Chapter 365 - Invoking Figure Talisman
Nalan Wuxia’s expression turned cold as she said, “Remember, you are now a policeman. You can’t use your thoughts to restore the truth of a case. You need to discover the thoughts of the criminal to break a case.
Just because you don’t believe in this, you think that everyone else doesn’t either? Then explain to me why this symbol appeared in all three murder scenes. Are you going to tell me that all the criminals like to draw?”
“I...”
The policeman was suddenly speechless.
Nalan Wuxia turned around and told Qin Haodong, “Are there a lot of people who can understand this Invoking Figure Talisman? Can you lock onto a circle of criminals who are skilled in Taoism?”
Qin Haodong shook his head and said, “The Invoking Figure Talisman is not considered difficult in Taoism. Everyone can do it. Witches from any place can. Even ordinary people who believe in Taoism can as well.”
“Oh! So that’s how it is!”
Nalan Wuxia had originally wanted to make a breakthrough in the case by using the Invoking Figure Talisman. However, that seemed to be impossible.
Wang Jianfeng said, “This criminal has killed three people in a row, and we don’t know exactly how many targets he has. What we need to do now is find the connection between the three cases as soon as possible and find clues to how he committed the crime. The first step is to stop the next homicide from occurring and arrest the criminal as quickly as possible.
Judging from the current situation, the criminal commits a crime every three days. Everyone must hurry. We can’t let a fourth murder happen.”
“Yes!”
Nalan Wuxia was the first to agree, but she did not have any clue how to solve this case.
Afterwards, everyone present began to perform a detailed analysis of the case. Qin Haodong, who did not quite understand professional details, was sitting aside with his eyes closed. It was impossible to know what he was thinking.
After more than an hour, the meeting was finally finished and Wang Jianfeng returned to the City Bureau. He left the conference room with Nalan Wuxia, while everyone else got busy with the work at hand.
After she returned to the office, Nalan Wuxia frowned and said, “Haodong, what kind of person is this criminal? On the surface, this seems like an organ-stealing gang.
However, it doesn’t make sense based on the crime scenes. The Yaowang Temple, the cruise ship, and the park are not places where organ-stealing gangs normally commit crimes. The risk there is too high and it is easy to be discovered. Plus, they don’t need to do it like this.
But if their purpose isn’t to steal organs, then what is their motive? Love killing? Crime of passion? That’s not possible, as there have been both male and female victims.
Vendetta? Then why steal other people’s organs? Based on the way the crimes are committed, they are very professional. This is by no means as simple as venting anger and destroying the corpses. Their goal is to take the organs of the deceased completely.”
Qin Haodong sat on the sofa. He was sipping tea while admiring Nalan Wuxia’s serious thinking expression. Some people said that men are the most handsome when they work hard, but this actually applies to women as well. Nalan Wuxia currently looked particularly beautiful.
“It is impossible to find the connection between these cases based on the time and place of the crimes and the characteristics of the deceased. If it were not for the similar method of cutting out the organs and the Invoking Figure Talisman left at the scene, it really would have been impossible to connect them...”
Nalan Wuxia talked to herself for a long time. However, after she saw that Qin Haodong had not said a word, she couldn’t help but say angrily, “What are you doing? Why are you not helping me solve this case? If this continues, I am going to get wrinkles on my face. What will you do then?”
Black lines appeared on Qin Haodong’s head. Hu Xiaoxian had hugged her chest and said that he was the one who had suffered a loss. Now, Nalan Wuxia was saying it again. It seemed that the more he liked women, the greater the responsibilities he had to carry would be.
He placed the teacup down and said, “In fact, you don’t have to think so much. Since you don’t know these things, you can just find someone and ask.”
“Ask someone? Who would I ask? Who would have information about this?” Nalan Wuxia looked surprised.
“Go find the deceased. The deceased must know the characteristics of the criminal, and perhaps they know even more.”
Nalan Wuxia rolled her eyes and said, “At a time like this, you are still in the mood to mess with me?”
“I’m not joking,” Qin Haodong said as he spread his hands.
“Are you sure you’re serious?” Nalan Wuxia asked, staring at him.
“I’m sure. Once you ask the deceased, the truth will come to light.”
Nalan Wuxia said with a face full of doubt, “How can you ask someone who is already dead? Can your hypnosis make the dead talk?”
“How can a dead person talk? No matter how magical hypnosis is, that is impossible.” When Nalan Wuxia was about to trudge out, Qin Haodong said, “The dead can’t talk, but their souls can. I know a secret method called Spiritualism. As long as the spirit of the dead is here, you can ask some relative questions.
Normally, people will leave their bodies 45 minutes after their death. However, these deceased are different, because an Invoking Figure Talisman is suppressing their soul. It can ensure that their souls will stay for a long time.”
“Oh my god! Is this possible?”
Nalan Wuxia, who was overjoyed, hugged Qin Haodong and kissed him.
Qin Haodong licked his lips and put on a wronged expression as he said, “Someone, help! A policeman is abusing me!”
“Abuse my ass!” Now that there seemed to be some hope about solving this case, Nalan Wuxia’s mood became a lot better. She pushed Qin Haodong onto the desk behind him and then pressed her whole body on top of him. She put her hands on his shoulders and said fiercely, “I want to abuse you. What can you do about it?”
