The Seventeenth Chapter

Zhan Hongye did not leave immediately. He stood quietly outside, separated from Zhan Ni by only a door.

Just then, his phone rang.

Zhan Hongye took out his phone, glanced at it, and answered, "Mr. Ning..."

As footsteps receded, his voice grew fainter.

At nine-thirty, Zhan Hongye emerged from the study, carefully cradling a gray bottle in his arms.

Before long, the villa's main gate opened and closed again, and a car drove away from the villa.

In the passenger seat, the gray bottle was nestled securely in a soft cloth bag.

Zhan Hongye rarely went out alone at night. Tonight was special; he had an appointment with Mr. Ning, and no outsiders were to be present.

For Qing City, located in the south, this hour was still early.

Neon lights flashed along the road, and traffic bustled. The route passed through the bustling downtown area, which was even livelier than during the day.

Zhan Hongye didn't notice that after his car left the villa complex and merged onto the road, two other cars began to follow him.

He drove to Nancheng District, gradually slowing down.

Nancheng District was the old part of Qing City, once the city center. However, with the relocation of the downtown area, it was no longer as lively as it used to be. The buildings visible were low and old, and cars were parked haphazardly along the roadside, as if left behind by time, unnoticed by anyone.

It was only ten o'clock at night, yet only a few scattered supermarkets still had their lights on. Some residential communities lacked streetlights, making them even quieter.

Zhan Hongye finally found a parking spot and pulled over to the side of the road. The cars nearby were all of affordable brands, with only one BMW that looked somewhat presentable.

His gaze swept casually over that car. He took out his phone, confirmed the address Mr. Ning had sent him was correct, and then followed the navigation for a hundred meters.

While Zhan Hongye was still looking down at his navigation, he suddenly heard footsteps behind him.

He instinctively turned his head. Before he could even see who was approaching, a dark figure lunged at him. He was knocked down, followed by a barrage of punches and kicks.

The attackers showed no mercy. Amidst the chaotic blows, he vaguely felt his ribs might have broken. He bit his tongue, tasting the metallic tang of blood in his mouth.

He didn't know how long they beat him. When he felt the blows to his body weaken, someone grabbed his hair and yanked him up. Then, a heavy punch landed on his eye socket, followed by several fierce slaps.

Zhan Hongye's vision went black, and his head buzzed. After an unknown period, when he had somewhat recovered, he realized the attackers had left as silently as they had arrived.

He lay sprawled on the ground, blood flowing from his nose and mouth, his body wracked with pain. Only his vision had partially returned.

He saw someone emerge from an alleyway by the roadside. He struggled to make a sound, "Help, help me..."

The person walked quickly towards him. Before he could see the person's face clearly, he finally lost consciousness.

Zhan Ni didn't dare to close her eyes all night. As dawn approached, she couldn't resist sleeping for a while. She had a nightmare where Zhan Huitian drained all the blood from her body, waking her up in terror.

She stumbled out of her room in a daze to find her elder brother already sitting at the dining table downstairs, eating breakfast.

The master bedroom door remained shut. She didn't know if her Dad had returned last night, but right now, she didn't want to see him.

Zhan Huitian wore a sports vest. The breakfast on the table was what he had bought after his morning workout, enough for two people.

Seeing Zhan Ni, he said expressionlessly, "Come eat."

Zhan Ni sat beside him and mechanically picked up a deep-fried dough stick, chewing it.

"What's wrong? Didn't sleep well last night?"

"I had a nightmare," Zhan Ni said. After a moment, she added, "I dreamed Dad doesn't want me anymore."

Zhan Huitian looked up at her, his expression odd.

Zhan Ni didn't notice. She swallowed the dough stick in her mouth, her mind still a mess. She blurted out, "Brother, has Dad been good to you all these years?"

After asking, she found the question somewhat ridiculous.

Of course, Dad was good to her elder brother. When Mom and Dad divorced, he only took Brother with him. She and her mother lived ordinary lives, while Dad and Brother navigated through banquets and social events.

