Forbidden Land

  Wang Nianrui finally closed his eyes in drowsiness after reading the news with interest.

  At the same time, Li Kezhang was in the underground parking garage of Qifeng Building. He saw a floor full of broken bodies. Such destructive power, apart from the Corpse Demon, he couldn't think of anything else. But the Corpse Demon had apparently left, and the instruments of the Sixth Department were quiet and unresponsive.

  "Hey, Tang Hongming, nothing's going on here, the corpse demon has left. I'll go check the surveillance footage and talk to you when I get back."

  Tang Hongming had also gathered her team on this side, and she was extremely depressed. For the first time, mainly recruiting men into the six departments was actually rejected, which was a considerable blow. Just as Tang Hongming was about to leave, Wu Xiu suddenly poked his head out of the ambulance and called out to her.

  "That case of Shi Li is under your jurisdiction, so I think the people related to his case should also be under your jurisdiction, right?"

  "What do you want to say?"

  "Last night, my colleague found Zhang Haiyang and tracked him down to his hideout, but it's a bit of trouble, he has a woman hostage."

  "Where?"

  Tang Hong's eyes lit up and he reached out to grab Wu Xiu's blood-stained hand. Wu Xiu smiled back and pulled his hand free.

  "I'm just a small fry, you'd better go talk to our boss about this."

  Tang Hongming watched as the ambulance drove away, then lifted his blood-stained hand and looked at it again and again. Finally, he let out a sigh and thought to himself: Being young is really great.

  Zhang Haiyang woke up to find his villa surrounded, but he wasn't flustered. The people outside were all police officers, and the only crime he had committed was illegal entry. This was China, and as a foreigner, at most he would be deported. If he was lucky, he could just go through some formalities and it would be fine.

  If it were a few days ago, Zhang Haiyang would be very nervous, because at that time he was still troubled by the deep hatred of the bloody sea. But now, the hatred in his heart seems to have faded a lot, and more is curiosity. Zhang Haiyang seemed to be looking at the overlapping hatred of himself and Shi Li from an outsider's perspective, feeling that he was no longer himself. A bystander has no reason to pay with his life for revenge.

  "What's going on? We're surrounded."

  Lily was somewhat nervous, outside were fully armed police officers.

  "Those inside listen, release the hostages, our government will handle your case according to international law."

  Outside the window, a public security officer is using a loudspeaker to shout at the villa.

  "Don't worry, you're now a hostage, and it's very safe."

  Zhang Haiyang smiled and kissed Lily's face, pondered for a moment, then pulled Lily's hand towards the door.

  "Let's go out together."

  The warm sunshine was reflected off the snowy ground, casting a dazzling glow on a young couple who had just walked out of the doorway.

  At 9:29 on Cold Clothes Festival, Shi Li and Zhao Liming stepped into the office with the sound of the bell ringing, and the two people smiled intimately at each other.

  Liu Li pouted and glared at them angrily.

  Shi Li met Liu Li's gaze, but didn't mind at all, and smiled warmly like sunshine. But Liu Li suddenly felt a chill run down her spine, an inexplicable terror, as if the person in front of her wasn't human, but a devil. She even dared not look at Shi Li again, hastily packed up her things, and left the office.

  Shi Li stood in front of the window, watching that beautiful figure disappear into the distance. He then returned to his computer and sat down, habitually opening those few untranslated documents. A moment later, he closed them all again. Shi Li shut his eyes, which were filled with bloodshot lines, and hid his tightly clenched fists under the table. A key deformed from the immense pressure it was subjected to. This was originally the key Shi Li had intended to give to Liu Li, but now this goal seemed rather difficult to achieve. So where could he find two suitable bodies for experimentation? It couldn't be that both Gao Xuan and Gao Qin's souls would be squeezed into one body, could it?

  "What's wrong? Headache again?"

  Zhao Liming's small hand gently pressed on Shi Li's shoulder, causing the highly tense Shi Li to shudder, but he immediately recovered.

  "Yeah, it's okay, but never mind, you go ahead and take care of your stuff!"

  Just then, the phone rang. It was someone from the criminal police team. The deputy director seemed nonchalant, but Shi Li noticed his tension from subtle details and his eyes kept darting over.

  "There is a problem."

  Shi Li thought for a moment, then quietly got up and walked over, suddenly snatching the phone.

  Zhang Haiyang was arrested on suspicion of illegal entry, the Sixth Division wants him, but the Criminal Police Brigade believes that Zhang Haiyang is related to other cases and cannot be handed over to the Sixth Division for the time being, so they hope the Foreign Affairs Division can help.

  "We are all from the public security system, before the administrative document comes down, at this time our own people should stand on their own side."

  The person on the phone spoke in a dry and hoarse tone, Shi Li just quietly listened, after a long while he finally made up his mind.

  "You bring him here, I'll help you."

