The body revealed no clues, it was too clean, indicating a very efficient and precise killer. Cutting open the victim's chest, digging out the heart, the method was swift and decisive.
Extracting blood samples, searching the scene for any evidence.
"Team Qin," Liu Juan called out, and Qin Feng hurried over. Liu Juan frowned as she handed a box to Qin Feng, "What's this? A child or a craft?" She thought of the rumors online about raising little ghosts and couldn't help but shiver.
There was a strange smell coming from the box. Qin Feng took it, inside was a brown, curled-up child, resembling a craft.
Disgust welled up in him. "A body."
He handed it over to Old Liu, who glanced at it and his face changed. "Damn it, what kind of sick person deals with a child's body like this? What's the point?"
"Let's pack it up first."
Qin Feng's phone rang, he answered, listening to the voice on the other end, "This is Qin Feng."
"Big Brother Qin," a soft girl's voice entered his ears, and Qin Feng paused, "Lin Fan?"
"What's happened?"
"There's a murder case, similar to the one with the talisman, but I haven't found any talisman."
"I understand, I'll be there right away."
The call ended, Qin Feng tucked his phone back into his pocket and continued searching for evidence.
There was a commotion outside the door, Qin Feng took off his gloves and went out. A man and his colleagues were trying to force their way in. Qin Feng put the gloves into his pocket.
"What's going on?"
"I'm Liu Ge, Xiao Ran's agent."
Someone nearby spoke up, "He's been causing trouble since the incident, not letting us touch the body."
Liu Ge was getting agitated, "You can't just touch Xiao Ran, or her things!"
Qin Feng showed his badge, "Hello, I'm Qin Feng, a detective."
Liu Ge looked him up and down, "What's your badge number? I've already called your chief, he'll deal with this."
Qin Feng was initially going to talk to him, but upon hearing this, he shrugged, "In that case, Sun Ying, take him back to the station for questioning, please cooperate with the police."
He turned and walked away quickly, leaving Liu Ge staring in disbelief, before finally shouting, "I'll file a complaint against you! What's your badge number?"
Qin Feng recited a string of numbers, then entered the hotel room. Someone had already opened the window, and the room was bright.
"Take the body back to the station, it's not suitable for examination here."
Qin Feng nodded, halfway through moving the body, Lin Fan arrived. She took one look at the blood all over the floor and retreated. She saw a child standing in the corner, full of resentment, staring fixedly at the body.
But he never approached, the child was very small, smaller than an ordinary baby. Reddish-brown, with large eyes, pupils pitch black. When he saw Lin Fan, he suddenly laughed.
The laughter was chilling, Lin Fan's back straightened, her scalp tingling.
"Lin Fan?" Qin Feng turned around to see Lin Fan, asking, "What are you looking at?"
The little ghost seemed afraid of Qin Feng, retreated further into the corner. Lin Fan withdrew her gaze, looking at the blood all over the floor and the pale corpse, "What can I do?"
Qin Feng looked around, "Any findings?"
There were many people at the scene, Lin Fan pulled Qin Feng's arm and whispered, "There's a little ghost."
Qin Feng bent down to listen to Lin Fan speaking, "Where?"
Lin Fan pointed to the corner with her chin, "A very small one, it even laughs."
As she spoke, she shivered. Qin Feng grasped her shoulder, getting closer, "Anything else?"
His voice was deep and resonant, his breath seemingly falling on Lin Fan. She distanced herself a bit, "The smell of decay, just like last time, but fainter."
"The exorcism talisman couldn't be found."
The body was being carried out, the little ghost wanted to follow but saw Qin Feng and Lin Fan blocking the door, trembling in the corner.
Lin Fan put on shoe covers and gloves, wanting to go inside. Dr. Liu called Qin Feng, who turned and walked outside. Suddenly, his hand was grabbed.
Lin Fan's face suddenly showed fear, "Don't go."
Qin Feng's gaze fell on her, and he shouted to Xiao Wang, "Go follow Old Liu."
"Got it," Xiao Wang said, jogging away.
"What's wrong?" Qin Feng asked her.
Only then did Lin Fan realize she had grabbed his hand, quickly letting go, her face feeling warm. "That little ghost—very terrifying."
It was the first time Lin Fan admitted to being afraid, which surprised Qin Feng.
"Not an ordinary ghost?"
Lin Fan shook her head.
Qin Feng grasped Lin Fan's shoulder, "I'm here."
Gathering her courage, Lin Fan walked inside. "The smell in this house is complex, and that little ghost stinks too." She searched around but found no exorcism talisman. Frowning, she said, "Could it be that more than one person committed the crime?"
"Is there the scent you mentioned last time?" Qin Feng followed Lin Fan. She was wearing a t-shirt, her hair tied up, revealing the fair skin of her neck.
"Yes, but the scent isn't strong."
"Can the victim's soul be seen?"
Lin Fan shook her head, "No."
They stayed in the room for an hour, concluding the search for evidence.
The child in the corner stared at Lin Fan with resentment, sending shivers down her spine. She dared not move far from Qin Feng.
Qin Feng received a call and started heading out, "We need to return to the station."
Lin Fan withdrew her gaze and followed him.
The child opened its mouth and emitted a chilling laugh, its mouth red. The stench emanating from it could be smelled several meters away, distinct and nauseating.
Hastily leaving the room, Lin Fan removed her gloves and shoe covers, exhaling deeply.
"Another child died in there?"
"Maybe it was for raising a little ghost."
"What little ghost?" Lin Fan was surprised.
Qin Feng buttoned up his police jacket. "How's work been lately?"
"It's been good, thank you for helping me find a job."
"Don't talk about what you saw today casually. The identity of the deceased is sensitive." Qin Feng instructed Xiao Wang to check the surveillance, as he needed to return to the station. He suspected this case might be related to the one involving the murder of Qin Yu. "Are you coming with me or going back to the company?"
