Ningchang County.
Sunset Coastline.
One black van after another sped down the broad road and came to a stop at the edge of the coastline. Large numbers of personnel climbed out, silently and swiftly setting up a cordon around the shore.
"Huh? What's going on? Why is this place sealed off?"
"Yeah, isn't this a tourist attraction?"
"What happened up ahead?"
"No idea..."
"..."
The tourists still taking photos and checking in along the shore began discussing the scene among themselves. Before long, people arrived to maintain order, evacuating the tourists and completely sealing off the route into the scenic area.
A sedan pulled up beside the cordon. Several figures draped in dark crimson cloaks stepped out and swiftly approached the coastline.
"Hello, I'm Zhou Dao, captain of Squad 197 stationed in Ningchang County." The leading man extended his hand and shook hands with another man who had just finished evacuating the tourists.
"I'm Lu Ruici, a special investigator sent by Shangjing City Headquarters."
After shaking hands, the two quickly crossed the cordon and headed toward the coastline ahead.
"What's the situation here?" Zhou Dao looked at the busy crowd and asked in confusion. "Weren't we here to search for the missing Mask Squad? Why are we putting on such a large-scale operation here?"
"This was Commander Zuo's personal order. Master Chen is also on his way."
"Has the situation already become this serious?"
Lu Ruici offered no further explanation, merely nodding slightly. He raised a hand and pointed toward the far end of the coastline.
"Did anything ever happen around here before?"
Zhou Dao pondered for a moment. "No. There haven't been any 'mysterious' incidents around here, but after receiving your message, I immediately checked the local police archives and discovered that there had been three missing-person cases here."