Only then did Ouyang Pianzuo notice that the two talismans had already burned to ashes. His expression changed dramatically. He jumped up, pointing at Sun Fatty and said, "Be honest—did you set them on fire?"
Sun Fatty nearly coughed up blood in rage. He exclaimed, "Director Ouyang, why the hell would I light them for no reason? I'm almost thirty—I'm way past the age of playing with fire!"
I chimed in from the side, backing Sun Fatty up. "Director Ouyang, the talismans really ignited on their own. I saw it with my own eyes. Dasheng just warned you a second earlier than I did."
Ouyang Pianzuo took out the two compartments now filled with ashes. After clearing them out, the names at the bottom were revealed: Bao Xilai, Room Two and Li Ting, Room Two.
Upon seeing the names, Ouyang Pianzuo picked up the phone and dialed a few numbers. "Something's happened..."
Five minutes later, in the Bureau of Paranormal Investigation's conference room, Gao Liang was already waiting. Strangely, aside from Ouyang Pianzuo, no other department directors were present—not even Director Hao could be found.
Gao Liang and Ouyang Pianzuo whispered among themselves. When most of the people had arrived—actually just a dozen or so from Room Two and the three of us from Room One—Director Gao began the briefing as usual. The two people whose Bloodbound Talismans had spontaneously ignited were investigators from Room Two. They had been sent to Qilin City a day earlier to investigate a case involving a string of unexplained comas. But less than 24 hours later, they were already in trouble.
Once he found out the talismans had ignited, Director Gao immediately tried to contact them. Their phones rang but no one answered. He then used satellite tracking to locate their phones and contacted the local police to check on them. So far, however, there had been no news.
Apart from confirming that something had indeed happened to Bao Xilai and Li Ting—at minimum, they were unconscious—there were no other valuable clues. No one even knew what exactly had occurred.
Such incidents had been extremely rare since the Bureau of Paranormal Investigation was founded. Director Gao began arranging for a second team to re-investigate what exactly had happened in Qilin City.
Since most department heads weren't in the bureau at the moment (Yugo was still handling follow-up work from the exorcism, and Ouyang Pianzuo was left behind to guard the headquarters), this incident would be led by Deputy Director Wang Ziheng of Room Two, who had already departed ahead of us to Qilin City. The rest of Room Two's investigators would follow. As usual, Sun Fatty, Po Jun, and I were to assist.
Damn, we were falling into the clutches of the "Wicked Witch" again. Last time in the desert, Wang Ziheng had mocked our Room One squad right in front of Director Hao. Now that Director Hao wasn't around, who knew what kind of trouble Wang Ziheng would stir up for us?
After assigning tasks, Director Gao reminded everyone that we'd be operating under the banner of the Ministry of Public Security's Special Cases Office, and then dismissed the meeting. Ouyang Pianzuo, who had close ties to Director Hao, offered us a few more words on his behalf before leaving. He reminded us that Room Two was taking the lead in this case and that we from Room One were merely there to assist—not to act recklessly.
Qilin City is a prefecture-level city in the south. Though not large, it has a population of over three million. Unfortunately, it doesn't have its own airport. After landing at a nearby airport, we had to take a five-hour drive before arriving at our destination in the middle of the night.
On the way, we received news that the two investigators whose talismans had burned were found in a warehouse inside a public park.
When they were discovered, both were in a deep coma and completely unresponsive to external stimuli—essentially in a vegetative state. There were no external injuries, and none of their belongings or Bureau equipment had been stolen. It looked like they were taken down without offering any resistance.
Deputy Director Wang Ziheng had been watching over them the entire time. He seemed just as clueless. With his brows furrowed, he was going through the call logs on their phones. But after a long while, he still hadn't found anything useful.
The local police had assigned several officers to assist the Ministry's Special Cases Office in the investigation. They'd worked with Deputy Director Wang before, but their help didn't seem to be getting him anywhere.
According to the officers, the coma incidents had been going on for nearly six months. It began with people being found unconscious in the middle of the street late at night. Passersby thought they were just drunkards and ignored them. But by morning, these people still hadn't woken up. Kind-hearted folks called emergency services, and the victims were sent to the hospital.
By the time they reached the hospital, they were already unresponsive. The doctors diagnosed them as having lost all conscious function—classic vegetative states. But there were no signs of trauma or any detectable organ abnormalities. The cause was a complete mystery to the medical staff.
Initially, the police thought it was an isolated case. But within days, more incidents occurred. Soon, someone was falling into a coma every two to three days. What started as a midnight-only phenomenon began to happen in broad daylight.
