Countless children in white, bearing eerie smiles, slowly advanced towards Lin Fan.
A sea of white.
A visually stunning, yet terrifying scene.
Anyone witnessing this would undoubtedly feel a chill run down their spine, their hearts pounding like thunder.
The situation was clearly beyond human control.
Unless, perhaps, they resorted to weapons of mass destruction.
In an instant, the children in white engulfed Lin Fan, like a swarm of locusts descending, leaving no blade of grass untouched, devouring everything in their path.
Their fingernails had become long, thin, and jet-black.
Incredibly sharp.
Sharper than any claw in existence.
Their hands tore at Lin Fan's flesh.
They tried to squeeze inside him, transforming into black mist, attempting to enter through his seven orifices, aiming to tear him apart from within.
However…
He was too tough.
Their sharp nails landed on Lin Fan, leaving not even a mark, not a single trace.
They were stunned.
The minds of the countless children in white were unified.
As an evil spirit, it had never encountered such a situation.
"Haha, that tickles."
"Stop it, you're making me itch all over."
Lin Fan laughed, wriggling his body. He stretched out his hand and pushed the group of children away. Boom! With a little too much force, the ferocious, wicked children were flung back like a tidal wave, crashing to the ground.
"Little friends, why won't you listen?"
Lin Fan had a headache. He had initially thought the children would be friendly, but seeing the current situation, he realized they were simply mischievous.
The children's failure enraged them.
Boundless resentment emanated from them.
Their only thought was to kill the human before them.
A terrifying scene unfolded.
"Hee hee…"
Sinister laughter echoed through the streets.
The countless children in white merged together, swelling into a gigantic mass of flesh. Innumerable limbs sprouted from the fleshy mound, flailing wildly.
"This…"
Lin Fan's eyes widened.
"So terrifying."
"I understand now, you're not human."
It was as if he had finally figured it out.
"I will destroy you. The aura you emanate is too evil."
Although Lin Fan was mentally ill, he was more lucid than anyone else. He understood that the fleshy mass before him was truly dangerous. If anyone else had encountered it, their fate would have been grim.
At this moment, the Splitter emitted an ear-piercing shriek at Lin Fan.
Lin Fan clenched his fists and said in a deep voice, "If you come any closer, I'll punch you, and you'll definitely die. I'm not joking. I'm being serious."
But his words were like playing the lute to a cow.
They made no difference.
The Splitter, with its massive body, rolled towards Lin Fan, exuding an intense pressure, as if to crush anything that stood in its way.
Rumbling sounds continued.
Like a bulldozer.
Lin Fan swung his fist, striking the fleshy mass. His fist power penetrated through. The Splitter roared, its massive body abruptly halting, then expanding and contracting at irregular intervals.
In an instant, it exploded.
Torn to pieces.
Flesh and blood flew everywhere, splat, splat, splat… The flesh and blood that fell to the ground emitted scorching white steam.
"Phew!"
"I told you not to do that."
He felt disappointed in the children in white. They had clearly done wrong, and he had spoken to them nicely, but they wouldn't listen. In the end, they had transformed into such a terrifying monster.
If Old Zhang were here, he would definitely say, "So ugly. Not tasty at all."
The darkness receded.
Everything returned to its peaceful state.
The streetlights were still the same streetlights, emitting their light without flickering. Only the dark, fleshy remains on the ground served as evidence of what had just transpired.
Lin Fan looked around.
He scratched his head.
Fortunately, no one had seen it.
Otherwise, someone would surely have said, "How could you just throw meat on the ground? That's very unhygienic."
He continued his patrol.
The city was quiet at night, its citizens fast asleep. The appearance of the grotesque was truly a nightmare for ordinary people.
But they were fortunate.
At least, they were much better off than those abroad. Just look at the situation overseas; it was truly tragic.
Their Jesus… their God… was powerless.
Morning.
The street was crowded with people.
They pointed and whispered at the spot where Lin Fan had obliterated the Splitter, some covering their mouths, feeling nauseous.
The smell was too pungent.
The area was cordoned off with police tape. The personnel from the Special Operations Department stared at the scattered flesh and blood, lost in thought.
"What is this?"
"I don't know, but according to the tests, this flesh and blood seems to belong to an evil spirit."
"What did you say… an evil spirit?"
