Content Warning
Animal abuse. animal killing.
Chapter 32
Top hunter
“Evolutionists, they’re evolutionists!”
“It was so terrifying just now, really frightening…”
Fortunately, Boyi High School was not far from the Shenhai City Supervision Office. Within ten minutes, people arrived, quickly evacuated, and cleared the entire block.
The probability of high-level evolutionists appearing on the main street was roughly equivalent to that of international celebrities. Many people were still taking pictures and whispering until they were evacuated. The discussions were everywhere—some were excited, some were thrilled, but most were vigilant, cautious, and curious.
Bai Sheng didn’t care. He was a natural socialite, not only indifferent but also frequently nodding and waving to the crowd. He confidently showcased his handsome face, the well-toned body from years of extreme sports, clothes with no visible brand but obviously expensive taste, and what he considered an affable and perfect approachable demeanor. In the midst of his busy schedule, he even accepted invitations to take photos with several internet celebrities. Amidst the flashing lights from all directions, he friendly greeted, “Do you want an autograph? Do you have paper and a pen? It’s okay; signing clothes is also fine. Please remember to vote enthusiastically for the proposal of peaceful coexistence between evolutionists and humans… Please delete photos of minors. Thank you. I love you all!”
Dozens of meters away, the underage Yang Xiaodao sat behind the command vehicle, pulled up his coat hood, and looked indifferently at the guardian not far away, who was displaying himself so cheerfully.
“…Do you sometimes feel embarrassed?” Chen Miao couldn’t help but ask.
Yang Xiaodao replied expressionlessly, “Often.”
The reluctant crowd was finally persuaded and dispersed by the inspectors. Bai Sheng was still not satisfied. But just as he turned around and saw Shen Zhuo, he was immediately full of spirit: “Hey, are you still busy, Inspector Shen?! How about the two of us at this noon…”
“No photos, no autographs, no paper and pen.”
Bai Sheng grinned, “What are you saying? I’m asking if you want to have a meal together.”
Shen Zhuo looked at the stretcher and was silent for a moment: “Can you still eat?”
The back door of the ambulance was open, and the stretcher was placed inside. The man who had gone mad was probably in his forties. His hands and feet were tightly bound, but his head mechanically jerked up and down. His mouth, filled with blood, opened and closed, revealing shiny and fresh strands of flesh between his teeth.
Bai Sheng fell into a rare silence. After a while, he stubbornly burst out, “…I can eat vegetarian.”
“Reporting to Captain Chen!” At this moment, another investigator on the other side extended their head with a device and exclaimed loudly, “No residual abilities are detected. The entire block is clean; we’re unable to identify it as a case involving abilities!”
Chen Miao frowned, “How is that possible?”
Shen Zhuo sighed, stood up from the stretcher, and said, “The instrument can’t detect it.”
Before he could turn around and get off the vehicle, Bai Sheng took three steps back, looking alert, “What are you doing? Don’t even think about dragging me around the whole street to sniff things out.”
“…” Shen Zhuo said, “I don’t have that intention. Don’t rush to offer inspiration.”
He got out of the vehicle and looked around. Supervision vehicles blocked the intersection, the deformed cement tanker had been towed away, and the driver and passengers were all evacuated, fortunately with no injuries.
Yang Xiaodao sat by the car door, his thin right hand wrapped in bandages, and the joints under the bandages had different degrees of abrasions—caused by the second violent impact of the bus; fortunately, it was just a superficial injury.
“Are you okay?”
The young man shook his head.
Shen Zhuo casually patted his head and said, “Let’s go back with the team.”
Teenagers with a touch of adolescence are sensitive about their heads and have a certain sense of pride. Yang Xiaodao was about to turn his head and say not to pat him when, suddenly, Bai Sheng slapped his head, forcefully turning it in a direction. Righteously, he said to Shen Zhuo, “Why are you patting him? He’s still a child!”
Yang Xiaodao: “?”
Before the rare feeling of being moved could rise in the young man’s heart, Bai Sheng pointed to his own head and said, “I’m the one who saved you. Pat me, what’s wrong? Can’t reach me, can you?”
“…”
Shen Zhuo’s expression was complicated. After a moment, he raised his hand and patted the top of Bai Sheng’s head, who stood at an imposing 1.9 meters, repeating, “Let’s go back.”
