Flipping through the photos in the dossier, every deceased person in the photos was sitting cross-legged on the ground, even in death, a blissful smile lingered on their faces.
On the skin of these deceased, a large number of incense sticks are inserted, exuding an invisible eerie sensation.
Looking at it, Sun Yan felt an inexplicable nausea, hurriedly lighting a cigarette to suppress the slight nausea in his stomach.
"Explain the specific situation." Sun Yan put down the photo and asked Henry.
"These bodies were all found in the same house. My people investigated the identities of these dead people; they had no interactions in their lives, completely strangers to each other, yet they died together in the same place. This is what puzzles me."
Henry drew out a piece of information from the file, pointing it out to Sun Yan, "The homeowner is this Asian, a Southeast Asian. He smuggled into the country from Texas four years ago. Since then, he has been living in Saint Anna City, with no job, relying entirely on the district's poverty relief meals. He originally lived in the district park but suddenly rented this house six months ago."
"Suddenly became wealthy? That's suspicious." Sun Yan continued to ask, "What about the other deceased?"
"Among the deceased, there's a patient with depression, who had no friends usually, a member of a city charity organization, an eighteenth-tier movie star, more detailed information on the deceased is in the file. Father, you can take a look yourself."
Sun Yan flipped through the pages of data, shrugging, "This seems more like a murder case or a cult brainwashing rather than an Evil Spirit incident. You got the wrong person, you know I'm not a criminal investigation graduate."
"No, no, no, Father, this is definitely related to an Evil Spirit event. I'm very certain."
Henry solemnly poured out a small-sized pad from the dossier, unlocking it with a password, then played a video on it for Sun Yan.
In the pitch-black screen, a beam of flashlight light was shining on the ground, showing the person holding the flashlight walking up the stairs.
"Brady, this apartment is the most dilapidated building in the whole Shajiao District. Are you sure there's a thief dumb enough to come to this place to rob?"
"That's what the old man on the phone told me."
"Shit, I wish the caller was a Black guy, so I wouldn't have to respond to cases in this elevator-less apartment at 1 a.m."
"Stop complaining, we're almost at the 7th floor."
"Shit, where are the rooms on this 7th floor? You got fooled by that caller."
Zzzt! Zzzt! Zzzt!
Suddenly, a burst of static noise sounded in the video, and the whole screen twisted with wavy lines, accompanied by a few seconds of white snowflakes.
Soon, the video returned to normal, but the scene captured now had undergone a chilling change.
The previously pitch-black corridor suddenly turned completely red.
On the 7th-floor corridor, two red lanterns came into Sun Yan's view, next to which, on the snow-white walls of the corridor, suddenly appeared a pair of couplets.
But in the middle of these couplets, there was no door.
In Sun Yan's incredulous gaze, a white police officer appeared in the frame, as if an invisible person opened a door for him through the wall.
Soon after, this officer walked directly into the white wall, and the video abruptly stopped.
"This is a video found in the police body cam footage of two officers who responded to a call last night in Shajiao District. One is now missing, and the other is mentally unstable. I couldn't get anything out of them about what they encountered last night. Coincidentally, the crime scene of this murder case is also in the apartment they responded to. I suspect there might be some connection between the two incidents."
Henry handed the pad to Sun Yan, "The suddenly appearing lanterns, the couplets pasted on the white wall, are completely inexplicable scientifically. Although Shajiao District isn't the central area of Saint Anna City, if we let Evil Spirits fester there, the consequences will be very serious. That's why I came to Gospel Town to seek your help, Father Jackson."
"Shit." Sun Yan looked distressed; this situation was beyond his expectations.
The danger level was obviously greater than the Mirror Evil Spirit.
"I've always admired Father Stevenson; his exorcism abilities are unparalleled in my mind. Since you're his grandson, I believe your abilities should be aptly described in the Eastern saying as 'surpassing your mentor.' On behalf of the Shajiao District Police Station, we sincerely hope to receive your assistance," Henry said earnestly and respectfully.
"I'll find time to go to the crime scene to see the situation. By the way... doesn't your police station have any unclaimed corpses?" Sun Yan asked hurriedly, a flash of inspiration hitting him.
"Corpses? Yes, the police morgue is nearly full, all homeless people without green cards. Some healthy ones are sold to medical schools as dissection corpses. The unclaimed ones are cremated. Father, do you need one?"
"Have someone bring one to my graveyard today. I have a use for it." Sun Yan nodded, feeling slightly pleased.
As long as he could complete today's task of 'just seeking a corpse,' rewards would be earned.
This might elevate the safety level when investigating the murder scene further.
Although Henry didn't understand what Sun Yan wanted a corpse for, he didn't ask much. As a veteran officer, he'd encountered many priests and exorcists, knowing how mysterious and peculiar this group can be.
Some exorcists, for the purpose of exorcism, would use many bizarre tools, including but not limited to grinding geckos into a paste, then smearing it on dried toads. These aren't things conventional thinking can comprehend. As long as this group's power is needed, just follow their requests.
Henry naturally saw Sun Yan in such a light, and a call to the police station had someone pick an unimportant body from the morgue, delivering it by special vehicle to Gospel Town.
"Father, I'll leave these materials with you. I have some matters back at the police station, so I'll head back first. Let me know when you're heading to Shajiao District; I can accompany you to see the scene."
Wrapping up discussions regarding the Spiritual Consultant role, Henry got ready to depart. Evidently, there were indeed many matters at the police station. Upon leaving, Henry encountered Joles returning.
Being the one who recommended Joles to the graveyard to seek help from the Father, the friendship between Henry and Joles was evidently quite strong.
After exchanging pleasantries and inquiries, Henry drove quickly away from Gospel Town.
"I currently have no clear methods to deal with Evil Spirits. Although I received the General Sun Mask, it seems I can't realize its power without the help of Divination."
Sun Yan turned and walked into the room, continuing to read "Mountain Chasing Manual." As the essence of his grandfather's lifetime exorcism experiences, he must thoroughly learn all the key points in this book to handle Evil Spirits with ease in the future.