Huang Chenglu had become a dried corpse, as had his wife and their two children. The entire family was neatly arranged.
Huang Chenglu's limbs and head were severed and placed on his torso. His limbs were laid across his body, as if for… a bonfire.
The head was the flame, and the limbs and torso were the fuel, the dry wood.
His wife, along with their two children, knelt devoutly before this "bonfire," as if in worship or admiration.
Bai Fei was right. This was revenge, retribution from a demon, and an extremely twisted one at that. Otherwise, why would it have so thoughtfully… plated them after killing them?
After signaling the police to leave, Bai Fei sat in a chair by the dining table, taking photos of the orderly family. He then said to He Li, "There's a faint residual demonic energy here. It's likely not a beast-type demon, but a soul-type demon."
He Li surveyed the entire house and stood before the family, nodding. "That's right. The whole house is intact. It's not a beast-type demon with a physical form, but a soul-type demon. It has no physical body, yet it can cause harm."
"The deaths are tragic, especially Huang Chenglu's. The demon's revenge must have been directed at him. Since we've preliminarily determined it was revenge, we need to investigate what this 'artistic' fellow did to warrant the demon taking the time to style him after killing him."
Bai Fei tapped his earpiece. "A Liang, it's your turn to work."
"Got it!"
A Liang responded, and the faint sound of keyboard typing came through the earpiece.
He Li walked to the dining table, retrieved the laptop and a stack of paper files from Huang Chenglu's study, and placed them on the table.
"Since it's a soul-type demon and a revenge killing, we need to start by investigating his social circle. This neighborhood is the second wealthiest area in Binjiang. The residents here are all wealthy. We can't rule out malicious murder, like the 'Jie Sheng Hua' incident. However, the greater possibility is revenge killing."
He Li opened the laptop, removed his watch, detached the strap, revealing a USB port, and plugged it into the computer. "A Liang Ge, I'm connected. You can start. Fei Ge and I will review the paper documents."
"Alright."
Min Liang chuckled, "He Li, you're quite professional now."
He Li smiled and flipped through the files. "Technology isn't for looking at, nor for being amazed by. It's for serving the people."
Bai Fei raised an eyebrow playfully. "So, you're enthusiastic about using guns rather than spiritual power or abilities."
"No."
He Li shook his head. "I just use power reasonably. If a problem can be solved with a bullet, why should I charge in and fight demons hand-to-hand?"
"Of course, that does showcase martial prowess. So, what was the purpose of developing transmission weapons?"
Bai Fei stubbornly stated, "So that lower-level spiritual warriors and ability users can also deal with demons. After all, their strength is very low, and fighting demons is very dangerous."
"What about at higher levels? For example, Captain Susan. Even if she bombed it with missiles, she wouldn't be injured."
He Li blinked. "That just means the number of missiles wasn't enough, or their power wasn't great enough."
"I'm convinced."
Bai Fei waved his hand. He didn't know how to respond to such a question. Perhaps He Li was right, but he himself didn't like firearms. He preferred cleaving through demons with a blade; that kind of tactile sensation excited him more.
Three minutes later…
Min Liang's keyboard typing in the earpiece stopped.
He Li and Bai Fei finished reviewing the documents.
Min Liang: "Huang Chenglu, 53 years old, boss of Huànmèng Media Company. He was a scumbag."
Bai Fei: "He was a piece of trash."
He Li: "He was a pervert."
Then, the three said in unison: "He deserved to die."
Bai Fei tossed He Li a cigarette, and they both lit up.
After a long silence…
Min Liang said, "There are 22 video recordings, of different girls… uh… women."
He Li and Bai Fei exchanged a look, then glanced at the stack of files on the table. There were far more than 22 people.
He Li remained silent.
Bai Fei sighed deeply and said, "Hand these over to the police. Min Liang, you're responsible for cross-referencing and analyzing the demonic energy. While not ruling out malicious murder, identify potential individuals who could have become demons, and then… eliminate the demons."
Bai Fei cast a disgusted glance at the family in the middle of the living room and said coldly, "As for them, burn them, and then pour their ashes into the sewer."
He Li also stood up, his expression calm. "I'd rather throw them into the sea to feed the fish, or make them into specimens and hang them on flagpoles."
Bai Fei looked at He Li. "Making them into specimens is illegal. Also, do you still want to eat seafood in the future?"
He Li grinned. "I never eat seafood."
The two drove back to the Spiritual Management Association building, their faces grim the entire way.
As the two with extremely low atmospheric pressure stepped out of the 34th floor, they saw three people sitting in the lounge area. Opposite them was Susan, who now had a blank expression. She glanced at the two entering, tilted her head, and gestured for them to step aside.
Tao Xue walked over from the bar and pulled their arms, dragging them to the bar counter. Bai Fei didn't walk behind the bar to mix drinks as usual; instead, he sat on a high stool, his gaze heavy.
He Li lit a cigarette, then placed the cigarette and lighter opposite Bai Fei. He calmly watched the three men who were constantly talking opposite Susan.
"Your Excellency Susan, Mr. Huang was our friend. We are deeply saddened by his death. Now that demons have become so rampant, we are willing to each contribute 8 million to hire you to eliminate the demons and avenge Mr. Huang and his family!"
He Li exhaled smoke, narrowed his eyes, and thought, "Feng Hui, 57 years old, Chairman of Zhaoye Group."
"That's right. As Mr. Feng said, in this era of extreme distrust, how many close friends can one person have? Mr. Huang's death has deeply saddened us old friends, especially since he was killed by a demon. We hope you will eliminate the demons and provide an explanation for Mr. Huang's death. Of course, if this money is not enough, we can add more."
He Li looked at the man wearing gold-rimmed glasses and a white suit, thinking, "Zhang Bailin, 46 years old, General Manager of Jiangdong Industrial."
"We know that the Spiritual Management Association is a government department, and money doesn't represent everything. We simply hope to avenge Mr. Huang and his family as soon as possible. This money is just our personal donation. We only hope to eliminate the demons quickly and avenge Mr. Huang and his family."
He Li then looked at the sallow-faced man, thinking, "Lü Xiangnan, 55 years old, Vice President of Baijin Real Estate."
Feng Hui, Zhang Bailin, Lü Xiangnan, plus the deceased Huang Chenglu,
The male protagonists from the files and videos were all present.