Yang Xiaodao, sitting between the two guardians, covered his eyes and gritted his teeth: “Blinded my dog eyes…”
When Supervisor Shen planned to arrange a position and salary for Bai-ge, it was probably one of the most anticipated mysteries in the entire supervision office. This behavior of hanging people and making them work while expecting them to do it willingly was like having a great white shark in a small pond at the supervision office but never being willing to feed it. The technique was so exquisite that even the legendary sea king couldn’t compare.
“Let’s go; after finishing work, we’ll have a meal.” Bai Sheng walked backward in front of Shen Zhuo with his hands in his pockets: “The vegetarian lychee pork at the vegetarian restaurant across the street is quite good. Can you treat me to a vegetarian meal?”
Shen Zhuo looked at his phone while walking with an expressionless face and said, “I’ve got no money; the budget for this quarter exceeded by 4 billion. I’ll treat you to a 2 yuan vegetarian bun at the supervision office canteen.”
Bai Sheng was astonished: “Oh, that’s a whole 2 yuan for a vegetarian bun. Isn’t that too extravagant?”
Shen Zhuo said, “No problem; I’m generous. After eating the bun, I can even treat you to some ginger-vinegar soup.”
“Oh, come on, don’t be so polite. If you have the time, make a couple more calls to your Director Nielsen. I’ll make ginger-vinegar soup for the entire team at the Supervision Office myself—”
Before Bai Sheng could finish his sentence, his back suddenly bumped into something. He stumbled, and Shen Zhuo quickly steadied him.
“?” Bai Sheng turned around, and behind him was the short-haired girl who had been attacked earlier, looking anxious.
“I-I’m sorry…”
The girl was dressed in the Boyi High School uniform. She looked around fifteen or sixteen years old and had a very delicate appearance but a pale complexion. Due to excessive fright, her voice was still trembling, and she slightly bowed to Shen Zhuo and said, “Thank you for saving me. Thank you…”
Receiving a direct thank-you might be a rare experience for Shen Zhuo. He paused for half a second before succinctly saying, “Go back to class.”
The girl’s voice carried a slight sob, “Thank you, thank you…”
Bai Sheng raised his hand to his mouth and said, “Yang Xiaodao—! How did I teach you? What are you supposed to do when you see a lady crying? You should come over on your own accord, you know?”
Yang Xiaodao couldn’t stand it any longer and rolled up his sleeves, “Am I supposed to go over and deal with the culprit who made her cry?!”
Chen Miao intervened, “Dao-ge, let it go. Dao-ge, it’s not that serious…”
The girl was clearly deeply scared, unable to recover for a moment. The fear and aftertaste made her slender body still tremble. Shen Zhuo comforted her briefly, “It’s okay; don’t think too much about it.” He casually called over an inspector, instructing, “Take her back to school.”
The girl nodded shiveringly, repeatedly thanking them. Then, with the gentle consolation of the inspector, she turned and lifted the hem of her uniform skirt.
In that fleeting moment, Shen Zhuo’s gaze suddenly caught something: “Wait.”
The footsteps of the inspector paused.
The girl turned back in confusion, only to see Shen Zhuo picking up something from her dark school uniform shoulder. Surprisingly, it was a tuft of brownish-yellow short fur.
“Do you have pets at home?”
The girl, still shaken, replied, “No… no, I—”
“Have you fed stray cats or dogs?”
“No, I haven’t, I…”
The girl instinctively lowered her head, discovering at least seven or eight strands of fur stuck to her. All of them were ginger-colored, resembling the fur of cats or dogs. “Huh, where did these come from?”
Bai Sheng’s expression also turned strange. He exchanged a glance with Shen Zhuo, then looked back at the stretcher inside the ambulance in the distance, and the answer dawned on him.
These were left when that person knocked her down!
Both of them turned around and boarded the ambulance with its rear door wide open. The medical staff were preparing to administer a sedative to the man on the stretcher, who was struggling mechanically. Before they could crouch down, they were stopped by someone, “—Inspector?”
Bai Sheng kneeled halfway on the ground, carefully examining the disheveled body of the man, then unceremoniously opened his clothes inside and out, but found nothing.
