Futile Devices Scans

“…What the hell did you do, kid?! Stop this right now!”

“I didn’t do it. Really. Remember the murder I told you about tonight? Du Xiao Shuang—the girl who was hanged here by her own parents and whose death was disguised as suicide—came to take revenge on them.”

Qin Shu calmly explained everything from beginning to end, while Xing Yong was so anxious that sweat covered his forehead. As he listened, he supported the screaming woman before him, forcibly took the child from her arms, and tried to find some way to calm her down.

But it was already too late. The woman’s neck suddenly broke—snapping while she was still in his arms.

Xing Yong watched helplessly as her eyes abruptly bulged as though she were suffocating, while the flesh of her neck mysteriously caved inward, forming a horrifying black-purple ligature mark.

Her airway and esophagus tore apart simultaneously. Her screams stopped abruptly, and immediately afterward, she spat out a mouthful of foul, filthy blood, spraying the helpless detective directly in the face.

The woman stopped breathing completely.

“Brother Yong, do you need a tissue?” Qin Shu searched his pockets. He still had half a pack of wet wipes left.

He stood to hand them over, but Xing Yong immediately retreated a step. His face covered in blood, he stared fixedly at the other pocket of Qin Shu’s school uniform.

The detective’s eyelashes were also drenched in blood, but he did not immediately wipe the filth away. Because through it, he could see certain things… things humans were never supposed to see.

Whether it was the woman in a white dress floating in midair, the slowly flowing black-purple ghostly light surrounding Qin Shu’s entire body, or even the gray-white eyeball in Qin Shu’s pocket that had clearly come from a corpse, every detail was impossibly vivid.

For once, Xing Yong felt intense fear. He was terrified, and that terror stemmed primarily from the absolute unknown.

He could not determine what Qin Shu actually was.

No human body should have been surrounded by strange ghostly light shaped like lightning. It nearly cast Qin Shu’s face beneath an illusory, chilling shadow as well.

After staring for too long, Xing Yong even developed an urge to confess his sins—to admit that he had stolen three packets of spicy strips from his deskmate in elementary school.

“Qin Shu, why do you have an eyeball in your pocket?” Xing Yong did not dare ask about the other matter. Instinctively, he chose the safer question.

Qin Shu noticed his unease and tried to offer a friendlier smile, patiently explaining, “Don’t worry. The real body has already been cremated. What I have here is only the ghost. She was the victim of the dismemberment case at First Municipal Hospital. You should have heard about it, Brother Yong.”

Only a ghost?

“I have heard about it. I also know…”

Xing Yong drew a deep breath, deliberately avoiding Qin Shu’s face as he struggled to keep his voice from trembling. “Last night, four department directors at First Municipal Hospital suddenly became critically ill and fell unconscious. Their families reported the matter to us because they suspected deliberate poisoning. We found nothing wrong. Was that also caused by ghosts?”

“You believe me now? Ghosts really do exist in this world.” Qin Shu did not deny it and instead looked rather gratified. “I thought it would take much longer.”

“I can see that female ghost right now! She’s floating over there in a daze! How the hell am I supposed to keep doubting it?”

Xing Yong could not resist shouting. Hearing the infant sobbing in his arms, he closed his eyes and pinched his philtrum hard before lowering his voice. “Qin Shu, you can’t indulge them and allow them to hurt or kill people. That isn’t right.”

Qin Shu nodded and answered calmly, “I’m not indulging them, and I won’t let them harm innocent people. Once I find Du Xiao Shuang’s younger sister and resolve her obsession, I’ll personally send her away.”

“Look at the two bodies lying in front of you! If I hadn’t been here, if I couldn’t see any of this, the other officers would firmly suspect that you killed those two people! Qin Shu, you’re still a student—a child. You need to take the college entrance examination, continue your education, and enter society. What happens if you end up with a criminal record? Have you ever thought about the consequences?”

“I’m sorry, but more people will die in front of me in the future. This is a matter of principle.” Qin Shu sighed softly. Before Xing Yong could anxiously argue, he changed the subject. “Speaking of which, Brother Yong, why did you choose to become a criminal investigator?”

“…Obviously to uphold justice, solve cases, save people, and ensure criminals receive the punishment they deserve. Why else?” Xing Yong felt an inexplicable anxiety rising inside him. He wanted to speak loudly, but when the baby in his arms furrowed its brow, he could only lower his voice in frustration and speak slowly.

“Would you like me to hold him? Little kids usually like me.” Seeing how helpless he looked, Qin Shu could not help laughing.

“No!”

