Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

When Bai Muchuan arrived at the crime scene, Captain Zeng was in an agitated mood.

The occurrence of another “zombie” case in his area of jurisdiction, as well as the complexity and difficulty level of it, was challenging his capability as a detective.

“Old Zeng…”

Bai Muchuan walked into the cordoned area.

“Captain Bai, you’re here!”

Captain Zeng rubbed his hands as if he had seen his life savior.

Nevertheless, he was a little surprised to see Xiang Wan with Bai Muchuan.

But it did not surprise him to see Tang Yuanchu and Cheng Zheng.

Isn’t this woman Captain Bai’s girlfriend? he thought.

Captain Zeng’s doubt flashed past his eyes for an instant.

Bai Muchuan caught it, but he did not explain.

“How’s the situation?”

“That girl’s very lucky. She only suffered some injuries, but she’s scared out of her wits. The doctor’s doing a checkup on her right now—”

Xiang Wan let out a faint sigh of relief.

Xuan Yue was still alive then…

After listening to Bai Muchuan’s words, she had thought Xuan Yue was already dead.

While on the way there, she did not even ask anything.

Habitual thinking was indeed undesirable!

That could influence one’s judgment of matters easily.

The expression on Xiang Wan’s face relaxed when she heard that.

However, the next second, Captain Zeng said, “The perpetrator is seriously hurt and has been sent to the hospital. I don’t know if she can survive…”

The perpetrator was seriously hurt?

Mm, what happened?

This confused Xiang Wan.

Furthermore…

… Why did Xuan Yue come here?

…

As if it was a coincidence, they were at the cinema.

It was that exact cinema where Hu Bandao was attacked and died.

This case had taken place at the same location as well.

As one could imagine, this would terrify the businesses and the people in the vicinity.

Outside the cordoned area, there was a lot of commotion and talking amongst the onlookers.

Within the cordoned area, the police officers were busy working.

There was a police dog wearing its police uniform and was sniffing around the place…

They had carried away the injured perpetrator, leaving a pool of blood at the scene.

The bloodstains were under the steps of the movie theater.

Captain Zeng said that the perpetrator had rolled down the stairs.

Xuan Yue, who had been bitten at the neck, was the one who pushed her out of reflex.

“This girl has a quick-thinking mind!”

“Finally, the victim this time survived…”

“The perpetrator is much smaller and obviously not as strong as the victim…”

Hearing the comments from the public, Bai Muchuan looked at Captain Zeng.

“Have you gotten the security camera footage?”

Captain Zeng nodded. “I watched it as soon as I got here.”

As he said so, he waved at a detective.

That detective was holding some equipment that contained the copied content from the cinema’s surveillance cameras.

“Captain Bai, take a look.”

The movie theater was empty now.

Besides some employees of the cinema, there was no audience.

Bai Muchuan, Cheng Zheng, Xiang Wan, and Tang Yuanchu were sitting on the seats while they watched that bizarre surveillance footage…

“Ah!”

The moment they played the footage, Xiang Wan let a short gasp.

“What is it?” Bai Muchuan held her hands swiftly.

“It’s her!” Xiang Wan let Tang Yuanchu restart the footage again and pointed at the perpetrator. “I know this girl…”

“Who is she?” Bai Muchuan’s gaze deepened.

“She’s Shiliu, she’s on very good terms with Xuan Yue. Shiliu is her pen name.”

Although Bai Muchuan was also an author…

He had never heard of the pen name—Shiliu.

Captain Zeng chimed in appropriately, “What’s her real name?”

Only when they had her real name could they investigate her.

Xiang Wan shook her head. “I don’t know about that, but her editor would know…”

Shiliu’s editor was Fang Yuanyuan.

“Mm, I’ll take charge of this.”

Generally, employees of such platforms wouldn’t easily divulge the author’s personal information.

To obtain the author’s personal data, the police would have to issue an official letter.

Of course, there were also some editors who would casually disclose the author’s information because of some personal contacts.

For example, Xiang Wan’s personal information was once revealed by some haters who were fans of a famous author. Such personal information was not something that her real-life friends know about, and she remembered that she had filled in such information in a questionnaire of a certain website once…

Captain Zeng would take care of contacting the editor.

Xiang Wan’s face gradually changed color while she stared at the video footage.

She shouldn’t have watched it.

It was too realistic…

… And too frightening.

