Chapter 104: Chapter 104: 6 Coffins
"Don’t say that. As the head of the bureau, Director Nalan would be unhappy to hear it," Yang Xiao said, mimicking the director’s tone.
"Tap tap tap..."
Footsteps echoed from the corridor outside, and soon, a team dressed in silver protective suits entered, their chests emblazoned with the orange-red insignia of the Technical Department.
These people arrived quickly and were clearly well-prepared. The last four were even carrying a large black box together.
After verifying the information, two technicians donned transparent helmets and approached ’The Shepherd’ painting cautiously, one from each side. They carefully took down the painting, carried it to the box, and as the lid of the box opened, they placed the painting inside and then closed it.
A tall, slim technician crouched in front of the box, took out a pre-prepared seal strip, and affixed it to the sealing area of the box. He also stuck a sticker with a danger symbol on the box, indicating the time and place of containment, and then the group carried the box away.
"Wuhu~ All done, let’s pack up!"
As most of the technicians left following the black box, Beibei stretched lazily, visibly relaxing.
On the way out, they could see a few technicians remaining inside the company, using detectors similar to the one Da Xiong had, scanning around with headphones on.
"What are they doing?" Yang Xiao asked.
"It’s standard procedure. After dealing with a paranormal event, we leave people to recheck everything to ensure it’s back to normal before we can close the case," Da Xiong explained.
Just as they stepped out, they bumped into Captain Xu pacing anxiously outside. Upon seeing Yang Xiao and the others, he immediately approached them, "I’m sorry, so sorry to you all!"
With an apologetic face, Captain Xu grasped Yang Xiao’s hand, "It’s my fault. I didn’t keep an eye on Shao Honghong and Schröder, allowing them to sneak in and cause trouble for you. We’ve just interrogated the company’s HR manager, who confessed that Shao Honghong asked him to create a disturbance with company employees on the 28th floor to divert our police force, while she and Schröder took a big loop to sneak up to the 30th floor, and that’s when..."
"Those two nearly killed us," Yang Xiao said, trying to save face for Captain Xu as much as possible, "Schröder is dead, and Shao Honghong has been apprehended by us. She’s in the office right now. This company must have some shady dealings behind the scenes, and I hope Captain Xu will investigate thoroughly. The two have a suspicion of tampering with the accounts."
"Especially the origin of that painting. My deputy just sent a photo of a woman in a white dress, I would also ask Captain Xu to look into it."
"Definitely! Definitely!"
Yang Xiao didn’t want to meddle in the affairs of this company, nor was it his place. Specialization is important, and their investigation squad was only responsible for handling paranormal events.
On the drive back, the atmosphere in the car relaxed considerably. Beibei played music and sang along, and it wasn’t long before Yu Shu in the front passenger seat silently pulled out earphones and put them on.
Although the issue was resolved, Yang Xiao still had some unanswered doubts, "Beibei, how long can a ghost photo restrain those things?"
"It’s hard to say, but generally, they hold for 2 to 3 hours without a problem," Beibei pressed down on the accelerator, the car speeding along—clearly, an experienced driver.
"Right, and why didn’t we just take a photo of each painting earlier?" This was what Yang Xiao couldn’t understand the most. There were only three paintings, what was there to choose from?
Beibei pressed the horn twice in annoyance, "My captain, do you think that camera is as cheap as cabbage? The film is custom-made by the Technical Department, and it’s very expensive. We were only allotted three photographs for this mission."
"No wonder..." Yang Xiao finally understood.
"Beep!"
"Beep! Beep!"
Beibei pressed the horn furiously. The driver of the car ahead seemed drunk, weaving unpredictably. Beibei tried to overtake several times but was deliberately blocked, driving her to the point of rage.
Yang Xiao noticed Yu Shu in the front writing something on a notebook and then lifting it to show him: Captain, do you need earplugs?
"Thank you, but I don’t need them for now," Yang Xiao replied, not quite understanding.
Soon enough, Beibei found an opportunity to overtake. Driving alongside the black sedan, she rolled down her window and glared down menacingly at the other car’s driver, "Damn it, don’t you know how to drive? Did you buy your license with money?"
