Chapter Nine: Unexpected Incident

"What is happening to me?" Lin Lei suddenly slapped his own head, took a deep breath, and tried to calm the violent turmoil in his heart.

"The negative effects from 'plundering' that ghoul are overwhelming. Though my strength has increased dramatically, if I lose my rationality, not even a hundred lives would be enough for me!"

He glanced at his phone—it was already past four in the morning.

"I should stop hunting for tonight..." He made his decision swiftly. Though his body was in peak condition, his mind was anything but.

If he let his emotions guide him and recklessly charged into a ghoul nest, the horde would swarm him. No matter how powerful his 'Gluttony' skill was, he wouldn't be able to withstand their assault.

Even now, with his strength nearly doubled and his physical fitness much improved, his body wasn't yet tough enough to be immune to sharp weapons.

He turned to look at the last ghoul, hesitated, and refrained from 'devouring' it. Instead, he stowed it away in the large bag he'd used earlier.

His previous self had studied anatomy and possessed some relevant knowledge. If he could dissect this ghoul corpse and study it thoroughly, it would greatly aid his future hunts.

He then walked toward the husky lying on the ground.

"Woo-woof! Woof-woo!" As Lin Lei approached, the husky whimpered in terror.

"You little thing, your luck is extraordinary—meeting me..."

Lin Lei picked up the husky and examined it. Though the creature was badly injured and unable to move, its vitality was surprisingly tenacious; it wouldn't die quickly.

Surviving an encounter with a ghoul and then meeting someone kind-hearted like himself truly was a stroke of fortune.

Besides, its desperate barking had snapped him out of his near-madness earlier. In a way, Lin Lei owed it his thanks.

He set the husky down for the moment and moved to the corpse of the homeless man.

"What a pity..."

The man was long dead.

Lin Lei hesitated briefly, then carefully slung the corpse over his back and climbed up the metal ladder leading out of the sewer.

Outside was a dark alley reeking of garbage, with not a soul in sight.

He gently laid the corpse down, hesitated, and chose not to call the police or involve Li Xueshu in the matter.

He didn't want to expose his involvement in hunting ghouls.

Wearing gloves, he left no fingerprints, and he took care not to leave any trace of himself before departing...

...

Half an hour later.

Lin Lei emerged from a nearby alley by his house, his blood-stained clothes already disposed of.

He carried a large bag in his arms; the husky was temporarily tucked inside alongside the ghoul.

Dawn was just breaking, and he was close to home.

"Time to head back..."

He remembered that not far from his apartment complex was a twenty-four-hour pet hospital.

He pulled out his phone, rented a shared bike, hung the large bag on the handlebars, and pedaled toward home.

It was still early, and few people were out. Though he still carried a faint, strange odor, it didn't attract much attention.

Soon, he arrived at the street in front of his complex. Even though the sun hadn't fully risen, he immediately spotted a police car parked by the roadside.

A few uniformed officers were gathered around it.

"Is there some major case nearby? They're working so early?" Lin Lei thought of the ghoul corpse and the blood-soaked Tang blade in his bag, and his heart tightened.

Biyang City's security was never particularly good; small incidents rarely drew the attention of the Public Security Bureau.

While the officers were quietly conversing and hadn't noticed him, he quickly turned his bike around, intent on taking another route.

But—

He had barely ridden a few meters when suddenly there was a burst of footsteps behind him, and a tense voice called out:

"Stop! Don't move... or I'll shoot!"

His mouth twitched as he froze, raised his hands, and slowly turned around.

A nervous policewoman stood with a pistol aimed straight at him.

Lin Lei's expression was complex.

Though his constitution had changed, granting him far greater resilience than ordinary people, he couldn't possibly withstand a bullet.

Unless he took a fatal shot, he wouldn't die so easily—but still.

He raised his hands high, feigning innocence. "Officer, is there something I can help you with?"

Meanwhile, the other officers noticed the commotion and immediately came over to restrain Lin Lei's arms.

"Xiao Ru, what's going on?" A man with gold-rimmed glasses—the apparent team leader—walked over.

The policewoman exhaled, then said, "Captain Chen! He tried to run as soon as he saw us. I suspect he might be connected to the chain of disappearances that happened nearby!"

Lin Lei, hands restrained, felt a jolt of realization.

So there had been a series of disappearances nearby!

Captain Chen's eyes lit up. Without so much as a glance at Lin Lei, he looked straight at the large bag hanging from Lin Lei's bicycle.

A young officer frowned, picked up the bag, and looked to Captain Chen. "Captain Chen, there's a strong smell of blood!"

Captain Chen's expression shifted. "Open it!"

The young officer nodded, took out a small knife, and cut open the sack. Inside was only a blood-soaked husky.

The dog was covered in blood, but its thick fur concealed any wounds.

The surrounding officers, upon seeing the contents, were visibly disappointed.

Captain Chen sighed, turned to Lin Lei, narrowed his eyes in suspicion, and asked, "Why are you out so early with such a large bag carrying a dead dog?"

Could he be a dog thief?

But Lin Lei looked so young and frail—nothing like his mental image of a dog thief. Dog thieves might poison their targets, but rarely would they leave a dog in such a mangled, bloody state.

Lin Lei replied with an honest face, "It's not a dead dog—I was out for morning exercise and taking out the trash when I found this poor little guy in the garbage heap. I was going to take him to the pet hospital..."

He pointed to the hospital not far away.

Captain Chen covered his nose, finally realizing the source of Lin Lei's strange odor.

Still, he didn't relax his vigilance. "Give me your ID number and address..."

Lin Lei complied.

He lived nearby and had no criminal record. Captain Chen, holding a portable device, quickly checked Lin Lei's information...

No issues at all.

"Ahem."

Captain Chen signaled the other officers to release Lin Lei, then asked curiously, "If there's nothing wrong, why did you try to run when you saw us?"