"Dead people can still travel down the digestive tract?" Bing Bing asked, frowning.
"That's true," I said. I called the front desk to have them send up a pair of chopsticks and carefully fished the little thing out of the beaker.
Upon closer inspection, I realized it was still emitting light, this time a green glow!
"What does this mean?" I asked. Bai Ma Jia also seemed unsure.
Yao Yao and the others were equally clueless, so I had to call Shen Xingyue for help. To my surprise, she knew. She explained that it was a common tactic used by the Mohe Group. They had confiscated such devices before but couldn't decipher their secrets, which led to their newly recruited informants being hunted by the Mohe. It took the researchers at Sabia a long time to figure out how to destroy these gadgets.
The first step, she said, was what we did correctly: using an acid solution similar to stomach acid to corrode the first layer of mechanism on the chip. This would trigger the second layer, a blue light. The blue light was intended to send a signal to Mohe headquarters, indicating that someone had ingested the device. However, the crucial part was the second step.
Stomach acid couldn't completely dissolve the signal emitter. Even without the blue light, it would continue to transmit a signal, which was the faint green glow I observed.
"Its interior is made of a special material," Shen Xingyue explained, "that can only be destroyed when the temperature reaches above one thousand degrees Celsius. Only then will Mohe headquarters receive the 'signal termination' signal."
"So, it needs to be burned away?" I asked.
"Normal lighters or firewood only reach temperatures of 500 to 600 degrees; they won't destroy it," Shen Xingyue said.
"Then what do I need to burn it with?" I asked.
"A cremator."
Ah, I suddenly understood. This little chip wasn't simulating digestion; it was simulating the process of cremation after death, once someone swallowed it and died!
"Then I know what to do. Can you help me contact the relevant departments in Shengjing and arrange for me to have it cremated? I'll take care of it later," I said.
"Certainly, I'll call you back shortly," Shen Xingyue replied. She was in charge of the entire Northeast region, so she had significant influence.
However, I figured it was best to time it right and not go for cremation immediately. I also suspected that once the Mohe discovered Bai Ma Jia's disappearance, they would likely be monitoring local crematoriums.
"Did you report to headquarters that you found us?" I asked Bai Ma Jia.
She shook her head. "I only mentioned a suspected sighting of a Bai Ze reincarnation, but I wasn't certain."
"But she's been eliminated now," Yao Yao said. "Doesn't that confirm that what Bai Ma Jia found was indeed Bai Ze?"
"That's why we need to put on a show," I said with a smile. "Inform Sha Wuji to enter the pass and have his people handle Jia Jia's funeral arrangements."
Yao Yao gave me a thumbs-up. "That's a great idea! It will also cover up your presence in Tangshan."
"That's exactly what I'm thinking," I said. I had eliminated two demons in Tangshan, and the Mohe would eventually discover this. If it was proven that Sha Wuji was responsible, these two cases could be combined.
Yao Yao contacted Sha Wuji, who said he would arrive in two hours. I wasn't in any hurry.
The three demons in the park searched for about half an hour with no success. They finally thought to check the surveillance cameras. As expected, they found footage leading to the hotel. However, unfortunately, all the surveillance cameras inside and outside the hotel were malfunctioning. The hotel explained to the demons that there had been a power surge last night, and maintenance personnel had reformatted the recordings when they came to check in the morning.
Of course, this was a small favor I had asked Chen Lu to arrange with the hotel owner.
Losing their lead, the three demons left in disappointment, presumably heading for the crematorium.
Around ten o'clock in the morning, Sha Wuji arrived, this time with fewer men, only bringing the Crane Duo to be the main actors.
Our group headed to the Huilonggang Crematorium and indeed found one of the three demons, the blue-energy great demon, guarding the entrance of the main hall and watching the people coming and going.
I needed a poetic form. I bypassed the blue-energy great demon's surveillance and went to the morgue behind. Huilonggang was a large facility, with over a hundred bodies waiting for cremation. Furthermore, unauthorized entry was prohibited. Of course, we were allowed in, as Shen Xingyue had arranged for staff to guide us. I asked him if there were any young and attractive girls.