Chapter 110: Eerie White Mist, Horrified Humanity

Dim streetlights flickered, emitting a faint glow, while fireflies continually danced around.

The night was deep, with no trace of light, as if something were gestating beneath the black curtain.

At a corner of the street, a man drunk to the point of incoherence staggered, his face flushed, walking across the empty street, occasionally bursting into loud song.

His voice and the thudding footsteps intertwined, constantly stretched in the pitch‑black night, giving it an eerie, warped tone.

"Burp!"

The drunkard let out a loud belch, the air instantly filling with a strong wine smell; he smacked his lips, glanced sideways, and froze in place.

"Huh?"

He rubbed his eyes and couldn't help muttering, "What is that?"

Not far away, a hazy white light floated in midair.

The drunkard instinctively moved toward the white light, only then realizing it was his eyes playing tricks—there was no white light at all.

In the night, mist permeated the air, seeming to move, drifting through the city's corners like a ghost gliding beneath a black curtain.

It turned out to be an intangible mist that enveloped this stretch of street!

"I must have drunk too much; my vision is blurred."

The drunkard grinned, his alcohol‑fueled mind failing to notice how unusually quiet the surroundings had become, as if all life had been swallowed by the mist.

Even the feeling the mist gave was extremely strange; yet, being drunk, he sensed no lurking danger and walked straight into it.

"How does it feel like this white mist can move on its own?"

He muttered to himself, even wanting to stomp his foot a few times to test it.

But in an instant a chill surged over him, as if some massive creature had fixed its gaze on him; goosebumps rose all over his body, he shuddered, and he became much more sober.

Veins bulged on the drunkard's forehead, his eyes widened, and he emitted hoarse gasps from his throat.

Within that mist he saw a pair of dim green eyes, like two will‑o'‑the‑wisps floating in midair.

Those eyes stared unblinkingly at him, their coldness seeming to solidify, freezing his very bones and blood into ice.

The drunkard shuddered, and for a moment he even thought he had come into close contact with the Grim Reaper.

Though only a few seconds had passed, it felt as long as an hour to him, and all his drunkenness flew away to the clouds.

When the drunkard finally came to, the mist had already drifted away; he sat collapsed on the ground, his face deathly pale, his back soaked in cold sweat.

"A ghost!"

A piercing scream echoed through the night‑street, startling awake countless sleeping people.

The drunkard fled in utter panic, using every ounce of speed, terrified that the mist might return.

The next day, as dawn just broke and the city had not yet fully awakened, the sanitation worker had already begun his busy day.

Seeing the scattered shards of empty liquor bottles on the ground, the sanitation worker frowned, unable to hold back: "Who lacks public morals so much as to toss their empty bottles here after drinking?"

He swept along the roadside, eventually reaching the park under his charge.

At that moment, the sun had just peeked above the ground, splendid morning clouds reddening the earth; a gentle morning breeze stirred, and leaves rustled.

This park is the only one in the old city district with decent greenery, so many people usually choose to jog here in the morning.

As the sanitation worker grabbed his broom and prepared to clean, he suddenly saw a person lying on the ground not far away.

He first thought the person had simply drunk too much and accidentally fallen asleep here.

Recalling the empty bottle shards he'd seen earlier on the roadside, he thought this likelihood was still quite high.

"Hey kid, wake up—sleeping here will make you sick."

The sanitation worker called out a few times with no response, then instinctively pushed; his hand met icy coldness, and the old woman's heart filled with suspicion, a bad premonition rising.

"Hey kid, are you all right—"

Turning the person over, he saw a pallid, twisted face—unmistakably that of a corpse!

Under the close‑range shock, the sanitation worker collapsed onto the ground, feeling only an extreme stickiness beneath his hand and a strange fishy odor rushing up his nostrils.

Lifting his hand, he saw dark stains covering both palms; a wave of nausea rose in his gut, threatening to make him vomit his breakfast.

The sanitation worker ran to the side and vomited profusely; after finishing, he trembled as he dialed the number: "Hello, 110? This is East Suburb Park—I've found a corpse!"

After filing the report, the police responded swiftly.

Moments later, a piercing siren wailed down the street; the sanitation worker waited anxiously by the roadside, and seeing the police arrive, he let out a relieved breath.

