Qin Feng freed a hand to ruffle Lin Fan’s hair. “It’s routine to question anyone related to the case. What are you thinking?”

Lin Fan, who usually had a good temper and rarely got upset, especially not outwardly, was clearly frustrated. Qin Feng said, “We’ll talk about it later. Eat your meal first.”

Lin Fan finished the rest of her noodles, but with Qin Feng blocking the way out, she couldn’t leave. She felt awkward sitting there after finishing her meal. She took out the wallet and placed it on the table. “Here’s your wallet.”

Qin Feng took it without looking and put it in his pocket. “Full?”

Lin Fan nodded and took out her phone to scroll through Weibo.

Across from her, Xiao Wang joked, “Did I sit in the wrong spot? I feel like a giant third wheel here.”

The others laughed and teased him, “You just realized you’re in the way? Get over here!”

Qin Feng continued eating his noodles in silence.

Lin Fan, feeling embarrassed, lowered her head and kept browsing. She stumbled upon a post from a paranormal blogger, Queen of Ghosts. Most of the posts were about supernatural events, a mix of truth and fiction, which scared the young commenters.

Lin Fan scrolled down and paused.

One of the ten most haunted places in Jiangcheng was the Ghost Building on Zhongming Road. The name “Zhongming” sounded like “Zhongming,” which means the underworld. The apartment complex was originally called Guangming Community. Ten years ago, a fire had broken out for unknown reasons, killing everyone in the building. Afterward, during renovation, the workers experienced strange accidents, so the project was abandoned.

Lin Fan had only visited her own building in the community and had never noticed the burned building. She decided she would check it out another day. She continued reading. After the fire, residents of Guangming Community experienced various strange events. People either died or moved away. Five years ago, a developer wanted to start a project there, but incidents occurred again, sealing the building’s reputation as a haunted place.

Qin Feng had mentioned this to her before, so Lin Fan read on.

In the comments, someone wrote, “Saw a pale-skinned girl carrying a human head at the Ghost Building on Zhongming Road in March this year. Scared me to death.”

A girl carrying a head? Lin Fan had never seen such a thing. Could there have been another tragic incident she didn’t know about?

The sound of a chair scraping brought Lin Fan back to reality. She put away her phone and looked up as Qin Feng said, “Come with me.”

“Sure.”

Xiao Wang and the others stayed behind. Once in the car, Lin Fan buckled her seatbelt and looked at Qin Feng. “I haven’t seen her in a long time. I was surprised to see her body.”

Qin Feng started the engine and drove off, glancing at her. “Have you seen any spirits?”

Lin Fan shook her head. “No.”

“Were you home all night?”

“Yes, I only went out this morning. There’s surveillance in the community.”

Qin Feng knew where Lin Fan lived and trusted she wasn’t lying.

“You didn’t have time to commit the crime,” Qin Feng said. “You left the police station around ten last night.”

Lin Fan nodded.

“Liu Piaopiao’s time of death was between ten and eleven,” Qin Feng said, tapping the steering wheel. “Whose name is on the villa now? Whose name was it originally?”

“I don’t know now. Originally, it was my father’s.”

“And you were just kicked out? With nothing?”

Lin Fan: “…”

Qin Feng adjusted his collar. “Your stepmother was quite ruthless.”

“I don’t understand much about these things. When the debt collectors came and kicked me out, I had no choice but to leave,” Lin Fan sighed. “I still wonder whether my father’s death was an accident or something else.”

Lin Fan didn’t know much. She only knew her father had died, her stepmother had taken her brother and the money, and fled. Now, six months later, she had found their bodies in the villa that was supposedly seized to pay off debts. She had no idea what had happened in between.

“You go home first. Remember to go to work tomorrow and don’t wander around.”

Lin Fan nodded. “Got it.”

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Do you have money?” Qin Feng asked.

Lin Fan hugged her bag. “Yes, I have some. I’ll go now.”

She quickly turned and ran out.

Qin Feng pinched the bridge of his nose, lit a cigarette, and after finishing it, headed to the forensics center.

“The female victim, twenty-eight years old, about 1.7 meters tall, has four stab wounds. The face was slashed diagonally,” the forensic doctor explained, gesturing. “It was likely done with a machete, as a smaller blade wouldn’t leave such a long wound. The blade was at least three centimeters wide, probably without a handle. We’ll extract several blood samples from the scene. We might find something useful.”

Qin Feng nodded. “Any defensive wounds?”

“Yes, on the hands. She likely raised them instinctively to block the attack to her face. Four fingers had their tendons and bones severed, with only the skin holding them together.”

Qin Feng examined the body. “Time of death?”

“Around eleven o’clock. The air conditioning was on, which might affect the body temperature readings.”

“She was slashed twice across the chest and then stabbed once after falling.”

“The killer probably wanted to make sure she was dead.”

“Any other injuries?”

“No.”

Liu Piaopiao was wearing light summer pajamas, exposing much of her skin. There were no signs of forced entry, so she likely opened the door herself and was attacked in the living room. “The killer is probably someone she knew or had an intimate relationship with,” Qin Feng analyzed. “We should have answers soon.”

“The child’s cause of death is clearer—a single fatal blow that severed the neck.”

“Based on the bloodstains, the killer was familiar with the layout of the house. They went straight to the child’s room, opened the door, and slashed the child’s neck.” Qin Feng noted the child’s eyes were open, seemingly in shock. “This was definitely done by someone they knew.”

