Afterwards, we more or less understood what the Spirit Summoning Game was all about.
"By the way, Granny, what about the people from the Nether Syndicate?" I added, and Hugh Thompson looked at the old man and the blind granny with interest.
"Don't worry, I'm very tight-lipped."
"When we summon spirits, it's usually for fortune-telling or to use ghosts to find other ghosts, that's all. Hugh, you have people from the Ghost Burial Squad, right? Have you ever tried spirit invocation?"
Hugh Thompson nodded.
"We tried, but it was useless. None of those children's souls responded at all."
After that, Hugh Thompson and I left. It was already past nine o'clock.
"Qingyuan, let's grab a drink. My treat."
After running around all day and barely eating in the afternoon, my stomach was a bit empty. I nodded.
The car drove along the road, passing the commercial avenue. I saw Hugh Thompson slow down and start driving slowly. There were many pedestrians on the street, but the traffic wasn't heavy.
Just then, on the left side of the sidewalk, a woman in a purple business suit with her hair tied back was walking by, carrying a bag. Hugh Thompson was watching her intently.
Hugh Thompson cracked a smile, sped up, and pulled the car into the alley entrance ahead of the woman, stopping there.
"Hey, just got off work? Want me to give you a ride home?"
I chuckled to myself. So he was here to hit on a girl—probably afraid of rejection, so he dragged me along as backup. The woman ahead was pretty, with an oval face, looked about thirty.
"No need," the woman said, and started to walk away.
"Don't be so cold. Look, it's been ages since we hung out. Shouldn't we get together?"
The woman shot Hugh Thompson a cold glance.
"Idiot. Get lost. Just seeing you pisses me off."
Hugh Thompson shook his head, smiling, and the woman left without turning back.
I blinked, watching Hugh Thompson's regretful face as the woman walked away into the distance.
"What did you do to her? Why did she call you a lunatic?"
"It's nothing, haha. That woman is actually my wife. Just a marital spat, we've been giving each other the cold shoulder for years. Come on, let's grab a drink."
I gave a noncommittal grunt, shooting Hugh Thompson a skeptical look.
Once we got in the car, Hugh Thompson opened the small bag slung over his shoulder and tossed me a little red booklet. I glanced at it—it was a marriage certificate. Sure enough, the woman from before was his wife.
"You two are..." I started, but Hugh Thompson just smiled and said nothing. We arrived at a busy roadside barbecue stall.
"The food here is really good."
Skewers of meat were brought out—honestly, they were excellent, really delicious.
Hugh Thompson ordered a dozen cold beers. I stared at him, dumbfounded.
"That’s a lot—are we really going to finish all that?"
By midnight, I was already a bit tipsy. Hugh Thompson had downed a dozen and a half beers by himself. I’d only managed six, and my stomach felt like it was about to explode.
The cafeteria was already completely sealed off, with police tape strung up and plenty of officers standing guard. As we walked in, I saw Chief Stone sitting at a table, smoking.
"We've been waiting for you, Hugh, Ethan."
Then we headed up to the top floor of the cafeteria, near the water tank, where several Ghost Burial Squad members were standing watch. We climbed up.
Inside the tank, there was a skeleton with long hair, a big clump of hair blocking the drain. The skull was intact, but some parts were tinged red.
"When will the forensic team get here?"
"Hugh, they'll probably arrive around nine. Let's get some McDonald's outside first, grab a bite. I'm starving."
"Just like thirteen years ago... What really happened?"
Chief Stone stared at the skull inside, while I walked over to the observatory, my heart pounding. I was terrified—what if it was Lily Qian's body? Just thinking of Mr. Qian made my nose sting.
We returned to the first floor of the cafeteria. Soon, the teachers and classes of the missing students arrived, along with their vice principal.
"Officer, with so many students, if we don't start the fire soon, things will get complicated."
The vice principal walked over, looking anxious.
"You guys should get the body out first, then take your time with the identification."
"That's going to be tricky, Principal. If we mess up the scene, how are we supposed to find the killer? You should arrange things quickly. Let the students have the day off today."
Chief Stone said this, and the vice principal looked a bit annoyed.
"Tell us everything you know. If you keep hiding things, we have the right to detain you for 48 hours. This is now a major criminal case." Hugh Thompson stared at the group of teachers, who still looked evasive and reluctant to speak.
"Speak up. You should know what kind of Spirit Summoning Game the students were playing, right?" Hugh Thompson pressed again.
Then the vice principal quickly replied.
"Officer, those are just superstitious rumors. This is a school, not a temple." The vice principal said, glancing at the teachers.
Hugh Thompson seemed to be getting angry.
"You, take them to the station for 48-hour detention. They're all key suspects and need to be verified." I watched several Ghost Burial Squad members walk over, ready to escort the ten-plus teachers away.
"Wait, officer—where's your arrest warrant? You don't have a search warrant, and you don't have an arrest warrant..."
Right then, I saw Hugh Thompson stride over and grab the vice principal by the collar.
"What are you trying to do?"
With a dull thud, fresh blood spattered—the vice principal took a punch from Hugh Thompson, spit blood, and collapsed to the ground.
A chorus of shocked screams erupted from the teachers.
"I'll sue you! I'll sue you!"
"Sigh, another report to file." Chief Stone sighed helplessly, lit a cigarette, and watched quietly. He didn't intervene, and neither did I—because I was angry too. These teachers obviously knew something, but refused to talk, even with people dead, still trying to protect the school's reputation.
Hugh Thompson took off his glasses and looked at the vice principal clutching his mouth on the ground.
"Go ahead and sue. Students have been missing for ages, and now we've found bodies. Yet you still won't talk? You—come here."
The vice principal scrambled to his feet, looking ready to run, but two Ghost Burial Squad members held him down.
"Stay put, fatty. Behave, or I'll beat you into a pig's head." one Ghost Burial Squad member threatened.
I saw Chief Stone rubbing his forehead, looking deeply troubled.
"You—step forward. Tell us, what game were the students playing?"
A female teacher nervously stepped forward, shaking her head.
"It's a game called Red Roulette."
Suddenly, a male teacher muttered quietly.
"So, what exactly is this game?"
"I don't know. You'd have to ask the students in the class."
Then Hugh Thompson had the teachers bring all the students from their classes to the cafeteria. The teachers left quickly, while the vice principal looked pale and devastated.