As he shouted, wisps of green smoke drifted from the North, converging into a mass in front of the table, eventually forming the phantom of the slain drug lord. The crowd was stunned, feeling a chill run down their spines. Qin Yecheng's eyes widened in terror, saying, "Did he really summon a soul?" At this moment, no one dared to doubt Lin Beichen's summoning art anymore.
"Is this... is this really a ghost appearing?"
"Looks like it. My God, this is terrifying! Someone in this world can actually summon ghosts!"
"Dear God, can we leave? This is too scary!"
"I can't move, my legs feel like they're nailed down."
"Same here, feels like something's locking my legs! What's happening?!"
...
Listening to the panic behind him, Lin Beichen slightly moved his lips but did not make a sound. This was the Grounding Curse, derived from the Daoist Arts of the Mystic Sect, similar to the Body-Stabilizing Technique, immobilizing people temporarily. Since souls are light as mist, if people scattered in fright, it would easily disperse the painstakingly summoned ghost, a scenario known as a soul shattered into pieces. It would be even harder to summon again.
...
Lin Beichen ignored the surrounding chaos, fixating on the phantom in front of him, remaining calm and composed. He slowly opened his mouth to ask the phantom floating mid-air a question. The crowd was speechless upon hearing Lin Beichen's voice. They couldn't comprehend what Lin Beichen was saying; it sounded foreign and otherworldly.
Only Lin Beichen's lips moved slightly, and the phantom opened its mouth, uttering indistinguishable sounds. Suddenly, Lin Beichen's expression tightened, and with a wave of his hand, one of the incense sticks on the censer promptly snapped. The phantom became grotesquely distorted as though enduring immense pain, with its mouth contorting as if pleading for mercy.
Lin Beichen watched coldly for a moment, then murmured a spell, allowing the phantom to gradually calm down. The phantom spoke again, although incomprehensible, but after hearing it, Lin Beichen's expression eased slightly; he nodded subtly. With a flourish of his hand, the phantom dispersed with the wind. The wind gradually ceased, the dark clouds parted, returning everything to tranquility.
...
The crowd watched as the scene returned to normal, their panic slowly subsiding. Everything that happened seemed like a dream.
"Lin Beichen, did you find out anything?" Xia Luyao took a deep breath, calmed down, then stepped forward to ask softly. Others also looked at Lin Beichen, waiting for his answer.
Lin Beichen turned to Xia Luyao and slowly spoke: "Southeast direction, fifty kilometers away, there's an abandoned warehouse from the last century."
"What?" Xia Luyao paused, momentarily stunned.
"That's their hiding place," Lin Beichen calmly explained.
The crowd was astonished to hear this; had he really figured it out so quickly? They hadn't yet recovered from the ghostly event, yet they already knew the drug lord's hideout. The police department was utterly speechless with shock!
After a while, Qin Yecheng gradually collected himself and tentatively asked, "Lin Beichen, did you really find out?"
Lin Beichen chuckled lazily and replied, "What? Should I summon him back for you to ask?"
"No, no, no need!" Qin Yecheng quickly waved his hands in refusal, shaking his head vigorously. He once was a staunch atheist, but the recent events made him question his previous beliefs. The spooky and terrifying scene was something he never wanted to experience again!
...
Lin Beichen sighed softly and leisurely said, "In any case, I've already obtained the address. If you don't believe it, there's nothing I can do."
Upon hearing this, Xia Luyao gave Lin Beichen a glance, then seriously said to Qin Yecheng, "Chief Qin, the situation is urgent. Now that we know their hideout, we must act immediately!"
Though Qin Yecheng still had some reservations, recent happenings made him believe. He pondered briefly, clenched his fist, and finally decided, speaking in a deep tone, "Alright! The police department's first and second action groups will set off immediately with the Venomous Snake Special Team to the warehouse fifty kilometers to the southeast!"
"Understood!" The two groups responded promptly and proceeded to the armory to prepare for departure.
Meanwhile, Xia Luyao led the Venomous Snake Special Team to the warehouse.
Qin Yecheng, on the other hand, returned to the police department's multipurpose meeting room with the remaining personnel, searching for the warehouse's details on the satellite map and maintaining real-time communication with the advance team for updates.
It didn't take long for responsible personnel to retrieve specific details of the warehouse, "Chief, the warehouse indeed exists. It was built in the Southern Border in the 1960s for storing hazardous materials but has been abandoned for years due to its remote location, rarely visited. It indeed could be the drug lord's hideout."
Hearing this, Qin Yecheng couldn't help but marvel, as Lin Beichen's words turned out to be true—a warehouse actually existed.
Meanwhile, their communicators relayed voices from the advance team.
"Chen Ming, you're in the warehouse area, right? I've noticed signs of drug dealer activity."
Qin Yecheng's voice came through the communicator, slightly tense.
The chief of the police department's first action group, Chen Ming, replied, "Yes, Chief Qin, we have indeed found suspicious signs. This should be the drug dealers' hideout."
Their location was indeed the remote warehouse Lin Beichen pointed out.
This old building on the edge of the Southern Border, weathered through time with mottled walls and a vast area, was scarcely visited due to its remote and abandoned state.
Here, unexpectedly, became the drug lord's secret base.
Qin Yecheng quickly issued instructions: "Activate the camera immediately; I need to monitor the situation in real-time."
"Received." Chen Ming responded concisely, then activated the miniature camera on his headset.
The warehouse's live scene was fully displayed on the large screen.
Qin Yecheng, eyes fixed on the screen, quickly devised a battle strategy.
"Chen Ming, attack from the front. Wang Hai, lead the second action group to assault from the east side. Captain Xia, have your Venomous Snake Special Team infiltrate from the northwest corner's wall breach. We'll attack from three sides to capture them in one swoop."
"Yes!" The teams chorused and swiftly split up for action.
At Qin Yecheng's command, the operation commenced instantly.
As the police cars roared, the first action group breached the warehouse's main entrance.
Simultaneously, the other two groups took their positions, ready for the assault.
The drug dealers awakened from sleep, scrambling to grab their clothes, unable to wear their shoes in their haste, attempted to flee through the side door.
However, the second action group lay in ambush there, catching them off guard with sudden gunfire.
"Run, it's an ambush!" one drug dealer shouted in panic but was soon shot and fell.
The remaining dealers fled desperately towards the northwest corner breach, only to run into the Venomous Snake Special Team's trap.
Under intense gunfire, they fell one by one.
The battle was swift and fierce. Leveraging their night assault advantage, the police and special team quickly controlled the situation.
In the end, only two drug dealers remained, huddled inside the warehouse, stubbornly resisting.
Surrounded by forces on all sides, Chen Ming shouted, "You are surrounded, drop your weapons, surrender is your only option!"
A flurry of sounds came from inside the warehouse, and then a man nervously stepped out, hands raised high, his voice trembling with tears: "Don't shoot, I was captured, I'm not with them."
Chen Ming looked him over, seeing he was unarmed, motioned for two officers to escort him away.
However, in this critical moment, another drug dealer suddenly rushed out of the warehouse, taking the man hostage, pressing a gun tightly against his temple.
"Don't move, or I'll shoot!" the dealer screamed, escalating the tension to its peak.