"I think so too. All the evidence at the scene points to someone familiar with the victims," said Liu, the forensic doctor. "I heard the deceased had some connection to Xiao Lin?"

"Yes," Qin Feng replied. "Liu Piaopiao was Lin Fan’s stepmother, but after Lin Fan's father died, she kicked Lin Fan out. Probably afraid Lin Fan would fight for the inheritance. Lin Fan mentioned it before, but we haven't looked into it in detail."

Dr. Liu removed his gloves and adjusted his glasses. "We’ll have to investigate sooner or later. How did this end up involving Xiao Lin again? What kind of constitution does she have? Wherever she goes, someone dies?"

Qin Feng shrugged helplessly. "Maybe she's channeling Conan."

A special task force was quickly formed, and surveillance footage was still being reviewed. After analyzing the case, Qin Feng said, "Hurry up and check Liu Piaopiao’s social connections, lovers, and financial issues."

His phone buzzed in his pocket. "That’s all for now. Call me if there are any questions."

He walked out and saw that the call was from his mother. He answered, "Mom."

"Aren’t you bringing your girlfriend over for dinner tonight? It's already past nine."

"There’s a case. Another time."

There was a brief pause on the other end. "You're always busy. What girl could put up with you?"

Qin Feng was about to say something, then stopped. He started walking out. "Is Dad home?"

"Yes, he's been waiting for you to bring your girlfriend. He didn't go to work this afternoon."

Qin Feng: "..."

"I need to talk to Dad. I’ll be home soon."

"Hey? Is your girlfriend coming?"

"She has to study. The new term is starting soon."

His mother: "..."

"Why don't you just date a middle schooler?"

"What time will you be home?"

"I’ll be there soon." Qin Feng hung up and drove straight to his parents' house.

---

Lin Fan, holding a flashlight, walked along a weed-covered path towards the back of the community. There were no streetlights, making it darker than an urban area. She looked up at the dim sky and continued forward. The burned house was the innermost one. The flashlight couldn't illuminate everything, so she decided to turn back, but suddenly saw a pale face.

Lin Fan turned to leave.

"Sister."

The hair on the back of her neck stood up. As the voice came closer, "Sister."

Lin Fan turned around. The child was already in front of her, holding a head and smiling. "Is it fun?"

Lin Fan wanted to kick him away but swallowed. "No, it’s not fun. Put your head back. Where’s your mom?"

"I don’t know." The dead child placed his head back, but a bloodline remained on his neck. He stared at Lin Fan with big round eyes. "Bad Lin Fan, why are you still alive?"

Lin Fan walked quickly out of the area, ignoring his words. This kid was just like his mother, sharp-tongued and mean. Lin Fan didn't like him, and now he was dead. She had no reason to be polite. "Have you seen your mom? Did you come here alone?"

"I can't find her." Lin Ze frowned. "I've looked for a long time but can’t find her. I don't know where she went. I can’t go home either. I want to go back and play games."

Play games? Lin Ze used to bully Lin Fan a lot, pretending to fall and accusing her of pushing him, causing her father to scold her.

Lin Fan returned to her building and searched from the first to the fifth floor but saw no trace of Liu Piaopiao’s spirit. Downstairs, the boy followed her, sometimes holding his head, sometimes putting it back. "Lin Fan."

"Call me sister," Lin Fan said sternly.

Lin Ze rolled his eyes. "If I call you sister, will you take me home?"

"You can’t go back. You’re dead." Lin Fan walked out of the community and turned off the flashlight. "You’re playing with your head—"

Suddenly, she felt a tightness around her neck, unable to breathe. Out of nowhere, she grabbed the boy and threw him over her shoulder. The head landed on the ground, and Lin Fan frowned. His body was running around the place while the head on the ground shouted, "Idiot, I'm here."

Lin Fan rubbed her neck. There seemed to be a strange force within her body, foreign and unfamiliar. What was it? She wondered. She walked over to the crying head and squatted down. "How did you die? Who's the killer?"

"You murderer! You violent maniac! You evil witch! I’ll tell my mom to beat you up!" The brat cried and cursed, showing his true nature. Lin Fan, headache growing, got up to leave.

Lin Ze finally reattached his head and followed her quickly, "Don’t go."

Lin Fan kept walking. "You’re dead. No one will help you no matter how much you scream."

"So, I'm a ghost now?" He tilted his head, his voice still childish.

"Yes."

"Why can you see me? Are you dead too? Or are you lying to me?"

Lin Fan didn’t know how to answer. She stopped, hands in her pockets, staring at the brat. "I'll ask one last time. Who killed you? Who’s the killer? If we don't catch the killer, you’ll be stuck like this forever, holding your head, unable to die or reincarnate. No games, no TV, no snacks."

Lin Ze stopped, staring at Lin Fan.

"You don’t believe me?" Lin Fan looked into his eyes. "How long have you been wandering here? Has anyone noticed you? I brought you out. Without me, you’d still be floating inside."

Lin Ze's pale face showed no color, but his eyes were bright, just like Lin Fan's, resembling their father’s.

"This is death? You’re not lying?"

"Yes, this is death," Lin Fan said. "You’ll be alone forever. No one will talk to you. No one will know you exist. That’s death."

"Am I really dead?" Tears welled up in his eyes, his voice trembling. "I don’t remember how I died. I can’t recall."