She had to get a good grade just to ask her mother for a bicycle, while Brother's garage housed a row of expensive luxury cars.

Was it because Dad never cared about her that he treated her this way?

Zhan Ni was lost in her own world, unaware that Zhan Huitian had remained silent, not answering her question.

After breakfast, Zhan Huitian went upstairs to change. He grabbed his car keys and prepared to leave.

Zhan Ni followed him, watching him drive a car out of the garage. The car logo was a horse, different from the blue and white logo from yesterday.

"What are you standing here for?" Zhan Huitian stopped his car next to Zhan Ni and asked her.

"I made plans to meet a classmate, Brother. Could you give me a ride?" Zhan Ni asked cautiously.

"Get in," Zhan Huitian agreed readily.

He dropped Zhan Ni off at the breakfast shop where they had met yesterday, then turned the car around and left.

Zhan Ni had texted Liu Mumu as soon as she woke up that morning but hadn't received a reply. She didn't dare to stay at home, so she could only come to the breakfast shop to wait for her.

It wasn't until past eight o'clock that Liu Mumu finally replied to her message. To Zhan Ni's disappointment, she refused to meet.

Zhan Ni had no choice but to send Liu Mumu a detailed account of what happened last night via text.

Now, she only trusted Liu Mumu's words.

At this moment, Liu Mumu, who was looking at her phone in her room, looked rather pathetic. Last night, while showering, she had hit her head on the bathtub and fallen in, nearly drowning herself.

My self-rescue was finally successful, and a swelling on my forehead had yet to subside.

Her wrist was wrapped in several layers of gauze, a cut from a kitchen knife yesterday.

Besides Liu Mumu, probably no one knew why the cleaver, which had been placed properly, suddenly fell and cut her wrist.

Although she really wanted to go out and see Jenny, for the sake of her own life, she decided to wait until after today.

Seeing the string of messages Jenny sent, Liu Mumu's mood finally eased. She had believed her words, and the undeserved disaster of the past two days hadn't been endured in vain.

Jenny: Yesterday I saw Dad smearing a bottle with blood. That must have been the blood drawn when I had my check-up. What exactly does he want to do?

Jenny: Mumu, what should I do?

Liu Mumu: Smearing a vessel with human blood is likely some kind of sacrificial ritual. This ritual lasts for a period of time, and as long as the ritual isn't complete, it won't immediately harm you. Don't worry too much.

Jenny's hand holding the phone trembled slightly. She quickly typed a string of words and sent it.

Jenny: Are the marks that suddenly appeared on my body related to this ritual? Is my mother's death also because of this? He used our blood for evil deeds, killed my mother, right?

Liu Mumu: This is just a guess, but... it's probably not far from the truth.

After a pause of a few minutes, Jenny sent another message.

Jenny: Then what should I do?

Liu Mumu: Stay away from him, as far as possible. Don't give him a chance to get your blood. Also, your birthdate and time will become a means for him to harm you, so be careful. The simplest method now is to destroy that bottle directly.

She didn't know where Zhan Hongye got such a sinister item. If Jenny had enough courage, destroying the bottle would undoubtedly be the best solution.

Jenny: But he keeps the jar in his study. The study is always locked when he's not home. If I destroy the bottle, he'll definitely find out it was me.

Liu Mumu: As long as the bottle is destroyed, he, as the owner of the bottle, will definitely suffer a backlash. He won't be able to stop you from leaving.

Even though Jenny was just a girl with not much strength, this shouldn't be difficult for her.

Jenny: No, I can't leave that house. Can you divine for me again? Tell me how I can get the bottle without him finding out.

Jenny's words left Liu Mumu speechless for a long time. She didn't quite understand why Jenny insisted on staying, facing a biological father who wanted to harm her?

However, she still answered.

Liu Mumu: I can't divine for the same person twice in a short period. I'm sorry.

Jenny: I can give you money. Is fifty thousand enough?