The car door opened, revealing a pair of straight, long legs; though they wore the same dark‑blue uniform as everyone else, on her they carried a distinctive air.

Her finely chiseled features instantly caught the sanitation worker's attention, even easing some of his nervousness.

"She's really pretty."

The old woman thought so in her heart.

"Hello, may I ask if you're the one who discovered the corpse?"

Seeing the policewoman standing before him, the sanitation worker hastily nodded, "Yes, yes, it's me."

The policewoman broke into a kind smile, like a spring breeze brushing willows, and unconsciously smoothed the sanitation worker's inner turmoil.

"All right, please don't be nervous; could you tell me roughly what happened?"

"This morning I went to work, then saw a person lying on the road; I first thought he was drunk, so I called out to him, but got no response, and then I discovered"

The policewoman made brief notes, nodding occasionally, a picture of attentive listening; her handwriting was elegant and flowed smoothly.

"That's how it went."

The policewoman closed her notebook and asked, "Before you arrived, did you notice any suspicious people nearby?"

The sanitation worker thought carefully, then shook his head: "No, most people around here are morning joggers; there shouldn't be any suspicious individuals."

His face bore the lingering shock; anyone who saw a corpse at dawn would feel awful.

"All right, thank you for providing this information."

The policewoman thanked him softly.

Seeing the female police officer's bright smile, the gloom from seeing corpses seemed to have lessened somewhat, and the sanitation worker's tone had already returned to calm.

No need to be polite, it's my duty.

Soon, several police officers walked by from the surrounding area.

The elderly police officer nearby, clearly experienced, was orderly directing everyone to carry out the work, though his face was grave, already aware of the seriousness.

Not just one corpse; just now several male corpses were also found nearby.

Zhang Lin, you're in charge of on-site investigation; Qian Bai, you maintain order and evacuate the crowd, don't let too many people approach the scene to avoid damaging evidence. And Bai Yanfei, come with me.

The female officer named ran over quickly, a layer of fine sweat beading on her forehead and rolling down her snow-white cheeks.

Captain Zhou, what's up?

Police Officer Zhou carefully instructed: 'Superiors told me earlier, although I'm leading this team, you are also the deputy team; do well on this work, and you'll likely be able to lead independently soon.'

Bai Yanfei was very composed, not complacent, and earnestly promised: 'Rest assured, Captain Zhou, I won't let you or the Bureau's expectations of me down.'

The police set up a cordon nearby and began the on-site investigation and scene clearance work.

Many joggers who saw it curiously gathered over.

People tend to follow the crowd, enjoying the excitement; seeing the green belt here entirely cordoned off with police tape and many officers present, they discussed it loudly.

What happened? Why are there so many police?

It seems a few people died.

What? A criminal case happened here—was it a robbery? If so, I wouldn't dare come jogging here anymore.

I don't know; I just came over too. It seems they died last night, probably not a robbery, feels like a grudge killing, with lots of blood.

Good heavens, is this place not dangerous? Could it be a perverted killer? From now on I'll change my walking spot.

Don't believe or spread rumors; the police haven't issued any notice yet, so let's not talk nonsense here and cause panic.

Everyone discussed it, craning their necks to see the scene clearly, but the yellow line blocked their view.

Seeing the crowd grow larger, police soon came out to disperse the people, so as not to hinder later work.

The crowd was quickly dispersed; meanwhile police continued taking photos and collecting samples, gathering related evidence around.

Bai Yan looked at the corpses without changing expression, obviously having high psychological quality; although young, she had early on accompanied outdoor missions, accumulating considerable experience.

She roughly examined the corpses, occasionally jotting notes in her notebook, soon filling half a page, showing her seriousness and responsibility; no wonder Captain Zhou values her so highly.

Alright, send the corpses to the forensic examiner for inspection; check the exact time of death, and as soon as the autopsy report is out, send it over immediately.

The corpses had already been transported back by a specialized vehicle; white outlines of human figures were drawn on the ground, and the police in charge of evidence collection were reporting the situation to Captain Zhou.

No relevant identification was found on them; for now we don't know who they are or their identities; later we'll compare DNA database records, and meanwhile many tools are scattered on the ground, with an empty vehicle not far away, possibly theirs.

