However, now is not a good time to be curious; everyone needs to resolve this paranormal incident first.
Tian Ze pressed a button on the wall, and the wall instantly became transparent, revealing a hidden room inside where a corpse covered with a white cloth was lying.
Xu Dongyou immediately felt scared and wanted to retreat, but now was not the time to be a coward. Otherwise, he would lose face… no, lose the face of all demons.
The others remained unaware.
Xu Dongyou quietly sighed in relief and then heard Tian Ze beside him say, “Usually when something related to resentful spirits enters the sealed room, it emits a black mist. But this corpse doesn’t. It’s obviously a paranormal incident.”
Xu Dongyou immediately discarded all distracting thoughts and listened carefully.
What Tian Ze was saying was very useful knowledge.
He needed to remember it well so that he could take notes when he got back.
As the old saying goes, “A good memory is not as good as a worn-out pen”, which surely had some truth to it.
Tian Ze noticed Xu Dongyou listening attentively, looking like a good and obedient student. Compared to mentoring Zhao Liu and other members who were once newcomers too, teaching this obedient and earnest new recruit was much more rewarding.
Xu Dongyou quietly asked, “Captain, if it’s a paranormal incident, how do we catch the ghost? Do we also use the method for sealing resentful spirits?”
The others tacitly maintained silence, avoiding disturbing Tian Ze’s enthusiasm for teaching and incurring his wrath.
They had long experienced how terrifying Tian Ze could be when angry.
Thinking of this, Zhang Wu couldn’t help but shrink his neck; he was the one who had been beaten by Captain Tian Ze the most in the team.
Looking at Xu Dongyou, Tian Ze’s mind conjured up the image of that chubby little dumpling struggling on the phone screen, clearly still just a kid.
Tian Ze’s voice became gentler. “The bureau’s research department, using the data provided by the demon clan, has developed tools and enchanted weapons that we can use. If it’s an evil ghost, we exterminate it. If it’s a good ghost, we send it to reincarnation with the Rebirth Mantra.”
Xu Dongyou nodded seriously to show he remembered, and gratefully said, “Thank you, Captain.”
Tian Ze was about to speak when Zhao Liu had to interrupt, his expression as calm as ever. “Captain, the forensic department just sent over the autopsy report. It shows that the deceased died from internal and brain hemorrhaging caused by blunt force trauma.”
Everyone began discussing this point.
As a newcomer, Xu Dongyou stayed quietly and attentively listened the entire time.
Tian Ze clearly had the skills to become the captain of the 8th Squad, although he might seem a bit careless and not particularly good at thinking things through.
Quickly, he summarized the ideas provided by the team and finalized the next steps.
The bureau, though it only handled abnormal incidents, actually had real authority. This was why Tian Ze had a police badge.
After the deceased jumped to their death, Tian Ze had already searched the deceased’s dormitory for clues.
He soon discovered something unusual.
Modern young people can go without many things, but absolutely cannot go without their phones.
It’s possible to forget to bring keys when going out, but never the phone.
Strangely, the deceased’s phone and notebook were both missing, and the deceased’s roommate didn’t know where they had gone.
Tian Ze glanced at Yan Jingnan and asked, “I got the deceased’s phone number from their roommate. Track down the exact location of this phone for me.”
Yan Jingnan nodded, “Yes, Captain.”
He immediately found a place to sit down and took a small laptop from his backpack. His expression and demeanor seemed to become very confident, looking like a completely different person from before.
Xu Dongyou was instantly confused and awed, his eyes filled with bewilderment.
Yan Jingnan stared intently at the laptop screen, placed his hands on the keyboard, and began typing rapidly.
In less than three minutes, Yan Jingnan snapped his fingers, “Done. I’ve sent the phone’s location to you all.”
Everyone’s spiritual energy watches beeped twice.
Xu Dongyou also received the information.
With the phone’s location obtained, Tian Ze clapped his hands a few times, “Great, let’s head out.”
