Chapter 99: Taking action behind the scenes!

Meanwhile, on the other side, the police also ran into trouble; after all the clues had been collected, they were all taken back to the 749 Bureau for examination.

"You say it's strange or not, in recent years our area hasn't had any major cases, but every major case is inseparable from that mountain."

That place is remote, deep in the mountains and old forests; although the village at the Mountain Foot has some population, the customs are simple and honest, and before this there had never been any criminal cases.

But in recent years, criminal cases have been occurring one after another on that mountain; those who don't know might even think a murderous maniac lives there.

From the poachers at the start, to the traffickers later, and now the tomb robbers, they seem different, yet they share subtle similarities.

Each of them had unclean hands, and their causes of death were also different.

People in the 749 Bureau were discussing it extensively, and they couldn't help whispering privately that the mountain might really have some problem.

Sun Zhenbang's first move upon returning was to report the situation to his superior.

Sun Zhenbang's superior had a headache: "How is it that this mountain is causing trouble again? This is already the third criminal case, and this time six people died!"

Although it's unclear whether it's directly related to the previous two cases, its appearance and existence are a problem for the police.

"This time, no matter what, we must catch the killer; otherwise, if we keep going like this, the higher-ups will demand accountability."

"We investigated and found that these tomb robbers were hired by an overseas antiquities-smuggling syndicate, but since their base is not in the country, it's hard to continue tracking them."

Trying to trace the root cause is not easy, and moreover these few tomb robbers are dead, so this lead has been cut off by more than half.

The people above who make contact will surely go into hiding once they get wind of it; after all, they're not fools, so even if the police try to follow the vine to melon, there will be no clues.

Unless they themselves step forward and reveal a flaw.

His superior was grumbling, and Sun Zhenbang also had a headache; for some reason he had a premonition that, like before, the killer would again elude capture.

"What's with that expression? Don't tell me you can't do it!"

Sun Zhenbang looked helpless: "You know as well as I do that in the first two cases we still haven't found the killer."

His superior was left speechless by the remark, then sighed softly: "Forget it, just do your best."

"Every time a case occurs on that mountain, it makes me lose a lot of hair; if this continues I'll soon be bald."

"The clues have already been collected and sent to the inspection department; now we're just waiting for their report."

Now the police, on one hand, must continue tracking to see if they can find that overseas antiquities-smuggling syndicate, and on the other hand they must pursue the killer; it can be said that their workload is heavy.

Autopsy room.

At this moment the coroner was operating in an orderly manner, a fine layer of sweat beading on his forehead, while the assistant beside him kept handing him a towel to wipe the sweat.

Even though the room's air conditioning was on full blast, the sweat still soaked his work clothes.

The coroner's hands were like the most precise instruments; the sharp little knife accurately cut open the pallid flesh, drawing a fine line of blood.

His movements were clean and swift, without any hesitation, his expression ordinary, as if he were chopping meat on a cutting board with a kitchen knife.

Besides all these corpses, the coroner can already keep his composure, and even eat a meal beside the bodies with ease.

As the victims' chest cavities were fully opened, their internal organs were laid bare, as if all secrets were exposed under the white-hot light.

Corpses cannot speak, but they can convey a great deal of information.

Based on livor mortis we can determine the time of death, and from external wounds or organs we can judge the cause of death.

Soon the coroner's face changed slightly; his previously calm expression was broken, revealing a look of astonishment.

The assistant beside him couldn't help asking: "Is this corpse particularly troublesome this time?"

The coroner said nothing, his expression gradually turning grave.

Later, the creases between the coroner's eyebrows were almost enough to pinch a mosquito, and he exclaimed in disbelief: "How could this be?!"

"It's really too strange."

The assistant beside him, seeing this, couldn't help asking: "Teacher, what's going on?"

The coroner's expression was somewhat solemn; at this moment he was drenched in sweat, even though the assistant had already set the air conditioner to its lowest temperature.

"Go get the instrument from over there."

Modern sophisticated instruments were attached to the corpse; looking at the data, the coroner's expression was one of bewildered surprise: "I can't make sense of it; I've never encountered such a situation."

