Chapter 36: The True Face of the Action Team

The Action Team's plan has been officially finalized.

The troops split into two routes.

Qin Zhixia and Zhou Weiguo, following Nie Yang, went to the single‑story Hospital on the outskirts of the city for further investigation; it serves as the temporary refuge for the surviving directors of the Han De Group.

Meanwhile, Xiao Zhang, Professor Chen, and the tech ace "Wrench" were assigned under L and Mo Zixuan, tasked with tracking down the long‑vanished "Cavity Person".

Jiang Hai City's massive power machine began operating with unprecedented efficiency.

The suburban Hospital.

Here the environment is tranquil and shaded by green trees; white single‑story buildings are scattered across the lawns, appearing peaceful and serene.

But for those few surviving directors of the Han De Group, this place is no different from a finely furnished cage.

Inside the conference room, several once‑imperious, domineering business magnates now huddled together like startled quails, their faces pale, eyes filled with terror and unease.

When Nie Yang entered with Qin Zhixia and the others, they seemed to see a savior, scrambling forward one after another.

"You must be the leader sent from above, right?"

"Save us! Please, save us!"

"That thing… that thing will come back to kill us! I don't want to die!"

The cries and shouts merged into a cacophony, and the scene became extremely chaotic.

Nie Yang still wore his trademark warm smile; he raised his hand and, in a gentle yet firm voice, soothed, "Everyone, rest assured, we are here to resolve this matter. The state will not abandon any citizen."

The directors' emotions steadied somewhat.

However, Nie Yang's next words sent them plunging into an icy abyss.

"We understand your fear," Nie Yang said, his smile unchanged but his tone suddenly shifting, "Therefore, to quickly draw out that 'ghost wall', we need your cooperation."

He scanned the crowd and casually said, "We need some of you to serve as bait."

"Bait… bait?" a director stammered, the color draining from his face instantly.

"Exactly," Nie Yang nodded, speaking as if it were obvious, "You are its locked targets; as long as you remain, it will reappear. We will silently set up a Heaven‑Earth Net; whenever it dares to show itself, we will capture it."

The conference room was deathly quiet.

A few seconds later, the pot completely exploded!

"No! I won't do it!"

"You're sending us to our deaths! I refuse!"

"We are humans! Not lambs fed to tigers in a zoo!"

The directors vehemently refused, crying and cursing.

"Team Leader Nie!"

Qin Zhixia could no longer listen; she sprang to her feet, her cold Crimson Phoenix Eyes fixed on Nie Yang, her tone brimming with suppressed fury.

"Your demand gravely violates our duty as police to protect citizens' lives! How is this any different from trampling human life? I absolutely disagree!"

Her voice rang out with force.

Zhou Weiguo and the others also cast disapproving glances.

Using the victims as bait already crosses the moral line for them as law enforcers.

Moreover, even if those victims are arrogant, selfish, and their money bags perhaps dirty… they do not deserve death.

Faced with Qin Zhixia's fierce opposition, Nie Yang's smile finally vanished.

He quietly stared at Qin Zhixia, his gaze gradually turning cold, an invisible pressure instantly enveloping the entire conference room.

He slowly retrieved a File from the inner pocket of his Windcoat and gently placed it on the table.

At the top of the File, a glaring red seal made everyone's pupils contract slightly.

"Team Leader Qin," Nie Yang said calmly, yet with undeniable authority, "Once the special incident response plan is activated, I hold the Highest Command Authority on site. During this period, all regular laws, procedures, and standards must yield to two words—efficiency."

His gaze swept over everyone present; the gentle façade was completely torn apart, revealing a ruthless, unscrupulous nature beneath.

At that moment, everyone truly realized what terrifying a man the smiling middle‑aged gentleman before them truly was.

Qin Zhixia pressed her lips into a straight line, staring rigidly at the authorization File, her body trembling slightly with anger.

"This… is illegal!" she squeezed out the last few words between her teeth, her final stand as a police officer.

To everyone's surprise, Nie Yang suddenly tucked the File away; the cold on his face melted instantly, returning to that warm‑hearted uncle.

He smiled and said, "Team Leader Qin is right; we are a law‑governed nation, so we must act according to law."

He turned, picked up the intercom, and, in a relaxed tone, issued a remote command.

"L, do you hear?"

"Heard." L's voice came through the intercom, flat and unruffled.

"Do me a small favor," Nie Yang smiled, "Give those Han De Group directors a 'legal' bait status… that way, we can 'detain' them, have them cooperate with the investigation, and it will be fully procedural."

"......"

