Chapter 309: Long Buhui (2/2)

At this moment, a WeChat notification rang, prompting me to open my eyes. The photo from Wang Yuanchao was similar to what I imagined but I seemed to have seen the man somewhere. After a considerable period of staring at the photo, I suddenly cried, ”I ran into this young man near the city bureau last night. At the time, I thought the murderer was Long Bangguo so I let him go!”

“Don’t blame yourself,” comforted Xiaotao. “We all thought the killer was Long Bangguo.”

The phone rang again; it was Director-General Cheng. ”Song Yang, five minutes ago, Officer Luo committed suicide in the hospital using an empty syringe,” he reported.

His words were a bolt from the blue. Why did Officer Luo still end up dead?

”What about Pockmark Li?”

“Pockmark Li is safe and sound. Officer Luo wasn’t influenced by the music,” Director-General Cheng seemed to choke with emotion. “He was afraid of implicating more innocents so he decided to end his life. Before he died, he sent me a long text, saying that he wanted to do one last thing for the people of Nanjiang City so he wouldn’t desecrate the badge he wears. Lao Luo was really one of our finest.”

”According to our investigation, the murderer is Long Bangguo's younger brother–Long Buhui. Now his remaining target is you. He doesn’t have much time left after suffering the backlash from the Yin object. So he’ll certainly come to you.”

”You’re wrong!” came a voice from behind me. “His next target is you!”

When I turned around, I noticed it was Zhang Jiulin who had spoken. ”Your Yang energy has stimulated the evil spirit residing in the Heartbroken Xun. He’s mistaken you for Song Ci which makes me almost certain his next target is you!”

Director-General Cheng demanded an explanation of the matter. I simply put the phone on speaker and narrated the ins and outs of the situation. Although astonished, Director-General Cheng was easily convinced after all he had come face to face with. ”We can't risk it on chance,” he said after a moment’s contemplation. “Right now, the safest option is to let me stay with Song Yang. That way, the worst outcome will be our deaths alone and no innocent casualties.”

”Alright then,” Zhang Jiulin nodded. “I’ll prepare to deal with the Heartbroken Xun, but I’ll need Song Yang's cooperation.”

”This is a good place to wait for the murderer,” I added.

”Are you stupid?” laughed Zhang Jiulin. “This is a cemetery. It's very Yin at night. We’ll have to switch to a more advantageous location.”

”I don't quite understand what you mean by Yin and Yang energy,” I frowned. “I have a question. Why is the murderer able to attack us with accuracy each time? Can this also be explained by that theory?”

”Everything in this world is filled with energy,” Zhang Jiulin began. “What these lingering spirits see is different from what ordinary people see. If you don't believe me, I'll open your eyes now.”

He grabbed a small vial which contained dark red liquid, and touched both Xiaotao and my eyelids. When I opened my eyes again, I saw ”people” all over in the cemetery, many of whom had broken limbs, missing jaws and rotten intestines. Xiaotao exclaimed in horror and hugged my arm. ”Song Yang, are those... ghosts?” she faltered.

My reaction was milder in comparison. My new view of the world prompted a sharp intake of breath. Zhang Jiulin looked dubiously at the vial in his hand and muttered to himself, ”That’s strange… Is crow blood not effective on you?”

”I can see,” I answered. “There’s a whole cemetery of ghosts. What's the big deal?”

Choking back his surprise, Zhang Jiulin smiled, ”Your extraordinary courage certainly qualifies you as a descendant of Magistrate Song!”