Gou Zai, a corpse sewn into a spirit in a mortuary during the Republic of China era, became a spirit

Snapped!

Seeing that Shen Molan didn't respond, Ding Si slapped himself hard across the face again, increasing the force so that half of his face was swollen.

"I failed in my duty; I never imagined such a monster would appear in that cursed place and steal the coffin. Zhou Xuli and Xie Bingxiang said that the contents of the coffin attracted the monster from the mountains..."

Shen Molan regained her composure: "Go to the police station and find Li Zhonglin. Tell him my message: have Li Zhonglin bring all his patrol officers and assemble at the back gate of Qinghe Mortuary immediately. Wait for me. Remember, this matter must be kept secret."

Seeing that Shen Molan did not punish him, Ding Si immediately patted his chest and assured her, "Commander Shen, rest assured, I will definitely handle this matter properly."

After saying this, Ding Si hurriedly left.

Shen Molan pondered for a moment, a smile curving her lips, before hurriedly returning to the flower hall.

Upon seeing Shen Molan enter, Shen Wanglu casually flipped through a page of the account book and said nonchalantly, "Why are you reporting in the middle of the night? Has something happened?"

Shen Yuling, who was standing nearby, took the initiative to pour Shen Molan a cup of tea, revealing a charming expression. "Second sister, I told you long ago not to go to work at the governor's mansion. There are so many things to do there, it's hard to even get a good night's sleep. It's much better to come home and help manage the business. This is a new society now, and everyone is engaged in economic development."

Shen Molan smiled and said, "You can't say that. It's precisely because our family is so large and powerful that we need to have connections in the military. It will also provide us with an extra layer of protection in the future."

Shen Yuling pouted, "You always have so many reasons. I can't argue with you, hmph."

Shen Molan shook her head helplessly: "Besides, Second Uncle's family already has Yuling to help them out. If I come back, wouldn't I be taking your place?"

After making a half-joking remark, Shen Molan stood up and said to Shen Wanglu, who was seated at the head of the table, "Second Uncle, something has indeed happened in the army. I'm going upstairs to your study to make a phone call. Is that convenient?"

Splash!

Shen Wanglu flipped through the account book and casually said, "We're all family, why be so polite?"

"Thank you, Second Uncle."

Leaving behind a message, Shen Molan hurried upstairs in her leather boots.

Shen Yuling pouted, moved closer to Shen Wanglu, and gently massaged his shoulders. "Dad, our business has been growing bigger and bigger lately. We need a helper. Let Second Sister come back and help you. It'll save you the trouble of working alone."

Shen Wanglu smiled faintly, "Mo Lan has her own ambitions, we can't force her. Besides, joining the army is quite good. Qian Jun is also a distant nephew, the two of them can support each other, and if they make a name for themselves in the governor's mansion in the future, it will be a help to our family. As for you, stop hanging out with those progressive students all day long, going around to demonstrations and protests. You might accidentally offend someone one day without anyone knowing."

Shen Yuling lowered her head. "It was Father who sent his daughter to school."

Shen Wanglu was taken aback. "I did send you to study, but now you've graduated. Why don't you come and help out at the Xuanji Association?"

Shen Yuling immediately released her hands from her shoulders: "No."

Shen Wanglu: "What? You look down on the Xuanji Society?"

The Shen family had been a prominent family in Yongning County since the previous dynasty. By the time of Shen Wanglu, their business had expanded dramatically, taking advantage of the opening of the port. He owned numerous silk and tea shops throughout Yongning County, and had long collaborated with foreign firms in import and export trade. It was also said that he held shares in the foreign concessions. He was the president of the Yongning County Chamber of Commerce, a guest of honor at the county magistrate's office, and even foreign compradors from Tianjin would address him respectfully as "Mr. Shen."

The title "Mr. Shen" not only highlights Shen Wanglu's status but also serves as a respectful address for this great philanthropist.

In his early years, he spearheaded the fundraising to rebuild the county's Confucian temple and several bridges, and set up soup kitchens at the city gates during years of famine. He was most praised for gathering celebrities from all walks of life to establish the "Xuanji Society," which was dedicated to helping the poor, widowed, and sick in the county by providing medicine and coffins, and had an excellent reputation.

In the simple understanding of the people of Yongning County, Master Shen was completely different from those tyrannical warlords, exploitative tax collectors, and arrogant foreigners. He was a rare "benevolent gentry" in this chaotic world.

Given his status as the president of the Xuanji Society, the number of people in the entire Yongning County who dare to defy Shen Wanglu can be counted on one hand.