“All right, then I’ll continue. Brother Yong, our standards for punishing criminals are different, but that doesn’t make us enemies. If ghosts didn’t exist, perhaps I would consider switching from science to humanities at the last moment and applying to Jiangcheng University’s law school… But you’ve seen it with your own eyes now. Ghosts genuinely exist, don’t they? Since that’s the case, only by helping one another can we make the world better.”

Qin Shu’s tone was frighteningly calm. He seemed to have seriously contemplated these matters long ago. Once he established his own principles of conduct, Xing Yong would not be able to shake him easily.

At this point, Qin Shu grew slightly more solemn and enunciated each word clearly. “So now I would like to file a report. The blind old woman at the Child-Giving Guanyin Temple in the southern district is suspected of child trafficking and inciting murder.

“Six years ago, Du Xiao Shuang, the student who was found hanged at Jiangcheng No. 2 High School, was actually murdered by her biological parents, and the blind old woman’s instigation was directly connected to the crime. Du Xiao Xue, the first-year student who disappeared six years ago, was also personally taken away by that woman. Only she can provide further leads in the case.”

“…All right. But Qin Shu, we need evidence before we can arrest someone.” Xing Yong’s heart jumped. His instincts told him that everything Qin Shu said was true, but—“Without any related leads, I can’t mobilize anyone. Do you understand?”

“I recorded the information about the blind old woman, and the other party knew I was recording.” Qin Shu glanced at the woman lying on the floor, took out his phone, and sent the audio file to Xing Yong. “Both parties were aware of it. It absolutely has legal validity.”

Xing Yong froze, then seemed almost amused by his anger. “Kid, did you plan from the very beginning to make use of me tonight?”

“Don’t make it sound so unpleasant. This is called seeking assistance from the people’s police. I’m merely an enthusiastic citizen.” Qin Shu smiled as well and offered Xing Yong the wet wipes again. “Brother Yong, you should wipe the blood from your eyes. I’ve heard that when ordinary people look at ghosts, the longer they stare, the weaker they become.”

“…Thanks.” Xing Yong held the baby tightly with one arm, accepted the wipes, and hastily cleaned his face. Then he made three phone calls in rapid succession, apparently notifying quite a few people.

The two bodies before them could not be moved. The crime scene had to be preserved until the medical examiner arrived. As for what the autopsies would reveal, Xing Yong could not say. Perhaps they would merely become two unresolved cases that his superiors would repeatedly nag him about.

At the same time, another police team set out, accelerating through the darkness toward the small mountain temple in the southern district.

As for how Qin Shu should be handled… Xing Yong knew he was not the murderer, but he still did not dare let him leave.

Because the moment Qin Shu left No. 2 High School, there was no need to guess what he would do. He would undoubtedly go to the Guanyin Temple himself to investigate. By then, several more people might inexplicably die, and no one would understand the actual cause. It would be far too troublesome.

“Since you won’t let me go, can I ask a capable Daoist priest to watch over them instead? He has an officially recognized Daoist certificate and lives nearby.”

As Qin Shu spoke, he directly called Daoist Priest Xu. It appeared that he had only asked out of politeness and had no intention of seeking Xing Yong’s permission. “Brother Yong, you understand too. If that blind old woman possesses some sinister method, even the police could be in danger.”

“Fine. At least the man is officially certified. Unlike you, kid—still at an age when you should be studying, yet insisting on worrying about everyone else’s problems…”

“Haha.”

Daoist Priest Xu never interfered in any incident within No. 2 High School. But the moment Qin Shu mentioned the spirit medium at the Child-Giving Guanyin Temple, he immediately agreed to help. Only half a valley and one river separated the southern and western districts, meaning the incident had practically occurred on his doorstep.

When evil entities and villains caused trouble near a Daoist temple, it was only natural for a cultivator to offer assistance.

That greatly reassured Qin Shu. After helping Xing Yong cordon off the corridor, they temporarily left the classroom building. Holding the baby in his arms, with the female ghost floating behind them, the two walked side by side across the silent campus.

The main reason was that Qin Shu was hungry and wanted to buy something from the school store. Xing Yong was far too worried to let him go alone and insisted on following personally.

At night, the school store operated in an unattended self-service mode. Students, teachers, and staff who lived on campus could enter by swiping their cards. There was a microwave capable of cooking noodles, and a first-aid kit sat atop the shelves for emergencies.

Qin Shu had never understood why Jiangcheng No. 2 High School handled such small details so perfectly… until he himself encountered more than one murder case on two consecutive days.

Using his meal card, he bought a new feeding bottle and prepared half a bottle of formula for the infant, who was about to wake and cry. He handed it to Xing Yong, who awkwardly carried the child outside to soothe him, then immediately used the microwave to cook instant noodles.

Steaming instant noodles resembled a magnificent feast on a freezing night.

