Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Seven: The Aftermath
The way the Spirit Police handle supernatural cases is different from how regular police handle normal cases; both the procedures and methods are completely distinct, so the two cannot be conflated.
If it had been a normal case, Yang Haoran attempting to dismiss the police with just a few words would have been a pipe dream. He wouldn't still be sitting at home; he'd have long since been taken back to the station for interrogation.
But the Spirit Police are different. Their main objective when dispatched is to deal with various strange paranormal incidents. Such cases are inherently sensitive and hidden, which necessitates vastly different handling methods. Once the problem is resolved, their mission is considered complete, and they simply hand over the aftermath to the authorities.
It was precisely for this reason that after Wang Yiming and his two companions understood the situation from Yang Haoran, they had no intention of taking him away. Instead, they left the old house on their own.
Let alone taking Yang Haoran away, even if Yang Haoran hadn't opened the door earlier, Wang Yiming wouldn't have forced him to, because he knew Yang Haoran was fundamentally a victim himself.
After leaving the old house, Wang Yiming and his team's next task was to confirm whether Yangjiawan was truly free of zombies, not to analyze from every angle how much truth or falsehood there was in Yang Haoran's statements.
For them, as long as Yangjiawan and the nearby villages were free of zombies, then what Yang Haoran said was true. At the very least, with the zombies gone, their mission was considered accomplished.
Furthermore, Wang Yiming and Yang Haoran were already friends, and Wang Yiming was well aware that Yang Haoran was an Underworld Office operative. Therefore, he held considerable trust in Yang Haoran's account.
After Wang Yiming and his two companions departed, they contacted other Spirit Police officers to conduct a complete and thorough inspection of Yangjiawan and the surrounding villages.
No matter where the zombies hid, in their view, they would certainly emit Corpse Qi. If they sensed a strong Yin Qi, then it was highly probable that the village had zombies. If they couldn't sense it, it meant the village was safe.
Whether zombies still existed in Yangjiawan and the nearby villages was something he knew better than anyone.
Zhou Daoshi, in order to break the demonic curse on the stone gate, hadn't even spared Yangjiawan's livestock, summoning them all into the back mountain. He needed a massive number of Corpse Puppets to consume the curse's power, so it was absolutely impossible for him to have left any Corpse Puppets remaining outside.
He knew this clearly, yet he still allowed Wang Yiming and his companions to inspect the area again. One reason was simply to reassure the Lecheng Spirit Police; the other was to divert their attention, moving their focus from Yangjiawan to other villages as much as possible.
Fortunately, the Spirit Police dispatched by the Lecheng police this time had limited strength, so besides sensing some residual Corpse Qi in Yangjiawan, they made no other discoveries.
And this residual Corpse Qi in Yangjiawan could only indicate that a large number of zombies had appeared there, not that zombies still existed.
If a powerful expert like Xu Meijing were to arrive, they might be able to follow the residual Corpse Qi left by the numerous Corpse Puppets and locate the back mountain. However, such experts don't just appear on command, and it was uncertain if the Lecheng Spirit Police even had someone of that caliber.
Even if they did, such an individual would definitely be a major figure. Without special circumstances, or an incident that all the Spirit Police couldn't handle, it was highly unlikely such a high-ranking person would intervene.
If major figures had to intervene in every matter, then what would be the value of their subordinates' existence?
However, Yang Haoran had also prepared for this eventuality. If any Spirit Police truly followed the residual Corpse Qi and discovered the back mountain, he had a way to explain it, as he had already left himself a fallback when recounting the events to Wang Yiming and his two companions.
Still, he hoped such a thing wouldn't happen, to avoid unexpected complications and troublesome dealings.
Ultimately, the Spirit Police found no zombies in Yangjiawan. Likewise, no traces of zombies were found in the other nearby villages. Everything was exactly as Yang Haoran had stated: the zombies had all been eliminated.
Before leaving, Wang Yiming specifically came to see Yang Haoran. He hoped Yang Haoran would leave the place; after all, Yangjiawan had become a ghost village, and he worried that remaining there would have a significant psychological impact on Yang Haoran.
It was no wonder Wang Yiming thought this way. In his impression, Yang Haoran was an exceptionally amiable person, always smiling, never arrogant nor irritable, and composed in his demeanor. This had left a profoundly deep impression on him.
But when he saw Yang Haoran this time, Yang Haoran was in low spirits, aloof towards others, and not a trace of a smile could be seen on his face. Wang Yiming could understand Yang Haoran's feelings and knew this was only temporary, yet he still felt a degree of worry, afraid that Yang Haoran might suddenly become despondent and do something foolish. That was why he advised Yang Haoran to first leave this sorrowful place; it wouldn't be too late to return and see it again after his inner pain had somewhat subsided.
Yang Haoran did not heed Wang Yiming's advice. He stubbornly insisted on staying in Yangjiawan, and Wang Yiming, having no other recourse, could only respect Yang Haoran's decision.