Shen Yuling, however, was dismissive of the Xuanji Society. "The Xuanji Society is full of old scholars who are always giving alms to this and that. It's driving me crazy. I'd rather stick to my father's business."

Seeing his daughter's strong aversion, Shen Wanglu didn't force her, but just smiled faintly.

A short while later, footsteps came from the stairwell, and Shen Molan came down. "Second Uncle, Yuling. I have important matters to attend to in the army, so I won't be staying at home tonight. Second Uncle, you've been working hard day and night, so please take care of yourself and get some rest."

Shen Wanglu nodded with a smile and said, "Yuling, go see your second sister off."

"Okay." Shen Yuling got up, walked over, and took Shen Molan's arm. "Second sister, let me see you off."

After seeing Shen Molan off, Shen Yuling did not return to the flower hall, but went to her own small courtyard: Huaxi Pavilion.

Logically, as the daughter of Yongning's richest man, Huaxi Pavilion should have maids and servants. But in fact, there wasn't a single servant there. Shen Yuling said that women in the new society valued independence and didn't need to be waited on. So Shen Wanglu let it go.

Shen Yuling locked the door behind her, and the naive and innocent look on her face faded away like the tide, replaced by a calmness and focus that was beyond her years.

Without lighting a lamp, she walked straight to her carved canopy bed, which was draped with plain white gauze curtains, by the dim moonlight filtering in through the window.

She crouched down, reached under the bed and groped around in a hidden spot on the inside, then pulled out a rectangular black leather box and a pair of oddly shaped headphones with thin wires attached.

Shen Yuling took out the box, placed it on the dressing table, and skillfully opened the clasp.

Inside the box was a sophisticated set of equipment: the main body was a metal box slightly larger than the palm of your hand, with several knobs and sockets on the surface, several dry cell batteries connected to it, and a neatly wound roll of enameled wire.

This is by no means an ordinary item that can be bought on the market; it is more like a laboratory product or a specially modified military item.

She picked up the headphones and then turned a knob on the metal case.

A slight, steady hum of electricity came from the headphones.

She extended her slender fingers and precisely turned another knob, adjusting the receiving frequency. The static in the headphones gradually changed, mixed with some indistinct radio wave noise.

She held her breath and continued to fine-tune. When the knob reached a certain position, the electrical noise suddenly decreased and was replaced by a clear conversation.

It was Shen Molan's voice at first, "Section Chief, it's me, Molan. There's been a bit of an accident in Yongning County, but... it might be a turning point."

The answer came from Shen Qianjun's voice: "Has there been any change to that 'coffin'?"

"My soldier Ding Si reported that just over half an hour ago, a 'skull' broke into the mortuary, killed a guard, and then carried the iron-chained coffin through the barriers and fled directly into the mass grave behind the mortuary, heading towards Laojun Mountain. Ding Si fired a shot, and the bullet hit the skeleton, but the thing didn't care at all; it was incredibly strong and fast."

"A skeleton? Are you sure? It's not a person in disguise?"

"There was more than one eyewitness, including the staff at the mortuary and my soldiers. Their descriptions were consistent, and... the thing was shot, and we could hear the bones cracking, yet it moved as usual. According to the old clerk at the mortuary, it might be a 'bone demon' nurtured by the yin energy of the mass grave over a century. More importantly, it had a clear target: it only wanted to steal that coffin. I believe it was very likely attracted by the special yin energy remaining in 'Chen Daquan' inside the coffin."

"Section Chief, if 'Chen Daquan' is a semi-finished product forcibly catalyzed by 'Black Omen,' then this self-formed 'Bone Demon,' whether in terms of the purity of its Yin energy or its autonomy of action, is probably more effective and closer to the 'evolutionary sample' we want than 'Chen Daquan'!"

"Good! Very good! Commander, you only care about the result, not the process, and you don't want to hear about 'accidents' or 'out of control.' The matter of 'Chen Daquan' was already somewhat risky, and now that the coffin is gone, an even 'better' 'bone demon' has appeared. Either way, we have to bring one back to complete our mission. I'll leave it at that for now and report it all together once we have a result. You immediately lead men into the mountains to capture that bone demon. I'll be there shortly. Remember, this matter must not be publicized."

"..."

As the recording finished playing, Shen Yuling slowly took off her headphones and gently placed them next to the leather case.

Moonlight streamed through the window, illuminating her beautiful yet expressionless face. She sat quietly in the darkness, a wide, sinister smile slowly spreading across her lips.

"The Bone Demon... is getting more and more interesting! Hehehe..."