Chapter 1: Strange Phenomena in the Underworld

  Back at the police station, Chen Zhenhua had only one thing to do and that was to search for the files of the gold shop robbery case in the archives room or data room.

  Because the two rooms were piled high with documents, Chen Zhenhua spent an entire afternoon searching for the file, which was actually in a corner of the document room. If someone with a more unstable mind had been handling things, they might have found it in just a few minutes - because Chen Zhenhua thought that such an important case should be well-preserved, so he only carefully searched through the neat or messy piles of documents, but didn't think to look in the corner of the wall, where it was finally found, buried under a pile of scrap paper. The file was covered in dust, and when Chen Zhenhua blew on it, the dust flew everywhere.

  He opened the file bag, which indeed recorded the specific investigation content of the robbery case of Jin Dian Jewelry Store five years ago. Although it can't be said to be meticulous, it's not so sloppy either.

  According to the case files, there were ten robbers in this robbery case. They all wore black clothes and covered their faces. They had two homemade shotguns, four 54-style handguns and four machetes. As soon as they entered the gold shop, they fired several shots. A female clerk was hit in the leg, fortunately without hurting her bones. The bullet shells have been placed in the evidence room.

  "Why isn't there an interrogation record?" Chen Zhenhua finished reading the file and stood up, pacing back and forth in the data room, muttering to himself, "Logically, there should be a record of questioning, could it be that the record is somewhere else?"

  He thought for a moment, looked at the file again, and then thought for another moment. In this dimly lit archive room filled with moldy smell and floating dust, he really thought about the case like Sherlock Holmes, every move and gaze, even the expression of looking up at the ceiling was consistent with the description in the book.

  However, he was fruitless.

  At night, he finally thought of resting after feeling a bit tired, so he put the files back in their original place, closed the door to the records room, and prepared to leave. At this time, except for the police on duty and the security guard, everyone else had gone home, including Huang Aiguo.

  Out of the police station, strolling on the streets of a city lit up like day - he often came home this way, rarely taking a ride unless he was in a hurry.

  The cool night breeze blew across his body, making him feel refreshed and his mind clearer. His clear mind began to work again, forcing himself to find a breakthrough in the case, wondering if Ran Jiaoluo's murder was also related to this robbery case.

  But in order to crack the case, one must understand the entire process of the case. However, who can remember now? Where are the police records?

  He shook his head helplessly in the face of these two problems.

  Thinking so, he unknowingly arrived at where he lived and walked into the alley.

  He had only walked a few steps when he felt another gust of cool wind, and this cool wind was almost icy cold. If it weren't for the scorching heat of the day making people feel irritable, they might have even found the wind somewhat piercing to the bone.

  He knew what was going on because it wasn't his first time like this.

  "Come out!" he shouted as he walked.

  Then, in the dim alley, two figures gradually emerged, one black and one white, holding a pair of handcuffs. Everyone knew that the visitors were Hei Bai Wu Chang again.

  "You've noticed it too," said Bai Wuchang with a chuckle.

  "You guys only have a breath of yin energy, wherever you go, it will blow a gust of cold wind. I'm not unaware of this, how is it that this time you're here to hook another poor ghost?" Chen Zhenhua said as he walked towards his apartment, and the black and white impermanence followed him floating into his house.

  "It's just an old man, but this old man is very rich and his children are very filial. I heard that they will help him send a lot of daily necessities, such as super-large screen TVs, refrigerators, villas, mahjong tables, beauties, etc. I estimate that we will make tens of thousands of yuan this time."

  "What's with the estimate?" Chen Zhenhua pouted and said, "Don't you guys have a clear price tag?"

  "Not bad!" Bai Wuchang said with a smile, "Escorting beauties doesn't count as human trafficking, does it? Asking for more isn't abnormal, is it?"

  "What brings you two here this time? Don't tell me the King of Hell is going to renovate another place?" Chen Zhenhua said, looking at the two ghosts.

  "That's not it," said Hei Wuchang, "Recently, the underworld has been experiencing abnormalities. For several days in a row, golden light has been flashing and shrinking, illuminating the dark underworld as if it were daytime. It was very frightening. What's even stranger is that whenever the golden light appears, you can hear strange wailing sounds. Those wails sound like they're coming from a madman locked in a dark room, screaming wildly. We've worked in the underworld for thousands of years, but we've never heard anything like it."

  "Is it that serious?" Chen Zhenhua pondered for a moment, rolling his eyes as he recalled the scene of the ten masked ghosts who had stolen the Town Demon Seal not long ago, using it to absorb water at Naihe Bridge.

  "Yes, and I also heard that the ghosts were discussing that at the moment of golden light flashing, they could feel that the Huangquan Road and the Yincao Road as well as the buildings where they lived were shaking non-stop. The slightly shorter buildings looked like small boats swaying on the waves, it's really hard to say what was going on." Hei Wuchang said.

  "I saw the water under Naihe Bridge surging up in waves a few days ago, just like blood spurting out when someone is killed. And on the Huangquan Road, I often see snakes, insects, rats and ants scurrying around everywhere. Seeing these things makes me think that maybe there have been many people dying without cause recently, they've become vengeful spirits, their resentment reaching the heavens, gathering together to stir up trouble." said Bai Wuchang.

