disappearance, as well as the corresponding surveillance, while Mao Babao and I stayed here for the night to test if we could use Mao Babao's Soul Summoning Art on us.

According to what Mao Babao said, the murderer was clearly an expert in corpse control. He was completely capable of controlling the corpse to walk out by himself after killing people, and create the illusion that he had disappeared. However, if the victim had any obsession while she was still alive, it was very likely that her soul would remain there for a long time. She might even return to take a look like last night. If he could be sure of that and find out what the other girls had in common, he might be able to figure out the murderer's purpose or motive.

What about the suicide on the third floor? Why did you bring her body back? I asked.

Mao Babao scratched his head: If there really is a requirement for the corpse, maybe it felt that it was inappropriate, so he sent it back. I haven't figured it out yet, but it does feel weird.

Just as he was speaking, Captain Zhao hung up the phone and came over, This girl called Wang Yue has a previous love affair, she was just about to get married to her boyfriend, but his boyfriend died in a car accident. The reason I moved here from outside the city is probably to change the environment. According to our police officer's understanding, she threw away everything from before. Even if we keep only this pair of shoes, we probably won't be able to put them away.

I nodded, then turned to Mao Babao and asked, It's hard to return with a heavy heart, do you think this has anything to do with it?

Mao Babao shook his head: I am sure that the return of this lady's soul is related to this, if you were to say that the person who caused this lady did this, it would be hard to say, and I don't think that she would tell this matter to anyone else so openly, right?

That's true ~ I think too much ~ ~ I nodded.

Captain Zhao patted my shoulder and said, Enough, don't even think about it, I'm already very grateful for you guys coming to help me. I will let the police continue investigating this matter, we can calculate after we get more information.

The three of them talked as they walked outside. Captain Zhao pointed at the other two households on the fifth floor and lamented, The fifth floor is empty. As a result, the neighbors all panicked, especially this kind of thing. Sigh.

Mao Babao suddenly interrupted: The ones in trouble are all single-story buildings?

Captain Zhao was stunned for a moment, then thought for a bit, No, that's not it. The young couple and the other girl are on the second floor, and the other girl is on the third. This one is on the fifth floor. This kind of thing has something to do with the floors?

Mao Babao frowned once again, It looks like there's none left ~ I can't figure out why now, I can only wait and see for myself tonight.

After sending Captain Zhao on the carriage, I asked Mao Babao, I say, Mr Mao, is this another three-way kill for a life?

Mao Babao thought for a long time before shaking his head, Probably not. It doesn't look like it at the moment."

The two of them did not speak anymore, quietly smoking and waiting for Bao Mu to come down. But Bao Mu had not come down, the Captain Zhao that had just left the car had returned, the car had just steadied itself and he quickly came down.

What's wrong with you? It dropped something, what's this? I welcomed him with a smile.

Captain Zhao's face was filled with anxiety, Where is it, it's fine that it fell, but something happened again.

Just give me a call, I'll go out and take a taxi, why did you come back specifically to pick me up? I threw my cigarette butt away and walked over to his car.

The Captain Zhao immediately pulled me back. Yes, Fourth Boss, you don't need to sit in the carriage, it will be in two steps.

Did something happen in this building again? Mao Babao and I were a little stunned, the two of us were outside the building and Bao Mu was inside. If something were to happen silently, then the Mr Chen would have to take action personally.

Captain Zhao pointed with his finger. There.

I looked at the direction where his finger was pointing and felt blood starting to flow towards my head. He was pointing at the place where and resided, Unit Two.

When I arrived at the second unit and saw the instigator of the case, a huge weight was lifted from my heart. The principal lived on the fourth floor, a woman in her early sixties. She had slept a bit late last night. Just as she laid down on the bed, she heard the sound of children playing ball from the room upstairs, making her unable to fall asleep.

The old lady knew that the family of three had moved in, so she didn't mind if the child was naughty, but the child seemed to have no end. It was almost one in the morning from eleven in the evening. The woman couldn't hold it in any longer, so she opened the window and shouted at the top of the building. It was enough to stop all the banging, and the woman went back to sleep.

However, at five in the morning, the banging started again. After being woken up for more than an hour, the grandma couldn't help but feel angry. She put on her clothes and went up to the fifth floor. However, when the woman angrily went upstairs to her house, she found that there was no one in the room, only a ball jumping around in the empty room.

