Chapter 6: The Police

The Emergency Department Hall of the Second Hospital in Jiang Hai City was sliced by the alternating red and blue police lights outside the main doors into countless flickering fragments.

In the air, the scent of disinfectant mingled with a faint, elusive metallic smell of blood and an inescapable sense of panic.

A sleek, dashing figure pushed through the crowd and hurried inside.

The newcomer wore a crisp black jacket and fitted trousers that traced straight leg lines, and a neat high ponytail swung sharply behind her with each step.

It was Qin Zhixia, Captain of the Criminal Investigation Brigade of Jiang Hai City.

Her beautiful Crimson Phoenix Eyes were now as sharp as knives, swiftly scanning the entire cordoned area.

"Situation?" Qin Zhixia's voice was cool and crisp, without a hint of idle talk.

A young on‑site forensic doctor immediately stepped forward and handed over a preliminary report.

"Qin Team, the deceased is Liu Guodong, Chief of Cardiology at this hospital. The time of death is preliminarily judged to be about twenty minutes ago. No external injuries on the body, pupils dilated, vital signs completely absent. Based on the hospital's records and the scene, the preliminary conclusion is… acute cardiac failure."

"Sudden death?" Qin Zhixia took the report, her brows knitting together in an almost imperceptible frown.

"From the physiological signs, that's how it appears."

Qin Zhixia's gaze passed over the forensic doctor and landed on a few trembling, pallid security guards and nurses nearby.

"They are the primary witnesses?"

"Yes."

Qin Zhixia walked over, and the aura of "no strangers allowed" around her made the young nurses even more nervous.

She produced her credentials:

"I am Qin Zhixia, Captain of the Jiang Hai City Criminal Police Brigade. Please cooperate and tell me what you saw."

One of the nurses who first noticed Liu Guodong's abnormality gathered courage, her voice still trembling.

"Liu… Director Liu… he suddenly came rushing down from the upper floor like a madman, his clothes all in disarray, one shoe missing… he… he kept screaming, saying… saying there was a ghost…"

Another security guard interjected: "Right! A few of us went up to try to hold him, and he struggled like a lunatic, crying and shouting at the corner of the wall, saying 'It's coming' and 'Don't come…', just as if he were possessed!"

"And then?" Qin Zhixia pressed.

"Then… then he suddenly stopped moving, slid down the wall, and we thought he'd run out of strength, but when the doctor arrived, the person… the person was gone!"

All the witnesses' testimonies pointed to an extraordinarily Weird commonality.

Before his death, Liu Guodong's mental state was extremely abnormal, and he was convinced that an unseen entity was hunting him.

The young squad member Xiao Zhang, who was behind Qin Zhixia, felt a chill down his scalp, leaned in, and lowered his voice.

"Qin Team, I'm familiar with this script—fighting wits against thin air, then dying of sudden cardiac arrest… it's too bizarre, isn't it? Surely it's not some real dirty thing, right?"

Qin Zhixia gave him a cold sidelong glance.

"Since the founding of the nation, spirits aren't allowed to become sentient, have you never heard?"

"Pick up your materialist worldview and get to work properly!"

"Yes, yes!" Xiao Zhang snapped his neck shut, daring not to speak further.

Although Qin Zhixia said so outwardly, the clouds of doubt in her mind grew heavier.

Could an experienced Chief of Cardiology be literally "scared to death" in the busiest Emergency Department Hall of the whole hospital?

That sounds nothing short of a fairy‑tale.

She ordered Xiao Zhang.

"Until the autopsy results are in, we can't stand idle… investigate! Look into Liu Guodong's medication history, especially psychotropic drugs! Also ask his colleagues if he's shown any recent abnormal behavior!"

"Yes!"

The next day, the Criminal Investigation team began questioning the hospital's relevant staff.

When it was Chu Che's turn, he had just finished a surgery that lasted several hours, yet his brows showed little fatigue.

He walked into the office temporarily requisitioned by the police, politely nodded at Qin Zhixia, and then sat down quietly.

Qin Zhixia sized up the man before her.

A clean Doctor's Lab Coat, an immaculate hairstyle, gold‑rimmed glasses, and a warm, handsome face.

