stjorthotic Chapter 106 Clothes for Burial
Chapter 106 Clothes for Burial
Chapter 106 Patchwork Funeral Gown
While the police car was still moving, Luo Shuo leaned close to Li Jiuhe and whispered, "Do you remember before we went into the mountains? We also heard knocking on the door, twice, no less."
Li Jiuhe nodded.
Luo Shuo added, "Strange things have happened in the homes of those who heard the knocking. I'm worried that it might happen to us too. We've had our doors knocked on twice in one night, so the strange things might be even worse."
Li Jiuhe nodded again.
Luo Shuo asked in surprise, "Aren't you worried?"
Li Jiuhe said, "Perhaps we have already encountered strange circumstances."
"You met him? What was it?" Luo Shuo stared at him blankly.
"You've forgotten so quickly? We've been lost in Dragon Ridge Mountain for ages and can't find our way out," Li Jiuhe analyzed. "If it weren't for Tongcheng, we might have been trapped there and died."
Luo Shuo suddenly realized, and after thinking about it carefully, he said, "It seems so. So you mean it wasn't the mountain god causing trouble in the dark, but rather the reason we encountered the knocking at the door in the middle of the night."
Li Jiuhe said, "I suspect that the so-called midnight knocking might be a curse, but we need to go to the residents' homes to find out for sure."
"A curse?" Luo Shuo asked in surprise.
In fact, the mission information just now stated that the task required breaking the curse on the town's residents; otherwise, Li Jiuhe would not have been able to combine the knocking on the door with the curse.
This is the advantage of having a certain degree of foresight in a task; it can subtly point him in a direction.
A short while later, the police car pulled up to the side of the road.
The houses in this town are mostly built along the main road, and almost every house has a yard in front of it.
Huang Guozhong sat in the car to rest and did not get out.
After the others got out of the car, Chief Mu and the police officer led the way, opening the unlocked door and entering the house.
There were four or five people sitting in the room, all of them a family. They sat there blankly, not saying a word, and no one even looked up when they came in.
Director Mu explained in a low voice, "This family's surname is Zhao. After the knocking on their door in the middle of the night, it was the eldest son who got up to open the door and check. So far, none of the family members have been physically harmed, but they have suddenly become confused and fearful, and they keep saying that the person who knocked on the door that night has entered the house and is still there."
These words are chilling.
"Can we communicate with them?" Li Jiuhe asked.
Director Mu's gaze swept over the people sitting in the room, and finally he pointed to a man in his thirties: "You can talk to him for a while. Among the people in this room, Zhao's eldest son is the only one who is somewhat sober. Wait a minute, I'll call him over. You can go to another room to talk, so as not to agitate the others."
"it is good."
At this moment, Luo Shuo was feeling around the living room door, trying to find some clues to follow.
Before long, they and Zhao's eldest son arrived at the next room.
It was clear that Zhao's son was terribly dazed, his whole body was in a daze, and his eyes were unfocused for a moment, as if he was looking at nothing.
After Director Mu talked to him for a while, the kid finally came to his senses.
Director Mu then nodded to Li Jiuhe and the other person, indicating that they could ask the questions.
Li Jiuhe tried to keep her voice soft to avoid upsetting the other person, and asked, "Did you see the person who knocked on the door that night?"
Zhao's son nodded without saying a word.
"If this person has already entered your house, where is he now?" Li Jiuhe asked again.
Zhao's son raised his head, his gaze sweeping over Li Jiuhe's shoulder and looking behind him: "Right behind you."
Luo Shuo was standing right next to Li Jiuhe at that moment, and upon hearing these words, his scalp tingled.
Almost simultaneously with Director Mu's movements, the two immediately turned around to look, but there was nothing behind them.
Li Jiuhe didn't look back, but subconsciously felt a chill down his spine.
He then asked, "Can you describe what this person looks like?"
Zhao's son said blankly, "Thick eyebrows, big eyes, a somewhat thin face, hair as long as yours, and the same height as you—"
""
After hearing his description, Luo Shuo couldn't help but say to Li Jiuhe, "Isn't that you?"
