Of course, Yang Qizhou wouldn't look down on the Bureau of Occult Investigation because of that.
The reason was obvious.
It was an official agency, after all, responsible for every case involving the World of Weirdness. It was mysterious and unknowable, its waters deep and unfathomable, and there was a good chance it had monstrously powerful veteran players among its ranks.
Even setting all that aside, ordinary players would find it hard to fight them. They'd managed to pinpoint, in just half an hour, a suspect who had searched for the words "World of Weirdness" online and was suspected of becoming a player.
He still needed to keep a low profile.
"Everyone, quiet down. The information's in..."
So he was the team leader. Yang Qizhou pondered this. The man who had just spoken was the one with a faint scar on his right cheek. Everyone called him "Chief Zhou," and he seemed to command considerable respect.
At that moment, Chief Zhou was briefing them with the information.
"The target's name is Wang Chuang. He's unemployed and has a criminal record for robbery. He came into contact with the World of Weirdness game about half a month ago. His acquired talent is unknown. Threat level: low."
"The target recently acquired a suspected Old Day Item. According to the psychological experts' profile, the method of dispelling its negative effects is likely related to sacrificing the blood of living people. The victims, Wang Chun, Li Haomin, Zhao Yuyan, and others, have all fallen prey to him."
"The law enforcement agencies assembled a team to capture him, but although the target has never left Purple Flower Residential District, he's still been active nearby. They just can't find him, so they had no choice but to ask our Bureau of Occult Investigation for help."
"The objective of this mission is to capture Wang Chuang. If he resists, you may kill him on the spot. Secure the Old Day Item safely."
"Is that clear?"
So the official agency was called the Bureau of Occult Investigation. Yang Qizhou understood, but soon his brow furrowed.
What was this "Old Day Item"? Was it the name of an artifact, a category of objects, or something else?
He'd been involved with the World of Weirdness for too short a time. There was still so much he didn't know. He needed to explore that vast, mysterious, and twisted Ancient Earth.
By now, the Bureau of Occult Investigation members had also entered the residential district one after another.
Yang Qizhou checked and found that the Doom-Bringing Raven's rollback point hadn't been overwritten. It was still set before he entered the restricted area, so he could withdraw from the current fate line at any time.
After a moment's thought, he quietly followed them.
The moment Yang Qizhou stepped into the residential district, something strange happened. He wasn't far from the Bureau of Occult Investigation members—only about a hundred meters away—but they suddenly vanished before his eyes without a trace, as if they'd been made to disappear by magic.
Yang Qizhou narrowed his eyes.
"This residential district... There's something wrong with it."
Yang Qizhou wasn't the only one who noticed something was wrong. The man with the faint scar, known as Chief Zhou, had sensed it even more clearly: he had watched a member of the Bureau of Occult Investigation disappear right before his eyes.
"Where's Old Chen? How'd he disappear?"
Only after Chief Zhou pointed it out did the other team members realize someone was missing. Their expressions turned grave.
"My Sixth Sense Frequency didn't warn me of danger, and I didn't sense anything unusual. How did Old Chen just disappear?"
"Maybe he didn't keep up with us?"
"Impossible. He was right beside us when we entered the residential district. How could he vanish without anyone noticing?"
The night was pitch-black. Even the bright moonlight seemed to dim in the haze, and clouds obscured the stars. The evening breeze was unusually cold, brushing across everyone's skin and making them shiver.
Silence.
It was far too quiet.
The area had been under control for quite some time to capture Wang Chuang, so it was normal for there to be no residents around. But on a midsummer night, there were no cicadas chirping, no dogs barking. The stillness was as if the world had forgotten this place. It was deeply unsettling.
"Quit trying to scare us. I don't believe it."
The speaker was the team's only woman. Her name was Zhao Keke, and she was known throughout the Bureau of Occult Investigation for her explosive temper.