Everyone was stunned by his words, speechless.
An evil spirit?
What kind of terrifying existence was that?
If an evil spirit truly appeared in H City, then the city would be doomed. Nearly ten million lives would be slaughtered, not a single soul left alive.
"Are you saying that an evil spirit appeared here last night, and it's already dead?" Zhou Qiang asked in disbelief.
"Yes, according to the examination, this is indeed the flesh and blood of an evil spirit."
Zhou Qiang knew their tests were accurate.
But the most crucial question was…
He couldn't understand who had dealt with it.
"Did our people do it?" Zhou Qiang asked, then seeing the strange looks from his subordinates, he gave an embarrassed laugh. "I knew it wasn't. Otherwise, we wouldn't just be finding out now."
"But who was it?"
Zhou Qiang frowned, fiddling with his pen, racking his brains but unable to figure it out.
"Captain, the surrounding surveillance cameras were all damaged, so there's no recording of what happened. However, based on the scene, I believe there's definitely a powerful individual in our H City, someone even an evil spirit is no match for." He said this with excitement, as it was indeed something to celebrate.
Zhou Qiang nodded in agreement. "Was anyone patrolling nearby last night?"
"Lin Fan was patrolling in the area."
"Then it shouldn't be him." Zhou Qiang shook his head. He knew Lin Fan. He was a quiet young man. In the entire team, the only person who could really talk to him was Baldy.
He would never believe that Lin Fan had killed an evil spirit.
As for why Lin Fan hadn't noticed anything, it was likely that the evil spirit had created an illusion. To outsiders, there was nothing there, nothing had happened. Even if they passed by, they would only sense something amiss in the atmosphere.
The next day.
"Everyone, get your act together! The Boss is coming to our H City. You must show your best side. Do you hear me?"
Zhou Qiang said with a serious expression.
The Boss's arrival was a significant event. There could be no mistakes.
"Yes, sir!"
Everyone was excited.
Baldy whispered, "Lin Fan, did you hear? The Boss is coming! That person is a big shot, our idol, and the idol of countless citizens."
"Just getting a glimpse would be enough. I never thought we'd be able to meet him up close. Hehe, just thinking about it is exciting."
Lin Fan could sense Baldy's excitement. "Is he very powerful?"
Zhou Qiang's eyes lit up as he spoke enthusiastically, "Of course, he's powerful! Do you know why our country was able to react so quickly? It's because of the Boss. If it weren't for his preparations when the grotesque first appeared, our country might have ended up like those abroad, suffering terrible damage. The casualties would have been unimaginable."
"I can't even bear to think about it."
Just then, several cars drove into the department.
Zhou Qiang straightened his uniform and jogged over respectfully.
Several burly bodyguards opened the car doors.
These bodyguards had an extraordinary presence and sharp gazes. Zhou Qiang was immediately captivated by them, with only one thought in his mind:
Strong.
The kind of strong that was far beyond their level.
It was understandable.
The Boss was an important figure, and his safety had to be paramount. Otherwise, if a grotesque appeared, the consequences would be disastrous.
"Welcome, Leader, to H City." Zhou Qiang saluted respectfully as the Boss emerged.
"Welcome, Leader!"
The department's officers stood at attention, shouting loudly.
The Boss nodded with a smile, then his gaze swept over the officers. Their morale was good, but he didn't see the casual elimination of grotesques he had expected.
"H City is doing well. I've seen the data, and I'm very interested in your situation. If all officers could learn your methods, I believe our country would be the safest, and our people could live happy and fulfilling lives."
This was the Boss's primary concern.
It was a matter of great importance.
Whether they could gain an advantage in the face of the grotesque outbreak depended on how H City had achieved this.
Zhou Qiang felt helpless. He knew the Boss would ask about this, but he truly didn't know what to say.
The Boss patted Zhou Qiang's shoulder and said, "Let's go inside and talk."
The following procedures were simple.
A tour of the H City Special Operations Department, inspecting various aspects. After all, H City was a city with a population of nearly ten million. If the grotesques breached their defenses, the consequences would be unimaginable, a veritable hell on earth, utterly devastating.
Inside the meeting room.
The Boss had just asked his bodyguards, "Did you notice anything?"
The bodyguards all shook their heads.
They hadn't detected any powerful individuals.
