There's definitely something wrong with this murder mystery game
Chapter 966: 779: He who understands the times is a great man_2

Chapter 966: Chapter 779: He who understands the times is a great man_2

“After discovering the anomaly in the mall, I applied for assistance from the Yuhua Institute. Chu showed interest and came over on his own. Coincidentally, his institute has been researching this kind of thing recently, so he brought over the modified version.” Captain Zheng explained.

“So he just made this?” Luo Kai pointed at the helmet.

“Yes.” Captain Zheng nodded.

“…”

Turns out, even the idea of “Judgement being a bit naive” isn’t as ridiculous as this.

Luo Kai was at a loss for words.

He looked at Chu Xuechuan and saw the young man completely ignoring their conversation about him. Chu was fully focused, reading a book while mixing paint into the Array Diagram on the ground.

After watching for a while, Luo Kai suddenly stepped forward, his shoe landing on the painted Array Diagram, while a Ruby appeared in his hand.

Captain Zheng opened his mouth, hesitated, but ultimately said nothing.

A black shoe suddenly appeared in his line of sight. Chu Xuechuan paused slightly and turned his head to look at the black shoe pressing onto the paint.

Moments later, Luo Kai bent down and used the Ruby to draw three curved, intersecting lines on the Array Diagram.

Under Captain Zheng’s helpless gaze, Chu Xuechuan’s shoulder muscles visibly tightened, and his fingers gripping the brush momentarily stiffened.

“I know you’ve got some talent.”

Luo Kai said flatly, “But the Star Guild’s knowledge isn’t something you can learn just by reading books. These three lines—if you can figure out anything from them, I might consider bringing you something from the Star Guild.”

Upon hearing this, Chu Xuechuan froze.

He raised his head to look at Luo Kai. Though his expression remained emotionless, his gaze was burning with intensity.

“You mean it?” he asked.

“I promise.” Luo Kai tucked away the Ruby.

The next moment, Chu Xuechuan sprang up and rushed to the nearby paint buckets. His urgency was almost reckless, causing paint on the brush to splatter across his lab coat.

Luo Kai was puzzled about what he was doing.

Chu Xuechuan had already dipped his brush into the paint bucket, switching between several colors, then began drawing on the blank ground.

Seeing this, the corner of Luo Kai’s mouth twitched.

He had absolutely no desire to check what was being drawn.

Instead, he turned to Captain Zheng and said directly, “Captain Zheng, I remember there were quite a few areas contaminated tonight, correct? Which ones exactly? Tell me quickly.”

As he said this, Luo Kai decisively turned and strode out of the camp.

Captain Zheng froze briefly.

Then he shook his head with a faint smile.

Yet Chu Xuechuan remained indifferent to Luo Kai’s departure, rapidly sketching on the ground. Captain Zheng glanced over curiously.

The patterns were extraordinarily intricate.

There was no apparent connection to the twisted three lines.

But upon closer inspection…

It seemed to resemble an eye—vividly colorful, predominantly emerald green, surrounded by a stunningly radiant starry sky.

Captain Zheng studied the design for a while, puzzled.

But when Luo Kai called him from outside, he finally left.

“…”

“Did he get it right?”

The first thing Captain Zheng curiously asked.

Luo Kai evaded the topic, shifting instead: “Captain Zheng, which places experienced issues? Are they all within Yangcheng?”

“Follow me,” Captain Zheng replied, no longer pursuing the previous question.

He led Luo Kai into a building across the street.

Inside, an electronic screen illuminated the room, displaying a map of Yangcheng. Several red dots flashed on the map, marking tonight’s detected contaminated zones.

These areas included Heiyu District, Peace Street; Heiyu District, Peach Blossom District; Dongshan District, Shengcheng Garden; Xinnan District, Huisha Alley;

And finally…

The East River campus of Yangcheng Normal University.

At this, Luo Kai reacted: “???”

He blurted out, “Wait, I remember that girl… Shao Dandan is from Yangcheng Normal University, right? She should’ve moved into campus for the semester by now.”

Then why not simply have her handle matters in East River District?

Also, who’s dealing with East River District now?

