Chapter 11: Could There Really Be Ghosts in This World?

In the world of metaphysics, there’s a rule: unless you’re an official underworld staff member, you’re not allowed to open the ghost gate without permission.

Even though Tu Shanju’s ancestors from eighteen generations ago all held positions down below, she wouldn’t casually break the rule unless absolutely necessary.

More importantly, she wasn’t on the official registry. That meant she couldn’t freely draw upon ghost energy.

And now—her lollipops were almost out of stock!

Tu Shanju thought angrily: Once she turned twenty-two, she was definitely signing up for the exam. This current situation was just too troublesome.

As for the office in Nancheng… well, she’d never dealt with it before.

Sigh. She wasn’t familiar.

That meant socializing.

Annoying!

Xie Shiyu watched as Tu Shanju spaced out, chewing on her thumb.

He had no idea what she was thinking, but the expression on her small face was surprisingly vivid.

He couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle.

Seeing this, Xie Jingzhou and Xie Jingting found it curious.

It had been a long time since their young master smiled like that. Literature said it best—better late than never?

Alright, maybe that saying didn’t apply here. After all, their big brother wasn’t some aloof CEO who barely spoke.

Xie Shiyu’s chuckle successfully snapped Tu Shanju out of her thoughts.

She rubbed her ear and blinked, confused about what he found so funny. But she had a good habit—if she didn’t understand something, she just asked, “What are you laughing at?”

“Nothing. The night wind’s chilly. Let’s go home?”

Home… back home?

Tu Shanju paused for a moment, then pressed her lips together. She did indeed have a new home now.

She nodded obediently without saying much, and followed Xie Shiyu across the street to his car, which was parked on the other side.

On the ride back, Tu Shanju looked out at the distant skyscrapers and silently thought to herself—this first day in Nancheng had truly been far from peaceful.

…

1:00 AM.

Criminal Investigation Division, Nancheng City.

Zhang Xuefeng sat in the police department’s conference room. His eyes were bloodshot, fixed on the large screen in front of him, his expression dazed.

What played on the screen was surveillance footage they had copied earlier from the high-speed rail station.

They had already watched this footage over a hundred times.

The video was frozen on the frame where Lin Fenglan stood on the platform, face twisted in agony, bloodshot eyes bulging, clutching at her neck with both hands.

But the most horrifying part—

Lin Fenglan’s feet were actually suspended half a meter off the ground, hanging in mid-air.

That’s right—with absolutely no external force, this woman was simply suspended in the air!

The image was currently paused, but Zhang Xuefeng had witnessed the entire incident live.

Back then, it had looked like some invisible force was choking Lin Fenglan.

She had struggled desperately to pry that invisible grip off her neck, but her efforts were futile. Within two seconds, she was dead.

The coroner’s autopsy confirmed death by mechanical asphyxiation. There were deep pressure marks around the neck and the ligaments behind her cervical spine were completely torn…

Despite years of experience, this was the first time they had ever witnessed such a bizarre case with their own eyes.

Luckily, they had evacuated the civilians in advance during Lin Fenglan’s arrest. Otherwise, if the public had seen this, it would have caused widespread panic.

Everyone in the room had participated in the operation. A few railway bureau officials were also present, and they looked extremely grim.

This incident was so serious that the G3197 train had been completely suspended. It wouldn’t resume operation until the case was thoroughly investigated.

Due to the sheer strangeness of the case, it had already been reported to the city’s top leader.

The top leader had been silent for a long time after hearing about it. In the end, he didn’t say much—just instructed everyone involved to remain in place and wait.

Zhang Xuefeng ran a hand through his hair in frustration and cursed, “Damn it! This is freaky! Could there really be ghosts in this world?”

His mentor, Zhang Yue—captain of the Yun City Criminal Investigation Division—had taken a later flight to join him, along with several others.

Zhang Yue walked over and gave Zhang Xuefeng a firm pat on the shoulder. “Why are you so unsettled?”

“Master, it’s not that I’m panicking. You saw the footage too! Lin Fenglan even said the word ‘ghost’ before she died! This whole thing is just too weird!”

Zhang Yue replied in a low voice, “Enough. Stop talking. Someone else will be taking over this case soon. It’s beyond our scope now.”

Hearing that, Zhang Xuefeng turned to him. “Master, what do you mean? Isn’t this our criminal investigation case? Why would someone else take over? Which department?”

Several colleagues exchanged glances—they didn’t understand Zhang Yue’s meaning either.

Zhang Yue simply patted Zhang Xuefeng again and shook his head without answering.

“Master…”

Before Zhang Xuefeng could finish, someone knocked and pushed open the conference room door.

Everyone turned to look and immediately stood up.

Nancheng’s Public Security Bureau Chief, Ren Hongtao, had arrived.

Behind him stood two men and one woman.

The first man appeared to be in his fifties, with graying temples and dressed in a traditional Zhongshan suit.

The second man was younger, about the same age as Zhang Xuefeng—early thirties—with a muscular build and thick arms visible through his short sleeves. The kind of guy who looked like he could punch a bull to death.

And then there was the girl—around 155 cm tall, wearing denim overalls, a cartoon Strawberry Bear backpack, and pigtails. She was chewing gum and looked like a literal teenager.

Everyone in the room was puzzled. Why had Chief Ren brought these three? Were they related to the case?

Ren Hongtao waved his hand. “Sit down, everyone. Let me introduce them. This is Xu Jiangshan. You may call him Elder Xu. The other two are Chen Rang and Lin Xiu’er.”

“Elder Xu,” they all greeted in unison.

Xu Jiangshan nodded in response and casually picked up the case file from the table.

Lin Xiu’er grabbed the mouse and began replaying the surveillance footage on the big screen.

The burly Chen Rang pulled over a chair and sat down to watch.

There were over a dozen people in the room, and it was clear from Ren Hongtao’s respectful attitude that these three were no ordinary guests.

That’s what confused everyone.

Logically speaking, Ren Hongtao was the top dog in the entire Nancheng Public Security Bureau. No department could override him.

So who were these people?

Zhang Xuefeng tugged on Zhang Yue’s sleeve, but Zhang Yue gave him a look, silently warning him to keep quiet.

But someone else couldn’t hold back and whispered, “Chief Ren, what’s going on? Which department are they from?”

Ren Hongtao shot him a glare and said sternly, “Don’t ask what you shouldn’t. Just cooperate and wait.”

The three newcomers had senses far sharper than ordinary people. They heard everything—every word spoken, every whisper.

But they didn’t mind. They just kept working.

The room fell silent.

Until the rustling of paper stopped abruptly. Everyone looked over.

Xu Jiangshan, visibly shocked, uttered just three words:

“Knife-Barterer?”【賒刀人】