Chapter 58: Say You Love Me! Say it immediately!!!
The development of the situation was indeed somewhat unexpected for Lei Chi.
He didn’t expect a second case to occur in Wangdu so soon, nor did he expect the person involved in the case to be Bian Han.
“At present, we cannot be completely sure that Bian Han is the attacker,” Lei Chi said cautiously. “There may be more than one Sentinel with the King Cobra spirit animal, and many outsiders have entered the Wangdu district tonight.”
Tang Cuo looked fierce: “No, it’s definitely Bian Han.”
He turned to look down the empty corridor.
Upon learning that the attack on Tang Xing was by a spirit animal, and moreover, the King Cobra spirit animal, Meng Yu left.
“It’s definitely Bian Han!” Tang Cuo shouted, “Otherwise, Meng Yu wouldn’t have run away!”
Lei Chi arranged for some personnel to wait in the hospital for Tang Xing to wake up, while he took the rest to the Wangdu district. “If you see Meng Yu, stop him,” he gave clear instructions to Xiao Liu. “If you see Bian Han, immediately restrain him.”
He reminded Xiao Liu that Bian Han’s spirit animal had mutated, which was a dangerous signal.
This indicated that the “sea area” of this Sentinel was extremely abnormal. He was likely to suffer from severe mental disorders.
In his logically self-consistent world, no one could communicate with him.
“You don’t need to come with us, go back quickly,” Lei Chi reminded Qin Ge. “You are responsible for taking the people from your department back, don’t cause trouble.”
Xie Zijing: “Lei Chi, I’ll go with you. Bian Han is the leader of the Black Battalion, obviously a Sentinel with extensive combat experience. I can help you.”
Qin Ge also reminded from the side: “Most of the Sentinels and Guides in the Criminal Investigation Office mainly do desk work. To mobilize the field team, we need Director Gao’s approval. Even if we report immediately now, it’s too late. In terms of experience against the enemy, Xie Zijing is a great addition. He’s also part of the Crisis Management Office now, you can assign him.”
Lei Chi nodded to Xie Zijing: “Then I’ll trouble you.”
Qin Ge: “I must go too, I’m his guide.”
Lei Chi: “…Then these two should go home.”
Bai Xiaoyuan raised her hand: “I think I should also go help you. The terrain in the Wangdu district is complex, and you’re now chasing one of the leaders of the Black Battalion. It’s unknown whether the Black Battalion’s people will help or hinder. Although my little cats are weak in combat, their reconnaissance abilities are very strong. If more than six thousand sand cats are allocated appropriately, it’s enough to cover the entire Wangdu district. And I should be able to release more.”
Lei Chi was greatly surprised: “What?! More than six thousand?!”
He finally left with Qin Ge, Xie Zijing, and Bai Xiaoyuan. Tang Cuo stayed in the hospital, waiting for Tang Xing to wake up. The group split up, and several cars left the 267th Hospital, rushing to the Wangdu district at the fastest speed.
“Bian Han couldn’t have done such a thing.”
Xia Chun’s emotions were very intense. After Xiao Liu told her the latest situation, she didn’t believe it at all.
“Do you know what this accusation means? It means that out of the four leaders of the Black Battalion, one is dead, the other two have become enemies, and I have to go catch one of them!”
Xiao Liu seemed accustomed to hysterical reactions; he remained calm: “I’m just informing you of the situation. If the Black Battalion doesn’t intend to cooperate, then during our operation, we won’t regard them as allies but as enemies.”
Xia Chun didn’t argue further, but she took the walkie-talkie from Xiao Liu’s hand.
After returning to the Wangdu district, Bian Han first went to the place where Tang Xing had the accident and greeted Xiao Liu. He said he came back from the hospital, everything was normal, and he was now going to arrange for Sentinels and Guides to cooperate with the Crisis Management Office to patrol the Wangdu district. All the Black Battalion members responsible for patrolling tonight were werewolves, and Bian Han volunteered to help. Xiao Liu didn’t think much of it; instead, he thanked him.
After that, Bian Han walked into the depths of the Wangdu district and completely disappeared.
The roads in the Wangdu district were extremely complex, and without someone familiar with the area, it was difficult for the Crisis Management Office to conduct successful investigations. And now, the primary task was to find Bian Han.