He was like a piece of flawlessly polished jade—calm, steady—and formed a stark contrast to the doctors and nurses who had been terrified into incoherence yesterday.

"Dr. Chu, we'd like to learn some details about Director Liu Guodong," Qin Zhixia said bluntly.

Chu Che adjusted his glasses, his tone calm and gentle.

"I'll say everything I know. Director Liu's sudden passing has left all of us deeply regretful."

"How has his mental state been lately?" Qin Zhixia asked.

"Not good," Chu Che replied tersely. "Director Liu has been under great pressure lately; everyone in our department has noticed. He's been absent‑minded many times at work, even making minor mistakes. My personal assessment… he may have been in a prolonged high‑stress and anxious state."

That assessment basically matches the testimonies of the earlier doctors.

Qin Zhixia asked again:

"Then how do you interpret his frantic actions before death? For example, claiming he saw a 'ghost'."

Chu Che, hearing this, paused briefly, a hint of contemplation flashing behind his lenses.

He lifted his head and, in a highly professional tone, analyzed:

"Officer Qin, from a medical standpoint, extreme mental stress and anxiety can fully induce hallucinations, auditory or visual, in a person."

He paused, as if organizing his words.

"Or, I have an immature hypothesis. There might be a new type of anxiolytic psychotropic drug with a highly complex composition, unclear side effects, and insufficient sample collection, possibly possessing hallucinogenic effects that went unnoticed."

"I recall that a few years ago, here in Jiang Hai City, there was a similar case."

"If Director Liu privately took such a drug and the dosage was mismanaged, it could very likely cause intense hallucinogenic effects and trigger cardiac arrest."

Abuse of new‑type psychotropic drugs.

That explanation is practically a tailor‑made standard answer for the police.

Qin Zhixia narrowed her eyes slightly as she looked at him.

Induction?

No.

Indeed, that possibility he mentioned exists, and overall it still falls within the normal range.

Chu Che faced Qin Zhixia's scrutiny, his gaze behind the lenses calm and unruffled, and a gentle, faint smile even tugged at the corner of his mouth.

Gradually, Qin Zhixia's gaze softened a bit.

But deep within her unseen inner thoughts, Chu Che was admiring his own masterpiece.

He, indeed, is the director of this drama.

Now, it's merely the director being interviewed by the crew.

The feeling of manipulating everyone at his fingertips gave him a novel delight.

Afternoon, City Bureau conference room.

The atmosphere was heavy.

Qin Zhixia placed a freshly issued autopsy report beneath the projector.

"Everyone, Liu Guodong's final autopsy report is out."

"The result is... negative."

"His body contains no drugs, alcohol, or any psychoactive drug residues that we currently know of. He also has no history of any heart condition that could cause sudden death."

The entire conference room erupted in a clamor.

Xiao Zhang couldn't help muttering softly, "Doesn't that mean... all our previous deductions have been overturned?"

Qin Zhixia's complexion also turned sour.

Seated at the head of the table was the Detachment Chief, an elderly detective with slightly graying hair, who hammered his fingers heavily on the desk.

"That means we currently cannot classify it as homicide, because there is no murderer. We also cannot deem it suicide, because there is no motive or means. And we cannot simply label it as accidental sudden death, because his behavior before death was too bizarre!"

An experienced senior doctor was literally scared to death in the bustling Emergency Department Hall.

No matter how you look at this case, it exudes a sense of evil.

The Detachment Chief pondered for a long time, then slammed the table abruptly.

"This case is definitely not that simple! There must be something behind it that we haven't encountered yet!"

"Hypnosis? Mind control? Or some unknown high‑tech criminal method?"

"Whatever it is, we must uncover it!"

He stood up, his gaze sweeping over everyone present, finally fixing on Qin Zhixia.

"From today onward, Captain Qin Zhixia of the Criminal Investigation Brigade has full authority over this case; we will dig deep for the truth!"

"Case Code: See Evil!"

(If anyone has any Weird or Murder Rule they'd like the author to incorporate, feel free to write them into the end‑chapter discussion. Unleash your imagination; perhaps the next Weird will be the "artwork" you create yourself.)