The night passed without incident. The next morning, while I was still half-asleep, my phone rang, jarring me awake. It was Wang Lu on the line—she said the inspection team sent by the Ministry was about to arrive, and Sun Fatty wanted me there to help keep up appearances.
Thinking about it, that made sense. After the chaos of the past few days, with Gao Liang now dead, most of the Bureau's senior leadership had either resigned or perished. There weren't many left who could hold the line.
By the time I made it to the Bureau, there was already a crowd gathered at the front gate. Judging by their clothes and manner, the Ministry team hadn't arrived yet—these were all our own people bustling around. It was only then that I noticed the entrance had been decorated. Funeral banners hung on either side of the gate, and two mourning sashes were draped above it.
The upper sash had black characters on a white background, reading:"Comrade Gao Liang Will Live Forever in Our Hearts",with a portrait of him displayed in the center.
The lower sash was slightly smaller, with white characters on a black background, reading:"Warmly Welcome Comrades Zhang Shuren, Zhang Na, and Shan Feng to Inspect Our Bureau."
A gust of wind must've blown through, causing the upper mourning sash to droop halfway down and cover part of the welcome banner. The result was a new, unintended message:"Comrades Zhang Shuren, Zhang Na, and Shan Feng Will Live Forever in Our Hearts."
Almost everyone saw the mistake, but no one stepped forward to fix it. I had a feeling this was Sun Fatty's handiwork—figured I'd better stay out of it.
While I was chatting with Ximen Lian and the others, Sun Fatty finally showed up. He was wearing large sunglasses that covered half his face and stood quietly at the gate, staring up at Gao Liang's portrait in a daze. I walked over and patted his shoulder. Only then did he snap out of it and give me a stiff smile. His gaze returned to Gao Liang's photo.
"That old bastard really counted himself in this time," he muttered.
"It's over now," I said, trying to comfort him. "Let's handle Chief Gao's funeral first. Everything else can wait."
"Over? It's just beginning..." Sun Fatty removed his sunglasses, revealing a sunken pair of eyes. He'd only been gone for one night, but he looked like a different person. His cheeks had hollowed out, his face was completely pale, and his usually animated eyes had gone dull.
His appearance startled me. "Dasheng, are you okay? It's only been a few hours—how'd you end up like this?"
Sun Fatty gave a wry smile, but before he could reply, a van slowly pulled into the Bureau courtyard. When it stopped, the first to get out was Secretary Yang, followed by two men and one woman.
I had already sensed something was off from the moment I saw the funeral banners—something didn't add up. Now that I was seeing the people in person, I realized what it was. Last night, Wang Lu had shown us a sticky note with at least seven or eight names. Yet only three had shown up today?
Sun Fatty slipped his sunglasses back on and stood with his hands behind his back, grinning as he watched the group approach—but he made no move to greet them. It was Secretary Yang who ended up trotting over to him with a somewhat embarrassed expression.
"Director Sun," Secretary Yang said awkwardly, "do me a favor, will you? They're here on assignment from the Ministry. Don't you think it's a bit rude not to go say hello?"
Sun Fatty chuckled and said,"Old Yang, you've got it all wrong. I wasn't being rude. My legs went numb from squatting too long in the restroom just now—can't move. But hey, if you don't believe me, go check the toilet in my office. I didn't even flush."
While Sun Fatty was teasing Secretary Yang, the three Ministry officials had all noticed the altered banner above the gate. Their names, combined with the funeral message, had clearly spooked them. All three of them turned pale on the spot, and the woman—Zhang Na—actually started trembling.
Later, I heard that the original Ministry list had included nine people. But after learning who they were being sent to investigate, all nine had scrambled to pull strings and get reassigned.
Anyone working at that level of the Ministry had some connections. One favor led to another, and eventually even the top bosses had to give way. Within a single day, seven of the nine had been successfully withdrawn from the assignment. The last two held out—but their transfer requests were flatly denied.
Apparently, these final two had reached some sort of agreement. One of them, after being refused permission to leave the group that morning, had his superior watch him "accidentally" fall down the stairs that afternoon. Just like that, he suffered a fractured pelvis—according to one martial arts movie star: a man's gotta be ruthless to himself. With that injury, he wouldn't be getting out of bed for at least six months.
That evening, as the Ministry's top official was getting off work, his driver had just pulled the car onto the road and started accelerating—when a shadow suddenly darted out in front. The driver didn't have time to react and hit the person, sending him flying nearly seven or eight meters.