Was it also Bian Han who attacked Ling Siyuan? Xiao Liu was filled with unease.
The clouds at the zenith dispersed, and the huge moon hung in the night sky, illuminating the buildings and streets of the Wangdu district. He released his spirit animal, a vigorous eagle. The eagle soared into the sky, beginning to lead other spiritual bodies capable of high-altitude patrols to survey the entire Wangdu district.
In the depths of the Wangdu district, within the poorly lit shanties, came the sound of tense arguments.
“…Why… already wrong once…”
The argument quickly subsided. Moments later, a King Cobra slithered out from the darkness, gliding along the ground. Behind it was Bian Han. Bian Han hid in the shadows of the buildings, while the King Cobra coiled around slender bamboo poles and crawled on the unfinished and abandoned structures. It occasionally raised its head, gazing at the sky above.
The King Cobra, almost perfectly blending with the surrounding darkness of the night, was difficult to spot as it saw the birds flying in the sky.
“…They are looking for me,” Bian Han murmured, “Where is Meng Yu? Has he returned?”
No one answered him. He stared blankly at an eagle soaring overhead, then turned and walked into an alley. A king cobra slithered from the wall to the ground, following him closely. The snake wasn’t worried about being seen; its camouflage was always perfect.
But the eagle kept circling in a special way.
Xiao Liu, leading his team, was heading toward the place where the eagle was. “Captain Lei, my eagle has spotted Bian Han and his king cobra.”
Lei Chi and his team were still on the road. Upon hearing the news, he immediately reminded him to be careful: “Bian Han’s king cobra has mutated. He is mentally unstable. Be careful.”
After hanging up, Lei Chi told Qin Ge and the others, “Xiao Liu’s eagle is the best scout in our entire criminal investigation department. Its night vision is extremely strong and can see things in the dark that others can’t.”
About ten minutes later, Lei Chi received another call.
Xiao Liu and his team had discovered a new corpse with a broken neck at the spot Bian Han had just left.
It was Bian Han’s companion, a guide.
When they arrived at the Wangdu district, the surroundings were unusually quiet. Qin Ge saw Xia Chun standing atop the clock tower, setting off fireworks of a peculiar color.
“This is the Black Battalion’s signaling tool,” Lei Chi explained. “If others in the Wangdu district see this firework, they will know something is wrong and it’s best to stay home, not to leave, and not to wander around.”
Xiao Liu’s eagle was in charge of the air, but the ground in the Wangdu district couldn’t yet be fully covered by the Crisis Office’s forces. Xia Chun informed some of the underground people and half-zombies in the Wangdu district that Bian Han might be the culprit.
However, the underground people believed it was a conflict between sentinels and half-zombies and didn’t want to get involved. The half-zombies thought that Xia Chun had already allied with the Crisis Office, so everything she said was slander and defamation against the Black Battalion and completely untrustworthy.
Currently, the only ones standing with the Crisis Office were a small number of werewolves. Most of the sentinels and guides had hidden in their homes. Their leader becoming a fugitive was clearly not good news for them.
“Hiding is fine,” Lei Chi said. “Just don’t cause trouble.”
He turned his head and saw Bai Xiaoyuan carrying a barrel of wine out of the Atlantis Bar.
“What are you doing?” Lei Chi was extremely surprised.
“Releasing the sandcats.” Bai Xiaoyuan looked around. “Where’s the center point, or rather, the highest point?”
After arranging everyone, Lei Chi helped Bai Xiaoyuan carry the barrel of wine up to the rooftop. “The clock tower ahead is the highest point,” he said. “What are you going to do?”
“Don’t worry, I won’t cause trouble,” Bai Xiaoyuan said, looking at him. “I need to drink wine to release enough sandcats.”
Xia Chun came down from the clock tower and looked in surprise at the two approaching figures.
Lei Chi asked for a basic map of the entire Wangdu district, but Xia Chun had to remind him: many of the roads on the map were no longer the same as the current Wangdu district. A lot of illegal buildings had long since changed the layout of the streets. Additionally, extensive digging by underground people had caused many roads to collapse, making them impassable.
“No problem.” Bai Xiaoyuan sat on the rooftop closest to the clock tower, spread the map out, and opened the wine barrel.
Xia Chun looked at Lei Chi: “?”
