Jimmy reported the situation and parked the police car on the side of the road where it wouldn't obstruct traffic, then got out and began examining the area around the T-shirt location. There were some footprints and signs of trampled grass; the area was some distance from the surrounding villages and towns, and no one would be walking around here. The trampled grass marks on the ground could be preserved for a while.

Jimmy looked in the direction of the footprints and entered the sparse woodland ahead. At a glance, he saw nothing unusual.

Jimmy carefully observed the marks on the ground. The trampling was very clear and indicated that it was one person given the number of footprints. The stride was somewhat scattered. If this person wasn't lame, then they were likely drunk or on drugs, as the footprints were not in a straight line but were very disordered.

Jimmy followed the footprints into the woods, turned on his flashlight, and continued to search the direction of the footprints. He also used Heart Eye to start examining the surroundings. After all, since it was a forest, there was a considerable threat from medium to large animals or people lurking nearby.

Jimmy went deeper for a bit, then looked up inside the woods and decided to leave.

It was now dusk. Even though he had a flashlight, the light was very unsuitable for searching. Jimmy left the woods and took out his phone to call Cage.

"Cage, do you have a moment? There's a case I need to consult you about," he said.

"Sure, what's up?"

"The dispatch center notified me that there was a car parked at the roadside. I checked it out and found nothing wrong with the car, but a few meters away from the car, I saw a T-shirt and found a person's footprints on the grass, leading into the woods.

I went in a few meters, but the lighting was too dark to properly search the footprints. Should I give up and go back, or should I call for K-9 support?"

"What's the location?"

"Near the beach."

"Give up. Notify the dispatch center that no one was found and close the case," Cage advised.

"OK."

Jimmy hung up the phone and directly picked up the radio.

"Adam28 to dispatch center, no anomalies found around the sedan. Close the case."

"Dispatch received."

Jimmy ended his investigation and drove back to the station. Cage's words had been slightly confusing, and he planned to ask him about it face-to-face when he arrived.

After returning to the station, Jimmy changed out of his gear, then went to the break room to drink some coffee and waited. After a while, Cage also returned.

"Hey, Jimmy, you got back early," Cage greeted him.

"Yeah, there are some things I need to confirm with you. What's the issue with that beach?" Jimmy asked.

"Nothing, you'd just better stay away from there in the future," Cage responded.

"No, you can't do that, Cage. That's my patrol area, and I need to know what the problem is there. Even if I should avoid it, I need a reason, right?"

"I'll tell you later. Let me get cleaned up first," Cage said as he headed to his locker.

Jimmy finished his coffee, walked out of the break room, checked the time, signed out, and headed to the parking lot to wait for Cage to arrive.

After a while, Cage arrived at the parking lot in casual attire, holding Jimmy's police light but not returning it to Jimmy; instead, he placed it directly into his car.

"Jimmy, let me play with the police light for a couple more days."

"No problem, I won't need it for now anyway. Besides, the law school called me today, the patent is approved, and they're handling the final procedures."

"That's great. Once you finish the procedures, I'll have a talk with Director James."

"Cage, don't try to change the subject. Clarify the situation with the marsh for me. I won't be able to sleep without understanding it."

"Alright, alright, I'll explain. The marsh is a very famous hiking spot next to Shistown. Previously, numerous hiking enthusiasts would go there each year to trek on the marsh trails.

However, starting from 5 or 6 years ago, I can't recall the exact event; some abnormal phenomena began to occur there. Initially, some hikers experienced auditory hallucinations, feeling as if someone was speaking into their ears, and some even needed psychological treatment.

Latterly, two missing person cases occurred consecutively. For the forest swamp, it is plausible for people to go missing, but over the next two years, one or two people would disappear annually.

We conducted two major searches there three years ago. The area isn't large; we searched everywhere but found no clues, so we ultimately had to close the cases as disappearances."

Jimmy was somewhat speechless. These people had grown accustomed to individuals disappearing, and society couldn't possibly improve—ultimately, only their families would suffer.

"Okay, I understand. I'll try to avoid going there. But there's another issue. I was notified by the dispatch center to go there, and there's still a sedan parked on the roadside."

"Don't worry about it. It'll be gone in a maximum of two days. Trust the noses of those hyenas."

"Hyenas? What kind of people are they?"

"They're the ones who collect unclaimed materials. Since that unclaimed car has been left in the wild, it might get towed away tonight if they're quick."

"You guys have got a perfect system here. My goodness. Alright, I've learned my lesson, I won't get involved. Heading home now."

Jimmy got into his car and left the police station parking lot to go home. On his way home, he kept thinking about today's case. For others, it seemed that as long as such anomalies were ignored, they would pass, but to him, this was rather interesting.

There are roughly three explanations for the situation at the marsh. One is that the missing persons might have disappeared for various reasons, such as falling into the mud or swamp, etc. The second possibility is that someone has been abducting people in that area, and the third is more terrifying—supernatural events.

Based on the information collected over the past few months, this world indeed has various myths about demons, but they are primarily unfounded rumors and ancient stories, with no one able to confirm them. However, he was now an exception.

Jimmy's transmigration and reincarnation had greatly shaken his materialistic worldview. The rumored demons, witches, ghosts, vampires, and the like might indeed exist, considering he himself was occupying a person's body with his soul.

Another point lending credence was his Heart Eye skill, which could not be scientifically explained. A person's spiritual power could penetrate objects to discern structures behind them and even track their movements in real time, which was utterly ludicrous.

He might now be dealing with his first supernatural incident. He needed to think it over carefully; currently, he lacked any experience with supernatural events and had no ability to combat or repel evil spirits. He should not contact the marsh yet and gather more information first.

Additionally, to deal with supernatural issues, in China, there were Taoists, and abroad, there were probably priests in churches. It seemed he should also consider preparing some so-called Holy Relics in advance. In case he needed to battle a demon, he wouldn't be completely helpless.