Chapter 88: A Ruthless Man Who Pulled Teeth With His Bare Hands

Hmm? What do you mean by that? That sounds a bit too idealistic to me..." Ma Baoguo said with a pout.

"I said she wasn't human. I never said she was a ghost." Li Tianque's gaze shifted to the victim's mouth as he went on.

"I saw with my own eyes the killer breaking her teeth. The man's strength was monstrous. With bare hands, he could pull out the victim's molars one after another. That is not something an ordinary person could do."

"What? They were pulled out by hand?" Dr. Xia was astonished. "Still, though difficult, if the person had enough strength in his fingers, it might indeed be possible."

Li Tianque had no particular opinion on the matter. As he recalled the scene, he muttered, "Yes. The killer moved quickly, and with ease, as though plucking a blade of grass."

Ma Baoguo gave an unbelieving laugh and looked at Dr. Xia.

"Heh, that reminds me of a saying: in this world, the only things impossible to pull free are teeth, and my love for you."

Ma Baoguo's sudden cheesiness nearly sent Li Tianque reeling. He felt gooseflesh rising all over him.

Dr. Xia looked equally embarrassed, black lines seeming to gather over her head as she said, "Hey, hey, hey... don't say things like that to me. I'm afraid your corny lines will bury me alive."

Seeing Dr. Xia preparing to begin the autopsy, Li Tianque had no desire to watch that scene. He turned to leave and said, "Well, a fine flower ought to be buried properly, right? Then go on with the examination, Dr. Xia. I'll go with Hua Tu and take a look at the research team."

"Quit it! Don't go matchmaking at random!" Dr. Xia chided coquettishly, still visibly awkward.

Ma Baoguo was quite satisfied with Li Tianque's suggestion, and his craving for a cigarette had long become unbearable. He nodded with a smile. "All right, let's go have a look at the research team first. Dr. Xia, be careful here alone. They say... this place seems to have some unclean things about it..."

"Spare me. You two are the least clean of all. Hurry up and go!" Dr. Xia snapped irritably.

"Huh? Don't lump everyone together. Don't make it sound as if he's cut from the same cloth as I am!" Li Tianque waved a hand.

"Hmph, of course not. You two are in cahoots!" Dr. Xia retorted sharply.

"In our grasslands, the word 'wolf' isn't an insult. Dr. Xia, I'll accept that compliment," Li Tianque said as he strode away.

Before leaving, Li Tianque quietly activated the power of "beyond hope," making a few subtle alterations in secret.

With different thoughts in their hearts, Li Tianque and Ma Baoguo slowly made their way toward the entrance.

As they walked, they suddenly noticed that the heavy iron gate at the entrance was wide open.

It was already past seven in the evening, but with no streetlamps, the lanes were still pitch-dark and the light remained dim.

Standing outside the morgue, they both stared in surprise toward the gate.

There, faintly visible at the entrance, stood a short, hunched figure. The person seemed to be leaning on a cane and muttering under their breath.

Ma Baoguo had just brought his cigarette to life when he saw the figure and immediately widened his eyes, barking, "Sneaking around like that—who are you?"

Li Tianque also sensed that something was wrong. Judging from the silhouette, this person seemed somewhat similar to the killer he had encountered before.

Without hesitation, the two of them dashed toward the gate.

The small figure, seeing them charge forward, did not panic or flee. Instead, it slowly turned around, as if preparing to leave.

Once they caught up, they found that it was a withered old woman. She leaned on a cane and wore the traditional fur garments of the Kang people.

The colors of her clothing were bright and vivid, somewhat like a long dress, with a cotton net hanging from the hem.

At each knot in the net dangled a delicate bronze bell. Though the fabric had faded with age, the bells were polished bright, shining as if newly made.

"Grandma Zhuoma, what... what are you doing here so late?" Ma Baoguo clearly knew her and greeted her warmly at once.

