Chapter 54: The Power of Stifling Death

The SWAT officers who rushed in showed no hesitation; they had been trained like the most precise machines, and the Captain's orders were everything.

Two of them hoisted the already scared‑stiff Wang Shao, while the others formed a combat formation and quickly withdrew outward.

Wang Shao's whole body went limp, his crotch was damp and hot, emitting a nauseating, foul stench.

He was carried by two SWAT officers, his feet dragging on the ground, a meaningless whimper escaping his mouth, his entire being completely crushed by fear.

"Command Center! Qin Zhixia reporting!"

Qin Zhixia moved swiftly while shouting into her earpiece; her speech was extremely rapid, yet every word was crystal clear.

"...... Based on my inference, the killer can use water as a medium for ultra‑high‑speed movement and infiltration! All pipe systems are his superhighway!"

"I'm transferring the bait to the Underground Parking Garage, an absolutely dry 'cage'! Forcing him to launch a frontal attack!"

In the communication channel, Nie Yang's voice carried a hint of approval.

"Not bad, a splendid judgment, just like L's analysis—execute it as is."

At the Command Center, L's ten fingers became afterimages on the keyboard, as complex data models were rapidly constructed and simulated on the screen.

"Simulating based on Team Leader Qin's strategy, the target's survival rate rose to 73.4%."

L's cold voice reported the conclusion.

Qin Zhixia's decision seemed to win back a battle.

In the shadow of the villa, Lin Fan's figure slowly seeped out from a water‑stained spot on a wall.

His pale‑blue right eye clearly "saw" Qin Zhixia and her party rushing toward the Underground Parking Garage.

He could discern her intentions.

This woman is stripping him of his advantage.

Stripping Ling Xinyu's power.

A cold curve lifted the corner of Lin Fan's mouth.

"Do you think that's enough?"

He closed his eyes, leaning his whole body against the cold wall.

The resentment and despair belonging to Ling Xinyu, originating from the deepest riverbed, spread like an invisible plague, centered on him, and began to wildly permeate the entire Underground Parking Garage.

Underground Parking Garage.

Spacious, dry.

The cold concrete floor and walls, with exposed Reinforced Steel Bar and cables overhead, the air carried only a stale dust smell.

There is no water source here.

"Center on the target, contract the defense circle! Muzzle outward!"

Qin Zhixia issued the final command.

Over a dozen armed SWAT officers acted swiftly, using the prone Wang Shao as the center, forming an airtight iron bucket formation.

The gaping muzzles pointed in all directions, vigilant for any possible threat.

Qin Zhixia stood inside the circle, her gun steady as a rock.

She believed that here the killer's only option was a direct, forceful breach.

This was her intellectual counterattack, as a human elite, against the unknown force.

As long as they hold out until reinforcements arrive, they win.

However.

Zzz... zzla...

The overhead lights began to flash wildly.

Light and darkness alternated rapidly inside the garage, stretching and shrinking everyone's Shadow on the walls, like a chaotic dance of demons.

A bone‑piercing chill appeared out of nowhere.

The air temperature dropped at a visibly rapid rate, and the breath exhaled by the SWAT officers turned white with mist.

"Don't panic, stay calm, and make sure fear doesn't invade!"

A SWAT squad leader shouted sternly, trying to steady morale.

But no one responded.

Because everyone saw, under the flickering lights, ghostly silhouettes of women in white robes with long loose hair appearing on the empty walls and cold pillars around them.

Their faces were indistinct, only hollow eyes weeping blood, glaring venomously at every person within the encirclement.

"Bang!"

It was unclear who fired in panic first.

Fear is contagious.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The rapid gunfire detonated within the sealed Underground Parking Garage, deafening.

Bullets whistled through those ghostly figures, striking the wall behind, splashing sparks and concrete fragments.

The ghostly silhouettes dissipated, then coalesced elsewhere.

They were not solid at all!

Even more terrifying, countless wet black long hairs sprouted from the floor and ceiling in all directions, like summoned vines, wildly proliferating and swarming densely toward the iron bucket formation!

"Ah!"

A SWAT officer's foot was tripped by black hair, instantly ensnared tightly by countless strands erupting from the floor.

He struggled in terror, but the more he was tangled, the tighter it became; his whole body was dragged, leaving a wet streak on the floor, and finally he was pulled into a thick darkness, leaving only a sudden, cut‑off scream.

"Don't let those hairs touch you!"

Another SWAT officer roared, firing wildly at the surging sea of hair.

But his spirit was clearly at its limit; in a flicker of the flashing lights, he pulled the trigger at the dark silhouette beside him, only to hear a teammate's scream.

—Ah—!

"Bad, friendly fire! Friendly fire!"

On the scene, it fell completely out of control within just a few dozen seconds.

Except for Qin Zhixia.

In the "Jian Xie" case, she had personally witnessed her colleagues' mental collapse before the Cavity Person.

Those deeply etched experiences forged in her a will as hard as steel.

She gritted her teeth, forcing herself not to see or hear those phantasms, concentrating all her attention on finding the real enemy,

The surrounding gunfire gradually thinned, replaced by waves of suppressed breathing and terrified screams.

Her proud elite team… was helpless before the absolute, incomprehensible terror.

She was already alone.

"Qin… Qin Team…"

Wang Shao, sprawled on the ground, suddenly stretched out a trembling hand, pointing terrified at the space behind her.

"Behind… behind…"

Qin Zhixia spun around sharply.

In the shadow at the garage entrance, a figure slowly stepped out.

It was the drenched young man.

Lin Fan.

He walked forward step by step, the eerie blue glow in his right eye burning brighter than before, the hue of resentment boiled up after swallowing fear.

He didn't rush to act, but rather examined with keen interest the only woman still standing before him.

Her gun‑holding stance remained proper, yet her slightly trembling arm revealed her inner unrest.

"You're special."

Lin Fan's voice was cold, echoing through the empty garage.

He stepped toward Qin Zhixia, toward the trembling "prey" behind her.

Each step pressed on Qin Zhixia's taut nerves.

This was now her solo battle.

She clenched her jaw, the sweet metallic taste of blood spreading in her mouth.

She raised that trembling hand, realigning the barrel toward Lin Fan.

"Command Center! Command Center! Respond if you hear this!"

Qin Zhixia let out a final howl into her earpiece.

"All policemen have lost combat ability! Requesting support! Repeat, requesting support!"

A hiss of electricity crackled in the earpiece.

A few seconds later, L's cold, emotionless voice came through clearly.

"Hold on. The support troops will arrive in five minutes."

Five minutes.

Qin Zhixia's heart instantly sank into the deepest ice vault.