The next day, the entire Yangjiawan was sealed off by the police. Every entry point into the village was cordoned off with police tape and guarded by officers, prohibiting anyone from entering.
The authorities officially announced that a sudden plague had erupted in Yangjiawan, claiming the lives of all villagers within a single day. To ensure the safety of nearby villages and prevent the plague from spreading, the entire Yangjiawan was sealed off and subjected to disinfection.
Almost everyone who knew about the zombies in Yangjiawan was dead. Those who weren't either didn't dare to speak, or didn't want to.
The few police officers who had successfully escaped with Chen Ying earlier were aware of the large number of zombies appearing in Yangjiawan, but they had all been issued gag orders, placing them in the category of those who dared not speak.
The police who entered Yangjiawan at the time had split into two teams: Chen Ying's team, and a team led by the captain. However, in the end, only a few from Chen Ying's team managed to escape, while the captain's entire team perished.
For Chen Ying and her companions, this deployment had been a terrifying and sorrowful experience. Even if no gag order had been issued from above, they wouldn't have brought up the matter of Yangjiawan; the very word "zombie" had become a taboo in their hearts.
Aside from them, the Spirit Police also knew about the zombies appearing in Yangjiawan, but they, too, dared not speak carelessly. Every time they were deployed, it meant a supernatural incident had occurred. From the moment they became Spirit Police, they had to remember one thing: keep every operation secret and speak of it to no one, not even their own family.
Of course, even if they did speak about every deployment, it was unlikely many people would believe them anyway.
Finally, the only ones left who knew about the zombies in Yangjiawan were Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing. For Yang Haoran, this was a heartbreaking matter; bringing it up would be like rubbing salt in his wounds. Not to mention that he had remained in Yangjiawan, even if he hadn't, he wouldn't have spoken of it.
As for Xu Meijing, given her personality, she wasn't so bored as to gossip about such a matter with others.
Therefore, the outside world didn't truly know what had happened in Yangjiawan. Regarding the official explanation, some believed it, while others did not.
This was entirely normal. No matter the situation, once an official explanation was given, some people would choose to believe it, while others wouldn't. This wasn't unique to Lecheng; it was the same in other cities and indeed throughout the entire New Beginning Realm.
There was much discussion in the outside world. An entire village perishing tragically within a single day was a major event, and public discussion and all sorts of speculation were inevitable. To prevent panic, the authorities had no choice but to step forward and employ certain measures to suppress the rumors, lest they spiral out of control and become troublesome to handle later.
With the authorities taking action, rumors gradually began to subside. However, the fact that everyone in Yangjiawan had died within a single day was a confirmed reality, an officially acknowledged fact, and thus the news naturally spread far and wide.
Some Yang family members who were far from home, unable to return for the New Year due to various reasons, rushed back upon learning of the incident that had befallen their family. The so-called important matters they were handling now seemed utterly insignificant.
After returning to Lecheng, some wanted to enter Yangjiawan to see for themselves, but they were stopped by the police, who allowed no one in.
Still others dared not enter Yangjiawan. Even without police obstruction, they wouldn't have dared to. They could only stand outside the police tape, watching the village from afar.
The reason was simple: a plague had struck the village, and infection meant certain death. Regardless of whether the official statement was true or false, they weren't willing to gamble, so they had no intention of entering the village.
It's unknown who initiated it, but the returning Yang family members lit incense and candles and burned paper offerings outside the police tape at the village entrance, bidding farewell to their loved ones in this manner. The police did not intervene.
Once someone started, all the Yang family members immediately began to follow suit. For a time, cries and wails continuously echoed outside the village entrance. The atmosphere was sorrowful, and the faces of all Yang family members were etched with deep pain. Even the police on duty couldn't bear to watch any longer.
For several days in a row, professionals dispatched by the Lecheng authorities conducted disinfection throughout Yangjiawan.
This was done, in part, as a show for outsiders, to prevent the public from growing suspicious and to avoid further incidents.
Furthermore, since zombies had appeared in Yangjiawan, and corpse toxin still lingered there, disinfection was indeed very necessary. However, these disinfectants were not ordinary ones purchased from hospitals, but rather specially formulated solutions targeting corpse toxin.
These past few days, Yang Haoran had remained in the old house, and the professionals who came to disinfect naturally discovered his presence. However, these experts not only didn't drive Yang Haoran out, but instead showed him a very good attitude, even specially disinfecting his old house several extra times.
Yang Haoran didn't know these professionals. In his opinion, the reason for their excellent attitude towards him was likely that Wang Yiming had mentioned him and paved the way.
Otherwise, a living person staying in this ghost village would definitely be driven out; why would they still be polite to you?
A few days passed in a daze, and in the blink of an eye, it was Lunar New Year's Eve, an exceptionally special and significant day.
Comments