Chapter 11 Soul-inducing Lamp

Name: Kunio Kojima

Sex: Male
Age: 35 years old

Occupation: IT practitioner at Whitestone Group.

Address: 1-22-23, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo

He is 170cm tall, thin, wears black-framed glasses, and was wearing a white shirt on the upper body and red shorts on the lower body at the crime scene.

Case Overview:

On May 2024, 5, the Shinjuku Police Station received a phone call reporting that screams and cries for help were heard from Kunio Kojima’s home, as well as sounds of fighting and blood flowing outside the yard, suspecting it to be a murder case.

Police Officer Yuji Horii led two criminal investigation technicians and four police officers to the scene.

Through the investigation of the crime scene, it was discovered that there were three victims, one of whom was Kojima Kunio’s wife, and the other two were Kojima Kunio’s father-in-law and mother-in-law.

Kunio Kojima’s father-in-law was stabbed three times in the chest with a kitchen knife near the kitchen sink and fell in a pool of blood at the kitchen entrance.

Kojima Kunio’s mother-in-law was stabbed in the heart, her throat was cut, and she fell on the sofa.

Kojima Kunio’s wife had her head cut off, her right hand chopped off, her left foot wearing a black stocking, her right foot barefoot wearing a burgundy high heel.

Four police officers restrained Kunio Kojima and compared the weapon in his hand with the victim’s wounds.

Kunio Kojima confessed to his crimes, but he was mentally distracted and suspected of suffering from severe mental stimulation.

During the interrogation, Kunio Kojima often said: “Anyone who betrays must die!”

Motive for the crime: Kunio Kojima discovered that his wife Yumiko had cheated on him multiple times, and he had chosen to forgive her in July five years ago and in March three years ago.

This time, when he caught his wife Yumiko cheating on him again, Kunio Kojima did not choose to forgive her, but instead committed the crime directly.

He first lured his father-in-law and mother-in-law, who had helped cover up the scandal, into his home. Then, when he was alone with his father-in-law in the kitchen, he used the kitchen knife in his hand to kill his father-in-law.

Then he walked out of the kitchen and killed his mother-in-law who was sitting on the sofa watching TV.

Finally, he went up to the second floor and killed Yumiko, who came out to check what was going on after hearing the noise, and brutally chopped off her head…

Shinjuku Ward, Police Station.

Horii Yuji rubbed his tired brows and finished reading the investigation report on the homicide case.

This was a murder case caused by the wife’s infidelity.

The murderer Kunio Kojima confessed his crime, and other evidence also pointed out that Kunio Kojima was the murderer of this murder case.

This is an unquestionable fact.

It would be easy to obtain a conviction, close the case, and make the results of the investigation public.

Everything should have gone smoothly.

But recently, the police officers involved in the arrest of Kunio Kojima, or those who went to the murder scene, have all experienced some abnormal phenomena.

For example, a police officer woke up from a nightmare in the middle of the night and shouted, “All traitors must die!”

Some police officers also often feel that they are in a bad mental state. When they walk at night, they vaguely sense that a dark shadow is following them.

Some police officers also responded that after handling this case, they became irritable and angry, and every time they looked at their wife, they always wanted to vent their anger.

If he had not personally experienced the so-called supernatural event of branding and leaving souls, he would only think that the young police officers witnessed the brutal murder scene and were so frightened that they suffered temporary mental problems.

Do you want to find an expert in this field to take a look?
Hiramiya Chiya…

Horii Yuji couldn’t help but think of the high school student who was very close to his daughter.

No, he is just a high school student after all, so let’s leave the case to the adults.

Horii Yuji shook his head and signed his name on the case report.

At half past six, Yuji Horii drove home on time.

“I am back.”

Yuji Horii changed his shoes at the entrance, walked to the kitchen on the first floor, and said hello to his daughter who was still preparing dinner.

After dinner, Horii Yuji leaned back on the sofa in the living room and closed his eyes to rest.

After finishing her chores in the kitchen, Horii Suzune came out and came to Horii Yuji to give him a reminder.

“Hiramiya-san has finished the soul-guiding lantern and will be at home around 9pm.”

“I see.”

“Father, are you looking forward to this meeting?”

“…”

Horii Yuji sighed with a complicated expression.

After a while, he replied: “I am indeed looking forward to it. I am excited and scared at the same time.”

“Does this feel like a throwback to your youth for you?”

Sensing that there was something wrong in Horii Suzune’s words, Horii Yuji wanted to refute and explain, but in the end he just turned his head and nodded.

