Night was falling.
The dim sunlight on the horizon gradually faded, and lights began to twinkle in the city. From the towering high-rise residential buildings, the faint aroma of food wafted through the air.
Lin Qiye, draped in a dark red cloak, sat on the rooftop of a residential building, with two black boxes beside him. A gentle breeze brushed his temples as he gazed at the distant lights of countless homes, lost in thought.
This time, he brought both black boxes out, not only because it was a group operation, but also because if he used summoning magic in front of everyone, he would inevitably face some questions afterward. Rather than going through such trouble, it was better to put in the effort and bring them out.
"Everyone, report the situation." Chen Muye's voice came through the headset.
Wu Xiangnan: "No abnormalities found at monitoring point No. 1."
Hongying: "No abnormalities found at monitoring point 2."
Lin Xi Chen: "No abnormalities found at monitoring point 3."
After Lin Xi Chen finished speaking, Lin Qiye gently turned on his earpiece and calmly said, "No abnormalities found at monitoring point number 4."
Immediately following were reports from Wen Qimo, Si Xiaonan, and Leng Xuan.
Lin Qiye glanced down at the Rolex in his hand. It was already 8:45 p.m., almost two hours had passed since they had been staking out the area. In those two hours, apart from the residents coming and going from the neighborhood, nothing else had happened.
There are about seven hours until the ceremony begins.
How exactly will that mysterious being use to complete this final sacrifice?
Time passed by, and as night deepened, the surrounding lights dimmed one by one. Apart from the faint glow of a few streetlights on the road in the residential area, the neighborhood was plunged into darkness.
Lin Qiye glanced down at the time again.12:58 AM.
Four hours have passed, and nothing unusual has occurred.
At 1:00 AM, after the group reported the situation again, they fell silent once more.
Suddenly, Wen Qimo's phone vibrated slightly. He saw the number on the phone, hesitated for a moment, and then answered the call.
"Little Black, what happened?"
"..."
"What?" Wen Qimo paused, then continued, "I understand."
"..."
Wen Qimo hung up the phone and turned on his headset.
"Captain, something's gone wrong."
Chen Muye's voice immediately came through the earpiece, "What's wrong?"
"Remember the tavern where the fourth victim worked? Xiao Hei just called me and said the tavern owner hurriedly booked the next available flight out of Cangnan and headed to the airport."
"Is he leaving Cangnan?"
"Yes, and he looked very flustered. Xiao Hei called him as a police officer. The boss was somewhat incoherent, but he said that since Sun Xiao died, he had been in a bad mental state for the past few days and kept seeing ghostly figures around him, as if he were possessed."
"He felt that someone had died in his shop, and that it had been tainted by something unclean. He resolved to leave this place for a while, then return and sell the shop."
According to the Night Watch's rules, all cases related to "mysteries" cannot leave the city until they are completely solved, and the main characters involved are not allowed to leave. The tavern owner was considered to be closely related to the deceased, so he was also classified as a main character.
Therefore, his plan to flee Cangnan by plane overnight was against the rules of the Night Watch.
Chen Muyi frowned and said in a deep voice, "A ghostly figure appeared nearby?"
"That's what he said."
Indeed, according to the information they had, this ritual could only be used for the "mysterious" advancement of vengeful spirits, meaning that the mystery that performed all this was most likely also a vengeful spirit.
Could it be that after the vengeful ghost killed Sun Xiao, it didn't leave but instead possessed the boss to deceive everyone?
However, they had interrogated the boss directly before and found nothing wrong with him.
"He can't leave Cangnan." Chen Muye hesitated only for a moment before speaking. "Have Xiao Hei and the others stop him... No, Qi Mo, you go yourself. If you sense any 'mysterious' aura near him, report to us immediately."
"Okay!"
Wen Qimo immediately left the location he was monitoring and headed towards the airport.
The surveillance area that originally belonged to Wen Qimo was temporarily transferred to Lin Qiye's area of responsibility, but fortunately, this was not a difficult task for him.
The problem with the tavern owner, though seemingly related to a vengeful ghost, is actually the real focus of tonight's events in this neighborhood. Losing one Wen Qimo isn't a big deal, but if there are any more, the remaining people will have a hard time.
They must be extremely vigilant and keep a close watch on everything here.
...
On the quiet, deserted street, a figure wearing a black trench coat walked slowly, passing several shops that had already closed and turned off their lights, before stopping in front of a bar that was cordoned off with yellow police tape.
Several mice scurried across the street and disappeared.
An Qingyu took off his hood, looked up at the tavern sign, and his glasses reflected the pale moonlight.
He ignored the warning line in front of him and stepped inside.
Tonight, the watchman's attention is elsewhere; the people originally assigned to monitor this place have left, leaving him all alone on this empty street.
He walked through the tavern's doors, slowly strolling past each table, carefully observing every corner, a faint gray light gleaming in his eyes.
He is analyzing.
He had watched the video and memorized every detail. Now, he was comparing all those details with the empty tavern in front of him.
The angle at which each table is tilted, the placement of each cup, and who is sitting in each seat that night…
Soon, he walked to the bar counter of the tavern, his eyes slightly narrowed.
The bar counter was tilted slightly. Where the video camera used to be, there was now a number plate and a photo next to it, indicating the camera's shooting angle.
An Qingyu walked past the bar and headed straight for the backyard.
He walked up to the white wall still stained with blood, hesitated for a moment, then picked up a stool from the tavern and carried it into the courtyard. He stood on the stool, leaned against the wall, and pressed himself against it.
His figure perfectly matched the figure of the victim drawn in chalk.
Then, he pulled a sharp scalpel from his pocket and cut off five fingers from one of his hands.
Blood was everywhere.
His face showed no sign of pain, only absolute calm and indifference. He stared intently at the dripping blood, and after a moment, shook his head.
It still doesn't work... Where exactly is the problem?
In an instant, he activated super-speed regeneration, and the bleeding from his severed fingers stopped instantly, growing back at an astonishing speed.
He was about to get off the stool when he suddenly caught a glimpse of his rapidly growing fingers out of the corner of his eye, and he was jolted!
The video reappeared in his mind...
His eyes lit up instantly!
"I see... I understand now."