Volume One, Chapter 162: The Head and the Corpse Belong to Different People

"Wow, the Paranormal Investigation Bureau? Does this mean we masters finally have a secure job?"

"Master, can you take me under your wing? I want to work for the government too~ Boo-hoo!"

"Holy crap! This script is really going all out! Impersonating public officials and even making up a 'Paranormal Investigation Bureau'? Are you guys tired of living? Aren't you afraid I'll call the police on you?"

"To the person above: you must be new here; I don't blame you."

"I feel like I'm seeing my younger self."

"I just checked Baidu, and the Paranormal Investigation Bureau actually exists! My wife is amazing!"

Qin Yu pondered for a moment and asked, "Has the identity of the two female victims been confirmed yet?"

Zhao Xiaodao shook his head awkwardly. "Not yet. The bodies were waterlogged for too long and show severe signs of 'giantism' (post-mortem bloating). However, we have already collected their DNA to compare against the database, so I expect results shortly."

As he spoke, Zhao Xiaodao’s phone rang.

"This is Zhao Xiaodao."

"What?"

Zhao Xiaodao’s face changed dramatically. After hanging up, he was as pale as a sheet.

"Just now... another female colleague at the station has been murdered."

His voice was filled with grief, and his fingertips tightened around the steering wheel. Seeing his state, Qin Yu silently recited a "Cleansing Heart Mantra."

"Getting anxious won't help. Focus on driving and get us to the station as quickly as possible."

Qin Yu’s voice was soft, yet it instantly cleared Zhao Xiaodao’s head. He nodded firmly, slammed on the accelerator, and sped up.

—

As soon as Qin Yu stepped out of the car, she couldn't help but lean against a camphor tree and dry-heave. Zhao Xiaodao, who had just parked, happened to see her looking unwell. He was stunned. He had been driving like a madman, yet the Master hadn't said a word. A sudden wave of guilt washed over him.

Qin Yu couldn't bring anything up; her stomach just felt unsettled. She silently grumbled about her own constitution. Looking up, she noticed several people standing at the entrance of the police station. One of them was a familiar face. Because a superior was present, Jin Zhu didn't dare to be too forward, only giving her a quiet wave.

"You must be Master Dianqiu? You look so young! Truly, heroes come from the youth!"

When the Chief saw Qin Yu, he was taken aback. Though he harbored doubts about her abilities, he remained extremely polite. Qin Yu’s gaze swept over his face. She didn't offer any defense, simply returning a polite smile. "Shall we go see the victims first?"

"Yiyao, take the Master to the morgue."

The woman called Yiyao was middle-aged, poised, and reserved, possessing a beauty that only time could refine.

"Master Dianqiu, please follow me." She stepped back half a pace and gestured with her arm at a 45-degree angle to lead the way.

The Chief watched silently as Qin Yu followed Yiyao away, then watched as the autonomous drone followed them inside. He turned his stern gaze to Zhao Xiaodao. "Are you sure you didn't pick up the wrong person?"

"Chief, rest assured! This is the one!"

The Chief’s expression was complex. He muttered to himself, "No, I need to check with Old Man Yu again," before walking away.

Only Jin Zhu and Zhao Xiaodao remained. Seeing Jin Zhu, Zhao Xiaodao’s face flushed with a suspicious tint of red. "Comrade Jin Zhu, thank you for cooperating with our precinct's work."

Jin Zhu was from the Imperial City Bureau, while they were a county-level branch. She smiled gracefully. "For a serial murder case with such a heinous nature, solving it early is good for us and for the people! If the City Bureau's assistance is needed further, just let us know."

Jin Zhu seemed busy; no sooner had she finished speaking than her phone rang. By the time she finished the call, Zhao Xiaodao was gone. Zhao Xiaodao watched her departing figure through the security monitor at the entrance. *Senior Sister Jin Zhu... you are still as radiant as I remember.*

—

When Yiyao led Qin Yu to the morgue, Qin Yu paused.

