Chapter 263

"You'll never understand this beat-up soda can; it's a child's hope to survive."

"These are the words I left for that fat pig before I left; those who haven't experienced it don't understand the despair that life brings, and won't realize the hope that such a small thing once gave me."

"Holding the small can, I excitedly returned to Tongyuan Bay, but soon I realized something was off. This little can still had water droplets, even though it had just been crushed; I was so excited that I failed to notice."

"Think about it, I'm also foolish—how can a grown adult be so naïve? For those on duty, stealing evidence is a capital offense; how could they possibly hand it over so easily?"

"I thought I had seen through human affairs, but I still couldn't overcome this slickness of the human heart."

"\"What should we do now? \" Murong Jia Jia asked,"

"I shook my head and said, \"Let's wait until Han Duo wakes up before we talk. \""

"The night passed silently; the next day, when I woke from the bunk, Han Duo's figure was nowhere to be seen in Tongyuan Bay. I ran all over the streets in fright, thinking she couldn't take it and had done something foolish."

"But my worry was unnecessary; at noon, Han Duo returned. Seeing her come back, I couldn't help but rush over and ask anxiously, \"Where did you go? Why did it take you so long to come back? \""

"Han Duo glanced at the children in the room, gesturing for me to go outside before speaking."

"\"Where did you go? I was almost scared to death by you, you know? \" I grabbed Han Duo's shoulder and asked anxiously."

"\"I went to deliver money to the hospital and, on the side, looked up some information. \" Han Duo's voice was still hoarse, but her eyes weren't the lifeless gray of yesterday."

"She pulled something from her bosom and handed it to me: \"Look at this. \""

"I took it and saw it was Chen Zhi's eight characters; when I counted on my fingers, I couldn't help but gasp in surprise. Chen Zhi was actually born on the ten-spirit hour and ten-spirit day; according to numerology, children born at such a time are extremely spiritually endowed, and ordinary ghosts and gods find it hard to disturb them."

"This is a coincidence…… or a key?"

"Just as I was wondering, Han Duo said, \"Not only Chen Zhi, but several other deceased children were also born at the ten-spirit hour and ten-spirit day. \""

"\"Oh, the others... \" Han Duo's words left me puzzled; in Tongyuan Bay, we didn't know the eight characters of these two deceased children, did we?"

"However, the words coming out of Han Duo's mouth shocked me even more."

"She said the dead children weren't just the four we knew about; in recent times, the city has seen a series of murders—two or three cases—where children died the same way as Xin Xin: their souls were taken and their brains drained. Even more astonishing is that their birth times and eight characters share a similar trait: they were born at the ten-spirit hour?"

"\"Come on, let's go to their homes and take a look at where the two children's bodies are, \" I said; in my view, the place where they died might still leave some clues."

"The first place we went was the crime scene where the two children died, a narrow alley not far from the orphanage—a dark, damp corner where the child was found."

"But after searching carefully for a long time, Han Duo and I were disappointed in unison; the alley yielded no useful clues. This place was probably not the original crime scene, but where the children's bodies were dumped after death."

"Indeed, from soul‑seizing to brain‑draining, the process couldn't be finished in just a minute or two; no matter how covert or careful the perpetrator, there will always be traces—or eyewitnesses."

"Han Duo and I didn't think the killer would be a fool, so we quickly abandoned this spot and decided to go to the second child's home instead."

"The second murdered little girl was named Fang Fang, only five years old, living in the suburbs. Han Duo and I took a taxi straight there, arriving by night."

"Fang Fang's hometown was even more remote; the taxi driver dared not take us all the way to the destination, only dropping us off far at the intersection. After getting out, Han Duo and I had no choice but to walk in."

"\"Hai Sheng, what do you think the killer wants with so many children's souls? \" Han Duo suddenly asked me as we walked."

"I shook my head and said I didn't know either. After all, in my understanding, even if one wanted to raise child spirits or take living souls, there's no need to suck out a child's brain marrow."