Looking at the backpack found at the scene, Captain Zhou frowned slightly, his gaze falling on these tools, also with some doubt.

These tools seem related to archaeology?

He seemed to think of something: 'What about the murder weapon? Have you seen any weapon at the scene?'

The nearby officer shook his head: 'Judging from the large bloodstains at the scene, we can preliminarily determine this is the first crime scene, with no body movement, but the weapon hasn't been found—perhaps the killer took it.'

Public security in this jurisdiction has always been decent, at most petty theft; incidents like criminal cases are still first-time occurrences, and this time more than one person died.

The key is that the identities of this group also seem rather suspicious.

The cash and such on these people are all present, making robbery unlikely; it leans toward a grudge killing. There should be surveillance nearby—go check and see if you can capture anything useful.

Also, check the nearby stores to see if anyone witnessed the incident.

The corpses were taken back to the police station; because several people died at once, superiors attached importance to it, and a special task force was quickly formed to investigate.

Under Police Officer Zhou's command, Bai Yanfei as deputy team also faced considerable pressure, after all it's rare to encounter such a case, and several people died at once.

Bai Yanfei's main work was to carry out screening operations centered on East Suburb Park.

This task is neither big nor small; it still requires some patience.

Bai Yanfei went door to door, flashing her credentials: 'Hello, did you hear anything unusual yesterday?'

No, I went to bed early yesterday.

Okay, thank you.

Afterward, Bai Yanfei continued the visits; along the way she got no leads, knocking on several homes in a row, all saying they heard nothing.

The other accompanying officers couldn't help but look puzzled: 'It's really strange—several people died yesterday, yet it's impossible for nearby residents to have heard nothing.'

That's right, this is somewhat unusual.

Everyone kept walking until they reached a household, where they unexpectedly heard a special piece of information.

I was half-asleep last night and seemed to hear someone shouting by the roadside, saying they saw a ghost or something; probably just drunk.

Bai Yanfei was somewhat surprised: 'You saw a ghost?'

The man nodded, showing a look of disdain.

It's the household directly opposite, the easternmost one—a drunkard who never comes home early, and when drunk goes crazy, soon driving us nuts.

From his tone one can easily sense great disgust.

Bai Yanfei nodded: 'Okay, thank you for your cooperation.'

At this time the residents were still indoors, unaware that a criminal case had occurred not far away.

Upon hearing Bai Yanfei's question, their expression instantly turned tense: 'Officer, has something happened around here?'

Bai Yanfei showed a gentle smile, soothing them: 'Police are just handling a case routinely; no need to worry.'

After leaving, Bai Yanfei looked at the nearby team members: 'There are still a few households we haven't visited; there might be new leads, and also that drunkard the first household mentioned could be a breakthrough.'

Not long after, the group quickly arrived at the drunkard's location.

Knock knock knock—

After knocking for a while, someone finally came to open the door, just when everyone thought no one was inside.

With a creak, the door finally swung open slowly; the owner seemed to have just woken up, disheveled and yawning repeatedly.

A strong smell of alcohol wafted over, making Bai Yanfei instinctively step back half a pace; keeping her professional composure, the smile on her face remained unchanged.

Hello, I'm a police officer; I heard you encountered something last night, we want to ask you——

Bai Yanfei hadn't finished speaking when the man, thinking of something, his expression suddenly shifted slightly.

Such a change in expression naturally did not escape Bai Yanfei and the others' keen eyes; seeing a chance, everyone's spirits lifted somewhat.

Finally, we have a clue!

Who would have thought the man's following words would disappoint them greatly.

"Officer, on my way home after drinking yesterday, I ran into a ghost! Its green, gloomy eyes terrified me, right there in the mist."

The man's expression still showed undisguised fear and terror, indicating how great a psychological shadow last night's scene had cast on him.

Seeing the alcohol smell still on the man and the countless empty bottles on the floor, Bai Yanfei and the others shook their heads and did not linger.

Others felt helpless, "We originally thought there might be a new lead."

The investigation here was nearly complete, with few clues obtained; meanwhile, elsewhere, other police had also identified the identities of that group.

Officer in charge Xiao Zhang hastily handed the documents to Captain Zhou.

