“Brother Jiang, I’ve copied and stored all the possible clues, including the blood composition.”
The man named Xiao Wang jogged over with the camera, sweating and panting as he reported to his captain, Jiang Ge.
Jiang Ge took the camera and carefully examined the photos one by one.
A moment later, he nodded in satisfaction and patted Xiao Wang on the shoulder.
“You did well. Do you know why I let you handle collecting all the clues by yourself this time?”
Xiao Wang paused, thought back to how he had felt while working alone earlier, then suddenly understood. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
“Brother Jiang, to be honest, until just now I thought you were punishing me for losing my temper. But now I get it. You wanted me to calm down while I was working.”
Because no matter what, the mission always came first.
Most members of the Ghost Control Team used to be special police officers. No matter how strong their personal emotions were, forcing themselves to stay calm during a mission had long since become an instinct drilled into their bones.
“Thank you, Brother Jiang!”
“No need to thank me. Since I’m your captain, it’s my duty to correct your impulsive thinking when necessary.” Jiang Ge’s tone shifted slightly. “Also, I want you to understand something — killing bizarre creatures has never been our ultimate goal.”
“Our one and only ultimate goal has always been this—”
Jiang Ge raised a single finger.
“Even if it costs us our lives, we must protect the safety of our people. Killing bizarre creatures is only one of the ways to achieve that goal.”
“Killing bizarre creatures can protect people. But what we’re doing right now — carefully collecting clues and sending them back to the Ghost Control Bureau so the analysts there can deduce the bizarre creature’s killing pattern — is also protecting people!”
Only after hearing his captain’s words did Xiao Wang realize how foolish he had been earlier, when he had been controlled by emotion and shouted about dying together with the bizarre creature like some reckless brute.
“I understand, Brother Jiang!”
“As long as you understand, it’s never too late.”
Jiang Ge patted Xiao Wang’s shoulder with a relieved expression.
Just then, Xiao Li, who had gone off earlier to check the surveillance cameras, returned with an extremely important piece of footage.
“Captain, I went around checking nearby buildings and found a camera that was pointing toward the park during that time. Take a look.”
Xiao Li took out his phone, which already had the footage copied, and pressed play under the watchful eyes of the other two.
Most electronic devices were unable to properly capture images of bizarre creatures. This was a conclusion the Ghost Control Bureau had reached after extensive testing. Wandering Souls, being non-physical, carried strong magnetic interference that could damage most electronic components inside devices.
Even flesh-based bizarre creatures would appear strangely on camera — either avoiding the lens the entire time as if they had eyes on their backs, or only appearing as a blurry black shadow.
Even so, video footage remained one of the most important pieces of evidence for determining a bizarre creature’s killing pattern.
Xiao Li pressed play.
The moment the footage appeared on screen, all three of them widened their eyes at the same time.
Although the image of the bizarre creature itself was completely blurred into a dark brown shadow, the movements of the obese middle-aged man were still vaguely recorded.
“Quick, send this back to headquarters immediately. Send the original quality version first, then deliver the storage card as well!”
Just then, something unexpected happened.
Ding dong ding dong ding dong~
A special task phone rang. All three of them were slightly stunned. Receiving a direct call from the Ghost Control Bureau during a mission could only mean one thing.
Jiang Ge frowned and answered the call.
“Hello, this is Jiang Ge, captain of the Third Squad of the Shanghai Ghost Control Bureau. Go ahead… A massive energy fluctuation? Are you sure it’s coming from that unfinished building in Fusheng Technology Park that was completely sealed off a while ago?!”
“Alright, I’m heading there right now!”
After hearing the detailed address from the other end of the line, the two team members standing beside him exchanged stunned looks, their eyes widening.
Wasn’t that the unfinished building where, according to online rumors, a summoning circle directly connected to the bizarre world was located?
Could it be that an evil spirit was about to crawl out of hell?!
……
……
Fusheng Technology Park, Unfinished Building.
A blazing crimson light flashed. The space itself seemed to twist slightly under the immense surge of energy. Jiang Yetong stood in the center of the summoning circle, her consciousness momentarily dazed.
Just two seconds ago by her body’s sense of time, Bai Tang had still been standing in front of her. Now, she was already back on Earth. Everything felt like a dream — so magical that it didn’t seem real.