"His clothes are the same as yours—" Zhao's son was still speaking when he suddenly paused, "No, the clothes are different. That person was wearing a white outfit, similar to the one my great-grandfather wore when he was lying in his coffin, only white."
Director Mu couldn't help but look around; he too felt a sense of trepidation.
"Hey kid, don't just spout nonsense! You either saw it or you didn't. Who else is around here?"
"Yes, there." Zhao's son pointed to the area diagonally behind Li Jiuhe.
That direction is exactly the corner of this room.
Li Jiuhe turned his head and saw some miscellaneous items piled up in the corner, covered with a dusty white cloth.
Before he could give any instructions, Luo Shuo had already walked over and quickly untied the white cloth, revealing several wooden stools stacked together, as well as two baskets and other items.
"And now?" Li Jiuhe asked again, "Is that person still around?"
Zhao's son nodded: "Yes, he's already on this man's back."
Holy crap!
Luo Shuo immediately jumped up on the spot, twisting his body, and while looking around, he immediately reached out and patted his shoulders and back.
Of course, he had nothing on him.
But at that moment, Luo Shuo exclaimed in surprise, touched his back and shoulders, then leaned closer to the white cloth to examine it carefully, and then fumbled around for a while.
"Have you discovered anything?" Li Jiuhe asked.
"There are traces, faint traces," Luo Shuo replied while feeling around. "You can't see them with the naked eye, you can only feel them."
No one here has a stronger sense of perception than him.
Li Jiuhe looked at the Zhao family son in front of him again with surprise.
Luo Shuo hadn't noticed any traces before, but after this guy mentioned that the man in white was on Luo Shuo's back, Luo Shuo realized something was amiss.
This indicates that such traces change dynamically, and these people with impaired mental status should be able to sense these constantly changing changes and perceive them through seeing strangers.
"And now?" Li Jiuhe continued, "Is that person still on his back?"
Zhao's son shook his head, then looked towards the doorway: "He's left."
Almost simultaneously, Luo Shuo, who had already found a trace, also arrived at the door, quickly opened it, and went out.
The people inside exchanged glances and immediately followed.
This time, Luo Shuo seemed to have locked onto the trail. He stopped listening to what the Zhao family's son had to say and instead relied on his own abilities to move quickly through the self-built house.
He went into the toilet, then climbed up to the bedroom on the second floor, and soon after went around to the yard in front of the house.
Soon, Luo Shuo's gaze settled on a flower bed in the courtyard.
He picked up a small shovel and quickly dug several times in the soil of the flower bed, digging deeper and deeper until a corner of his clothes was revealed.
Luo Shuo put down the small shovel, grabbed the hem of his clothes and yanked it hard, and a dirty rag was in his hand.
"This is it. This is the source of the curse in this house," Luo Shuo said confidently.
"A curse?" Director Mu exclaimed in surprise.
At this moment, Huang Guozhong, who was in a car on the side of the street, also got out of the car. He held onto the car door with one hand, looked at the dirty cloth with a pale face, and also heard the word "curse".
Director Mu took the dirty cloth and examined it, feeling the texture on it. He quickly came to a conclusion: "This kind of fabric seems to be frequently used in funeral garments. It looks like it was torn from a funeral garment."
"Should we burn it?" the police officer behind me asked.
"Don't burn it." Li Jiuhe shook her head, took the cloth and examined it carefully, then asked Luo Shuo, "Can we find the culprit through this?"
Luo Shuo said, "It's not working yet. The fabric for this burial shroud isn't that person's. We need to collect more similar items and see if we can manage to do it."
Just then, the door to the Zhao family's room opened, and the people who had been sitting inside in a daze came out one after another. Judging from their expressions, they seemed to have just woken up, but they were all clearly awake.
"Take the fabric outside." Li Jiuhe handed the burial cloth to Luo Shuo.
It seems the curse on this family has been lifted, but leaving the cursed object here could cause further problems.
Luo Shuo immediately walked out of the courtyard and came to Huang Guozhong's side. Huang Guozhong also took this opportunity to examine the mysterious funeral shroud fabric.
Soon the others came out, and Li Jiuhe said, "I believe those cursed families also have similar cursed objects."
"I'll immediately send my men to search the homes of those who have been infected," Director Mu said.