It was only then that the woman remembered that she had walked in with the door open. The door hadn't been closed at all! Thinking about what happened in the same unit, the woman's heart turned cold. He turned around and ran back to his house in panic. He picked up the phone and called the police. The police officer did not dare to be negligent and directly transferred the case to the Criminal Police squad.

What about the surveillance cameras? Did they tune in? Captain Zhao asked the police officer beside him.

The police officer nodded, The family of three left yesterday afternoon at around 6 PM. They never came back.

I interjected, Are they normal when they walk?

That police officer saw me a few times and nodded his head, It looks pretty normal, but that kid is still skipping. We asked the neighbors about it. This kid really likes to play ball too. If he has nothing to do, he likes to pat with a ball.

Mao Babao went close to my ear and whispered, Fourth Boss, this family of three is probably ~ ~ ~

I frowned and nodded. I don't think so. But, what exactly is the murderer trying to do in this mess?"

Mao Babao lowered his head and thought for a long time without saying a word. After a while, he suddenly reached out his hand to pull the police officer beside me. Little brother, may I ask if the ball is still moving after you guys arrive?

The police officer shook his head, We never saw that ball move. The woman who called the police said that after she entered the room, the ball jumped a few times and then stopped moving. So we all wondered if she was being paranoid.

Mao Babao thanked him and pulled me to the side. Fourth Boss, I think we should change the soul summoning here. Who knows, maybe the child's soul is hidden inside this house.

You think children are easy to fool? I glanced at Mao Babao.

Mao Babao laughed, You should say that children are simpler.

CHAPTER 104 - C104

Around nine in the evening, Mao Babao and I carried a backpack and came to Unit 2. Surprisingly, Bai Ning insisted on following them in. Although she said that this was the work of a police officer, from her slightly trembling shoulders, one could tell that this girl was actually quite scared.

Mao Babao laughed and took the lead to enter the unit door. Just as I was about to walk in, Bai Ning stopped me. Manager Xia, don't worry, I won't hold you back.

I patted her on the shoulder and was about to say something when a voice from beside me said, Why are you here?

led the listless Wu Mingzhe and stood behind me, in his other hand he was still holding onto a box of takeaway food.

I reflexively took my hand off Bai Ning's shoulder. Erm... You guys just came back.

Wu Sisi nodded her head, The shop has just finished. Are you guys here to visit?

I stammered for a long time but still couldn't think of a way to explain it to her, so I simply pulled Wu Sisi to one side. "I heard that this building is not peaceful.

You mean what happened to Unit One yesterday? Wu Sisi stared at me and asked.

I just nodded.

Wu Sisi stared at me for a while, then suddenly laughed: You won't let us have any problems, right?

Being asked this question, I was at a loss of what to do. Wu Sisi smiled, bent over and said to Wu Mingzhe: Let's go home, and bid farewell to uncle and aunt.

I mechanically raised my hand to wave at Wu Mingzhe, and watched as Wu Sisi led the child into the house, and only reacted after Bai Ning pulled me.

Manager Xia, what's wrong? Bai Ning looked at me strangely.

Mn ~ ~ It's fine ~ ~ It's fine ~ ~ I covered myself up with a cigarette and intentionally made a time difference with Wu Sisi. In my heart, I didn't want her to know what I was doing right now, nor did I want her to see me together with Bai Ning.

This complicated feeling did not disappear until they entered the room on the fifth floor and saw the pile of things that Mao Babao had arranged.

It was the same as before, a bowl of Babao rice, three sticks of incense, and a circle of talisman paper.

Seeing that we had entered, Mao Babao asked, Begin?

I shielded Bai Ning behind me, and instructed her to not shout out anything no matter what she sees, then nodded at Mao Babao, Let's begin.

Following the explosion of the talisman paper and the rising smoke, Bai Ning suddenly grabbed onto my arm tightly. A small shadow slowly floated out from the ball.

The shadow was hazy and it was difficult to make out his face, but he was clearly a four or five year old child. He held a small ball in his hand and looked at us three strangers with a blank expression.

Mao Babao crouched down, waved his hand in front of his eyes, and then pointed at Babao's rice on the ground. The child stared at Babao carefully for a while. Finally, she couldn't resist the temptation and grabbed a bit of food from Babao's mouth.