Sure enough, bad premonitions always tend to come true.

Horii Suzune came behind the sofa and patted her father on the shoulder.

“I have no objection to you marrying another wife, but I don’t want a new family member to join so soon. At least, I need to observe for a year first.”

“Lin Yin, what nonsense are you talking about? I just want to satisfy the obsession I had when I was young. I didn’t think about so many things.” Horii Yuji’s face turned red.

Horii Suzune narrowed her eyes, “As a witness to a story, I also like to see a perfect ending.”…

At 9 o’clock in the evening, Hiramiya Chiye came to Horii Suzune’s house on time carrying the soul-guiding lantern.

In order not to attract attention while riding in the car, he covered the soul-guiding lamp with a large piece of black gauze.

From a distance, it looks like he is holding a black birdcage.

After a brief greeting, Horii Yuji was responsible for driving, while Hiramiya Chiya and Horii Suzune sat in the back seat.

“Just by changing a layer of lamp paper, can it be transformed from a green lantern into a soul-guiding lantern?”

Horii Suzune looked at the soul-guiding lantern that was placed between herself and Hiramiya Chiya, which was covered with light red paper and had a spell written in gold paint.

Apart from the different lamp paper, there are no other changes.

“The important thing is the spell.” Pinggong Qianye explained seriously: “The Qingxuandeng is composed of a lamp holder, a frame, and lamp paper. Replacing the lamp paper is the easiest way.

Moreover, this soul has lost the protection of the power of the Qingxuandeng, and it also needs a requiem spell to provide her with a new resting place.”

In fact, in Buddhism, there is no such term as soul.

The three souls and seven spirits are actually Taoist theories.

In Buddhism, the bardo body can be regarded as a soul, which is a concept corresponding to the Taoist soul.

The bardo body refers to the transitional state between death and rebirth.

During this time, the individual’s state of consciousness and being is temporary and changing.

Everything is impermanent.

Horii Suzune nodded as if she understood something, but she soon had a new question.

How can we make sure that the soul-guiding lamp always points in the right direction?

Hearing this, Pinggong Qianye did not answer, but looked towards the soul-guiding lamp.

The so-called soul-guiding lamp uses the soul as a guide.

Souls attract and influence each other.

The magic power in his body flowed, and he exhaled gently towards the soul-guiding lamp.

The soul-guiding lamp ignites spontaneously without fire, emitting a light red glow.

A vague shadow can be seen inside the lamp.

That’s the girl’s soul.

The girl’s soul stretched out a finger and pointed in the right direction.

Horii Suzune cannot see souls, but she can clearly see the light being emitted by the soul-guiding lamp.

She was amazed at the phenomenon of being able to emit light without fire.

“Can I see it too? Just like last time?” Horii Suzune was eager to try.

Hiramiya Chiya originally wanted to dip her finger in saliva and apply it to Horii Suzune’s eyelids, but Horii Yuji was observing the situation here through the rearview mirror.

“It’s better not to be distracted for now.”

Pinggong Qianye blew again, blowing away the light in the soul-guiding lamp.

The back seat of the car fell into darkness again.

Horii Yuji, who was driving, retracted his gaze and drove seriously.

At night, cars under neon lights drive on the streets, guided by their souls.

Finally we arrived in Setagaya Ward.

“That’s where the rich people live.”

After getting off the car, Horii Suzune stretched her sore waist.

Pinggong Qianye also got out of the car holding the soul-guiding lantern. In order not to attract too much attention from others, he still covered the soul-guiding lantern with black gauze.

Walking around the streets with a lantern at night, which may occasionally emit a red light, will attract passers-by to call the police and patrol officers to check.

Setagaya Ward is a traditional wealthy area in Tokyo. Most of the people living here are wealthy people such as entrepreneurs, artists, and cultural celebrities.

In Hiramiya Chiya’s opinion, Horii Suzune is also a rich person.

During the time I was in contact with her, she spent 120 million yen to solve her father’s problems.

This is not a small amount of money.

Horii Suzune took out the money easily, just like using her pocket money to go shopping.

“It’s likely she’s a rich woman.”

Horii Suzune glanced at Horii Yuji, who had a nervous and complicated expression.

“Master Liansheng, let’s find someone first.”

With a myriad of thoughts in his mind, Horii Yuji didn’t dare to meet his daughter’s eyes.

“Lost soul, it’s time to go home.”

Pinggong Qianye whispered, and the soul-guiding lamp flashed red, projecting a left-pointing arrow on the ground.

(End of this chapter)