After leaving the evidence department, Bai Haorui excused himself to use the restroom, found a deserted corner, and took out his phone to call Bobby. "Old Bobby, look into two people for me: Pete Sheridan and Diana Ballard of the Baltimore Police Department. Focus on their relationships and any unusual behavior lately, especially Pete."
"Got it, idjits!" Bobby's voice came over the phone, carrying his usual impatience. "Give me some time."
After hanging up, Bai Haorui lingered in the restroom a little longer. When he returned to the hallway, he happened to see Diana coming out of Sam's interrogation room. He immediately approached, pretending it was a chance encounter. "Officer, how's it going? Has the suspect confessed?"
"No, he's still spouting nonsense about supernatural incidents," Diana said with a frown, sounding irritated. "But he mentioned that 'danashulps' might have something to do with Ashland Street. He said he wanted to contact a lawyer who lives there."
"Ashland Street?" Something stirred in Bai Haorui's mind. He immediately took out his phone and searched for information about Ashland Street. "Is there anything special there? Abandoned warehouses or old buildings, for instance?"
"There's an abandoned industrial district on Ashland Street, with plenty of empty warehouses," Diana recalled. "And eight months ago, someone went missing there-a drug dealer named Claire Becker. Her body still hasn't been found."
"Claire Becker?" Bai Haorui repeated the name. "Then who was in charge of that case?"
"Pete," Diana said. "He took the case, but the investigation fizzled out before long. He said Claire had fled to avoid prosecution."
Just then, Bai Haorui's phone rang. It was Bobby. "I found something. Pete's call records are strange. Apart from family and colleagues, he frequently makes and receives calls from out-of-state numbers, and those numbers stop being used after a while. One with a record belonged to a drug dealer who was arrested before. Another belonged to a missing person named Claire. The two called each other very frequently eight or nine months ago. And after Claire disappeared, five hundred thousand dollars of unexplained income appeared in Pete's bank account, with no known source. As for Diana, there's nothing much. Her calls are mostly to people around her, with very few unfamiliar numbers."
So that's it! Everything suddenly became clear to Bai Haorui. Then there's only one truth! Pete used Claire to smuggle drugs and pocketed the proceeds. Claire may have wanted to expose him, so he killed her and hid her in an abandoned warehouse on Ashland Street. After helping him launder money, Tony felt guilty and wanted to turn himself in. Karen may have learned the truth too, so Pete planned to silence them. He had been watching Tony's house. When he saw us arrive, he looked up Sam and Dean and decided to frame them. And that female ghost should be Claire's spirit. After becoming a ghost, she appeared before Tony and Karen died to warn them of danger, while constantly sending out cries for help!
Bai Haorui immediately went to the door of Sam's interrogation room and made sure no one else was inside. He crouched down, pretending to tie his shoelaces, and spoke very quietly. "Sam, listen. That ghost means no harm-I recorded this in my notes. Some people who die unjustly retain their resentment but aren't bad by nature. When the power they develop can't take revenge directly, they take this form. They don't actively hurt people. They just linger around the killer, leaving clues. The protective charms you and Dean carry can block her red marks, so she can't warn you the same way. Bobby said 'danashulps' is a palindrome. Rearranged, it becomes 'Ashland Street.' There's an abandoned warehouse there. Claire's body should be hidden inside. Pete is the real killer!"
Sam's ears twitched, and he immediately understood Bai Haorui's meaning. When Diana came in again to bring water, he deliberately said, "I want to contact my lawyer. He lives near the abandoned warehouse on Ashland Street. Can I make a call?" As he spoke, he watched Diana's reaction.
Hearing "the abandoned warehouse on Ashland Street" again, Diana's pupils contracted slightly. She suddenly remembered that the site of Claire's disappearance had been an abandoned warehouse on Ashland Street. Pete had also gone there frequently back then, returning each time with a faint musty smell on him.
"Wait," Diana said, looking at Sam with suspicion in her eyes. "How do you know there's an abandoned warehouse on Ashland Street? And why are you so sure your lawyer lives there?"
"I just heard my lawyer mention it," Sam said, feigning composure. "He said it was quiet there, suitable for an office. Officer, I only want to contact my lawyer to defend myself. That's my right."