Both the boss and the driver were badly shaken. They jumped out to check, only to discover that the one hit was the last remaining member of the original inspection team.
The big boss immediately understood what had happened and shouted,"What the hell is this Bureau? They'd rather give up their careers, even their lives, just to get out of this? And now they've pulled a crash stunt on me!?"
The man survived, but both legs were shattered. He wouldn't be standing for at least a year or two. Even if he recovered, he'd probably be left with lasting damage.
In just one day, the original inspection team had been completely wiped out.
With no other option, the boss had to look for replacements from provincial offices outside Beijing. Only by late last night had he managed to urgently assign three new people and bring them to the capital. They weren't even given time to prepare—just a briefing upon arrival.
Since the new trio had come in blind and unprepared, no one expected them to accomplish much. Just holding their ground inside the Bureau would be considered a monumental achievement.
The Bureau of Paranormal Investigation already had a notorious reputation, but among the out-of-town provincial departments, the stories had grown downright mythical. Still, with direct orders from the boss and no local backing like the original team, the three had no choice but to grit their teeth and move forward.
The whole operation had been kept secret—even Secretary Yang had no idea. The names he'd revealed to Sun Fatty the night before were still from the original list. No one knew how Sun Fatty had gotten hold of the final version with the replacements.
The three had been plagued with anxiety the entire trip. And when they saw their names displayed alongside a funeral banner at the Bureau's gate, combined with all the rumors they'd heard, their fear reached a boiling point.
These weren't just nobodies—they were considered rising stars within the Ministry. But under extreme pressure, even the most competent people start to break.
The lead inspector, Zhang Shuren, suddenly burst into a twitchy laugh and called out across the courtyard,"Old Yang, hey—there's been a mistake! We're supposed to be inspecting the Civil Affairs Bureau, not this Bureau!"
His colleague, Shan Feng, immediately caught on and added,"That's what I said! Why did the driver bring us here?"
Meanwhile, Zhang Na, still trembling, tried to say something diplomatic but couldn't get a word out. In the end, all she could do was force a series of awkward giggles.
Secretary Yang stood dumbfounded, muttering,"You're from the top supervisory office—what would you be investigating at the Civil Affairs Bureau?"
Zhang Shuren snapped,"What the hell do you care where we investigate? Screw it, I quit!"He yanked the van door open, jumped in, and shouted at the driver,"Take us to the Civil Affairs Bureau!"
The other two followed him inside without hesitation.
From the sidelines, Sun Fatty chuckled and called out,"Need me to send that welcome banner to Civil Affairs too? It's not far, just change one word and it'll still fit."
Zhang Shuren shouted from inside the van,"As long as you cut our names off, you can send it anywhere you want!"
By the time he finished, the van had already rolled out of the Bureau's front gate.
Watching them leave, Sun Fatty turned to a nearby investigator and said,"Hey, you—take that banner down. Cut off the names and send the rest to Civil Affairs. And listen—if any more inspection teams show up in the future, just send them straight to Civil Affairs."
Secretary Yang stood there, baffled by the whole ordeal."Civil Affairs?" he muttered, still trying to process what had just happened.
Sun Fatty gave him a strange smile and nodded,"Yep. The department that manages crematoriums."With that, he dismissed the crowd, canceling the reception and telling all Bureau investigators to return to their departments.
Then, catching my eye, he gestured for me to stay behind.
Once most of the people had dispersed, Sun Fatty signaled Ouyang Pianzuo, who understood immediately. He led two of his investigators to the spot where Zhang Shuren's group had been standing. They brushed away the surface dust, revealing a strange pattern carved into the ground.
Ouyang took out a porcelain vial and poured a clear liquid over the pattern. Then, using the soles of his shoes, he scrubbed the markings clean.
Only then did I realize: apart from the Bureau's fearsome reputation, what had really driven the inspection team away was the presence of a ritual formation embedded in the concrete.
After watching Ouyang scrub the formation away, Sun Fatty pulled me into a quiet corner.
"Lazi," he said, lowering his voice,"Remember what I told you last night? Looks like we're gonna have to move up the timetable. I'm heading out now, but I'll be back before Gao Laoda's funeral tomorrow. In the meantime, keep an eye on Old Wu and the Two Yangs. If even one of them steps out of the Bureau, I want a call right away."
His words made me uneasy. "Let me come with you," I offered. "I might not be much help, but I can at least lend a hand."
Sun Fatty gave a weary smile."You keeping tabs on those three? That is helping me."