Swish, swish, swish—
Several people are signing.
The door is closed.
They wait until everyone has signed.
Zhang Feng sits in the pri position and promptly lights a cigarette.
"Here’s the situation..." Another young detective begins a slideshow, introducing the details of this missing persons case.
It’s roughly what the intelligence personnel said.
"All six disappeared on Lianshi Road, North Third Ring," the young detective explains with photos, "The surveillance at the nearby intersection was the last place they appeared."
"We’ve also investigated nearby."
Another veteran detective has the young one display more slides, which show buildings nearby, "That area is mostly markets—seafood, hardware, flowers—at a further distance, there is a bus station."
"Where should we investigate?" a detective asks.
"Chief Zhang." The assistant, eager to act, stands up, "Should I start at the hardware section?"
"With your temper, no wonder you can’t stay put at the local bureau." Zhang Feng waves him down, "The eting isn’t over yet. What’s the rush? This isn’t the train; you can’t just leave whenever you wish."
"...," reprimanded by Zhang Feng, the assistant knows his error and sits back down.
Zhang Feng, organizing his thoughts, remains silent.
Then, snap, everyone lights their cigarettes, falling into contemplation.
About a minute passes.
Zhang Feng looks at them, "I’ll briefly outline our task. This ti, what we’re looking for might not be ordinary people or things."
Continuing, Zhang Feng points at the confidentiality agreent in front of them, "The subject may be non-human entities, so prepare yourself psychologically and don’t expect conventional thods to work."
"Non-human entities? Are they ghosts?"
Everyone feels a chill at these words.
But they were selected for their ntal resilience.
Not one among them directly asks, ’Can I quit?’
"These are humanoid creatures."
Zhang Feng doesn’t mince words but goes straight to the point, eager to expedite matters,
"They devour humans and have a constitution far beyond ordinary people. They can easily leap onto single-story buildings.
In my estimation, without firearms, a dozen regular people stand no chance against them.
In complex terrains, firearms might not help you either; they’re too fast, firepower is sparse, aiming is difficult."
Zhang Feng looks toward the door, "Now there’s two choices: one, opt-out; two, follow in investigation."
"Monsters..."
"Is this what we’re supposed to investigate?"
’Should I opt-out?’
Everyone is caught in unease and deliberation following Zhang Feng’s words.
This is what the elite detective anticipated; encountering monsters makes it hard for anyone to speak calmly and rationally.
No matter how strong their ntal endurance, such creatures that alter the established worldview still shock them imnsely.
Indeed, this shock is less than Zhang Feng’s ability to leap tall buildings.
However, Zhang Chief, skilled as he is, remains human, a compatriot, and kin.
They show Zhang Feng more admiration and reverence rather than fear.
"I’ll give you ten minutes to decide."
Zhang Feng pulls out so photos of the monsters, "The investigation bureau previously gave so materials, I have them with , no need for them to resend."
He tosses the photos onto the table, remaining silent.
Everyone squints at the photos, exchanging glances.
So hesitate.
Others absentmindedly stare, the cigarette nearly burning to the filter, seemingly lost in thought.
The room falls silent.
Zhang Feng lights another cigarette, flipping through the written case files.
Silence, the sound of turning pages.
"I’ll go investigate!"
Not even five minutes later, one detective raises a hand, "The organization trusted , chose for this, holding expectations for . I won’t let them down."
"I’ll go too!" The assistant raises a hand.
Simultaneously, their decision sparks others, who raise their hands in succession.
"!"
"Including !"
They look at Zhang Feng, already prepared to sacrifice.
Zhang Feng observes them, but remains silent.
Because engaging with these monsters is genuinely life-threatening.
He can lead them in the investigation but can’t guarantee bringing them back safely.
Yet, overthinking only wastes ti and might even cause harm to innocent people.
Zhang Feng quickly decides, looking at them, "That area’s complex. Investigating through canvassing and routine thods won’t yield results quickly.
Moreover, they might dig tunnels, hiding places aren’t necessarily above ground.
So don’t follow regular police procedures."
Zhang Feng glances at the clock on the wall, "The ti is now 10:25 PM. Arm yourselves, gear up, and prepare to move out."
Speaking, Zhang Feng watches them prepare to stand,
"But don’t form large groups. Arrange in circles or parallel lines; I’m at the center, and no one should be more than 200 ters from .
We’re acting as bait, seeing if these things can be drawn out.
Rember, keep the communicators in your pockets, press the connect button every second so I can confirm your status.
Because when you encounter them, you might not have ti to report."
...
Half an hour later.
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