Diana fell silent for a while, her doubts growing. She turned and left the interrogation room, returning to her office. She had only just sat down when she saw a woman in white standing by the window-long hair hanging loose, face deathly pale, blood flowing from her neck. She looked exactly like the figure in Karen's sketch! "Ah!" Diana recoiled in fright. A sudden stabbing pain shot through her wrist. Looking down, she saw several dark red finger marks starkly visible on it, exactly like those on Karen and Tony!
"This is impossible..." Diana's face went white. She finally believed Sam-this was no ordinary murder case.
Diana took a deep breath, suppressing her fear and shock, and entered Sam's interrogation room again. "Were you telling the truth? Ghosts exist in this world? Then what have you found out? Tell me the truth. No lying!"
"Every word," Sam said, looking at her sincerely. "We suspect Pete. You can check his bank account. He must have had unexplained income recently. And that necklace most likely belonged to Claire. Claire's ghost wants us to expose Pete's crimes."
Diana said nothing. She left the interrogation room and made a call. Her older brother worked at a bank, so checking Pete's account transactions was easy. A few minutes later, the information from the other end left her face livid-there really was an unexplained deposit of five hundred thousand dollars in Pete's account, originating from an overseas shell company!
"That bastard!" Diana gritted her teeth, angry and hurt. She had been Pete's partner for years and had always considered him a trusted colleague and friend. She had never imagined he was such a greedy, cruel murderer! She immediately returned to the interrogation room and told Sam, "Come on. We're going to the abandoned warehouse on Ashland Street!"
Meanwhile, Bai Haorui had already driven to the abandoned industrial district on Ashland Street. Empty warehouses and factory buildings stood everywhere, their walls covered in graffiti. Garbage and discarded parts littered the ground, making the place look especially desolate. After getting out, Bai Haorui took out the Five Emperor Coins and flicked them lightly with his fingertips. The copper coins spun through the air and landed steadily on the ground, pointing toward an abandoned warehouse not far away.
"This is it." Bai Haorui put away the Five Emperor Coins, took his backpack from the car, slung his peachwood sword over his back, and put on gloves before cautiously approaching the warehouse. Its front door stood ajar, covered in rust and dust. He pushed it open, and a powerful stench of decay mingled with mold hit him in the face, enough to make him gag. He took out his phone and switched on its flashlight, illuminating the interior.
The warehouse was piled with discarded equipment and crates, its floor covered in dust and cobwebs. Bai Haorui followed the yin energy deeper inside until he reached the basement entrance. The basement door was ajar, and the stench of decay was even stronger. He pushed it open and descended.
The basement was dark and damp. Water beaded on the walls, and the wet floor was covered in moss. Bai Haorui swept his flashlight around and saw something wrapped in a tattered piece of canvas in a corner. Dried pupal cases lay scattered around it-clearly left behind after maggots had pupated.
"Found her." Bai Haorui's heart sank. He slowly approached and gently lifted the canvas with his peachwood sword. An even stronger stench of decay hit him. Beneath the canvas lay a severely decomposed corpse.
The corpse's skin had long since sloughed off and liquefied. What remained was dark brown, clinging stickily to the bones, with fragments of skin scattered around in places. Most of the muscles and internal organs had liquefied into dark brown decomposition fluid, pooling at the bottom of the canvas and seeping into the floor, leaving a dark stain. Some bones were exposed, coated in dark brown decomposed residue, dull and entirely without sheen. Patches of yellowish-white waxy material covered parts of the abdomen and thighs, signs of adipocere formation-the basement's extremely high humidity and relatively low temperature had caused the fatty tissue to undergo saponification.
Most importantly, there was a clear wound on the corpse's neck. Distinct cut marks were visible on the cervical vertebrae, and the edges of the remaining soft tissue around them were irregular. It was clearly a fatal wound. A silver necklace still hung around the corpse's neck, the same style of cross necklace Bai Haorui had seen before. Although stained dark brown, its design remained clearly recognizable.
"This is Claire." Bai Haorui looked at the body with mixed feelings. This woman had done many wrong things in life, yet after death she had become a death omen, warning others away from danger. She wasn't bad at heart. She had simply been used by the greedy Pete and met this end.
