Back on the ground, two investigators stood guard around the collapsed Li Family residence.
There were already four or five police cars surrounding the perimeter, forming a cordon that was dozens of meters wide.
"Why isn't there any movement?" One of the investigators stared intently at the crater and asked anxiously, "Could something have happened?"
The two investigators turned a deaf ear to the police sirens that surrounded them. The other investigator pursed his lips and shook his head, "That won't be the case … This hunting zone is definitely at the level of a vengeful apparition. Soul Hunters wouldn't be in any life-threatening danger. At most, they would suffer some minor injuries … Chief!!"
Before he finished speaking, the two of them saluted in unison. The outer barrier was opened layer by layer, and four people walked over in a straight line. Their footsteps were swift, and the one in the lead was an old man with a head full of white hair. He wore a pair of glasses and a white coat.
"How's the situation?" He asked as soon as he arrived.
"Reporting to Chief, the true energy fluctuations have calmed down.
However, we didn't go down. "
"Well done."
The old man waved his hand with a bright gleam in his eyes, "This year, I raised the issue of the classification of Yin spirits at the Eastsea City Conference, and even proposed the establishment of a corresponding subject.
However, not a single person took it seriously. It was only on account of my old age that they managed to placate me with a few words. "
"But I'm certain that this hunting zone is completely different from the Yin spirits we've encountered in the past!"
"Don't disturb him. I've read through S9527's information. As long as he can pinpoint the location of the Yin spirit, he'll definitely be able to kill it. I want firsthand information."
He turned to the others, "Seal off the scene. We'll wait here for him to come out.
Don't disturb him. Nobody knows what's going on down there. "
… …
"Boohoohoo … AHHHHHH!"
Li Jiankang cried his heart out for nearly ten minutes before he finally shut his eyes and spoke for the first time, "I … don't think I'll be able to make it out alive, right?"
Qin Ye smiled faintly, "You shouldn't be the one making it out alive."
"Sometimes, I've wondered why morals are falling apart in society these days.
But then, I came to a conclusion. "
"That is, if small evils go unpunished, they'll eventually become big problems."
"And you're even more abominable than those old scammers in their sixties or seventies who force others to commit suicide, only to say in interviews that they didn't do anything." Qin Ye continued softly, "You've personally sent more than thirty people to hell …"
Li Jiankang seemed to have expected this. Instead, his expression calmed down, and he suddenly smiled.
Snot and tears streamed down his face, and his smile was ugly.
"I just … just want to be with my family …"
His voice sounded as if he was weeping and complaining in the blood-soaked room, "Your generation may not have the same concept as us … In our era, family is everything … Nothing is more important than family …"
These two sentences were like a key. After he finished speaking, he closed his eyes again, but there was a hint of relief between his brows.
It was very strange.
Most people only understood what they should let go of when they were at death's door.
His hands trembled as he reached into his belt. After a long time, he finally pulled out a pack of cheap cigarettes. Qin Ye hadn't even heard of the name of these cigarettes before. Then, with trembling hands, he lit them up.
When the strong smell of nicotine filled the air, his expression finally calmed down a little. That said, his eyes continued to stare blankly at the ceiling, "I married my wife, Song Jiafang, a long time ago. However, we didn't have any children. It wasn't until we were in our late thirties that we finally had a child of our own, Li Cheng."
"We … valued him very much … we loved him very much …" His hand trembled as he held onto the cigarette. It was almost as though he were reminded of the fact that it was precisely because of their love for each other that they had gone out to work in order to provide their child with the best possible environment. That was how they had missed out on their child's childhood, and that was how everything that had happened after that had happened.
It was almost as though he had been stabbed in the chest with a sword.
His hands trembled for a long time before he finally took a deep drag on his cigarette, "Who would've thought … that after ten years of hard work, when we finally had some savings … Little Cheng would end up like this …"
"I've truly … never in my wildest dreams expected this."
Tears flowed uncontrollably down his cheeks like an old wolf on the brink of death. His voice was hoarse as he stared at the ceiling, "Why … why did we only want to give him a good environment? Why did we give up everything for him … Why did we work so hard for him only to end up like this?!!"
"Didn't we hand it over to the garrison?!
We even offered him the best we could!! "
"Everything was for his own good … AHHHHHH!!" He burst into tears once more as he pounded the wall with his fists.
But it was like a flickering candle in the wind. The pain was fleeting.
Qin Ye grew taciturn.
He had seen far too many comedies and tragedies, and he knew all too well just how great of an influence a parent could have on their children.
Material things couldn't make up for everything, especially when it came to spiritual emptiness.
"When I found out about this, I wanted nothing more than to kill him …" His lips opened and closed like a dead man's, and he gasped for breath, almost as though he were about to die at any moment, "But … I couldn't do it."
"This is my only son … He's the continuation of our bloodline … He's one of the closest people in the world. All I wanted was for our family to be together … I didn't even know that I was raising zombies with this method. But … but when I saw them opening their eyes once more … haa …"
A psychedelic smile appeared on his face, "It was almost as though … nothing had ever happened."