Qin Shu picked up one bowl and began eating ravenously while standing before the humming microwave, barely caring about the heat burning through its base. He was exhausted and hungry enough to swallow an entire cow.

“…Mm?”

After he devoured most of the bowl in two or three mouthfuls, the second bowl inside the microwave finished cooking. The appliance’s noisy humming abruptly ceased, unexpectedly leaving behind an eerie silence.

Qin Shu’s heart instinctively jumped. He gently lowered his noodles and concentrated, turning his head to listen. Yet he could hear only the faint electrical current from the fluorescent lights overhead. Aside from that, no other sound remained.

But the human world was noisy—practically clamorous.

For example, outside the school store, there should have been the infant’s babbling, the sound of swaddling clothes rubbing against a uniform shirt, the clicking of police-issue leather shoes, the occasional notification tone from Xing Yong’s phone, and his unsettled breathing as his chest rose and fell…

At this moment, however, Qin Shu furrowed his brows and listened intently for an entire minute, enough to confirm that every one of those noisy sounds had disappeared.

Something strange was happening.

What allowed him to reach a final conclusion was Du Xiao Shuang’s expression.

It was the first time Du Xiao Shuang had displayed terror—vivid, genuine terror without the slightest trace of exaggeration.

At some point, her sinister single eye had opened wide, swelling into an absurdly round shape. Blood continuously streamed from its corner, but not deliberately. Her entire body was trembling involuntarily, making her bloodstained chiffon dress rustle. Her slender, deathly pale hands clenched into fists, their bones and tendons bulging sharply.

What sort of entity could frighten a ghost so badly that she clenched her fists and tensed her entire body, as though desperate to flee for her life at any moment?

Moving without a sound, Qin Shu slowly approached the school store’s entrance, swiped his card to unlock it, and placed his hand on the door handle.

But he immediately hesitated and withdrew his hand. First, he took the unusually well-behaved gray-white eyeball from his pocket.

Opening the acrylic lid, Qin Shu lowered his voice. “Hello. Let me ask you something. Do you know what’s happening outside?”

Snap!

The lid closed automatically, swiftly and precisely.

The eyeball lying on the cushion actually began playing dead directly in front of Qin Shu, remaining completely motionless like a genuine piece of a corpse.

Qin Shu: …

Even a vengeful ghost of this caliber was pretending to be dead. The danger outside could easily be imagined. Qin Shu truly did not dare venture out casually now, but Xing Yong and the infant were probably in mortal danger as well. What should he do?

Would it help if he rushed outside with his eyes closed and randomly threw punches?

He could not simply abandon them. Even if it would not help, he had to make it help.

Qin Shu took a deep breath and twisted the handle forcefully… It did not move.

He used all his strength and violently twisted it again. It still did not move.

So that was it. Something had locked him inside the school store. He could not get out at all.

At the same time, the atmosphere on the other side of the door was equally oppressive and cold.

Xing Yong discovered that his teeth were chattering, clicking repeatedly with a pathetic, endless noise.

His legs weakened in waves. His shirt was soaked through with cold sweat and clung tightly to his perspiring skin. Whenever the freezing wind blew past, a needle-like chill penetrated directly into his flesh.

But he had no attention to spare for such details. He struggled to maintain a rigid expression and did not dare reveal any further fear.

The infant in his arms had vanished. He stood there alone, yet could not summon even the slightest thought of demanding accountability.

He did not dare move.

About ten minutes earlier, an exceptionally handsome male high school student had stood quietly beneath the streetlight, wrapped in a thickened school jacket.

At the time, Xing Yong was busy trying to feed the child, but no matter what he did, the baby refused to drink. He was completely flustered and had no idea when the student had appeared.

A scarf concealed the lower portion of the boy’s pale face, revealing refined brows and eyes as though painted with dark blue pigment. Beneath the night sky, they were frighteningly distinct, yet hazy and blurred like ink dispersing through clouds.

Xing Yong glanced over unintentionally and was briefly astonished by his beauty. He initially assumed the boy was an ordinary student coming to buy a late-night snack and planned to stop him later. But once Xing Yong looked away… he abruptly forgot what the student looked like.

Unable to resist, he looked again—only to forget once more.

Xing Yong discovered that his mind had gone completely blank. He remembered only those phoenix eyes resembling molten gold. Their cool gaze swept lightly toward him like a gleaming firefly or a dazzling reflection of the moon, making the student’s beautiful face appear pale and translucent, almost unlike that of a living person.

He suddenly sensed something was wrong. His heart began pounding violently as he turned his stiff, freezing neck, involuntarily wanting to look a third time.

But this time, in the instant after Xing Yong blinked, the figure beneath the streetlight abruptly disappeared and reappeared directly before him.