“Hello, world. I’m back…”
The girl looked around the entire floor of the unfinished building. Perhaps because she had fused with the cat’s soul, even though it was currently 2 AM and pitch black all around, she could still see clearly with just the faint moonlight.
Memories from the past surfaced one after another.
Less than half a month ago, the five of them plus the cat had drawn the summoning circle here with chicken blood, believing they had obtained the key to becoming heroes in the future.
Now, only a girl with cat ears and a cat tail remained — someone who no longer knew if she could even still be called human. This experience had shattered far too many illusions and made her truly understand what despair was.
On Earth, bizarre creatures that could only appear at night and had to follow killing patterns were already enough to leave humanity helpless, forcing them to dodge and hide in a sorry state.
Yet in the hell world, such creatures were more common than trash, and they could eat people without following any rules at all.
“What humanity is experiencing right now is merely the tip of the iceberg before the true crisis arrives.”
Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps echoed from the stairwell behind her. The sound grew closer, reverberating through the empty unfinished building.
Jiang Yetong paused slightly, then stepped back into the shadows where the moonlight couldn’t reach. She wrapped her cat tail around her waist like a belt and pulled her hood down lower, standing quietly as she waited for the newcomers.
Before long, two men and one woman came up from the floor below.
Coincidentally, Jiang Yetong recognized all three of them. They were members of the Third Squad of the Shanghai Ghost Control Bureau.
She was especially familiar with the squad leader, Jiang Ge. Back when the government had yet to officially announce the existence of bizarre creatures, she had encountered one and he had been the one to contact her and force her to sign a confidentiality agreement.
“What kind of monster are you? What is your purpose for coming to Earth?!”
Jiang Ge narrowed his eyes. The moment he saw the girl’s figure, he had already drawn the handgun at his waist, looking as if he would shoot without hesitation if she made even the slightest movement.
The two team members behind him did the same.
They did not underestimate her just because of her small, girlish stature. Or rather, when facing something that might be a bizarre creature, humans had no right to be careless.
They understood better than anyone that someone who had come through a summoning circle had an extremely high — even terrifyingly high — chance of being a powerful bizarre creature!
There was even a ninety percent chance that they would all die in this unfinished building tonight.
It looks like I’m being treated as an invading bizarre creature.
“Hey! I’m talking to you! What the hell are you?!”
Looking at Jiang Ge’s gritted teeth and furious expression, Jiang Yetong suddenly recalled the question Bai Tang had once asked her.
— With her current appearance as a catgirl, wouldn’t she really get captured and dissected for research?
“I’ll give you three more seconds! Three! Two…” Jiang Ge clenched his jaw, his voice hoarse with the fear of the unknown rising inside him.
That’s right.
If it had been the old her — the one who used to be terrified of bizarre creatures — she would have wholeheartedly believed in and followed the authorities. But now that she had returned from the hell world, Jiang Yetong couldn’t help but consider one thing:
What exactly did the authorities see her as now?
A human who had grown inhuman features?
Or a bizarre creature that had taken over a dead human’s body?
Her gaze lingered on the three gun barrels pointed at her. The girl’s heart remained completely calm. After fusing with the cat’s soul back in the hell world, her body had undergone irreversible changes. Not only did she now have cat-like features, but she had also gained many traits unique to cats.
For example, reflexes fast enough to react to bullets, and the agility to safely land even if she jumped from the seventh floor of this building.
If only three handguns fired at her at the same time, they wouldn’t be able to kill her in her current state.
Even if the authorities acknowledged her as human, could she really continue to grow in an organization this weak — one that had never witnessed true terror?
Jiang Ge felt a chill from Jiang Yetong’s calm, indifferent gaze and tightened his grip on the gun.
“I’m giving you one last chance. Answer me!”
“Three!”
“Two!”
“One…”
Just as the word “one” left Jiang Ge’s mouth, the girl gracefully lifted the hem of her cloak with both hands, as if holding up a skirt, and performed an elegant curtsy toward the three of them.
“It is our first meeting. Please allow me to introduce myself despite my lack of manners.”
“On Undead Street, where beauty and mystery coexist, and chaos and evil live side by side, there exists a great being who holds dominion over tentacles and flesh. That is my master.”
“As for me, I am merely a small servant cherished by my benevolent master.”
“You may call me… Persian Cat.”
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