Chapter 76: Stay at My Place, Dark Alley

Ma Weifeng was dead.

The surrounding spirits instantly became masterless; they had never been vengeful ghosts to begin with, merely imprisoned and enslaved here, which had filled them with resentment. Now, with Ma Weifeng’s demise, they immediately began to drift away in all directions.

Yuan Yuan was stunned as well. Her entire body was covered in eyeballs, floating midair, a sight that was somewhat nauseating.

Song Kai did not hesitate. With a peachwood sword in his hand, affixed with a talisman, he swung directly at Yuan Yuan.

A crack sounded—thunder flashed. The little girl’s body began to tear apart, eyeballs bursting one after another, releasing clouds of black mist.

The black mist rose upward.

Then the girl’s body was utterly shattered, dissolving into a mass of black smoke.

The ghosts nearby howled plaintively.

Song Kai walked over and, near the incinerator, discovered a black jade compass. It emitted a dark glow, covered in intricate carvings.

After a moment’s thought, Song Kai picked up the black jade compass and tossed it into the incinerator; this must be the core that imprisoned the souls.

He was still watching when, suddenly—boom!—the incinerator exploded.

Flames shot out.

A multitude of spirits were instantly freed, surging from the furnace and drifting skyward.

The entire sky turned pitch black.

Damn.

Song Kai hurriedly rushed back, grabbing Qin Liang to pull him away.

With the incinerator blown apart, the surrounding oil drums also began to catch fire.

The flames roared.

Not long after, the wail of fire engines could be heard in the distance.

“What happened, what’s going on?” Qin Liang came to his senses, staring at the inferno and black smoke rising from the backyard.

“It’s over. It’s all finished. The only trouble now might be for you—let’s see how you explain this case.” Song Kai chuckled.

Qin Liang scratched his head and said, “Well, whatever the outcome, it’s still a great feat, isn’t it? Maybe this will finally get me promoted. Thanks, Song Kai.”

“No big deal. Good luck to you,” Song Kai replied with a smile.

At that moment, a fit of violent coughing rang out. A middle-aged man, wearing glasses and a white trench coat, strode in.

Seeing the state of the backyard, the man covered his nose, coughing even harder.

“Chief! Chief, did you see? The whole case is solved!” Qin Liang ran over, eager for credit, and reported to Wang Jinran, “I’m telling you, the murderer has been found—Ma Weifeng did it out of revenge, so—”

“Shut your damn mouth!” Wang Jinran jabbed a finger at Qin Liang’s forehead. “Did I tell you to crack the case? Did I ask you to show off? Just answer me—where’s the body? Where’s the murderer? What about the false reports? And tell me, were you trying to burn down the whole crematorium? How did you survive? If you’d died, I wouldn’t have to answer to superiors!”

Wang Jinran’s furious roar echoed.

Qin Liang fell silent, at a loss, then angry.

Was he really such a wimp?

Wang Jinran reached out to jab Qin Liang’s forehead again.

But Qin Liang suddenly grabbed his finger and twisted it upward.

Wang Jinran howled in pain.

“I’m telling you—I quit! I’m done taking your abuse, you idiot!” With that, Qin Liang kicked Wang Jinran in the gut, sending him flying.

Wang Jinran stared at Qin Liang in terror. “What… What are you doing?”

“I said, I quit! I’ve had enough of you, you moron!” Qin Liang declared, kicking Wang Jinran a few more times. Then, with a flamboyant flick of his orchid fingers, he smoothed his hair and flashed a seductive smile at Song Kai. “Now, tell me—do you still think I’m a sissy?”

Song Kai shuddered, immediately heading for the exit. “Even more of one now.”

“Bullshit! I just shat on Wang Jinran’s neck—how can I still be a sissy?” Qin Liang chased after him.

Behind them, Wang Jinran shouted, “Qin Liang! Don’t you dare leave! You’d better explain this whole case before you go—”

Qin Liang flipped him the bird, leapt onto Song Kai’s motorcycle, and headed back to the city.

