Early morning, around 7 o’clock.
Although the rain had stopped, the fog hung like cotton stuffed with ash, unevenly suspended between the jagged buildings.
The patrol car’s red and blue roof lights flickered quietly at the corner, dimming and brightening silently.
Several yellow and black police tapes cordoned off a nine-story residential building.
Early risers passing by frequently stopped, looked up, and discussed.
Cheng Leyi held a military telescope and also stood at the windowsill, observing the gray-white tubular building across the street.
She bit into a mint candy for alertness, which crackled in her mouth.
With the crosshair in the lens targeting a window whose curtains were drawn, the interior scenes of the residents were clearly visible.
A housewife was busy preparing breakfast; it almost seed like the high-pitched whistle of the pressure cooker could be heard from afar.
The unemployed householder, still in his pajamas and yawning, walked out of the bedroom to wash his face and brush his teeth.
The lens paused briefly then continued moving upwards.
In the next apartnt, there was only a lonely old man.
He sat alone in a rocking chair, staring at an overturned dicine bottle, seemingly lost in thought.
Seeing this, Cheng Leyi tapped her fingertips lightly and switched to thermal imaging mode.
Then she spoke to herself through the headset:
"January 30th, 7:20 AM, target on the 8th floor, apartnt 4, likely ingested tranquilizers, body surface temperature approximately 1.5°C lower than the normal, currently within reasonable range..."
Just as she was recording the surveillance, the faint sound of a door opening ca from behind.
Then, a series of footsteps erged, gradually approaching her.
Without looking back, Cheng Leyi knew it was another team mber returning.
"How’s it going, any abnormalities discovered on your side?"
A burly man with a full beard walked right up to her.
His voice was sowhat loud, buzzing in one’s ears even when he deliberately lowered it.
Cheng Leyi shook her head without speaking.
"Take a break for a while."
The bearded man continued to persuade: "Those monsters are nocturnal, they like to be active at night and usually hide in their dens during the day, they won’t show up."
Cheng Leyi just humd in response, still focused on her surveillance task.
The mint candy in her mouth was now gone, and the cold air that she breathed in felt like countless tiny ice needles stimulating her taste buds.
Suddenly, she sniffed with her nostrils and slled an incredibly rich scent of at.
Imdiately, her stomach growled; she put down her telescope, turned her head towards her companion:
"Lin Xuhao, you bought sothing delicious, why didn’t you tell earlier?!"
The bearded man was holding two takeout bags and wore an innocent expression.
It seed as if he was saying, "You’ve been ignoring the whole ti."
The room was empty and cold, with no furniture or decorations.
The two sat directly on the concrete floor, opened their food containers, and started enjoying their breakfast.
The place was originally an unfinished room, rented temporarily for their surveillance task, making it look very rudintary.
"Ah, this damned mission looks simple but is actually the most taxing."
"We’re like peeping Toms, having monitored here for over a dozen hours and haven’t spotted any monster; earning so mission points is truly not easy."
Lin Xuhao, not looking the cultured part at all, complained while taking big bites of his chicken leg.
Cheng Leyi, despite being a girl, disregarded her image completely, grabbed a at bun, and stuffed it into her mouth, replying vaguely:
"The public health departnt is coming for disinfection and checks soon; as long as no incident occurs within 48 hours, we can withdraw."
The previous night, both of them kept watch from observation points on each side of the tubular building, performing their monitoring tasks all night long.
Now, slightly relaxed, they chatted and ate while exchanging various pieces of intelligence they had gathered.
"Let’s hope for the best..."
Lin Xuhao quickly finished the chicken leg in his hand and grabbed another, continuing:
"I just got news from the Criminal Investigation Departnt, He Yao’s bones were found, and after a DNA match, it’s confird that whoever killed him is no ordinary character."
Cheng Leyi’s eyes lit up and she imdiately said:
"Doesn’t that prove my guess was correct? The nature of this case isn’t cannibalism but rather a random encounter."
Lin Xuhao nodded; he thought the sa.
Ghouls can accelerate their evolution by cannibalizing, and bones are the most nutritious part.
Since the masked man left the bones untouched, it clearly wasn’t their doing.
Whether it’s another monster hiding among the civilians or a hunter from a distinguished family remains unknown.
The forr is a ticking ti bomb, while the latter isn’t exactly great news for the Special Search Team.
"I don’t know why the higher-ups are so concerned about that masked guy; based on a few blurry images from the caras, they concluded he’s a resident from around here."
Lin Xuhao frowned slightly and muttered:
"Based on eyewitness descriptions, He Yao should’ve evolved into a mid-level Ghoul. To tackle such a dangerous monster, one needs at least a C-level ability."
"With that kind of power, why would he hide in a rundown place like Old Factory Street? n, once they have strength, they’ll surely pursue thrilling things—villas, luxury cars, beauties..."
Cheng Leyi glanced at him:
"Like you, right?"
Lin Xuhao grinned sheepishly and quickly explained:
"I’m just playing with those won, you know we aren’t ordinary people, living in the mont is the way..."
"You scoundrel!"
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