Chapter 356: The Missing Corpse, Grave Robber

Li Jianye’s expression darkened. He thought for a moment, then sighed. “Forget it. We’ve done this too many times. Just be careful he doesn’t die. If he dies, this case will never be solved.”

“It’s not that serious,” Xu Huo said.

“He might seem like he’s fainting from fear, but it’s really just his body’s defense mechanism kicking in—an automatic shutdown.”

“It’s like how you can’t hold your breath and suffocate yourself without some external force.”

“As long as no other physical factors are involved, he won’t scare himself to death. In fact, his tolerance will gradually increase.”

Shen Fei’s memory gaps existed because his own body believed that releasing these memories would cause mental instability, or even death.

Without a doubt, this was because his psyche was too fragile.

Xu Huo decided to up the intensity.

If his body was constantly shutting down his brain,

then Xu Huo was the one forcing a reboot.

The results were excellent.

At least, judging by the man’s expression, he had probably recalled a few things.

“He’s been moved.”

Li Jianye carried Shen Fei’s body back into the burnt-out house, wiped his forehead, and felt the cold sweat soaking his padded jacket. ‘I’ll probably catch a cold once this gets chilly,’ he thought.

“This mask you painted is incredibly realistic.”

He then looked over at Zhang Liang, who was playing the part of Zhang Jiayu, and said with a shudder.

If he hadn’t watched Xu Huo paint it on him step-by-step with his own eyes, he would have thought it was a real, ice-cold corpse.

This was one use of the Skin Painting Technique Skill, though he’d never thought it would be used to force a “reboot.”

“Quiet now. I think he’s about to wake up. Let’s hide.”

Xu Huo quickly calculated the time, then gestured for everyone to hide.

「A moment later.」

Shen Fei’s eyelashes trembled slightly.

His eyelids gradually fluttered open, and he took in the scene around him.

When a familiar voice sounded in his ear once again, Shen Fei fell into complete despair.

…

“Where is my body?”

“In the Shuangyue Village graveyard! I didn’t kill you, Wang Wei did! It wasn’t me, it wasn’t me!”

「3:40 AM.」

Finally, a sliver of progress had been made in the endless cycle. Xu Huo opened his eyes, coming to his senses after a short rest.

Shen Fei still hadn’t pushed open the bedroom door.

No matter how they pressured or threatened him…

the man wouldn’t push it open.

It was his body’s own consciousness protecting him.

But the problem was…

‘Throughout the entire night, Shen Fei’s tolerance has clearly increased significantly. So why can’t he open the door yet?’

Xu Huo had looked inside the bedroom. It was a desolate scene: the marital bed was burned to charcoal, and the vanity mirror was cracked from the heat.

Yet Shen Fei didn’t dare to enter, didn’t even dare to glance inside.

But it wasn’t a huge problem.

At least they’d gotten something out of it!

“Bring him out.”

Li Jianye poked his head in and whispered to a Police Officer.

The officer understood immediately, jogging forward and pulling Shen Fei outside.

Shen Fei’s mental state was still poor. He didn’t seem to notice anything was amiss, simply accepting the appearance of the police as a matter of course.

It seemed the laughing gas had already started to destroy his brain, causing him to lose the ability to think clearly.

This was a good thing as far as Xu Huo was concerned.

“Where is the graveyard?”

Xu Huo stared at the man, his expression cold.

“In… in the forest to the west…”

Without wasting any time, Xu Huo stepped on the gas. The wheels began to turn, and the car slowly drove off into the distance, carrying its passengers.

Villages in the countryside usually have a specific plot of land for burying the dead.

Of course, that’s not to say the land is used exclusively for burials.

Crops might also be planted on the burial ground—things like saplings, or perhaps soybeans, wheat, and peanuts.

A particular area might be the designated burial plot for a single family, a way of returning to one’s roots.

The larger mounds belonged to the recently deceased, while the smaller ones, only knee- or thigh-high, were likely for distant ancestors. Without a family registry, however, it was impossible to be sure.

And among these smaller mounds…

tucked away in a corner, was a new one.

“This is the Wang Family’s land. The people buried here are his great-grandfathers and other relatives. Zhang Jiayu’s body must have been buried here and disguised as a normal grave.”

Li Jianye said slowly, hanging up a call with the village chief as he surveyed the scene.

There were faint marks on the mound. Xu Huo frowned, feeling that something wasn’t right.

Li Jianye, however, still had the eyes of a normal person. He didn’t hesitate and immediately gave the order.

“Dig!”

At the command, everyone grabbed a shovel and started digging.

Shovelful after shovelful of dirt flew through the air.

After a while, the stench of rot began to fill the air.

It was the smell of decomposition, a stench the police knew all too well.

But unfortunately…

“Where’s the body!?”

Li Jianye and the others stared into the pit, dumbfounded. There was nothing but a viscous substance mixed in with the dirt.

Bones?

A corpse?

Nothing! There was nothing at all!

Not even a scrap of rotten clothing.

Where had the body gone!?

“What’s going on?”

Xu Huo frowned. ‘I was about to close the case, but how could the body just disappear…?’

After a moment’s thought, he looked at Li Jianye.

“Bring Shen Fei over.”

Sun Jian immediately complied, grabbing Shen Fei like he was a baby chick and tossing him into the open grave.

Shen Fei was stunned for a moment. He looked at his surroundings and, in a daze, let out a piercing shriek.

Then, as if he’d been electrocuted, he instantly recoiled and scrambled out of the pit.

“Where’s the body!?”

Xu Huo demanded, staring at Shen Fei’s face.

“He… he got out! It has to be him! I just saw him! He’s come out to kill me! First Wang Wei, and then Qian Hao…”

Shen Fei babbled, on the verge of madness.