CORPSE WHISPERER

The apartment walls weren't just adorned with the four known targets. Photos of other individuals were pinned there too. Detective Sun knew instantly: These were the killer's next victims.

But time stretched. The two officers sent with the landlord didn't return. Calls went unanswered. Sun sensed disaster. He mobilized his team and raced to the landlord's address.

They found the officers first, in a parking lot: throats slashed from behind. Then, the landlord inside his ransacked home: stab wounds. This time, the killer hadn't used his signature "clean" method. This was brutal, messy panic.

The Phantom Blade was rattled. Desperate to cover his tracks. Grandfather's lead had struck true!

Yet, the cost was devastating. "Complacency breeds disaster," Sun muttered, raw regret etched on his face. When Grandfather arrived, he ordered everyone out. He sealed the doors and windows. An hour later, he summoned them back.

Smoke hung thick, pungent with the scent of Chinese herbs. Where before there was nothing, now bloody footprints crisscrossed the floor. A stark bloody handprint marred the wall.

Footprints. Handprints. Evidence. Height, weight, fingerprints, palm prints, gait, shoe type – a floodgate of clues opened.

Sun Tihu unleashed the full force of the police. Days and nights blurred. Finally, grainy security footage from a mall yielded gold: the killer, hat pulled low, face obscured. Beside him walked a woman. Their proximity spoke of intimacy.

Following this thread, they found her: a textile mill worker. Likely the killer's wife or lover.

Sun stormed her address. Too late. She lay dead. Killed by the Phantom Blade's signature method. To erase the trail, he had sacrificed his own.

...

...

Twice, Grandfather had cornered the killer. Twice, the police had failed to grasp him. It was a ghostly duel, victories and losses shared.

But one truth emerged: The Phantom Blade was not invincible. He had weaknesses. Flaws. He could be beaten.

The task force, galvanized, pressed harder.

Then, the retaliation began. Task force members started dying. Five officers, one after another. Cause of death: surgically excised hearts. And at this critical juncture, Grandfather withdrew his consultation.

Sun, reeling from losses, furious, confronted him. A heated confrontation ensued. But Grandfather was resolute.

Without his guidance, the investigation crumbled. The case went cold. Another unsolved horror.

Sun stubbed out his final cigarette, the ashtray overflowing. A sudden, chilling memory surfaced in my mind.

Ten years ago. A night visit.

I was seven. A man arrived deep in the night. Curious, I'd called through the window. Grandfather, usually patient, had snapped: "Go back to sleep! Now!" Uncharacteristically harsh.

The visitor stayed two hours. What passed between them remained a mystery.

Now, a decade later, why had The Phantom Blade returned? Why kill Grandfather? Was it the same man? Or an heir?

The mystery thickened, shrouded in fog I couldn't pierce.

"The man killed last night," I asked slowly, "the one missing his eyes and heart... that was Zhang Bao? The one who escaped ten years ago?"

Sun nodded grimly. "Yes."

"I think I understand," I said, the pieces clicking. "The Phantom Blade... he presented the same impossible challenge to Grandfather. Again."

"Oh?" Sun raised an eyebrow. "Do you think... your grandfather solved it this time? Before he died?"

I shook my head, the weight heavy. "I don't know."

Sun sighed, a sound like stones grinding. He stood, placing a heavy hand on my shoulder. "Xiao Yang... your grandfather's death... the responsibility lies partly with me. If I hadn't dragged him into the Phantom Blade's path back then... Now he's gone. I want you to focus on your studies. Forget this darkness. But I will keep hunting The Phantom Blade. I will bring you justice."

"Detective Sun," I stood, meeting his gaze. "I have a request."

"Name it."

"If... when... The Phantom Blade strikes again... you must tell me. I need to be the one to catch him."

Sun hesitated. "But..."

"Grandfather drove him to the brink twice. That proves the Song legacy is his kryptonite. Grandfather taught me everything he knew. I must be the one to see him face justice!"

"Kid," Sun's voice held a challenge, "don't you trust the police?"

I remained silent, my resolve a wall.

Sun stared, then suddenly barked a laugh. "Stubborn! Just like your grandfather! Alright. Alright. If he resurfaces... I'll call you."

I clenched my jaw, the vow burning within me. Phantom Blade. The next time our paths cross... you'll learn what this Song heir can do.*