Complex, inscrutable patterns appeared in her right eye. A nearly transparent figure draped in flames materialized in the night, heat waves surging in every direction. It looked like the projection of an ancient deity who wielded the authority of fire, its divine might descending upon this world.
This was the initial talent she had received through Fate Blessing: "Flame Envoy."
But Zhao Keke's level was still low, so the projection was weak. A single fire truck could put it out.
"Wait—"
Chief Zhou hurriedly called out, trying to stop Zhao Keke, but he was too late.
Zhao Keke and the Flame Envoy vanished before everyone's eyes.
On the other side, Zhao Keke heard Chief Zhou's urgent voice and instinctively turned toward it, only to find that her teammates had all disappeared. She was alone in the dark.
"It must be Wang Chuang's doing. If this lady catches you, I'll roast you alive."
Zhao Keke wasn't afraid. She was furious.
Then she heard a familiar voice, and a figure appeared in the darkness. "Zhao Keke, why did you disappear just now? Where are Chief Zhou and the others?"
"Old Chen, I should be asking you that! I turned around for a second and you were gone. Chief Zhou and I were worried sick." Seeing that it was Old Chen, Zhao Keke relaxed her guard and went to meet him.
The two quickly reunited.
But just then, Zhao Keke felt a sharp pain in her abdomen. A dagger had pierced her body. Shocked and furious, she called the Flame Envoy down to shield her and retreated quickly.
"You—you—you're not Old Chen! Who are you?"
The other person's delighted expression vanished, replaced by a vicious grin. "Who am I? Hee-hee-hee! Hahahahahaha! You just said you'd roast me. Forgot already?"
"Wang Chuang!"
Zhao Keke attacked in a fury, sending flames surging toward Wang Chuang, who wore Old Chen's appearance.
But he merely stepped back at an unhurried pace, his figure gradually swallowed by the darkness until he disappeared completely. Zhao Keke collapsed to the ground, her injuries too severe for her to keep standing.
Meanwhile,
After Zhao Keke disappeared, the other two Bureau of Occult Investigation members also vanished one after another. Only Zhou Xu was left nearby—or, as the other members of the Bureau of Occult Investigation called him, Chief Zhou, the man with the faint scar.
"Heh. Maybe, in Zhao Keke and Old Chen's eyes, I'm the one who disappeared."
Zhou Xu's gaze was steady as he surveyed his surroundings.
Just then, a figure appeared in the shadow around the corner. The voice was filled with delight. It was Zhao Keke. "Chief Zhou! Chief Zhou! I finally found you. Old Chen just tried to kill me."
She started to run toward him.
Facing his teammate, Zhou Xu's expression turned cold. Without the slightest hesitation, he pulled out his gun and squeezed the trigger in one smooth motion. With a bang, the bullet pierced "Zhao Keke" between the eyebrows.
But something strange happened.
"Zhao Keke" didn't die. Blood ran from the bullet hole between her eyebrows, but she showed no sign of falling.
"Zhao Keke" tilted her head.
"Strange. My imitation should've been flawless. How did you see through me?"
Zhou Xu replied in a deep voice, "It's simple. That girl has a short fuse and never waits to get even—she does it on the spot. If Old Chen had really tried to kill her, the two of them would've fought to the death right there. Why would she come to me, the team leader, and complain?"
The "Zhao Keke" with a bullet hole in her forehead twisted her head ninety degrees. It was both horrifying and bizarre. "I see. I was careless."
"Who are you?"
"I'm Wang Chuang. Didn't you come here to catch me? Then keep trying. Hahahahahahaha!"
His terrifying, bizarre, and brazen laughter rang out through the night.
Zhou Xu took out a bracelet that gave off a hazy glow. It was a Common-grade item he had recently obtained in the World of Weirdness. Then he attacked the "Zhao Keke," whose forehead was bleeding.
But she had already vanished into the night, leaving only a terrifying voice echoing behind.
"Every one of you will die. Blood, bones, souls, pancreas—everything will become nourishment for the Old God of the Abyss."
Before you continue