I have to say that Mao Babao's meal was indeed not a big deal, the way the child ate made me want to eat it. Although the child was eating it, he ate quite a lot, and the color was getting darker and darker. If I hadn't seen Hamborg's miserable state after eating it, I probably would have had to find a chance to taste it.

The three of them patiently watched as the child ate for a while. There was no longer the initial blankness and fear, and it was obvious that he had become a bit more relaxed. Mao Babao began to whisper something to the child. The child tilted his head and listened, and occasionally replied.

Bai Ning asked me softly, Manager Xia, what is this Mr Mao saying?

I covered my mouth as I replied, I've seen people speak nonsense. What they say is nonsense.

Not long after, Mao Babao and the child seemed to have finished talking. The child's figure shook for a bit, then returned to the ball. Mao Babao stood up while holding onto the ball, and walked towards the door, at the same time making a hand gesture for me to pick up Babao's food and follow along.

The three of them went downstairs to the flower beds in front of the building. Under Mao Babao's instructions, I placed Babao's rice in front of the ball, and following the smoke, the child's figure appeared again. After briefly identifying his surroundings, the child extended his hand out and pointed in a direction. Mao Babao walked in front while carrying the ball. Bai Ning and I followed closely behind, and the three of us circled around until we came to a corner. There were two small iron gates in the corner, locked by a rusty chain. If I remember correctly, this was a side door of the compound. However, it was dark outside and he could not see anything clearly.

The child seemed to become very scared, and his figure flashed as he withdrew back into the ball. Mao Babao's expression also became grave. He slowly squatted down along the corner of the wall and placed the ball on the ground. Seeing that Bai Ning and I had followed him and squatted down, Mao Babao pinched down the fragrance off Babao's food and made a silent hand gesture to both of us, then passed a Glyph to each of us, looked at each other in the eye and pointed towards the door.

After I taught Bai Ning how to use the Clear Vision Rune, I slowly moved to Mao Babao's side and looked in the direction of his finger.

The trees outside the gate had turned white, giving off a foggy feeling, but within the white fog, four or five white figures could clearly be seen wandering aimlessly around the forest. If you looked closely, you could even see the blank look on their faces.

After a while, all the figures stopped moving, and a huge bright white ball slowly emerged from the ground. After the sphere appeared, it paused for a moment, then began to unfold slowly like a giant flower bud. The three of us watched helplessly as a sinister lotus flower appeared before our eyes. Huge petals gently fluttered, and the long stamen in the middle was also swaying rhythmically. What made me frightened was that the stamen was like a mouth full of sharp teeth, constantly sniffing around for food.

Bai Ning's hand firmly grabbed onto my arm, causing me to feel pain even through her heavy down jacket. This young lady was truly afraid, but she stubbornly held on and did not shout out, which made me praise her quite a bit.

Soon, the toothed stamens found their prey. Several stamens suddenly extended and bit a white figure, dragging him effortlessly into the flower petals. The white figure silently struggled, but it was to no avail. Countless stamens wrapped around him, and those sharp teeth started to stretch towards him, tearing at his body.

Bai Ning finally could not hold on any longer, her teeth chattered nonstop, and made a slight noise as she started to cry softly. I tried to turn and cover her mouth, but it was too late.

That huge lotus flower seemed to be frightened and the petals began to rapidly retract back into the bud, then rapidly retracted back into the ground.

Mao Babao waved his hands at me, and the three of them slowly retreated, and after a long while, they slowly stood up and walked towards the street lights beside the flower beds. Finally, Bai Ning was unable to control herself and she sat on the stone bench while covering her face with his hands and started crying. I comforted her a little and then walked in front of Mao Babao.

Mao Babao's eyebrows were practically furrowed together as he muttered to himself, I thought that this thing no longer existed, but I didn't think that there would actually be another one, and one that seems to be deliberately being nurtured.

I lit up a cigarette and let out a long sigh. Only then did I ask, Mr Mao, what is that thing?

Mao Babao raised his head and looked at me, as he said this word by word

This is the legendary Demon Lotus s that eat human souls.

The Demon Lotus, also known as the River Styx Flower, was a flower that was rumored to be born in the River Styx. By capturing souls that fell into the River Styx for food, every Demon Lotus would produce one lotus seed, which was known to be a good thing that gathered all the essence. It couldn't be said that the bones were made of flesh and blood, but at least the soul would be damaged so it would be able to recover immediately.

