Chapter 12
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Chapter 12: The Bizarre Case
"It’s not exactly that…"
The somewhat timid deputy captain of the Public Security Team stepped forward, pointing to the crime scene photos in the dossier:
"Captain, look here. There’s a small pool of blood, which has been confirmed to belong to cattle.
"Based on the investigation into the deceased’s activities that day, this is likely from a cow’s hind leg they forcibly purchased at a low price from the market around noon."
Zhuang Mian nodded. Such behavior was entirely consistent with the personalities of the deceased, and nothing seemed out of place.
"What about the leg?"
"It’s gone…"
"So you’re saying that some expert effortlessly killed five scumbags from the outer city around 2 AM, just to get a taste of fresh beef?"
"Yes…"
"That’s absolutely insane!"
Zhuang Mian smacked the dossier against her forehead, marveling at the sheer biodiversity of the outer city.
As the newly transferred team leader to the Eastern District Security Bureau, Zhuang Mian had been prepared for such situations.
At just twenty-four years old, she had been involved in a difficult smuggling case while working in the inner city. Because she didn’t cater to certain people’s wishes, she had been deliberately sidelined.
The result was her protective reassignment to the outer city’s eastern Security Bureau, where she would wait out the storm before returning to her original position.
Zhuang Mian hadn’t been too bothered by this turn of events, as she knew such precedents existed.
She figured she’d only have to stay in this rundown place for a year, maybe two at most, before returning to her investigative work in the inner city.
But every day in the outer city seemed to bring Zhuang Mian a new kind of shock.
To put it plainly, if you wanted to describe the overwhelming power of someone from the inner city, that was at least imaginable. But the sheer absurdity of the outer city residents had clearly surpassed Zhuang Mian’s wildest imagination.
In her two weeks on the job, the cases she’d handled included, but were not limited to:
A mathematical genius who bought military-grade recovery drugs for personal use, only to end up losing money while selling his own organs.
A top-tier Trainer who was caught red-handed training a tabby cat to steal dried fish from other residents’ windows.
A super engineer who caused seawater to flood a tunnel after digging in the wrong direction.
And now, adding to the list…
A deranged killer who murdered five outer city thugs just to get his hands on some fresh beef.
Zhuang Mian swallowed hard, realizing that the challenges of working in the outer city far exceeded those of the inner city.
It wasn’t about connections or background—it was the sheer level of absurdity.
After a moment of internal reflection, she rallied her team and set out to investigate other organizations linked to the "Brotherhood," hoping to uncover clues related to revenge or crimes of passion.
—
"This plate is so expensive? Is it made of gold?!"
"It’s stainless steel," the grocery store owner replied.
"Then what are its advantages?"
"Stainless."
The shopkeeper’s words were unusually simple, and after a moment of thought, he added, "It’s also durable."
"I’ll take it."
After purchasing the necessary items, Lin Qingliu walked home carrying a large bag.
The sun in the sky was somewhat harsh, which was the only aspect that felt similar to his previous life.
It was now the end of May in the year 52 of the New Era, and Lin Qingliu had been in this world for almost two months.
During this time, his small clinic’s business improved, and he could even save some money each month. Lin Qingliu was quite satisfied with this, as he always felt somewhat like a half-baked person, merely inheriting memories.
El seemed to be on a path of vengeance, occasionally sending him some agreed-upon dividends, and feeling a bit guilty, Lin Qingliu would always invite him to dinner.
The young man had learned about the Brotherhood’s complete destruction and wanted to meet the so-called "Paster," but every time, Lin Qingliu deflected him by saying the person’s character was very strange.
With this money, Lin Qingliu’s mental health clinic gradually got on track; those iron beds that had turned white and chipped were replaced with brand-new Examination Tables.
The walls, once painted with cheap paint, had been repainted; in short, every unattractive aspect underwent some degree of renovation.
To be honest, Lin Qingliu began to enjoy this stable life.
However, there was no progress on the aspect of the chives; not only did he not find new seedlings, but even the existing ones showed no improvement.
After carefully reviewing the currently available public information, he discovered that level advancement for most superpowered individuals usually took years. Realizing this, he felt much more relaxed, knowing that this matter truly could not be rushed.
The incident a while ago about El fleeing at midnight seemed to have no follow-up.
About a month ago, a female Captain had come with some members to ask him a few questions, but Lin Qingliu naturally shook his head and denied knowing anything while promoting his psychological counseling packages; neither side gained anything from the encounter.
Now, after more than a month of practice, Lin Qingliu had a fairly comprehensive grasp of the two abilities, though the cost was that many small items at home had to be replaced.
As Lin Qingliu took out his keys to unlock the door, a loud and sharp alarm sound rang out. After carefully distinguishing the details in the alarm sound, Lin Qingliu concluded that it was a warning for a small beast tide.
Lin Qingliu’s hand trembled involuntarily, as the muscle memory from the original body recalled the day he died from falling debris.
Although he was certain that nothing would happen to him, Lin Qingliu quickly returned inside; here, even displaying his superpowers would be fine, as no one would discover this "man of wild talent."
—
On the eastern city wall, Wang Xiao, standing with the Medical Soldier team, gazed at the hazy arc in the sky, lost in thought.
He recalled the complete home he once had and remembered his father waving off the aftermath of each beast tide with, "It’s just that."
Now he possessed strength and had become a superpowered individual, but when it came time for him to face everything, he still couldn’t stand at the front, nor could he be as brave as his father.
"Alas."
Wang Xiao sighed softly, wishing that everything in Hope City would improve quickly; over a month of intensive training had already produced soldiers with reasonably good average skills, so he stepped onto the battlefield, armed with the powerful abilities granted by that "divine being."
He noticed one of his companions trembling with fear, clearly terrified of everything nearby. Wang Xiao gently patted the person’s shoulder and offered some quiet reassurance, but he didn’t reveal the reason for his calmness.
Indeed, part of his confidence stemmed from Wang Xiao’s deep-seated hatred for the beast tide, but another part came from his ability, "Flesh Proliferation."
His companion’s condition seemed to improve a bit, but now the beast tide had transformed from a gray line to a densely packed area beneath the city wall.
Wang Xiao looked out and saw those extraordinary beasts with varying numbers of limbs, each appearing to merge features from multiple animals of the Pre-New Era. It was hard to find two identical creatures.
Most of them resembled some kind of mammals before the disaster, mostly familiar herbivores or carnivores.
"This is a level one beast tide…"
Those monsters drew closer to the city wall, their roars and footsteps intertwining to create a sound like a tidal wave crashing against the shore.
This was the defensive line of the Eastern District; due to its proximity to the Sea, the frontline was shorter than in other districts, but they still needed to allocate some troops to monitor the extraordinary beasts in the water.
As those monsters approached, a loud voice suddenly rang out:
"Permission to fire, open fire!"
As soon as the words left the person’s mouth, the immense noise from the heat weapons drowned out all other sounds, showcasing human technological level against those mindless beasts acting purely on instinct.
The rain of bullets from above formed a whistling net, slaughtering those extraordinary beasts in waves below the city.
Watching this scene, Wang Xiao suddenly understood his father’s earlier boast; if such firepower could be sustained, then this batch of beast tide could indeed be deemed "not much."
But as time went by, something seemed to take a wrong turn.