Just then, footsteps came from the basement entrance. Sam and Diana had arrived. At the sight of the body, Diana's face instantly went deathly pale. She covered her mouth, fighting back nausea and grief. "This is Claire... Pete really killed her."
Sam approached the body and examined it carefully, then suddenly noticed a waterproof plastic bag pinned beneath it. He carefully pulled it out and opened it. Inside was a ledger detailing how Pete had used Claire to smuggle drugs and embezzled the proceeds. Every transaction's time, amount, and counterpart was recorded clearly. There were even records of Tony laundering money for him, along with a message Tony had left when he later wanted to turn himself in: "I can't go on like this. Pete is too cruel. I'm going to turn myself in."
"The truth is out." Sam clenched the ledger, his eyes full of anger. "Pete used Claire to smuggle drugs and pocketed a huge amount of the proceeds. Claire wanted to expose him, so he killed her and hid her in this warehouse. After helping him launder money, Tony felt guilty and wanted to turn himself in. Karen may have learned the truth too, so Pete silenced them and tried to frame us! This bastard is crueler than an evil spirit. Wearing a cop's uniform while doing a demon's work!"
Looking at the records in the ledger, Diana couldn't stop her tears. She remembered her days as Pete's partner and all the "care" he had shown her. Now it all seemed like lies and manipulation. "I'll expose him and avenge Claire, Tony, and Karen!" Diana wiped away her tears, her gaze becoming resolute.
Just then, a white figure slowly materialized. It was Claire's ghost. She floated in front of Diana and extended her wrist. The dark red finger marks on it aligned perfectly with those on Diana's wrist. Diana recoiled in fright, only to see that the ghost's eyes held nothing but sorrow, without a trace of malice. "She's warning us. Pete already knows we've discovered the truth. He'll come to silence us." Diana understood at once, fear and anger filling her.
Bai Haorui took out a Salvation Talisman and began chanting. "Dust to dust, earth to earth. Wronged soul, linger no more. May the good find peace." The Salvation Talisman gave off a gentle glow that enveloped Claire's ghost. Her form gradually grew clearer as she repeated, "He's coming. Be careful."
"Let's get out of here. Pete must already be on his way!" Bai Haorui immediately said, pulling Sam and Diana toward the basement exit.
The three had just left the warehouse when they saw a police car approaching in the distance. It was Pete's. The moment he saw them, his face twisted viciously. He slammed down on the accelerator and charged straight at them.
"Move!" Bai Haorui shouted, pulling Sam and Diana behind some discarded equipment. The police car crashed into the warehouse doors with a bang. The car door opened, and Pete jumped out with a gun, his gaze vicious. "Since you all know, you can all die!"
"Pete, you're not getting away!" Diana raised her gun and aimed at him. "We've found Claire's body and the ledger. I've already taken pictures and sent them to the chief. Your crimes are exposed!"
"So what?" Pete sneered. "Once I kill you and burn this place down, no one will know the truth!" He raised his gun and fired at Diana.
"Look out!" Bai Haorui shoved Diana aside. The bullet struck the discarded equipment beside them with a loud clang.
Dean had arrived at some point too-while in the car, Diana had called her colleagues and told them they could release him first. "Hey, asshole!" Dean shouted, charging out of a nearby alley with a shotgun and firing at Pete.
Pete couldn't dodge in time. The scattered pellets grazed his shoulder, making him bare his teeth in pain. Seeing that he had no chance, he turned to flee, only for Sam to block his way. "You're not getting away!" Sam shouted, grappling with him.
Bai Haorui grabbed a stone, rushed forward, and smashed it hard into Pete's back. Pete buckled in pain, and Sam seized the opportunity to pin him to the ground.
"Let me go!" Pete struggled, but Sam held him down so firmly he couldn't turn over.
Claire's ghost floated beside them, staring coldly at Pete. Blood kept flowing from the wound in her neck with a sizzling sound. At the sight of her, Pete was terrified out of his wits. His defenses collapsed completely, and he began babbling. "Stay away! It wasn't my fault! You were going to expose me. I had no choice! I earned that money. I paid you for helping me smuggle drugs, so what right did you have to expose me? Tony and Karen deserved to die too. They wanted to inform on me! Diana, we're partners! Let me off, and I'll give you half the money. We can live the good life!"
