Chapter Five: The Catfish and the Telephone

“Hey, stop! Don’t move!”

A patrolling officer, who had returned unexpectedly, stood behind Adonsa, aggressively drawing his stun baton.

A sharp command rang out from behind, causing Adonsa to freeze, while the old man’s face lit up with the joy of a drowning man breaking the surface. He convulsed, desperate to relay some message, hoping this terrifying young man would finally receive the justice he deserved.

In his sixty years of mediocre and tragic life, never had he believed so deeply in the government’s authority as he did in this moment.

The officer covered his mouth and nose, grumbling, “Turn around, put your hands on your head, and walk out slowly. What’s that smell? Why is it so foul? Where are those cleaners?”

If Adonsa had possessed a sense of humor, he should have replied, “Nowhere else—they died right here.”

Unfortunately, his intelligence had not yet evolved enough to grasp the peculiar emotion called humor.

But it was sufficient for him to understand just how dangerous the current situation was.

Adonsa resolved to greatly enhance his sensory abilities, determined to prevent such peril from ever arising again.

“Hey, this is Unit 0835, I’ve found a suspicious individual…” The officer turned his face, speaking into the radio.

Adonsa seized upon this distraction, abandoned the old man, and launched himself forward in a tiger-like leap, attacking the officer head-on.

Bang! Bang!

The deafening gunshots startled the crowd; two steel bullets plunged into Adonsa’s shoulder and abdomen, the violent cavitation effect damaging swathes of muscle and organs.

Yet Adonsa’s momentum did not falter. He crashed into the panicked officer, striking lightly at his ear and throat, swiftly claiming another captive.

As the officer fell, a wet patch spread beneath him; it seemed he had come here for relief after all.

The enemy had fallen, but the crisis remained. Humanity’s greatest pride was their organization, tighter than any wolf pack. If Adonsa lingered here, in five minutes he would surely face a swarm of officers.

His first taste of bullets gave Adonsa a clearer understanding of these weapons.

With his pain suppression and mastery over his body, fewer than five bullets would not reduce his mobility by more than a tenth. But should that number rise, or should a bullet by unlucky chance strike a vital point, Adonsa would perish on the spot.

Adonsa felt no regret for the two unconsumed lambs awaiting slaughter. Clutching their heads, he twisted their necks, silencing them forever before leaping onto the water tank. Using the balconies and railings amidst the chaotic architecture, he escaped swiftly.

Fifteen minutes later, the waterhouse was surrounded by officers, identities of victims confirmed one after another.

Yuan Liming, his face dark, closed the eyes of the fallen officer who had died with them open, clenching his fists.

In a shadowed, curtained meeting room, a projection displayed a colorful city map, a large crimson area highlighted.

Yuan Liming pointed with a fluorescent pen.

“Based on the locations of the twenty-five victims, we’ve roughly outlined the suspect’s area of activity. It’s notable: the killer began with murders in broad daylight, but now hides bodies en masse in places like waterhouses. It’s clear their counter-surveillance abilities are rising, and they may have sensed our presence and swiftly left this area.”

An officer raised his hand, “We need to start the pursuit immediately, or if he escapes elsewhere, it’ll be much harder to encircle him.”

Yuan Liming leaned on the table. “Anyone who’s responded to calls here knows—between the north and south of the city, this area is a dead corner of urban redevelopment: crisscrossing alleys, bustling markets, plenty of abandoned ruins. Capture here is extremely, extremely difficult.”

His words were a clear jab at the officer’s desk-bound routine. The officer, met with this subtle rebuke, could only laugh awkwardly.

Yuan Liming’s expression grew grave. “I must warn you again: the suspect is extremely aggressive. We’ve already lost one colleague; we cannot afford another! Drop your foolish bravado—guns may not be enough, understand?”

The two shots fired by the officers left no spent casings; the suspect took two bullets, killed an officer, and escaped unharmed. Yuan Liming had reason to believe the suspect could withstand even more and move at full speed.

“Yes!” the group answered in unison.

“Alright, let’s assign tasks. This mission is extremely tough…”

“How tough? Just how tough can it get?”

The meeting room’s sealed doors suddenly burst open as an elderly man strode in, furious. “Five thousand full-time officers and two thousand auxiliaries—paid by taxpayers—and you can’t even catch a single murderer?”

Seeing who it was, Yuan Liming lost his composure, hurrying to explain, “The suspect is savage—so many killed in just one day, even with our controls in place. We’ve lost a patrolling officer, proving his hiding and combat skills are terrifying. Without a solid plan, casualties will be enormous.”

The old man—Mayor Lu, father of the last missing person, Lu Xiaonan—mounted the stage and stared Yuan Liming down, his voice urgent and emotional, low and strained, “I don’t care how high the casualties are. You must avenge my son. My son must not die in vain!”

Such words cut to the heart. Was his son’s life the only one that mattered, while all these officers’ lives counted for nothing?

Even with his status, the old man dared not say it aloud; only Yuan Liming heard, and was deeply embarrassed, while the others remained confused.

The mayor’s position was exceedingly lofty; even as a senior officer, Yuan Liming had to tread carefully.

The old man finished and strode out with thunderous steps.

Yuan Liming stood silent, his face somber.

Lin Qinghai stepped forward to comfort him, “Mayor Lu isn’t usually so harsh. He’s lost an only child late in life, the swings of fortune have left him emotionally unstable.”

Yuan Liming shot him a glare; Lin Qinghai quickly retreated, muttering, “Alright, alright, pretend I said nothing.”

Yuan Liming slammed the table. “Begin the lockdown! Catch the suspect!”

Three days passed. As the bright ball of fire sank, Adonsa felt the whole atmosphere of the street had changed.

Though the city center was still bustling, crowds jostling, traffic streaming, Adonsa sensed something was off.

He detected over a hundred individuals whose energy was strangely heightened, or perhaps tense.

After a day’s hunting, Adonsa had consumed one hundred and fourteen humans.

His rapidly advancing predatory skills grew ever more efficient, ever more discreet. With merely half a day’s delay, the Security Bureau’s intelligence was already far behind.

Adonsa moved slowly through the darkness, watching the crowd.

His non-human instincts urged him to leave this dangerous area, but the rapid evolution had brought a vicious hunger, clinging to him like a parasite.