"We should get there as soon as possible and see what's going on."

Now that I had gathered enough information, I spoke with absolute certainty.

"Okay, I'll mobilize the SWAT team right now, and prepare high-intensity flashlights, riot shields, and breaching tools..."

With a serious expression, Zhang Qiang was about to pick up his phone to contact the relevant personnel.

My lips twitched, and I quickly stopped him.

"Calling in the SWAT team wouldn't be of much use in this kind of situation. Ordinary weapons and bright lights might not be effective against it either! Having too many people would actually be a burden for us."

Seeing Zhang Qiang fall silent, I added another sentence to avoid him misunderstanding.

"I'm not questioning the capabilities of those SWAT officers, it's just that everyone has their own area of ​​expertise..."

Zhang Qiang pondered for a moment and realized that what I said was true.

Faced with such a bizarre enemy, conventional police forces are indeed of limited use and may even become a burden.

"So, just the three of you?"

Zhang Qiang's tone was somewhat hesitant.

I smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

"It's not the three of us, it's the four of us."

"I?"

Zhang Qiang pointed to himself, looking surprised.

Not only him, but Luo Tianhe and Li Huai also couldn't understand why I would drag Zhang Qiang into this, since he had never been involved in such a thing before.

"Luo Tianhe and Li Huai were both affected before, but you were investigated with us from the beginning and were not affected at all!"

"Maybe it's because you're a police officer, and you have to have a sense of justice. Or it could be for some other reason, but in any case, you can definitely be of help!"

I said with absolute certainty.

The main concern is that Li Huai and Luo Tianhe's families might betray them and defect to the other side.

I can't carry this alone, so I'll drag Zhang Qiang along. At least then we can beat them both in a 2v2 situation.

Zhang Qiang was silent for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the three of us before finally settling on the unwavering determination in my eyes.

His jaw tightened, and finally, he gritted his teeth and made a firm decision.

"Alright, I, Zhang Qiang, am no coward! Let's go! Tell me, how exactly do we plan to do it?"

I nodded and quickly voiced my thoughts.

"That thing's abilities are inseparable from mirrors and shadows. With more people, the shadows become chaotic, and minds become cluttered, making it easier for it to exploit loopholes. The four of us at least know each other well, so we can spot anyone acting strangely in time."

"We'll bring a few mirrors with us, not just for ourselves, but perhaps to counter it in a critical moment."

"A mirror?" Li Huai felt a headache coming on at the mention of a mirror. He shrank his neck, his face turning pale. "Why would I still carry that thing?"

"Don't worry about it, just do as I say."

Luo Tianhe patted Li Huai on the head.

"Okay, get your things ready and get there before dark."

I'll draw my final conclusion now.

We didn't prepare much: a powerful flashlight, black dog blood, and powder mixed with cinnabar and iron filings—basically, things to ward off evil spirits.

There were also a few pieces of broken mirror, protected by thick cloth, with their edges polished.

I have a feeling this thing will come in handy.

As dusk approached, we finished our preparations and drove to Fu'anli.

This neighborhood is dilapidated and has been neglected for years. Although the location is quite good, the developer has no intention of demolishing it because it is said to be haunted.

After all, no one would want to buy a house in a haunted neighborhood.

Unless it's exceptionally cheap!

However, if they continue to push prices down, their profit margins will shrink significantly, so it's really not worth doing something so strenuous and unprofitable.

"Tsk tsk tsk, this really is a godforsaken place."

As soon as he got out of the car, Li Huai couldn't help but sigh.

I looked around, and there really wasn't a single bird flying around.

Our city has done a fairly good job of environmental protection, so there are many birds.

It's quite rare to see a sky so clear and devoid of birds.

"I feel a bit creeped out. Look at those windows, not one of them is intact, almost all of them are broken."

Zhang Qiang, who was facing this kind of thing for the first time, couldn't help but shudder and pointed to the windows of the surrounding residential buildings.

I looked in the direction he pointed and found that it was indeed as he said.

Those empty windows are like blind eyes.

For a moment, it was really a bit creepy.

"Alright, alright, let's get started on the search."

Luo Tianhe waved his hand dismissively. In his opinion, it wasn't dark yet, so what was there to be afraid of?

This neighborhood has been deserted for so long that it's not even marked on maps.

Fortunately, we had prepared the construction drawings from that time in advance, which allowed us to barely find the target we were looking for.

After wandering around for a while, we went around to the backyard of the three-story old Western-style building at number seven.

There were no birds here, but the weeds grew to waist height, and the slippery ground was covered with a thick layer of moss.

Fortunately, the walls had collapsed because no one had lived there for so long.

We entered the courtyard through the broken wall and quickly found our target: an entrance, about a meter square, covered by rotten planks and rusty iron sheets.

My eyes lit up immediately. Luo Tianhe and Li Huai stepped forward and carefully used tools to remove the obstacles.

As the last piece of rusty iron was pried open, an indescribable stench, a mixture of rust, earthiness, and rottenness, wafted out.

Zhang Qiang couldn't help but gag, and I also covered my mouth, my stomach churning.

"Are we really going to go down there?" Zhang Qiang asked with a bitter face, clearly already having second thoughts.

It wasn't just because of the fear of ghosts, but also because the place stank so badly.

"Since we're already here..."

After I calmed down, I spoke.

Upon hearing these familiar words, both Luo Tianhe and Li Huai couldn't help but twitch their lips.

They've heard me say that more than once.

"Look at this cave, isn't it similar to what you remember?"

Let me take a look at Luo Tianhe.

A glimmer of hope flashed in Zhang Qiang's eyes. If this wasn't the place Luo Tianhe remembered, then there was no need to go down.

Unfortunately, Luo Tianhe coldly nodded in response to his pleading gaze.

I leaned closer and saw that the opening was a narrow, steep, almost straight red brick staircase leading downwards. The cracks between the bricks were filled with damp moss, which looked slippery and greasy.

Seeing my state, Zhang Qiang knew there was no way to escape, so he picked up a flashlight and shone it down.

It's a powerful flashlight, but it can only illuminate about five or six meters away; beyond that, it's completely invisible.

I grabbed a handful of glutinous rice mixed with incense ash and scattered it towards the entrance of the cave.

The glutinous rice fell onto the damp steps and around the cave entrance, making a soft "rustling" sound.

Soon, under our watchful eyes, the snow-white glutinous rice turned dull and grayish, as if it had been drained of its vitality.

"The yin energy down here is terrifyingly heavy; this must be the place we're looking for."

I lowered my voice, my heart pounding faster than usual.

"I'll lead the charge, Li Huai, you'll cover the rear. Be careful not to fall."