  Shi's mouth corners couldn't help but reveal a smile, and this smile made the deputy director feel like he was falling into an ice cave, as if it could touch the deepest fears in his heart.

  Zhao Liming watched all this with worry on his face, his beautiful big eyes filled with unease, but he did nothing.

  Before long, Zhang Haiyang was escorted over. Two men who knew each other inside out met again, two identical souls gazed at each other quietly, without any excited hope, as calm as water, yet with a hint of abnormality beneath the surface.

  "So that's how it is!"

  Shi Li suddenly spoke up, and the smile on his face became even more radiant, like the sky in May.

  "The new ones laugh, the old ones cry, it doesn't matter, I will avenge our wives and children."

  "Not like that, I hope for a fair trial. If this country does not allow it, then let me take action myself. But not like you, using the blood of the innocent to dye the road of progress red."

  Zhang Haiyang's face turned iron-green, he couldn't understand why Shi Li could sense his thoughts, but it had indeed happened. The feeling was like being stripped naked, being looked at from head to toe by someone.

  "Is that so? Stop making excuses, you've already forgotten the vows of old. A single woman has softened your heart, do you know what kind of behavior that is? Coward! Of course, I should use this title to address you, because it would also be a slur against me, after all, we are one and the same."

  "No! I am myself, when souls are apart, we all have our own choices. Although I possess your soul and memories, I still have my own judgment and choice. 'The sign of human independence is being able to choose one's own future.' Those were your words."

  Shi Li slowly stood up and looked at Zhang Haiyang with some surprise.

  "You're wrong, you are me and I am you. We can't escape the choices that define us. You'll find this out, no matter what price you pay."

  A flash of red light flickered across Shi Li's eyes, and Zhang Haiyang sat silently, stunned.

  Just then, Tang Hongming, who had returned to Liu Ke, suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned back to look at the detector, where the spiritual energy index was abnormal.

  "The building is not clean inside, go out and sweep a small team."

  Tang Hongming then sent the powerful Lingdian collected in the morning to be purified with Sun Xiangshu, preparing to input it into Gao Yun's soul.

  Gao Yun has calmed down and seems to have silently accepted her fate.

  Tang Hongming stood in front of the huge transparent cabinet, looking at the person suspended inside with a solemn expression. Gao Xuan had merged with more than a dozen death row inmates' souls, from only being able to form a face to now forming a full body. She didn't know what kind of piercing pain she had endured in her soul, which was even more unbearable than physical harm.

  Tang Hong thought for a moment, lightly tapping the cabinet wall. The space inside seemed to be affected, producing ring after ring of pale pink flashing ripples. The ripples passed through Gao Yun without any obstruction, as if she didn't exist at all.

  "Anything wrong?"

  Gao Xuan opened her eyes, and those eyes had no whites, only a bloody red glow.

  "We've found another powerful spirit source, we'll transfer it to you this afternoon. Can you still hold on?"

  "I have lost life once, so I am no longer afraid of losing it."

  Gao Yan said, then closed her eyes again.

  Tang Hongming was puzzled, she wondered why Gao Xuan didn't ask about Shi Li's situation, had she already forgotten about Shi Li?

  Li Kezhang was reviewing the footage in the security department of Qifeng Building, and the infrared probe installed in the underground garage made every person exceptionally clear, except for the corpse demon without body temperature, which remained a faintly distorted shadow.

  The security guards had already watched the video before the police arrived, and they were all scared to death, their faces pale green. Li Kechang was somewhat disdainful, but didn't show a hint of it. His attention was fully focused on the video. The killer's movements were fast, and he was just a faint shadow, so from the screen, it looked like the bodyguards suddenly self-destructed, exploding into pieces. The scene was like something out of a horror movie, with bullets flying everywhere, all hitting one person, but unable to stop his slaughter.

  Li Ke pressed the pause button, feeling a bit frustrated. Due to the angle issue, there was no footage of how Yang Ming escaped in the end. He had watched this segment of the video more than a dozen times, but still couldn't find any clues. Just as Li Ke was about to give up, a shy security guard brought over a tape, saying it was also from the scene of the crime, but there was no one on it. Li Ke immediately reviewed the tape and indeed, just like the security guard said, he couldn't see anyone's shadow. But for some reason, Li Ke always felt that the screen was a bit unusual, so he re-watched it carefully again and finally found a suspicious point - in the darkness, there was a white dot floating around in a regular pattern. Li Ke repeatedly watched this segment and analyzed its shape, thinking it might be a photo or a piece of paper. Someone who couldn't be seen by the infrared probe was holding it and walking towards the depths of the garage.

  "That's it!"

  Li Kezhang immediately took the security guard to the garage to investigate. The last place where the drifting white dot disappeared was below the air supply duct, and the iron mesh at the outlet of the air supply duct was gone.

  Just then, the six members of the party suddenly exclaimed, and the spirit electric detector had a reaction.

