Volume Twelve: An Invitation from Hell Chapter Twenty-One: The Ox-Pit Hell

"Phoenix, the tenth invitation has appeared at a cattle farm in the suburbs." Xuan Chen walked in. "Captain Song's team has already headed over."

"Let's go take a look." Yaoguang led the group as they set out.

The crime scene was a small cattle farm containing ten cows kept in a pen, with a large tile-roofed house nearby.

"Phoenix, here is the invitation." Song Xuekai handed it over as they arrived.

Invited: Li Genzhu, Wang Changhai, Zhang Dongqiang.

"Do you know what you have done? Was it delicious? Was it beautiful? Did you enjoy it? When you were doing these things, did you ever stop to think about what they were feeling? They cannot speak, but these acts could not escape my eyes. Come to hell, and I will speak for them."

Signed: Messenger of Hell.

"They? Who is 'they'?" Huo Mingkun asked.

"It shouldn't be humans. What's the situation at the scene?" Yaoguang asked.

"In two words: pulverized," Captain Song replied.

Yaoguang walked suspiciously toward the cattle pen and saw three people on the ground, mangled beyond recognition, though the red clothing they wore was still clearly visible. "They were trampled to death by the cows?!"

"It appears so. We are currently tranquilizing the cows; otherwise, we can't move them," Song Xuekai said, gesturing helplessly. "This suburb is rarely visited. We've done a brief background check on the three; they were just cattle farmers. The case was reported by a farmer who had an appointment to buy cattle today. We've questioned him, found no issues, and released him. That's the situation."

"This case isn't difficult; it's the Hell of the Cattle Pit," Yaoguang said. "Perhaps we'll uncover an entire chain."

"The tenth level of hell: The Cattle Pit. This is a hell for seeking justice for animals. Those who slaughter livestock at will in their lifetime, building their joy upon the suffering of others, are cast into the Cattle Pit upon death. Once thrown into the pit, countless wild oxen attack—goring with horns and trampling with hooves... These three men's crimes must involve animals," Jiang Yun said, looking at the pen.

"You're right," Yaoguang nodded in agreement.

Half an hour later, the ten cows were sedated. Lele went in, performed a brief examination, and had the three bodies removed. "Preliminarily, these three were trampled to death by the cows. I'm heading back for an autopsy."

"The victims were restrained by the killer before being dressed in red, simply to incite the cows to attack. The Hell of the Cattle Pit—did these three abuse animals, or did they simply slaughter too many?" Yaoguang looked at the scene. "This is a simple trial. Let's investigate."

Back at the police station, Yaoguang and the others began investigating the trio, only to find they were merely buying cattle from farms and selling them to others for a profit—nothing more.

"Phoenix, the autopsy results are out. These three had high levels of alcohol in their systems. There were no signs of a struggle, no restraint marks, no strangulation marks; they didn't die of mechanical asphyxiation. There were no sharp force injuries, but fifty percent of their bones were shattered. Tests confirm this was caused by cattle trampling. That's the current situation," Lele said, handing over the report.

"The Hell of the Cattle Pit, but it doesn't necessarily have to be related to cows. If these three handled other animals, what kind of business involves animals and generates profit?" Yaoguang asked.

"Illegal wildlife trafficking, poaching, or the fur trade," Huo Mingkun suggested.

"My thoughts exactly. These three lived in a remote suburb; while it looked like they were raising cattle, all the cows were bought directly. This was likely a front. If they were involved in wildlife trafficking, where was their supply chain, where were the animals hidden, and where were they sold?" Yaoguang asked.

"The supply chain and sales points are hard to determine for now, but we could check their large tile-roofed house for storage, or perhaps the cattle pen itself," Xuan Chen said.

"OK, let's go." Yaoguang nodded.

Returning to the scene, they reasoned that if the trio were involved in smuggling, the evidence would not be left out in the open. Using a ground-penetrating radar, they soon found traces in a corner of the backyard.

They searched the yard but found no entrance to a cellar. Puzzled, Xuan Chen noticed a thin wire leading toward the edge of a water well. Opening the lid, a stench of rot and blood wafted up, nearly making them gag.

Descending into the well, they realized it wasn't a sewage pipe but a natural underground fissure connected to an underground river.

They walked for a long time until the space widened into a natural cavern filled with cages stained with fur and blood.

"It seems these three were indeed involved in wildlife smuggling." They pressed on, eventually reaching a second cavern set up as a slaughterhouse, complete with tables, tools, brushes, and hooks on the walls. They continued for what felt like hours until they emerged from a hidden cave mouth deep in a mountain forest.

"Where are we?" Xuan Chen looked around.

"I think we've reached the Wildlife Reserve. The northernmost part of Ye City is a protected zone. No wonder we couldn't find the end of it." Yaoguang was exhausted. "This place is too vast, and wild animals roam here. It's dangerous to stay until dark. You all wait here." Yaoguang flew up into the clouds, took a quick look, and sent a coordinate to Yutian.

Yutian was annoyed when he received the message. "What is this lady up to now?"

He climbed to the roof of the villa, started the private helicopter, and flew toward the coordinates.

"Master, how are we getting back? I can't walk anymore; we've been walking for six hours," Jiang Yun complained.

"Don't worry. Yutian is coming to get us," Yaoguang said, looking at the horizon.

Half an hour later, a helicopter appeared. The group was stunned, though they knew this was typical of Yaoguang.

The helicopter hovered, lowered a rope ladder, and lifted them up one by one. Once the cabin door closed, they headed back to the police station.

Director Jia watched in disbelief as the helicopter landed on the roof of the Sky Sword building. "What is going on? You left by car and came back by plane? Where were you?"

"Don't ask. We were investigating the tenth invitation and ended up in the wildlife reserve. We couldn't walk back, so I had Yutian pick us up," Yaoguang said helplessly.

"How did you end up in the wildlife reserve?" the Director asked, bewildered.

"We suspected the victims were involved in wildlife smuggling. We found an underground fissure in their house and followed it for hours until we hit the reserve," Yaoguang explained, handing over her video camera. "I've recorded everything; let Captain Song handle the rest."

Song Xuekai took the camera and set to work.

"Don't worry, Captain, I installed a tracker in the reserve. The data is transferred; just make sure to bring my equipment back," Yaoguang said.

"It's just a tracker, I'll buy you a new one," Song Xuekai said generously.

"It's a global satellite GPS tracker, sixty thousand dollars. Go ahead and buy me one," Yaoguang teased.

"Never mind, I'll bring it back," Song Xuekai muttered as he left.

Two days later, more than a dozen people were brought in for interrogation. Song Xuekai had dismantled the entire poaching and trafficking ring. The evidence revealed a sophisticated chain: some provided equipment, the trio handled the poaching, and others managed the slaughter and distribution to restaurants and factories.

The scenes were horrific—animals were skinned alive to preserve the quality of the fur, and butchered while still breathing to keep the meat fresh.

Yaoguang felt a chill down her spine. These people were truly cruel.

Director Jia promised to punish them to the fullest extent of the law.

Yaoguang personally returned to the reserve to collect the spirits of the poor animals and lead them to transcendence.

The lure of money had turned these people into heartless butchers. The three dead men had been the source of the tragedy, which was why they had met their end in the "Cattle Pit." Having been stripped of their souls and dressed in red by the killer, they had faced a direct, extra-legal judgment. When their souls arrive in the underworld, they will have to endure the Hell of the Cattle Pit all over again.

The tenth level of hell: The Cattle Pit.