After leaving Ward 666, Director Hao strolled across the mental hospital lawn, searching for a specific spot. He soon found what he was looking for.
Indeed, it had come through the sewer.
The manhole cover lay discarded nearby.
"Couldn't even be bothered to put the cover back," Director Hao muttered, disappearing into the darkness.
Back in his office, Director Hao took the canine tooth he'd found from his pocket. Under the lamplight, it gleamed with a sharp, sinister light.
"This is no ordinary canine tooth."
He took out his phone, dialed a number, and put it to his ear. A voice answered quickly.
"What is it?"
"The way you ask makes me want to hang up. I have something you might be interested in, but judging by your tone, you don't seem to care. Maybe I should just hang up."
"It's not that I'm not interested, it's just that we've already found their bodies. All young, dead within the city. The aftermath is a real headache."
"Come to my place. I'll show you something you'll definitely be interested in."
"Fine. I'll be there soon."
He hung up.
Director Hao continued to examine the tooth. He scraped it across his desk, effortlessly leaving a deep scratch. It was incredibly sharp; flesh and blood would be no match for it.
"The evil creatures are getting smarter."
Before returning to his office, he had checked the surveillance footage. He'd seen a small, cute dog in the corridor. Dogs weren't allowed in the mental hospital. The only explanation was that this dog was an evil creature that had snuck in through the sewers.
Transforming into a deceptive form to gain acceptance from humans, blending into the crowd, inconspicuous. Who would suspect such a cute dog of being an evil creature?
"Sigh, what can I say? Of all places, it had to come here. And not only that, it had to go to Ward 666. Looking for trouble, wasn't it?"
From the very beginning, as far as Director Hao was concerned, the most dangerous place in the entire mental hospital was Ward 666.
After a while, there was a commotion at the door. Someone barged in without knocking.
"One-Eye, you're as rude as ever," Director Hao said, turning around.
One-Eye, wearing a black eye patch, remained stoic.
"What is it?"
He didn't waste words with Director Hao. He was burdened with worries and had no time for pleasantries.
Director Hao tossed the canine tooth to him.
"This. Take a look."
One-Eye caught the tooth and examined it closely. It felt cold to the touch. He pulled a palm-sized metal box from his pocket, opened it, and placed the tooth inside.
This was a high-tech device, a product of countless hours of research by a team of scientists. It contained the genetic information of various evil creatures. A scan would reveal the creature's identity.
Beams of light shot out from the four corners of the metal box, forming a rotating three-dimensional image. It was very futuristic.
"Level Two evil creature: Rabid Dog."
One-Eye frowned. The four graduates were all Level Two. Logically, they shouldn't have died at the hands of a Rabid Dog. But considering their inexperience, one of them being a pampered young lady, and the fight taking place in the dark sewers, it wasn't entirely impossible.
"Where are the bodies?" One-Eye asked.
Director Hao replied, "I knew you'd ask that, but you might not believe my answer. Before I tell you, I think you should watch this video."
He handed One-Eye his phone, which contained a copy of the surveillance footage.
"Take a look."
One-Eye watched the video, his expression growing serious.
Director Hao took a sip of his goji berry and date tea. "As you can see, the evil creatures are constantly evolving. They're adapting to the rules of the human world. Just as we analyze them, they analyze us. They transform into cute animals and blend into our society."
"This is a terrifying development."
"Ordinary people have no way of telling them apart."
After watching the video, One-Eye's thoughts grew heavy. He asked, "I've seen the video. Now tell me, where are the bodies? There's nothing I won't believe."
"It was eaten," Director Hao said.
Suddenly, the room fell silent. Or rather, awkward.
One-Eye stared at Director Hao with his one good eye, as if to say, "Are you messing with me?"
Director Hao met his gaze, his expression serious. He nodded. "Really. I'm not lying."
"You ate it?" One-Eye asked.
"What kind of place is this?" Director Hao countered.
"A mental hospital."
"Exactly. A mental hospital. And it went into a room it shouldn't have. It was eaten, leaving behind only a single tooth. Consider it completely gone." Director Hao sighed.
One-Eye remained skeptical. "You're saying a Level Two evil creature was eaten by a patient in your mental hospital? Why don't you tell me ants can eat elephants?"
Director Hao replied, "Ants can eat elephants. They showed it on Animal World. Didn't you see that episode? If you haven't, I recommend you watch it. It's truly shocking. Nature is amazing. There's truth to the saying 'strength in numbers'."
The room fell silent again.
One-Eye took a deep breath and said, "Hao Ren, have you really gone mad running this mental hospital? That was a Level Two evil creature. No number of ordinary people could take it down. Even if you put your entire patient population against a Level Two evil creature, the creature would slaughter them all."
Director Hao disagreed. "But all that's left is a single canine tooth. It's completely gone. I have no reason to lie to you."
"I know your next question will be 'who did it?'"
"Read this file first, and you'll understand."
Director Hao pulled a file from his drawer.
The title:
Analysis of Patient Behavior in Ward 666
One-Eye didn't argue. He took the file and flipped through it casually. At first, he was impatient, but gradually, he became engrossed, slowing his pace.
Director Hao didn't interrupt.
This file contained an analysis of Lin Fan's behavior, a project he had started shortly after Lin Fan's admission.
One-Eye furrowed his brow as he read, the only sound in the room the rustling of pages.
After a long time, he finished reading.
"This is the core of my research over the years. I wouldn't show it to just anyone, but you're different. We're such good friends."
"What do you think?"
Director Hao had noticed Lin Fan's peculiarities long ago. What he did wasn't something an ordinary mental patient could accomplish. Day after day, year after year, flirting with death, yet remaining unscathed and lively.
The odds were lower than winning the lottery.
A miracle.
One-Eye said gravely:
"Uniquely gifted!"