Chapter 266: You're Really That Ravenous!
"I found her after I arrived here, but I haven't discovered anything about her yet. Besides saying things like 'noodles are delicious,' she doesn't seem to say anything else."
Yang Haoran briefly described what he had observed. Then, he looked at Vice-Captain Zhou, who was standing beside him, and asked, "Did you notice anything about her?"
Vice-Captain Zhou shook his head. "Aside from sensing Talisman Spirit Power on her, I haven't found anything else for now," he replied.
"Do you think this incident could be related to her? " Yang Haoran inquired.
"I wouldn't rule out that possibility, but I'm reluctant to jump to conclusions right now."
At this point, Vice-Captain Zhou flashed an awkward smile and lowered his voice to Yang Haoran, "Don't laugh at me, Emissary Yang, but I don't know much about this case. Before Captain Luo called me, I was busy with other matters. As soon as I got the call, I rushed here immediately. I've been driving like mad the whole way, only managing to get some information from my team members. As for the distress call to your Underworld Office, that was Captain Luo who made it."
Vice-Captain Zhou's confession was quite startling. Yang Haoran had never realized how unreliable Vice-Captain Zhou could be, though, of course, he wasn't foolish enough to voice that thought aloud.
"Haha, it's fine. If you don't know the case details, what about them? " Yang Haoran chuckled, looking at the other four Spirit Police officers.
"You can rest assured on that front, they absolutely know the case," Vice-Captain Zhou declared, patting his chest.
The Spirit Police officer quickly stepped forward. As if knowing what Vice-Captain Zhou was about to ask, he took out his phone and opened a video.
"Vice-Captain Zhou, Emissary Yang, this video might be helpful to you."
Yang Haoran and Vice-Captain Zhou exchanged a glance. Vice-Captain Zhou took the phone and then ordered the other four Spirit Police officers, "You all keep an eye on her for now."
With that, the two moved aside, focused on the phone, and started playing the video.
The video first showed Happy encountering the Madwoman after arriving at the location. Vice-Captain Zhou frowned and said, "So, the victim also had contact with this Madwoman."
Yang Haoran didn't respond, instead watching the video carefully, noting every detail.
After the Madwoman, the Old Farmer appeared in the video, then Happy went up the mountain, encountered a heavy downpour, and then entered the wooden cabin.
However, after entering the wooden cabin, no useful footage appeared. Instead, Happy's conversation with the woman could be heard clearly, followed by Happy shouting for help. Finally, Happy fell, and the phone seemed to have dropped somewhere, as no sounds could be heard except for the rumbling thunder, and the screen was completely black, showing nothing.
This video was a product of editing, only showing the more important parts. Thus, the video wasn't long, lasting only a few minutes.
"Want to watch it again? " Vice-Captain Zhou asked Yang Haoran when the video ended.
Yang Haoran shook his head. "No need for such trouble," he said. "We'll go directly to that mountain and find the Broken Temple."
"What about her, then? " Vice-Captain Zhou asked.
Bringing the Madwoman along was certainly unrealistic. Not to mention they didn't know yet if she was the true mastermind behind the incident, even if she wasn't, bringing a madwoman would be a huge headache and become a burden.
On the other hand, leaving her unattended wasn't very realistic either. If she truly had something to do with the case, neglecting her might lead to them suffering a significant loss later.
"How do you think we should handle her? " Yang Haoran countered.
"I think we should knock her out first, then have one of our guys guard her here, or just take her back. That would be more reliable," Vice-Captain Zhou suggested.
Yang Haoran thought for a moment, said nothing, but nodded with a smile.
Vice-Captain Zhou gave a look to the four Spirit Police officers and then said, "Knock her out first, be careful, and don't hurt her."
Following Vice-Captain Zhou's orders, the four Spirit Police officers slowly approached the Madwoman. The Madwoman paid them no heed, still standing rooted to the spot, giggling foolishly to herself and repeating words about noodles.
From the moment Yang Haoran appeared until now, the Madwoman hadn't moved a step. She remained perfectly still, like a wooden stake driven into the ground.
