Here Lies The Wicked

Chapter 25: Clues

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation

Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

‘That’s right. A sweet deal.’

Other than it being a sweet deal, Fang Zheng could not find a better way to describe it. 

He did not expect this day to come. 

‘Clouds of Gray Qi could actually be obtained this easily.’

He had obtained three clouds of Gray Qi within a minute at such a sweet deal. 

As Fang Zheng was still trying to make sense of what was happening, he heard a terrified voice. 

“Officer, it was here! It was here! When I followed that little girl yesterday, she entered this door!”

A finger was pointed toward the girl’s door in front of Fang Zheng. 

This auntie, who seemed like she was in her fifties, had wrinkles from her years; the clothes and shoes on her had a little dirt on them as well. 

Fang Zheng understood what was going on based on the conversation she had with the officer. 

This auntie was the one who lodged the report. 

She was one of the stall owners from the market, and she had experienced the exact same thing Fang Zheng did yesterday. 

However, she was luckier than Fang Zheng. When she bumped into the awkward people in the hallway, she realized in horror that these people could pass through her. That was when she became terrified and ran out of the building. She had been horrified for two days before remembering to lodge a police report today. 

Fang Zheng could guess what happened next: the peculiar incident here would definitely have garnered the attention of the authorities. 

Officers would be deployed immediately to the area.

Corpses would be found. 

The area would be sealed off. 

The building would be on lockdown. 

After that, people living in every unit would be investigated. 

As of this moment, all eyes were on the girl’s unit. 

Fang Zheng could not help but let out a sigh as he stared at the girl’s locked door. To be honest, he had realized that the girl was dead from the beginning. 

He had seen her soul. 

He then made sense of what he had seen in the hallway. Those moments were all happy memories of the girl before she died. Neighboring uncles and aunties living in harmony, the loving Grandma Xu, and the girl’s determination to take care of her sick mother…

‘Why…am I this angry and recalcitrant this time around!’

Fang Zheng thought about Tang Buyu’s The First Prayer. 

“There are millions of prayers in the world, but they are nothing in comparison

“To the prayer of my four-year-old daughter,

“It is selfless, it is kind, 

“She goes on her knees, and says to the close-eyed Bodhisattva in the midst of the lingering smoke: 

Bodhisattva, I wish you good health.”

…

Fang Zheng clenched both his fists. 

He could not imagine, and he could not begin to think what this timid, pitiful, and young girl—who knew how to bow toward and thank everyone who had helped her—went through before she died. 

‘She was so genuine, she was so innocent…’

Anger was burning like flames through Fang Zheng’s veins. Every single drop of blood was as hot as lava. 

‘F*ck!’

Fang Zheng was pissed. 

He thought about how the lives of people and the pain experienced by their families were nothing to the devilish spirits as he watched the corpses being carried out of each unit. 

As Fang Zheng followed the rest of the evacuated tenants out of the building, bang! His heightened senses from the training could feel that the building behind him had several strong waves of energy like fiery torches in the night. 

They were officers from the Supernatural Investigation Bureau!

Fang Zheng thought about the man in shades and the “boss” he was referring to. 

He wasn’t sure what was the outcome of that battle. After he was told to leave the building, he was taken to the police station to have his statement taken. 

However, right before he got into the police car, Fang Zheng spotted a familiar person in the crowd outside the cordoned area: it was Butcher Zhang from the farmer’s market. 

Fang Zheng was not a suspect. He was supposed to assist the investigation and hence he was treated well by the police. He even had udon noodles, courtesy of the police; they were worried that Fang Zheng was hungry. 

Just as he was almost done with having his statement taken, a female officer walked into the interrogation room. 

Her footsteps were powerful, and she had a strong and courageous aura about her. When they laid eyes on each other, both of them were stunned.

“It’s you!”

“How could it be you?!”1[1

It was Fang Zheng’s new neighbor who had moved in two weeks ago. That being said, Fang Zheng had yet to find out what her name was. 

Ever since she moved in next door, it seemed as if she had many cases to handle at the station. She had been busy working overtime, and it was rare for them to meet in their area.

“I didn’t expect to bump into you here,” Fang Zheng said awkwardly. He felt uneasy.

He felt awkward to meet someone he knew in the interrogation room. 

“If you didn’t meet me here, would you have met me somewhere else?” she pointed to her uniform and said. It was obvious what she meant. 

Her expression was cold and serious. She looked him up and down; her sharp gaze could almost see through all secrets of a person. 

Within the next moment, Fang Zheng learned her name for the first time—Wei Youran. 

The name sounded elegant. 

Yet, why did it feel so wrong?

He only learned the name of his own neighbor for the first time in the interrogation room. His tooth ached from the awkwardness. 

Wei Youran’s intention was simple: she had a few exhibits she wanted Fang Zheng to identify. 

When Wei Youran laid the exhibits out on the table, Fang Zheng’s expression changed. 

One, two…five bags of meat were laid before him. There was pork, beef, and mutton. And if each bag of meat had been bought the day after the last, the earliest bag of meat would’ve been from the day after the Blue Blood Moon occurred. 

The bags of meat from a few days ago had already lost their moisture and become moldy. There was a rotten smell to it. 

According to the freshness of the meat, the latest bag of meat would be the pork Fang Zheng had bought for the girl. 

“It’s just a normal procedure, can you identify the bag you paid for? It’s for us to open the file for the investigation and send them to the Department of Evidence,” Wei Youran said. 

Fang Zheng’s voice became hoarse. “That girl, what happened?”

“We’re not allowed to reveal details of the case during the investigation.” Wei Youran declined to tell him strictly. 

“I hope you won’t make this hard for me.”

It was already around noon when Wei Youran walked Fang Zheng out of the station after completing all procedures. 

“Do you like horror novels?” Wei Youran asked Fang Zheng a peculiar question as they were about to part ways at the entrance of the station. 

Fang Zheng was confused. 

“I’ve been investigating a serial missing persons case and I realized that all victims had one thing in common. Upon investigating their search history on their phones, all of them had read these novels before they went missing.”

Fang Zheng gave it some thought before replying, “Yes, sure.”

Wei Youran contemplated for a second before asking, “Can I trouble you to make a list of these novels for me?” 

“I might be able to find something from there.” 

Fang Zheng did not decline. “No problem, we’re supposed to cooperate with the police. However, I don’t have your WeChat, Officer Wei. How should I send you the list?”

“Let me add you on WeChat. What’s your number?” Wei Youran’s gaze was frank.