  "You two are saying such wonderful and terrifying things, what do you want me to do?" Chen Zhenhua said with a pretentious tone of indifference, but in fact he was more tense than Hei Bai Wu Chang, because he knew about the Town Demon Seal, and also knew its power, it's just that Hei Bai Wu Chang didn't know yet.

  "Ran Jiaoluo and Qin Yin aren't escaping again, are they? I think I mentioned this to you before, plus that hateful Ou Xiaoqian took advantage of our carelessness and escaped to Hei Sha Xing, so we thought Ran Jiaoluo and the others might come looking for you. If they do, would you mind asking if it's the work of a vengeful spirit? I saw Yan Wang Ye with a gloomy expression that day, and I'm afraid those two women who died miserably might be driven by their own despair to follow other vengeful spirits and cause trouble. If that's really the case, then those two poor women will definitely fall into the demonic path, and there'll be no salvation for them." said Hei Wuchang.

  Chen Zhenhua was also afraid of this situation, but Ran Jiaoluo had never come to find him. Now that Hei Bai Wuchang said so, he suddenly felt worried in his heart. Specifically, what he was worried about, he couldn't say for sure. It's just that the abnormality of hell now explains that finding the murderer behind Ran Jiaoluo's death is an urgent matter that cannot be delayed.

  Hei Bai Wu Chang was like a melancholic and sentimental person who told Chen Zhenhua about this matter, then turned around to do their business, leaving Chen Zhenhua lying in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. He was still thinking about the problem that Hei Bai Wu Chang had discussed, the golden light that could shake the underworld, and that eerie and strange cry.

  He was clear in his mind that Hei Bai Wu Chang didn't know about the loss of the Town Demon Seal, and it's possible that they hadn't even heard of it. This is a treasure that has been passed down through generations of rulers of the underworld to deal with evil spirits, ghosts, and zombies, and it was also given to them by the Jade Emperor as an ancient divine instrument. If Heaven found out that the Town Demon Seal had been stolen, then this Yan Wang's ability to handle affairs would be called into question. Therefore, Yan Wang sent them back to the mortal world and didn't dare tell them easily either.

  He indulged in such fanciful thoughts until the huge clock on top of the tallest building in the city struck five, when he fell asleep in a daze.

  But it was only for an hour or two, and as soon as the sun came out, the city fell into a state of chaos again. People were busy rushing to start their new day with anxiety, he got up, washed his face casually, and went to the police station. He had thought about it last night, if he stayed in the archives room of the police station, he would have no chance of solving the case. Because Deputy Director Yan Song had previously instructed him that after he and Huang Aiguo were transferred to the archives room, they would not be able to casually inquire about other cases. In other words, they could only stay in the archives room, even if they were bored to sleep on the office desk, they couldn't leave half a step, otherwise they would be dealt with for dereliction of duty.

  So Chen Zhenhua had to find the real killer for Ruan Jiaoluo, and he must get out of this crazy and moldy room.

  For this, he wanted to go find the director to have a talk, hoping the director could understand his difficulties.

  Sitting in front of his desk, he hesitated and didn't know what to say. After a long time, he made up his mind to go see the director.

  He quickly walked up to the fifth floor, even if there was an elevator he wouldn't take it, because his excitement and inner anxiety made him unable to wait for the slow-moving elevator to come down from the seventh floor and then go back up to the fifth floor.

  "Knock knock," he rapped on the director's office door with two bent fingers. After getting permission, he opened the door and walked in.

  "What's wrong with you?" The director was in his office, leaning on the desk with a pen practicing his signature, plus a few words - "Agree" and "Disagree". He had been writing for an entire morning. The several sheets of white paper in front of him were all filled with those two words and his name.

  Seeing Chen Zhenhua come in, he seemed a bit surprised, so he put down the pen in his hand and looked at Chen Zhenhua and said: "You rarely come to my office, what brings you here today, great detective?"

  The tone of Director's voice can be heard that he is somewhat unhappy in his heart and must still have a grudge against Chen Zhenhua's performance at the Ho family.

  "Yes, Director," Chen Zhenhua walked to the director's side, first handing him a cigarette and then said, "You're right, but I've done my best - done my job as well as possible. I don't think coming to your office today has affected your work, has it?"

  "That's not it," said the director, covering the paper full of names in front of him with a file, "what brings you here?"

  "Director," Chen Zhenhua said, "A few years ago, the 'Jade Treasure' jewelry store was robbed. Last year, the general manager of the jewelry store, Ruan Lujiao, died tragically at home. Although we have closed the case and the murderer has confessed and been executed, I think this case is not over yet. To avenge the deceased and seek justice, Director, I believe this case needs to be re-investigated, and I hope you can assign it to us and Huang Aiguo. Finally, I hope you will consider it."

  "Aren't you working in the archives?" The director looked at him and said, "Many people are eager to do that job and haven't had the chance yet, so why do you want to go back to the criminal investigation team?"

  "It was a good job, but I just like it a bit harder," Chen Zhenhua said hesitantly.

  The director nodded and looked Chen Zhenhua up and down before agreeing to his request, but said that this matter needed to be discussed with other department leaders.

  Chen Zhenhua heard that the director had agreed, and he was secretly delighted in his heart. After thanking the director, he turned around and walked out of the director's office.

  As he turned around, the director's eyes, sharp as a knife, were fixed on his back, and no one could tell what was hidden in those eyes. Perhaps, a mysterious assassination had already been brewing.