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Lin Fan, fearing the little ghost, felt safer by Qin Feng's side. "Is that little ghost's body still there?"
"It's at the station, should be its body."
"I'll go with you."
Outside, the place was crowded with reporters and onlookers, piquing Lin Fan's curiosity. She didn't know why so many people had gathered. Sitting in Qin Feng's car, she took out her phone and saw a news alert on Weibo.
"Actress Su Ran dies tragically after being attacked by a little ghost..."
Su Ran? Lin Fan quite liked this actress, her TV dramas were very enjoyable.
Her?
Opening the link revealed gruesome photos. Lin Fan furrowed her brow and continued scrolling, seeing the hotel logo, she finally realized, "Qin Ge."
"Yeah?" Qin Feng looked ahead, not turning back.
"Just now—," Lin Fan swallowed, "Was that person Su Ran?"
"Yeah."
Lin Fan's jaw dropped in astonishment. "How is that possible? She's dead?"
"Do you know her?" Qin Feng asked, as they approached a traffic light and he pressed the brake.
"She's a celebrity, who doesn't know her?"
Qin Feng and Lin Fan locked eyes for a few seconds. Qin Feng said, "I don't know her, I don't watch TV."
Lin Fan was dumbfounded, blinked, and then suddenly said, "You're older, not into celebrity gossip, that's normal."
Qin Feng stared at her, his gaze turning dangerous.
"Old?" Lin Fan thought for a moment, then smirked, finding her new colleagues friendly, making her more lively. She became a bit bolder. "We're from different generations, Uncle Qin—"
Her voice abruptly stopped as she noticed a child lying on the roof of a nearby black Chevrolet, its big black eyes filled with resentment.
Qin Feng raised an eyebrow. "Where'd you learn to talk back?" Seeing her complexion change, he followed her gaze. "What are you looking at?"
The traffic light changed, and Qin Feng started the engine.
The little ghost followed, neither too close nor too far. It seemed to fear Qin Feng and didn't dare to approach. Lin Fan pursed her lips, her throat feeling dry. She rarely showed fear, but now she was afraid. The little ghost emitted a strong murderous aura; it seemed to want her life.
Lin Fan took out her phone and searched for information on raising little ghosts. The answers were varied, but Lin Fan found one important piece of information: once entangled, one could never shake it off. Terrifying.
"Online says Su Ran was eaten by a little ghost," Lin Fan said.
Qin Feng tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. "Do you believe it?"
Lin Fan took a deep breath, staring outside the car. "The little ghost has been following us. What do you think it wants?"
Qin Feng abruptly turned the steering wheel, and the car screeched to a stop on the roadside. He turned to Lin Fan. "Where?"
Lin Fan pointed to a black car not far away. "It was lying on the roof, but now it's jumped down and is on the railing by the roadside."
Qin Feng looked at the bridge railing ahead, but there was nothing there.
"Are you sure you didn't see wrong?"
"I'm sure. It's been following us since the hotel, with a resentful gaze. Could it have eaten Su Ran? And now it wants to eat me?"
Qin Feng shook his head. "Su Ran was disemboweled, her heart ripped out. It's the same killer who murdered Qin Yu. It couldn't have been a little ghost."
His phone rang, and Qin Feng answered.
"Team Qin, we found something on the surveillance."
"I'll be right there."
Qin Feng glanced at the railing ahead, starting the engine. "I thought there would be some other discovery to call you over. If this ghost thing is going after you because of it, that's troublesome."
Lin Fan was still looking at the ghostly figure outside the window. Qin Feng reached out and turned her face towards him. "Don't look. For now, just stay with me."
Qin Feng was stubborn; a fortune teller had said so when he was born. He had handled so many cases but had never encountered anything supernatural.
Soon they arrived at the police station. Qin Feng headed straight for the task force. This time the murder occurred at the hotel, and with so many surveillance cameras, the killer couldn't have escaped. The victim looked peaceful, with no signs of forced entry or struggle. It must have been someone she knew, and there had to be evidence.
Surveillance was the most direct evidence.
"Wait for me here. Don't wander off; I'll be right back," Qin Feng said, arranging Lin Fan in the office. Lin Fan looked around and nodded. "Okay."
Qin Feng left, and Lin Fan continued scrolling through her phone, looking up information on raising little ghosts. Suddenly, the room cooled down. It was summer, yet Lin Fan's teeth chattered. She quickly returned to her phone, pressing Qin Feng's number.
The little ghost rushed over, and Lin Fan grabbed a cup from the table and hurled it at him, but it posed no threat. It flew towards her, its sharp nails aiming for her neck. Lin Fan dodged the attack, grabbing the chair next to her and swinging it at the ghost.
The ghost let out a miserable cry as it rolled into the corner, its eyes fixed with resentment on Lin Fan. She gripped the chair, heart pounding. She stared at him, "Who killed Su Ran? What are you? Why are you following me? What do you want?"
The ghost chuckled, its laughter piercing, causing Lin Fan's eardrums to ache. It opened its mouth, revealing sharp teeth, blood seeming to splatter from its mouth, and leaped towards her.
A cold wind blew, and Lin Fan only saw its fangs coming closer. Without time to think, she grabbed the chair and struck back. The chair shattered, and she was knocked to the ground.
The ghost's sharp nails gripped Lin Fan's neck, its mouth emitting a strange cry, blood dripping onto Lin Fan's neck. Its nails tore through Lin Fan's flesh, and it continued to cry out.
Lin Fan lost her ability to resist, staring in terror at the mouth coming closer and the sharp claws. Her breathing became weaker, blood gushing from her body.
Qin Feng, you jerk!