Evan Wade felt as if he were on a battlefield, with a ferocious enemy right in front of him. He suddenly stepped back, half-crouched, his spine taut like a tightly drawn bow.

All the muscles in his body exploded with power in an instant, and the eight-sided Han sword in his hand thrust forward sharply.

A piercing, shrill sound split the air.

When this simple, unadorned sword thrust ended, the blade made of pattern-welded steel was still trembling.

Entwined on the blade was the first type of 【exorcism】 technique, the power to drive away evil spirits spilling out.

The whole room became much warmer.

All the wandering spirits stood on tiptoe, backs pressed against the wall, not daring to move a muscle.

The room was deathly silent and terrifying, with only the low, solemn hum of the sword slowly dissipating.

Evan Wade closed his eyes for a moment, and only after a long while did he exhale a turbid breath. He drew a sign with his fingers, and a talisman appeared in the air, then shattered, lifting the exorcism technique. The ghostly soldier appeared beside him, looking somewhat dazed. Evan Wade sheathed his sword. He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but even after lifting the 【exorcism】, he still felt a lingering sense of familiarity with the sword.

Although he couldn't compare to a battle-hardened warrior, he was certainly beyond the level of an ordinary enthusiast.

The remnant soul of the Qi family army was momentarily dazed, sensing something, and said, “My lord, are you going to...”

Evan Wade nodded and pointed at the red embroidered shoe, saying:

“This thing has come to our door, so we have to deal with it.”

He recalled the courtyard he saw in his dream, the antique, incredibly realistic wooden building. He had an instinctive feeling that this building probably existed in reality. According to various supernatural tales, places like this were definitely useful for restraining female ghosts.

As for finding such a place, he could search online, but that would be slow.

Besides that, there was another way.

“You’re coming with me to file a report.”

The water ghost was dumbfounded. “Report to the police to catch a ghost? Will that work?”

Evan Wade found a box and put the red embroidered shoe and the lock of black hair he had cut off earlier inside, saying:

“With these, we might be able to persuade them to help us find a place.”

“If I’m not mistaken, the victim from before has already lost the red embroidered shoe on her foot.”

……

At this moment.

A pitch-black car stopped in front of the Quanshi police station.

Chapter 0009: Filing a Report

Since Evan Wade woke up, he hadn’t slept again.

He leaned against the wall, holding his sword, and waited until after dawn. Only then did he put the Crouching Tiger badge in his pocket, picked up the bag containing the red embroidered shoe and the severed hair, and went to file a report. Outside, it was a sunny day, the sunlight warm and gentle, but he still felt a chill in his hands and feet.

Especially the hand holding the bag—it felt as if it had been soaked in ice.

He didn’t go to the nearest police station.

Instead, he rented a shared bike and went straight to the city police headquarters.

There was no doubt that in a major case like a murder, the body and records wouldn’t still be at a local station. Besides, Evan Wade suspected that since there were ghosts harming people and the world remained so calm, there must be some force restraining these supernatural beings.

When he arrived at the police station, Evan Wade noticed a jet-black car among the police vehicles.

He didn’t pay it any mind and walked straight in, found a police officer, and spoke crisply and directly.

“Hello, I’d like to file a report.”

The young officer was stunned for a moment and said, “Huh? May I ask...”

“There’s a ghost trying to harm me.”

“Huh??!”

……

Evan Wade originally thought he would have to go through some trouble before he might have a chance of convincing the police.

But for some reason, after he said a ghost had come after him, the officer gave him a strange look, then made a phone call to someone, and afterward led him to a room, poured him a cup of plain water, and simply told him to wait a moment before leaving.

He even closed the door on his way out.

In the small room, only Evan Wade was left, with a table and a water dispenser.

Evan Wade held the paper cup in both hands and finally relaxed a little. Judging from the police’s reaction, it was clear they knew about ghosts—at least, the people in this station did. This meant that beneath the surface of this peaceful world, there was another world unknown to most people.

Evan Wade took a sip of water.

He heard crisp, decisive footsteps—the sharp sound of high heels on the floor.

A minute later, the door opened, and a short-haired woman in a business suit walked in. She had a well-proportioned figure, graceful curves, and an astonishingly slender waist. There was a faint scent of women’s cigarettes on her white shirt. Her eyes swept the room, and she reached out to Evan Wade:

“Special Operations Unit, Irene Shaw.”

“Evan Wade.”

“Mm, I just read your statement.”

Irene Shaw pulled over a chair and sat down in front of Evan Wade, holding a file, which she set aside casually. She smiled, “I just had a cigarette, so there’s a bit of a smell. Hope you don’t mind?”

“It’s fine.”

“Mm, you said you encountered a ghost?”

Evan Wade glanced at the Bluetooth earpiece in the woman’s left ear and nodded:

“Yes. It started with a dream. I dreamed of a small building, then a courtyard with a locust tree. That woman was sitting by the stone well, watching me...”

As Evan Wade recounted his dream to the woman in front of him.