Having a woman on top of him made Qin Haodong’s heart feel like it had grown grass. Numerous complex methods immediately rushed into his mind. Meanwhile, his eyes could not help but take a glance at Nalan Wuxia’s collar. Her two breasts were big and pretty, revealing a beautiful image.
He cooperated and said, “What else can I do? I have no choice but to follow through!”
The two of them were having a good time when suddenly the door opened and a small policeman walked in and froze at the sight.
“Captain... Captain... Uh...”
The small policeman was eager to report something to Wuxia, but the situation suddenly made the words get stuck in his throat and rendered him unable to speak.
According to his years of experience at watching movies, a woman getting on top of a man was just the beginning.
“I’m sorry, captain! Please continue!”
After speaking, the small policeman quickly retreated outside and very thoughtfully closed the door. Standing behind the door, he could not help but sigh. “The captain is really a female heroine!”
Just as the small policeman was making sense of the scene in the room alone, Nalan Wuxia stood up again. She had acted on sheer impulse due to a moment of joy. Unexpectedly, the door had been unlocked and she had been seen by her subordinate. It seemed that she wouldn’t be able to keep her image in the future.
Qin Haodong was still lying on the desk as he said with a smile, “Lady, shall we continue?”
Nalan Wuxia said with a flushed face, “You have such a big head! It’s your fault I’m ruining my image.”
Qin Haodong said with a smile, “Can you blame me? You’re the one who wanted to assault me. I couldn’t resist, so I had no choice but to obey.”
“What a smooth talker. Get up quickly and help me solve the case.”
Nalan Wuxia pulled Qin Haodong up from the table as she spoke. The two of them quickly left the office and rushed to the scene of the murder.
While watching the two figures, the small policeman secretly said, “Are they going to get a room?”
Nalan Wuxia first took Qin Haodong to Yaowang Temple in the East City. The incense there was very good. Many people came to burn incense and pray for peace.
The crime scene was an idle, empty house in Yaowang Temple. It used to be the firewood room, but lately, the temple had begun to modernize itself and had started using water, electricity, and gas. Therefore, this room had become idle.
This was a crime scene, so a barricade had been set up outside to prohibit temple staff and pilgrims from entering.
Nalan Wuxia led Qin Haodong over the barricade and into the room. The crime scene was in the middle of the room. The body had already been removed, leaving a pool of dried blood and marks left by the police surveying the scene. A bright red Invoking Figure Talisman was painted on the wall on the left side of the room.
“Haodong, try your method quickly.”
Nalan Wuxia spoke impatiently. If the soul of the deceased could speak, then the case would almost be solved.
Qin Haodong looked around and frowned slightly. He had not felt the fluctuation of the soul in this room. Normally, if the soul of the deceased was present, he would feel it.
He walked up to the Invoking Figure Talisman and moved his fingers. Then, he cast an incantation towards the Invoking Figure Talisman.
A strange scene occurred. After the incantation was cast, the Invoking Figure Talisman immediately disappeared. However, Qin Haodong still could not find the soul of the dead.
“Huh? What is going on?”
Qin Haodong looked puzzled.
“What’s the matter, Haodong?”
Although Nalan Wuxia was a martial artist, she still knew nothing about the dark arts, so she did not know what had happened.
Qin Haodong said with a frown, “The Invoking Figure Talisman is still there, but how come the soul of the deceased is gone?”
“The soul is gone?” Nalan Wuxia was slightly stunned. She then said, “Is it because this is a temple? Is that why the soul has already crossed over?”
Qin Haodong said, “Impossible. You must first break the Invoking Figure Talisman if you want the soul to cross over. However, the Invoking Figure Talisman is still intact, so this was probably not caused by the temple.”
Nalan Wuxia asked, “Then what should we do?”
Qin Haodong looked around the room again as he memorized the crime scene firmly. Then, he said, “Let’s go to the next scene.”
The two of them left the Yaowang Temple and quickly arrived at the river. The cruise ship where the murder had been committed was tied at the dock.
When they entered the ship, they saw the Invoking Figure Talisman on the port side of the cabin. On the surface, it looked exactly the same as the one inside Yaowang Temple. There were no differences whatsoever.
Qin Haodong carefully examined the Invoking Figure Talisman. Meanwhile, Nalan Wuxia asked, “Haodong, is there anything?”
“There is a fluctuation of the soul under the Invoking Figure Talisman. However, there is no soul.”
Nalan Wuxia said, “How did this happen? Do you want to go to the third scene and have a look? It happened last night, so maybe the soul is still there.”
“Let’s go. We’re going there anyway.”
After Qin Haodong said this, he and Nalan Wuxia went to the forest park.
historical
The scene of the crime was closed off, and the technical personnel sent by the crime squad were re-surveying the scene. When they saw Nalan Wuxia, they quickly stood up to say hello.
“You guys continue. We are just looking around.”
Nalan Wuxia turned towards Qin Haodong and said, “What about this one?”
The murder scene was on the lawn of the park. On the side was a stone bench, where the Invoking Figure Talisman had been drawn.
Qin Haodong squatted down to check. Then, he shook his head and said, “The soul here is also gone.”
He stood up again, thought about it, and then said, “There is only one possibility. The criminal didn’t only take the organs of the deceased, but also their souls.
First, he used the Invoking Figure Talisman to hold the soul of the deceased, and then he took it with him along with the organs he cut out.”