How could that be?
Bai Sheng frowned, his gaze falling on the man’s mouth, which was filled with blood, opening and closing.
But just as he was about to reach out, Shen Zhuo gently restrained him. Then, the Chief Supervisor’s gloved hand made a “click” sound, dislocating the man’s jaw. Two fingers entered the mouth that couldn’t exert much force anymore and fished around, pulling something out.
—On the fingertips stained with blood, there were several strands of unmistakably ginger-colored animal fur!
“What’s this, cat fur?” Yang Xiaodao peered out from outside the car, puzzled.
Shen Zhuo’s face was as calm as water, “Chen Miao.”
Chen Miao didn’t need further instructions. He immediately took out his phone and made a call to the hospital. Shortly after, he returned briskly, “Senior, Director Wang instructed the plainclothes to immediately question the nurse. Yesterday, in the victim Wang Ping’s body, they couldn’t detect any hallucinogens or rabies viruses. However, when the nurse was treating his wounds yesterday, she also found several strands of black-brown short fur from his teeth!”
All eyes simultaneously fell on the ginger-colored fur on Shen Zhuo’s fingertips. Bai Sheng asked, “Has the strand of fur I found near Wang Ping’s mouth yesterday been sent for analysis?”
“Yes, it’s done.” Chen Miao swallowed his saliva, his tone carrying a hint of astonishment: “It turned out to be… dog fur.”
***
“Huang Kaiqi, 45 years old, a janitor at Boyi High School, lives alone in the Yangzi Alley of Xiangshan District in Shenhai City. He is divorced with no children.” Half an hour later, Chen Miao skillfully started the car and recited the information of the second victim that Director Wang had just sent, “—Just like yesterday’s first victim, Wang Ping, he doesn’t have cats, dogs, or other pets at home.”
Shen Zhuo was probably already used to Bai Sheng occupying most of the back seat. He sat by the car window with his chin resting on his hand, only to hear Bai Sheng ask, “That person is a janitor at Boyi High School?”
Chen Miao replied, “Yes, that’s why the female student recognized him and kept looking at him as she passed by. She didn’t expect to be attacked.”
“Hmm.” Bai Sheng held his chin and pondered for a moment. “Was there any aggressive behavior from Wang Ping, who had a seizure at the high-speed rail station yesterday, before he started gnawing on himself?”
“Well… it seems not,” Chen Miao thought for a moment. “But it’s hard to say because the surveillance cameras at the high-speed rail station have blind spots, and Wang Ping wandered around the station for a whole day and night before having the seizure.”
At this moment, there were two beeps outside. Chen Miao stepped on the brake, and the special car came to a sudden stop by the sidewalk.
“Senior, we’ve arrived.”
A wind and rain-beaten road sign not far from the entrance of the alley had two words written on it: “Yangzi Alley.”
The second victim, Huang Kaiqi, rented a place here.
Director Wang had already arrived with his team. They forced open the door and conducted a thorough search, leaving no corner untouched. The narrow alley was so crowded with forensic examiners that it was difficult to move, and residents filled the courtyard walls and even the windows of the second floor to catch a glimpse of the commotion.
“—A lot, a whole lot.”
Director Wang pointed at the trays in the hands of the forensic examiners. Several evidence bags contained hairs of various colors—yellow, white, brown, and black—with different lengths: “Preliminary observation suggests that these are all animal furs. The specific identification of whether it’s cat or dog fur will require further examination. But judging by the quantity, there must be at least twenty or thirty.”
Shen Zhuo glanced up.
This was a very old and dilapidated standalone two-story building, dim and damp, with tightly closed doors and windows. The red bricks have been weathered by wind and rain into a dark brown color, covered with climbing vines. At that time, most of the old buildings had double bricks. Even in such a deteriorated state, the sound insulation was still very good, and neighbors might not hear anything happening inside.
“Are there any animals inside?”
“No, there’s none inside or outside.” At this point, Director Wang hesitated for a moment, “But a few neighbors mentioned seeing Huang Kaiqi carrying cat and dog cages when he returned home…”
Shen Zhuo had witnessed various mind-boggling situations too many times, and he already had a rough idea of a possible scenario in his mind. However, he didn’t say it out loud and just furrowed his brows slightly.