Li Jiuhe waved his hand: "Let's go look for him. Without Luo Shuo, it might take anyone else a day or two to find him."
The situation was urgent, so everyone immediately started investigating every household on this street that received knocks at night and exhibited strange behavior.
He now has a piece of funeral cloth, so he no longer needs to contact or ask the family members. Instead, he can directly enter the house to search based on the traces and scents in the cloth.
About twenty minutes later, the second cursed item was found, which was also a piece of burial cloth.
However, the texture, color, and pattern of this piece of fabric are different from the previous one.
The moment the cursed object was found and taken out, the family's condition improved immediately, just like the Zhao family's earlier condition.
Director Mu knew that a solution had been found this time, and his confidence soared. He immediately led everyone to the next hospital.
In this way, they went to the eighth house in a row and found a piece of cloth for a funeral garment.
The fabrics they found were all different styles, although they were all definitely from funeral garments.
"Why—are they all cursed objects?" Huang Guozhong asked in surprise.
Thanks to the intervention and assistance of investigators like Li Jiuhe, the curse on all the previous families has been lifted, and he no longer needs to passively help these people recover from their physical injuries.
After resting for most of the day, I look much better now.
Li Jiuhe asked Luo Shuo to bring out all the burial fabrics he had found. Since each piece of fabric was incomplete, he hesitated for a moment, then picked up the fabrics and squatted down to piece them together.
Luo Shuo's eyes lit up when he saw him doing this, and he also squatted down and tried to piece the fabric together.
Before long, the two of them pieced together a nearly complete burial shroud.
Looking down from above, only the lower right hem is missing; it looks like a piece is missing.
"This is—" Director Mu was slightly surprised upon seeing this scene, "This is a patchwork garment, but it's all made from the burial clothes of the deceased!"
As he spoke, he turned and glanced at the young subordinate who was following him: "Go and call the town mayor."
The young man immediately took out his phone and made a call.
Li Jiuhe asked Director Mu, "How many hospitals are left to visit?"
Director Mu said, "There's one more."
"Let's go find all the fabric first."
The last family lived in the third self-built house next door, so they didn't need to get in the car and could walk there directly.
It was nearly dusk.
As soon as Director Mu, who was walking at the front, pushed open the courtyard gate, he was suddenly stunned to see a tall and strong man blocking his way.
The man's eyes were bloodshot and bulging, his chest heaved violently, the fat on his face twitched slightly, his whole body was tense, and his fists were clenched tightly, giving the impression that he might suddenly attack someone at any moment.
He stared at the person at the door like a beast eyeing its prey.
Everyone noticed that there was a kitchen knife stuck in this guy's shoulder!
The blade of the kitchen knife was almost completely embedded in his body, piercing through his shoulder, and the blood that flowed out was already semi-congealed.
Director Mu instinctively took a step back and reached out to press the pistol at his waist.
Luo Shuo immediately wanted to take out his weapon.
The tall, strong man in front of them was the family that Director Mu had mentioned, whose temperament had become violent.
Because the town's police force was limited, they initially just locked the family inside to prevent them from going out, in order to avoid causing trouble.
But now it seems that the family has already started a conflict, otherwise how could this guy have a knife stuck in his shoulder? And he doesn't seem to feel any pain at all, his expression is extremely crazy.
Li Jiuhe immediately blocked Director Mu behind him: "No need for weapons, I'll handle it."
He took two steps forward and grabbed at the burly man.
Enraged that Li Jiuhe dared to attack him, the burly man punched him squarely in the face.
This guy is incredibly strong and powerful; there's no doubt that his punches could smash a hole in a door panel, and if he hit a person, his bones would probably break on the spot.
To everyone's surprise, Li Jiuhe did not dodge, but instead grabbed the oncoming fist with his right hand, stopping it in its tracks.
Then came a grinding sound of bones and joints grinding together, and the guy immediately grimaced in pain and knelt on one knee.
With his other hand, he immediately swept his hand across Li Jiuhe's chin.
Li Jiuhe reacted quickly, grabbing the kitchen knife stuck in the guy's shoulder and twisting it gently.
The burly man's entire arm went numb instantly, and his hand fell limp, unable to be lifted. Li Jiuhe knelt down on his chest, pinning him down.