A special task force was formed, and the provincial authorities even sent in supervisors. But despite all efforts, they found no leads. Meanwhile, the number of coma victims kept increasing. Two days ago, two special agents from the Ministry's Special Cases Office arrived, giving local police hope—only for that hope to be crushed. Not even a day had passed before the agents were found comatose in a park warehouse. The investigators had become victims.
Just as we finished talking to the police, Deputy Director Wang lost his patience and called a small meeting in the hospital conference room.
"Up to now, we still don't have any leads. But before you arrived, I already examined Bao Xilai and Li Ting carefully, and found that the cause of their comas was the same—each of them was missing one Celestial Soul and two Earthly Spirits."(Note: In Chinese culture, it is believed that the human Soul has ten parts, including three Celestial souls and seven Earthly Spirits. They each govern a specific part. The absence of any one part will make a person incomplete. At the very least, they will become mentally handicapped; in severe cases, they may not be able to be reborn as a human and can only be reborn as an animal.)
Neither of them showed any physical injuries, nor were there any signs that they had tried to draw their weapons.
I believe they were ambushed while completely unguarded. As we continue the investigation, we must be extra careful not to share their fate."
After Wang Ziheng finished speaking, he pulled several sheets of paper from the briefcase by his side and continued, "I've divided the places Bao Xilai and Li Ting visited after arriving in Qilin City into three zones. You'll split into three groups to investigate these areas separately. No matter what you find, don't act rashly—contact me and the other groups immediately."
After he said this, Deputy Director Wang handed the materials to people from their own Second Division, just like in the desert—still nothing to do with anyone from our First Division.
Sun Fatty and I each lit a cigarette, blowing smoke rings as we watched Wang Ziheng say nothing. Po Jun was already used to Deputy Director Wang's style. Once the groups were assigned and materials distributed to the Second Division, he asked, "If you're going out to investigate, then what are we supposed to do?"
Wang Ziheng frowned. "You handle logistics. The police outside are your responsibility—see what they think about the vegetative state cases." He paused, then added, "Handle things on your own. Don't call us unless it's absolutely necessary."
"What are we from the First Division even here for?" Sun Fatty protested. He'd been simmering since the desert incident and finally had a chance to vent.
"I never asked you to come," Wang Ziheng sneered coldly, ignoring Sun Fatty and walking away with the Second Division members.
"Did we offend him somehow? Again and again, and he's still not done with us?" Sun Fatty stared after them angrily.
Po Jun casually pulled a pack of cigarettes from Sun Fatty's jacket pocket, lit one, and said, "Don't mind him. Except for Qiu Bulao, he looks down on everyone at the Bureau. This case isn't simple. It's better for them to stay put."
After finishing the cigarettes, the three of us left the meeting room. The police who had been waiting at the door had mysteriously left, leaving only one young officer.
We asked the young officer and learned that just minutes ago, clues had been found in the hallway of a residential building. Wang Ziheng was already at the scene, and the police station was in chaos. The big shots had all gone to the crime scene.
I asked the young officer, "How many have there been so far?"
"Seventy-nine cases in four and a half months."
Sun Fatty gasped, "Four months, over one hundred twenty days, and there've been ninety-seven incidents? Almost one a day!"
The young officer interrupted, "Leader Sun, it's not that many—seventy-nine people."
"Close enough," Sun Fatty said, patting the young officer's shoulder. "It's morning now—do you have anywhere nearby for breakfast? We're new here and rely on you to feed us."
The young officer looked a bit uncomfortable with Sun Fatty's familiar tone. He was taller by a head than Sun Great Sage but bent his back to accommodate the leader's friendly style.
"This is a small place. Nothing fancy—just some Sweet Glutinous Rice Dumplings and soy milk. Not sure if it suits your tastes," the young officer smiled.
Hearing there was food, Sun Fatty perked up, "What are Sweet Glutinous Rice Dumplings? Are they good?"
"It's the local flavor—some salty, some sweet. Worth a try."
Sun Fatty couldn't wait. "Then don't just stand there—let's go! Is it far?"
I couldn't help but say, "Great Sage, you're so casual everywhere. We're here on official business, so don't be picky. Just eat whatever's available."
Before Sun Fatty could reply, the young officer smiled and said, "Please don't be formal. I'm here to serve you leaders—just tell me if you need anything."
"Ha ha," Sun Fatty liked him more and more, patting the officer's shoulder repeatedly, "Kid, work hard, you've got potential."
Outside the hospital gates, the young officer hailed a taxi. Just as he was about to get in, his phone rang. After the call, he grimaced. "Sorry, leaders. The Bureau ordered all officers to drop what they're doing and patrol the streets. But the taxi drivers all know where the dumpling shop is, so I won't be able to accompany you."
Po Jun, already seated in the taxi, opened the door and said, "How about we give you a ride to the station first? It won't take long."
