"Uh, yes, yes, I know." Ou Yichen nodded in response.
"You may have seen the pictures. These are not ordinary homicide cases — they were caused by an anomalous creature that drains human life essence," the stubble-faced man said gravely.
"Ano... anomalous creature?"
Ou Yichen was momentarily stunned.
"Of course, the fact that the perpetrator is an anomalous creature is not yet publicly disclosed. However, residents of the South District should still be made aware to avoid being targeted by that thing," the stubble-faced man advised.
"C-could... could there really be monsters?"
Ou Yichen asked hesitantly, staring nervously at the stubble-faced man, trying to see from his expression whether he was lying.
"Do I look like I have time to joke with you?"
The stubble-faced man glared at Ou Yichen.
"In any case, if you notice anything abnormal, remember to call the Criminal Investigation Department. If you encounter danger, you can also use your phone to send an emergency distress signal to the law enforcers stationed in this residential area."
"Alright, understood." Ou Yichen nodded in acknowledgment.
The stubble-faced man swept his eyes around the room once more, then glanced at the pair of women's shoes at the doorway. An unreadable emotion flickered through his eyes. "Is it just you at home? What about your girlfriend?"
"Huh?"
Ou Yichen instinctively looked behind him, only to find that Wang Miaoyin had vanished.
"Oh, oh, she must be asleep already."
"Alright then. Try not to go out too much during this period. Be careful, and at least confirm the other party's identity before opening the door."
"This is a tip-off solicitation notice just issued by the Criminal Investigation Department. Take a look. We're leaving now."
"Mm, okay."
Ou Yichen accepted the sheet of paper the stubble-faced man handed him. At the top were written the six characters "Yongan City Criminal Investigation Department."
The paper described the cause of death for those several desiccated corpses,
and stated that the anomalous creature had been discovered to disguise itself as a female, draining the life essence of males, and frequently appearing around dusk and midnight.
At the bottom of the sheet was attached a surveillance photo. The image showed a woman in a red off-shoulder dress arm-in-arm with a suited man entering a hotel.
Looking at the woman in the photo, a strange sense of familiarity suddenly entered Ou Yichen's mind.
"Hsss..."
His breathing gradually became shallower, the surroundings grew quieter and quieter, and his body temperature turned ice-cold.
He felt his body, from the soles of his feet to his calves, then to his arms, freezing section by section...
As if plunged into an ice cellar.
The world seemed to fall utterly silent...
Bang!
The door was closed.
Ou Yichen stared blankly at the door, feeling as though something had closed along with it.
He had an intense impulse — to open this door again and let the night air from outside seep in.
Never before had he so desperately craved the safety behind a door.
"Yichen, what are you doing?"
From behind him came that utterly seductive, imagination-stirring coquettish voice.
"Oh, nothing."
Ou Yichen forced himself to stay calm, regaining his composure, and looked toward the graceful figure leaning against the bedroom doorframe. "That was the community committee doing a census."
But a faint tremor lingered in his voice.
An eerie smile hung on Wang Miaoyin's face: "Then I'll go rest first. You should sleep early, too."
Having said this, she turned and walked toward the bedroom. Just as Ou Yichen's heart was slightly relaxing, suddenly her voice came from within the bedroom again, sending chills down Ou Yichen's spine:
"Oh, by the way, if the sofa isn't comfortable enough, you can come into my room for a glass of water. I don't mind."
"O... okay."
Ou Yichen answered calmly.
Then, in the very next second, his eyes flew wide open, his blood surging to dispel the cold in his limbs. Summoning every ounce of his strength, he spun around and lunged for the door handle.
Open it!
His hand was less than thirty centimeters from the door, about to touch the handle.
Very soon, he would be able to open the door and dash out, fleeing this apartment he had rented for a year but now found utterly terrifying!
But abruptly, he heard Wang Miaoyin's voice again, chanting words of unknown meaning:
"Life and death, stand still."
The instant the words fell, Ou Yichen was stupefied to find himself frozen stiff, unable to move a single fiber of his body.
No — not only that, but even his heart had stopped beating, his blood no longer flowed, every cell and every inch of skin had lost motion, as if the entire world had turned gray.
Only his consciousness could still think normally...
Beyond that, he could still hear the ticking of the clock in the living room and the sounds of traffic outside the window...
As well as the footstep sounds of Wang Miaoyin slowly walking up behind him...
"Yichen..."
"We've gotten along so well this past week."
"What a shame... It's all the fault of those people just now, disturbing our peace, ruining our bond."
Wang Miaoyin spoke in a coquettish, petulant tone, like a lover throwing a small tantrum. But to Ou Yichen's ears, it made his very soul tremble...
In an instant, he was plunged into immense terror.
It dawned on him — this past week, it might have been precisely his cowardice that had spared him from disaster.
Only, it seemed this ending could not be avoided after all.
Though unable to turn around, Ou Yichen knew that Wang Miaoyin was watching him from behind, her expression unspeakably seductive.
She murmured against his ear with a lover's intimate words: "Didn't that person just say it? Don't go out so late, it's dangerous."
But the warm breath from her jade-like mouth could not dispel the bone-deep chill in Ou Yichen's heart at all.
"Be good. Stay home."
"Stay with me..."
...
"Director Xia, after tracking the clues, we've locked onto the target — she's right in this residential complex. At the same time, we've evacuated the residents from the other buildings," the stubble-faced man reported to the man standing before him with hands clasped behind his back.
The man turned around. A single-sided gold-rimmed glasses frame, suit and tie, refined in appearance, with a solemn expression. He was none other than Xia Qimeng's uncle, Director of the Criminal Investigation Department — Xia Xiyang.
Director Xia nodded: "Good work, all of you. What about that cohabitant?"
The stubble-faced man sighed and said: "When we first discovered the target, he was still fine. We gave him a hint, but whether he can escape or not, I don't know."
"Or, let's hope the Law Enforcement Department's reinforcements arrive in time."
Hearing this, Director Xia furrowed his brows and spoke into his headset: "Fu Yang, the target may have a hostage. Tell the law enforcers to be careful."
From the other end of the headset came the voice of the Law Enforcement Department Director: "Mm. Thanks to your reconnaissance, we've already surrounded Wenchang Residential Complex and laid down layer upon layer of inescapable nets. Not even wings could get her out."
"Relying solely on law enforcers — can they deal with that demoness?" Xia Xiyang asked.
"Barring accidents, they should be able to," Fu Yang replied. "Mechanical beings have no life essence or flesh and blood for her to absorb."
Fu Yang paused at this point, then said cryptically: "Even if there is an accident, there's absolutely no way she's getting away."
"Because, they're here."
Xia Xiyang felt as though he'd swallowed a reassurance pill, and relaxed slightly.
"That's good, then."