Chapter 65: The Enigma

Jimmy reported the situation, parked the patrol car on the roadside where it would not block traffic, and then stepped out to inspect the area around the T-shirt. There were some footprints and trampled weeds. This location was quite far from the surrounding villages and towns, so nobody usually walked around here, meaning the trampled marks on the ground could remain visible for quite some time.

Jimmy looked at the direction of the footprints and entered the sparse woodland ahead. A glance was enough to reveal nothing out of the ordinary.

Examining the ground closely, Jimmy saw that the footprints were very distinct. Judging by the number of prints, they belonged to a single person, but the stride was rather erratic. Unless the individual had a limp, it was highly likely they were either drunk or high, as the footprints did not form a straight line and were completely disorganized.

Following the footprints into the woods, Jimmy turned on his flashlight to continue searching for the trail while also mentally activating his psychic perception to monitor the surroundings. After all, this was a forest, and if a medium-to-large animal or someone lurking nearby were to appear, it would pose a massive threat to him.

After venturing a bit deeper and looking up into the canopy, Jimmy decided to pull back.

It was already dusk, and although he had a flashlight, the lighting conditions were completely unsuitable for a search. Jimmy exited the woods and took out his phone to call Kager.

"Kager, do you have a moment? I need to consult you about a case."

"Of course, what is it?"

"Dispatch just notified me about a car parked by the side of the road. I came over to take a look; the vehicle is fine, but a few feet away, I found a T-shirt and a set of footprints leading into the woods.

I went in a few yards, but it was too dark to properly track the footprints. Should I give up and head back, or call for K-9 support?"

"Where's the location?"

"Near the flats."

"Drop it. Notify dispatch that nobody was found, and close the case."

"Understood."

Jimmy hung up and immediately grabbed his radio.

"Adam 28 to dispatch, the area around the sedan has been searched and no anomalies were found. Closing the case."

"Dispatch received."

***

Jimmy concluded the investigation and drove straight back to the precinct. Kager’s words earlier had been somewhat confusing, and he intended to ask him face-to-face when he arrived.

Upon returning to the station, Jimmy first changed out of his gear, then sat in the breakroom drinking coffee. After a short wait, Kager also returned.

"Hey, Jimmy, you're back early."

"Yeah, there are some things I need to clarify with you. What's wrong with the flats?"

"Nothing. Just stay away from that area from now on."

"No, you can't just do that, Kager. That's my patrol sector. I need to know what's actually wrong over there. Even if I'm supposed to avoid it, I need a reason, right?"

"I'll tell you in a bit, let me go clean up first." Kager walked toward his locker.

Jimmy finished his coffee, stepped out of the breakroom, checked the time, clocked out, and waited in the parking lot for Kager.

After a little while, Kager walked out to the parking lot in plain clothes. He was holding Jimmy's light bar, but instead of returning it, he placed it directly into his own car.

"Jimmy, let me play with the light bar for a couple more days."

"That's fine, I don't need it for now anyway. By the way, the law school called me today—the patent has been approved, and they are processing the final paperwork."

"That's fantastic. Once you finish the paperwork, I'll talk to Chief James."

"Kager, don't try to change the subject. Explain the situation with the flats to me clearly. If I don't understand this, I won't be able to sleep."

"Alright, alright, I'll tell you. The flats are a very famous hiking spot near Little Rock. In the past, quite a few hiking enthusiasts went there for trekking and exploration every year.

However, starting five or six years ago—I don't remember the exact timeline—some unusual things began happening around the flats. At first, some hikers experienced auditory hallucinations, feeling like someone was whispering in their ears, and a few even reached the point of needing psychotherapy.

After that, two separate missing persons cases occurred there. For a forest and swamp area, people going missing is somewhat understandable, but in the two years that followed, one or two people went missing every single year.

We conducted two major searches three years ago. The area isn't very large, and we searched it thoroughly without finding a single trace, so we ultimately had to close the cases as disappearances."

***

Jimmy was somewhat speechless. These people had grown completely accustomed to individuals vanishing from time to time; society was truly hopeless, and in the end, the only ones left heartbroken would be their families.

"Alright, I get it. I'll try to steer clear of that place. But there's still another problem—I was sent there by dispatch just now, and there's still a sedan parked by the road."

"Don't worry about it. It'll be gone in two days at most. You have to trust the noses of those hyenas."

"Hyenas? What kind of people are those?"

"Scavengers of unclaimed property. A car like that, abandoned and parked out in the wild—if it's fast, someone will tow it away tonight."

"You guys really have a closed-loop system for everything. Good grief. Well, I've learned something new today. I'm washing my hands of this. Heading home."

Jimmy got into his car and left the precinct parking lot to go home. On the drive back, he was still mulling over today's case. To anyone else, such anomalies were simply brushed aside and forgotten, but to him, this was getting interesting.

There were roughly three possible explanations for the situation at the flats. First, the missing people might have vanished due to various causes, such as sinking into mud or bogs; second, someone might have been abducting people there; and the third possibility was much more terrifying—supernatural events.

Based on the information he had gathered over the past few months, this world indeed possessed various mythological and demonic legends, but much like his past life, they were just rumors and ancient tales that had never been proven. Yet, he himself was now an anomaly.

Jimmy's transmigration and rebirth had dealt a massive blow to his materialistic worldview. Those rumored demons, witches, ghosts, and vampires might very well be real; after all, he himself had usurped someone else's body using his soul.

Another piece of corroboration was his psychic perception skill. This ability could not be explained by science at all. A person's spiritual energy could penetrate objects to reveal the structure behind them and display real-time movement on the other side—it was practically a joke.

Now that he might be encountering his first supernatural event, he needed to think carefully. Currently, he lacked any experience with the paranormal and possessed no ability to kill or repel evil spirits, so he must not approach the flats until he had gathered more intelligence.

Furthermore, when dealing with supernatural problems in China there were Taoist priests, and abroad it should be church pastors. It seemed he should also consider preparing some so-called holy artifacts in the future. Should he ever need to battle a demon, he wouldn't be completely helpless.