A sharp jolt went through Chen Ling as his pupils constricted! Yet when he blinked, the blood-red characters on the ground vanished in an instant, as if they had never existed. Hallucination? Chen Ling stood rooted to the spot, the words burrowing into his mind, impossible to forget.
[We Are Watching You]
Chen Ling whipped around! In the empty living room, it seemed as if invisible scarlet pupils were observing him, the sensation of being stared at identical to that in his nightmare.
He stood rigid like a statue for a long time, forcing himself to take deep breaths.
"Maybe I've been too tense from staying up late preparing for the Enforcers exam these past few days..."
"But this was done by the original owner of this body, so it has nothing to do with me... Could something have gone wrong when the two souls merged, damaging my mind?"
"I've heard that severe schizophrenia can indeed cause indistinguishable hallucinations..."
Chen Ling temporarily quelled his inner fear, trying to explain everything scientifically. A fierce hunger welled up, and he casually grabbed a sausage from the cutting board, wolfing it down in two or three frantic bites, which somewhat steadied him.
"Maybe I need a psychiatrist."
Startled, Chen Ling didn't even bother to wash his face. He hurriedly put on a black cotton coat and pushed open the door.
Even so, the cold air rushing in from behind the door made Chen Ling shiver.
This was Chen Ling's first real look at the world since regaining his senses. He took a deep breath, ready to face all unknowns and difficulties. Yet when he inadvertently looked up at the sky, a stunned "Holy shit..." escaped his lips.
The first rays of dawn scattered from the east, and dreamlike blue silks floated above the small town, seemingly within reach yet impossibly distant.
Auroras.
Auroras... in the daytime?
Chen Ling stood at the doorway, staring at the skyful of auroras for a long time, murmuring to himself:
"What the hell is this world...?"
...
"Damn, why is this road so hard to walk?"
"It's too cold, and it just rained heavily last night. The mountain road is frozen. Be careful."
"After struggling all the way here, it's already dawn." The man wiped the sweat from his forehead. "How much further do we have?"
"That mass grave is up ahead... we should be there soon."
Two staggering figures climbed over the ridge and finally saw the numerous mounds not far away. Some were new, some old; most had no inscriptions, just a random wooden plaque or a belonging of the deceased placed before them.
But after last night's heavy rain, many mounds had been washed away, and wooden stakes and other items were scattered chaotically everywhere, leaving the scene in a mess.
To their surprise, the mass grave was now cordoned off with yellow police tape, and more than a dozen figures were moving within the restricted area, their expressions grave.
"Enforcers?" At the sight of their striking black-and-red attire, the man's eyes widened. "Why are they here!"
"Have they discovered it?" The woman's face paled. "Is... is it Ah Ling? Did he go to the Enforcers? Is he really not dead?"
They thought they had killed Chen Ling, yet he returned on his own the next day. Coupled with the Enforcers suddenly appearing at the burial site... there was almost no other explanation.
"No..." The man stared intently at the figures. "Even for criminal cases, the Enforcers of District Three only dispatch at most three people! Sending more than a dozen at once can only mean..."
"Calamity... has appeared?"
The woman seemed to recall something, and a cold sweat instantly drenched her back!
"Could that monster in the bedroom be..."
"Run!!" The man grabbed the woman's wrist and turned to flee.
At that moment, a cold voice came from not far away.
"Stop."
The two figures froze instantly.
An Enforcer crawled under the tape and slowly approached them, eyes narrowed.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?"
"I... I..." The woman stammered, unable to speak.
"We're here to see our son." The man tried to stay calm. "He's buried here. Today is his death anniversary."
"Then why were you running?"
"...Because we're scared."
"Scared?"
"Sending so many Enforcers at once means the Grey Realm is converging here, right?" The man swallowed. "Maybe a Calamity crawled out... we're afraid of being caught in the crossfire."
"Oh? You know quite a bit." The Enforcer raised an eyebrow in surprise.
The man forced a pale smile.
"Sir Enforcer," the woman asked cautiously, "is there really a Calamity that crawled out of the Grey Realm?"
"That's classified."
The Enforcer replied indifferently, "You won't be able to visit your son today. Go back... and don't spread what you saw here. You know the rules, right?"
"Yes, we do."
"Let's go."
Hearing these words, the man finally relaxed and immediately turned to leave.
"Wait."
Their hearts skipped a beat.
"Leave your names and address." The Enforcer took out a pen and paper. "For confidentiality regulations, please understand."
"Chen Tan, Li Xiuchun, 128 Frost Street, District Three."
After recording, the Enforcer let them go, then crossed the yellow tape and approached a man in a black coat, handing him a document.
"Meng Ge, they're here to see their son."
Han Meng took a deep drag from the thick cigarette clenched between his teeth, the acrid smoke mixed with his breath, drifting in the cold wind.
He glanced casually at the document and spoke calmly:
"Have a few men tail them. Discreetly."
"...Huh?"
"Frost Street is more than ten kilometers from here. To arrive at this hour, they must have set out at least by four in the morning... when it was still raining."
"Who would come to worship on the mountain in the pouring rain before dawn?"
"Also, this is a mass grave, for those with no relatives or who died far from home. As parents, why would they bury their son here?"
The Enforcer was stunned, then slapped his forehead. "Right! Why didn't I think of that?"
"...Xiao Qin, how did you pass the Enforcer exam back then?"
The Enforcer called Xiao Qin forced a dry laugh and changed the subject. "By the way, Meng Ge, so was there really a Calamity that crawled out of the Grey Realm last night?"
Han Meng didn't answer. Instead, he pulled out a palm-sized device from the inner pocket of his coat. At its center was a compass-like needle mechanism, with different colors marking distinct scale zones, clear and precise.
"Is this the Calamity Needle?" Jiang Qin looked at the device curiously and reached out to touch it, only to have the back of his hand sharply slapped.
"This thing is precious. When you're promoted to Enforcer Officer, you'll have your chance to touch it."
Jiang Qin rubbed his hand bitterly. "How does this thing work?"
"This detects the danger level of a 'Calamity'. Once activated, whichever zone the needle points to indicates the magnitude of Calamity fluctuations in the vicinity. If it's just a Grey Realm convergence and no Calamity has crawled into the real world, it won't react. The higher the Calamity level, the more violently the needle will shake."
Jiang Qin nodded, then asked worriedly:
"Meng Ge... there shouldn't be a Calamity that crawled out, right?"
"Most likely not. After all, if a Calamity had really descended here yesterday, Districts Two and Three would already be in chaos."
"That's good."
"To be safe, we still need to complete the detection."
As Han Meng spoke, he activated the Calamity Needle. The other Enforcers looked over curiously.
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
The Calamity Needle showed no reaction.
Just as Han Meng relaxed, the needle on the compass suddenly jolted!
The needle swept wildly across different colored zones, a piercing creak emanating from within the device. Han Meng's pupils constricted sharply, and he instinctively released the Calamity Needle!
Bang——!!
Countless parts shattered mid-air, the sharp broken needle grazed Han Meng's cheek, instantly leaving a scarlet trail!
The Calamity Needle...exploded.