…

“It’s late. Why not stay at my place tonight?” Qin Liang offered. “I’m telling you, my sister is really pretty—looks just like me.”

“Damn—” Song Kai hunched his shoulders. “Enough, I surrender, just get off. I need to get going. I’d rather sleep by the roadside than at your house!”

Qin Liang burst out laughing.

Song Kai shoved him off the bike, revved the engine, and sped toward Tengyun City through the night.

…

The night was pitch black.

Fortunately, the motorcycle’s headlight was bright, and the roads were all rural highways—at this hour, there was hardly anyone about.

Song Kai drove fast, racing into Tengyun City.

As he rode, two pairs of blinding headlights flashed at him from up ahead.

He slowed, edging closer.

“Hey! This road is closed. Take another way,” a man called out, hand on his waist.

Song Kai frowned—this guy had a gun.

And his Mandarin was odd, not the accent of the local people.

“Who are you to block the road? Didn’t you see I’m on official business? If you delay me, can you afford the consequences?” Song Kai retorted, patting his vehicle.

The man was momentarily taken aback at the sight of the police motorcycle.

At that moment, two more figures approached—two burly Black men, unmistakably American, towering and muscular.

Song Kai took a step back. “What are you all doing?”

“Don’t misunderstand. We’re just looking for our lost dog. We’re tourists here in your country—your people are so warm and your police are so responsible. Amazing, really amazing,” one of the Black men said, giving Song Kai a thumbs up.

Song Kai replied, “Fine. But here, dogs aren’t revered. Blocking the road to look for one is illegal—human rights come first, got it?”

“Yes, yes, we understand,” the man replied with a grin; his Mandarin was surprisingly fluent.

With a gesture, he signaled behind him, and the two Hummers moved aside.

“Please, officer, you’re all heroes.” The man grinned widely.

Song Kai grunted in acknowledgment, revved the motorcycle, and sped between the two vehicles.

“Hank, why’d you let him go?” someone asked.

Hank waved a hand. “This is China—their police are tough. Don’t mess with them or we’ll never get out of here. Let’s keep searching. A regular cop won’t affect us.”

“Understood.”

In the darkness, many footsteps could be heard as people with dogs searched the nearby fields.

Song Kai kept his guard up as he rode.

Of course, they weren’t looking for a dog—he knew that much.

Still, in that situation, he had no choice but to play along.

Once he was far enough away, Song Kai let out a sigh of relief. Damn, good thing I swapped bikes with Wu Hongying today, or I’d have had to take a detour.

But who were those people? And what were they up to at this hour?

After some thought, Song Kai decided to report it.

He dialed the emergency number and said that there were armed men with dogs on Tengfei Road, possibly threatening public safety, and requested urgent police response, warning that there were many guns.

After hanging up, Song Kai chuckled. “So you think you can carry guns in China? I’ll see you taken down.”

Just as he was thinking this, a figure suddenly leapt from the roadside fields right in front of his bike.

Startled, Song Kai braked hard, gripping his steel rod.

Wheat fields stretched out on both sides of the highway.

The figure stumbled out of the field, then collapsed motionless on the road.

Song Kai rode closer, warily.

There was blood on the ground.

It was a woman in black, lying there with blood streaming from her leg—a femoral artery injury, by the look of it.

“Are you alright?” Song Kai asked.

“Take me… away,” the woman managed, lifting her head to look at Song Kai.

She was tall—and, crucially, someone Song Kai knew.

“Huh? It’s you?” Song Kai frowned.

Seeing him, the woman’s narrowed eyes widened in surprise, then she shut them and collapsed, unconscious.

Blood continued to seep out.

Without hesitation, Song Kai leapt off the bike, tore open her clothing, and tightly bound her thigh to stem the bleeding. Lifting her onto the motorcycle, he gunned the engine and sped away into the night.