Otherworldly Desert Dust

The moonlight was cold and frosty, sprinkling on the high walls of the prison. Having lived in the small town for some time now, Wu Hen was stepping into the prison formally for the first time. The prison was heavily guarded, its high walls almost completely isolating it from the residential area of the town. Whether entering from the outside or exiting from the inside, one had to pass through numerous thick metal doors. The prison was comprised mostly of metal, most of which Wu Hen was unfamiliar with, forged by smelting methods he did not understand. It was like a steely fortress that bore the weight of certain years. "I really didn't expect it; I thought they would put heavy shackles on you, clean you up, and throw you into a cell where you couldn't see the sunlight. Instead, you were invited in as an expert to assist us," said Prison Director Levi, always keeping his cool humor as he approached Wu Hen upon seeing him. Miss Fan Ke rolled her eyes, somewhat resenting the prison director's tendency to joke around inappropriately, given that one of their colleagues had died inside. "I still need to be stationed in the command room. Most of the time, it's Prison Chief Fan who handles issues here, but the problem with the Evil Spirit is indeed tricky. Considering you are the only one in our town with extraordinary abilities, tough skin and strong vitality, and even if attacked by an Evil Spirit, you are less likely to die than an ordinary person, we thought to have you assist Miss Fan with this matter and also hope that you protect her from the Evil Spirit," continued Prison Director Levi. "If you had asked me to protect Miss Fan from the beginning, I wouldn't even have asked for payment. After all, protecting one of the few remaining delicate and young beauties of this town, is a responsibility and duty that a temporary citizen of this town should fulfill," said Wu Hen. Both men then showed slightly sleazy expressions, epitomizing the greasiness of middle-aged men. Fan Ke felt disgusted and started walking deeper into the prison. Levi pointed, signaling Wu Hen to follow quickly. "Leave it to me, detective Wu Hen!" Wu Hen also quickened his pace and followed Fan Ke into the interior of the prison. Inside, there weren't really many prison guards. The prison operated in a semi-automated manner, and the inmates had to follow the cell rules and serve their sentences. Every so often, prisoners would wear the same type of neck collar that Wu Hen had previously worn and go to the town to work. Aside from the workers, those prisoners were actually the most reliable source of labor in the town. "This Evil Spirit is quite cunning. It hides among the prisoners and commits murders whenever we let our guard down," Fan Ke explained to Wu Hen as they walked, detailing the behavior of the Evil Spirit. "Can an Evil Spirit disguise itself as a human?" Wu Hen asked, surprised. "Yes, this is a high-level Evil Spirit. They are skilled at disguising themselves and possess the memories and intelligence from their lives, but since their bodies have undergone massive mutations, they need to consume the flesh and blood of the living to sustain themselves. During the day it acts as if it were still alive, but at night it comes out to hunt..." Fan Ke explained. "That makes it tricky," Wu Hen said. "We have prison guards who patrol at night, ensuring that the mutation index of some prisoners does not get too high, but as you know, once night falls, dark radiation affects our bodies. When there is no crisis, healthy people should reduce work and activities at night," Fan Ke noted. "Do you rotate the prison guards to prevent one from working too many nights, affecting their health?" Wu Hen asked. "Yes, that's right, but as our town has limited manpower, sometimes we can only have a few guards on the night shift. Last night, an old guard, trying to save time on patrol, went alone to the fifth floor and was murdered there," Fan Ke said. "Can the Evil Spirit escape your cells?" Wu Hen inquired. "We're not sure yet, but we can't rule out the possibility. Evil Spirits are born from dark radiation, and most of our technology relies on dark energy. Our technology might fail in the face of certain special Evil Spirits," Fan Ke explained. Wu Hen nodded. If one were to compare the Evil Spirit to a ghost, exorcising it physically would certainly be difficult. Much like in some horror movies, when ghosts appear, electrical systems often fail, and firearms are basically useless against these Spirit Ghosts... "There are twelve cells on the fifth floor, mostly holding inmates with heavy sentences." "We are particularly suspicious of a murderer in cell number seven because the body of our prison guard colleague was discovered near that cell," Fan Ke explained about the situation last night. By then, they had reached the fifth-floor prisons, where other guards were working overtime and on duty. "Let's go to the scene first," Wu Hen said. "Have you heard that your Xuanzhenists can see things we cannot without using instruments or equipment?" Fan Ke asked. "Yes, we call it 'Spirit Awakening,' which is waking up to Perception." "Oh, we have people like that too, but they seldom come to such a small place," Fan Ke said. They opened the heavy door on the fifth floor. Wu Hen and Fan Ke, accompanied by two guards, headed to cell number seven. Inside cell