Chapter 23: The Haunted Police Station

Lin Bei had arranged for all the personnel he had recruited to be well taken care of. With his immense financial power, it was impossible for any of them to refuse his offer.

As soon as they boarded the car, Yun Qing couldn't wait to ask, "Mr. Lin, are we dealing with zombies or ghosts this time?"

Lin Bei chuckled and replied, "Where would there be so many zombies? It's ghosts this time—specifically, ghosts formed from the spirits of war criminals. I have only one requirement: destroy them so thoroughly that they can never be reincarnated. Of course, if you have any reservations, you can simply capture them, and I will handle them personally."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of Yun Qing and Zhang Tian’ai shifted instantly. Even Ma Xiaoling’s expression grew somber.

In a world where attaining immortality was a pipe dream and there was no way to live forever, practitioners of the righteous path sought to accumulate merit in hopes of a favorable reincarnation in their next life. Of course, if they could land a government position in the Underworld and avoid the suffering of the cycle of rebirth, that would be even better.

Exorcising ghosts and helping them transcend is an act that garners merit. Under normal circumstances, even when dealing with malevolent spirits, an exorcist would only perform rites of transcendence rather than completely annihilating them, as the latter would incur heavy karmic debt.

What Lin Bei was asking of them would inevitably increase their karmic burden. It was clearly a test of loyalty. While they could follow his suggestion to capture the ghosts and hand them over, doing so would create a rift between them, making future cooperation difficult.

Among the three, Ma Xiaoling was the first to make up her mind. There was no other reason than the fact that she had plenty of backing in the Underworld. Her ancestors had made demon hunting their life's work, accumulating an untold amount of merit; killing a few ghosts was a trivial matter for her.

"Boss, I have no problem with that. Those Japanese devils committed countless atrocities in life, and if they want to cause chaos in death, they deserve to have their souls scattered," Ma Xiaoling declared.

With Ma Xiaoling having spoken, Zhang Tian’ai and Yun Qing could no longer remain silent.

Yun Qing put on a flattering smile and said, "Mr. Lin, I have no problem either."

Zhang Tian’ai quickly chimed in, "The same goes for me."

Lin Bei scanned the trio and said meaningfully, "Don't worry, you won't regret today's decision. For every ghost you kill, I will give you a bonus of ten thousand."

Hearing this, the three were instantly energized. Ma Xiaoling even began calculating how she could move into a better apartment once this job was finished. Practitioners were notoriously poor, even the illustrious "Southern Mao and Northern Ma" clans were no exception. Ma Xiaoling had spent a fortune on her education and the purchase of exorcism tools, leaving her stuck in a run-of-the-mill apartment. With money in hand, she would certainly upgrade.

***

As the four of them talked, the car pulled up to the Shatoujiao Police Station.

After getting out, Yun Qing handed a pair of sunglasses to Lin Bei. "Boss, this is a new product that Tian’ai and I developed. As long as you wear them, you can see ghosts and spirits."

Lin Bei’s eyes lit up, and he instinctively asked, "Have you applied for a patent?"

Yun Qing shook his head, looking bewildered. Making the gadget was troublesome enough, and he hadn't even thought about patents. Seeing his reaction, Lin Bei knew the answer. He decided it would be better to discuss that after they had cleared the station of its spectral inhabitants.

When Lin Bei put on the sunglasses, the scene before him changed instantly. The surroundings were bright and clear, but a dark cloud of mist hovered over the police station. Lin Bei could even faintly hear a shrill, piercing wail.

As Lin Bei donned the glasses, Ma Xiaoling and the others activated their own Yin-Yang vision. Once they saw the reality of the situation, the smiles vanished from their faces. The problem at this station was far more severe than they had initially anticipated.

However, serious as it was, none of them had any intention of retreating. If they were facing a Great Demon God or a Silver-Armored Zombie, they would have had to weigh their chances, but against a few malevolent spirits—even if they encountered one with a century of cultivation—they could at least ensure their own safety.

Seeing the three of them about to rush in to wreak havoc, Lin Bei hurriedly stopped them.

"Wait a moment!"

Ma Xiaoling and the others turned, looking at him in confusion. Lin Bei didn't offer an explanation; he pulled out his phone and made a call. Before long, a middle-aged police superintendent wearing glasses walked out. Behind him followed two subordinates—one with a large nose, the other looking prematurely aged. The two were whispering and pointing at Lin Bei and his group, clearly not the most disciplined of officers.

The superintendent stepped forward, warmly extending a hand to Lin Bei. "Mr. Lin, I am the officer in charge of this station. My surname is Hu, just call me Ah Xin."

After shaking hands with Ah Xin, Lin Bei pointed to Ma Xiaoling. "This is Ms. Ma, sent by your superiors to help you resolve your problems. She is my friend, and hearing that she was coming to do some 'cleaning' for you, I decided to tag along for the show."

***

Ah Xin’s mouth twitched. He had been quite pleased to see Lin Bei, thinking that building a connection with such a wealthy tycoon would be a boon for his future. But hearing that Lin Bei intended to get involved in the hauntings made him uneasy.

He hadn't really believed in ghosts, but his two subordinates and his new deputy had insisted that the station was haunted, leaving him no choice but to report it. If it were just a misunderstanding, that would be one thing, but if there were actual ghosts and Lin Bei got hurt, he would be the one to take the fall.

After a moment of hesitation, Ah Xin said, "Mr. Lin, with your status, why risk yourself? In my opinion, why don't we find a place to have tea and chat?"

Lin Bei looked at Ah Xin with a cryptic smile. "Don't worry, even if something happens, I won't blame you."

Ah Xin wanted to press further, but seeing Lin Bei’s determined look, he swallowed his words. He turned to his two subordinates and said, "Kim Mak-kei, Meng Chao, from now on, you two are to protect Mr. Lin. If he loses a single hair, you can both look forward to being transferred to guard the reservoirs!"

Upon hearing this, Kim Mak-kei and Meng Chao were not discouraged but rather excited; this was a rare opportunity to get close to one of Hong Kong's top tycoons.

However, while they were happy, Lin Bei rolled his eyes. Meng Chao and Kim Mak-kei were classic "useless teammates." With himself and Ma Xiaoling’s team, dealing with that nest of ghosts would have been easy. But with these two thrown into the mix, it felt like the odds had suddenly shifted to nine deaths and one life.

After a moment of thought, Lin Bei said to Ah Xin, "Officer, would it be convenient to take me on a tour of your detention cells? It would be best if you led us yourself."

Ah Xin didn't know what Lin Bei was up to, but after a moment of hesitation, he nodded in agreement. As he led Lin Bei’s group into the station, Kim Mak-kei and Meng Chao immediately moved to follow, but they were intercepted by Xiahou Wu and Feng Yu-xiu, who had received their instructions.

Xiahou Wu said with a friendly expression, "Officers, our stomachs are feeling a bit uncomfortable. Would you mind showing us the way to the washroom?"

Meng Chao started to point the way, but Xiahou Wu stopped him, insisting that he lead them there personally. Kim Mak-kei was similarly cornered by Feng Yu-xiu, and the two were ushered off toward the washroom.