"Except for the skull, Wu Tao's muscles, bones, and internal organs were all precisely divided into cubes with a side length of 1 mm."
Lu Xiaohe pointed out three pictures and arranged them in order.
"This is the separated bones, muscles and fat. The muscles and fat have been deformed due to decay, and the forensic comrades have put a lot of effort to discover this pattern. The bones are more obvious - look, each grain is clearly visible."
The cubes in the picture have smooth cross-sections and extremely standard shapes. They are more like some kind of industrial product than human bones.
Yin Ren thought about it for a long time, but couldn't think of what kind of evil creature had such a strange hobby. He pulled Zhong Cheng and said, "Can modern technology achieve this?"
"If the human body is frozen and finely cut under certain conditions, it is theoretically possible."
Modern humans are so terrible, Yin Ren made a click of his tongue.
Lu Xiaohe praised: "Indeed, but Wu Tao's body did not show any signs of freezing, and there were no such conditions at the scene."
"To commit such a crime, the murderer should not have done it on impulse. Lu Xiao... Sister Lu, can we take a look at Wu Tao's social connections?"
As Sun Qinghui said, no matter what the method is, as long as the murderer is alive, his or her motive for killing is not much different from that of an ordinary murderer.
Lu Xiaohe slid back to the computer and typed a few words quickly. The screen was instantly filled with the results.
"Is it possible that they are wild cadavers?"
Brother Qin: "No, it's not enough for a necromancer to have talent, he needs someone to teach him. We are the only one in the country, and we haven't accepted any outsiders for many years. Alas, we can't even keep our own family members."
"What's even more disgusting is that this beast often harasses young girls. He specifically targets young girls who come to the city to work. He first gets them drunk and insults them, then uses threats and bribes to lure them, pretends to date them for a few days, and finally kicks them out with an excuse."
"Besides, my family has some skills that are, shall I say, quite universal. Half of the youngsters became orthopedic doctors, and half became rehabilitation doctors, and they are all doing very well. Only the one third of us are unable to study and are forced to inherit the family business." Brother Qin counted on his fingers with a longing look.
Zhong Cheng said: “…” He knew why studying was not working.
The murderer most likely contacted Wu Tao through some means.
"If it was really a wild corpse that committed the crime, the murderer might be mentally unstable and very capable, at least he could create a murder scene like that in a short time..." Zhong Cheng said, pursing his lips, "But what is the meaning of that murder scene?"
A few strange noises came from behind the middle-aged man, and a stream of black blood splashed on his cheek. Brother Qin turned his head and glanced, his camera shaking violently: "Wait a minute, I'll find a place to hide first... Okay, what's the matter?"
"That man didn't listen to people, nor did he speak human language. No one knew where he came from. All they knew was that he walked around hand in hand with a rotting corpse every day, and his pants were full of shit and urine. My grandmother's second uncle said that the man was a complete lunatic and he soon fell ill and died."
Yin Ren: "Why isn't he locked up?"
"I heard it from my grandmother, and she heard it from her second grandfather. About a hundred years ago, a foreigner who could enslave corpses came to the Qin family's territory."
"There is only one line of corpse servants left, the Zhongnan Tan family. There are 79 registered corpse servants in the Shi'an Group, of which only 4 are in the Haigu branch. They are all from the Tan family. Wait a minute..."
"I don't know how to dice a living person, but the cadaver can certainly manipulate insect corpses. When I took the physical examination before joining the company, there were insect corpses in Shi'an's 'Three-point Heaven' test tool."
"Hey, hey, hey, wait a minute, I suddenly remembered something. It seems that there really were wild corpse slaves before."
Lu Xiaohe: "I don't understand the direction of metaphysics, let Master Yin speak next."
Lu Xiaohe drooped his lips. "It's common for Wu Tao to not pay back his debts and blackmail people. He has at least a hundred financial enemies, and he's also a big part of the gangster fights in Haigu. This guy has a long history of bad deeds and has offended many people."