The owner of the black sedan wasn’t going to back down either. He rolled down his window and started arguing back with Beibei, while a heavily made-up woman in the passenger seat pointed at Beibei, also joining the fray.
Yang Xiao wanted to intervene, but it was futile. Beibei was holding her own against two people, never falling behind, at one point almost canceling the opposing driver’s household registration.
"Yu Shu, that... do you still have those earplugs? I could use them," Yang Xiao regretted not accepting Yu Shu’s earlier offer.
Handing the earplugs to Yang Xiao, Yu Shu lifted the notebook again: Don’t worry, Captain, Ms. Bei won’t lose.
Yang Xiao: "...Alright, alright, I know you’re all talented people."
It went just as Yu Shu said. The other car stalled and fled at the next intersection. Beibei, satisfied, rolled up the window and took a sip of water to moisten her throat, "Heh, is that all?"
Now Yang Xiao had a better understanding of the members of his team.
Huang Beibei, a former acting captain and the current deputy captain, skilled in close-quarters combat with a short blade and grappling, loves women, enjoys singing, and has severe road rage. She is hot-tempered and has never lost an argument.
Yu Shu, the team’s medical expert, who doesn’t speak and is somewhat aloof. He is an expert in firearms.
Da Xiong, the team’s technical expert, is physically strong, can operate all kinds of professional equipment, including detectors and the Ghost Camera. He is reliable, honest, and a person worth befriending.
Zhuge Zhijie, the team’s academic expert, mainly responsible for writing mission reports. He can be consulted on academic issues related to ghosts. He’s effete, physically weak, and practically has no combat ability.
Xi Menxiu, an affiliate member of the investigation squad, belongs to the logistics support staff. His status on the team is even lower than Zhuge Zhijie’s. He has a pleasant temperament, is outspoken, smooth-talking, and very observant, with combat abilities roughly equal to Zhuge Zhijie plus a chicken.
Before joining, he had always thought the Patrol Defense Bureau was a prestigious place and that the members of its investigation squads were the elite of the elite.
Hehe, but Yang Xiao still liked these people; they were lively, distinctive, and shared a harmonious relationship. "Who needs elites? I am the elite!"
The car drove into the police station and returned to the underground parking lot. Just coming out of the elevator, they saw a woman wearing a grey business suit smiling at them from the corridor outside.
Upon seeing the woman, Beibei immediately went up to her, affectionately took the woman’s arm, and cooed, "Ms. Wen, were you waiting for me?"
"Of course, I was waiting for you. You all did such a good job on this mission," the woman said with a smile. She was around 40 years old, her skin was well maintained, and it was hard to spot any traces of age.
The woman then looked at Yang Xiao and nodded, "This must be the new Captain Yang, truly an outstanding presence."
"Ahem, Brother Xiao, this is Director Nalan’s secretary; we all call her Ms. Wen," Xi Menxiu came over and whispered a reminder.
"Ms. Wen, hello."
Yang Xiao smiled and stepped forward to greet her. This was not a person to offend. In the director’s office, she was the director’s secretary, but outside of it, she was the director.
"Follow me. You’ve done well on this mission," Ms. Wen looked to be in high spirits as she turned and walked toward another corridor.
"Ms. Wen, I won’t go. I need to write the mission report," Zhuge Zhijie said, appearing somewhat foolish.
"Um... okay then, you go ahead," she said.
Now, Yang Xiao understood why Zhuge Zhijie, who was clearly an academic staff member, still had to go on missions. The guy’s emotional intelligence was too low; he was probably being picked on by the leadership.
After Zhuge Zhijie left, the atmosphere immediately became much more harmonious. Everyone followed Ms. Wen to the finance office, and Yang Xiao’s previously calm heart suddenly stirred, "Finance office??!!"
"You all worked hard today. This is the bonus for the mission—30,000 for each person. Captain Yang, you showed exceptional performance, so you get an extra 20,000—a total of 50,000," she announced.
