"Every day when it's dark, she carries a load of tofu and sells tofu in the streets."
"She went out one morning and never came back. She left her load of tofu at the intersection at the south end of the village, but there was no trace of her."
"Then there is the blacksmith Pockmarked Chen. He is very skilled and works in the blacksmith shop until late at night every day. One night, the neighbor heard a muffled sound coming from the blacksmith shop. When he went to look at it, the blacksmith shop was empty. Pockmarked Chen was gone. The stove was still burning. The hammer fell on the ground. There was not even a trace of blood."
"There was also Li the Second, who worked for the landlord as a long-term worker. He helped people work in the Lingtian at the north end of the village. He went home to eat and drink water at noon, but he never went back in the afternoon. The villagers who worked together searched for him all afternoon, but they couldn't find any trace of him."
"Back and forth, in just two months, dozens of villagers in our village have disappeared."
Hu Guangnian's eyes were red and his voice was choked as he said.
"These people, old and young, male and female, normally carry out their duties, have never offended anyone, and have never been to any remote places. However, they have disappeared inexplicably, with no one alive or dead, and no clues at all."
"Many villagers who plant spiritual fields are afraid to go out. If this continues, what will happen to us Hu Family Village?"
He paused and continued.
"I have been a village chief for decades, and I have never encountered such a strange thing. At first, the villagers were just a little worried about where the people were, but as more and more people disappeared, everyone was completely panicked."
"I am also someone who has seen a lot of the world. I know that this is definitely not the work of wild beasts. Wild beasts hurt people and left traces of blood and hair General Association. But these missing villagers don't even have any traces. This is clearly... clearly the work of demons."
"I know that this matter cannot be delayed any longer. If we drag it on any longer, we Hu Family Village people may all be harmed by this monster."
Hu Guangnian clenched his fists and spoke urgently.
"So I rushed to the Imperial City overnight, finally found the Imperial City Government Office, and told everything about our village. The people in the Government Office heard that none of us Hu Family Village dared to go out to plant spiritual fields, which would affect the harvest. They were also a little panicked. They clamored to tell Demon Suppression Bureau about this matter."
"The people from the Imperial City Government asked me to go back and wait for news. Demon Suppression Bureau will definitely send someone to Hu Family Village. I was relieved. The little old man has been waiting in the village every day, hoping that you Demon Suppression Bureau people will come."
Hu Guangnian kept talking for a long time, his tone full of anxiety and expectation, wishing Su Fei could find the monster and retrieve the missing villagers immediately.
Su Fei sat aside, holding a glass of water, and listened patiently without interrupting him.
Hu Jing and Qiu Xu were also sitting aside, and they were silently writing down the details Hu Guangnian said.
But after Hu Guangnian finished speaking, Su Fei was silent for a moment and slowly shook his head.
He carefully combed through all the information Hu Guangnian said and found that most of it was scattered details.
The missing villagers have no fixed identity or fixed time of disappearance. They mostly disappear at night or early in the morning and have no fixed location. The only thing they have in common is that they leave no traces when they disappear, as if they disappeared out of thin air.
There was no description of the demon's aura, no abnormal traces at the missing scene, and no villagers had ever seen the demon's appearance.
Even the sound of the demon knocking on the door was just a description by the villagers. No one had actually seen what the "thing" knocking on the door looked like.
"Village Chief Hu, thank you for informing me of these situations in detail."
"We have written down everything you said. It's just a pity that at present, there are no clues directly pointing to the traces of the demon in this information."
The look on Hu Guangnian's face dimmed instantly, and the hope in his eyes also faded a bit, and he asked eagerly.
"Centurion Su, then... what should we do? Can we just watch the demon continue to harm the villagers? Is there any hope of finding those missing people?"
Su Fei looked at his anxious look and said calmly.
"Village Chief Hu, don't worry, now that we are here, we will never let the monsters continue to cause trouble."
"Although we have no direct clues at the moment, as long as we work step by step and investigate one by one, we will definitely be able to uncover the evil spirit behind this."
"Village Chief Hu, please do two things for us first."
"The first thing is to call all the villagers, especially those who have heard strange noises. We have to ask them one by one. Even the slightest movement or vague shadow may be a key clue to the monster."
"The second is to arrange for a few villagers who are familiar with the village to lead us to the residences of the missing villagers, the places where they disappeared, as well as the spiritual fields and the edges of the mountains and forests outside the village. We need to check on the spot and look for the traces left by the demons."
Hu Guangnian Hearing this, hope instantly ignited in his eyes, and he nodded quickly and said.
"Okay, okay, what the superior officer said is true, what the superior officer said is true, I'll do it right away."
"I will go and gather the villagers who have heard the strange noise and find a few young people who are familiar with the village to guide you. I will fully cooperate with you to find the monster."
With that said, he didn't care much, turned around and walked out of the house, and went to do things according to Su Fei's instructions.
Su Fei looked at Hu Guangnian's leaving figure, turned around and warned Hu Jing and Qiu Xu.
"When you two interview the villagers later, you must be patient and careful so as not to miss any clues."
"I would like to focus on three questions: First, has anyone seen a strange figure late at night or early in the morning, whether it is human or animal form, even a vague outline."
"Second, have you ever heard any unusual sounds other than knocking on the door, such as a low roar, a dragging sound, or a strange whimpering sound?"
"The third question is whether the missing villagers had any unusual behavior or came into contact with any strange people or strange things before they disappeared."
"In addition, pay attention to the expressions of the villagers. If someone looks panicked, speaks evasively, or deliberately avoids certain questions, be sure to note it down so that we can focus on the investigation in the future."
Su Fei added.
"This demon is very cunning. He can commit crimes many times without leaving any traces. He might even disguise himself as a villager and blend in with the crowd. We have to be on guard against him."
"Yes, I will obey."
Hu Jing and Qiu Xu responded in unison, with serious expressions.
Hu Jing Although he usually has a more impatient temper, he also understands the importance, so he said immediately.
"Centurion Su Don't worry, my subordinate will be responsible for questioning and will never let go of any clues. Qiu Xu is careful and asks him to pay attention to the villagers' expressions and records. We will divide the work and cooperate and there will be no mistakes."
Qiu Xu also nodded and said in a deep voice.
"Centurion, don't worry, my subordinates will also coordinate with Hu Jing to observe carefully. If there is any abnormality, we will report it to you immediately."
Not long after, Hu Guangnian hurried over with a dozen villagers, including old people, some young adults, and a few women. They all gathered around Su Fei and three people with anxious expressions, talking nonstop about something.
Their expressions showed fear of demons.