They then took out the handcuffs provided by the Investigation Bureau and cuffed the man's right hand and left ankle, forcing him to squat on the ground and unable to stand up straight.
"How many people are still inside?" Li Jiuhe asked, standing up.
Director Mu was shocked. He hadn't expected Li Jiuhe to be so strong. He felt that this crazy guy couldn't be subdued without four or five adults, but Li Jiuhe had taken care of him in just a few seconds.
After realizing what he meant, he immediately replied, "Five. There are five people in this family."
97
Give me all your handcuffs.
Li Jiuhe glanced at the half-open door and then took all the handcuffs from Luo Shuo, Chief Mu, and the young police officer.
"One more is needed."
"There's more in the car." The officer turned and ran towards the parking spot.
Before long, Li Jiuhe collected four pairs of handcuffs and turned to walk into the house.
As instructed, Director Mu and the others did not go inside, but waited outside.
Huang Guozhong approached the burly man, preparing to press his hand on the wound on his shoulder.
With a compassionate heart, he couldn't bear to see anyone injured in front of him, and his awakened sequence ability instinctively made him want to treat the injured person in front of him immediately.
Seeing this, Luo Shuo immediately reminded him, "Brother Huang, no, don't treat him yet!"
Huang Guozhong looked on in astonishment and turned to look at him.
Luo Shuo explained, "If his physical injuries recover but his mental state doesn't improve, these handcuffs might not be enough to restrain him."
Huang Guozhong suddenly realized what was happening and immediately stood up and stepped back.
Before long, noises and violent impacts came from inside the house, accompanied by low growls like those of wild beasts.
It was clear that the family's temperament had almost completely changed, becoming like that of wild beasts.
Director Mu asked Luo Shuo with great concern, "Can Investigator Li handle this alone?"
Luo Shuo shook his head: "I don't know either. This is the first time I've seen him make a move."
To be honest, he had always thought that Li Jiuhe's ability was just to set up missions, and he didn't know that Li Jiuhe's physical attacks were also so powerful.
"Even you didn't know?" Director Mu was even more worried.
A moment later, the door opened, and Li Jiuhe clapped his hands and walked out: "There are four people in the room, two men and two women. I have them all under control. One of the men and one of the women have injuries, but they are not fatal."
Director Mu and the others immediately ran inside.
Li Jiuhe then said to Luo Shuo, "You can start looking now."
Luo Shuo immediately began searching for the cursed object in the last piece of burial cloth.
About ten minutes later, he found his target at the very bottom of a pile of clothes in the family's master bedroom closet.
This burial shroud fabric is different from the previous ones; it is pure black with a few patterns on it.
Upon seeing that Luo Shuo had found the funeral cloth, Huang Guozhong hurriedly asked, "Now—can I treat them?"
Li Jiuhe nodded.
The doctor squatted down next to the burly man, pressed his hand on the man's injured shoulder, and then grabbed the kitchen knife with his other hand and slowly pulled it out.
After the kitchen knife was removed, it was visibly clear that the burly man's exposed wound was rapidly closing, with muscle growth and skin covering it.
At the same moment, Huang Guozhong's shoulder twitched slightly, his face showing pain, and a smear of blood seeped out, staining his shoulder red.
But the red mark wasn't much, and the wound's deterioration was likely quickly brought under control by the patient, and it began to heal.
At this moment, the burly man had also regained consciousness, his expression blank, as if he himself did not know what he had been doing all this time.
After treating this person, Huang Guozhong did not linger and immediately went back into the house to treat the other two injured people.
His face, which had just regained some color, turned pale again shortly afterward. He stumbled out and was helped by Director Mu, who found him a chair with a backrest to sit down.
At this point, after the last piece of burial cloth was pieced together, the burial shroud laid out on the ground became complete.
Just as Director Mu just said, this burial garment does indeed look like a hundred-layered shroud, except that all the fabric pieces are from the deceased's clothing, which is extremely strange.
Just then, the mayor of Nanfeng Town arrived. He immediately saw the patchwork shroud on the ground, his eyes widened in shock.
"How did this burial shroud get here? He—wasn't he dead?!"