Back then, when Hamborg's soul was injured in the explosion, Mao Babao told me about such a thing, but because it was just a legend, no one took it seriously. Based on the fact that Mao Babao's face was not something that could be bought, it was either just a myth that did not exist, or had long since disappeared. Otherwise, Mao Babao would not have accidentally made Hamborg look like he was wearing a skirt and drinking brown sugar water.

However, he had not expected to find such a legendary object in the corner of this unremarkable courtyard.

Someone raised him? Are you sure you didn't do it? " Returning back to the room, Bao Mu finished listening to what happened and immediately asked about the things hidden in my heart.

Mao Babao laughed bitterly: "As long as you still have this thing over there, I can think of a way to get it. Why would I raise it? Furthermore, even if I were to raise it, it would be much more efficient than this.

Come on, say something useful. Mr Mao, what do we do? Can we shovel it during the day? After settling Bai Ning down, I returned back to the living room and sat down on the sofa.

Mao Babao scratched his head: "It might be useful, but it's hard to say. But if you were to shovel it, would the person behind the scenes still be able to show themselves? Furthermore, the Demon Lotus is already this big and has too much Yin Qi.

If the Demon Lotus has any problems, we can stay put first. But we have to find the body first and give the family an explanation. I stubbed out my cigarette.

CHAPTER 105 - C105

At noon on the second day, Captain Zhao brought the criminal police and the medical examiner to the small forest at the back of the courtyard. This is the time I requested, if it's really as Mao Babao said, then there will be danger, then this noon will be slightly better.

I left Captain Zhao and the others outside and brought Mao Babao and the others into the forest. The forest was not very large, but it was at least a hundred to two hundred meters square. According to the old people nearby, this place was a cemetery in the early days of the year. Later on, when it was raining heavily and the dike had been breached, they sent water several times, which flattened the grave and washed the bones all over the place.

In the end, the construction of the city was slowly on the right track, and this piece of land was taken over by the factory. Flatten the floor, build a factory, and even build a home. Although it was a chaotic cemetery in the early days, there was no news of ghosts appearing.

After hearing all this, Mao Babao acted as if he knew what was going on, he walked and stopped in the forest, stepping here and there while touching them, he would even put down some runes while walking, and would even occasionally remind Bao Mu and I not to step on the runes on the ground.

Mr Mao, what are you doing? I couldn't hold it in any longer so I asked.

Mao Babao looked like an expert, This place is filled with dense yin energy, there were also floods here a long time ago. I suspect there is a river here. If there's a Miasma River, then the Demon Lotus's problem would be solved easily.

How? I'm still a little confused

Mao Babao stopped and looked at me helplessly: Fourth Boss, no matter if it is a large river or a small river, if you pinch both sides of it, wouldn't that mean it isn't any river?

Seems like it makes sense ~ ~ ~ I touched my chin and pretended to ignore the whites of Mao Babao's and Bao Mu's eyes.

After working hard for around an hour, Mao Babao finally cleared the entire small forest. Once we were out of the forest, I told the Captain Zhao everything that he had said. The corpse should be in the forest, walk along the yellow paper in the forest, and don't touch the black and red paper. Most of Captain Zhao's subordinates recognized me and knew what I represented after I appeared. At that moment, no one had any objections, and a team of people started to work under the leadership of Captain Zhao.

At around 4 PM, other than the parts of the body that Mao Babao used black and red runes to wrap around, the rest of the place had been searched thoroughly. All the corpses that could be found had been found, including the family of three in the second unit's fourth floor, the missing girls, and the corpse that had turned into a pile of bones from who knows where.

Looking at the corpses that were wrapped in corpse bags, Captain Zhao asked me, Can you find anything in common? The motive for the crime, the choice of victims and so on.

I scratched my chin and thought for a long time. Then I pointed to the only bone in my mouth. If you can test it, I think I'll be able to give you the answer.

Captain Zhao came to find me on the afternoon of the third day with a report. However, the moment he entered the door, he was immediately shocked by Bai Ning's appearance. Bai Ning now looked completely like a housewife, with her hair tied up simply and wearing an apron, she busily made tea for Captain Zhao.

Captain Zhao watched a bit foolishly, and while Bai Ning was boiling water, he asked me in a low voice, Fourth Boss, this drama is really deep. Are you still sleeping on the sofa at night?