Upon receiving the 50,000 in hand, Yang Xiao’s first thought was that he must be dreaming. His eyes shone brightly, and a warm surge flowed through his heart, sweeping away all the fatigue, "50,000... it’s so thick, so weighty."
"The director was called away for an urgent meeting and left in a hurry, so he couldn’t present the bonus to Captain Yang personally. I believe he will regret that," Ms. Wen spoke with great charm and a pleasing voice.
"By the way, Captain Yang, this is your access card. It can open all the doors within the Patrol Defense Bureau that are within your authority," Ms. Wen handed a black card to Yang Xiao.
"Thank you, thank you, Ms. Wen!"
"What’s there to thank me for? This is all thanks to Director Nalan’s discerning eye for talent. Of course, your efforts, Captain Yang, are the most important," Ms. Wen said with a smile.
Holding the 50,000, Yang Xiao felt even firmer in his resolve to work here for a lifetime. The Patrol Defense Bureau might be dangerous, but they didn’t just talk big—the guaranteed salary was 20,000 a month, with extra bonuses for completed missions paid out immediately, even without waiting overnight. Where else could he find such a good job?
"Thanks to the organization, thanks to the director!" Yang Xiao stood at attention and stated solemnly, "I will definitely continue to strive and work together with all the team members, aiming to achieve even greater success!"
"Hahaha, our Captain Yang is quite conscientious, huh?"
After a round of teasing, everyone departed. Shortly after leaving the office, Yang Xiao returned, just in time to run into Ms. Wen coming out of the finance office. Ms. Wen asked with a smile, "Is there something else?"
"Ms. Wen, I would like to stay in the bureau for a while. Is that okay? Just in my office is fine," he inquired.
Ms. Wen seemed thoughtful, "Of course, that’s fine. Are you worried about your Resentful Eye?"
At those words, Yang Xiao felt greatly relieved; Ms. Wen clearly knew, "Yes, although Director Nalan said it should be fine recently, I’m still... I’m still a bit scared."
Ms. Wen nodded, "Okay, I’ll have the logistics department send a blanket and toiletries to your office. You’ll just have to make do for now."
"Ah, thank you so much!"
Back in the office, everyone was waiting for Yang Xiao. Each person who received the bonus was very happy. Zhuge Zhijie was the only one absent. Beibei said he’d left after getting the money, but explained on his behalf, saying that he wasn’t disregarding Yang Xiao; he just had things to attend to.
Upon learning that Yang Xiao was going to sleep in the office that night, Beibei generously offered up her yoga mat, and promised to help him move to a high-end apartment soon.
After the busy day, everyone was tired and went home.
As the night grew deeper, Yang Xiao lay on the yoga mat covered with the blanket provided by Ms. Wen, turned to the side and looked out the window at the night sky, feeling unusually peaceful in his heart.
The person who brought the blanket also brought a box meal, filled with braised pork, matched with two side dishes, and thick gravy poured over white rice. Yang Xiao ate with great satisfaction.
The tidied-up office desk was adorned with personal items: some toiletries, a few articles of clothing, 70,000 cash, and the backpack.
Inside the bag was that costume.
He still remembered the worldly-wise director’s comment about the costume, saying it was... a bit eerie.
It was quite eerie indeed, and Yang Xiao had been scared. Honestly, if it hadn’t been for Director Nalan’s assurance that there should be no issues with it for the time being, he might not have dared to sleep.
As he thought about it, fatigue washed over him like a tide. His breathing gradually evened out as he slowly closed his eyes, eventually falling into a deep slumber.
He dreamed that he woke up on the yoga mat and stepped out, leaving the captain’s office, then the investigation team’s office. The corridor outside was foggy, a kind of dull gray fog.
Suddenly, the fog seemed stirred by some force, churning non-stop.
The next second, a procession of mourners dressed in sackcloth burst forth from the depths of the fog, their faces painted with grotesque make-up, resembling paper figures, following behind a large red coffin.
The funeral procession behind the coffin stretched continuously; one by one, six black coffins appeared, each with a painting hanging from the head of the coffin.
