The mist thickened, curling around the squad like unseen fingers. Shen Chen stood frozen, his eyes locked on the spot where the figure had just vanished. The streetlight flickered ominously, casting shifting shadows across the pavement.
"Did you see that?" Li Hao's voice was barely above a whisper.
Shen Chen didn't answer immediately. His grip tightened around his flashlight. "Secure the perimeter," he ordered. "I want every exit covered. No one gets in or out without my say-so."
The officers moved swiftly, their boots crunching against the damp asphalt. The fog muffled their movements, distorting their silhouettes as they disappeared into the gloom.
Wu Xue stood just behind Shen Chen, her breath shallow. "That was him," she whispered. "That was Liu Zhiqiang… or whatever's left of him."
Shen Chen's mind raced. This wasn't possible. The rational part of him screamed for logic, for reason. And yet, the evidence defied both.
A static hiss broke over his radio. "Captain… we have a problem."
"Report."
"We found footprints leading away from the entrance. They go towards the alley… but they just stop halfway through. No sign of anyone. It's like… like they vanished into thin air."
Shen Chen cursed under his breath. He turned to Li Hao. "Take Wu Xue back inside. Don't let her out of your sight."
Li Hao nodded, guiding the trembling woman towards the building. Shen Chen exhaled sharply and motioned for two officers to follow him toward the alley.
The further they walked, the quieter the city became. The fog wrapped around them, swallowing the glow of the streetlamps. The alleyway loomed ahead, its entrance yawning like a mouth eager to consume them.
A shadow moved.
Shen Chen halted, signaling the officers to stay alert. "Who's there?" he called out, his voice firm.
Silence. Then—
A wet dragging sound.
It was faint, but unmistakable. Like something heavy being pulled across damp concrete.
One of the officers swallowed hard. "Captain, I don't like this…"
Shen Chen raised his flashlight, the beam slicing through the fog. "Stay close," he murmured.
A shuffling noise echoed from deeper within the alley.
And then—a figure lurched forward from the mist.
Its clothes were soaked, clinging to its frail frame. Its head tilted at an unnatural angle, as though its neck had been twisted too far. Its eyes—
They were open. Unblinking. Staring straight at Shen Chen.