Chapter 487: Lovers in the Video? What's More Terrifying Than Death

The projector's cold light jumped on the wall, endlessly looping a strange image:

A spider-like creature the size of a truck writhed its limbs, its scales covered in human-face-shaped lumps, and as it attacked with bared claws, a schoolgirl in uniform tilted her exquisite face in a smile, her lower body transformed into countless writhing red threads.

Though there was no one else in the room, the Chief Councilor still sat upright.

His body remained perfectly still, complying with every requirement of the Administrative Regulations for Executors, but his face showed a terrible split—the right half was his familiar dignified countenance, while the left half twisted into an inhuman ferocity.

Half his lips pressed tight, the other half eerily curled upward.

"Tap."

A drop of viscous liquid slid from the corner of his left mouth.

Suddenly, a scarlet tongue like a snake's forked tongue darted out, licking across the girl's image in the projection.

The light screen rippled, and the girl's smiling face was blurred by saliva for an instant.

Boom—boom—boom—

Three muffled knocks suddenly rang out.

The red light in the Chief Councilor's eyes receded like a tide, his twisted face reshaped like clay, and in an instant returned to his usual dignified appearance.

He spat out a word indifferently: "Enter."

The black-robed figure slid into the room soundlessly.

That mask seemed able to devour light; in pure blackness remained only two bottomless eye sockets, and when the hem of his robe brushed the carpet, not even dust was disturbed.

Black robe, black face—the signature outfit of the "Night Watchman."

This mysterious department that specifically handled evil and strange incidents was called "Black Yama" in the Lower City because of its attire and manner of doing things.

They were few in number, their identities a mystery, yet they wielded chilling power.

"Raven, you're here."

The Chief Councilor glanced at the visitor; he did not know what face lay behind that mask, but he knew the visitor was Raven.

Raven's gaze swept over the projection, his eyes imperceptibly pausing: "Her?"

Raven was not tall, even somewhat stooped, and his voice sounded like sandpaper rubbing metal, a bit hoarse.

He was not tall, even somewhat stooped, his whole person seeming shrouded in a layer of mysterious black mist.

Beneath the black robe came the faint sound of chains clinking—the Night Watchmen's specially made Night Watcher Restraints, used to apprehend particularly special prisoners.

The video continued playing, and soon another man appeared.

"Him again?"

Raven's voice sank slightly, growing more serious.

He seemed to fall into thought, then asked and answered himself, his tone carrying a barely contained surprise:

"Two Evil Festival Parasites, and they look like intimate lovers?!"

The Chief Councilor slowly stood up, walked to the desk, gently pulled open the drawer, took out two files, and handed them to Raven.

"These are the materials compiled by the Executive Government this afternoon.

The man is named Zheng Hang, a student of Class 7, Grade 11 at No. 47 Middle School, who performed an evil sacrifice over a month ago."

The Chief Councilor paused, his expression somewhat inexplicable,

"It seems he succeeded. For now we cannot confirm which Evil Sacrifice parasitized him, but he displayed two abilities: controlling bones and shadows."

Raven took the materials in the kraft paper bag, did not flip through them, and directly stuffed the file into his robe.

The Chief Councilor continued:

"The woman is named Feng Yuhuai, of the Martial Arts Key Class, Class 1, Grade 10 at No. 8 Middle School; her father is a Captain at the Patrol Bureau, and recently he has been quite favored by that Special Commissioner from the Upper City."

The Chief Councilor paused, his tone carrying a hint of playfulness:

"Feng Ju is helping the Special Commissioner investigate 【Mask】; it seems the Special Commissioner knew long ago that 【Mask】 was an Evil Festival Parasite, but now it appears 【Mask】's true identity is Zheng Hang; of course, 【Mask】 may not be just one person, Feng Yuhuai…"

Seeing Raven remained silent, the Chief Councilor coldly laughed and stopped this interesting topic.

Only then did Raven slowly open his mouth:

"Our previous agreement can only be one person. So, which of them do you want to choose?"

The Chief Councilor's expression turned stern, his finger lightly pointing at the screen, red light flashing in his eyes:

"I don't care about the man; you can clear him according to the Night Watchmen's regulations. As for the woman, I want her…"

The Chief Councilor licked his moist lips, his voice becoming gloomy and eerie,

"She has grown too slowly; I want her to join the Night Watchmen."

The office fell into dead silence, only the projector emitting a faint hum.

Raven's black mask lowered slightly, chains trembling uneasily beneath his robe.

After a long while, a hoarse voice came from behind the mask:

"You're crazy; letting an Evil Festival Parasite join the Night Watchmen—do you think that's possible?"

The Chief Councilor stared fixedly at Raven:

"Since I took the Councilor's seat, I've understood one principle: as long as one dares to think, there is nothing absolutely impossible.

All rules are like a safe's combination; in the end they can all be cracked, isn't that right?"

Raven remained silent.

The Chief Councilor coldly stared at him:

"Raven, the reason I sought you out is because I am certain you can accomplish this; you have a special quota on your hands…"

Three seconds.

After exactly three seconds of silence, Black Raven turned and walked toward the door.

When he grasped the door handle, the brass handle was instantly covered in frost:

"Remember what you promised me!"

……

The blue-and-white patrol car slid slowly into the Patrol Bureau courtyard, its tires rolling over pooled water with a sticky, rubbery sound.

Feng Ju parked the car in the farthest corner of the lot; after killing the engine, he still did not get out for a long while.

He pulled out a crumpled cigarette case and lit one.

Orange-red embers flickered in the darkness, ash drifting down onto his uniform trousers; only when the filter burned his fingertips did he push open the car door.

Night wind poured in through the tear in the back of his uniform, like a cold snake slithering along his spine.

But Feng Ju could no longer feel the chill, and even the taste of smoke in his mouth had faded to nothingness.

On his retina, the eerie numbers continued to jump:

【335:27:44】

【335:27:43】

【335:27:42】

【335:27:41】

【……】

"This looks like some kind of countdown."

Muttering to himself, he pressed his fingertips hard against his eye sockets; the numbers jumping on his retina seared his nerves like a branding iron.

"Whoever carved this into my eyes—was it the one who woke me?"

Feng Ju racked his brains, seeming to recall a blurred voice that had said something to him.

But he had been in a state of "half-asleep, half-awake" then, unable to hear clearly, only sensing that the voice was tragic yet mad, evil yet carrying an eerie intimacy.

"The one who woke me should be someone close to me—but who could it be?"

Feng Ju searched every familiar person in his memory, but could not think of who would possess the power to "bring the dead back to life."

No, should say, who possessed this kind of... monster!

"Besides Yu Huai, are there other monsters around me?!"

Feng Ju felt a chill run through his whole body, but no matter how he pondered, he could never find the answer.

Now he only hated that his skills were lacking, that he was not a true Divine Detective.

Since he could not guess the monster's identity, then he could only guess the monster's motive for doing this:

"To wake myself up—does he need me to do something, but only left me fourteen days?"

The moment he thought of this, Feng Ju suddenly felt a terror worse than being stabbed in the back by his daughter:

"If I fail to do what He wants, when the countdown reaches zero, will I die again?!"

Question:

What is more terrifying than death?

Answer:

Coming back to life, only to die once more!!

(End of Chapter)