The Corpse Without a Scalp

Without the slightest hesitation, Qin Jin raised his foot and kicked hard next to the door lock!

boom!

The door panel cracked instantly and sprang inward!

A strange, indescribable smell, mixed with dust and accompanied by a nauseating stench, hit me.

Inside the door was a simple dressing area. The tables, chairs, and mirrors all looked like they'd been salvaged from a thrift store, used to cover up stains on the walls. The items scattered on the table all looked cheap, except for—

A clump of golden hair hung on the wall, shining like real human hair, looking completely out of place with the surroundings!

But this lingering stench, like an ominous shadow, shrouded the entire space.

Ignoring the superficial pretense, Qin Jin noticed a half-open back door in the corner of the room, pushed it open, and stepped into the backyard outside.

The ground was hardened soil, scattered with garbage and unidentified debris. There were high walls on both sides, and the area was not very large, only about twenty square meters.

But in this corner of more than 20 square meters, the color of the soil was obviously different from the surrounding soil. It looked unusually soft and showed signs of being turned over and dug up!

The pungent stench became even stronger here, almost suffocating, and... the source didn't seem to be here!

The stronger stench came from a shed across the yard whose windows were boarded up.

That was clearly a place of residence.

Qin Jin strode toward the wooden door of the shed. The unbearable stench was pouring out from the crack in the door. He beckoned Constantin and Catherine to step back, then kicked the door open and took several steps back himself, even further than Catherine!

Om-!

The moment the door opened, a huge swarm of black flies, like a disturbed dark cloud, buzzed and surged out from inside, almost hitting Catherine and Constanze in the face.

Once the flies had dispersed, the three of them went to the doorway and peered inside.

Qin Jin swatted away the flies and squinted into the dimly lit shed.

The shack was extremely cramped and filthy. By the light shining through the doorway, one could see a rotting and swollen corpse lying on a dilapidated iron-framed bed.

The corpse was covered with a layer of wriggling maggots, and what was even more horrifying was that several fat rats were gnawing on the exposed rotting flesh!

As the door was kicked open and light and sound poured in, the rats squeaked and jumped off the corpse in a panic, disappearing into dark corners or holes.

Qin Jin then stepped into the wooden shed. He had heard the commotion inside while he was outside and chose to avoid these disgusting things.

As for the corpse... well, that thing wasn't disgusting to Qin Jin.

The body was dressed in tattered Southeast Asian-style clothing and had a hunched posture, suggesting it was an elderly woman.

Her death was peaceful, but the most bizarre thing was that her head was completely bald, without a single hair!

On her scalp, you could even see some tiny, recently scabbed wounds, as if she had shaved them off herself! Considering the situation at the scene and the rusty scissors, it is highly likely that she did it herself.

The body was highly decomposed, and the time of death was estimated to be at least several days ago; the strong stench of decay was coming from this.

"So, this must be the shop owner."

As he spoke, Qin Jin's gaze swept across the shed. Besides the bed, there were some strange utensils, sculptures, and all sorts of oddities piled up in the corner. But what caught Qin Jin's attention were the several glass jars on the table.

The jar was filled with a pale yellow liquid with some things suspended in it. Qin Jin picked up a stick, twisted open the lid, and stirred it inside.

The pale yellow, viscous, oily liquid in the glass jar began to emit a greasy, fishy smell. Catherine almost vomited, and Constanze's face contorted in pain.

This smell was even worse than the stench of a corpse, making people feel extremely nauseous!

But what was even more disgusting was what Qin Jin had picked out with a stick—

It was a tangled mess of human hair of different colors, wet and sticky, dripping with disgusting yellow grease.

Where all the hair gathers is a piece of skin—the human scalp!

"Corpse oil!" Qin Jin's voice remained calm, carrying a faint hint of weariness and languor.

"Live hair soaked in corpse oil, dead hair wrapped around bones... Since this hair was soaked in corpse oil, it must have been scalp and human hair peeled off while the person was alive!"

His gaze returned to the courtyard; there was definitely something else down there.

"Catherine, call the station and have them send someone to handle this. Jack, dig up that area; I think there might be a body."

Despite feeling intense nausea, Constantine found a worn-out, rusty shovel in the yard and began to dig with all his might.

After digging for a few minutes, the shovel hit soft material under the hard object, and the bodies of two women who had been hastily buried were unearthed.