There had been no footsteps and no observable path of movement.

It had happened within a single blink. The pair of golden-amber eyes branded into his memory were suddenly inches away. At such close range, the longer he stared, the more unreal they became.

Those were not the eyes of a living human. They contained none of the emotions a living person should possess. They resembled cold, inorganic glass embedded within a beautiful shell.

He really did look like a ghost…

“Y-you there, which class are you from? Why are you wandering around so late at night? Hurry back and sleep.” Xing Yong’s nerves stretched to their limits, and he instinctively tried to deny his own suspicions.

He even gritted his teeth, pulled out his police identification, and waved it around carelessly, attempting to pretend nothing was wrong.

Pei Zhao ignored him. Expressionless, he lowered his scarf and looked down at the infant in Xing Yong’s arms.

After only an instant of eye contact, the infant’s innocent expression gradually twisted. A series of coarse, rasping chuckles emerged from its chest, while its facial features and skin melted apart like spoiled cream.

Its delicate skin slowly became rough and withered. Deep wrinkles and furrows crowded its brow, and even its glossy black eyes turned dim and cloudy—just like… just like the eyes of a blind person.

Xing Yong witnessed the transformation firsthand. His heart nearly leaped from his mouth, and cold sweat poured from him in disbelief.

The infant he had comforted, protected, and carried all this way had never been a baby.

It was a shriveled old woman, her limbs emaciated and hunched like a prawn. Wrapped in a tattered embroidered bedsheet, she had curled herself inside his arms while disguised as an infant!

She was undoubtedly the blind old woman Qin Shu had described!

Crack!

Amid his panic and revulsion, Xing Yong heard another sound that was simultaneously familiar and foreign.

He had not been employed for long, nor did he possess extensive investigative experience. But certain sounds, once heard even a single time, could never be forgotten.

It was the sound of a human skull being crushed by force and the cervical spine snapping in two.

The blind old woman was dead.

Every bone in her body had broken, shattering into pieces within Xing Yong’s arms.

The embroidered sheet caught the ghastly white bones, but her blood, organs, and skin appeared to have been completely drained away without leaving a single trace.

According to the recording Qin Shu had provided, the blind old woman was probably over one hundred and thirty years old. That was not reasonable.

So she had died long ago. Even if she had desperately clung to existence through the methods of spirits, monsters, and demons, ultimately nothing could remain except this pile of dry, cold, porous bones.

“…Student, what exactly are you? What did you just do?” Xing Yong’s right eyelid twitched violently. Suppressing the nearly uncontrollable trembling of both hands, he tightly gripped the edge of the sheet and gathered the courage to speak once more.

Pei Zhao continued ignoring him. As though he had eaten something unpleasant, he slightly furrowed his beautiful brows. Taking a packet of wet wipes from his school-uniform pocket, he drew out two sheets and carefully wiped the corners of his mouth.

Judging by the packaging alone, they were the same wet wipes Qin Shu used, printed with an adorable little sheep. The school store at No. 2 High School did not sell them. The longer Xing Yong looked, the more suspicious it seemed. It could not possibly be a coincidence.

Seeing that the strange student was about to turn and leave, Xing Yong could no longer tolerate losing such a crucial lead. Throwing caution aside, he chose a more extreme method of questioning.

“Student, what is your relationship with Qin Shu?”

Pei Zhao’s movements paused.

With adrenaline surging through him, Xing Yong continued questioning him without stopping, as though deliberately trying to provoke a verbal response. “If you truly aren’t human, have you ever harmed anyone? Does Qin Shu know? Is he deliberately colluding with you? I’ve considered arresting him—”

Splurt—

Before he could finish, Xing Yong suddenly saw his own heart.

A blood-soaked, continuously beating heart, gently held in a pale hand and raised before his eyes.

It was extremely fresh, as though it had only just been removed from his chest. Its vessels and membranes remained tightly connected to the organs inside his body, while steam billowed from it in the freezing winter air.

Overwhelming terror constricted Xing Yong’s throat. Unable to move, he could produce only helpless, rasping noises.

The face of the young man lightly holding his heart abruptly grew even more indistinct. Or perhaps Xing Yong’s mind had become too dazed for him to see clearly.

Something was invading his vision. Hundreds of densely packed eyes crowded the edges of his trembling sight. Shifting lights of gold and black resembled tiny ornamental carp, moving with ethereal grace through the steam rising from his heart. Their tails stirred brilliant, dazzling ripples across the air…

The world twisted into a chaotic form beyond his comprehension. Only the young man’s cold, clear voice remained, like flawless jade falling upon soft snow.

“You think you can touch what’s mine?”

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