Oil Painting

With that, the Peacekeepers snapped out of their daze, rushing forward two steps at a time. They tackled the woman to the ground and cuffed her.

"What's going on?" Captain Huang strode forward. "Why weren't you affected by the mist?"

"I don't know either," Sun Hang shrugged, handing his pistol to Captain Huang. "Captain Huang, your gun."

The Peacekeepers had already pulled the hood off the woman's head. She was a middle-aged woman, somewhere between forty and fifty years old, her cheeks covered in indecipherable tattoos. Her bloodshot eyes were fixed on Sun Hang, who stood not far away.

"Name?" the Peacekeeper holding her demanded.

The woman remained silent.

"Do you know where the missing people are?" the Peacekeeper asked again.

The woman continued to stay silent.

The Peacekeeper looked up at Captain Huang, his gaze seemingly asking for permission.

Captain Huang glanced at the bodies of his subordinates on the ground, then at the woman. He took a deep breath and finally shook his head. "Take the suspect back to the bureau first. We'll interrogate her later... And clean up the scene."

While the Peacekeepers were clearing the scene, Sun Hang had already walked the length of the empty basement. He finally stopped in front of a large oil painting hanging on the wall.

It was a Western-style portrait with a vintage feel. The subject was a young woman of European descent, dressed in a fiery red court gown. She was exceptionally beautiful—even though it was just a painting, Sun Hang could still feel an alluring charm emanating from her.

Especially her eyes. No matter which angle Sun Hang looked from, it felt as though the woman in the painting was staring at him.

Sun Hang walked closer and reached out to touch the surface of the oil painting.

The massive oil painting, over two meters wide and tall, was unframed. A thin layer of dust lay on the rough canvas.

Sun Hang curled his fingers and tapped the surface of the canvas lightly.

"Thump."

"Captain Huang." Sun Hang turned around and looked at Captain Huang, who was staring blankly at the bodies of his fallen officers. "The back of this painting is empty."

"What did you say?!" Captain Huang, who had looked exhausted moments before, suddenly lifted his head, his eyes flashing with intensity. "What did you just say? Say it again!"

"The back of this oil painting is empty," Sun Hang repeated.

Captain Huang took a deep breath and quickly walked over, tapping the canvas surface with his finger as well.

"Everyone, come over here!" Captain Huang said solemnly. "Bring the suspect over too!"

The middle-aged woman with tattoos covering her face was brought before Captain Huang by two Peacekeepers. Captain Huang grabbed her collar and asked, word by word, "Behind the oil painting... what is it?"

To the Peacekeepers' surprise, the middle-aged woman didn't remain silent this time. She glanced at the woman in the painting and then slowly said, "...It's Its palace."

"Captain Huang, the missing women... including Xiao Hu, they might be inside," the forensics expert said urgently. "Their footprints disappeared outside the basement. Unless there's a secret passage behind the oil painting leading outside..."

"Wait a minute!" 0401 suddenly interrupted the forensics expert. "Have you forgotten the mist from just now? This is clearly supernatural! Whether it's this woman or this series of cases, it's obviously related to an Anomaly! Our mission is complete. The rest should be reported to the Investigation Bureau, and they should send 'special personnel' to handle it!"

"I've already reported it," 0398 said, putting her issued phone back into her pocket. "The higher-ups told us that the 'Hunters' will arrive in twenty minutes."

"So, let's not be overly curious!" 0401 emphasized again. "Leave the professional stuff to the professionals. We just need to wait here for twenty minutes until the 'Hunters' arrive, and then we can pack up!"

Captain Huang glanced at the two Temporary Investigators, then at his subordinates. He still shook his head. "As for me, my mission isn't complete... Bring the chainsaw!"

"Are you trying to die?" 0401 exclaimed. "If you want to die, you don't have to drag us down with you."

Captain Huang didn't reply. He took the handcuff key out of his pocket and threw it to 0401.

0401 was stunned for a moment, then quickly picked up the key and unlocked his handcuffs.

"...Uh, I suggest you'd better not go," the young Peacekeeper, who had been relatively friendly towards Sun Hang and the others, whispered. "If you leave now, you'll be considered to have abandoned your post..."

"I know!" 0401 said indignantly. "I just don't understand why your captain is so stubborn and insists on seeking death... He won't rest until he finds those missing people!"

"The missing intern Peacekeeper is actually Captain Huang's niece," the young Peacekeeper whispered in 0401's ear. "Captain Huang watched her grow up."

A few minutes later, a Peacekeeper walked over carrying a chainsaw. He pulled the starter cord a couple of times, and with a low engine roar, the sharp chain began to spin rapidly.

Captain Huang nodded at him and stepped aside.

The Peacekeeper stepped forward, lifted the chainsaw, and began to cut into the oil painting.

The thick canvas was instantly torn apart, and the wooden frame beneath was cut through as well, sending wood chips flying.

A one-meter square opening appeared on the oil painting. Behind the opening was a deep, dark passage leading to an unknown destination.

"You two, stay here and watch the suspect. The rest of you, follow me."

Captain Huang, holding a flashlight in one hand and his pistol in the other, was the first to enter the passage.

Sun Hang followed closely behind him, entering the passage second.

To Sun Hang's slight surprise, with a series of minor complaints, 0401 and 0398 also entered the passage.

"Curiosity killed the cat, killed the cat..." 0401 muttered as he examined the inner walls of the passage.

"Aren't you afraid there are Anomalies inside?" Sun Hang asked.

"I am," 0401 admitted frankly. "But I feel like staying with that crazy woman is more dangerous... After all, she just killed a Peacekeeper."

"Why did the mist avoid you?" 0398 asked, pushing a strand of hair from her eyes and staring intently at Sun Hang. "I saw it clearly. When you walked past, the mist parted on its own."