Requisition

Inspection of the seafood market; two attacks by Calamity Beast.

Are these three incidents related?

Shen Heng stared at Qiu Rui until the latter entered the seafood market, then lowered his gaze and began to ponder.

He hadn't thought about this question before, since the Calamity Beast in the three incidents were not the same.

But the moment he saw Qiu Rui, he realized something.

Qiu Rui was involved in all three incidents!

If this happens once in a short period of time, you could say it's bad luck; if it happens twice in a short period of time, that's a bit abnormal; if it happens three times in a short period of time...

Rather than attributing it to bad luck, Shen Heng believed that the three incidents were likely connected.

However, the Calamity Beast involved in the three incidents were clearly not the same one.

Shen Heng still doesn't know what the first Calamity Beast that appeared in the seafood market looked like.

However, its hunting methods were distinctly different from those of the later two attacks.

In the two subsequent attacks, the first was by a mantis-like Calamity Beast, and the second by a Nightwalking Wolf.

That...

"Tap, tap..."

Shen Heng raised his finger and tapped lightly on the steering wheel.

Strange occurrences from the three incidents came flying in like snowflakes.

The elusive Calamity Beast that could not be found no matter how hard they were searched, several corpses that had disappeared beyond the normal consumption of Calamity Beast, and...

In both incidents, the Calamity Beast Calamity Beast appeared were entirely black.

The probability of encountering a Tier 3 Calamity Beast twice in a row was already low, but the fact that they encountered two completely black ones made the probability even lower.

So, could the Calamity Beast beasts involved in these incidents be the same one?

Roughly the image...

A jet-black, Tier 3 Calamity Beast that can transform into other forms?

If that's the case, then what role does Qiu Rui play in all of this?

Shen Heng leaned back in the driver's seat, gazing absently at the scenery outside the sunroof.

Qiu Rui met him during the seafood market inspection and learned that the Supervision Bureau had begun investigating the seafood market. After that, no more people went missing at the seafood market.

The team that Yu Jingming was part of hadn't encountered Calamity Beast until they stopped at the seafood market for a while, at which point they encountered Third Tier Calamity Beast.

Because of their first encounter, they were instructed to pay extra attention to safety and to only get off the vehicle after confirming the rank of the Calamity Beast.

So the second one they encountered was a Third Tier Calamity Beast that looked only the size of a normal Tier 2 Calamity Beast.

This doesn't look like Second Tier at all.

This is the level they need; the level that appears on the surveillance footage is the level they need!

Therefore, did Qiu Rui play a role in conveying messages and setting boundaries?

This includes, but is not limited to, instructing people to avoid surveillance, telling them if it's safe to commit murder recently, and where they might be passing by.

but...

Shen Heng straightened up and looked back at the entrance of the seafood market.

As dusk fell, many people at the seafood market had already packed up and were heading home.

Was Qiu Rui controlled or threatened by the Calamity Beast?

Or was some kind of exchange made between the lives of others and the Calamity Beast?

Shen Heng thought for a moment, then picked up his phone and made a call.

"Is there any situation?" A calm voice came from the phone.

"Captain, you said the teams from the seafood market and the Martial Arts Association were attacked by the Calamity Beast. Is it possible that human intervention played a role?" Shen Heng asked calmly, staring at the entrance of the seafood market.

There was a moment of silence on the microphone, then Wang Hai's voice came through again.

Did you find anything?

"Several incidents..."

Shen Heng repeated his guesses over the phone, and concluded by saying...

"Therefore, I would like to summon him to the bureau for questioning."

This time, Wang Hai remained silent for a long time.

How confident are you?

"It's probably 80-90%, the other 10-20% is just really bad luck," Shen Heng said calmly.

"Okay, I understand. Do you need us to come over?" Wang Hai asked.

Shen Heng raised his eyes and glanced at the seafood market in the distance.

"No need. We didn't find any trace of the Calamity Beast, and besides, he came to help with the family's affairs. He shouldn't put anyone in danger."

"Okay, I'll talk to Han Ling and the others and tell them to be prepared."

"Um."

The call ended.

Shen Heng stared at the seafood market in the distance for a while.

With a low growl from its engine, the black sedan slid into the shadows on the outskirts of the market.

The car door opened, Shen Heng followed the sound in his ear and walked straight in.

Inside the seafood market.

Qiu Rui carried the styrofoam box, which was taller than him, and walked to the side.

After starting my training, I could carry several boxes at once, whereas I could only carry one or two in the past.

Uncle Li from the next stall tidied up his shelves while watching the scene unfold before him and chuckled:

"Old Qiu, your son is really promising, becoming a near-martial artist so early!"

"Not at all, he's still far from it," Qiu Rui's father waved his hand, but couldn't hide the smile on his face.

"That's right, we're not even martial artists yet, we still need to keep working hard." The mother chimed in, her tone humbly but her eyes full of pride.

At this stage, one can perceive the Origin Power and become a quasi-martial artist.

I might not be able to get into Capital University through the national college entrance examination, but I won't be too far off.

That is indeed something they can be proud of.

"Sigh, I wish my son was like your Qiu Rui," Uncle Li sighed.

"No, just give him more time..."

Qiu Rui listened to their conversation without any reaction on his face.

He kept his head down, his hands moving without stopping, but his thoughts had wandered off somewhere else.

"Qiu Rui?" His mother noticed his absent-mindedness and gently nudged him. "What are you daydreaming about? Move that box over there."

"Okay, sure." Qiu Rui replied, and just as he was about to turn around, he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure walking over from not far away.

It's Inspector Shen!

Qiu Rui's heart tightened, and his fingers trembled slightly.

But soon, he took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and continued tidying up the stall as if nothing had happened.

On the other side.

Shen Heng walked over as if he were a normal customer, looking around as he went.

When he reached the vicinity of Qiu Rui's stall, Qiu Rui's mother instinctively put on a smile without him saying a word.

"Hey buddy, want to buy some fish? Want to come over and take a look? These turbot just arrived this morning, and there are only two left."

"Hmm, let me take a look." Shen Heng nodded, his gaze sweeping over the fish tanks before seemingly unintentionally landing on Qiu Rui, who had put his things down and was walking back.

"Qiu Rui? You're here too?"

"Yes, this is the stall I mentioned before, I'm here to help out today." Qiu Rui forced a smile.

"So you two know each other?" the mother asked, somewhat surprised.

"Yes, I've met you at the Martial Arts Association before." Shen Heng nodded, his gaze sweeping over the fish tanks.

"Oh, so that means you've also sensed the Origin Power and are a quasi-martial artist?" Qiu Rui's mother asked with some surprise.

"Well, I guess so." Shen Heng nodded slightly.

"That's great! Young Master Shen, what do you need? I'll give you a discount," Qiu Rui's mother said with a smile.

Shen Heng's gaze shifted between the fish tanks.

"I don't need anything cheap. My mother is frail, and I'd like to see what kind of fish I can buy to help her recover. Could you recommend some, Auntie?"