"It was almost as though I'd just had a nightmare."
"How could I bear to do it?
How could I lock my loved ones up in here when they'd clearly come back to life? "
Qin Ye didn't respond. He was giving Li Jiankang one last chance to repent. This bit of mercy was something that should be shown to him.
Li Jiankang didn't say anything else. It was almost as though these words had sapped the last vestiges of his vitality. He leaned against the wall and struggled to his feet like a living dead man. Then, with a tear-stained smile on his face, he continued, "I should go to the Eighteen Abysses … I accept my punishment."
Qin Ye gazed deeply into his eyes, "Since your family wants to be together so badly, I'll grant your wish."
Crash!
With that, he unsheathed his saber, and the lids of the two coffins burst open at the same time.
The thing inside appeared to have been agitated by something, and it began to breathe rapidly, carrying with it the stench of blood and greed.
Li Jiankang had released Li Cheng earlier, and Li Cheng had immediately hidden himself in the coffin as soon as he returned. This was a safe place for him.
That said, as soon as he smelled the scent of fresh flesh and blood, his instinctive hunger overwhelmed the fear in his heart.
Li Jiankang's face paled. He finally understood that he had to pay for his sins.
"I'd originally intended to capture you and send you to Hell to work for a thousand years.
But … "Qin Ye glanced at the thirty or so spirits that were already kneeling in midair, choking and trembling," I've got over thirty lives, and they wouldn't agree to it … "
ROAR!!!
Just then, the zombie that Qin Ye had previously encountered in the passageway suddenly bounced up from the smaller coffin.
"Haa … sss …" Greenish-white Yin energy spewed out from its mouth that was filled with fangs, and its face contorted.
Its saliva had already soaked its clothes.
It scanned its surroundings, and its stomach growled softly. As soon as it saw Qin Ye, it shrieked in horror. Finally, it turned its gaze to Li Jiankang, who was still trembling in the corner.
After hesitating for two seconds, it slowly made its way over to Li Jiankang. Li Cheng's features could still be vaguely made out from its hideous head, while its contorted body cast an eerie shadow under the dim light. Saliva dripped down from its sharp fangs onto the ground, and it opened its mouth wide.
He tried his best to squeeze out a smile that seemed to be fawning but was actually extremely terrifying. "Dad … Dad …"
Li Jiankang bit his lips so hard that they bled. Like a rabbit that had seen a wolf, he shivered and shrank in the corner, staring at the monster in front of him.
"What are you afraid of?"
Qin Ye remained expressionless, "So this is your son … You've taken the lives of over thirty people, and you've raised a good son."
"Dad … dad …" The zombie's head seemed to have no bones at all. It twisted and turned as it spoke, gasping for air, "I … want … meat …"
Li Jiankang gritted his teeth and shut his eyes. Then, mustering all the courage he could muster in his life, he screamed at the top of his lungs, "No!!!"
His voice was so loud that it reverberated through the ground.
The zombie stopped.
"Daddy …" Its scarlet tongue had already drooped to the ground, and its mouth was opened in an exaggerated arc. "Then … Are you delicious …"
"ROAR!!!" A split second later, the gigantic maw snapped towards Li Jiankang's head!
Qin Ye shut his eyes.
Ruthless?
He didn't think so.
One might be able to escape the wrongs of heaven, but one cannot escape the wrongs of one's own self.
Do you think that the other party is a weak group now?
Do you think the father and son are killing each other?
Do you think that you've lost your humanity?
Then why don't you take a look at the thirty lives that are still kneeling on the ground, sobbing and sobbing?!
However, the expected sound of bones cracking didn't appear.
Instead, it was another voice that lashed out madly, "SSS … VILE … VILE … VILE!!"
Qin Ye opened his eyes in astonishment. He could see a slightly plump figure rushing out of the other coffin in a split second. It had overcome its fear of Qin Ye and rushed out of the coffin like a madman.
It was also covered in black fur, and its hair was also disheveled. However, this particular zombie was even more terrifying. Its entire body was covered with countless knife wounds, and it was clear that it had once been a slightly plump woman in life.
That said, it had already rushed behind Li Cheng and grabbed hold of Li Jiankang's hair with its unbending left hand, while its other hand reached into Li Cheng's mouth and prevented Li Jiankang from biting down.
Qin Ye was stunned.
But before he could even react, Li Cheng's enraged roar caused the ground to tremble, "Let … go!
Let go!! "
"I'm so hungry … I'm so hungry!!
Let me eat … let me eat him!! "
"Mother … mother … don't you love me anymore … You won't let me eat … Let me eat him!"
It screamed and rolled on the ground. The strength of the zombies was incredible. The ground rumbled, and bones and dead fish flew everywhere. The two zombies actually tore each other apart.
"She … still has sentience?" Qin Ye stared at the two zombies in disbelief.
"It's not sentience. It's instinct."
Arthis' voice softened slightly, "She still remembers that this man treated her very well. She remembers that he was her own son … And because her son had killed his own mother before he died, she knew that she would never allow her son to commit patricide to happen again."
"Ghosts aren't evil, and no one is perfect …"