The four Spirit Police officers surrounded the Madwoman. They exchanged glances, and though nothing was said, years of working together had forged a silent understanding between them, so they knew exactly what to do next.
One of the Spirit Police officers nodded, then waved his hand, and several silver needles, each about the length of a finger, appeared before him.
These silver needles floated in the air, empowered by a hidden force. Then, under the Spirit Police officer's control, the needles swiftly plunged towards various acupuncture points on the Madwoman.
It seemed this Spirit Police officer intended to use this method to induce unconsciousness in the target. However, something unexpected happened: the very instant those silver needles touched the Madwoman's skin, a powerful surge of energy suddenly erupted from within her. Not only did it send the needles flying, but it also forced the four Spirit Police officers surrounding her to continuously retreat under the violent impact.
This scene caused Vice-Captain Zhou's expression to change, while Yang Haoran's smile froze.
Seeing his subordinates at a disadvantage, Vice-Captain Zhou moved to intervene without a second thought, but Yang Haoran stopped him in time.
"Vice-Captain Zhou, wait!"
Vice-Captain Zhou looked at Yang Haoran with some confusion, who then explained, "Although she's mad, she was once a powerful Black Talisman Master after all. Just now, she must have sensed danger and instinctively protected herself."
At this moment, the Madwoman seemed startled. She cowered, looking at Yang Haoran and the others, then slowly retreated towards the doorway. She, who had not moved her body at all until now, finally stirred.
Seeing the Madwoman preparing to retreat into the mud house, Yang Haoran waved his hand. Four chains, condensed from Spirit Power and emanating black Yin Qi, suddenly appeared around the Madwoman's body, then coiled around her limbs.
The Madwoman's expression grew even more panicked. Instinctively, she mobilized the power within her to resist the four arm-thick chains. However, this power, unleashed purely by instinct, was ultimately limited. While certainly strong enough against ordinary Spirit Police officers, in Yang Haoran's eyes, this level of power was insignificant; after all, he was far more powerful than ordinary Spirit Police.
In the blink of an eye, the Madwoman's body was secured by the chains.
Her feet were directly pinned to the ground by the chains, and her hands were pulled straight by two more chains, the other ends of which seemed to merge directly into the void.
"Emissary Yang, what are you. . ."
Vice-Captain Zhou was somewhat bewildered. Yang Haoran had stopped him from intervening, yet Yang Haoran himself had taken action. This left him utterly confused.
The other four Spirit Police officers were equally filled with doubt, but none of them spoke up, only looking at Yang Haoran with puzzled expressions.
"Earlier, I didn't sense anything strange about her, but just now, when the power within her repelled the four Spirit Police officers, I detected something peculiar," Yang Haoran explained with a smile.
Although Yang Haoran offered an explanation, it was far from clear. Not only did the other four Spirit Police officers fail to understand, but even Vice-Captain Zhou was utterly perplexed.
However, Yang Haoran didn't elaborate further. Instead, he walked towards the Madwoman, who was now restrained by the chains.
The Madwoman's face was now a mask of terror, as if she had suffered a profound fright. She screamed wildly, her body struggling violently, desperate to break free from the chains' hold.
But no matter how she struggled, she couldn't escape the chains' grip.
Standing before the Madwoman, Yang Haoran activated his Ghost Eye once more. As his eyes turned pitch black, the world before him shifted.
He saw the Talisman Spirit Power emanating from the Madwoman. Besides that, a faint green light radiated from the area of her stomach.
The green light was very faint; it could easily be missed if one wasn't paying attention. Upon seeing this subtle glow, the smile on Yang Haoran's face deepened slightly.
Then, he did something that made all five, including Vice-Captain Zhou, gape in astonishment.
Yang Haoran reached out, grabbed the Madwoman's dirty, tattered clothes around her stomach, and then, under the shocked gazes of Vice-Captain Zhou and the four others, directly tore a large section of her clothing to shreds.
Watching the pieces of torn cloth fall to the ground, Vice-Captain Zhou's expression became a spectacle of shock and disbelief. His lips twitched slightly, and he couldn't help but blurt out,
"E-Emissary Yang, I know you've always been single, but she. . . she's just a madwoman! You. . . you're really that ravenous!"
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