Chapter Twenty-Six: Coming to the Rescue

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“Records of Yin and Yang Anomalies? Why did Third Aunt leave this book behind? Is it some sort of chronicle of spirits and monsters?” Fan Beixiao curiously leaned over as he watched Lin Ran flip through the book in his hands.

Lin Ran shook his head and opened the book, discovering a series of simple sketches depicting ghosts and zombies, each accompanied by written notes. Lin Ran quickly flipped through the pages until he found the one describing vengeful spirits.

“A vengeful spirit is one who, filled with anger in life and resentment at death, transforms into a malevolent ghost after dying, bringing harm to the living.”

“As I thought!” Lin Ran’s eyes lit with understanding as he read the entry, realizing it matched Lin Fangmei’s fate exactly.

“What was the reason for leaving this book?” Guo Ting couldn’t suppress her curiosity, moving closer to look at the book in Lin Ran’s hands.

“My guess is, from now on, the three of us will be handling these kinds of supernatural cases,” Fan Beixiao suddenly recalled the words Third Aunt had spoken to Wang Changhai before leaving.

Lin Ran looked at Fan Beixiao in confusion.

...

By the time Lin Ran, Fan Beixiao, and Guo Ting arrived at the police station, it was already eight in the evening. The lights in the building were still on, and several vehicles from the Provincial Police Department were parked in the courtyard. The three exchanged glances—clearly the provincial authorities were now involved.

“Excuse me, have you seen Officer Wang?” Lin Ran stopped a policeman and asked.

“Captain Wang from Major Crimes?” The officer looked Lin Ran up and down, a hint of suspicion in his eyes.

“That’s right,” Lin Ran nodded.

“He’s been called to the interrogation room by the Deputy Commissioner from the province, as well as our own Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner,” the officer replied curtly before walking away.

Lin Ran frowned at the officer’s retreating figure.

“What should we do, Ran?” Guo Ting asked anxiously. “Five or six officers were involved in the operation and all of them are dead! If Wang doesn’t present any evidence, he’ll definitely be dismissed—he might even be prosecuted!”

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“We must step forward,” Lin Ran said firmly. “Abei, you still have the footage from the recorders, right?”

“I do,” Fan Beixiao replied with a nod.

“Good. Go get it now! And don’t forget the photo with the female ghost in it.” Fan Beixiao nodded and hurried off.

“Tingting, bring all the information you collected on that cursed Buddha statue. Not a single detail can be missing.”

“Understood!”

As he watched the two rush off, Lin Ran sighed inwardly. Whether Wang Changhai could be saved depended entirely on this. If he was sent to trial, only a miracle could rescue him.

Inside the interrogation room, Wang Changhai sat upright on a bench. Across from him were two men in their fifties—the city’s Chief and Deputy Chief of Police. Seated between them was a man in his forties from the provincial bureau, named Sun Bo. Behind Sun stood a young officer taking notes.

“Captain Wang, explain yourself. How did these officers die?” Deputy Chief Zhang Sheng eyed Wang Changhai with unconcealed glee.

“I’ve already explained! The situation escalated unexpectedly—even I barely escaped with my life!” Wang Changhai knew well that Zhang Sheng was out to get him.

Everyone at the station knew that since Zhang Sheng’s appointment, he had achieved little and embezzled quite a bit. In contrast, Wang Changhai had cracked major cases and was poised for promotion. If nothing went wrong, he’d soon take Zhang Sheng’s position. To secure his seat, Zhang Sheng would do anything to get rid of him.

“Do you really expect anyone to believe that?” Zhang Sheng sneered. “You’re a seasoned detective—you know you need evidence for everything!”

“I have none,” Wang Changhai replied calmly, though he had already given up hope inside. The only potential witnesses hadn’t shown up; it seemed they couldn’t be relied upon. All Wang Changhai could do was pray he wouldn’t be prosecuted. Losing his job would be the lesser evil.

“Captain Wang, think carefully—perhaps there’s something you’ve overlooked,” Sun Bo said. If Wang Changhai could present even a sliver of evidence, there’d be room to maneuver.

“I don’t think that’s necessary, Director Sun,” Zhang Sheng interrupted with a cold laugh. “No evidence—this is clearly negligence. Why are all the other officers dead, and only he survived?”

Wang Changhai remained silent, staring down at the table. Sun Bo grew more anxious. Was there truly no evidence at all?

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“Very well. You refuse to speak—” Zhang Sheng began, but just as he was basking in triumph, a voice interrupted him. The door to the interrogation room swung open, and Lin Ran entered, followed by Guo Ting and Fan Beixiao.

“I have the evidence,” Lin Ran announced, holding a laptop and a thick stack of documents.

Relief washed over Wang Changhai at the sight of the three.

“And who are you?” Zhang Sheng snapped, displeased by the intrusion.

“My name is Lin Ran—a graduate of the XX Police Academy,” Lin Ran replied, saluting with calm composure.

“You’re just an auxiliary officer! Who gave you permission to enter? Someone, get them out!” Noticing Lin Ran’s lack of a badge, Zhang Sheng shouted. Two officers responded from outside, stepping forward to remove the trio. Zhang Sheng was nervous—if any evidence surfaced, his plans would be derailed.

“Quite the display of authority, Deputy Zhang. Is this your investigation, or mine?” Sun Bo fixed Zhang Sheng with a cold glare. With evidence in hand, Sun Bo wasn’t about to miss this chance.

“You misunderstand, Director Sun! I was only thinking of your interests,” Zhang Sheng stammered, sweat beading on his forehead.

“Hmph!” Sun Bo snorted and ignored him.

“Young man, show me your evidence,” Sun Bo said to Lin Ran.

“Yes, sir,” Lin Ran replied, placing the laptop before Sun Bo and queuing up the video from the recorders for him to watch.