Forensic Doctor: Finding the Way Back to the Mystery of Ancient Realms

As the dawn broke, Xu Youran and Situ Han once again stepped into the shadow play studio filled with an eerie atmosphere. The sunlight shone through the half-closed curtains, dappling on the shadow play props scattered on the ground, as if they were unfinished plays from the old days, waiting for the audience's interpretation.

"This time, we have to be more careful," Xu Youran said as she put on gloves and began to examine the seemingly ordinary shadow puppets one by one. Her sharp eyes did not miss any unusual details.

"Look, the thread ends here have been deliberately trimmed," Situ Han said, pointing to the back of a shadow puppet, "and the technique is professional, it's definitely not accidental. This may be one of the key clues we left behind in our search for the murderer."

The two quickly recorded their discovery and continued to explore every corner of the studio. On an old workbench, they found a dusty diary with a yellowed cover but the handwriting was still clearly legible.

Xu Youran carefully opened the diary, which recorded the rise and fall of the shadow puppet troupe and a series of unknown secrets. Among them, the most eye-catching was a description of the "Shadow Curse", which is said to be an ancient spell that can control shadow puppets and give them extraordinary power.

"Shadow Curse..." Situ Han frowned and thought, "If this is true, then this is more than just a simple murder case."

They continued reading and found that the diary mentioned several key figures, including the current troupe leader Li Mo and a mysteriously missing shadow puppet master, Zhao Yifei. Zhao Yifei was once the soul of the troupe, but suddenly disappeared for some reason, leaving behind only a room full of shadow puppets and an unsolved mystery.

In order to get more clues, Xu Youran and Situ Han decided to visit the victim's family again. This time, they came to the home of a middle-aged woman, who was the mother of the victim of a recent shadow play murder case.

"Officer, I beg you, you must find the murderer!" The middle-aged woman burst into tears and tightly grasped Xu Youran's hand. "My son is innocent. He just likes to watch shadow puppet shows. Why was he involved in such a disaster?"

Xu Youran comforted the victim softly and asked whether the victim had any abnormal behavior or contact before his death. From the family's account, they learned that the victim had shown an unusual interest in shadow puppetry before he was killed, and even secretly participated in several non-public performances.

"A non-public performance?" Situ Han keenly caught this information. "This may be the key to our breakthrough."

With the newly discovered clues, Xu Youran and Situ Han began an in-depth investigation of Li Mo and the "Moyun" troupe. They disguised themselves as shadow puppet enthusiasts and sneaked into the troupe, trying to uncover the truth behind it.

Backstage at the troupe, they met several actors with different looks. Through clever conversations, they learned that Li Mo had an almost obsessive love for shadow puppet art, but at the same time he was questioned for his strict management and mysterious whereabouts.

"Director Li always rehearses alone in the dead of night," a young actor quietly revealed, "and he always uses shadow puppets that we have never seen before. Those shadow puppets seem to have life and can dance with his movements."

This description made Xu Youran and Situ Han feel nervous. They realized that Li Mo might be inextricably linked to the "Shadow Curse".

Just as Xu Youran and Situ Han were preparing to investigate further, Officer Zhang, a representative of the S City police, brought important intelligence. The police found evidence directly related to the "Moyun" troupe at another crime scene, which further confirmed their speculation.

"It seems that our suspicion is not groundless." Officer Zhang said in a deep voice, "However, Li Mo is a cunning man. We must proceed with caution."

Therefore, the three forces decided to join forces and jointly formulated a detailed plan to catch Li Mo and the conspiracy behind him.

After a series of intense and fierce investigations and tracking, Xu Youran and Situ Han finally uncovered the truth of the mystery of shadow play. It turned out that in order to monopolize the essence of shadow play art, Li Mo used the "Shadow Curse" to manipulate the shadow play and committed a series of brutal murders. His targets were not only competitors and insiders, but also those innocent people who accidentally touched the secret.

In a carefully planned arrest operation, the police successfully captured Li Mo and his accomplices. Faced with overwhelming evidence, Li Mo finally bowed his head and admitted his crime.

"I thought I could control everything through shadow puppetry," Li Mo's voice was filled with endless regret, "but I didn't expect that I would end up in disgrace."

With the case solved, S City regained its former tranquility. However, an unsolved mystery remained in the hearts of Xu Youran and Situ Han.

While sorting out the case materials, they accidentally discovered a manuscript left by Zhao Yifei, which not only recorded in detail the origin and secrets of the "Shadow Curse", but also mentioned a deeper and more disturbing clue - a secret organization hidden deep in S City in the Republic of China. This organization seems to be inextricably linked to many unsolved mysteries, including the previous bizarre death cases.

In the manuscript, Zhao Yifei wrote with trembling strokes: "I have explored the edge of this organization in depth. It is the border between light and darkness, and the melting pot of rationality and madness. They manipulate shadow puppets not only as a carrier of art, but also as a tool for some ancient ritual, attempting to touch areas that should not be touched by mortals."

Xu Youran and Situ Han looked at each other, and they could see shock and uneasiness in each other's eyes. They realized that this was not just a hunt for a murderer, but also the exposure of a huge organization that could threaten the safety of the entire S City.

"We must continue to investigate," Xu Youran said firmly. "No matter how powerful this organization is, we cannot let it continue to hide in the dark."

Situ Han nodded in agreement, knowing that this would be a long and difficult battle. But he also understood that as detectives, their duty was to protect justice and peace in this land.

So, the two began to prepare a new investigation plan. They decided to start with the clues mentioned in Zhao Yifei's manuscript and check the places and people that might be related to the organization one by one. At the same time, they also strengthened their cooperation with the S City police to jointly deal with possible crises.

In the process, they encountered many difficulties and obstacles. Sometimes, the clues would be suddenly interrupted, as if someone was deliberately obstructing them from behind; sometimes, they would fall into dangerous situations, and the confrontation with unknown forces made them feel unprecedented pressure. But no matter how great the difficulties were, Xu Youran and Situ Han never gave up the pursuit of the truth.

Finally, during a late-night raid, they accidentally discovered a secret base of the organization. There, they not only found a large number of items related to shadow puppets and ancient rituals, but also rescued several innocent people imprisoned by the organization. The testimonies of these innocent people further confirmed the contents of Zhao Yifei's manuscript, allowing Xu Youran and Situ Han to have a clearer understanding of the true face of this organization.

However, this is just the beginning. They know that in order to completely destroy this organization, more efforts and sacrifices are needed. But they also believe that as long as there is justice in their hearts, nothing is impossible.

As the investigation was about to come to an end, Xu Youran and Situ Han stood in the night of S City, looking at the dimly lit streets in the distance. In their hearts, they were both nervous about the unknown challenges and had a firm belief in victory.

"Where should we go next?" Situ Han asked.

Xu Youran smiled slightly, her eyes firm. "Go to the mental hospital. Zhao Yifei's manuscript mentioned that place. There may be more secrets about this organization hidden there."

As Xu Youran and Situ Han walked further and further away, the city of S seemed to be shrouded in a mysterious fog. In the old mental hospital, a more bizarre and terrifying death case was quietly brewing. This case will not only reveal more truth about the secret organization, but will also push Xu Youran and Situ Han into a dangerous situation they never expected.

"Mental hospital..." Xu Youran muttered to himself, with an ominous premonition in his heart, "That will be the final place where we will uncover all the mysteries."