As expected, Zhang Wu was driving again; the fierce-looking Kuang Zhannu sat in the passenger seat, and the others silently got into the back seats, with Xu Dongyou following suit.
“Get going!” Tian Ze shouted from the back.
Xu Dongyou was so startled by the sudden shout that he almost transformed back into his original form.
In contrast, the others remained unusually calm, giving Xu Dongyou the illusion that everyone was used to this scene.
Zhang Wu wasn’t afraid at all, “Got it, Captain. You’re scaring Dongyou.”
Xu Dongyou felt embarrassed, “It’s okay.”
Tian Ze also came to his senses and regretfully pounded the seat next to him, causing a cloud of dust to explode into the air.
Xu Dongyou’s scalp tingled at the sight.
How long has it been since this car was cleaned?
However, the others’ expressions and reactions remained calm, making Xu Dongyou wonder if he might be a bit too much of a neat freak.
Zhao Liu took the opportunity to close his eyes and rest, while Yan Jingnan, being not much of a talker, also remained silent. Tian Ze used this chance to instruct Xu Dongyou, “When something happens, remember to stay back. You’re a newcomer, use this time to learn. Once you know how to use your spiritual energy, you’ll have your time to shine. And since your ability is related to the five senses, there’s no need to rush forward. Understand?”
Zhao Liu, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them and added, “Finding your role in the team helps us work better together. For example, Yan Jingnan is best suited to the back, and so am I.”
Xu Dongyou nodded and quietly said, “I understand, Captain. Don’t worry.”
Tian Ze was very satisfied with Xu Dongyou, a newcomer who was obedient and sensible. Many of the recent recruits, especially the younger ones, had a sense of self-importance, thinking they were very impressive.
As a result, they often suffered significant setbacks due to their overconfidence and eagerness to showcase themselves, finally waking up to reality.
After all, no matter how talented a newcomer is, they can’t compare to experienced veterans.
Amidst the constant flow of traffic, the van driven by Zhang Wu was inconspicuous.
After about twenty minutes, they finally arrived at their destination.
Xinian Community.
It sounded artistic but was actually a very old community. Zhang Wu drove straight in and parked below a certain building.
“I’ve checked the information of all the residents in this building. The only one related to the deceased is Ren Haiming, who signed with the same small company as the deceased. He is in his thirties and lives in apartment 501 on the fifth floor. He should be at home at this time.”
“Li Dong and Yan Jingnan will come with me upstairs. The rest of you stay here and wait for my signal,” Tian Ze quickly issued orders.
This simple paranormal incident didn’t require so many people. However, due to Xu Dongyou’s special identity and his status as a newcomer, the chief requested that the entire team go on missions together as much as possible.
Moreover, there were extra points to earn.
Tian Ze readily agreed and had the whole team accompany them on the task.
While going upstairs, Tian Ze took out a piece of wire. When they reached the fifth floor and stood in front of apartment 501, he used the wire to pick the lock, opening the door in less than a second.
Tian Ze, with his thick eyebrows and large eyes, looked intimidating, making it hard to believe he was so skilled at lock-picking.
Xu Dongyou’s eyes widened in disbelief, thinking to himself, ‘Do I have to learn this skill in the future too?’
As Tian Ze slowly pushed the door open, he pulled out something from his pocket that looked a bit like a gun, but not quite. The handle had some incomprehensible patterns carved on it.
Maybe it was a new type of weapon?
Xu Dongyou, without any weapons and being a newcomer, walked in the middle. The room was silent, with thick blackout curtains blocking out the sunlight, making it almost impossible to see inside.
Xu Dongyou inexplicably began to feel nervous, his heart rate slightly increasing.
Yan Jingnan also quietly took out his phone from his pocket, silently turning on the camera to start recording.
Xu Dongyou remembered that Tian Ze had mentioned before that Yan Jingnan had the ability to capture ghostly images with his phone and could freeze a ghost for one second.
What do ghosts look like?
