Chapter 14: The Corpse Hidden in the Water Tank

Fortunately, my physical condition and reflexes are far beyond what they once were. The moment I sensed danger, I twisted my body sharply aside, just as a gleaming axe whistled past, its blade grazing me as it struck.

Clang!

The axe bit deeply into the iron railing, embedding itself halfway.

The assailant was a man in a suit, his face stiff and expressionless, but his eyes burned with the wildness of a crazed beast.

He growled, a low, animal sound rumbling from his throat, and swung the heavy axe at me, blow after blow. He moved with an unnatural speed and terrifying strength, utterly at odds with his rather slender frame.

My concentration sharpened to a razor’s edge. Dodging one fervent chop, I lunged forward and seized both his wrists, twisting them down—he lost his grip on the axe, which crashed to the ground with a dull thud.

Without pausing, I lashed out with a whip-like kick to his neck.

His head snapped backward at an impossible angle—one hundred and eighty degrees—only to recoil, springing back into place as if on a hinge.

A cold shiver ran down my spine. Was this man possessed by a ghost in broad daylight?

I had no time to dwell on it. Like a leopard, I sprang at him, wrenching both his arms behind his back and locking them in place. With a well-aimed kick to the back of his knee, I pressed my weight down and forced him to the ground.

The man struggled violently, guttural roars tearing from his throat.

"Freeze! Both of you, hands up!" came a familiar voice from behind.

I glanced back to see Chi Yun standing there, gun in hand, aimed squarely at me.

"Perfect timing—give me a hand, grab that rope over there," I called.

Chi Yun frowned, barking, "Qin Feng, get up. Now."

"Get up? Are you blind—" I started, but before I could finish, Chi Yun charged over and shoved me hard.

Already struggling to restrain the man, her push broke my hold, and in the next instant, I was thrown off violently.

“Damn woman…” I muttered under my breath.

The man sprang to his feet with a howl, lunging at Chi Yun.

She was skilled in hand-to-hand combat, but she had underestimated his strength. He knocked her to the ground in a brutal rush, then straddled her, hands tightening around her throat.

Chi Yun’s face paled, her eyes bloodshot as she struggled desperately to break his grip, but it was futile.

I grabbed a rope lying nearby, looped it around the man’s neck, and yanked him off with all my might.

Chi Yun sat up, gasping for breath, clutching her neck.

Once she’d recovered a bit, she helped me swiftly tie the man up, binding him tightly with the rope.

"Is he possessed?" Chi Yun asked.

"What do you think?" I replied irritably.

"Sorry about before—I didn’t know," she said, apologetic.

I waved her off and started searching the rooftop.

"Why are you here?" Chi Yun followed, questioning.

"Is this an interrogation?" I said coolly.

"Just routine questioning," she replied.

“I was at the concert, saw someone about to jump from the building, so I came up to check—never expected to find someone up here, wielding an axe and chasing me like a maniac. Then you showed up,” I explained.

Just then, several more police officers arrived on the rooftop.

“Take this man downstairs and don’t loosen his restraints—he’s incredibly dangerous. And get the forensics team up here,” Chi Yun ordered.

I paused in front of a large water tank, eyes narrowing as I spotted scratch marks identical to those on the iron door.

I stepped back, studying the water tank intently.

"Deathly aura?" I murmured, noting something was very off.

At that moment, my phone rang. It was Wang Meiyu, asking where I was. She said Fu Yiman no longer wanted to stay and wished to leave.

I left immediately. Chi Yun glanced after me, then went over to the spot where I’d been standing, studying the water tank herself.

“Get someone to open this tank,” she ordered.

...

Wang Meiyu recovered quickly—after all, she worked as an ER nurse. Fu Yiman, however, was still pale and distracted.

We’d planned to try the famous ‘Eighteen Delicacies of Linjiang,’ but considering the menu included roasted suckling pig and spicy pig brains, I thought better of it—those dishes were not for the faint-hearted, and I didn’t want the women to lose their lunch.

Instead, I took them to a congee shop.

Neither woman had much appetite. Between the two of them, they barely finished half a bowl of seafood porridge; the rest was left to me.

After lunch, Fu Yiman still felt unwell, so I took her back to her hotel, and Wang Meiyu decided to stay with her.

I smoked a cigarette outside the hotel, hailed a cab, and returned to Linjiang Grand Theater.

When I arrived, the place was still swarming with people and lined with a dozen police cars. A long cordon had been set up.

I squeezed to the front just in time to see stretchers being carried out, each bearing a tightly wrapped body bag.

I counted—nine stretchers. Nine bodies.