The bodies had already begun to decompose, emitting a strong stench. They had clearly suffered greatly before their deaths, their faces contorted in agony.

The most shocking thing is that it confirms Qin Jin's suspicions—

Their scalps, along with their hair, were completely peeled off!

All that remained was a bare, white skull, its blood dried to a dark brown color, covered in dirt and maggots!

The scene before my eyes was so cruel it was appalling!

A dead witch, two scalped, rotting female corpses, human hair soaking in corpse oil, strange spellcasting tools...

All of this combined makes the methods involved roughly predictable—

This is... one of the evil arts of Southeast Asia, a curse!

..............................

When Team Leader Bruce arrived at the scene with his team, forensic pathologist, and local patrol officers, he was also taken aback. It has to be said that even the police officers in charge of the murder were somewhat overwhelmed by the scene.

Herman followed Bruce, and before he could greet Qin Jin or Bruce could speak, Qin Jin spoke first:

"Time is of the essence, so I'll keep it brief: the person who died inside was a sorcerer, and these things are extremely evil. You'd better wear protective suits. Pack the contents of the inside and send them to my office. There are two bodies outside; dig a bit deeper and see if there's anything else..."

"The deceased and the sorcerer must be sent for autopsy immediately. I'll work overtime and give you a report by tomorrow morning."

Team Leader Bruce gave an OK sign: "The boss has given instructions, we will fully support you—the autopsy report and on-site report will be on your desk before 7 a.m.

"Thank you!" Qin Jin then emphasized the glass jars again: "If you really can't take the contents out of the glass jars, don't take them out. I'll deal with them when I get back."

He was concise, throwing out almost all the key information, and then, without giving Bruce a chance to ask questions or discuss it in detail, directly addressed Constantine and Catherine:

"Let's go."

Bruce, Herman, and the others watched them quickly get into the car and leave. Looking again at the dilapidated door that exuded an ominous aura, they could only shrug helplessly, put on gloves and masks, and call to the forensic pathologist:

"Guys, get to work! Herman, take some men and take the body back for autopsy!"

The black Dodge drove away from the chaotic and dirty area, heading towards Alessa's school.

"Qin!" Catherine broke the silence. She tried her best not to recall the scene in the shack, but the question kept lingering in her mind, and she had to get it out:

"You just said, 'Living hair soaked in corpse oil, dead hair wrapped around bones'... What does that mean?"

Qin Jin, holding the steering wheel, took the opportunity to explain some things about Southeast Asian black magic to them:

"Southeast Asian black magic believes that a person's soul resides in the hair, therefore, the hair can be used as a vessel to hold the soul," he paused, recalling what he had heard before:

"A living person's hair, along with freshly peeled scalp, can be soaked in a special corpse oil to lock that person's soul tightly within that strand of hair, preventing it from escaping and entering reincarnation, thus becoming the material for the caster."

Catherine gasped and subconsciously touched her hair, feeling a tingling, itchy sensation. Constanze also sat up straight, listening attentively to Qin Jin's explanation.

"And the hair shaved from the heads of the dead," Qin Jin continued:

"Because the soul has long since dissipated, without a soul, it's like an empty house. If you wrap your hair around the hand bones of a corpse and then cast a spell, there's a high chance you can summon back any remaining wandering spirits from the corpse, or attract some unclean things to attach to it. In short... no matter which one, the core is to create vengeful ghosts using hair as material!"

He concluded:

"The situation is clear now. That guy created a vengeful ghost. We just don't know if Amy and the others are victims, turned into vengeful ghosts, or become food for the vengeful ghosts, or sacrifices for subsequent spells... They may not be dead, but their situation is definitely not good. We'll set off first thing tomorrow morning."

"Understood!" Catherine and Constantine responded simultaneously, their faces solemn.

The Dodge turned a corner and stopped in front of the Canyon Precinct. Qin Jin gestured for the two men to get out of the car.

"Jack, go find Johnny and have him go to the Southeast Asian community's main hall to discuss things like black magic and hair sorcery; Catherine, go back to the office and wait for Group A to deliver the goods, then collect them and also check the background and situation of the vacation home."

"As for me," Qin Jin said finally, "I'll go to the midnight bar to find some sorcerers and wizards to get some information, and I'll be back before dawn."