Even Zhou Qiang, the strongest person here, was only three times stronger than an average person. He would struggle against a ferocious spirit, let alone a more terrifying grotesque.
In the armory, bullets soaked in black dog blood, consecrated before statues of Guan Yu, and so on, were all standard combat methods, no different from other places.
What was going on?
"Captain Zhou, I want to know clearly, how exactly do you deal with the grotesques?" The Boss urgently wanted to know the secret to H City's ability to eliminate so many grotesques without losing a single officer.
Zhou Qiang stood stiffly before the Boss, at a loss for words.
"Is it a secret, or can you not tell me?" The Boss asked with a frown. "You should understand the current situation. Our country is facing immense pressure, both internally and externally."
Because they had made ample preparations early on, they were far better off than other countries.
Therefore, many foreign powers wanted to enter their country.
They absolutely could not open this door.
Otherwise, it would be a threat to their own citizens.
"Boss, would you believe me if I said I don't know?" Zhou Qiang said.
The meeting room fell silent.
The previously pleasant atmosphere suddenly turned somber because of Zhou Qiang's words.
The Boss said, "What's going on?"
Zhou Qiang explained helplessly, "It's like this. Since half a month ago, things have become very strange. At that time, we were in an apartment complex, preparing to eliminate the Nightmare, a ferocious spirit. We were all prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice."
"But suddenly, we all lost consciousness. When we woke up, we discovered that the Nightmare had been eliminated."
"To this day, we don't know why."
"As for the grotesques eliminated later, it was all the same, very baffling."
He looked at the Boss, his eyes sincere, wanting to convey that he was telling the truth.
There wasn't a single lie.
He knew what he was saying was problematic. Even he wouldn't believe it if he hadn't experienced it himself.
The Boss remained silent, contemplating Zhou Qiang's words.
"You mean there's a powerful individual in H City?"
Zhou Qiang said, "That's what I think. After all, if there wasn't a powerful individual, we wouldn't have been able to eliminate so many grotesques without any casualties."
"Do you know who it is?" the Boss asked.
Zhou Qiang shook his head. "No, we're also looking, but we haven't found anyone yet."
"Could it be one of the officers in the department?"
"Probably not."
The Boss said, "Before you have a definite answer, don't jump to conclusions. First, every time you go to eliminate a grotesque, you don't have to do anything, and the grotesque is eliminated. This means that someone knows where the grotesques are, when you're going, and where you'll be."
"That's how you've achieved a record of no casualties for nearly half a month."
Zhou Qiang's eyes lit up. "Boss, you are indeed the Boss! After your analysis, I think it makes a lot of sense."
"Stop flattering me. The most important task now is to find out who this person is," the Boss said.
At that moment, Zhou Qiang remembered something and hurriedly reported, "Boss, yesterday an evil spirit appeared here, but it was eliminated on the street. According to our tests, this evil spirit should be the Splitter, the one that slaughtered an entire city overnight abroad. If someone hadn't eliminated the Splitter, I think our H City would probably be a ghost town now."
"The Splitter?"
Upon hearing this, the Boss's expression changed drastically. Evil spirits were the most terrifying beings, beyond human capabilities to deal with. Even bullets soaked in black dog blood were useless against them, unless they resorted to nuclear weapons.
"Who was patrolling the area at the time?"
Zhou Qiang replied, "Lin Fan."
"But it definitely wasn't him. I can guarantee that."
The Boss waved his hand and said in a deep voice, "Call him in. We need to ask him, regardless of whether it was him or not."
Zhou Qiang felt helpless, thinking the Boss was overthinking things.
That kid?
How could it be him?
Soon, Lin Fan arrived at the meeting room. Seeing so many people there, he smiled at everyone, a sincere smile that sent chills down their spines.
"Why is his smile so creepy?"
This was the only thought in everyone's minds.
"Did you eliminate the Splitter last night?" The Boss felt something was off about Lin Fan. He was too calm, giving off an indescribable feeling.
Lin Fan asked, "Who is the Splitter?"
Zhou Qiang looked helpless. See? It definitely wasn't him.
The Boss explained slowly, "It's the one you eliminated last night."
"Are you talking about the children in white?" Lin Fan recalled.
Everyone was stunned.
Especially Zhou Qiang, who was completely dumbfounded.
It seemed… it really was him.