"… what?"
Brother Qin slapped his head.
"Officer Sun is handling the case very steadily. They should be investigating nearby surveillance records and looking for people related to Wu Tao." Zhong Cheng said thoughtfully, "We can focus our energy on other things first."
Thousands of years ago, he had only heard of one case of a "self-taught corpse worker". Coincidentally, that case was also a madman.
Lu Xiaohe pulled up the employee list and quickly locked onto one of them.
Only then did they discover that Lu Xiaohe's right foot was a little lame.
Zhong Cheng said: "Yin Ren, you were the one who found the worm corpse, do you have any other ideas?"
Lu Xiaohe: "Thank you, Brother Qin, I understand. Let's go first—"
"You asked the right question. I guess the police are also having a headache over this."
After saying this, the two scientists looked at Yin Ren at the same time.
The call ring rang, and within ten seconds, a middle-aged man with a mournful look on his face appeared on the screen: "Lu Xiaohe?"
"This guy is a frequent visitor to the detention center. He is very shrewd. He is sure that those girls are conservative and don't know how to preserve evidence. The naive ones were fooled by his smooth talk and just thought they were breaking up. The smarter ones knew something was wrong, but they were afraid of retaliation from Wu Tao's gang, so they dared not say anything - no one reported the case and there was no evidence, so it was difficult for the police to catch him."
When talking about the deceased, there was no trace of regret on Lu Xiaohe's face.
"Hello, Brother Qin, we have something to consult. Are you available to discuss it now?"
Beside him, Zhong Chengshuo was taking notes seriously.
Yin Ren: “?”
"I have an idea - I'm going to the library to get something, you two can take a rest first." Lu Xiaohe stood up and walked towards the door.
Yin Ren asked curiously, "Isn't the corpse servant very powerful? Why can't we keep him?"
A thousand years ago, there were 17 or 18 families that specialized in raising and servicing corpses. The types of war corpses were divided into men, women, old and young, and they were very good at servicing corpses. But the world has changed so much that a thousand years later, there are not even a hundred people in this business.
Yin Ren was about to take out his phone to look up human body cryonics, but he took his hand back in dismay and smoothed his hair: "A cadaver."
"We have a case on our hands that may involve a dead body."
"My son, you know the situation of the Qin family. We didn't have many servants left in the first place, and now all of them have been taken away by Shi An." Brother Qin was so anxious that his accent leaked out. "We work every day, how could we go out and cause trouble?"
Yin Ren collected his thoughts and started playing with the ends of his hair.
The family tradition has declined, but Brother Qin seems to have no regrets: "This doesn't promote cremation. There is also a crime of insulting corpses in the law. Most of the skills passed down by our ancestors can no longer be used."
Her sneakers had been specially modified, so the soles on both sides were not symmetrical. She walked with slightly smaller steps, slower than the average person, and her body subconsciously leaned to the left.
Kelu Xiaohe walked briskly with her head held high. Her figure quickly disappeared from the sight of the two men.
Zhong Cheng lowered his head and was about to continue organizing his notes when a fist suddenly stretched out in front of him.
Zhong Cheng leaned back and said, "What's wrong?"
"Didn't you help me fix my phone last night? It was a return gift as agreed." Yin Ren opened his palm, revealing the keychain in it.
A cream-colored hamster hangs on the keychain, with its two little paws holding a red banner that reads "A Thousand Gold Deposits". The keychain is roughly made, but it has not changed much and looks simple and cute.
Yin Ren left the "good luck full warehouse" money for himself and hung up his phone. Lord Ghost King was not interested in money, he firmly believed that he needed luck more.
"A gift for me?" Zhong Cheng said as he took the keychain with both hands, looking a little surprised.
Yin Ren: "Yes, I treated it using the method of the Shi'an Sect. It can ward off evil spirits. You don't like it? If you don't like it, you can change it to another one."