"Captain Zhou, we've identified their identities; this group engages in illegal excavation and tomb robbing, selling various antiquities, and behind them is an overseas syndicate specializing in resale; since the syndicate's base is abroad, tracing the source is difficult, so the lead ends here."

As the police had previously suspected, the victim's identity was indeed not simple; Captain Zhou furrowed his brows.

"In that case, it's not just a simple robbery‑killing; it may also involve profit distribution and uneven split of the loot."

As for why no artifacts were found at the scene, either they hadn't had time to act, or the items had been taken away.

However, judging from the footprints and fingerprints at the scene, only theirs were present, with no sign of anyone else.

Someone suggested: "Could it be that someone already cleaned up the scene, erasing their presence?"

Captain Zhou nodded, "We cannot rule out that possibility."

He then seemed to think of something, "Did we find any useful clues about that vehicle?"

"That vehicle is from another province; we found they drove here from Wu Du and stopped at South Peace Street Hutong Alley 178."

Nowadays surveillance cameras are everywhere; following the license plate makes it easy to trace their movements, so locating that place is not difficult.

"Let's go check that place, bring personnel and follow me right away."

Upon receiving the news, Captain Zhou immediately led personnel to South Peace Street Hutong Alley 178, but unfortunately the place was empty, with no new clues found inside.

The room was thick with dust, suggesting it wasn't often inhabited; aside from some messy footprints and animal hair on the floor, nothing else was found.

"It seems this is merely their temporary stop; such a place is a mixed crowd, anyone can be found, making it a decent cover."

Moreover, many similar hutong alleys surround this area, winding and interconnecting like a labyrinth; any slight disturbance can buy them time to escape.

"Looks like this trip yielded nothing."

Captain Zhou sighed; just as they came up empty, the police bureau sent two messages.

The good news is there is nearby surveillance; the bad news is the surveillance had a glitch, and technicians are currently repairing it, hoping to extract last night's footage.

At this moment, the coroner's autopsy report also finally came out.

"Captain Zhou, the cause of death for these people is very strange; their bodies suffered heavy blows, yet no fingerprints were detected on them, nor could the weapon be identified, so the murder weapon remains unknown for now."

Hearing this, everyone looked surprised; Captain Zhou found it unbelievable, "How could we not find the murder weapon?"

Just as everyone was puzzled, the technical department finally reported good news: all the surveillance footage had been copied.

Captain Zhou and the others rushed over upon hearing the news, eager to view the footage, but failed to notice the strange expressions of the technical staff.

"Um, Captain Zhou, you need to brace yourself."

"Officer Zhou dismissed it, 'I've seen all kinds of storms; even a bloody scene wouldn't make me blink.'"

However, after quickly watching the video, the others understood what the technical staff's expressions meant.

From the surveillance came a continuous sizzling electric sound, as if affected by something, and the image was also somewhat blurry.

Everyone instinctively moved closer, discovering it wasn't the image that was blurry, but a thin layer of mist enveloping the surroundings, making it appear as if viewed through a gauzy veil.

Bai Yanfei couldn't help but frown, muttering, "We rarely get fog here at night."

Afterward, her gaze continued to fall on the surveillance screen.

Not long after, a beam of headlights swept in—it was the victim's vehicle.

Around here there is only one park; traffic is light at night, let alone in the deep night.

Bai Yanfei carefully observed the surveillance footage, meanwhile continuously taking notes, writing all key points in her notebook to avoid any omissions.

In the surveillance, the car soon stopped in place, as if encountering a problem; someone got out to inspect it to no avail, and then others also got out one after another.

Captain Zhou counted; there were five people, exactly matching the five corpses—could it be that no one else was present at the scene?

Earlier speculation was that perhaps another person existed, the killer, who fled after the murder.

But according to the surveillance, that possibility seems unfounded.

It's also strange that, although there was a bit of mist, they could still see clearly; shortly after the five got out, the fog grew thick.

More accurately, those white mists seemed purposeful, centering on those few people and then spreading outward.

In a daze, it gave them the illusion that the mist had a life of its own, or perhaps was being controlled.

A policeman couldn't help but blurt out, "These white mists… how do they feel alive?!"

(End of chapter)