When he said that, Mao Babao and Bao Mu who were sitting by the side secretly laughed while covering their mouths.

I was stunned for a moment, then nodded my head, Don't think too much about it, Officer Bai said that this is a way to go deeper into life. Now that the culprit has not been caught, she must be more involved.

With that, Bai Ning walked back. She first placed the ashtray in front of me, then wiped her hands from her apron and sat beside me. Only then did she smile at Captain Zhao. Captain Zhao, what are your plans?

Captain Zhao looked at Bai Ning in a daze for a while. After a while, he took out the file case from his backpack and handed it over to me. About that, the forensic examination on that white bone has been completed.

I took it and gave it a quick look, then passed it to Bai Ning. This white bone belonged to a 55-65 year old male, with a height of 166 years. From the looks of it, this skinny and skinny old man had been dead for at least five years. Judging from the posture and damage, the risk of suicide was high.

According to what Mr Mao said before, there's a Demon Lotus in this place. Then, can it be assumed that this old man first discovered the Demon Lotus, then told his descendants of this discovery, and then killed himself and first fed the Demon Lotus under certain conditions? "

Mao Babao nodded his head, Demon Lotus can grow in three stages: seedling, flower, and lotus. It is not possible to hunt during the seedling stage, nor is it necessary to hunt during the lotus stage, only during the flowering stage. Therefore, there's a possibility that this old man felt that his time is up and treated himself as the first food to be fed to the Demon Lotus.

So what's the connection between these victims? Captain Zhao pointed to the photos of the other victims and asked, I've sent three teams of people to look at them together, but we didn't find any interaction between them.

I chuckled, We missed out on a small detail. These victims have something in common. They all live in this building. "

Captain Zhao rolled his eyes at me, I understood what he meant, and waved his hand at him, then continued to speak, This building is closest to the Demon Lotus, it was previously erected on top of a random grave, so I suspect that the Demon Lotus only eats spirits that have this special taste or smell.

Bao Mu who had been silent all this time suddenly said, The difference between saltwater fish and freshwater fish? This demonic flower is picking on food?

I curled my lips and extended my hands to point at Mao Babao. Mao Babao did not hold back, and directly took over the conversation, It's possible that this Demon Lotus was born in this underground river by chance, so bringing this kind of dead aura along would be much easier to accept.

Captain Zhao shook his head helplessly. Fourth Boss, since it's like this, then it's still you who should lead us to cooperate. What should we do next?

Speaking till this point, I didn't refuse anymore. If there's no surprise, the killer lives nearby, so at least he has to come back from time to time to take a look. After all, he is still thinking about the last lotus seed that the Demon Lotus gave birth to. Furthermore, the Mr Mao told me that from the corpses and souls that came out, this person's cooking skills are a little undeveloped. So, as long as we stop this Demon Lotus, this killer will appear himself. After all, he is more anxious than us. "

The few of them discussed for a while, then decided to transfer two technical teams from Captain Zhao in the afternoon, and arranged for the infrared binoculars and video recording equipment to be used in the room that Bai Ning and I were living in. In addition, other than leaving the courtyard to access the small forest, the other four teams of police officers had also begun to monitor the rest of the crossroads.

A large net quietly spread out, quietly waiting for the big fish to fall into the net.

Five days, a whole five days. Not to mention a single person, not even a single cat had entered that small forest. Although Captain Zhao did not say anything, his anxious expression slowly revealed itself. The only good news was that there was nothing wrong with the people upstairs.

Fourth Boss, did this person run off just because he found out something was wrong?

Finally, on the sixth day at lunch, Captain Zhao came over and asked.

I knew that he was a little anxious, and raised my head to look at Mao Babao, who was seated opposite me. On the other hand, this old man was neither fast nor slow. After swallowing the meat in his mouth, he slowly said, He can't escape. I even want things like Demon Lotus, let alone him. He's probably trying his best to be patient and see who's the first to lose their patience.

Captain Zhao's face was about to turn sour. Mr Mao, we can't keep hanging on this matter forever, there are still other cases in the team that we need people for. My side only has six groups of people, it's unbearable. He glanced at me.

I understand what he meant, but I smiled and used my chopsticks to tap on the plate in front of Mao Babao. "Mr Mao, not everyone is like you, who would risk their lives for