Lei Chi was listening to a report on the walkie-talkie and took a moment to answer her question amidst the chaos: “My external support.”
Fog rose from Bai Xiaoyuan, and the first sandcat appeared. It looked exactly the same as the ones Lei Chi usually saw, but at this moment, its fur was standing on end, clearly very tense.
Xia Chun couldn’t see the spirit animal and looked confused. Lei Chi stared at Bai Xiaoyuan: he saw the sandcat again.
White mist always enveloped Bai Xiaoyuan and the first sandcat. As she continued to drink the wine, more and more sandcats emerged from the mist, as if they were being duplicated. After landing, they patted paws with the first sandcat, then quickly turned and jumped off the rooftop, heading deep into the Wangdu district.
Bai Xiaoyuan marked the map with a pencil: “There are now fourteen sandcats in these three places, which should be enough. Each sandcat can guard an area of at least ten meters.”
Lei Chi crouched beside her and handed her another walkie-talkie: “Bai Xiaoyuan, you must report to me at any time on how you distribute the sandcats. This walkie-talkie can only connect to my channel, understand?”
Bai Xiaoyuan: “Why? I also need to talk to Qin Ge and the others.”
Lei Chi: “No need. I am now the commander-in-chief of the Wangdu district.”
He turned to Xia Chun: “Xia Chun, she is unfamiliar with the road conditions in the district, so please explain it to her clearly. Contact me at any time if there are any issues.”
Lei Chi didn’t linger, but before leaving, he asked, “Will you get drunk?”
Bai Xiaoyuan: “Yes, but I’ll be careful. I won’t dare get drunk until we find Bian Han.”
Lei Chi nodded and left the rooftop.
Xia Chun sat cross-legged next to Bai Xiaoyuan, looking up and then down. She saw nothing but could feel the tense atmosphere.
“Sentinels and guides are really interesting,” Xia Chun said.
Bai Xiaoyuan drank four or five cups of wine in one go. She had little in her stomach, so she felt a bit dizzy, but it was still manageable. She looked at Xia Chun for a while and smiled, “Werewolf sister, you’re interesting too. You’re really beautiful.”
Xia Chun: “You know I’m a werewolf?”
Bai Xiaoyuan: “Lei Chi told me. But I could feel it even if he didn’t.”
Xia Chun: “Why?”
Bai Xiaoyuan: “…Instinct.”
Xia Chun recalled seeing this girl kick down a big man and break his nose not long ago and found it amusing. “This area is very complicated,” she said, pointing to the map, “There is a very large cavity here, dug by the underground people. Below it is the real 011 Wangdu District of the underground people, with many secret passages. But we rarely go there, and Bian Han certainly won’t either, it’s too easy to be discovered. Although it’s not shown on the map, there’s a simple bridge over the cavity. The cats should be able to run across it…”
Two small sandcats ran across the simple bridge, one guarding the bridgehead, the other heading to the nearby streets.
Moments later, several more sandcats came running, quickly dispersing to various locations. They were quiet and calm, either sitting in place or patrolling in small steps. In any case, it was clear they had all settled into positions where they could see and guard each other.
Bian Han, hidden in an abandoned building, sighed imperceptibly. It was hard to escape, with a patrolling spirit animal above and these little cats below. It was the first time he had seen so many identical little cats. Clearly, among the Crisis Management Office personnel, there was a sentinel who could duplicate spirit creatures. For an instant, he felt envy, which immediately turned into jealousy.
He was too ordinary. Turning to look at his king cobra, Bian Han saw the bone spurs on its back.
And it was too ugly.
He originally intended to take the opportunity to sneak into the underground people’s residential area and then escape. But sitting in the abandoned building, he suddenly didn’t want to escape anymore.
The fresh feeling of killing still lingered in his hands.
He had killed his companion, a guide who had lived with him for five years. He had twisted his neck, just like he had twisted Ling Siyuan’s neck that day. But the sound and the feeling in his hands were different: Ling Siyuan’s neck was too fragile, and he almost didn’t use any strength before the half-zombie was dead.
Before dying, the last thing Ling Siyuan said was, “You came just in time, I saved a good bottle of wine for you.”
Bian Han followed him into the basement, and just as Ling Siyuan finished speaking, he pressed him down.
