Inside the Lancheng Police Department, the gray-haired Chief paced back and forth in his office. With every step he took, his expression grew darker and heavier.
Just minutes ago, Officer Wang Xu—who had been maintaining direct contact with the operation—suddenly sent one urgent warning message… and then completely went silent.
After multiple failed attempts to reach him, the Chief immediately dispatched more manpower to reinforce Ankang Town.
If something had happened to Wang Xu, it meant the police had lost all control and intelligence from the town, and he had no idea what situation Lu Yunze and the others were in.
Accidents during missions were normal, which was why he had strictly ordered the team earlier:
Once they located Lu Yunze’s group, they would not act rashly. They were to report back immediately, then find a secure method to retrieve and evacuate everyone.
Even after planning the safest approach, a terrible sense of dread still pressed down in the Chief’s chest. He couldn’t shake off the feeling that something big was about to happen.
Just as he sat down, preparing to distract himself with paperwork, his office door was suddenly pushed open.
“Chief!”
“What is it? Any news from the field?”
“No! Chief…” The officer stood there panting heavily, needing a moment before he could speak. “You’d better come out front. The phone lines are exploding!”
The Chief froze for one second before immediately rushing out.
In the main hall, the police on duty were overwhelmed—answering an endless chain of calls, reporting countless emergencies.
That number of calls never happened on normal days.
The officer had said something was happening outside, so the Chief ran straight through the doors—
And froze.
People in the streets had all stopped where they were and were staring upward at the sky.
Following their gazes, the Chief looked up.
The sight made his heart almost stop.
Swirling through the sky was a rising, spreading cloud of mixed colors—green, pink, purple, yellow—rolling upward into the air like burning smoke.
“What the hell is that? A performance?”
“Did a chemical factory explode?”
“Or is this a terrorist attack?”
The Chief could already imagine the chaos that would follow once the public reacted.
“That group… they actually made a move on this scale? They really don’t care about consequences…”
Meanwhile, elsewhere in Ankang Town:
At a small street stall, Luo Yao stood purchasing bottled drinks. Even knowing vendors here charged two or three times higher than convenience stores, she still paid without arguing—
One bottle for herself, and one for Lu Yunze.
As for a certain “third woman,” Luo Yao decided that person knew the town well enough to buy her own drink somewhere else.
“You’re not from around here, are you?” the vendor asked.
“I live in Lancheng, but this is my first time here,” Luo Yao replied.
“That so? I don’t see a perfume charm on you. Before you leave, buy one—brings good luck!”
“…Sure.”
Luo Yao answered casually.
But then paused, suddenly curious:
“These perfumes and incense charms… Is this all part of Ankang’s tradition?”
“No way.” The vendor snorted. “If this town really had such a weird custom, it would’ve emptied itself of residents long ago.”
“Then how did it start?”
“Around a year ago. Some people came, promised they could revive this dying town, and the mayor agreed to everything.”
From then on, Ankang began promoting the idea of a “fragrance town”—turning incense and scent products into tourist attractions.
“At first, I thought it was harmless. But those perfume charms seem to actually work, you know? Heard about that missing-people case in the city? None of that ever happened here.”
Luo Yao’s brows lowered.
Something wasn’t right.
From the very beginning, when Lu Yunze insisted on coming here, she had felt uneasy.
Had he known something already?
Before she could keep thinking—
“What the hell is happening up there?!” the vendor suddenly shouted.
Luo Yao raised her head—
And her eyes widened.
The multi-colored gas had already covered the entire town. People who were just going about their daily life suddenly crumbled, coughing violently, tears streaming uncontrollably.
The scent flooding the air contained the same ingredients as the perfume charms—one breath was enough to overwhelm the senses.
One after another, townsfolk collapsed to the ground.
“Is this… a mystic ability?”
Covering her nose and mouth in time, Luo Yao still felt dizzy, her hand trembling as she grabbed a freezer for support.
Behind her came a body thudding to the ground—the vendor had succumbed instantly.
Lu Yunze—where was he?!
She looked toward the performance stage in the center of town. Colored fog swallowed everything, making it impossible to distinguish who was up there.
If something happened to him…
A rustling movement caught her eye.
A group of people appeared.
They wore black crow masks, unaffected by the fog, walking through the chaos casually.
Laughing. Gloating.
They lifted unconscious people from the ground and tossed them into the backs of waiting vans.
“Tonight is a big harvest.”
“Told you it was worth the wait.”
“At least we can trust our own people.”
What were they talking about?
Luo Yao’s heartbeat roared in her ears.
“That girl is still standing.”
“And she’s pretty.”
“Stop talking. Grab her too.”
Even through their masks, she could feel their predatory smiles.
Enemy numbers were large. They weren’t affected by the scent.
Luo Yao slapped her own cheeks lightly—steadying her breath—her eyes turning icy.
At the other side of town—
Lu Yunze pulled off a crow mask, breathing easier at last.
After overturning a patrol truck belonging to those traffickers, he had torn off the drivers’ masks, handing one to himself and one to Jiang Sui.
“Where’s your leader? And where’s Hu Ming?”
The captured driver didn’t get to answer. Overwhelmed by the toxic air, he passed out again.
“This isn’t a small-time gang,” Lu Yunze muttered, expression darkening. “This looks big.”
This entire town had become a trap.