The young officer shook his head, "We're headed in opposite directions. I'll just catch another cab." He gave the driver the dumpling shop address, paid quickly, and jumped into another taxi before we could say thanks.
I sighed and asked Po Jun, "Should we contact the Bureau and see what they want?"
"No need," Sun Fatty scoffed, "Deputy Director Wang and the others can handle it. Besides, he wouldn't like us interfering."
Po Jun agreed, "If there's an issue, Wang Ziheng will contact the Bureau. We shouldn't be too proactive."
Five or six minutes later, we arrived at the dumpling shop the young officer mentioned. It was probably too early for breakfast; the place was empty—not a single customer.
The young officer's recommendation was spot on. The dumplings tasted great. There were seven or eight flavors: salty ones with cured meat or ham, sweet ones with red bean paste or sesame, and so on. Sun Fatty ordered two of each flavor for me and Po Jun, plus soy milk and pickled vegetables—more than enough to fill us up.
We were enjoying the meal when Po Jun's phone rang. It was an internal Bureau line. After a few words, his eyes went wide, and he choked on his soy milk, coughing violently. "Stop eating! The Second Division's in trouble again!"
Sun Fatty had just swallowed a salty meat dumpling, asking, "But Deputy Director Wang is watching them, right?"
I handed Po Jun a glass of water to help him recover. After drinking, he answered, "It's Wang Ziheng himself. Two minutes ago, patrolling officers found him lying in a residential building hallway. He's been rushed to the hospital. Now everyone from the Second Division is rushing there."
Sun Fatty and I instantly lost our appetite. Sun Fatty pushed the dumpling away, "Wang Ziheng became vegetative too? What do we do now?"
Po Jun said, "This time Wang Ziheng isn't in a vegetative state, but when they found him, all four limbs were fractured, at least four broken ribs, and severe head trauma with heavy bleeding causing unconsciousness."
Although none of us had a good impression of Wang Ziheng, hearing about his tragic condition still cast a shadow over us.
Sun Fatty murmured, "With injuries like that, can he even survive?"
Po Jun and I ignored him. I asked Po Jun, "What does the Bureau want? Should we keep investigating or return and wait for reinforcements?"
Po Jun lit a cigarette, took a drag, and said, "We stay put and avoid provoking the culprit. The Bureau has sent director-level personnel who are on their way."
Sun Fatty picked up the cigarette pack Po Jun put on the table, lit one, and asked, "What should we do now?"
Po Jun blew out a smoke ring, "Pay the bill and leave."
Before we left the dumpling shop, a police car pulled up at the door. The young officer we'd met jumped out, walking past us the other way. He said, "Good thing I arrived in time. The leaders haven't left yet. Director Wang, who came with you, is the one who got hurt."
Sun Fatty said, "We already know. You came just to tell us? Kid, you've got good timing."
The young officer smiled, "I'm not just here to report this. Our bureau chief has ordered that for your safety, each leader group will have an armed police escort. You know, Qilin City has had nothing but bad luck recently. The chief can't take any more shocks."
We got into the young officer's car. Not long after, we saw four familiar faces strolling on the opposite street—investigators from the Second Division. They had transferred from the First Division and got along well with Po Jun. A police officer was also with them, so they knew about Wang Ziheng's incident.
Po Jun had the officer stop the car and greeted the four. Seeing Po Jun, their expressions improved. As they were about to approach, they all suddenly noticed something funny and burst out laughing at Po Jun.
They laughed so hard that Po Jun checked the rearview mirror, thinking he had something dirty on his face.
There was no dirt, but then an unbelievable scene happened—the four men rolled their eyes back simultaneously and collapsed.
"Trouble!" Po Jun was the first to react. He opened the car door, ran over, and checked their pulses one by one. He lifted their eyelids to check their pupils.
Po Jun was quick and done checking by the time Sun Fatty and I got there. "They're missing one Celestial Soul and two Earthly Spirits as well."
The culprit is nearby! Sun Fatty and I looked around, but Po Jun whispered, "Don't look around wildly! We're no match for him. Don't provoke him. Wait for the directors to arrive."
I reached for my gun. "He's nearby. If we find him, I can handle it."
Po Jun said, "La Zi, don't act rashly. If you confront him, you'll probably be the next to lose your soul."
My hand was already on the gun handle. After hearing that, I slowly relaxed my grip.
"He's no ordinary person. Able to seize four souls in the blink of an eye. Even Hao Wenming might not be his match," Po Jun said through clenched teeth, looking at the four fallen men.
Sun Fatty asked, "Then why did he spare us and only target the Second Division?"
Po Jun looked up, glanced at me and Sun Fatty, and said, "Maybe he thinks we're the weakest and not worth his effort."