After a brief silence, L's voice returned, "Received. In half an hour, the relevant evidence will be sent to your terminal."

Gradually, in the conference room, everyone began to look at Nie Yang with an extremely wary gaze.

At the same time.

In the Jian Xie Project Team's office, the atmosphere was equally Weird.

Xiao Zhang, Professor Chen, and "Wrench" stared dumbfounded at the glasses‑wearing woman called L.

She took over all the Project Team's data terminals, simultaneously assisting Nie Yang, her ten fingers flying over the keyboard so fast that only a blur remained.

Massive data streams cascaded across the screen before her like a waterfall, with complex code and analytical models constantly popping up, combining, and computing.

"Wrench," the self‑conceited top hacker, was now dazzled, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

His proud technique, before L, was like an elementary student reciting the multiplication table to a university professor—infantile and laughable.

Professor Chen was equally stunned; his intricate criminal psychology models, with just a glance, L could instantly convert into more precise data algorithms, her speed and depth of analysis far beyond his comprehension.

The two of them were completely reduced to being the underlings.

"I… go…" Xiao Zhang hunched his neck, whispering to the nearby "Wrench", "Did this sister's brain get a fiber‑optic cable? Is she still human?"

Wrench's eyes were vacant; he was completely numb.

At that moment, Mo Zixuan, the white‑haired youth who had been playing on his phone in silence, suddenly stretched lazily, and the crackle of his joints broke the office's quiet.

Xiao Zhang looked at his slouchy demeanor, then glanced at the L over there who was strong beyond human, curiosity rising, and couldn't help but ask:

"Hey… Mo bro, you're all from the Ninth Division task force. Since Sister L is so badass, what about you? What's your specialty?"

Mo Zixuan heard that, grinned, flashing his white teeth, "Want to see?"

He didn't answer further, but casually pointed at a young policeman nearby who was pouring water.

"You."

The young policeman froze for a moment, pointing at himself, "Me?"

"Yes, you." Mo Zixuan's smile turned a bit playful, "Use your sidearm on me."

"Huh?" The young policeman's hand trembled, hot water nearly spilling, he waved his hands frantically, "No, no, no, that can't work! I can't…"

Before he could finish, Mo Zixuan's smile vanished in an instant.

The next second, he hurried forward, closing in on the young policeman!

Bang!

A ruthless heavy punch slammed into the officer's abdomen!

The young officer winced in such pain that he curled up like a shrimp on the spot, unable to even scream.

In the office, everyone except L was stunned.

But that was only the beginning.

Mo Zixuan grabbed his hair, pinned him to the desk, and rained fists and kicks down on him, taunting in an almost manic tone as he struck:

"The law states that when faced with a violent assault, you may act in self‑defense!"

"Shoot!"

"I order you! Shoot at me!"

"Useless trash, rag‑tag maggots, you don't even have this little courage?"

Under extreme humiliation and terror, the young officer's spirit completely collapsed.

"Ah—!"

Instinctively, he drew the sidearm at his waist, aimed at Mo Zixuan's chest, and slammed the trigger!

Bang!

The gunshot cracked!

Realizing what was happening, Xiao Zhang, Professor Chen and the others rushed forward to stop it, their hearts nearly stopping in fright!

But the next scene made everyone's eyes nearly pop out.

At the instant the gun fired, Mo Zixuan's body twisted at an extreme angle, the bullet skimming his coat's edge and passing by, punching a hole in the wall behind him.

He was completely unscathed.

Mo Zixuan slowly sat up, stuck out his tongue, licked his slightly dry lips, and a beast‑like blood‑thirsty grin spread across his face.

"That's right…"

Everyone in the office stared dumbfounded as a chill shot from the floor straight up to the Heavenly Spirit Cover.

They finally realized what kind of monsters the Ninth Division people were.

At that moment, L, who had been buried in typing, suddenly lifted her head.

She calmly pushed up her glasses, cutting off the crazy farce.

"Analysis complete."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.

"Based on psychological models and behavioral logic, the probability that the 'Cavity Person' is the deceased Zhou Xiaosheng is 98.92%."

"These Weird are likely all transformations of dead humans."

L's gaze fixed on the screen, which displayed Zhou Xiaosheng's pre‑death data.

"Zhou Xiaosheng was extremely filial in life. After his death, the only person he cared about was his frail, sickly mother."

"He now has a 97.2% probability… of hiding beside his mother."

Mo Zixuan ignored the limp policeman on the floor, straightened his collar, and a cruel, excited glint flashed in his eyes.

"Very good… found you."