At the moment the neck broke, Bian Han felt sadness. This sadness was unfamiliar to him, so when it disappeared, he didn’t feel regret. He was just surprised: he rarely felt unfamiliar emotions.
When he killed his companion, the sadness reappeared. Bian Han leaned against the wall, searching his pockets for his phone, only to remember that he had thrown it by his lover’s side to prevent the Crisis Management Office from finding him. The phone had many photos of their lives together, along with smiles captured with Xia Chun, Ling Siyuan, and Meng Yu.
Bian Han trembled a bit. He felt a twinge of longing for the young man who had just died at his hands. He was gentle, steady, loyal, and kind. He was so good that Bian Han loved him yet regretted that he was not Meng Yu.
The sound of light footsteps came from the stairs, immediately putting Bian Han on alert. He stood up at once, hiding in the shadows, while the king cobra waited at the foot of the stairs.
The person approaching was familiar to the king cobra, so it didn’t attack. Bian Han stood rigidly by the wall until the person ran over, panting heavily, and gave him a harsh punch.
“Are you crazy!” Meng Yu pinned him to the ground, raining furious blows on his head, “What are you doing?! Why did you attack Tang Xing!”
“…I’m sorry… I’m sorry…” Bian Han’s nose and mouth hurt, with blood flowing freely. Meng Yu had indeed shown no mercy in his punches. “I’m sorry for hurting you.”
“If anything happens to Tang Xing, I really will kill you,” Meng Yu said, staring into his eyes with a fierce and unfamiliar tone. “Bian Han, you’re my friend. You shouldn’t hurt my lover. What kind of madness is this?”
Bian Han thought to himself, it’s not madness.
Until tonight, he knew Meng Yu had a girlfriend but didn’t know who she was.
He had attended the ritual outside the Atlantis Bar, and under the streetlight, he saw the dejected Meng Yu and the girl beside him. Meng Yu introduced Tang Xing to Bian Han, and Bian Han reminded him that there were many strangers in this area and Tang Xing should leave soon. Meng Yu nodded and decided to send Tang Xing away. While passing by the Atlantis Bar, he hugged Tang Xing tightly and whimpered. Tang Xing kissed his cheek and softly comforted him.
This action suddenly enraged Bian Han.
He followed them closely until he saw Meng Yu leave, then approached Tang Xing and told her that Meng Yu had been attacked by underground people after returning to the bar. However, he didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, so he didn’t notify anyone and only sent Bian Han to find her. Tang Xing didn’t suspect anything because Bian Han was Meng Yu’s friend and said Meng Yu was seriously injured.
“Siyuan was also killed by me,” Bian Han said, looking at Meng Yu, who was pressing him down. “I’m really sorry for hurting you.”
Meng Yu was left speechless, his hands slowly loosening. The extreme shock left him unable to react, staring blankly as Bian Han pushed him away and stood up, wiping the blood from his face.
The blood tasted metallic; he licked it with his tongue and suddenly laughed, “I bled for you.”
“…Bian Han, what’s wrong with you?”
“I love you,” Bian Han said. “I’ll eliminate anyone who gets in my way and anyone who gets in yours.”
Meng Yu asked, “What are you talking about?”
Bian Han responded, “You don’t need to comfort me. If you say you love me, it’ll be worth it.”
Meng Yu pressed his lips tightly together, saying nothing. His silence enraged Bian Han. “Say you love me! I allowed you to hide this for so long. Now I’ve bled for you and killed for you. You should say it… you should say it! Say you love me! Say it now!!!”
He grabbed Meng Yu’s shoulders, but Meng Yu immediately broke free. Bian Han then pushed Meng Yu to the ground and fiercely kissed him. Meng Yu fought back wildly, grabbing Bian Han’s neck and slamming his nose with his forehead. Bian Han recoiled in pain, and as he stepped back, he caught sight of a small, unfamiliar object out of the corner of his eye.
Perched on the edge of the window frame, without glass, was a tiny sandcat, staring at him intently.
“Meow,” it called softly, and just as the king cobra lunged at it like an arrow from a bowstring, it leaped to the ground.
The king cobra moved at an incredible speed, desperately chasing the small creature. But in an instant, it seemed as if all the sandcats on the street began to run. One by one, they converged, ultimately jumping over the huge cavity dug by the underground people and disappearing on the other side. The king cobra tried to cross the makeshift bridge in pursuit, but a low whooshing sound descended from above—the eagle was diving down at it!
