Chapter 125: Little Zhang's Words

The matter was far from over. In fact, immediately after the wife of the director of the local tax bureau died, the police department dispatched officers to the school to retrieve the director’s son. However, they were too late. By the time the police arrived at the school, the boy was already dead in the bathroom of his dormitory.

According to his roommates, he had been acting strangely that evening, appearing mentally dazed. His classmates joked that he must have fallen in love, as they were all high school students under significant pressure, and the school strictly prohibited romantic relationships. They were only teasing, however. After returning to the dormitory that night, they stayed up late, chatting until well past midnight.

"He said he had a stomachache and needed to use the restroom. He seemed very urgent, so I let him go. I was actually already inside the bathroom, but he knocked and insisted on going in, so I yielded. Who could have known this would happen?" one of the students later recounted, still shaken. He couldn't help but wonder if he would have been the one dead inside had he not stepped out.

Forensic examination revealed the cause of death was the same as his mother’s: a ruptured gallbladder. It was a death caused by extreme terror—the gallbladder literally bursting from fright. This manner of death carried an indescribable, sinister shadow; the victim had suffered ten times more agony before death than one would in a cauldron of boiling oil. It was a truly brutal way to die.

Just as the police chief finished relaying the news of the son’s death to the county magistrate and the party secretary, something that made his skin crawl occurred right before his eyes. Because the tax bureau director had mentioned he was going to see his mistress before he vanished, the chief had brought the woman in and kept her in his own office, thinking that as long as she was under his nose, no one could kill her.

But what unfolded next convinced the chief that this was not the work of a human. The woman, who had been sitting perfectly fine just a minute before, suddenly had her eyes widen, her pupils dilating violently. Her face turned deathly pale, the veins in her neck bulged, and then, her head lolled to the side. She was dead.

A cold sweat broke out over the chief’s entire body. He felt a chill deep in his bones, sensing a grim, malevolent specter standing right behind him. He tried to speak, but his voice failed him. He let out a series of strained gasps—"Uh... uh... uh..."—but could not produce a single coherent sound. Just as he felt the ghostly entity about to pounce upon him, a young officer burst through the door without even knocking.

"Chief, it's bad!!!"

This officer, Xiao Zhang, had been assigned to the force just this year. He was known for being clumsy and reckless, and the chief had even considered transferring him to watch over the reservoir.

But right now, the chief could have thanked this blunt youth a thousand times over. He had been mere seconds away from meeting his end. Fortunately, this impolite young man had barged in. The moment the door swung open, the chief felt a wave of warmth wash over him—a sensation that felt nothing short of miraculous.

Perhaps it was his simple nature, or perhaps his youth, but Xiao Zhang carried a spark of vitality. In that final moment before death, the chief could clearly see that it was this spark that allowed him to slip away from the grasp of the Grim Reaper.

"Xiao Zhang, come here."

The chief collapsed into his chair and gestured weakly to the young man at the door. Despite his clumsiness, Xiao Zhang had a keen eye. Seeing the chief slumped in his seat, he hurried over. "Chief, what’s wrong? Are you exhausted from the recent cases? If you’re overwhelmed, just hand them over to me. I’m young and full of energy; I guarantee I’ll finish them perfectly!"

Xiao Zhang patted his chest in assurance. The chief waved his hand with a faint smile. "Get me a glass of water." The chief was still gasping for air. After he spoke, he closed his eyes, but couldn't help but chuckle at Xiao Zhang’s words. "You’re absolutely right. If you weren’t so full of energy, I’d be dead right now."

Xiao Zhang brought the water over, and the chief downed it in one gulp. Only then did he feel slightly better. After that ordeal, he remained deeply unsettled. It was far too dangerous; he realized he would have to find Song Nianqiang, or he would never dare to sleep again.

Once he had steadied himself, the chief remembered what Xiao Zhang had said upon entering. "You said something was 'bad,' tell me more."

"Right, I almost forgot!" Xiao Zhang slapped his thigh. "The mother of the tax bureau director died at home. She passed away peacefully in her bed. The coroner checked and confirmed it was an overdose of sleeping pills." He was truly a careless fellow, forgetting such an important detail.

"An entire family of four, plus the mistress, all dead in a single night. This..." The chief’s mind was a mess, and he fell into deep contemplation. However, his thoughts were cut short by a shout from Xiao Zhang. "Holy crap!! How... how did she die?!" Xiao Zhang stared in shock at the mistress. Her appearance was gruesome; her eyes were wide open, the eyeballs seemingly ready to pop out, and her mouth was slightly agape, as if she were trying to scream something in her final moments.

"Chief... she..." Xiao Zhang seemed to want to ask how the woman had died, given she had been fine just moments ago while sitting in the office with the chief. Of course, he didn't suspect the chief of killing her; in Xiao Zhang’s mind, a decorated police hero would never do such a thing.

The chief waved a hand to silence him. "Her cause of death is the same as the mother and son—she was scared to death. You might not believe me, but I can tell you in all seriousness that there are things in this world that you cannot see or imagine. She was killed by one of those things. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be standing here talking to you right now." The chief sighed, tidied the files on his desk, and pointed to a stool opposite him. "Sit."

Once Xiao Zhang sat down, the chief spoke. "You mentioned the director's mother died from an overdose of sleeping pills. You don't know the reason, but after being a policeman for so many years, let me offer you a theory." He asked Xiao Zhang to pour him another glass of water, took a small sip, and continued.

"They say that when people get old, they start to see things they shouldn't. This isn't just an old wives' tale. When a person reaches a certain age and has lived through certain experiences, they develop a kind of natural intuition that allows them to perceive the spectral entities of this world. Of course, not every elderly person sees them. I suspect the director’s mother possessed this ability. She saw those spirits coming for revenge, so she chose suicide—a gentler way to go. Do you believe what I'm saying?"

The last question was directed at Xiao Zhang. The young man hesitated, then shook his head. "Chief, I am a policeman. I only believe in evidence. So, I apologize." With that, Xiao Zhang stood up and gave the chief a standard salute.

"Haha, sit down. I don't blame you. Let’s talk about the countryside you know. I want to see if there's anything I can do." The chief was truly afraid now; he had to reconsider everything the old coroner had told him.

"Chief, how do I even begin?" Xiao Zhang appeared hesitant. The chief smiled kindly. "It's fine. Today, there is no chief and subordinate, only an elder and a youth. This elder wants to hear how a youth understands today's society."

Hearing this, Xiao Zhang finally felt at ease and opened up. "Chief, to be honest, the officials nowadays don't do their jobs. In our village, several people tried to petition the authorities, but they were all turned away and even threatened—told that if they tried to petition again, they’d have their legs broken. And when the government finally saw our suffering and allocated funds to build a road, look at the garbage they built. The road was barely finished and passed inspection, but after two days of rain, the whole thing collapsed. What is this? Is this society? How are those of us without money, influence, or power supposed to survive in a world like this?!"