At this moment, outside, Sun Zhenbang was anxiously awaiting the test results.

Seeing the coroner come out of the autopsy room, he hurried forward and asked: "How is it? Has the autopsy result come out?"

The coroner was also an old friend of Sun Zhenbang, and he gave him a somewhat resentful glance.

"Why is it that every corpse you send over is so troublesome? It seems I'll have to put up a sign: 'Anything Officer Sun brings in will be flatly refused.'"

The coroner has been in this line for several decades; he has handled not just hundreds but possibly over a thousand corpses, dissected countless bodies, and seen all kinds of bizarre causes of death.

But every time Sun Zhenbang brings a corpse, it manages to set a new low for him.

He had thought the previous two times were already strange enough, but now these six corpses sent over have once again left him stunned.

Sun Zhenbang also wore a worried frown: "Don't joke with me; this time the higher-ups have directly issued an order, insisting that I must find the killer."

The coroner shook his head: "I think it's a bit doubtful."

"Alright, let's not talk about that for now; tell me about these corpses."

The coroner also didn't waste words, getting straight to the point: "The time of death for these people is preliminarily judged to be between 2 and 3 a. m., the times of death are not far apart; as for the cause of death."

The coroner paused, then continued: "It should be death by lightning strike."

His tone seemed somewhat uncertain.

Sun Zhenbang couldn't help but widen his eyes, instinctively asking back: "Death by lightning strike?"

As everyone knows, if they really were killed by lightning, there should be obvious marks on the body surface, but these people appear outwardly unharmed, not at all like they'd been struck by lightning.

After sizing up the corpses, Sun Zhenbang shook his head: "They don't really look like it."

"But according to the instrument readings, they indeed died from lightning; I also dissected them, and their internal organs show failure, everything matches the aftereffects of a lightning strike."

The instruments don't make mistakes; moreover, the coroner has calibrated them several times—living people might lie, but corpses do not.

The coroner wore an expression of astonishment: "This wound doesn't look like it came from a stun baton, nor from natural lightning."

If it were natural lightning, there would definitely be burn marks on the body surface, and the eyebrows and hair would be charred like coal.

Sun Zhenbang carefully observed the wounds on the corpse.

Ordinary electric batons normally wouldn't kill someone, and the wound marks don't look like natural lightning either.

The forensic examiner and Sun Zhenbang researched for half a day but still couldn't determine what object had released the electricity that caused these people's deaths.

"So you mean we still don't know what the murder weapon is?"

The forensic examiner spread his hands helplessly, "I've done all I can; based on my experience, we can't even find the murder weapon, let alone the killer, just like the previous two cases."

Their causes of death varied, but the only common point was that the wounds were extremely strange, and no murder weapon could be found.

"I really don't know how the killer could do this; maybe it's another high‑intelligence criminal that an ordinary person couldn't manage. Getting back to the point, could this be related to the first two cases, possibly the same person?"

The forensic examiner chattered on at length beside them.

The speaker meant nothing by it, but the listener took it to heart.

Sun Zhenbang suddenly raised his voice, "What were you just saying?!"

The forensic examiner looked embarrassed, "I was saying about the first two cases."

"Not that sentence, the one above."

"How could an ordinary person possibly do this?"

Sun Zhenbang seemed lost in thought, repeatedly chewing over those words, "Yeah, how could an ordinary person possibly do this?"

The forensic examiner eyed him suspiciously, not knowing what was wrong, "Hey, you alright?"

After several shouts, Sun Zhenbang snapped back, shook his head, and said, "I'm fine, just thinking about something."

Earlier, those poachers and traffickers, the villagers at the mountain base said it was the Mountain God's doing; surely it can't be the Mountain God again this time.

Sun Zhenbang rubbed his temples; the matter of the killer and murder weapon remained unsolved, and the archaeological team sent word that Professor Zhang wanted to see him.

By the time Sun Zhenbang rushed back, Professor Zhang had already been waiting for a while.

"Professor Zhang heard you had something to see me about?"

