71: The Painted Skin Demon (Part 1)

Three police cars pulled up in front of a somewhat old residential building, and a group of people stepped out one after another.

Liao Chen looked around; this place was indeed as remote as the GPS navigation photos had shown.

The residential building itself was already quite dilapidated, with the wall plaster peeling off in several places, looking as though it had been in disrepair for years.

"Masters, Yan Xiaoyan's residence is in Room 502 on the fifth floor." Mo Yuze held a walkie-talkie, his tone steady.

Hearing this, Liao Yuan raised his head and looked up at the residential building. A trace of hesitation flickered in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.

He turned back and solemnly instructed Liao Chen, "Junior Brother, Patron Mo and I will head upstairs together. You stay downstairs and keep a close eye on the surroundings. If you notice anything unusual, make sure to contact me immediately."

"Understood, Senior Brother."

Liao Chen responded respectfully, casting another subtle glance around the area, his brow furrowing slightly.

Mo Yuze, who had been observing from the side, keenly caught Liao Chen's subtle movement and couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Master Liao Chen, have you discovered something?"

"I just feel that the magnetic field in this vicinity is a bit strange, but further observation is needed to be certain," Liao Chen said softly.

Mo Yuze nodded, his expression grave. "Then I shall trouble you both, Masters."

Liao Yuan and Mo Yuze stepped onto the stairs and headed toward the fifth floor.

A faint sense of unease rose in Liao Chen's heart. He closed his eyes and concentrated his Spiritual Sense, attempting to perceive if there were any abnormal energy fluctuations nearby.

Suddenly, a gust of yin wind blew past, bringing with it a hint of decay.

Liao Chen opened his eyes and alertly followed the wind to find its source—the yin wind was blowing from the 'fifth floor.'

"Officer Mo, be careful."

"Right!"

The stairwell was filled with a faint dampness, as if a light rain had just fallen, making the ground slippery.

The corridor lights, which should have been bright, were dim and lifeless, clearly broken for a long time.

Only near the windows could a trace of the afterglow be felt.

The setting sun filtered through the mottled glass windows, casting a dim, yellow halo. In stark contrast, the rest of the space was shrouded in pitch-black darkness, where one could not see their own hand in front of their face.

As Mo Yuze and the monk Liao Yuan cautiously bypassed the closed doors of the residents, they would occasionally catch a whiff of a foul odor.

There was the putrid stench emitted by various household wastes, as well as the pungent smell brought by backflowing sewers.

Even more bizarrely, a thick scent of 84 Disinfectant permeated the air, making one feel a wave of nausea.

Before long, they reached Room 502 on the fifth floor. The two of them walked along the eerie corridor, their footsteps sounding exceptionally clear in the deep silence.

Mo Yuze stopped in front of the security door of Room 502. After nodding to Liao Yuan beside him, he took a few steps forward and stood firm before the door.

Then, he raised his hand and gently knocked.

Knock, knock, knock, knock... The sound of knocking echoed through the empty hallway.

Mo Yuze paused for a moment before raising his hand again, knocking on the security door with more force.

Just then, the door opposite them was suddenly pushed open, and a hunched elderly woman poked her head out from inside.

Her face was full of wariness as her gaze locked tightly onto Liao Yuan, her voice trembling as she asked, "Master, have you come to catch a ghost?"

"Could it be that after the neighbor opposite hanged herself, she turned into a ghost?"

Mo Yuze hurried to offer comfort, "Grandma, you don't need to worry or be afraid. I am a police officer here to investigate a case, not here to catch ghosts or exorcise spirits."

Hearing this, the old woman's heart finally settled back into her chest. She murmured to herself, "That's good, that's good! I was worried just now that Yan Xiaoyan had turned into a vengeful ghost and come back to cause trouble."

Seeing this, Mo Yuze struck while the iron was hot and followed up, "Then may I ask if you know anything related to this?"

The old woman sighed softly and said slowly, "This house is not clean! Ever since that poor woman hanged herself, strange sounds have often come from there, like someone chopping meat..."

At this point, she couldn't help but sigh heavily again. "Sigh! It's all because I'm just a lonely old woman with no one to rely on and no money; I really didn't have the ability to help that mother and daughter more!"

Beside them, Master Liao Yuan pressed his palms together and softly chanted a Buddhist invocation, "Amitabha. Patron, you may rest easy. This poor monk will certainly do his best to release those resentful spirits from suffering."

"Grandma, do you know if the male head of the household, Zhao Qiang, has ever come back?"

"Ptu, ptu, ptu, ptu..."

The old woman's face was full of disgust as she spat several times. "That damned gambler actually has the face to come back! He owes a mountain of high-interest loans and was actually heartless enough to try and sell his own biological daughter to pay the debt... Truly a bunch of bastards who deserve a thousand cuts!"

"Why doesn't the Heavens open its eyes and let the Empress deal with all these evil people!"

At this point, the old woman was overcome with grief. Tears burst from her eyes, and she used her trembling hands to wipe away the tears at the corners of her eyes.

Then, with a crisp 'clack,' the old woman forcefully shut her door.

"Hey..."

Mo Yuze scratched his head with his right hand. After a slight hesitation, he fished a piece of wire out of his pocket and skillfully picked the lock.

He pushed hard, and the iron door, which was already covered in rust, let out a dull groan as it slowly swung open.

In an instant, a thick, decaying odor surged toward them like a tidal wave.

The light in the living room was exceptionally dim, and various wine bottles were piled haphazardly, looking messy and cluttered.

Just as Mo Yuze's front foot stepped through the door, he was blocked by Liao Yuan's outstretched arm. Liao Yuan said in a low voice, "Wait, something is strange."

Before his voice had even faded, wave after wave of hair-raising bone-chopping sounds echoed throughout the entire house.

Liao Yuan rotated the Buddhist beads in his hand, which emitted a faint Buddhist light, as he muttered the Golden Light Incantation under his breath.

Then, he cautiously stepped into the room, each step being exceptionally careful. As he gradually approached the kitchen, he reached out his right hand and gripped the kitchen door handle.

A wine bottle flew through the kitchen door toward Master Liao Yuan.

Facing the sudden attack, Liao Yuan reacted extremely quickly. In the blink of an eye, he took a large step forward.

Spiritual power instantly condensed into a pair of gauntlets tightly wrapping around his fists.

His eyes widened in anger, and he let out a loud shout, using all his strength to throw a fierce punch at the incoming wine bottle!!!

With a 'bang,' the wine bottle was instantly shattered to pieces, turning into countless tiny shards that flew in all directions.

Not only that, even the kitchen door could not withstand such a massive impact, and it crashed to the ground with a dull thud.