"Yes, yes, yes, okay, okay, Chief Henry, I got it."
The white sheriff put down the phone, his attitude taking a complete 360-degree turn.
After Sun Yan proactively dialed Henry's number, confirming Henry's identity, the sheriff didn't dare make things difficult for Sun Yan, let alone pin the blame on him.
In a society of hierarchy, since Sun Yan had such a background and connections, it naturally wouldn't be good to make things difficult for him.
Originally, they didn't have much evidence on hand, and taking Sun Yan for questioning was more of an attempt. If this Asian really was the murderer, it could save a lot of investigative effort.
A white sheriff escorted Sun Yan out of the interrogation room: "You can leave now, Jackson."
Sun Yan walked out of the police station, pondered for a moment, and then headed toward Madam Lolian's villa.
Unexpectedly, in just one night, such a major incident occurred. Yesterday, he was still discussing with Tina about conducting an exorcism for her mother, and today, she had mysteriously died at home.
The missing Madam Lolian immediately became the prime suspect in Sun Yan's mind.
"Could it be that the Evil Spirit wasn't completely destroyed? That's impossible; I saw firsthand that Madam Lolian no longer had the Evil Spirit. If that's the case, there can only be one reason: a new Evil Spirit possessed her after I left."
Sun Yan's expression was serious; it seemed that the secrets hidden within Madam Lolian far exceeded his imagination.
It was precisely his negligence in overlooking the potential Evil Spirit that led to this homicide, with Lady Tina unfortunately becoming the victim.
"As Gospel Town is the Graveyard site, it's also under my watch. An event like this happening on my turf, without finding that harmful Evil Spirit and eradicating it, would mean I'm not worthy of wielding this Ghost Torturing Stick."
Sun Yan arrived at Madam Lolian's villa. The entrance had already been sealed off with "Do Not Enter" tape, typical for a crime scene. No brash locals dared to sneak in to cause a stir, so no sheriff was left to guard the scene.
Reaching the back door, Sun Yan climbed up the gate and jumped into the yard, then ran towards the villa.
"Huh?"
Just as Sun Yan was about to push open the kitchen door and enter the house, his expression subtly changed. He wasn't sure if the sheriff had forgotten to close the door after checking the scene or if this door was never shut.
Sun Yan merely nudged it lightly, and the door swung open inward, revealing a pitch-black interior.
'Celestial Eye'
To play it safe, Sun Yan directly activated the Tomb Guardian ability, ensuring everything was fine before pulling the Ghost Torturing Stick from his pocket and striding inside.
Passing through the kitchen into the living room, the enormous villa was exceptionally quiet, doors and windows shut tight, curtains drawn very firmly, exuding a totally different atmosphere from when Sun Yan came yesterday.
"Yesterday, I didn't have the opportunity to inspect all the rooms in this house. Now with Tina dead and Madam Lolian missing, it's convenient for me to search the entire house." Sun Yan thought to himself.
Snap!
Just then, a strange noise echoed in the silent living room, appearing extraordinarily abrupt in the already noise-free environment.
Sun Yan instantly pulled back his intended stride, gripping the Ghost Torturing Stick tightly, and shouted, "Who's there, come out!"
A silence ensued, with no response from anyone.
"So the murderer is still hiding in this villa, I'll call the police right now." Sun Yan pretended to pull out his phone, ready to retreat back into the kitchen.
"Don't call the police! Don't call the police, we're not bad guys, I beg you."
"Please hear us out, we're not the murderer."
Two young white men quickly stood up from behind the sofa, exclaiming anxiously, trying to hold Sun Yan back.
"It's you two." When Sun Yan recognized them, his expression was inevitably surprised.
The two were among Ron's group from yesterday. Although Sun Yan hadn't met them many times in total, he still had a relatively clear impression of their faces.
"Please don't call the police. We sneak in just to find someone. My friend disappeared in this villa last night. We're only here to find them."
Seeing Sun Yan had stopped, a young white man hurriedly stepped forward to plead.
"Last night? Didn't you take that friend of yours who was bitten by Madam Lolian away? Why's this place still involved?" Sun Yan asked, not understanding.
The young white man, having no choice, fearing Sun Yan might call the police, had to tell the truth.
After Sun Yan left the villa last night, they took the injured Ron to the town clinic for treatment.
Coming to their senses, they realized an expensive video camera had been left behind in the villa's yard, so two people were sent back to retrieve it.
But unexpectedly, that return trip resulted in even more serious incidents later on.
"We two accompanied Ron at the clinic for a long time, waiting and waiting, but they never came back. Until I got a phone call from them, I learned that after picking up the camera, they didn't leave but snuck into the villa. They claimed to have found something explosive, and as long as they could film the whole thing and post it online, we'd surely become internet sensations."
The young man regretfully rubbed his head: "We kept in touch by phone, but then suddenly strange noises came from the phone, and the call cut off. We couldn't reach them no matter how much we called back. Until this morning, we heard about Lady Tina being killed, but no other bodies were found at the scene. I suspect they're still in this villa, hiding somewhere."
"Strange noises..." Sun Yan pondered with a frown.
Unexpectedly, after he left, so many things happened in the villa, truly unimaginable.
Sun Yan asked, "So how's your search going, anything discovered?"
"Just started looking, some rooms are locked, and we're trying to open them."
"Just as well, let's search together and inform each other immediately upon new discoveries."
Sun Yan came to find clues related to the Evil Spirit, so their goal did not conflict with the two young white men; they could help each other.
Seeing Sun Yan was going to help them find people, the two young white men sincerely thanked him.
The three divided tasks, allocated sections, and began silently searching.
On the second floor, master bedroom, this was Madam Lolian's quarters, the largest room in the villa, complete with a massive floor-to-ceiling window granting a sweeping view of the entire yard during the day.
Sun Yan stepped into the room, using the Ghost Torturing Stick to search meticulously so as not to leave his fingerprints on the scene.
Soon enough, he discovered a diary tucked inside a drawer on the makeup table.
"Tina had mentioned Madam Lolian had suffered from Alzheimer's for quite a long time. Would a patient with such symptoms write a diary?"
Curiously, Sun Yan flipped open the first page of the diary and began reading the words written by Madam Lolian attentively.
'April 9, 1981: I hate Borg; he took my husband to research a history that doesn't exist. If Divine Spirits truly existed in this world, why haven't humans discovered any news related to them so far? It's all just a hoax.'
'June 10, 1990: They actually found that place, "Butis Country" recorded in ancient books. Though they only uncovered outer ruins, they still brought back numerous strange items, radiating a sinister aura that makes me feel uneasy.'
'November 1, 1995: Crazy, they've all gone insane. There's no way Butis Country could possibly still exist today. No one can enter to become citizens of the Divine Spirits. My husband has lost his mind; he's a madman. I must take the children away from here, never to let him involve them in dangerous deeds, absolutely not.'
'September 28, 2005: He came back; his dream realized, becoming a citizen of Butis Country. But unfortunately, he got it wrong. Butis Country didn't intend to accept him. However, the items they brought back still exist. I frequently hear what seems like someone calling me from far away. I'm on the verge of collapse.'
'August 8, 2016: Soon, it's almost done. Please take me to that beautiful land XXXXXXXX'
'April 13, 2024: XXXXXXXXXXX'