Chapter Twenty-Seven: It Appeared

Midnight. The moonlight pierced the clouds, casting a ghastly pale glow that stretched the shadows of the three figures standing in the middle of the road.

On a street corner in the Seventh Residential District, Ye Chen looked gratefully at his two teammates.

Chen Bingfeng's face was resolute, his gaze unwavering; the cold wind whipped around his neck, yet he showed no fear.

Xu Fan hunched his shoulders and stamped his feet, muttering something under his breath.

"I used to think that after becoming a member of the Patrol Bureau, I'd never get the chance to hunt again.

"But tonight, I feel the urge!" Ye Chen licked his lips, a long-missed excitement flickering in his eyes.

He turned to survey the dark street, suppressing his emotions as he spoke, "Tonight, let me take command for once, alright?"

Without hesitation, Chen Bingfeng replied, "Fine!"

"The next time we hit Bar Street, you pay the bill!" Xu Fan stated decisively, leaving no room for negotiation.

Ye Chen desperately wanted to refuse, but tonight he truly needed their help.

Because there was a kind of assistance called standing watch.

The residential block where Cao Yang's family lived consisted of nine houses lined up in a row, forming a long strip.

Ye Chen pointed at a crossroads and instructed Chen Bingfeng, "You hold this position tonight, keep an eye on all four directions. If anything unusual happens, notify the two of us immediately."

He then walked a few steps forward, beckoned Xu Fan over, and said, "You squat in that corner. If danger comes, remember to draw your gun!"

Of the three, Ye Chen was undeniably the strongest in combat.

Chen Bingfeng, disciplined and never forgetting to set himself training routines, ranked second.

Xu Fan, whose bravado only showed in front of women, was at the bottom.

But at least he had a gun—a real, functional one.

Both men nodded to Ye Chen, reminding him, "Take care of yourself. We're only here to investigate, not to chase ghosts."

"I don't believe in those things anyway. Wrap it up when you've seen enough..."

Ye Chen nodded slightly.

Watching Ye Chen's figure slowly melt into the night, the other two tightened their collars, sunk into the shadows, and silently took their posts.

...

Ye Chen reached the wall at the back of the neighborhood and vaulted it with ease.

He landed crouched and bent, making as little noise as possible.

He appeared suddenly, as silent as a wildcat.

He scanned his surroundings warily; nothing seemed amiss.

The night wind swept through in gusts, racing down the narrow alley and creating a corridor of wind.

The "wooo" sound was constant, stirring debris and litter across the ground.

"Could this be the crying sound Mousey talked about? There's nothing odd about it!"

...

Anyone hearing such a sound could guess it was just the wind—no need to call it ghostly wails, Ye Chen mused.

After a moment, he crept up beside a trash bin, lifted the lid, and peeked inside.

There wasn't much garbage, only a thin layer at the bottom.

Without caring about the filth, Ye Chen climbed in and quietly closed the lid.

He held his breath, listening intently to the outside world.

A twinge of regret crossed his mind... If only he'd changed clothes before coming.

Soon, Ye Chen felt himself slipping back into the old rhythm of staking out prey.

Even though the circumstances were awkward and the smell harsh, his heart raced.

Time ticked by.

Ye Chen did not activate the "Eyes on the Back" ability, conserving his strength; his own senses sufficed.

The breathing technique had transformed his body—not just in stamina, endurance, and explosive power, but even his hearing was enhanced.

An hour passed with no movement.

A message came through his communicator from Xu Fan: [So cold!!! o((⊙﹏⊙))o]

Ye Chen ignored it.

Two hours passed, still nothing.

Chen Bingfeng sent a message: [Anything unusual on your end?]

Ye Chen replied: [Nothing yet. Let's wait a bit longer.]

Click!

Suddenly, a sound echoed in the alley—the thud of something landing.

Ye Chen tensed, jerking his head up and quickly switching off the glowing screen of his communicator.

Someone had vaulted the wall?

No, there was no sound of feet against the wall—it was more like someone had jumped from the rooftop.

Who could it be?

It couldn't be Scarface and his gang—they wouldn't visit the same place two nights in a row.

In the next instant, the markings on Ye Chen's back reappeared, and his "Eyes on the Back" ability activated.

His internal energy radiated outward, forming in his mind a three-dimensional map rendered in black and white lines.

Even from inside the trash bin, he could outline everything around it—wind-blown debris on the ground, peeling corners of the opposite wall.

Every detail was clear.

...

At Ye Chen's current level, drawing a three-meter radius in the three-dimensional map was his limit.

Enough—more than enough.

When he first mastered this skill, Ye Chen had sighed: if only he'd learned it earlier, hunting in the wild would have been twice as efficient.

But now, it seemed he wasn't too late.

This was why he dared to hide in the trash bin.

The prey couldn't see him, but he could see the prey.

The intruder had not yet entered his area; Ye Chen waited patiently.

"Wooo... wooo..."

A crying sound drifted through the alley—hoarse, low, and mournful.

At times, it broke off, as if choking back tears without actually weeping.

This was the cry Mousey had heard last night... Ye Chen, startled, immediately realized.

He had to admit, in a deserted, pitch-black alley, such a sound would make anyone's scalp tingle.

Ye Chen had encountered similar things while hunting in the wild—birds that could mimic human voices.

The first time, he'd been genuinely startled.

Ye Chen frowned slightly... Was this person crying?

The "wooo" sound echoed, moving closer, gradually entering Ye Chen's mapped area.

A bizarre scene unfolded.

Ye Chen's pupils contracted, his expression frozen, mouth agape in shock and disbelief.

After a moment, his Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed.

Even Ye Chen, strong-willed and experienced as he was, turned pale at what he saw.

In his mind's eye appeared a creature half-human, half-beast.

The upper body was human, with muscular arms serving as forelegs, sinewy and powerful.

The head was human-like, with sparse hair tangled and dirty like dried grass.

Its mouth split to the ears, gaping open to reveal two rows of terrifying, triangular teeth—like serrated blades.

From its throat came that peculiar, crying "wooo" sound.

But its lower body belonged to some kind of animal.

If he had to guess, Ye Chen thought it resembled a mutated wild cheetah.

What in the world was this thing?

...Ye Chen couldn't help but ask himself.

Was it a human, or a beast?