Xu Dongyou felt even more nervous.
No matter how scary a ghost is, it should be similar to a resentful spirit, right? Thinking this way seemed to make it less frightening.
Moreover, Xu Dongyou would frequently encounter paranormal incidents in the future; he couldn’t be scared every time he saw a ghost, right?
Xu Dongyou encouraged himself and then activated his five senses. His vision, hearing, and sensing abilities far exceeded human levels at that moment.
The previously unclear room still remained unclear.
Xu Dongyou paused, suddenly doubting if he had actually activated his five senses.
Then he suddenly remembered that birds, in fact, can’t see at night.
But hearing was different.
Xu Dongyou could sharply hear breathing sounds from the bedroom and had a sensation that something was slowly approaching.
Xu Dongyou felt his scalp tingle instantly, his eyes widening as he strained to see in that direction.
But he still couldn’t see anything.
Xu Dongyou instinctively wanted to alert Tian Ze but feared he might distract him, so he could only carefully sense the object’s current position.
Yan Jingnan was holding his phone, scanning the living room, using his spiritual energy to control it. Suddenly, as if he saw something in the phone, he shouted, “Captain, one meter straight ahead, twenty centimeters.”
As soon as he said this, Xu Dongyou saw Tian Ze, agile and decisive, fire in that direction.
But there was no gunshot sound. Instead, a fire-like object quickly rushed forward and landed twenty centimeters above the floor. By the firelight, Xu Dongyou saw a shriveled, mummy-like baby, looking as if it had just made its first sound.
The baby let out a cry of pain, and the ceiling light bulb exploded instantly, sending shards flying.
The word “danger” flashed in Xu Dongyou’s mind!
With a strong survival instinct, Xu Dongyou moved faster than ever, grabbing Yan Jingnan and pulling him aside, narrowly avoiding the shards.
Only a few small fragments hit them. Fortunately, they were wearing jackets and remained uninjured.
Yan Jingnan, unable to thank him in time, held up his phone with a tearful expression, “Captain, my phone is also broken.”
The room was still in darkness.
This meant Yan Jingnan could no longer use his phone to locate the ghost.
Xu Dongyou suddenly spoke up, his tone urgent, “Right by your left foot!”
The situation was too critical, so Xu Dongyou had to use the shortest words to warn the captain.
Tian Ze, without hesitation, fired another shot where Xu Dongyou indicated.
Sparks flashed again.
Everyone saw the shriveled baby get hit, crying out in pain.
Then, a man’s agonized scream echoed through the room, “Aaaaaah!”
Tian Ze’s face was extremely grim. He ignored the screams in the room and pulled out a talisman from his pocket, gently placing it on the ghost baby while muttering what sounded like an incantation.
Gradually, a soft light emanated from the talisman, enveloping the ghost baby.
The shriveled face of the ghost baby seemed to slowly become serene, no longer in pain. Tian Ze took off his jacket and wrapped the ghost baby in it, then said to Xu Dongyou, “Hold it. We’ll have Elder Bai at the bureau perform a ritual to send it to reincarnation. The baby is not to blame for the killings.”
It was just a baby, completely manipulated into committing murder.
Xu Dongyou felt a bit heavy-hearted. “Captain, after reincarnation… will this baby have a new life?”
Tian Ze was also feeling heavy-hearted and replied to Xu Dongyou, “As long as Elder Bai is willing, then yes.”
To vent his anger, Tian Ze furiously kicked the door open, stormed into the bedroom, and started punching the man who was injured from backlash, shouting, “That was just a newborn baby and you turned it into a ghost baby! I’ll beat you to death!!”
Yan Jingnan waited for about five minutes before rushing over to hold back the enraged Tian Ze, pretending to restrain him, “Captain! Stop hitting him. He’ll die if you keep going.”
The beaten man was barely breathing, unable to move.
Xu Dongyou carefully cradled the baby in his arms, gently stroking it, “In your next life, grow up well.”