Yiyao looked at her in confusion. "What's wrong?"

Qin Yu pointed at the drone overhead. "I need to address a few things."

Yiyao nodded in understanding. Qin Yu looked into the camera, while the live chat scrolled rapidly:

"Wow, my first time in a police station! So this is what it looks like!"

"I'm so excited! Are we really going to see high-definition, uncensored bodies?"

"No way, right? Won't that be too brutal and gory?"

"What is this streamer’s background? How did she get a bunch of police officers to play along with her act?"

"To the one above, stop being so stubborn. Is it that hard to admit my wife is talented?"

"Forget it! I'm calling the police right now! I'll expose you right in front of them!"

"Then make sure to record it. I want to see you get slapped in the face..."

Qin Yu looked at the crowd acting like "Country bumpkins visiting the city," sighed, and said, "The following imagery may cause discomfort. I will apply appropriate blurring; please prepare yourselves mentally."

"Don't! Master, I want to see the high-def version!"

"Yeah, only the uncensored version is exciting! I want to see it too!"

"Wife, don't listen to them. I prefer the blurred version; otherwise, I'll be scared sleeping alone tonight."

"Wait, is someone actually sleeping alone tonight? Unlike me, who can cuddle with my wife."

"Sorry to be a downer. My husband died on the battlefield ten years ago. Even though he's gone, I feel like he never really left."

"Oh, a military spouse! Boo-hoo, sister, don't be sad, hugs."

"I'm sorry! Sister-in-law! I'm a terrible person, I shouldn't have said that."

Qin Yu followed Yiyao into the morgue, immediately feeling a chill run down her spine. Apart from two bodies covered in white sheets, there was nothing else. Yiyao stopped in front of one. Her hand gripped the corner of the sheet, and likely sensing Qin Yu's youth, she asked, "The sight is extremely disturbing. Are you ready?"

Qin Yu nodded, and Yiyao pulled back the sheet. Even with mental preparation, Qin Yu couldn't help but frown. After death, life processes cease, and the bacteria residing in the human body begin to multiply and ferment without an immune system. This produces massive amounts of gas, making the body look like a bloated balloon... and it reeks.

Even though Qin Yu had blurred the screen, the shape beneath the blur was enough to fuel the imagination.

"Is that really a human body? Isn't it way too big?"

"Didn't you hear Officer Zhao? Giantism, giantism!"

"Holy crap! Guys, take my advice: never Google what 'giantism' is."

"Brother, why didn't you say that sooner? I've already Googled it /crying/"

Although Yiyao had seen this several times, she was still shocked, yet her face remained impassive. "Master, do you need to see the other one too?"

Qin Yu nodded. Yiyao pulled back the second sheet. Compared to the first, this one was significantly cleaner. Although the bloating distorted her features, Qin Yu immediately spotted the problem. She had realized it with the first body, but this confirmed it.

"The heads and bodies of these two corpses do not match."

Yiyao wasn't surprised by this assertion. "The forensic department compared the DNA; they are indeed the same person."

Despite this, Yiyao’s look at Qin Yu changed. For a layman to have such an intuition at first glance was truly extraordinary. But Qin Yu shook her head, certain. "These heads and bodies are definitely from two different people."

She reached out, spiritual energy flickering at her fingertips. Her hand hovered a few centimeters above the body, and the energy penetrated the corpse. Yiyao was stunned. Did she just see something golden enter the body? She watched, wide-eyed, as something seemed to be rummaging beneath the skin, unable to form a coherent sentence. "This? What is this?"

In her ten years of police work, this was the first time she had encountered such a situation. A moment later, the golden energy pulled out something that looked like a deep red thread.

"This is called a Soul-Hooking Worm. It feeds on dead bodies. I suspect your other female colleagues were killed by these."

Qin Yu’s gaze sharpened, and the "playing dead" Soul-Hooking Worm shuddered. It stopped pretending to be a mere thread and twisted violently, trying to escape. Qin Yu didn't indulge it; with a slight tug, the worm was ripped out. Once detached from its host, a Soul-Hooking Worm enters a dormant state, but it will come back to life if it encounters a suitable host.

