Several days later.
Among the black cars parked on the street.
Shen Heng sat in the car, his gaze unfocused as he stared at the sparsely populated entrance to the seafood market a hundred meters away.
His clothes rippled slightly like waves.
Invisible sound waves continuously cleansed his body.
Several days ago, their tests on seafood market staff did not find Calamity Beast.
Despite having prepared for this, everyone still couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.
If we can't find that, then we'll have to resort to the most basic method—camping out!
This method is time-consuming and laborious, but it is the most practical method when you know where the target might appear.
Since the appearance of this Calamity Beast and its capture of people were almost completely silent, it is highly unlikely that anyone else would be able to find it.
Therefore, Shen Heng had no choice but to take full responsibility for it.
Time passed, and the sky gradually darkened.
"Knock knock"
There was a knock on the passenger window.
"Just come in," Shen Heng said softly, glancing towards the passenger seat.
The car door opened, Le Gu Nan got in carrying a large bag of food.
This is tonight's dinner!
"What did you make today?" Shen Heng asked as he took the food and began to unpack it.
Le Gu Nan tore open the plastic bag, revealing several insulated boxes, and lifted the top lid:
"Seafood fried rice with bamboo shoots in chili oil, and underneath... this."
Le Gu Nan pulled out the bottom foil packet, and as soon as he lifted a corner, dark purple meat juice seeped out.
"This is the Foremost Ox we killed a while ago."
Shen Heng sniffed the sweet, metallic scent that resembled rust.
"It seems this thing probably won't taste very good."
"Hmm... I think so." Le Gu Nan looked at the pieces of meat wrapped in tin foil and nodded in agreement.
After the two unwrapped the dishes, they sat down in the front row to eat.
For the past few days, Shen Heng Shen Heng's meals have been delivered by people from the Supervision Bureau, who also stay to eat with him.
This was Wu Cheng's suggestion; in his words, it's called employee care!
"By the way, did anyone report a missing person last night or just now?" Shen Heng asked, swallowing the food in his mouth.
"No." Le Gu Nan gently shook his head.
Shen Heng nodded slightly upon hearing this, pondering as he ate.
Is no one still missing...?
Le Gu Nan turned to look at Shen Heng. She hesitated for a moment, swallowed the food in her mouth, and asked:
What are you thinking about?
Shen Heng glanced at Le Gu Nan, but instead of directly telling her what he was thinking, he offered a suggestive answer:
"How long before we arrived, and how many people went missing?"
"In 28 days, 14 people went missing, an average of one person missing every two days," said Le Gu Nan Dao.
"What was the longest interval between their disappearances?"
"The longest interval between disappearances was 3 days."
"How long has it been since the last one went missing?" Shen Heng asked.
Le Gu Nan blinked. She seemed to realize something, but it wasn't quite clear yet. After thinking for a moment, she decided to answer Shen Heng's question first.
"The last person to go missing was five days ago."
"The longest interval before was only three days. Why has it become so long since they last hunted after we came here and tested them?" Shen Heng asked Le Gu Nan.
"You mean, this Calamity Beast knows we're here?" Le Gu Nan's eyes widened involuntarily.
"I don't know how they did it, but it's highly likely." Shen Heng withdrew his gaze, picked up a piece of meat from the Foremost Ox, and stuffed it into his mouth.
Hmm... it really doesn't taste good.
"This..." Le Gu Nan frowned in thought, "But didn't we fail to find the Calamity Beast that time?"
Shen Heng did not reply, which was something he hadn't figured out yet.
The Calamity Beast seemed to have found them before they found it.
How did you do that?
This Calamity Beast exists in a rather peculiar form; he couldn't sense it?
Or was it that this Calamity Beast's perception was stronger than his, and it left long before they could find it?
After frowning and thinking for a while, Shen Heng temporarily ruled out the second one.
It's not that the Calamity Beast's senses are necessarily weak.
The main goal is to avoid surveillance in the city and evade witnessing others; it's not something that can be done simply by having strong senses.
So, is it because its form of existence is special?
What form of existence is that?
An energy body, a spiritual body, or a ghost?
After finishing his meal, Le Gu Nan returned to the Supervision Bureau.
Shen Heng continued to stake out the area.
In fact, the original employee care plan included more than just having a meal together; it also included spending an extra hour or two with Shen Heng until the seafood market closed.
However, Wu Cheng, who came to offer his condolences on the first day, had a lot on his plate.
He would either be playing games and yelling, or he would be pulling Shen Heng aside to talk.
It both affected Shen Heng's cultivation and his perception of Shen Heng surroundings, so Shen Heng sent it back.
After that, everyone who came just had a meal.
Shen Heng glanced at the seafood market, where only a few people occasionally entered, then closed his eyes, and the sound waves once again resonated within his body.
Two hours later, Shen Heng slightly raised his eyes.
The seafood market staff have completed the closing and cleanup work.
He locked the gate, then quickly walked to his car and drove away.
Shen Heng glanced at the car that sped away, then looked back at the seafood market.
The bustling seafood market returned to tranquility during the day, and Shen Heng could once again hear the familiar sounds of flowing water, humming machines, and rats crawling by.
Shen Heng waited another hour, and only after confirming that there was no further movement did he drive towards home.
Click!
The door opened, and Shen Heng stepped into his familiar home.
Warm yellow light shone in the living room, and Shen Heng turned to look at his mother sitting on the living room sofa.
"It's winter now, and it's quite cold. Why don't you go back to your room and lie down?"
"Lying down all day, you're practically rusting!" Xu Yuqin laughed.
"Then you can go out for a walk during the day; there's no need to sit here at night."
"It's alright, I'm feeling better now, otherwise I wouldn't have come out." Xu Yuqin looked at Shen Heng with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Shen Heng glanced at his mother's face, then nodded slightly.
"You're a little better, but you're still far from completely recovered. You still need to get plenty of rest."
"Yes, I know!" Xu Yuqin nodded with a smile, then reminded her, "By the way, Shuhua made chicken soup today, have some."
Shuhua was the caregiver that Shen Heng hired when Xu Yuqin was very ill.
"Okay, I understand," Shen Heng replied, then turned and walked towards the kitchen.
"Remember, don't pretend to be mine. I've been drinking it every day lately... cough cough, every day. I'm getting a little tired of it."
"Yes, I understand!"
After making himself a bowl of chicken soup in the kitchen, Shen Heng returned to the living room.
The mother and son chatted briefly in the living room before returning to their respective rooms to rest.