When Shiliu appeared on the screen, she was still very normal and peaceful. Xuan Yue was talking to her and Shiliu even smiled as she listened. However, the next moment, when she looked back up, her face started to twist as she stared savagely at Xuan Yue. Without warning, she immediately grabbed Xuan Yue and bit her neck—

Xuan Yue was so shocked. Her eyes seemed especially prominent that they looked like they might pop out anytime. Although the camera was a little further away, that scene felt chilly to watch.

This might leave a psychological hint of fear.

The strong visual impact…

It might spread quietly and slowly like a virus…

It couldn’t be touched or seen, yet it could make people feel fear.

“…”

Nobody talked while they watched.

Xiang Wan felt goosebumps all over.

…

However, that chilly footage only lasted about 10 seconds.

Very soon, the scene changed.

Xuan Yue strangled Shiliu’s neck and pushed her.

That thin and small figure then fell and rolled down the stairs.

The stairs were not very long; it was only some ten over steps.

However, the doctor said that Shiliu had landed on the back of her head.

They sent her to the hospital, and her condition did not seem to be optimistic.

“Just what kind of sinister drug is this?” Tang Yuanchu let out a long groan. “And this perpetrator, can’t she see for herself that Xuan Yue is so tall while she’s so thin like a baby chick. She actually has the guts to bite her neck. Isn’t she asking for death?”

“Didn’t you say so earlier, that she has taken some sinister drug?” Cheng Zheng glanced at him.

“…” Tang Yuanchu did not dare to say anything more.

He would joke with Bai Muchuan, Quan Shaoteng, Salimu, and any other detective on the team.

Not Cheng Zheng though.

He was too cold.

Everyone did not dare to joke with him casually.

They were more used to maintain a distance with him.

Cheng Zheng turned to Bai Muchuan. “Is the process of taking over the case done?”

Bai Muchuan knew why he asked about this.

Cheng Zheng wanted to perform the autopsy of the deceased in these ‘zombie’ cases personally.

This was the reason he questioned about the procurement of the advanced equipment.

To perform well in a task, one must first sharpen the tools. Sometimes it could play a vital part in a task.

“I’ll get Ding Yifan to expedite the request. It should be ready by tonight.”

After Tu Liang passed away, Ding Yifan took over his job.

Ding Yifan was low key and dependable. Although he was not as meticulous as Tu Liang and not as well-liked by others, his capability was there.

Cheng Zheng nodded.

“I’ll check out the scene.”

He got up and walked over to them.

Bai Muchuan and Tang Yuanchu returned the equipment to Captain Zeng and followed to check out the scene.

Xiang Wan tugged softly at Bai Muchuan’s sleeves and pointed at the other end of the hall.

“I’ll go over there.”

…

Xuan Yue was sitting at the area where Xiang Wan pointed.

Beside her, there was a doctor and a nurse.

The police had wanted her to go to the hospital.

However, she refused.

She felt that the moment she left the place, she might be in danger again.

The police were there, and she felt that staying with them was the safest.

In front of the doctor and nurse, she kept talking about her fears, and the feeling that someone was after her life again and again.

The doctor saw that her injury was not serious. After handling the wound and administered some medicine, they started to pack up and was ready to leave when Xiang Wan came over to Xuan Yue.

Xiang Wan asked, “Are you alright?”

Xuan Yue jumped and lifted her head. She was still trembling in fear.

“You’re here? When did you arrive?”

When Xiang Wan entered the main hall of the cinema, she saw Xuan Yue sitting on a chair at a corner.

Nonetheless, since she wanted to know what exactly happened and that the doctor was treating Xuan Yue’s wounds, she didn’t come over immediately.

“I just came.”

She replied in a calming tone.

Her eyes brushed past Xuan Yue’s neck to see her wound.

The teeth marks were visible and deep. Some blood oozed out of the wound, but since the doctor had treated the wound and applied a yellow medication on it, the wound somehow looked hideous.

Xiang Wan furrowed her eyebrows at the sight and couldn’t help recalling the scene where she saw Shiliu bit her at the neck.

“I was nearly scared to death. Xiang Gongzi, do you believe that I’m really not lying to you now?”

“…”

Xuan Yue asked anxiously, obviously flustered.

Xiang Wan pressed her lips together. “I’ve always believed you. Didn’t I ask you not to go out unless necessary and look out for your own safety?”

“Thanks to your warning, I have been very cautious. When she suddenly changed her expression and come at me, I immediately reacted and pushed her away. Otherwise…” Xuan Yue stopped here for a moment, and she began to look lonely. “I’ve never expected that it would be Shiliu. Why did she… why did she do that?”

