Murderer

Luckily, Li Rongjun's professional composure was solid enough, or his soul would have been scared right out of him on the spot.

Even so, faced with that unbearably foul stench, the police officers present still looked a little green.

When Li Rongjun leaned closer, he could not help saying to Liu Haoyu, "Little brother, please cooperate with us... Are you really not afraid of the smell?"

Li Rongjun also understood that this was an exceptionally brutal dismemberment case, so he immediately took it seriously.

If he could solve a case like this, it would count as a major achievement and greatly benefit his future career.

"Alright."

Since time was tight, they took the statement on the spot, while the other officers began contacting salvage boats and other work vessels for recovery operations.

However, because it was nighttime and visibility was limited, the salvage work would most likely be carried out during the day. For now, they had to seal off the scene.

After examination, the estimated time of death was three months ago.

Since Liu Haoyu had come from out of town and his timeline did not match the victim's time of death, Li Rongjun quickly ruled him out as a suspect.

Most importantly, no one would be stupid enough to fish up dismembered remains that were nearly impossible to discover, then call the police.

After finishing his statement, Liu Haoyu said leisurely, "It isn't easy to get here from the highway. If you aren't familiar with the area, you might not be able to find this place at all."

Those words made Li Rongjun pause. He looked around at the surroundings. The water was calm, so after entering it, the body would not have drifted far.

In other words, the place where the body had been dumped was very close to here. It was even possible that the victim had been dismembered on-site and thrown directly into the water.

Otherwise, transporting it such a long distance would definitely have left a great deal of blood behind and drawn the attention of local residents.

At the same time, he noticed that although the corpse had decayed beyond recognition, it bore some resemblance to an internet celebrity who had gone missing several months ago.

This was very likely the victim from that missing-person case months ago.

Li Rongjun was no fool. With the clues he had gathered previously, he already had several suspects in mind.

"Little brother, there's nothing more for you to do here. If there are any questions later, or if we need your help, we'll contact you again."

"Understood."

Liu Haoyu returned to the side of the highway.

He took out a lock of black hair.

It was hair that had fallen from one of the heads. The smell was rather strong, and it was somewhat disgusting.

But no matter what, Liu Haoyu had made a promise to the White-clothed Female Ghost.

Although the law would eventually punish those three murderers severely, the Fierce Ghost had to kill them with her own hands before the resentment in her heart could be appeased.

As for how to let the White-clothed Female Ghost kill them, this lock of hair was the key.

Liu Haoyu rode his motorcycle to the roadside, then took out the Black Book. He pressed the lock of hair against it and wrote, "Where are the murderers who killed this woman?"

Drawing upon the resentment clinging to the strands of hair, the blood on the Black Book stirred for a while before bloody words began to appear.

"The greatest distance in this world is when you are on this side, while your enemies are across the shore."

"The Fierce Ghost who was brutally murdered watches the opposite bank every night."

"She resents, she rages, and she longs for greater power to drag those enemies into the water."

"You have obtained the Fierce Ghost's hair. Place it on the murderers as soon as possible."

"Otherwise... the one who dies will be you."

Ever since leaving the haunted house, the Black Book's answers had become simple and easy to understand. It no longer spoke in those overly literary riddles that left people completely confused.

That was a good thing.

But the murderers were actually on the opposite bank?

Thinking about it carefully, it was not impossible.

This reservoir was quite large. The distance from the warehouse side to the opposite shore was considerable.

With the White-clothed Fierce Ghost's current strength, she truly had no way to reach the other side.

Every night, she could only glare venomously across the water, unable to personally kill her enemies. That feeling... could not have been pleasant.

Liu Haoyu put the hair into a small box, then twisted the throttle and followed the highway toward the opposite shore of the reservoir to investigate.

Meanwhile, Deng Xiaolin had finally arrived at the reservoir.

She simply did not know where exactly the car accident had happened. She only knew it had occurred somewhere near the reservoir.

Only after arriving did she realize that this reservoir on the outskirts of the city was actually so enormous.

It was so large that she did not even know where she was now.

"Should I go in from here?"

Deng Xiaolin held up her flashlight and cautiously felt her way forward.

The wind by the reservoir was chilly, and Deng Xiaolin was dressed rather lightly. She hunched her shoulders, already beginning to think about turning back.

Thinking it over carefully, coming alone to a place like this was a little too risky after all.

Deng Xiaolin kept second-guessing herself.

But when she touched the Peach Wood Sword and the assorted odds and ends on her person, she gained a little more confidence.

She had taken all these things from her grandfather's chest. Supposedly, they could deal with Fierce Ghosts.

Combined with her ability to sense ghosts and monsters, even if she encountered one, she would not be completely helpless... probably?

As she pondered, Deng Xiaolin walked into the reservoir grounds.

Moonlight spilled across the water, making the rippling surface glitter beautifully.

Even at night, the place was not completely silent.

The croaking frogs and chirping insects that usually annoyed her now made Deng Xiaolin feel as though the place was quite lively.

After taking a few steps without encountering any danger, she finally worked up some courage.

"Coming to a place like this alone... seems like it's nothing much after all..."

The young woman muttered to herself. After walking some distance, she suddenly spotted the beams of two flashlights in the distance.

In the dim night, she could vaguely make out two men.

Were they fishing?

After confirming it several times, Deng Xiaolin approached them and asked.

"Hello..."

Hearing Deng Xiaolin's voice, the two middle-aged men who were fishing turned around. Their first reaction upon seeing her was surprise, after which they began sizing the girl up.

At last, the two exchanged a glance and put on gentle, harmless expressions as they said with smiles.

"Little girl, what are you doing in a place like this so late at night?"

"Well..." Seeing that the two men did not look like bad people, Deng Xiaolin asked, "I heard there was a car accident here at the reservoir yesterday. Do you know where it happened?"

After hearing Deng Xiaolin's words, the two middle-aged men exchanged glances and burst into laughter.

"Little girl, you went the wrong way. The site of that accident is on the other shore."

"No wonder I couldn't find it..."

Deng Xiaolin took two steps back and said politely, though warily.

"Thank you both for the directions. I won't disturb your fishing any longer."

For some reason, ever since Deng Xiaolin had encountered these two men, the voice of an unfamiliar woman had appeared beside her ear.

"Run... run..."

The voice was eerie and distant, like the mournful wail of a resentful spirit, echoing endlessly through Deng Xiaolin's heart.