Behind him, Bai Sheng immediately asked, “What’s wrong?”
Shen Zhuo inquired, “Did you install a dynamic detection device on my face?”
Bai Sheng chuckled softly, covering his mouth: “‘I truly wish I could turn into the night, so I could watch you sleep with countless eyes’—Plato.”
Shen Zhuo whispered, “Remember to have that peeping Tom named Plato turn himself in at the monitoring center later.”
“Director Wang, Director Wang!” At this moment, a forensic investigator hurriedly ran down from the second floor, his expression very unusual. “We found something in the kitchen on the second floor!”
“What is it?”
In full view of everyone, the forensic investigator couldn’t say much, only blurting out a few words, “A lot… of blood.”
Covering the floor, walls, and sink, the entire kitchen up to the stairs emitted a bright and terrifying fluorescence under the effect of luminol.
—It was more than just a lot; it was simply a slaughterhouse scene.
Director Wang stood at the kitchen door, pinching the acupoint between his eyebrows and murmuring prayers, “Don’t be a human, don’t be a human, don’t be a human, don’t be a human…”
“It’s not a human.” Bai Sheng crouched by the trash bin, timely rescuing Director Wang, who was on the verge of a heart attack. “It’s a dog.”
Director Wang went closer for a look. Bai Sheng held up what appeared to be half of a canine skull, already cooked. “Ah? Is this guy killing and eating dogs at home?”
Director Wang, who had experienced life and death situations with police dogs in his younger years, couldn’t help but show great disgust. However, Bai Sheng sighed, “It’s probably more than that.”
He stood up, his 1.9-meter height almost reaching the kitchen ceiling. Fortunately, Shen Zhuo extended his hand to stop him, allowing him to slightly lower his head and avoid the low, dirty ceiling. Then, in this somewhat awkward position, he opened the cupboard, pulled out a duffel bag from the top, and, with a loud “smack,” threw it to the ground.
Director Wang already had a worse premonition, “This is…”
Shen Zhuo was about to reach out and open the duffel bag, but Bai Sheng stopped him: “Enough; our Chief Supervisor doesn’t need to dirty his hands with this.”
Then, Bai Sheng tightened his inspection gloves, half-squatted down, swiftly unzipped the bag, and a pungent smell of blood filled the air. Inside was a bag full of grotesque and sharp instruments of torture, encrusted with aged blood rust and tattered fur.
“He not only eats,” Bai Sheng said, “but he also tortures.”
The scene fell silent. Director Wang squeezed out a few words, “This scoundrel…”
Various torture instruments were covered with residual flesh and tissue. At first glance, it was shocking, and on a nail clamp, there was even a small, dried-up cat claw.
For a moment, no one in the room could say anything. Shen Zhuo’s gaze fell on a blood-stained, brain-drilling steel needle, and he suddenly asked Director Wang, “Does Huang Kaiqi have a computer?”
“In the room to the south—what’s going on?”
Shen Zhuo said, “I’ll go check.” Then he turned around and walked out of the kitchen.
The room was dirty and chaotic, emitting an indescribable smell. Shen Zhuo stormed into the room and opened the laptop on the table with one hand. Bai Sheng followed behind him, covering his nose and mouth: “What’s going on?”
“Did you notice that most of the torture instruments are manually modified?”
“…,” Bai Sheng still told the truth: “It’s too disgusting; I didn’t look carefully.”
“The instinct of human nature is hunting, not torture. Senseless torture belongs to deviant behavior, and feeling uncomfortable is normal,” Shen Zhuo bent down, attempting various passwords on the laptop. His ten fingers, adorned with black leather gloves, swiftly struck the keyboard without looking up, saying, “For the torturer, their psychological pleasure comes from an illusion of gaining power. Manual modification of torture instruments not only prolongs the pleasure but also gives the act of torture itself a display aspect.”
Bai Sheng’s mind stirred, “Display aspect?”
Click!
Shen Zhuo pressed the enter key, and within just ten attempts, he successfully unlocked the computer, revealing the desktop. In the lower-left corner, new message prompts continuously popped up.