"\"Let's go have a look first; maybe there'll be some valuable clues, \" Han Duo and I slowly walked toward the address written on the material, not knowing how she managed to find the victims' information so quickly."

"From afar I saw a dilapidated small house; we had walked nearly a kilometer, and though there were many houses, few had lights on. This wasn't the city center, not a bustling district, nor any development—just a very remote stretch where the roadside buildings were rented out as factories or scrap yards. At night, there was hardly anyone around."

"Fang Fang's home still had its lights on, perhaps because it was the only scrap yard within a two‑li radius."

"Pushing open the slightly dilapidated door, a foul, smoky smell hit me at once, making me cough repeatedly; I hurriedly covered my nose."

"\"Anyone here? \" I called a few times inside, but got no reply. Han Duo and I went in, yet saw no one."

"When Han Duo and I split up to open the doors on either side, she suddenly cried out \"Ah! \" in a panicked voice. Frightened, I turned and ran into the room where she was."

"The sight before me almost stunned me as well: in the moldy room lay two corpses, their heads missing, while blood continued to trickle from the severed necks."

"\"Thud… thud… thud…\" At that moment, Han Duo and I heard heavy footsteps coming from the rear mountain; the cottage fronted a road, while behind lay wild hills."

"Moreover, a section of the wall had collapsed, as if shoved down by force. Almost at the same instant we heard the sound, Han Duo and I unconsciously rushed toward the breach."

"The corpses inside still had bright red blood flowing from their necks, and the approaching footsteps were very likely those of the killer."

"Han Duo and I had considered this, so as soon as we heard the footsteps we took off after them; just before reaching the ridge, a bulky figure entered our field of view."

"\"Hai Sheng, look quickly, the child…\" Han Duo pointed at the looming figure ahead and exclaimed."

"Without Han Duo needing to say more, as we caught up to that silhouette I clearly saw the child he was carrying in his hand; his steps were clumsy, the child in his grip already unconscious—I couldn't tell if he was dead or alive."

"\"Stop! \" I shouted at him, but he seemed not to hear me, continuing to plod forward step by step. Finally I gave up on words, lunged forward, and grabbed his shoulder."

"The moment I touched him, a chilling cold pierced my heart; his shoulder emitted a frost‑like chill, and my hand nearly froze on contact."

"Whether I shouted or grabbed his shoulder, the bulky figure ignored me, plodding onward step by step without turning his head."

"\"Hey, stop, or I'll strike! \" I threw a hook at his neck; the impact felt not only cold but also a heart‑rending pain."

"At that very moment, he didn't even glance; his free right hand swung backward and lashed out at me."

"I raised my arm in time to block, but the force still flung me away. My hand went numb, and simultaneously I felt a cold seeping from my arm, creeping slowly through my whole body."

"\"Heh, \" after I was flung backward, Han Duo's attack followed—her whip coiled around his body, yet within ten seconds she suffered the same fate as I, being hurled hard onto the slope."

"Unwilling to give up, I struggled to my feet, traced a floral sigil, and slammed it into his shoulder. Perhaps the sigil carried power, for he finally showed a slight reaction,"

"Like a machine, or the sound of ice cracking, accompanied by a series of clicks, his neck finally turned, and our eyes met."

"Instantly my eyes widened in disbelief; I could hardly believe what I was seeing was real."

"ps: By the way, I recommend this book—Xiao Da's *Subduing Evil*: the divine physiognomy of Liuzhuang, accurate in every reading and always noting the date! The essence of the Hongxuan Gate's art of physiognomy condenses the foundation of rare secret arts. Inheriting the ancestral sixth eye, inviting evil spirits to cling, practicing the art of warding off evil, all for a slender chance of survival. Reading link: http: //www. motie. com/book/50692"

"Having encountered a mystic master, the three teachings share a common source; I inherited the five pulses' supreme learning, yet faced evil spirits running rampant—how could I know that the land of China lacks any mystical arts?!"