Detective Di Renjie: The Storm Rises Again

In the main hall of the provincial governor's residence, a lantern bearing a human face stood in the center. It tilted at an unnatural angle on the floor. A layer of ghastly pale human skin was stretched over its bamboo frame, its once-smooth surface now covered in cracks. Dark red blood seeped steadily from them, like a twitching mouth silently wailing. The pool of blood beneath the lantern had congealed into dark purple scabs, yet fresh droplets still fell from its edges, striking the bluestone slabs with a crisp “tap, tap,” as if some forgotten metronome were urging death onward.