“She must have consumed that sinister drug.”

Xiang Wan borrowed Tang Yuanchu and Cheng Zheng’s words then she bent down a little to check the wound on her neck.

“Is it painful?”

Xuan Yue lifted her hand and wanted to feel her own wound.

Tsk! But before she touched it, she retracted her hand and let out a gasp.

“It’s a little painful, but I can bear with it… It’s my heart that feels really uncomfortable. Xiang Gongzi, I’m really afraid. If I managed to escape this time, then would I be able to escape the next time? Will that person continue to come after me?”

It surely wouldn’t feel good to be someone’s target.

Xiang Wan had encountered the same thing before and could understand her.

However, there were some doubts regarding this incident. She had to calm down and deliberate over it carefully.

“Why did you come here?”

This was the cinema that Hu Bandao had died.

Why did she come here, of all places?

“I…” Xuan Yue’s eyes reddened suddenly. “He’s actually good to me. Although he dated other girls behind my back and betrayed me, he… he’s already dead. When I think of him, I still feel upset. Shiliu saw me feeling distressed so she said, you should ‘get up at where you fell down’…”

Xiang Wan raised her eyebrows.

Since when was this sentence used in such a manner?

She kept quiet.

Xuan Yue pressed her dry lips together for a while. “Shiliu is very curious regarding Hu Bandao’s death. ‘Before Doomsday’ has been very popular for the past few days. All kinds of media are promoting it, saying that it is a movie that will make people very excited and turn into a zombie… She mentioned it a few times that she wanted to watch this movie.”

Xiang Wan pursed her lips lightly together for a while.

She interrupted Xuan Yue, “So both of you watched the movie ‘Before Doomsday’?”

Xuan Yue’s head lowered slightly while seemingly a little worried about facing her.

“Initially, I didn’t want to watch it. You know me, I’m timid. I’m already terrified just from hearing about it, but Shiliu mentioned it several times. She didn’t dare to come watch this movie alone. We’re best friends… I can’t be turning her down every time, you know.”

“…”

Xuan Yue seemed to like the use of the words “you know or you should know”.

Why did she assume that her values were the same as everyone else?

Xiang Wan didn’t argue with her though. “So is Shiliu the one who suggested coming to this cinema?”

Xuan Yue nodded and gave it a thought. “It should be, but we both agreed to it. This cinema is the nearest to where we lived. Moreover… she said that one has to get up at where one fell and to forget Hu Bandao from then onwards.”

“I see!”

Xiang Wan responded softly.

After that, she looked her wound again.

“You’re not going to the hospital for another check?”

Xuan Yue shook her head.

Xiang Wan persuaded, “I think you should go back home, shouldn’t you?”

Xuan Yue was scared.

She had just survived a terrifying incident.

At this moment, her home should be the safest place for her.

However, Xuan Yue shook her head once again.

“I didn’t tell my parents; they don’t care about me, anyway. I’ve been away from home for so long, but I don’t think they missed me. They didn’t even call me…”

“…”

Everyone’s family situation was different.

Xiang Wan understood that and said nothing more.

She consoled Xuan Yue for a little while more before going back to Bai Muchuan and told him about her conversation with Xuan Yue. In her opinion, if Xuan Yue felt that her life was being threatened, it wouldn’t come out of nowhere, and the police should try to protect her.

“The sixth sense of a woman,” she said, “are sometimes very strong.”

“How about you?” Bai Muchuan suddenly turned his head to look at her. “Do you have any sixth sense about this case?”

Xiang Wan stared blankly at him for a moment.

Xuan Yue actually told her about this many times.

But…

“To be frank, there is none. None at all.”

Bai Muchuan smiled. “That’s all right. Just wait for the report.”

“…”

Since this was another case at the same cinema…

There was another wave of controversy, but the police were not the only ones that came under pressure.

That movie, ‘Before Doomsday’ was under pressure too.

The hype of the movie had not died down, but another wave had already arrived…

Some people believe that such films were bloody, violent, and full of negative energy. It was not suitable for the public to watch it since they could easily cause strong psychological pressure to the psychologically vulnerable people and might lead to a series of social problems…

There were people who were for the movie, and those who were against it.

After the cases involving “The Grey List”, Meng Entertainment Group came under public scrutiny once again.

“The films from that company must be poisoned or something!”