"Police comrade, I'm here to report a situation: I suspect the tomb robbers have hidden some of the artifacts, and I hope you will interrogate them strictly so they hand over the missing parts."

Sun Zhenbang's face showed some difficulty, "I'm afraid we police can't do that."

After all, they don't have any mighty divine abilities, and since the people are dead, you can't put a corpse on trial.

Professor Zhang immediately looked anxious, "What does that mean?"

"Because those tomb raiders are all dead."

Professor Zhang stared speechless, not expecting that answer, "How did they just die?"

"Could it be that they killed each other over loot, or maybe they had internal conflict?"

"Regarding what you said, we're still investigating; I can't go into details, but we'll send more personnel to search the vicinity to see if any artifacts were lost along the way."

"If there are any updates, we'll inform you."

Professor Zhang's earlier situation was also considered by the police, but based on the clues they've found so far, they haven't detected a second wave of people.

As for internal conflict, everyone's wounds are the same; we can't rule out someone secretly dealing a black hand and then confusing the police's vision to escape.

If such a person really existed, why didn't he take all the artifacts? That's another question.

"Then please trouble you."

The members of the archaeological team also learned the news that all the tomb raiders had died, feeling very surprised, and they gathered there to discuss.

"No wonder the police caught them so quickly; it turns out they were all dead, and they died on the way down the mountain."

"I heard there were about six tomb raiders; how come they all died so suddenly?"

"Could it be that they had some illness?"

"If they were sick, what would they be doing as tomb raiders? Even if they were ill, they couldn't all flare up at the same time; I'd say it must be internal conflict."

"Could it be that uneven spoils caused a disagreement, leading them to kill each other?"

The lively discussers didn't notice a shadow slowly approaching from behind.

"Cough cough cough—"

Professor Zhang gave a light cough, startling them, "Professor, how did you come over?"

"Are you all idle? There's still part of the tomb unexcavated; instead of working, you're gathered here chatting."

Everyone hurriedly apologized, "Professor Zhang, sorry, we'll get back to work right away."

They immediately scattered like birds and beasts.

Since the tomb had only been half‑developed, everyone simply pitched tents nearby and set up camp to carry out archaeological work.

The deep jungle was shrouded by towering trees that blocked the sky like a green canopy, casting patches of cool shade, and not far away, mushroom‑like tiny tents sprang up from the ground.

The vicinity of the tomb had already been fenced off; people occasionally went in with tools, each doing their duty, and everything appeared orderly.

The archaeological work proceeded smoothly; no one noticed that deep in the nearby forest, a pair of gloomy beast eyes was watching their every move.

Ye Qin took in all of this.

As he had expected, not only the tomb raiders but also the archaeological team had shown up, and it looked like they intended to excavate the entire tomb.

Leaving aside the nearby construction noise disturbing him and disrupting his cultivation tranquility, it also posed a risk of exposure.

Moreover, if the tomb were completely dug up, it would easily damage the local feng shui.

Ye Qin still wanted to cultivate here, but with so many people around, it would certainly be inconvenient and would affect him even more later.

There was also an issue that weighed on Ye Qin's mind.

He had taken an alchemy cauldron and some scriptures from the tomb raiders' hands, which in a way meant he had received a favor from the tomb's owner.

This karmic debt still needed to be repaid.

Since he began cultivating, Ye Qin has paid close attention to such matters, not wanting to incur karmic debt that might affect his future practice.

Although archaeology and tomb‑robbing differ in nature—the former aims to protect and study—from the tomb owner's perspective, no one would want their grave dug up after death.

So for Ye Qin, tomb raiders and the archaeological team are essentially the same—both are in the business of digging up ancestral graves, with no real distinction of good or bad.

Even if the archaeological team are good people, would good people dig up someone else's grave?

So, regarding the archaeological work on this mountain, Ye Qin does not intend to let them continue.

Since he happened to obtain the tomb owner's belongings by chance, he might as well intervene this time.

Ye Qin looked at the archaeological team's tents not far away, and his snake pupils flickered with an indecipherable light.

