"Understood."
I said to Zhang Qiang on the other end of the phone, "It's very late now, you should get some rest. We'll go over and take a look tomorrow. By the way, did Expert Han take that peach wood talisman with him?"
"No, it's still sealed in the archives. He said he needs to check some documents to see if he can find any clues," Zhang Qiang replied. "Come over tomorrow, and I'll show you."
After hanging up the phone, the atmosphere in the room became somewhat heavy. Li Huai scratched his head and said, "This is really strange. A grown man is acting like he's pregnant for ten months. Brother Yan, do you think there's any connection between this and what happened to Zhou Wenxiu?"
“I don’t think they’re on the same path.” I shook my head. “Zhou Wenxiu was resurrected through evil magic, her limbs pieced together, which is a mutation that occurs after a corpse dies, but…”
I thought of what the expert Han had mentioned about yin fetuses and necrosis, and a vague sense of unease crept into my mind.
My grandfather seems to have told me a similar story.
It can't be such a coincidence that I ran into them.
"Let's rest first, we'll talk about it tomorrow." I said this and went to wash up.
Nothing happened that night. The next morning, we arrived at the police station where Zhang Qiang worked.
He looked more haggard than the last time we met, with sunken eyes and somewhat disheveled hair.
I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. As a policeman, encountering this series of bizarre events was indeed incredibly unlucky.
Moreover, this matter is thankless and exhausting. Even though we have done our best, we are still being harassed by the deceased's family.
They lost all face in the city.
When Zhang Qiang saw us, he forced a smile, exchanged a few casual pleasantries, and then led us toward the back.
We're regulars here, we know the way like the back of our hand, and we recognize most of the police officers.
"The body is still sealed in the original cold storage. Since it's welded shut, it's not easy to open. Besides, Old Han instructed us not to touch it until he returns. Let me take you to the evidence room to see the peach wood talisman over there."
I nodded.
The evidence room was quite cool and had a smell of mothballs and metal cabinets.
Zhang Qiang carefully took out a dark brown peach wood talisman, about the size of two fingers put together, from a numbered evidence bag.
To be honest, this peach wood axe is rather crude, with irregular edges, looking like a small piece of peach wood that was casually broken off and then some crooked patterns were carved on it.
No wonder Zhang Qiang thought this thing was bought from a roadside stall. Even I might have overlooked it if I wasn't paying attention.
Through the evidence bag, I couldn't see everything clearly, so I held out my hand and said, "Take it out and let me see."
Immediately, Zhang Qiang looked around like a thief, then took the peach wood talisman out of the evidence bag and handed it to me.
"This is the police station, your territory, what are you afraid of?" I was speechless.
"Heh, back to my territory, people are blocking my door and cursing me every day, and I don't even dare to talk back," Zhang Qiang said with a wry smile.
I shrugged, expressing my sympathy for his plight, and then held the peach wood charm in my hand, examining it closely.
This thing feels slightly cool to the touch and has a lingering aura of yin energy, which I am particularly sensitive to.
"What do you mean?" Luo Tianhe asked, noticing my serious expression.
“There’s something to it.” I put the peach wood talisman back into the evidence bag and tossed it to Zhang Qiang. “This thing is definitely unusual. What did the deceased do? Where did they get this?”
"The deceased was named Wu Tao, 27 years old. He was a freelance photographer who frequently traveled all over the country to photograph landscapes and folk customs," Zhang Qiang told me as he put away the evidence bag.
According to his family, he traded the peach wood charm for it with a villager from the mountains when he went to southeastern Guizhou to collect folk songs half a year ago. They said it was an old local item that could bring peace and safety. He thought the design was quite interesting, so he didn't take it seriously and just hung it on his keychain like a toy.
“We have also investigated. The villager is indeed just an ordinary villager. He has a few similar old items at home, which he said were passed down from his ancestors. We can’t tell the specific origin or purpose of them.”
There are many ethnic minorities in southeastern Guizhou, with various shamanistic cultures and complex folk beliefs. Some of the old objects that have been passed down may actually have some interesting stories behind them.
"Let's go check out the cold storage." Zhang Qiang led us out of the government office, through several corridors to an old bungalow in the backyard, which was the location of the police station's temporary morgue and cold storage.
The door was sealed off, and two police officers were guarding it, creating a rather serious atmosphere.
The policeman recognized Zhang Qiang, but he hadn't seen us before, since we'd never been here before.
Zhang Qiang explained the situation to them, saying that they were personnel assisting in the investigation. The guard then tore off the seal and opened the heavy iron gate.
Zhang Qiang is quite prestigious in the bureau; although young, his position is not low.
It just goes to show that when you're in the game, you still need connections.
Whether you're a petty thug or a policeman, having connections is always better than not having them.
Upon entering the room, a mixture of disinfectant and formaldehyde odors hit you. The lighting inside was dim, using incandescent bulbs from many years ago, which had already turned yellowish.
The temperature here is significantly lower than outside. The room is small, with a row of old-fashioned metal freezers painted green against the wall, resembling huge drawer cabinets.
I knew which freezer Wu Tao used without him pointing it out to us.
That freezer was clearly different from others; the door was welded shut with several metal strips, and the gaps were covered with yellow talismans.
The cinnabar runes on the talisman paper had faded somewhat, as if they were quite old, but I knew that this thing had been applied for no more than three days.
I stroked my chin, observing his restraints under the freezer, and knew that this old man must be quite capable.
Even from a distance, I could feel an extremely unsettling, eerie aura emanating from the sealed freezer.
"Look, this is it. You should be able to recognize it too." Zhang Qiang even pointed it out to me.
I pursed my lips and couldn't help but say,
"Brother, I'm not stupid. Even a fool could see that this cabinet is obviously different from others."
Luo Tianhe patted Li Huai on the shoulder: "That's right, even Li Huai could see it."
"Get lost! You're the idiot!" Li Huai shrugged, shaking off Luo Tianhe's hand that was on his shoulder, and then involuntarily took a small step back.
I did the exact opposite of him and took a few steps closer to the freezer.
My ears twitched; I could hear sounds inside, like liquid flowing slowly, or something wriggling in the water.
My expression immediately turned strange, and a bad thought crossed my mind.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