Zhan Hongye had deposited at least two hundred thousand into her bank card. In terms of money, he hadn't mistreated Jenny.

Liu Mumu: I'm afraid not.

After she replied, Jenny didn't send any more messages.

After waiting for a while, with no more news on her phone, Liu Mumu sighed and sat up from the bed. Others charged money for fortune-telling, but she risked her life!

As she got out of bed, her foot suddenly slipped, and she fell off the bed with a dull thud.

Liu Mumu sat on the solid wood floor for a while. When the pain subsided, she slowly pushed herself up, using the bed for support.

She had planned to go for breakfast, but now, thinking about it, eating breakfast might lead to her choking to death. It was better to skip it.

Qing City Municipal Bureau, Special Case Investigation Section.

In the office, Captain Fang Chuan handed the investigation materials to Yan Xiu, the specially appointed consultant for their department.

Yan Xiu looked down at the materials, a strand of hair falling over his forehead. His slender fingers turned the pages, making faint rustling sounds.

"Zhan Hongye's only surviving blood relatives are his son and daughter. Other relatives have died one after another in recent years. Oh, and his ex-wife also died not long ago," Fang Chuan said.

Yan Xiu flipped the materials to a page and looked at the record, his voice low, "He took care of his paternal uncle and two aunts until their deaths?"

"Yes, our people investigated his hometown. Zhan Hongye had an excellent reputation locally. His paternal uncle was in poor health, and his two aunts had no pensions. He not only bought new houses for them but also hired people to take care of the elderly, providing for their food and clothing, and giving them pocket money. He took them for physical examinations twice a year."

"Do you know the cause of their deaths?" Yan Xiu asked.

Fang Chuan shook his head, "No, they were cremated immediately after death."

"Oh, the cause of his ex-wife's death is a bit strange," Fang Chuan took out a stack of examination reports and some photos.

He placed a few gruesome photos in front of Yan Xiu. Yan Xiu calmly took them and examined them carefully before asking, "What was the hospital's diagnosis?"

"The hospital didn't give a specific diagnosis. They suspected an undiscovered disease, with severe skin ulceration and bleeding in the later stages."

"Bleeding..." Yan Xiu took the remaining photos and flipped through them one by one.

From the time Zhang Xueli was hospitalized until her condition worsened, the hospital had taken high-definition photos for record.

After Yan Xiu finished looking at the photos, Fang Chuan asked, "Well, did you find anything?"

Yan Xiu put the photos aside and stood up, saying to Fang Chuan, who was staring at him expectantly, "I've found quite a bit. There's no need to investigate further. We can arrest him directly."

"Explain in detail?" Fang Chuan ordered his subordinates to go and make the arrest, while he followed Yan Xiu closely, waiting for his explanation.

"That wasn't a worsening of the illness, but the slow death process of the sacrifice after the ritual was completed. In the past, shamans in the Shanchuan area would sacrifice blood food like cattle and sheep to witchcraft tools. After feeding them, they could control the witchcraft tools to harm people."

"You mean Zhan Hongye used people as sacrifices?" A chill ran down Fang Chuan's spine. Recalling that Yan Xiu had specifically asked about his relatives, he immediately realized, "Then his relatives?"

"He probably sacrificed them all. The witchcraft tools of the past had limited power, and it wasn't easy to control them to kill. The one he has is more powerful, likely modified. Using his blood relatives as sacrifices would be more effective."

"Then what about his ex-wife? She wasn't his blood relative, was she?" Fang Chuan was confused.

Yan Xiu sneered, "Didn't you say he only had a son and a daughter left? Of course, he had to be economical with the sacrifices."

Ordinary people are always fascinated by strange powers, unaware that these things become increasingly greedy. It starts with just one sacrifice, then more and more, until everything the owner possesses is devoured.

Zhan Hongye used his relatives to sacrifice to a witchcraft tool, and through the witchcraft tool, he killed people. This is a death cycle that cannot be stopped.