……

As night fell, the archaeological team also stopped work, after all, poor lighting at night makes it easy to damage the tomb, and having already worked all day, everyone needed proper rest.

In the utter silence, a thread of silver light flowed softly, landing on the tents; the mountain was dark, and the bright moonlight became the sole source of light.

Under the moonlight, several black shadows could be seen, slowly approaching those tents.

Li Mingxue, as Professor Zhang's disciple and a member of this archaeological team, though this was his first field assignment, could be said to be full of vigor.

At this moment Li Mingxue was sleeping soundly, but a continual scraping noise came to his ears, at first not obvious, a faint feeling.

That sound was like some creature constantly scratching something, and also like teeth grinding.

He originally paid no attention, but the sound grew louder, seeming to be right nearby, as if it were ringing in his ear!

Li Mingxue shuddered, suddenly opened his eyes, and his whole person became alert.

At that moment, all sounds vanished, as if it were merely his illusion.

He rubbed his eyes, opened the tent, and the clear moonlight spilled over the mountains; everything appeared tranquil and peaceful, with nothing unusual around.

"Could it be that I slept so soundly I was dazed, just dreaming?"

Li Mingxue muttered to himself, not seeing the few strands of animal hair drifting outside the tent.

After checking, he closed the tent again, preparing to continue sleeping.

However, this was only the beginning; whenever he was about to fall asleep, that scratching sound would start again, tormenting him so he could hardly sleep.

Yet when he opened his eyes, there was nothing, no abnormality to be found; Li Mingxue tossed and turned, and this state persisted until dawn, when the sound finally disappeared.

The next day, when the archaeological team prepared to start work, they only then noticed that a few people seemed missing.

Professor Zhang looked around and said, "Mingxue, why aren't you here?"

"When I passed by his tent, it seemed there was still someone inside; maybe he's still sleeping?"

"He always gets up early, the most diligent of all; how could he oversleep this time?"

Just as everyone wondered, Li Mingxue finally arrived late.

Seeing his dark circles and huge eye bags, the other members couldn't help teasing:

"Mingxue, you wouldn't have secretly gone to work in the tomb last night without us, would you? That kind of work record comes only from staying up all night."

Facing the teasing, Li Mingxue looked bitterly put upon, and couldn't help yawning.

"Don't say it; last night I heard strange noises all night, leaving me somewhat neurasthenic, and I only managed to fall asleep at dawn."

Everyone was living separately; although they were all nearby, there was still some distance between the tents, and there were both small one‑person tents and larger tents where people slept together.

Li Mingxue lived in that kind of small tent.

The others exchanged bewildered glances, "Strange noise? We didn't hear anything; yesterday there didn't seem to be any other disturbance."

Li Mingxue sighed, "Maybe I misheard last night."

When night fell again, Li Mingxue put in earplugs; his sleep was poor, even affecting his daytime work, and he almost made a mistake.

But heaven seemed unwilling to let him off so easily.

That familiar scratching sound rang out again, growing louder, and the tiny earplugs did nothing to stop it.

Li Mingxue snapped his eyes open, his expression somewhat pained.

He suspected someone was playing a prank, but everyone was on the same team, usually got along well, had never had any conflict, and there was no reason to resort to such tactics.

But he couldn't possibly be having auditory hallucinations.

The sound seemed to be working against him; each time he closed his eyes and was about to fall asleep, it would suddenly blare, yet when he flung open the tent flap there was nothing outside.

Li Mingxue lay down, but this time he didn't shut his eyes completely; instead he wanted to see what was causing the trouble.

Time passed bit by bit, and just as Li Mingxue's eyelids were about to give way, a small black shadow approached the tent.

Here it comes!

The drowsiness bug instantly fled to the clouds, and his whole spirit perked up.

Through the tent he could see that the black shadow wasn't large; based solely on its shape he couldn't yet tell what creature it was.

Just what was this thing that kept coming back to harass him?

Li Mingxue felt some doubt; in the blink of an eye he placed his hands on the zipper and gave it a hard yank downward—he had deliberately left a small opening earlier and hadn't sealed it tight.

It would come down shortly.