Grandma Zhuoma kept rubbing a string of jujube-wood prayer beads struck by lightning. Her cloudy eyes swept over Ma Baoguo from head to toe as she muttered hoarsely and faintly, "Evil deeds beyond count. The punishment of the earth spirit of Dewa has come. All those burdened with sin shall be judged with the severest penalty. Wait for the final judgment. No villain can escape..."

She did not speak Kang language, but rather a rather awkward Mandarin.

Ma Baoguo wanted to ask more, but Grandma Zhuoma had already gone on her way, walking slowly under the moonlight toward the darkness at the far end of the street.

Seeing how respectful Ma Baoguo was toward the old woman, and how he did not probe into her strange behavior, Li Tianque grew curious and asked, "Who is that old lady?"

"Shh, keep your voice down. Don't call her that casually. You should call her Grandma Zhuoma. She's the most respected shaman in Wulok Township. She worships the earth spirit of Dewa. To put it plainly, this so-called earth spirit is a kind of insect found only here."

As he spoke, Ma Baoguo wore a mysterious expression and continued, "But don't underestimate Grandma Debu. She's a sinister one. Any problem the township can't solve, people come to her. From lost cattle and sheep to exorcisms and funerary rites, she can handle it all through sorcery. Her standing in the township is extremely high.

It is said she's also a guardian of the Insect God, and she possesses a miraculous insect flute. Supposedly, by playing that flute, she can awaken an army of insects!"

Li Tianque had in fact guessed that the old woman might be a shaman. After all, in a backward place like this, more people were willing to believe in such mysterious powers.

He had simply not expected her to be a devotee of an insect god.

"So, the matter of the Eagle Division before—was it the tribal chief Jia Yang Gongbu who asked her to do it?" Li Tianque asked.

"Uh, I'm not too clear on that. I heard that later, after Professor Lu from the research team got involved, Grandma Debu came back. Supposedly, she even had a falling-out with Chief Jia Yang Gongbu," Ma Baoguo said.

Li Tianque pondered this. Suo A had never mentioned it to him.

Still, it seemed this Grandma Debu harbored hostility toward everyone in the research team, which was why she could speak such venomous words beside the morgue.

"Oh, I see. Then this Grandma Debu also had motive and suspicion," Li Tianque said.

"She... but she's so old. Just the tooth-pulling alone, she probably couldn't manage it," Ma Baoguo said, lighting his cigarette and taking a satisfied drag.

"But her build was very similar to the killer I saw that night, and since the deity she worships is some kind of insect, maybe the bugs on Lin Ya's body were placed into the victim by her. It could even be some legendary gu sorcery..." Li Tianque guessed.

"Hahaha, have you been watching too many horror movies? Besides, this isn't southern Hunan. Where would there be gu sorcery?" Ma Baoguo scoffed.

Li Tianque kept thinking, and as the events of that night came back to him, another question suddenly surfaced.

"By the way, the time you received the call and the time the killer fled were very close that night. How did you receive the report?"

Ma Baoguo also found this suspicious. Exhaling a ring of smoke, he said, "That was indeed a bit eerie. That night, Dorje Nyima, who was on duty along with a few other auxiliary police officers, was playing cards when they suddenly heard someone shouting in the alley that someone had been killed near Pengying Supermarket.

After hearing the shout, Dorje Nyima immediately rushed over with five auxiliary officers. One of them went back to the station to report, and once we got the call, we hurried over.

But strangely enough, the person who made the report was shouting very urgently, yet she never appeared herself. I don't think I need to tell you what happened next—Dorje Nyima ran into you at the scene."

"Mm. In that case, Dorje Nyima should at least remember the informant's voice. There aren't many people in this township; maybe if we checked nearby, we'd get a result," Li Tianque said.

"Of course I've already been investigating that, but it is strange. I still don't understand why the person who made the report would hide away," Ma Baoguo said in confusion.

"Heh, because the one who reported it was very likely the killer himself." Li Tianque said.