Zhong Cheng stroked the plastic ornament for a while, then carefully hung it on the phone. Yin Ren thought he was going to say something like "Science Post will not be affected", but Zhong Cheng was very cooperative this time.
The words that Yin Ren had prepared long ago were no longer useful.
"So you like this too." Yin Ren was very satisfied with his own vision, "Look, how suitable it is."
“No one has ever given me a gift like this before.”
Yin Ren: “…”
Yin Ren: "Not really." Zhong Cheng said that comrades would not be so friendless.
“My parents will give me birthday presents,” Zhong Cheng said, observing the key chain hanging on it, “but it’s different.”
"Your friend won't send you off?"
Zhong Cheng said seriously: "From kindergarten to graduate school, I don't have any particularly close friends. Some suitors would give gifts, but their gifts were conditional and I didn't want to accept them."
"No, when you were studying..."
"I have not violated any rules and have always studied hard," Zhong Cheng said confidently.
In kindergarten, countless children fought over building blocks, but he read; in elementary school, primary school students played games and compared collections, but he read; from junior high school to high school, boys and girls with budding feelings began to flirt, but he continued to seize every opportunity to read.
This behavior continued into graduate school, and Zhong Cheng was promoted to the top of the A-grade exam paper. His handsome face was originally a plus, but it was all deducted by his behavior of "living on two steamed buns for three meals and spending a whole day in the library."
But isn't the point of studying to study? Anyway, he has no interest in those kinds of fun, and Zhong Cheng said he still doesn't think he has done anything wrong. Of course, it's not that he doesn't have ordinary friends, but for various reasons, he and his "friends" mostly maintain a casual acquaintance status.
Under these circumstances, he had only received group messages from them during festivals and holidays.
"Maybe I have a bad personality." Zhong Cheng concluded.
"Really?" Yin Ren asked in confusion, "I think you're a nice person."
From the perspective of ordinary people, this guy is indeed a bit of a loner, but "loner" does not mean "bad".
The Ghost King recalled his neighbors - they were either focused on making all kinds of strange noises and causing all kinds of disasters; or they were busy killing the weak, or looking for opponents to bite and fight each other. Of course, those who dared to rush to Yin Ren to provoke him were basically turned into food for his breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Zhong Cheng said that he knew to go to bed on time, respected life, did not snatch his food, and would even take the initiative to help him fix his phone.
Now this comrade actually says that he has a bad personality!
"As long as you learn how to get along with others, you will be very popular." Yin Ren said earnestly.
"But I don't need to be popular." Zhong Cheng said, touching the keychain, "and I get along well with you."
Silly boy, that's because I'm not human. Yin Ren sighed in his heart - he had lived soberly for nearly four hundred years, and if he couldn't fool a young boy, then he was really wasting his years.
"In short, the first step in getting along with others is to not argue." Lord Ghost King continued to speak earnestly. The top floor of the Shian Building.
The murderous pursuit came to an end, and Fu Xingchuan finally looked a little healthier. He lay on the sofa in the office with a copy of the World Tourist Destinations magazine pressed against his face.
"What do you think?"
Professor Li was not in the office, and the person he was questioning was Xiang Jiang.
Xiang Jiang was still dressed in the sloppy attire of a hobo. He sat in the reception chair with an expressionless face, playing with a can of coffee with his head down.
"What do you think?"
"Of course it was that kid Yin Ren. After the Gao Mengyu incident, I gave him a comprehensive physical examination. There is nothing wrong with his brain. It can be basically confirmed that he has psychogenic amnesia."
Fu Xingchuan has energy but no strength.
"…if he really has amnesia."
Xiang Jiang: "If you want to ask me for a second confirmation, my conclusion is only one: Yin Ren has no signs of being possessed by a powerful ghost."
