Chapter Sixty-Eight: Boarding the Train

Li Xingchen smiled and said, “Master Lin, your words are so profound. I feel utterly captivated.”

Master Lin, putting on an air of seriousness, patted my shoulder.
“But what did you mean just now by secretly throwing your piece right into the general’s tent? You cheated, didn’t you…”

Master Lin was so exasperated his beard trembled, his eyes wide: “Is cheating really what concerns me now? What matters is the deeper meaning!”

I said to Master Lin, “Rest assured. I understand the principles you’ve shared. I will restrain my own character flaws.”

Master Lin nodded approvingly.

Tang Jingjing, now intrigued, chimed in, “Master Lin, could you read my fortune too?”

Master Lin replied, “No need—I can see it at a glance. You are impatient, eager for quick results, do things as your mood dictates, and judge people by their looks…”

Tang Jingjing was startled. “Are you using the Book of Changes and the Eight Trigrams?”

Li Xingchen commented coolly, “Sister, can’t you tell if he’s complimenting or insulting you? He’s saying you’re carefree and thoughtless.”

Soon, someone knocked at the lounge door. I hurried to open it. Standing at the threshold was another elderly man, his hair white as snow, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. “Is Master Lin here?”

I found his harsh demeanor rather off-putting. But Master Lin called out, “Is that Old Huo? Come in.”

“Bah!” The old man shot Master Lin a glare. “Why do you keep calling me that? Can’t you change it? At least call me Elder Huo—it sounds better.”

Clearly, the two knew each other well; they were the type of old rivals who always found fault with one another.

This time, Old Huo had come to challenge Master Lin. The wager was almost laughable: whoever lost would have to respectfully call the other “Master” in front of everyone.

Master Lin agreed, “All right. Seeing how confident you are, you must have a secret weapon.”

“You saw right through me.” Old Huo grinned, then called toward the hallway, “Come in.”

A young man soon entered, about my age, dressed in sportswear and rather handsome. Tang Jingjing stared at him, completely transfixed.

“Hello, everyone, I’m Old Huo’s disciple. Just call me Ashan,” the young man said with a friendly smile.

Old Huo beamed. “This is my personally trained disciple—a prodigy in microbiology. Well, Master Lin, do you have any ace up your sleeve?”

Master Lin frowned. “An ace? Where would I find one? All I’ve got are these few good-for-nothings tagging along.”

Old Huo replied with mock sympathy, “That must be tough. Your psychological knowledge is ancient, no wonder you have no followers. These youngsters sticking with you is already a miracle.”

Tang Jingjing suddenly asked, “Old Huo, do you smell that?”

Old Huo looked at her, puzzled. “Smell what?”

“A faint scent of scum,” said Tang Youyou.

Master Lin burst into hearty laughter, tears streaming down his face. Old Huo’s nose wrinkled in indignation. “Young lady, is that any way to speak? Have you no manners?”

Master Lin quickly interjected, “Old Huo, don’t be angry. This girl comes from the Tang family estate—still a bit green, but her nose is sharp. If she says someone smells like scum, then someone does.”

Old Huo fumed, “You just cover for her! You young people have no respect for your elders!”

Li Xingchen quickly added, “Old Huo, you flatter me. I’m no elder, just a regular scoundrel. Smell for yourself—I really do have that scent.”

Master Lin laughed even harder. “Old Huo, why are you so agitated? The girl said this guy smells like scum, why are you so defensive?”

Enraged, Old Huo stormed out, and Ashan politely bid us farewell as he left.

After closing the door, Master Lin gave Tang Jingjing a thumbs-up. “You rascal, you’ve finally avenged me! In decades, I’ve never felt so satisfied. Admirable, truly admirable.”

Tang Jingjing replied, “Admirable? Weren’t you watching? Now Old Huo will surely make trouble for Li Xingchen and me.”

Master Lin laughed heartily. “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you from now on.”

Soon after, we boarded the train.

Originally, we were to share a VIP compartment with Old Huo, but he left as soon as he saw Tang Jingjing, still fuming. His disciple Ashan, however, was polite and greeted us warmly. Yet I couldn’t quite take to Ashan; despite his efforts to conceal his status, there was an underlying arrogance in all he did.

We chatted idly for a while until he realized he wasn’t getting anywhere and retreated to his seat.

After disembarking, army vehicles picked us up and drove us directly to the military compound, where we would be staying for the next while.

Once settled, a female soldier escorted us to a meeting room. We were the last to arrive, and the room was already filled with over a hundred people. Presiding over the meeting was a high-ranking official radiating authority.

Because the military district had also suffered casualties, they had grounds to cooperate with the police!

After a brief introduction, we learned that all present had been selected from various provinces as part of the special task force: experts in psychological analysis, botany, zoology, microbiology, forensic evidence, technical teams—any field that might relate to the case.

The actual investigation teams, however, consisted only of our Seventh Major Crimes Unit and Old Huo’s Special Case Intervention Group.

Old Huo’s team had six members, including himself and his prized disciple Ashan.

The rest of the members were all women, each with her own unique charm—some mature and commanding, others youthful and delicate. While none could quite compare to Tang Jingjing, they still stood out in the crowd.

The other experts were there to support us.

To avoid personal feelings swaying our judgment during the case discussion, the military commander handed each of us a case file to study independently. We were encouraged to raise any questions openly.

Receiving my dossier, I began to study it carefully.

A few weeks earlier, the Changhuai City Public Security Bureau had received a mysterious phone call. The anonymous caller claimed that a body had been fished out of the Tuhai River, a corpse so horrifying and bizarre that it defied belief.

The police immediately dispatched officers to investigate and indeed found the body on the riverbank. The corpse was completely white, emaciated to the point of resembling someone who had starved for an eternity. The body was dry, with no sign of drowning.

The forensic examiner inspected the body on site but found no wounds and was unable to determine the exact cause of death.

Among the team was an experienced senior pathologist. At first glance, he sensed something was terribly wrong with the corpse, but couldn’t immediately pinpoint what.

After much deliberation, he finally focused on the chest cavity. It was deeply sunken. Normally, no matter how thin a person becomes, the chest cannot collapse inward so drastically, as the ribs and internal organs provide support.

Yet, without the family’s signature, an autopsy could not be performed. With the summer heat accelerating decomposition, the veteran pathologist decided to bring the body back for an X-ray scan.

The scan’s results were astonishing: the body was completely missing its internal organs.

Both lungs, heart, liver, spleen, intestines—everything was gone. In other words, the body was nothing but a skin envelope stretched over a skeleton.

This discovery so unsettled the pathologist that even he began to suspect supernatural forces were at work. The skin was flawless, without the slightest stitch or scar. How, then, had the organs been removed?

The municipal bureau immediately decided to escalate the case, as its societal impact was dire—it could even be called an unsolved mystery of the world.

The provincial bureau, meanwhile, issued a formal reprimand to the city forensics team, believing the veteran pathologist had been negligent—his report made no logical sense.

The old pathologist, seeing the tide turn, resigned, relinquishing his positions as chief physician at several major hospitals; being a forensic doctor was an unappreciated, thankless work.

The provincial bureau then assigned a new pathologist to re-examine the body. Astonishingly, the new examiner reached the exact same conclusions, matching the veteran’s findings in every detail.

Now, the provincial bureau was truly shaken. They immediately dispatched an elite group of more than ten investigators to Changhuai City. After three days and nights of relentless investigation, they found not a single lead. On the fourth day, the team’s leader and deputy leader were both found dead under mysterious circumstances in the same office.