“It’s horrific. They say someone hid the corpses in the rooftop water tank. Absolutely inhuman,” an elderly woman nearby lamented.

“That’s the secondary water supply. The whole theater, even the restaurant upstairs, all use that water. No wonder everyone was vomiting like crazy just now—who’d have guessed the water they’d been drinking was steeped with corpses?” a middle-aged man beside her added.

The thought made my stomach churn.

I’d noticed the aura of death around the water tank before leaving. I thought the police would have cleared out by now and was planning to investigate myself, but it seemed they’d discovered it as well.

Were the nine corpses related to that deranged man? And what about those scratch marks and bloodstains…

With such a major case, I knew the investigation and evidence gathering would not end quickly. The scene would likely be sealed off for some time. I’d have to wait until late at night to come back.

“Stop right there.” Just as I turned to leave, Chi Yun’s voice rang out.

I looked back to see her striding over. Instantly, the people around me edged away, as though I were the murderer.

“Chief Chi, what is it?” I asked.

“Come with me,” she said, turning toward the cordoned area.

I was annoyed by her imperious tone. This woman could be all coy and seductive in bed, but once the fun was over, she acted like a stranger—what a heartless vixen.

Grumbling inwardly, I followed her, my gaze lingering on the curve of her hips beneath her uniform, recalling the astonishing arc they formed when she arched her back.

Chi Yun led me to a secluded corner of the theater and turned to face me.

“You knew there were bodies in the water tank, didn’t you?” she said coldly.

"What’s that supposed to mean? You suspect me?" I shot back with a cold laugh.

"Then why were you staring at the tank on the rooftop?" Her tone softened somewhat.

"If I stare at you all day, does that mean I’ve already assaulted you with my eyes?" I replied, arms crossed, my tone flippant.

"You—" Chi Yun’s chest heaved with anger, her uniform straining at the buttons.

"If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going." I turned to leave.

But just then, she grabbed my wrist, twisted my arm behind my back, and forced me against the wall.

I lost my temper too. With a snap of my wrist, I reversed her hold, spun us around, and pressed her body against the wall—this time, facing me.

Chi Yun struggled but couldn’t break free. She glared at me. “This is assaulting an officer.”

“Damn right it is!” I growled, and swiftly lowered my head to claim her lips.

She gasped in shock, eyes wide—she hadn’t expected such boldness, especially here in a public corner while officers bustled just outside.

Women like Chi Yun, outwardly cold and aloof but inwardly repressed, had to be handled forcefully.

It didn’t take long for her to stop resisting, yielding completely to my advances.

If the location had been more suitable, I would have taken things further right then and there.

I finally pulled away, gazing down at her.

The haze in her eyes gradually cleared. She snapped back to her senses, shoved me away, and quickly straightened her uniform.

"I want to take a look upstairs," I said.

“Fine. Starting now, you’re my special medical consultant,” Chi Yun replied.

With that, I was transformed into a police consultant, following her up to the rooftop, now sealed off for evidence collection.

The police had already found the bloodstains I’d noticed earlier, and not just at the iron door—under ultraviolet light, old blood was visible in many spots across the rooftop.

At the open water tank, I saw the inside had been drained, some of the water collected for testing.

The bottom of the tank was thick with grime, and on it were nine body-shaped impressions, each marked with a tag.

“Nine bodies at the bottom?” I asked in surprise.

“Yes. To be precise, each one was pinned to the floor with sharpened steel rods—one through the head, one through each limb. At first, I only checked the top of the tank—the water was too deep to see the bottom. But a clump of hair floated to the surface, so I decided to drain the tank completely. That’s when we found this,” Chi Yun said, her expression uneasy.

“What’s strange about these nine bodies?” I asked.

She signaled an officer, who brought over a camera. She handed it to me. “See for yourself. It’s uncanny.”

I flipped through the photos, my face growing grave.

The nine corpses were, of course, in a pitiful state. But disturbingly, there was no sign of decay—instead, each was encased in a thick layer of corpse wax, making them resemble life-sized dolls.

But the positioning of the nine bodies struck a chord—something eerily familiar, perhaps something I’d seen in the Great Nether Yin-Yang Manual.

I closed my eyes, trying to recall, but after a while, I shook my head. I just couldn’t remember.

The Great Nether Yin-Yang Manual encompassed a vast array of occult knowledge. I’d only scratched the surface, focusing on the beginning stages of training. The rest, I’d merely skimmed.

“Lao Luo, you’ve gone mad!” Suddenly, a scream echoed from outside, followed by chaos and frantic shouting.