"Right, I didn't figure out anything either." Fu Xingchuan sighed, "Apart from amnesia, this guy's condition is too strange - there's no record of him in the facial recognition database, and there's no match for him in the missing persons report. We specifically asked a big shot outside to take a look, and there's no sign of plastic surgery on his face."
"Yin Renting is good at communication and should have been exposed to society. With his appearance, it is impossible for him to have no influence on the Internet. But so far, we have not found any videos, photos or discussions about him on the Internet."
"So he should have been exposed to society in his early years, but was unable to show up during his growth period for various reasons. There are no signs of abuse on his body, and his skin is too pale. It's not a case of invasive imprisonment, he was probably locked up somewhere for a long time... And this matter is probably involved by someone related to metaphysics."
"Mystics imprison... raise people for sacrifice? Make corpses? Transfer souls?" Xiang Jiang finally raised his head, his expression slightly changed.
"I don't know. There are too few clues. But if I think his dagger is easy to find, all the archaeologists here will rush up and beat me up."
"You can check the Sunken Society."
"I'm checking. Yin Ren is nominally a ghost master. As a senior, you'll inevitably come into contact with him, so help me keep an eye on him. I've also told Hao Wen Ce that he will be keeping an eye on Yin Ren's GPS location, keyword search records, group internal activities, and data borrowing."
"Um."
"You two should discuss it and produce a comprehensive weekly report and submit it directly to me."
"How long?"
"That's a good question." Fu Xingchuan lifted the magazine from his face and stroked his unshaven chin. "Keep watching until you know for sure who he is."
Xiang Jiang hummed with a lack of interest: "Is there any progress with Hao Wen Ce?"
"We've only received one piece of feedback so far." Fu Xingchuan slowly put the magazine back on his face.
"what?"
"After Yin Ren joined the company, the canteen's meat consumption increased by 2%. The canteen even asked the logistics department yesterday if they had any ideas."
Xiang Jiang: “…”
Since today's day shift only lasts in the afternoon, it's time to get off work in the blink of an eye.
The murderer of the "canteen meat evaporation incident" had just finished his dinner. Yin Ren was still savoring the delicious barbecued pork and braised pork in brown sauce when his cell phone suddenly made a weak "woof".
What happened? The ringtone used to be just a dull "woof", but now this thing has learned to play on its own.
Yin Ren took out his cell phone skillfully and found three more messages on the coffin nail.
[Hu Tao: Boss, are you off work yet?]
[Hutao: Shian is on Jiangxue Road, right? I remember there is a ○ chef nearby. Please bring me some seaweed and pork floss clams, milk clams, and fried pork fritters.]
[Hu Tao: @Yin Ren [Secret Observation]]
Yin Ren: “…”
Why does he feel that the positioning of this APP is a bit off. Traditional ghost exorcists only burn talismans for powerful ghosts, and rarely communicate with each other. Is this the price of paperless office
[Hu Tao: After all, I am your first employee. Give me some company benefits, Ghost Master. I see you have read it.]
[Hutao: I’m a local, I know where the food is delicious. Do you want to know? I can tell you~]
[Yin Ren: I’ve written it all down. I’ll go buy it later.]
[Walnut: [Please]]
"You go back first. I'll buy some snacks on the way." Thinking of Zhong Cheng's unshakable schedule, Yin Ren said considerately, "I know how to take the subway. I also remember where our home is."
Zhong Cheng said, "I'll go with you."
"Although you have to be present when I make a purchase, there's no need to be so strict. I've ordered takeout a few times and I'm pretty familiar with the prices."
Yin Ren was very confident about adapting to society. He had become stronger, and at least he would not be led astray by the various tricks of merchants.
Zhong Cheng said: "I want to be with you."
“…learning communication skills?”
"Well, at least it has to meet the needs of the work."
Although the motive was still Zhong Cheng's, Yin Ren didn't care at all. The two did not go straight to the subway station as before, but slowly walked to two intersections to find the master.