Captain Zheng answered somewhat awkwardly, “Well, the thing is, the contamination in East River was a bit odd. It disappeared shortly after being detected, with no specific location pinpointed. So I prioritized assigning Miss Shao to support Heiyu District.”

Although his Compass failed to pinpoint an exact spot…

The detection gave a general direction, which led to the largest area within that range: the East River campus of Yangcheng Normal University.

Considering Shao Dandan’s high-ranking level…

Captain Zheng first sent her to a clearly contaminated site to assist.

As for the vanished contamination source…

A special action unit had been dispatched for investigation.

“Are you in contact with that squad?” Luo Kai asked.

“We’ve remained in contact throughout.”

“No problems?”

“So far, no issues have emerged.”

“…”

Without further comments, Luo Kai once again turned his gaze toward the map, feeling there was more Captain Zheng hadn’t disclosed.

Analyzing these locations…

Thinking about Ji Xiaoxia in Peach Blossom District, Xu Shuo heading towards Shengcheng Garden, and this cheap mall, a certain port, and finally East River campus…

Luo Kai suddenly put the pieces together.

The Abyss wasn’t merely chasing after that individual anymore.

It had begun indiscriminately following any locations, structures, objects…

And people associated with that individual.

Like a blazing candle in the dark.

Wherever the candle lingered, it left behind drops of wax.

Luo Kai: “…”

For the third time tonight, Luo Kai found himself speechless.

He glanced at Captain Zheng, who seemed thoughtful. Their gazes locked briefly, unspoken understanding passing between them.

“What’s the response from above?” Luo Kai suddenly asked.

“For now, they’re unaware of the connections. I’ve withheld some intel. Plus, their focus lately has been on international collaborations,” Captain Zheng replied.

“Then… let’s keep it that way,” Luo Kai sighed.

There was no choice.

Because they truly had no way to resolve this.

Earlier today, officials had sought assistance in securing Judgement connections to fortify the world’s defenses. And now, tonight, an even more horrifying secret seemed poised to surface before the powerful yet mundane elite.

Under such circumstances, no one could predict what might transpire.

Still, Luo Kai found Captain Zheng surprisingly calm.

“You don’t have any thoughts on this?” Luo Kai asked.

“None,” Zheng replied.

“Why not?”

“Because what’s happened is irreversible, so there’s no point having thoughts about it, especially when we’re still relying on assistance. After all, as a Chinese proverb goes…”

Zheng left the proverb unfinished.

Whatever it was, they understood implicitly.

After discussing a few more matters, Luo Kai felt sufficiently rested and got up to investigate the sinkhole.

Captain Zheng stood beyond the safety barriers, watching Luo Kai’s retreating figure pensively.

Thoughts?

There were thoughts, of course.

But his approach was simply more rational.

“…”

“…”

East River District.

The East River campus of Yangcheng Normal University.

Before the Yuhua Institute detected Abyss contamination and prompted various forces to mobilize, the entire East River campus lay in tranquil slumber.

On the upper floor of a certain Art Building…

A deserted dance studio sat eerily silent. The drawn curtains barred even a sliver of moonlight, while the wall’s massive mirrors reflected nothing.

Suddenly, the smooth mirror surface rippled faintly, dark vortices spreading, as shadows seeped outward in all directions.

Moments later…

A red high-heeled shoe emerged from the swirling void.

The heel pressed into the shadowy floor. Above was a pale leg, followed by a shapely figure twisting as it squeezed out of the vortex: a stunningly eerie young girl.

Standing amidst the dead silence of the dance studio, viscous dark matter dripped from her body.

“Hehe~”

The girl emitted a chilling, bizarre sound.

“What a delightful scent…”

“Such a delicious little sister…”

“So fragrant…”

She twisted her head toward the side. Suddenly, the grotesque voice issuing from her throat ceased.

Because, unknown to her, a woman had appeared nearby—a fiery red-haired beauty holding her arms in a casual posture, amusement faintly visible in her expression as she gazed at the girl.

The woman exuded a subtle reddish glow, and though she stood motionless in the dance studio, the darkness spreading along the floor immediately diverged around her.

She made no moves.

Yet her arrogant, unrestrained aura radiated outward.

“Well, well, where did this nasty, ugly, smelly little ghost come from?”

“…”