After the lights went out, the room was gloomy and bone-chillingly cold.
The police chief's office was originally spacious and well-lit, with not only a desk for work but also a set of sofas for receiving guests. Numerous honorary banners hung neatly on both sides of the wall, and the window facing the desk was wide, offering a view of the street across.
But at this moment, a salty breeze crept in through the broken window, as if narrating the strange events that had just occurred.
The room was engulfed in darkness, lit only by the intermittent flashes of the emergency light.
Everything seemed silent and eerie.
Shen Ye slowly took two steps back, his gaze turning toward the corner behind the desk.
There stood a large wardrobe with its doors tightly shut.
Such wardrobes were common, about two meters tall, and could be used for storing various items or hanging clothes and hats.
They could be found in school teachers' offices.
Suddenly.
The voice rose again from within the wardrobe:
"A hunter, to be killed by his prey, and the prey even disguised themselves as the hunter."
"What a tragic event."
Shen Ye steadied himself and spoke, "You mean, that Luo Feichuan just now—"
"The first drawer to the left of the desk isn't locked; open it, and you'll find the truth," the voice continued.
Shen Ye was momentarily silent.
Was he really about to rummage through a police chief's personal items? What if there was an issue?
—Could this voice be trusted?
However, he definitely felt his talent ability, "Whispers of the Dark," had been activated.
It was an enigma sensation.
"Whispers of the Dark" is the foundation of the Undead Race, one of the three ancient talent legacies.
Forget it.
Time to take a risk!
Shen Ye got up, walked around to the back of the desk, took a napkin out of his pocket, wrapped it around two fingers, and used them to pull open the first drawer on the left.
Inside the drawer, a pair of light brown toad sunglasses lay conspicuously.
Shen Ye's pupils constricted sharply.
He had seen that photograph.
When Shen Ye was visiting Chen Haoyu in the hospital, a tall, thin man stood on the rooftop of the building opposite the hospital, facing it with hands clasped together and his mouth agape, as if chanting something.
That man was wearing a pair of light brown toad sunglasses.
—Just like this pair!
Shen Ye closed his eyes briefly and, when he reopened them, had regained his composure.
A horrifying truth began to emerge in his mind.
Could it be...
He pressed the drawer closed with his napkin-wrapped fingers, then quickly turned and took a few steps to the corner storage cabinet, once again opening it with his fingertips.
A corpse, bound, stood upright inside the storage cabinet.
It was Luo Feichuan!
His body was covered in shocking wounds, yet no blood oozed out, clearly having been treated with professional methods.
"Police Chief Luo, how did you get killed?" Shen Ye asked hoarsely.
"There was a problem with the weapon," the corpse said, eyes closed.
"He's an assassin, while I am a special forces warrior who's equally split between strength and agility," it went on.
—"I need powerful equipment to be effective, whereas he only needs to catch me off guard to assassinate me."
"What was his purpose?" Shen Ye inquired.
"He must be seeking some answer, otherwise why go to such lengths, impersonating my identity to lure you to the police station to personally inquire about your situation," the corpse said with certainty.
Shen Ye felt a shock jolt through his heart.
That's right!
The fake Luo Feichuan had been asking him about the hospital.
Perhaps he was very perplexed—
The King of the Fallen Wicked Ghouls' Cursed Sculpture had never failed throughout history.
Why was it ineffective against a 15-year-old boy?
He had to figure out the issue.
But fortunately, a group of policemen came to report, and along with his own stalling for time, then—
A madman came to provoke the police station.
All plans were disrupted.
—The murderer had no chance to continue his interrogation!
"Police Chief Luo, that imposter of you was taken away by a man wearing colorful pajamas using a technique," Shen Ye said.
"Technique? What kind of technique?" the corpse asked in confusion.
Shen Ye recounted the situation.
The corner of the corpse's mouth twitched, revealing a hint of scorn:
"The prey masqueraded as the hunter, but it didn't know that lurking behind the hunter was an even bigger problem."
"Are you saying that the guy in pajamas is more formidable?" Shen Ye asked.
"That man is the Referee from the Silent Church—those are all madmen with mental issues. I happened to kill one of their people recently, and now he has taken it upon himself to seek revenge on me," the corpse said.
"The Referee... thinks the assassin is you?" Shen Ye asked.
"Exactly," the corpse said, taking pleasure in the misfortune.
The corpse went on to explain: "What happened just now wasn't any technique; it was an 'anomaly.'
