Chapter 29: The Pretended Corpse

"Ran, look at this!" Guo Ting unlocked her phone and handed it to Lin Ran.

Taking the phone, Lin Ran saw that Guo Ting had managed to snap a photo of that person’s profile, but the shot was blurry and the man’s face was obscured as he kept his head lowered.

"Abei, find some time to look into this person," Lin Ran said, nodding as he placed the phone in front of Fan Beixiao.

"Why should we check him out?" Fan Beixiao asked, puzzled as he stared at the image.

"He gave me a very bad feeling, as if he was watching me," Lin Ran replied, replaying the middle-aged man's actions in his mind. When it came to such matters, Lin Ran trusted his instincts more than his eyes. And this man felt dangerous.

"Alright," Fan Beixiao agreed, committing the man's face to memory.

Suddenly, Lin Ran’s phone rang. Who would be calling at this hour? He pulled out his phone and saw that the display read "Wang Changhai." What could Wang want now?

"Hello, Officer Wang," Lin Ran answered, frowning.

"Yes... Yes... Understood!" Lin Ran’s expression shifted as he hung up.

"What happened, Ran?" Guo Ting asked, noticing his troubled look.

"Let’s go. We’ve got work to do. I’ll explain on the way," Lin Ran said, clapping Fan Beixiao, who was still devouring kidney skewers.

"What work? Hey, I’m not finished yet!" Fan Beixiao protested, baffled, but tossed two hundred yuan on the table and hurried after Lin Ran.

"Where are we going?" Fan Beixiao asked, breathless as he caught up.

"I’ll keep it simple. Officer Wang just called—there’s been a problem at the morgue. The bodies of those police officers have disappeared. They checked the surveillance and saw the corpses themselves jump out the window," Lin Ran summarized the call for Fan Beixiao and Guo Ting.

"They jumped out? But… weren’t they dead?" Guo Ting frowned.

"Damn! Don’t tell me they turned into zombies," Fan Beixiao muttered, eyes wide as he chewed on a mouthful of kidney.

Lin Ran suddenly stopped and looked at Fan Beixiao. Though he often joked, he had a knack for hitting the key points.

"Why are you staring at me?" Fan Beixiao asked, bewildered by Lin Ran’s sudden scrutiny.

"Your breath reeks. If you’re not planning to brush your teeth, don’t talk to me," Lin Ran finally said, then strode quickly out of the night market.

"Hey, what—" Fan Beixiao muttered, at a loss.

"Your breath reeks! Stay away from me," Guo Ting mimicked Lin Ran’s stern tone.

"You—! You’re killing me!" Fan Beixiao spluttered, forgetting to chew his food.

"Hmph!" Guo Ting ignored him and hurried after Lin Ran.

The three of them returned directly to the police station. The morgue and forensics lab were situated behind the main building, right in the bustling city center.

There were only three forensic doctors in total, and since the place was used mainly for evidence collection, it was usually quiet and empty.

"Officer Lin! Officer Guo! Officer Fan!" a young policeman greeted them as they got out of the car.

"Where are the forensic doctors?" Lin Ran asked, watching the officer, who was about the same age as himself. Clearly, news of their recent promotions had spread through the station.

"They’re waiting in the forensics office," the young officer replied.

"Thank you. We’ll head there ourselves. Go back to your duties," Guo Ting said with a smile.

"Team Leader Wang instructed me to fully assist with your orders—whatever you need, from anyone in the station, including him," the young officer said obediently.

"Alright, let’s focus on the task. Could you pull up the morgue surveillance footage for us?" Lin Ran said coolly, frowning.

"Okay," Guo Ting replied reluctantly, pouting.

"Let’s check the morgue first," Lin Ran said.

When they entered, they found the bodies indeed missing from the mortuary beds. The morgue was on the third floor, the autopsy room on the second, and the first floor was used for administrative reports. The third-floor window was shattered.

Lin Ran looked down through the broken window but saw no shards of glass on the ground below.

"I’ll check for footprints downstairs and take some photos," Fan Beixiao suggested.

"No need. Where’s the broken glass?" Lin Ran turned to the young officer, his face stern.

"The forensics staff cleaned it up, worried it might injure someone," replied the officer.

Lin Ran’s face darkened. The scene had been compromised; it would be difficult to recover any useful evidence now.

"What now, Ran? The scene’s already contaminated," Guo Ting asked.

"We’ll check the surveillance footage first," Lin Ran said.

The officer brought up the footage. In the video, the bodies that had been lying still suddenly stood up without warning and jumped straight out the window.

Behind the forensics office was a busy street, but for some reason, once the bodies landed outside, they disappeared into thin air. It was bizarre—how could corpses move on their own? Was it really as Fan Beixiao had joked—a case of the dead rising?