number seven, a bald man sat upright in the dim iron cell. When a living person appeared before him, his eyes suddenly lit up, much like a cheetah hiding in the shadows, exuding an inexplicable ferocity and longing. "This guy is addicted to killing," Fan Ke remarked with some disgust. "I've seen you from afar before. It's a pity you weren't sent in here; we even prepared a welcoming ceremony for you..." the bald prisoner in cell number seven said, his eyes fixated on Wu Hen. It seemed that even in prison, his inner urge to kill could not be suppressed. "Was it you who committed the murder yesterday? Are you an Evil Spirit?" Wu Hen bluntly asked. Fan Ke thought Wu Hen might have some special skill, like opening a spiritual eye or casting some profound spell, but it turned out she was just straightforwardly asking. "Hehe, I saw how he died. The blood in his neck surged to his throat, and he was choked to death by his own blood... such a pity. I actually liked him being on night duty; he would chat with me from time to time, like an old friend," the bald prisoner said. "Answer the question!" Fan Ke was angered and rebuked the prisoner. "He crawled a few steps towards me, hoping I could save him. He must have been in a lot of pain, delirious with it even, to think that I, a prisoner, would actually help him like an old friend," he said. "Shut up!" Fan Ke felt this prisoner was deliberately trying to humiliate the prison guards. "Can you open the cell?" Wu Hen asked. "But if he's an Evil Spirit..." another prison guard said. "Open it," Fan Ke ordered. The prison guard reluctantly took out the keys and unlocked the cell. During the unlocking process, the bald prisoner shrank back a bit, not out of fear, but clearly gearing up to strike. "Click!" The steel cell opened vertically, and in the next second, the bald prisoner pounced out like a cheetah, targeting the tall Fan Ke. Fan Ke reacted quickly, immediately drawing her magnetic gun. But before she could fire, Wu Hen had already lifted his foot and kicked the bald prisoner back into the cell. The kick was powerful, turning the murderer into a writhing maggot, curled up on the floor. Wu Hen, cruel and not much for words, followed up with a brutal sequence of kicks. The murderer had never seen such exquisite legwork, each kick sparing his vital spots yet causing excruciating pain. Some kicks landed directly on his thighs, and if a bit more force had been used, he wouldn't have grown hair on his body ever again. "Stop, stop!" the murderer wailed, "I'll tell you whatever you want to know." "What does the Evil Spirit you saw look like, what are its characteristics, and how does it kill?" Wu Hen interrogated. "You... why aren't you asking if I'm an Evil Spirit?" the murderer asked, puzzled. "With your pathetic strength, if Evil Spirits were as capable as you, would I even need to lift a finger?" Wu Hen said disdainfully. Wu Hen pressed on with the questions. It was just a routine after all. A beating was inevitable. Beating him half to death, those who could fight back, those who would go on a rampage, or those ready to transform with a sinister laugh would expose the Evil Spirit. If he didn't reveal his true form after such a beating, he was probably just an ordinary murderer. "Last night, I saw two prison guards; I didn't recognize the other. He killed Lao Zhao," the murderer said. "Nonsense, we have a duty log, last night only Lao Zhao was on patrol on the fifth floor," Fan Ke said. "I have no reason to lie to you, the Evil Spirit also threatens our lives," the murderer said. "Is there any surveillance?" Wu Hen asked. "The footage can't capture the Evil Spirit, and when it appears, the footage fails," Fan Ke said. "So there must be footage of last night showing whether Lao Zhao was on duty alone or with someone else," Wu Hen said. "But they said the surveillance on the fifth floor failed, how can we check?" another prison guard said. Fan Ke quickly caught Wu Hen's drift and glared at the bold prison guard, "If his footage failed, wouldn't we check the other prison guards on duty? If other night guards' footage is intact, that shows he was indeed alone. If someone else's footage isn't complete, they could be an Evil Spirit or they could have killed Lao Zhao." "Ah? An Evil Spirit among us, the prison guards?" Both prison guards were stunned. "We have to consider it," Wu Hen said. "Hurry up!" Fan Ke urged. Wu Hen surveyed the structure of the fifth floor. Lao Zhao died at the corner, and the only one who could see clearly what happened here was the murderer in cell number 7. If what the murderer said was true, the Evil Spirit was one of the night duty guards yesterday. "Weren't other prisoners also killed, did they die in their own cells?" Wu Hen asked. "Yes, all in their own cells, because all were disguised as suicides. Suicides in cells happen often, and at first, we didn't pay much attention," Fan Ke said. "That's interesting," Wu Hen stroked his chin. "What do you mean?" Fan Ke asked, puzzled. "The Evil Spirit initially killed prisoners because it knew that if prisoners died, it would not be easily exposed. Why did it take the risk last night to kill a prison guard?" Wu Hen analyzed. This statement enlightened Fan Ke, and she immediately looked towards the place where Lao Zhao had died, excitedly saying, "Lao Zhao must have discovered something, and the Evil Spirit had to silence him!"