The king cobra suddenly turned into a puff of white mist, which billowed back into the abandoned building, merging into Bian Han’s body.
From a distance near the clock tower, Xia Chun flicked a pebble at the immovable large bell. The clear sound rang out abruptly, echoing far and wide.
Bai Xiaoyuan grabbed the walkie-talkie: “We found Bian Han.”
***
A huge Barbary lion ran past the window, leaving a golden shadow.
Qin Ge bid farewell to Xie Zijing, who followed Lei Chi to the location where Bian Han was found.
“Let’s begin,” Qin Ge said, looking at his watch, “Thank you all for giving me ten minutes.”
In the meeting room before him, impatient expressions filled the faces of the half-zombie and underground people. These two opposing groups of special humans, even when sitting in the same room, refused to sit close to each other, forming two distinct groups, not looking at each other.
“I’ve never been to the Wangdu District before,” Qin Ge said to the crowd, “so I’m not very familiar with the Wangdu District and the Black Battalion.”
“Are you surprised now?” someone sneered, “Just as dirty and chaotic as the rumors say.”
Qin Ge looked directly at the underground person who had spoken. He suddenly realized he shouldn’t stand in opposition to them but should instead walk among them. So, Qin Ge did just that.
“Yes, I’m surprised. The Wangdu District is more interesting than I imagined,” Qin Ge said, “The dirt and chaos are just one aspect of it…”
He suddenly fell silent.
He had walked into the area where the half-zombie and underground people were sitting, but to his surprise, they almost uniformly recoiled in shock and panic, as if afraid of coming into contact with him.
Qin Ge was stunned but quickly smiled again: “You are very kind.”
Because they carried the virus and looked very different from ordinary people, they had, over the long years, developed a complex mix of hatred towards normal-looking humans and feelings of inferiority and fear, seeing themselves as virus carriers, afraid of harming others through contact.
Qin Ge sat among them and calmly said, “There are also half-zombies and underground people in the Crisis Office. I’ve had some unpleasant encounters with underground people. Some of you dug a big hole in my office because your marriage application wasn’t approved, and messed up everything on my desk at night…”
He started telling them about the half-zombies and underground people in the Crisis Office. After a while, seeing that everyone’s expressions had softened, neither tense nor wary, Qin Ge finally addressed the crucial point of these ten minutes: “Why are you unwilling to work together to protect the Wangdu District? Right now, everyone, the people of the Wangdu District, and us outsiders, the so-called elites of the Crisis Office, all need your strength.”
***
“Is it useful to have Qin Ge persuade the underground people and half-zombies to help?” Xie Zijing asked.
He and Lei Chi, along with others, were hurrying to the place where Bian Han was found.
Lei Chi replied, “It is. Qin Ge is a psychological adjuster; he knows how to persuade people.”
Xie Zijing nodded. As they drew closer to their destination, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his hand. Looking down, he saw the Barbary lion biting his hand.
“It’s bleeding!” Xie Zijing shouted angrily, “Stupid cat, what’s wrong?”
The Barbary lion’s eyes were wide with anger, and it growled lowly. Xie Zijing asked, “You’re blaming me? Why?”
The connection of their blood suddenly gave him a moment of clarity. He understood what the lion was trying to convey.
It had seen the snake and had tried to warn its master that a dangerous mutated spiritual entity existed in this area.
But Xie Zijing hadn’t been able to interpret its warning.
As Xie Zijing stood there dazed, the car had already stopped. Ahead was a massive chasm that vehicles couldn’t cross, with a makeshift bridge spanning the gap. At that moment, Bai Xiaoyuan’s sandcat stood proudly on the bridge, with the eagle circling overhead.
“Where’s the snake?” Lei Chi asked the sandcat.
The sandcat immediately turned and ran forward.
Xie Zijing didn’t follow the others. He noticed his Barbary lion was out of control, already leaping onto the rooftop.
Moonlight illuminated his majestic spirit animal. The giant lion stood on the rooftop, staring at a nearby abandoned building—the closest point to the abandoned building!
The scales of the king cobra shimmered in the moonlight. Just as Xie Zijing steadied himself on the rooftop, several sharp bone spurs shot from the abandoned building ahead, aiming straight at the lion and his face.