"You bastard, you still won't repent!" Diana held her gun, her eyes full of disappointment and anger. "You've betrayed that uniform, the colleagues who trusted you, and above all, the people you hurt!"
"Diana, I know I was wrong. Give me another chance!" Pete still tried to plead his case, tears and snot covering his face, leaving him utterly pathetic.
"A chance? When you were killing people and dealing drugs, why didn't you think of giving Claire, Tony, and Karen a chance?" Diana shouted. Beside her, Dean picked up Pete's fallen handgun.
Bang! The gunshot rang out. Pete fell to the ground and stopped breathing.
"The United States doesn't have the death penalty, but I don't want him alive!" Dean told Diana, his expression cold.
Claire's ghost watched Pete's body, the sorrow on her face gradually fading. She nodded to Diana and the Winchester Brothers, then turned into a soft light and vanished completely-her injustice had finally been redressed, and she could finally rest.
Before long, sirens sounded in the distance. Diana contacted the police chief and told him the whole truth. The chief arrived with the police, his face livid at the sight of Pete's body and the ledger. He told Diana, "You did the right thing. We'll handle this fairly and give the victims an accounting."
Diana turned to the Winchester Brothers and Bai Haorui. "Thank you. Without you, I might never have learned the truth. You should go. Leave this to me. If you ever need anything, you can contact me anytime."
The three nodded and turned toward the Impala. Dean stretched, then suddenly said, "I suddenly feel like pea soup."
Sam and Bai Haorui exchanged a glance and burst out laughing.
Bai Haorui's phone rang. It was Bobby. "You idjits managed not to get yourselves killed after all! Is Claire's case settled?"
"Settled. Evil got its just deserts," Bai Haorui replied with a smile. "But this time, the human was harder to deal with than the evil spirit. Doing evil in a cop's uniform-more disgusting than a demon."
Bobby snorted. "Remember, the human heart is always the scariest thing. Don't be so reckless next time. Give me a heads-up before investigating a case."
The Impala traveled down the highway, "Highway to Hell" echoing through the car. Dean gripped the steering wheel, his gaze grave. "How do you think someone like Pete turned into a demon, step by step? He must have been a good cop at first, right? Wearing his uniform, upholding justice. But in the end, he killed so many people for money and even wanted to use his own informant and partner."
Sam looked at her brother's profile and said softly, "Dean, we're different from him. We hunt demons to save people, not for our own benefit. You've always kept your moral boundaries. You never hurt innocent people for money or personal gain." Yet he struggled inwardly. But sometimes, can we really hold every line when we're protecting each other? Avenging Dad, the mark on me... will I really be able to control myself in the future? If I become a demon someday, will you really kill me?
Bai Haorui leaned back in the rear seat, crossed his legs, and regulated his breathing. "Pete let greed go to his head and forgot why he became a cop. That's how he walked into the abyss, step by step. Maybe he only wanted to earn a little extra at first, but desire is a bottomless pit. Once some things start, they can never be stopped. In the end, desire devours you, and you become the very person you once hated most."
Dean was silent for a while, then suddenly smiled, returning to his usual irreverence. "All right, let's not make this so heavy. At least we solved another problem and cleared our records along the way. We're law-abiding citizens of the good ol' U.S. of A. again." He pressed the accelerator. The Impala's engine roared, and the car gathered speed. "For the next case, I hope we get a more normal evil spirit. No more assholes wearing human skin."
Sam and Bai Haorui exchanged a smile, and the heaviness in the car gradually faded. Bai Haorui took out a Clear Heart Talisman and handed it to Dean. "This talisman can steady your mind and keep evil energy from getting in. You're carrying enough on your mind already. Don't put so much pressure on yourself, brother."
Dean accepted the talisman and grinned. "You're the reliable one. Way better than Sam the bookworm~" He carefully tucked the Clear Heart Talisman into his breast pocket. Feeling the rough texture of the talisman paper beneath his fingertips, he felt a little warmer inside.
Sam pretended not to hear, watching the nighttime scenery slip past the window. No matter how hard the future gets, I'll face it together with Dean and Haorui. We'll hold our boundaries and protect each other.