As previously analyzed, this thing is probably related to a ghost pregnancy or a yin fetus.
Could the sound I just heard have been the sound of a ghost baby in the amniotic fluid?
"Is there any movement inside?" Luo Tianhe noticed my expression and also vaguely sensed the movement inside, asking in a low voice.
I took a deep breath and nodded.
Luo Tianhe immediately became visibly nervous.
Although he was just joking with Li Huai, it would be a lie to say he wasn't nervous about this strange thing in front of him.
"We can't be sure, it could be the sound from the refrigerant pipes." I briefly mentioned it, then turned to Zhang Qiang: "By the way, did expert Han say what he specifically suspected?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Qiang lowered his voice and said in a tone barely audible to us:
"He mentioned several possibilities, all quite frightening. The first was the possession of a fetus by a spirit. He said that some people who died violently, harbored heavy resentment, or had unusual birth charts, were easily possessed by unborn or stillborn infants after death..."
At this point, we all involuntarily glanced at Li Huai.
This kid seems to fit the criteria perfectly.
Li Huai's face turned pale instantly.
If something like this happens, then one's reputation will be ruined even after death, and one's life will be utterly disgraced.
It's fortunate that he has no relatives. If he did, the whole surrounding area would be talking about it, and it would become a big scoop for the family.
That's why Wu Tao's family came to the police station to make a scene, demanding an explanation from the police department.
Otherwise, the entire Wu family would become a laughing stock in the surrounding villages.
By then, everyone will know, and when they meet, they'll talk about how the Wu family had a young man who died and then became pregnant.
Seeing how frightened Li Huai was, Zhang Qiang paused for a moment before continuing:
"The most obvious sign of that substance invading the body is that the abdomen will swell up strangely, and there may even be something growing inside. Expert Han said that this is because the baby uses the corpse as a container and uses the remaining life force of the corpse to gestate."
I frowned; this situation seemed somewhat different from what had happened to Wu Tao.
After all, Wu Tao's death was very strange. How could a young man with no history of heart disease suddenly die?
"Another type is the accumulation of corpse energy. Some corpses, due to their cause of death, burial place, or special things they came into contact with during their lifetime, have residual yin energy in their bodies that cannot dissipate normally and instead accumulate in a certain location inside the corpse."
"And that location is mostly in the dantian or abdomen. At first, it may not seem like much, but it's like a snowball rolling downhill, growing bigger and bigger until it eventually forms a tumor-like aggregate, which is what we saw before, similar to a pregnancy."
I've heard my grandfather tell similar stories, but applying them to Wu Tao seems a bit far-fetched.
After all, if it were a tumor formed from corpse energy, then "Wu Tao" wouldn't have appeared so fierce, and the old expert Han would have specially arranged so many yellow talismans to suppress him.
"There is also a more mysterious one called parasitism, which says that some strange objects, if they are in close contact with a corpse for a long time, or if the corpse carries them with it during its lifetime, may plant certain seeds inside the corpse, absorb the corpse's nutrients to grow, and also manifest as local swelling."
Zhang Qiang paused, glanced at me who was deep in thought, and continued:
"As you should have noticed, Wu Tao's situation is quite complex and cannot be just one of these three. It could be a combination of the three, or even something else entirely, but Elder Han is more inclined to believe it's a combination of the first or third reason."
Old Han's idea happened to coincide with mine, which made me even more interested in him.
"When will Expert Han arrive? Has he finished his research? I can't tell much just by looking through the freezer; it would be best if we could open it and take a look."
I looked at Luo Tianhe.
"He called yesterday saying he'd made some progress, checking some local chronicles and early archives. He should be back as early as this afternoon." Zhang Qiang glanced at the sealed freezer. "I promised him I wouldn't open it beforehand, otherwise I could have opened it just for you if you wanted to see it. I didn't expect this, so I had to ask you for help..."
As he spoke, a look of helplessness appeared on Zhang Qiang's face.
I waved my hand. "Given our relationship, you have absolutely no need to say such things. I understand what you mean, and I certainly won't let you break your promise."
Zhang Qiang nodded gratefully at me.
We stood outside the cold storage for a while longer; the chilling aura made our bones ache.
I don't know if it's due to yin energy or cold air.
“Let’s go,” I said to Zhang Qiang. “Take us to see Wu Tao’s other belongings, as well as information about the area around the reservoir where his body was found. I also want to meet the policeman who first discovered the unusual condition of his body, and his family.”
Zhang Qiang nodded. "Let's take it one step at a time. Come to my office first."
Back in Zhang Qiang's office, he pulled up the case file and related materials of Wu Tao's case, as well as a list of his remaining belongings.
I carefully reviewed the information: Wu Tao, 27 years old, unmarried, freelance photographer, cheerful personality, simple interpersonal relationships, and has never made any enemies with a motive to kill.
A week before his death, he went to the reservoir alone to take photos and create art, and was later found dead by an early-rising fisherman.
After being retrieved, the body had only minor abrasions and no obvious fatal injuries.
The preliminary autopsy findings suggest drowning, but the contradictory findings regarding water in the lungs suggest post-mortem drowning. Alternatively, the individual may have lost the ability to breathe before falling asleep. The exact cause of death is still under investigation.
......
The case file is very long, and most of it contains information that we already know.
I closed the file and rubbed my temples.
No matter how detailed the case file is, it can't explain the unbelievable scene in the freezer. To me, this thing seems like a perfunctory excuse.
Wu Tao's life trajectory seemed ordinary, but his profession as a freelance photographer kept him on an unpredictable path, and it was precisely this unpredictability that may have led him unintentionally to things he shouldn't have been involved with.
"By the way, Zhang Qiang, are there any unusual rumors about the reservoir? Especially about water ghosts demanding repayment or ghost children?"
I turned to Zhang Qiang and asked.
Most reservoirs have people who drown, so naturally there are rumors of water ghosts.
Zhang Qiang thought for a moment, opened the drawer, and pulled out a photocopy of a document. It seemed that he had also thought about this possibility before.
"Yes, this reservoir was built in the 1960s or 70s. It is said that it submerged a large area of the original hills and several small villages."
"Moreover, before the reservoir was built, there were many old graves in that area. An old man once said that in the first few years after the reservoir was built, they often heard children crying at night."
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