Chapter 260: Chapter 191: Deceitful Painting? That’s Complete Bullshit—Why Not Call It Human Skin Parchment!_2

The group first arrived at the site where the incident initially occurred and found nothing, so they headed to the breakfast shop, which was Xiaohu’s place.

After reporting to the police the day before yesterday, they found no expired food in his kitchen, only giving him a verbal warning and stating that professionals would come in a couple of days, then let him go.

However, the town’s residents believed that his food safety was the problem and that the police didn’t find anything because he hid it too well. This whole situation had Xiaohu’s hair turning white from worry.

Seeing the group arrive, he was overjoyed, "Oh, my police comrades, you finally came! I’ve missed you so much."

Leading the group was the same team captain, Zhang Xingmin, who had inspected before.

He kept a stern face, saying solemnly, "These are our professionals. If you have something to say, tell them."

"Yes, yes, yes."

Though Xiaohu was surprised to see the professionals were so young, he didn’t comment on it and instead, began tearfully lamenting his wrongs, "Officer, you don’t know how difficult these days have been for me, watching my shop failing, with no income at home, it’s driven me to consider jumping into the river."

"Get to the point!"

Standing behind Ning An, Zhang Xingmin clenched his teeth, eager to go over and give him a kick.

Ning An didn’t find him annoying, instead smiled and comforted him, "Brother, we’re here to help you solve the problem. Before those young girls fell into a coma, did anything similar happen in our town?"

"No!" Xiaohu answered emphatically, "I’ve grown up in this town, and something like this has never happened. Officer, believe me, my shop’s been open for over a decade; how could I suddenly ruin my own reputation..."

Damn!

Zhang Xingmin cursed inwardly; it was hard enough to get someone from above to help, and now this guy was only concerned about his shop.

Listening to his complaints, Ning An suddenly asked, "If it’s not your shop’s food problem, then whose problem could it be?"

Lin Yanke chimed in, "Right, everyone fell into a coma after having breakfast at your place. You claim it’s not related to you, which makes it difficult for us."

Xiaohu suddenly fell into a mental storm, then uncertainly said, "The painting."

"A painting? What painting!" Ning An and Zhang Xingmin exchanged a glance; Zhang Xingmin immediately stepped forward, questioning fiercely.

"Yes, the painting, it’s the painting..."

Xiaohu’s memory became clearer, and his voice grew much louder.

"At that time, although those two young girls fell into a coma, their breathing was smooth. Their parents thought they had eaten something bad. Frankly, I wasn’t sure if they were allergic to something at my place, so I covered their medical expenses, and we talked for a while. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The kids’ mother said the girls were fine, went to sit at a place, came back excitedly asking how their painting was, but the mother saw them empty-handed and thought they were joking, not taking it seriously. Until the girls fainted rapidly, that’s when they thought I had fed their kids poisonous mushrooms..."

"A non-existent painting, sudden coma, it indeed sounds like the mushrooms in Lingnan."

"Right, I even reflected on whether I was careless in selecting mushrooms and brought some I shouldn’t have, but I genuinely couldn’t figure out where the problem was.

So, I planned to wait for the hospital’s examination before asking the parents to return the money because a clear conscience fears no accusations. With the parents busy here and there, I was too embarrassed to play with my phone, so I sat across from the kids, seeing if I could help with anything. That’s when one girl suddenly opened her eyes and smiled at me..."

Xiaohu’s face turned horrified instantly, and his voice paused with unspeakable fear in his tone. Ning An quickly asked, "One child woke up? Wasn’t it said that none of the children woke up so far?"

"She didn’t wake up."

It was Zhang Xingmin who answered that question first, pulling out his phone, showing a brief surveillance video, "That little girl just woke up, smiled at him, and then slipped into a coma again, and hasn’t woken since."

"That smile, I’ve seen it, I’ve seen it before..."

By this point, Xiaohu’s body was trembling, and goosebumps visibly popped up as if he remembered something terrifying, constantly shaking his head, speaking fearfully, "You guys, come see something with me, and you’ll understand..."

Seeing the dazed boss, the group, though puzzled, followed his lead.

Circumventing half of the town, they arrived at the center, with what looked like a temple in sight.

But unlike the typical impression of restraint, instead, the doors were wide open, welcoming guests from all directions.

"Huh? This temple seems different from those in TV shows," Lin Yanke exclaimed.

At this moment, Xiaohu slightly snapped back, hearing this, with a touch of red appearing on his pale face, "This temple is one of our town’s attractions. As long as you buy a ticket set, you can take pictures here. We have someone who will help change the nameplates on the shrine to any surname..."

"Oh right... Your ideas are indeed quite unique..."

Ning An was greatly shocked.

Truly, it’s a tourism town, thoroughly exploiting all resources to the fullest, even unearthing business opportunities from ancestors long gone.

"So, what’s there to see in the temple?" Lin Yanke glanced around, finding nothing unusual; even the Golden Light Talisman she held gave no warning.