  "Evacuate immediately! Inform Tang Hongming, he's still in Qipeng Building! I'll cut off the back!"

  Yang Ming's car overturned again. When he crawled out of the vehicle, he suddenly calmed down and realized that blindly fleeing wouldn't work and would eventually lead to his death at the hands of the corpse demons.

  "I am a genius, and geniuses should have a glorious death, rather than being chased around by a corpse."

  Yang Ming didn't look back at the million-dollar car, and left directly. He made a phone call to let the club members come pick him up. Yang Ming had his next target, going to Wang Nian's old house, where his over 90-year-old grandmother still lived.

  "The thirteen evil spirits are mine, and you are also mine. Crushing you is no different from crushing an ant."

  Yang Ming thought resentfully that he would use Wang Nian's grandmother to threaten Wang Nian into handing over the Thirteenth Ghost.

  The people from the community arrived quickly, and a group of them burst into Wang Nian's old mansion. The ninety-year-old old lady narrowed her eyes at Yang Ming, but couldn't see any expression.

  "You're also here for the Thirteen Demons, aren't you? No need to look at me like that, I may be old but I'm not senile yet. That Wang Nian kid is done for, and it looks like you're almost there too."

  "Old lady, since you know everything, I won't waste any more words. Tell me, where is the 13th Ghost Symbol hidden? And let me remind you, I'm not your grandson, so don't expect me to be polite. See those young people over there? I wouldn't mind if they beat you up, or even...you know. That's too crude, but I won't stop them. As long as you tell me what I want to know, nothing will happen."

  Yang Ming's naked threat made the old lady glare at him with a stern expression, and she slowly got up from her seat.

  "Come with me!"

  "Recognize the situation! I really didn't expect that, old man, your unworthy grandson having half of your insight wouldn't have ended up like this."

  "Less nonsense, help me up, I'm old and can't walk fast."

  A member of the social club was about to step forward, but was stopped by Yang Ming, who wanted to personally help this unusual old lady.

  "This mansion has a history of over 400 years, and in the past, all the royal family members lived here. The house was much larger back then, and the entire Hechang East Street was connected by our Wang family's mansions. However, after liberation, it declined. Behind this is our Wang family's ancestral hall, which is a forbidden area for our Wang family. It's said to be an ancestral hall, but the person being worshipped isn't one of our Wang family members, but rather a Daoist named Li Yi who was a benefactor of our Wang family. The plaque inside was even made by him personally!"

  "I know I know, it's Li Yi, the one who sealed away the thirteen evil spirits."

  "Hmm, I didn't expect you to know so much, you've really put your mind to it. All the secrets of the Wang family are here, and that child Wang Nian has also been here, but he didn't find anything. Since you're here, go ahead and search around, anyway this house is going to be demolished next week and these secrets will all be buried too. Alright, you go ahead and search, I won't accompany you, an old woman like me can't enter the Wang family's forbidden area!"

  The old lady gasped at the entrance of the ancestral hall, looking up at the hall with a flash of resentment in her eyes. After a pause, she left without anyone's support, leaning on her cane.

  "What a secret of the Wang family! What virtue and ability do I have, that I am so lucky."

  Yang Ming sighed and felt that he was too hypocritical. He shook his head and walked into the temple with a lack of enthusiasm.

  The ancestral hall is not big and there's nothing much in it. It houses a memorial tablet, the offering table is made of pear wood, just by looking at its color you can tell it has some age to it.

  Yang Ming searched around in a circle, but couldn't find anything, and became so angry that he summoned all the clubs to come and turn everything upside down. The tables were broken, the floorboards were pried up, and more than ten holes were smashed into the walls, but still nothing was found. Yang Ming walked back and forth in the courtyard, when suddenly a flash of inspiration struck him - he remembered that Old Lady Li had said that the ancestral tablet was made by Li Yi himself, and how she had looked at the temple with an evil gaze that was not inferior to her own. Yang Ming sneered.

  "So it was here all along!"

  Yang Ming had someone bring out the plaque, tapped it a few times, and it seemed to be solid, but he was not willing to give up. He had someone smash it open to take a look. Unexpectedly, inside was a thin booklet with the words "Unfilial Descendants Open" written on it. Yang Ming chuckled to himself, thinking that even if he was an unfilial descendant, what's the harm? He suppressed his excitement and carefully took it out, unfolding it.

  "It's actually like this..."

  Yang Ming's face turned deathly pale, and he turned around and left.

  That thin booklet fell to the ground, ignored by everyone, with several large feet trampling over it, leaving behind a footprint.

  After everyone left, Wang Nian's grandmother finally came out, picked up the book, put on her old glasses and looked at it carefully. As she looked, the old lady burst into laughter, laughing so hard that she fell to the ground in the snow, but still couldn't stop laughing until her body stiffened and there was no sound anymore.