After Descending the Mountain, Seven Big Brothers Spoil Me

Chapter 1089 Trapped

The police arrived quickly; the entire police force was mobilized.

Such a massive case was simply terrifying.

The captain of the criminal police team shook hands with Qin Xu, and after understanding the situation, his face became very grim.

"I'm sorry, we hadn't noticed this earlier."

His expression grew even darker as he continued,

"This mountain isn't exactly in a remote area. On the contrary, it's been a popular tourist destination in recent years. I never thought we would find seven bodies buried here."

This was a serious dereliction of duty on their part.

Qin Xu replied, "Let's solve the case first."

As for whose responsibility it was, that was something to consider after catching the murderer.

"Yes." The captain nodded, instructing that all the bodies be brought back to the police station, and that search dogs be used to comb the mountain for any other potential evidence.

Zhouzhou and the others went to the police station as well.

Qin Xu, known as a highly reputable criminal investigator across the country, was trusted by the captain, who asked him to assist.

Qin Dong continued with the autopsies.

Qin Xi followed the team to search the mountain.

Qin Feng stayed behind in the autopsy room, studying.

Zhouzhou, on the other hand, sat in the corridor of the police station, lost in thought.

When Qin Lie arrived, he saw her sitting there and walked over to pat her on the head. "What are you thinking about?"

"Dad," Zhouzhou looked up at him, her hand resting on her cheek, her expression troubled. "It's so strange. I couldn't find any of their spirits."

It shouldn't be like this.

Given the way they died, it didn't seem like a normal death. Their spirits shouldn't have reincarnated so quickly.

So what was going on?

Where were their spirits?

Zhouzhou was confused, unable to figure it out, and was feeling frustrated.

Qin Lie wasn't of much help in this matter. He could only offer her some comfort. "Don't worry. Keep searching, and you'll find them eventually. Let's wait for them to figure out the identities of the victims. Maybe that will lead to the spirits."

That was all they could do.

Zhouzhou nodded, "Mm."

By the evening, Qin Dong had finally finished the autopsies.

The police had also identified the victims. Shockingly, all seven bodies turned out to be from the same family.

The family's surname was Zhao, and they were locals from South City.

Among the seven bodies, the oldest was 98 years old, and the youngest was only three years old. There were four generations in total.

When the captain heard this, his eyes reddened.

"Four generations under one roof... They were supposed to be a warm and happy family, but instead..."

Zhouzhou clenched her fists.

This was a sign of a disaster.

If only she had been here earlier, she could have tried to warn them, helping them avoid this fate.

Thinking of that three-year-old child, Zhouzhou felt a tight knot in her chest.

Everyone in the police force wore a grim expression, the heaviness in their hearts weighing down on them like dark clouds.

Their faces were serious, and a cold chill lingered in the air.

"How's the investigation going? Have you found any useful clues?" Once upstairs, the captain asked one of the officers inside.

The officer reported the situation.

"I've questioned the neighbors. Most of them knew about the Zhao family's plan to go hiking because it was a regular habit of theirs. Every time someone in the family had a birthday, they would go."

Hearing this, the captain furrowed his brows. "Why only on birthdays?"

"They said that many years ago, they encountered a mudslide, and that's when they moved here. It happened decades ago."

"The older generation, who lacked formal education, believed that the mudslide was caused by the mountain god's anger. They survived because the mountain god showed mercy. Especially for the Zhao family, they happened to be outside at the time, so they escaped unharmed."

"So, every time someone has a birthday, they go to thank the mountain god."

What nonsense. Why bring the mountain god into this?

The group frowned.

"So, everyone here knew that they were planning to hike that day?" Qin Xu asked, his brow still furrowed.

The officer nodded. "Yes."

This was troublesome, as the range of suspects expanded significantly.

Zhouzhou looked around, pacing the room, then frowned after taking another look.

Seeing this, Qin Xu stepped forward and whispered, "Still haven't found anything?"

Zhouzhou nodded, "No."

This was really strange.

If the spirits weren't here, where could they be?

Fortunately, everything here had been used by the family, so summoning the spirits wouldn't be difficult.

She glanced at Qin Xu and quietly whispered something to him.

Qin Xu nodded, pointing to a room. "Captain, let's check this room."

The captain casually nodded and didn't ask any further questions, allowing them to proceed.

Once inside the room, Qin Xu closed the door.

Zhouzhou took out a talisman and began chanting, "Tai Shang Lao Jun, quick as the law commands, return!"

As she spoke, she waved her hand forward.

However, there was no response.

Zhouzhou froze, unwilling to accept defeat. She tried again, but once again, nothing happened.

Seeing this, Qin Xu cleared his throat, feeling awkward for her. He tried to offer an excuse, "Zhouzhou, maybe you're too tired and didn't perform the ritual properly?"

"It's not that." Zhouzhou shook her head. "Someone has trapped their spirits."