Siheyuan came through and sent Jia Zhang to prison

Upon hearing He Feng's instructions, Zhao Lei immediately straightened his back and said in a resolute tone, "Don't worry, Director, I guarantee I'll handle this perfectly!" After saying that, he turned around and strode out of the office, hurrying off to allocate manpower.

Only He Feng and Ma Xin remained in the office, the air thick with the faint smell of tobacco. He Feng, an unlit cigarette between his fingers, looked at Ma Xin, his brow furrowed slightly: "What do you think about this?"

Ma Xin picked up the enamel mug on the table, took a sip of hot water, and smiled knowingly. Her tone was firm: "What real ghost? In my opinion, someone is probably behind this. Things haven't been peaceful at the mine lately. I'm afraid someone is trying to use the 'haunting' as an excuse to muddy the waters, make everyone panic, and cover something up."

He Feng nodded, stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, and said, "You're right, there is indeed someone behind this. But the tricky part is that this 'ghost' is hiding too well and has made a clean fuss. The key is how to find him."

Ma Xin leaned forward, her eyes gleaming with eagerness: "Shouldn't we go to the mine to investigate right now? Finding out the truth as soon as possible will allow the miners to work with peace of mind. This dragging on isn't a solution."

He Feng shook his head, tapping his fingertips lightly on the table: "If we investigate openly now, we probably won't find anything—since they dare to do this, they must have been prepared, and they might even be waiting for us to walk into their trap. You shouldn't get involved in this; I have my own plans."

Seeing his resolute attitude, Ma Xin knew that further persuasion would be useless, so she could only nod and say, "Okay, then please be careful." After saying that, she turned and left the office.

As soon as she left, He Feng's expression grew even more serious. His fingers traced the mine map on the table—he already had a bold plan in mind, but the time was not yet right, and he could not reveal it.

Not long after, Zhao Lei returned, his forehead still damp with a light sheen of sweat: "Chief, all the manpower has been arranged. Twenty brothers are on standby, ready to act at your command."

He Feng looked up at him and nodded: "Okay. Come with me to the coal mine tonight. I want to see for myself who's playing tricks."

Zhao Lei panicked as soon as he heard this and quickly waved his hand: "Director, this...this is not a good idea, is it? The mine is in a lot of chaos right now. Nobody dares to go near that abandoned old kiln during the day. If we go there now and get recognized, we might alert them and it could be dangerous! The miners all say they can hear crying sounds coming from the old kiln at night. It's really eerie."

He Feng smiled, then his tone turned serious: "Investigating the case is the most important thing right now. It's precisely at times like these that the other side is more likely to lower their guard and reveal their weaknesses. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing, nothing will happen."

Zhao Lei was still unsure, scratching his head with a troubled expression: "But... but how should we investigate? We can't just swagger in through the main gate, can we? We'd be spotted by the patrol before we even get close."

"Don't worry about that," He Feng said with a mysterious smile, taking a brown paper package out of the drawer. "We'll meet at the back gate of the coal mine at eight o'clock tonight. I'll bring you some clothes to change into."

Although Zhao Lei was full of doubts, he knew that He Feng always knew his limits, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and say "okay," then turned around and went back to prepare the flashlight and walkie-talkie.

When He Feng finished get off work, he made a special detour to the safety equipment store near the coal mine. The shop owner, a dark-skinned man, greeted him warmly when he saw him come to buy something: "Comrade, what do you need?"

"Get me two sets of work clothes, the older the better, preferably ones covered in coal dust," He Feng said, pointing to the pile of old clothes in the corner. "And get me two safety helmets, the kind with lights."

The shopkeeper quickly found two sets of work clothes covered in black grime, and then pulled out two safety helmets with miner's lamps, wrapped them in newspaper and handed them to him: "These clothes are sturdy, they were worn by old miners, they're just a bit dirty, but you can make do with them."

"It's fine, this is what I want." He Feng paid, carefully hid the items in his canvas bag, and rode his bike home. The setting sun cast a long shadow over him; everything was ready, just waiting for nightfall.

At eight o'clock in the evening, the back gate of the coal mine was pitch black, with only the occasional sweep of a distant searchlight leaving a pale white light. He Feng and Zhao Lei met on time, with only the "whooshing" sound of the wind blowing through the coal piles around them.

He Feng opened the canvas bag and handed the work clothes to Zhao Lei: "Hurry up and change. After you're done, we'll sneak in through the side door. The lock on that door is rusted; it'll open with a push. Once inside, don't say anything. Follow me. We'll first quietly check out the area near the old kiln."

Zhao Lei took the clothes, looking at the fabric stained with black ash, his fingertips even covered in a layer of black. He wondered if this method was reliable at all—investigating a case while wearing a miner's clothes was a first for him. But he also knew that at this point he had no choice but to listen to the bureau chief. He quickly changed the clothes, slipped the miner's lamp onto his helmet, turned it on, and a beam of light pierced the darkness, casting shimmering spots of light on the ground.

"Let's go." He Feng changed into his work clothes, smeared some coal dust on his face so that his appearance was obscured, and took the lead towards the side door. Zhao Lei quickly followed, feeling both nervous and excited—tonight, they might really be able to catch that "ghost."

The coal mine gate was ajar, a rusty padlock hanging haphazardly on the door knocker, making a soft clanging sound in the wind. A series of bizarre incidents had frightened Old Zhou, the gatekeeper, into resigning. Now, there wasn't even a night watchman; only the dark mine entrance, like the mouth of a giant beast, exuded an indescribable eeriness.

He Feng glanced into the mine; countless eyes seemed to lurk in the dim light. He turned to Zhao Lei beside him, his voice low: "Although we don't believe in ghosts and spirits, these past few incidents have been eerie. If it were really 'ghosts,' that would be one thing, but I'm afraid it's someone pulling the strings behind the scenes—human hearts are unpredictable, and that's more troublesome than anything else. Stay close to me once we're inside, and be extremely careful."

Zhao Lei was young, his face still showing some immaturity, but upon hearing this, he stubbornly looked at He Feng, his eyes filled with a hint of obstinacy: "Director, why don't you wait outside? I'll go in and take a look by myself. The situation inside is unknown, who knows what dangers are lurking there? If anything happens to you..."

He Feng was amused by his honesty and patted him on the shoulder: "Stop talking nonsense and follow me. Remember, no matter what you see or hear, you are not allowed to act without my orders, and you are not allowed to fire your guns indiscriminately." As he spoke, he pushed open the iron gate first, and his foot stepped on the cinder-covered ground, making a soft "creak" sound.

Watching He Feng's retreating figure, Zhao Lei felt a surge of warmth in his heart—Director He was a leader, yet he had left the most dangerous position to him; this sense of responsibility made his nose tingle. He quickly gripped his flashlight and hurried after him, the beam sweeping across the darkness, illuminating the miners' lamps on the coal wall, making them flicker.