After her figure disappeared, the only entrance to the village free of malevolent energy was filled with an inky black aura, blocking both ways in and out. Any strangers passing by would naturally avoid the village.

"They are all people who are about to die a violent death. You can earn merit." The system's cold voice came from my brain.

"Oh." Yuan Zhuanlian didn't want to do it, feeling extremely frustrated.

Hell is on earth, no wonder some people say that!

Put yourself in their shoes. Not to mention this life, even in the next life, and the life after that, these things will have no way to survive. Even after they die, they will be beaten so badly that they will never have a chance to be reincarnated!

The system didn't say anything more. Anyway, there were still enough gold coins to deduct, so there was no rush.

That night, Qiling Village was so quiet that not even a dog barked. It was as if the village had been isolated. It was silent and still. Every villager slept soundly through the night.

Zeng Jing arrived to relieve Niu Hongji from his shift, carrying steamed buns and fried dough sticks. He hummed a little tune, looking quite carefree. "Hey Zeng Laoyao, look at how leisurely you are. What's wrong? You've been too idle lately and are starting to retire?" After working the night shift all night, Niu Hongji was tired and hungry. All his resentment was ignited by Zeng Jing's smug look.

"Hey, I guess I'm just too bored. What, can you conjure up a case for me to keep me busy?" Zeng Jing stuffed a steamed bun into his mouth and grinned.

Niu Hongji laughed in anger, pointing at Zeng Jing with a smile, "You old Zeng, just you wait, a case is coming for you soon, a big case! Humph!"

Sometimes, in certain places, you really can't joke around.

'Ring ring...'

The shrill landline ringing came at just the right time.

"Haha, Old Zeng, look, it's here! A big case, hurry up and answer the phone! I want to see your face change." Niu Hongji had a wicked look on his face and took the lead in standing in front of the phone, gesturing for the caller to answer.

The latter rolled his eyes, quickly walked up and answered the call. They were all fellow villagers here; there was no big case here.

"Police, police, police... Help! Help! Murder! Murder! Murder! So many people, not one left! Not one survived! They're all torn to pieces... Waaah..." The terrified voice on the other end was somewhat incoherent, and then it broke into tears. But it was clear that a murder had occurred.

The landline was loud, but not on speakerphone, so the voice on the other end could be heard clearly. Niu Hongji heard it all. The two exchanged a glance, both seeing shock in each other's eyes. This time, things were serious... had more than one or two people been killed?!

Having finally managed to calm his fellow villager down and get the address, Zeng Jing quickly hung up the phone, grabbed a piece of scrap paper from the table, and threw it at Niu Hongji's head. "Old Niu, you jinx, you're not going anywhere either. I'll take a few new guys to maintain order at the scene. You hurry up and call for backup." With that, he grabbed his police cap and rushed out.

Niu Hongji stared at Zeng Jing's departing figure, his mind buzzing. Such a serious murder case had occurred in their jurisdiction, ruining the leader's recent good mood, and their days were not easy either.

Thinking about the future, Niu Hongji slapped his forehead and spat several times into the air, "It's my fault for having such a foul mouth." After spitting, he quickly made a phone call to report it.

Zeng Jing knew it was a murder case, but he never expected it to be so tragic.

If he had known it would be a dismemberment scene, he wouldn't have eaten those few bites of breakfast this morning.

Qi Guang's entire family of fourteen was dismembered overnight. When he went in, his scalp tingled with pain. He suppressed the urge to vomit and glanced at the cuts. They were all torn by saws. There were also several used, rusty hand saws at the scene, the kind that villagers usually used to saw firewood.

The scene was too obvious to be ignored. There was no need to bother with finding the culprit, because the murderer had written a suicide note, then drank poison and died. The body was in the victim's luxurious living room, and the unfinished, bloodstained birthday cake and sumptuous dishes on the long mahogany dining table looked so horrifying at that moment.

The Last Supper!

Seeing his vision go black, Zeng Jing could no longer hold back and rushed out, hugging the trunk of a large pomelo tree and vomiting violently, almost bringing up bile. Niu Hongji and his team arrived at the scene.

The four new recruits he brought had already set up a cordon and secured the scene, but no one dared to look inside. It was just too terrifying. These new recruits had been on the job for less than six months, and the stimulating scenes would give them frequent nightmares. They didn't want to go in, and Zeng Jing didn't force them. He just emphasized protecting the scene and maintaining order.

Niu Hongji knew it was a murder case, but he didn't expect it to be a complete massacre, leaving no one alive!

Seeing his old friend hugging a big tree, vomiting so badly he was almost rolling his eyes back, Niu Hongji knew even before going inside that the scene was probably not something an ordinary person could handle. His old friend had been in the business for over six years, and although there weren't many murder cases in his jurisdiction, there had been a few rather tragic ones, but compared to what was happening now, they were nothing.

"Are you alright? The forensic doctor will be here soon. Why don't you wait a bit before going in?"

Hearing the sound, Zeng Jing took the water from his old friend, rinsed his mouth, and drank a few more mouthfuls. The cold water helped suppress the urge to vomit. "It's okay, I'll stay with you."

As the bodies were collected, several hearses left one after another, and the crowd at Qi Guang's gate gradually dispersed. When the light dimmed, the crowd completely disappeared, including the relatives who were crying miserably.

People in rural areas are very superstitious about such tragic deaths, and countless people must have had nightmares that night.

That night was unusually quiet, with no human voices, but the noise of dogs and night cats. The village lights stayed on all night, one house after another. It was as if all the villagers had agreed not to turn off their lights, and anyone who wanted to turn them off was stopped.

As night fell again, a slender black shadow appeared at the village entrance. After a few flashes, it disappeared without a trace. When it reappeared, it was already at the gate of Qi Guang's house, which everyone avoided like the plague. Inside the villa, the lights were on.

Don't be suspicious, it's a light turned on by the government.

"What are you doing here at this time?" The system's irritated voice rang in my mind, clearly still harboring some resentment about Yuan Zhuan's failure to prevent his violent death.

"The soul is not here." Such murder scenes are usually filled with resentment, and some even transform into vengeful ghosts when they enter the most yin state.

But today, there's nothing here; it's so quiet it's as if the people inside are still alive and well under the lights.

"Not here? Was he taken away?" Is Wuchang really this efficient these days?

“They were taken away, but not underground, but in the human world.” Yuan Zhuan’s gaze fell on the roof, sensing the presence of his companions.

"There are others like you. Why are they taking these dirty things away?" the system asked, puzzled.

"Puppet crafting".