“They have a well-established industrial chain.” Shen Zhuo opened the group chat, disgust flashing in his eyes: “These people can profit from it.”
A crowded group of five hundred people was constantly refreshing at the moment:
[I killed two cats this week. Anyone interested in the footage?]
[Choose between live burial, skinning, or burning. Customization accepted. A hundred bucks per minute, hehe’]
[Appreciate the art of small animal behavior, 13G team photoshoot, send a small fee for access.]
[The neighbor’s pet dog, I brought it home today. Live broadcast at 8 p.m.; don’t miss it!]
…
Blunt and lively, with desires flowing without disguise.
Some shared resources for trial access, some QR codes for payment, and some proudly flaunted images. Disgusting bloodiness came through the screen.
Bai Sheng’s gaze remained fixed on the continuously refreshing group messages. After a while, he let out a cold laugh, “…and humans actually think the evolutionists are dangerous.”
Shen Zhuo didn’t respond. He used a web-based login to access Huang Kaiqi’s WeChat and entered a series of phone numbers in the search bar.
Director Wang, standing on his tiptoes behind Bai Sheng, asked, “What’s this?”
“Wang Ping’s phone number. It was in the information you gave me about the hospital yesterday.”
“…” Director Wang completely gave up on asking how you could remember the eleven-digit phone number you glanced at 24 hours ago. “Do you think Wang Ping and Huang Kaiqi knew each other in reality?”
Shen Zhuo pressed the search button and said, “Not think, but sure.”
In front of everyone, a contact with the name “Wang Ping” indeed popped up on the WeChat web page!
“The way Wang Ping and Huang Kaiqi had seizures is too similar. There must be some connection between them. Considering the dog hair found in Wang Ping’s mouth, it’s highly likely they were accomplices in making torture videos.” Shen Zhuo stood up from the computer and said, “Whether it’s a new mutated virus or some unknown ability between the two, at least one thing is certain—”
“What they both experienced is a form of homotypic revenge.”
Director Wang’s expression was somewhat complex. For a few seconds, he seemed like he really wanted to call the hospital and have the restraints removed so that those scoundrels could take a couple more bites.
“Bring the equipment back to the team and see if we can urgently locate the address of the live streaming room,” Director Wang instructed the technician, turning his head. “Find those perpetrators for me.”
“Yes!”
Just as the technician was about to come up to move the computer, the WeChat web page suddenly made a ding sound. There was a new message from someone named Zhang Zongxiao:
[Huang-ge, that girl hasn’t posted photos for several days. Is she not taking the bait anymore?]
Photos?
Shen Zhuo and Bai Sheng exchanged a glance.
Zhang Zongxiao continued to send messages: [Is her cat still at your place?]
[Tell her that if she doesn’t send photos, you’ll skin her cat!]
[(Smirk) (Smirk) How about making her take nude photos today?]
Everyone’s expressions tensed up. The technician picked up the mouse, clicked on the message bar, and scrolled up Zhang Zongxiao’s chat history. After a moment, he lightly cursed, “These idiots… truly the epitome of vileness.”
Director Wang asked, “What’s wrong?”
“This pervert disguised himself as an adopter, took a stray cat from a little girl, and then threatened her to send nude photos. If she refused, he said he would torture the cat to death and even make a video to show her.” The technician looked disgusted: “How could someone come up with such an immoral thing?!”
The mouse wheel stopped, and a half-naked photo of a girl appeared on the screen.
The moment the photo appeared, Bai Sheng raised his hand to block the screen, his pupils slightly contracting, “Zoom in.”
The technician was puzzled and double-clicked. The next second, the image was enlarged, with Bai Sheng’s palm covering the area below the girl’s neck, revealing only her face.
Shen Zhuo pinched his chin and furrowed his brows, slightly surprised.
—Two hours ago, on a busy street, the girl in her high school uniform appeared on the screen.
This time, she wasn’t timid and tearful, nor did she show any coerced weakness and shame. She stared at the selfie camera as if looking through the lens at the group of perpetrators, her eyes ice-cold, calm, and as firm as a rock.
It was clearly the gaze of a hunter looking at prey.
The author has something to say:
Let me explain in advance, the photo was photoshopped by the girl.
For every Ko-fi received for a perticular novel, I will release a new chapter!