The city was bustling with people and traffic. Signs were crowded on both sides of the street, neon lights were flashing, and loud slogans and music were blaring from the speakers. After Yin Ren was almost lured away by a roasted chestnut restaurant, Zhong Cheng said he grabbed his wrist.
Yin Ren: “…” Although he said nothing, the looks from passers-by seemed a little strange.
It seems that people a thousand years later are not that open-minded either. He shook his head in his heart.
"I saw Master ○." Zhong Cheng said decisively, ignoring passers-by. His goal was very specific.
There were quite a few people lining up in front of the store, and the store was filled with a very pleasant baking aroma. Yin Ren took a deep breath of the sweet aroma and decided to order a few of each. Zhong Cheng stood quietly behind him, seemingly unmoved.
Even though the mask covered most of his face, Yin Ren's long hair and eyes were still very eye-catching. When it was his turn to buy, the old man and the old woman next to him were very enthusiastic and kept recommending classic models. Yin Ren accepted all the offers and the clerk was very happy when he bought them.
After paying, Yin Ren had paper bags in both hands, and Zhong Cheng took one of them.
Yin Ren took the opportunity to pinch out an egg pie and gestured to Zhong Cheng, "Everyone says it tastes best when it's just baked. Try it while it's hot?"
Zhong Cheng said with a flash of hesitation on his face: "This is not very healthy."
"Even if it's poison, it depends on the dose you take." Yin Ren smiled, "And the first bite is the best, it brings the most pleasure and the least cost - a good mood is also important for health, okay."
Zhong Cheng said he didn't insist. He lowered his head, leaned forward slightly, and took a bite of the hot egg pie.
Click.
The egg tart crust is crispy and the egg core is smooth and slightly sweet, exploding with a rich burnt aroma in the mouth. The sweet aroma penetrates deeply into the taste buds, like velvet caressing the mind. Zhong Cheng wiped the corner of his mouth and said, "It's very delicious."
"It's plain." Yin Ren stuffed the remaining half into his mouth and said incoherently, "Is the heart ball a lot stronger?"
"Yes." Zhong Cheng nodded firmly, "What benefits does this bring to learning and communication...?"
Yin Ren glanced at him and put his mask back on. "In life, being happy is a good thing. It doesn't need so much meaning. If you insist on making one... well, there are some things you have to experience before you can better understand people, ahem, other people's thoughts."
Zhong Cheng paused and said, "From experience?"
"Guess?" Yin Ren narrowed his eyes.
“… Let’s buy some sugar-roasted chestnuts on the way back.”
"You get the hang of it pretty quickly."
"I'll eat one and use the rest as tuition." After all, Yin Ren looked like he really wanted to eat it just now.
"As expected of a good student certified by the Safety Management Committee, Zhong..."
Yin Ren's expression suddenly froze, and his empty hand moved imperceptibly, and a small black dot was instantly pinched into his palm.
"What's up?"
"It's nothing, just a little bug."
A dead fruit fly was lying in his palm, its body shriveled, obviously it had been dead for some time. The body had just been flying around for a while, and seeing that the two were talking intently, it quietly approached and tried to get into Yin Ren's bag.
The insect corpse carries a very faint evil spirit. The person controlling it is of poor skill and is undoubtedly a novice.
The problem lies elsewhere—
There was an indescribable smell in the murderous aura. From the moment Yin Ren caught the bug, the smell began to dissipate rapidly. It was a breath that Yin Ren had never come into contact with before. It made his chest throb and his hair stand up slightly.
Absolutely strange, yet extremely familiar.
As an inexperienced new evil spirit, Yin Ren took a long time to determine the source of the subtle feeling.
That trace of smell was extremely weak and decayed, like a spark of fire buried deep in the ashes that could be extinguished at any time.
But there is no doubt that it comes from his kind.
The dead insect had the faint "smell" of another evil creature.
The author has something to say:
Brother Qin: 1/2 plus 1/2 plus 1/3 equals 1. Is there any problem
(End of this chapter)