Chapter 29

Qin Shaoyou kicked away a pelvis bone that was charging at him, bent down to pick up the skull he had split in half, and examined it carefully.

Under the effect of the [Keen Eyes] talent, he could see all the information and details on the skull clearly.

He had indeed made a discovery.

The skull was actually pieced together.

It was made by assembling fragments of dog bones to form a human child's skull.

Because the assembly was very meticulous and enhanced by demonic energy, it was hard to spot any flaws.

But why would the criminals use dog bones to impersonate human bones?

Was it to cover up the true fate of the missing children?

Or did they have other intentions?

Qin Shaoyou had new questions in his mind.

However, the immediate priority was to destroy these ghost bones and demonic bones.

So, Qin Shaoyou temporarily set aside his doubts, wielded his saber, and ran around inside and outside the dilapidated temple, slashing at the skulls one by one.

He was so proactive not only to kill the demons and save people but also to snatch 'human heads' and obtain ingredients.

He was looking forward to the effects of the demon bone soup and wanted to get more bones to boil more soup so that he could drink it and become stronger.

But in the eyes of others, these bones were the remains of the missing children.

Even with the [Silver Tongue] talent, it would be very difficult to convince people that these were dog bones, not human bones.

Therefore, Qin Shaoyou could not take the bones away to boil soup after the battle.

He could only destroy the skulls to let the recipe in his mind extract the ingredients.

This required him to be even more proactive in the battle to snatch more 'human heads.'

After a few slashes, Qin Shaoyou found that bladed weapons were not very effective against bone ghosts and demonic bones.

Zhu Xiuzai and others also noticed this.

They immediately discarded their sabers and switched to more suitable weapons.

"Sir, catch this."

Zhu Xiuzai shouted and threw a new weapon to Qin Shaoyou.

It was a golden melon hammer.

This blunt weapon was extremely effective against bone ghosts and demonic bones.

Fortunately, Qin Shaoyou had his subordinates take various weapons from the armory of the Luo City Demon Control Bureau, otherwise, they would not have had a hammer to switch to.

Being prepared for all eventualities and having more rather than less was indeed the right approach.

With the hammer, Qin Shaoyou and his team fought the bone ghosts and demonic bones more effectively.

One hit, one accurate strike; one smash, one shattered bone.

Compared to Qin Shaoyou and his team, the night watchmen and constables of Mianyuan County had no blunt weapons to switch to.

They could only continue to fight the bone ghosts and demonic bones with their sabers and swords.

Fortunately, these bone ghosts and demonic bones, though eerie, were not very powerful.

They were far inferior to the five demons they encountered at the Wu Family Manor.

Moreover, these bone ghosts and demonic bones had a clear weakness: their skulls.

As long as a skull was smashed, the entire set of bones would lose control and revert to ordinary bones.

So, although the battle came suddenly, it ended quickly.

After the battle, a count revealed that, apart from the few people who were initially ambushed, no one else was killed.

However, many were injured.

The most seriously injured was a bowman from the county.

Poor him, he shot several arrows, all of which grazed the bones without hurting the bone ghosts and demonic bones.

Instead, he was grabbed by a bone hand, which tore a large piece of flesh from his leg, exposing the bone through the wound.

Compared to the people of Mianyuan County, Qin Shaoyou and his team were unharmed.

After all, they were well-prepared, not only with the golden melon hammer to switch to but also wearing armor.

The bones couldn't even penetrate the armor, let alone injure them.

"Thank you for your help."

The night watchmen and constables of Mianyuan County bowed to Qin Shaoyou and his team, but their eyes flickered.

They had seen the iron armor exposed under the torn and ripped robes of Qin Shaoyou and his team.

Wearing private armor was a serious crime of treason.

If not for fear of being overpowered, the night watchmen and constables of Mianyuan County would have surrounded Qin Shaoyou and his team long ago.

"We are constables from Luo City, here to assist you in investigating the case of the missing children."

Qin Shaoyou took out his constable badge and official documents and had Zhu Xiuzai hand them to the county magistrate, Sun Boyuan.

Sun Boyuan examined the documents and verified the badge, then let out a long sigh of relief.

Beside him, the night watchmen and constables of Mianyuan County had similar reactions.

From the battle just ended, they could see that Qin Shaoyou and his team were very capable and well-equipped.

If they were bandits or outlaws, the night watchmen and constables would not dare to arrest them and would have to pretend not to see the armor, even escorting them away politely.

Fortunately, Qin Shaoyou and his team were friends, not enemies.

After the night watchmen and constables of Mianyuan County sighed in relief, they felt curious and envious, thinking, "Do the constables from the capital city now wear armor on duty? The big city is indeed different."

Some even glanced at Magistrate Sun Boyuan.

Sun Boyuan pretended not to see.

I want to get some armor to protect myself, but I dare not. I want to live a few more years and don't want to be exterminated with my entire family!

Sun Boyuan returned the badge and documents to Qin Shaoyou and was about to say a few words of thanks when the people who had fled in terror from the bone ghosts and demonic bones returned.

The parents and relatives of the missing children, in particular, mustered the courage to re-enter the courtyard of the dilapidated temple.

Seeing the scattered, motionless bones on the ground, they cried even more bitterly than before.

This time, they not only mourned their children but also vented their rage on the criminals.

"These demons have killed our children and turned their bones into ghosts, preventing them from resting in peace..."

"Beat them to death, avenge our children!"

"Yes, beat them to death! Not one should be spared!"

Before Qin Shaoyou and Sun Boyuan could react, the enraged crowd had already surrounded the criminals and started beating them.

The criminals were tied up and could only take the beating without being able to dodge.

The crowd, filled with hatred, not only used their fists and feet with great force but also picked up stones from the ground to throw at them.

By the time the constables and bailiffs of Mianyuan County managed to stop the angry crowd, the criminals were already dead.

Seeing the criminals all dead, the night watchmen and constables of Mianyuan County, as well as Magistrate Sun Boyuan, all sighed in relief.

For them, the death of the criminals was the best outcome.

If the criminals were still alive, they would have to be imprisoned first and then escorted to the capital city or the provincial city.

This process would be full of uncertainties and dangers.

If the criminals had any evil magic and attacked them when they were not paying attention, or if their accomplices came to rescue them, it could endanger their lives.

Now that the criminals were dead, these dangers were gone, so how could they not sigh in relief?

Not only that, they also hoped the case would be closed.

In the past two months, they had been under tremendous pressure due to the large number of missing children.

Although they knew there were several suspicious points in the case, they did not want to investigate further and just wanted to close the case as soon as possible.

So, after glancing at the bodies of the criminals and covering his nose and mouth with his sleeve, Magistrate Sun Boyuan said to Qin Shaoyou:

"The criminals have been beaten to death by the angry people, and the remains of the missing children have been recovered. The case is now closed. You and your team have contributed significantly to solving the case, and I will recommend you for commendation in the official documents."

Qin Shaoyou was also examining the bodies of the criminals.

He found that these criminals were also strange.

Their time of death was incorrect; they had not died today but several days ago.

But clearly, these criminals were still alive and well not long ago.

Qin Shaoyou originally wanted to raise this doubt, but after hearing Magistrate Sun's words, he changed his mind and nodded, saying, "Yes, the case can be closed."