This bug was disgusting. Qin Yu felt repulsed, so she gathered her spiritual energy into needle-like points and pierced the worm. A rain of energy needles descended, and no matter how the worm struggled, it was useless. Not until the black color of the worm faded and it became translucent did Qin Yu stop.

She aimed at Mu Ling in the corner and tossed it over. With an "Awoo," Mu Ling licked his lips, looking pleasantly surprised. "Xiao Yu, this tastes good!"

Seeing he enjoyed it, Qin Yu processed the worm from the other body the same way. Once the worms were removed, the heads and bodies of the corpses separated completely. In just two minutes, the bodies had changed entirely.

Yiyao stared, wide-eyed and incredulous. "This... this..."

Qin Yu said, "Have your forensic team re-examine them. Also, you need to re-sample the victims' DNA." The presence of the Soul-Hooking Worms would have severely skewed the results.

"Wow, Mu Ling looks like a kitten~ so cute! So cute!"

"Who understands my heart? Is this the 'tough guy on the inside, cute on the outside' trope? The contrast is amazing! I want to steal Mu Ling!"

"Friendly reminder: Mu Ling is a thousand-year-old evil ghost! If you steal him, you'll be terrified, so let me steal him instead! I won't be scared!"

"Your abacus beads are flying right into my face."

Yiyao quickly contacted the information department for re-identification. Qin Yu scanned the bodies with her spiritual energy again—just as she thought, both bodies were soulless. Remembering the malevolent stone statue, Qin Yu had a bad premonition.

Mu Ling, sharing her thoughts, sensed her worry and comforted her. "Maybe this is just a coincidence? Weren't those previous bad things only possible through ghosts? These two bodies were just the work of the Soul-Hooking Worms; the nature is different."

Qin Yu’s gaze darkened. "I hope so."

Soul-Hooking Worms are divided into larvae and mother worms. Once a mother worm enters a body, it reproduces thousands of larvae. Once the larvae mature, the mother worm releases them to find new hosts. The only way to exterminate them is simple: kill the mother worm, and all the larvae will die.

Qin Yu gathered all the female staff in the station who had the "X" mark on their bodies. She had to destroy them before they matured. She and Mu Ling split the work—one finding the mother worms, the other destroying them. It took half an hour to clear them all.

Looking at their wrists where the marks had vanished, the women finally let out a sigh of relief. They looked at Qin Yu and Mu Ling with gratitude. One younger girl kept sneaking glances at Mu Ling, her round face blushing. Her eyes sparkled. "Master, is this your pet? He’s so cute."

Mu Ling looked at the girl: ??? He then looked at Qin Yu in shock: A PET???

Seeing Mu Ling on the verge of a breakdown, Qin Yu quickly grabbed him. "He’s not a pet; he’s my partner."

The girl’s round eyes turned into little crescents, and she apologized, "I'm sorry, it's just that he's so cute."

The girl’s attitude was so sweet it left Mu Ling with nowhere to vent his frustration. He kept his face stiff, turned away coldly, and let out a light "hmpf" through his nose.

The girl thought he was even cuter and subconsciously reached out to pat Mu Ling’s head. "Good boy~ don't be angry~ sister will buy you something delicious."

This tone, used for coaxing children, made Mu Ling feel his intelligence was being insulted. He was on the verge of exploding, but then he realized something.

*She can touch me?*

An indescribable feeling exploded in his chest. As everyone knew, Mu Ling was a spirit; ordinary people couldn't touch him. Yet, this girl before him could?

*Could it be?*

Mu Ling looked at her, his dark, sesame-seed-like eyes shining brilliantly. "Who... who are you?" His voice trembled slightly.

Not expecting Mu Ling to change the subject so quickly, the girl said, "Oh," and then replied, "My name is Lin Huanhuan, what's yours?"