The black shadow also noticed his movement, darting quickly toward the nearby bushes; in a flash, Li Mingxue saw clearly what the dark mass was.

It was actually a weasel!

Li Mingxue hadn't expected that the creature disturbing him last night would be a weasel.

But it ran too fast for him to catch; all he could do was angrily pick up a stone from the ground and hurl it at the bushes.

"Don't let me run into you again!"

He never imagined the prankster would be this weasel.

Li Mingxue returned to the tent; the stone in his heart finally settled, and he had thought he could get a good night's sleep.

But he hadn't expected that, after turning and entering the tent, the weasel would return, popping its little head out again, with countless shadows behind it, making it look exceedingly eerie.

It was already the late night; the scratching sound had stopped, and Li Mingxue was sleeping soundly when a scorching breath blew across his face.

It was as if someone beside him were panting.

But this is a one‑person tent; aside from himself, how could there possibly be a second person?!

Upon realizing this, Li Mingxue felt his scalp go numb, and his whole body snapped awake.

A cold wind blew from behind, proving the tent's zipper had been opened—he clearly remembered having closed it before!

In the darkness it felt as if something was staring at him; that sense of being watched was very obvious.

Li Mingxue slowly opened his eyes, only to see countless pairs of eerie green beast eyes filling his vision!

Like will-o'-the-wisps, they stared unblinkingly at him.

Countless yellow weasels surrounded him, nearly encircling his entire person.

Even though he was a grown man, seeing this he couldn't help but jump in fright; the scene was overly stimulating, constantly assaulting his sanity.

Imagine sleeping in the wilderness, then opening your eyes to find yourself surrounded by a pack of yellow weasels—what would that feel like?

"Ah!"

A earth-shattering scream tore through the quiet night, quickly drawing everyone's attention.

Many people woke from their sleep, turned on their flashlights, and discovered the scream came from inside Li Mingxue's tent.

Just as they were about to rush over, an unforgettable scene appeared before their eyes.

Dozens of yellow weasels ran out of Li Mingxue's tent and darted quickly into the nearby thicket.

Everyone stared dumbfounded, unable to react at first; by the time they came to, there was no trace of yellow weasels left in sight.

"Oh no! Could something have happened to Mingxue?"

The small one-person tent was in disarray, animal hair scattered everywhere and footprints visible, but fortunately Li Mingxue showed no obvious external injuries, so everyone reluctantly breathed a sigh of relief.

They helped him up; likely shaken, Li Mingxue's expression was somewhat dazed, so tonight he could only sleep in someone else's tent.

"How could there suddenly be so many yellow weasels?"

Everyone was puzzled; logically such small animals should fear humans, and according to Li Mingxue's account, last night's strange noises were also made by yellow weasels.

After being seen by the archaeological team, those yellow weasels simply stopped hiding and openly appeared before everyone.

Li Mingxue's incident was just a trigger; soon others also heard that scratching and gnawing sound at night, almost making sleep impossible.

Because they got no rest at night, plus daytime work, everyone lacked energy, all yawning constantly, with eye bags and dark circles alike.

This seriously affected the archaeological progress, and some even dozed off, nearly damaging an artifact.

"Professor Zhang can't go on like this—daytime work is already hard, nighttime harassment by those animals prevents proper rest; even an ironclad body couldn't endure it."

"Yes, Professor Zhang, we must find a way to solve this quickly; we're here for archaeology, not to raise hawks—we simply can't bear it."

"Professor Zhang, look at our dark circles—they're almost as precious as a national treasure."

Many people went to Professor Zhang to complain, but he had no choice—he couldn't just slaughter all the animals for the sake of smooth work.

Moreover, these animals are very clever; they hide when they see people, slippery as eel, making one suspect they've become spirits.

This matter hasn't been resolved yet, but as one wave subsides, another rises.

"Oh no, Professor Zhang!"

An archaeological team member came running over in a panic.

Professor Zhang helplessly asked, "What's wrong now?"

The villagers said they couldn't do this job and weren't going to continue.

There's still one more update; I'll continue writing later.

(End of chapter)