"Anomaly?"
Shen Ye couldn't help but repeat.
It was the first time he had heard such a term, in either his previous life or this one.
"Other worlds suddenly linking to ours, enveloping and eroding a region, seizing it, or directly taking away some beings—"
"These are called 'anomalies'."
"Above this, there are even more dangerous situations, referred to as 'catastrophes'."
"What exactly is a 'catastrophe'?" Shen Ye couldn't help but ask.
"Powerful monsters from other worlds, using some method to suddenly descend upon the Main World—"
"Such circumstances are highly likely to cause a great disaster."
"I don't know if you still remember or not, the time when Jiangnan City was submerged by a flood, triggering an earthquake, and the entire city was wiped out."
"You ordinary people don't know, but that was a typical 'catastrophe' event."
Shen Ye was silent for a while.
Too terrifying...
Wait a minute!
There is a problem here.
"If that murderer had disclosed his real identity, would the Silent Church's Referee have let him go?" Shen Ye asked.
The corpse responded, "The 'anomaly' has already taken shape, it's fundamentally impossible to revert it, besides, the Silent Church is willing to annihilate all humans, as this is their master's will behind the scenes."
"The Church... I have no dealings with the Church," Shen Ye said.
"Don't have any contact with any church, the Divine Spirits of the churches are extremely mad, and their followers are the same. You must be very cautious and keep your distance from them to protect your spirit," the corpse explained.
Shen Ye rubbed his temples painfully, forcing himself to calm down.
—Is the adult world this dangerous and complex?
How am I to survive to adulthood?
"Police Chief, do you have anything else that can help me?" he asked.
The corpse thought for a moment, then spoke:
"We don't have much time, we can't chat too long; we must hurry."
"Why?" Shen Ye asked.
"If that murderer can withstand the Silent Church's 'anomaly', he might quickly return, especially since that 'anomaly' is just the mildest kind, with a time limit," the corpse explained.
Shen Ye wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
He could come back!
In other words, I am still in danger.
—During my encounter with the murderer just now, I was subconsciously cautious, not revealing the real situation.
Luckily, I didn't speak!
Once the murderer obtained the information he wanted, I would have no further use to him.
He could kill me with ease.
I was right to stall for time!
"Couldn't the Referee kill him just now?" Shen Ye asked.
"Real combat involves some temporary changes that nobody can predict, like me—I also inadvertently captured some of their followers and was just about to flee back to the World Government's military fortress to hide for a while," the corpse explained.
— But before you could leave, the murderer killed you, Shen Ye silently completed the thought.
As his exchange with the corpse continued, he gradually became aware of something.
I can't expect to enjoy the peace of my previous life here.
Countless conflicts and battles are constantly erupting in this world.
—In this world, if you do not want to be controlled by others, you must strive to become stronger.
The corpse spoke again:
"Remember, you must go to the weapon storage room on the third floor immediately, and enter this password on the silver wall outside the storage room:"
"2EGY-57XC-9Q61-7SKR-81MT-3DPW-76AP-5E2K-99VS."
"There is a special pen there, which you can use to write on the wall."
"Report the truth, and you can receive protection."
"We have limited time, this is the only way you can protect yourself, hurry!"
After speaking, the corpse became motionless.
A row of glowing text appeared on Shen Ye's retina:
"The spirit of the other has departed."
Shen Ye stood there for a while, then suddenly said, "I have another question."
A new row of glowing text appeared:
"The spirit of the other has returned."
Once again, the corpse spoke:
"I've told you everything I can, what else do you need to know?"
Shen Ye went to the desk to take a pen and paper, propped the paper on his leg, and said:
"That password is too long, I'm a human, I can't remember it."
The corpse had no choice but to repeat it.
Shen Ye wrote it down.
Seeing that he had recorded it completely, the spirit departed once more.
Shen Ye looked at the paper several times, feeling uneasy.
—This password is too long, should I call him back again?
Forget it.
An obsessive-compulsive doesn't need to embarrass themselves like this.
Moreover, I am a "polite person."
—If it's really wrong, it's not too late to call him back.
Now, at least, I understand why the ancient Necromantic Talent, "Whispers of the Dark," comes with such a description.
"With a corpse as your conduit, the Deceased must answer your call, climbing up from Hell, to tell you the truth they know, only then will their spirits find rest."
—If you don't speak, I'll keep calling you.
It would drive anyone mad.
And you want to rest?