Chapter 339: Night of Uncertain Visions

A person?

What kind of person could make my sister act so strangely?

Lu Xin watched his sister’s odd behavior with growing suspicion. Could she even have acquaintances in Central City?

She usually only cared about toys and pranks…

“What’s wrong?”

Chen Jing and Gecko noticed Lu Xin freeze for a moment, his eyes mysteriously fixed on an eave. A subtle dread swept over them—as if one careless word might ignite a powder keg—which led them to ask in hushed tones.

“It’s nothing. Let’s go!”

Lu Xin snapped back to reality, glanced at his sister, and decided to move on for now.

Whether they’re familiar faces or not, being this close means there’s a chance of encountering someone.

Besides, he was here on a family visit—meeting acquaintances was only natural.

They scaled over the courtyard and navigated through two dilapidated structures before finally arriving at a grand building.

Situated in the heart of the city, this building, though in ruins, still stood as the tallest structure amid the gloomy, abandoned urban wasteland.

At first glance, it looked no different from the other rundown buildings—a dark, pitch-black edifice exuding an oppressive gloom.

Its shattered windows resembled gaping, empty mouths.

From below, it seemed to soar as high as the Red Moon.

The area was eerily silent; only a couple of streetlights some 100 to 200 meters away cast a dim glow.

Not a sound could be heard; even the wind that once raced through the city ruins had stilled.

……

The lab is probably hidden within this building. Our next move is to find a safe path inside!

Chen Jing spoke in a low tone, gripping her gun tightly.

Faced with such a massive, imposing structure, they all felt a surge of apprehension.

Yet at this juncture, none of them entertained the thought of retreating.

Chen Jing maintained a composed expression; Gecko looked alert and shrewd, while Lu Xin surveyed the building with a slight shake of his head—as if lamenting his relative’s poor living conditions.

Honestly, this building is no better than my old place!

Clack, clack, clack, clack.

At that moment, a crisp sound echoed from the other side of the building along the main road.

Everyone’s faces instantly grew tense.

This hit Lu Xin especially, as his sister had warned him to be wary of anyone they might encounter.

On hearing the noise, he immediately turned his head to look.

Then they saw, not far down the road, a grotesque creature with a distorted form approaching.

Startled to the point of nearly drawing their weapons, Gecko suddenly exclaimed, “Huh?” Soon, Lu Xin and Chen Jing recognized the newcomer; relief washed over them briefly, yet a hesitation made them wonder if they should keep their distance.

In fact, the newcomer turned out to be two people—one was a petite girl in a short skirt, her bare legs clad in black military boots.

She carried a copper pipe that looked like a nozzle, and her body was riddled with wounds, blood staining her all over, with her legs displaying a horrifying shade of red—as if she had been brutally dismembered.

Yet compared to her companion, she was in better shape. Her partner was a sturdier woman, now sporting only one crudely bandaged leg, with a hand resting on the petite girl’s shoulder as she limped over.

It was none other than Xia Chong and one of her teammates.

“What happened?”

Chen Jing stepped forward and asked quietly.

She hadn’t tried to flee because she saw that Xia Chong’s condition was dire—and her companion was gravely injured.

“You… you really did sneak in, didn’t you?”

Xia Chong looked up at Chen Jing, her expression devoid of surprise.

Or perhaps there was surprise, but she managed to hide it.

Exhausted, she leaned on her injured teammate and sat on an abandoned car, then raised her eyes to study Chen Jing intently.

“Don’t you know that this is already a violation of…”

“Watch your mouth.”

Chen Jing interrupted sharply, “I’m just here on a family visit with a colleague; I happened to be passing by.”

While speaking, she unzipped her backpack and added, “I’ve got antidotes, hemostatic agents, and anti-inflammatory pain relievers. Which one do you need?”

“They’re all been used up.”

Xia Chong waved her hand dismissively and casually moved her shoulder.

She seemed determined not to let anyone notice how sore her shoulder was, using the gesture as a cover.

Her expression remained icy: “I overexerted my abilities earlier, so I couldn’t get her back—I had to wait here for my team to arrive…”

“Are you taking me for a fool?”

“So, is it always about gathering intel and visiting relatives?”

“And later, are you planning on kindly helping us demolish that lab too?”

……

“Some things may be hard to comprehend, but that’s just the way it is…”

Facing Xia Chong’s barrage, Chen Jing let out a resigned sigh and cast a glance toward Lu Xin.

Lu Xin, appearing somewhat distracted and scanning the surroundings, finally nodded to Xia Chong:

“Hello.”

……

Xia Chong replied coolly, “I’m not doing well.”

……

Lu Xin felt awkward; this woman just didn’t know how to be courteous.

So he ignored her and turned his attention back to the surroundings, while his sister roamed restlessly, searching for something.

“We’re here on a family visit, after all—if something happens, isn’t it just a coincidence?”

Noticing Lu Xin’s indifference, Chen Jing chuckled and explained, “Besides, we’ve already completed all the tasks required by Central City. Whatever we do on our own time doesn’t break any of your rules, does it?”

Xia Chong’s face hardened further as she stated, “We should have the city under lockdown already.”

Chen Jing retorted, “But you didn’t post any announcement. With a few cars parked out there, who knows what you’re up to?”

“You…”

A note of urgency crept into Xia Chong’s voice: “All the major intersections are blocked—how did you manage to enter?”

“We just walked in.”

Chen Jing explained, “When we got here, no one stopped us. No one even told us we weren’t allowed in…”

……

Xia Chong fell utterly silent. After a moment, she muttered, “I hate you!”

Chen Jing smiled and replied, “I actually appreciate your stubborn spirit, little girl.”

The atmosphere suddenly quieted.

Gecko watched the bickering pair with an amused, almost vacant smile.

Who knew what he was thinking at that moment…

Although Lu Xin’s thoughts were on his sister, he absorbed their words and mused, “A leader is a leader…”

When he first spotted Xia Chong approaching, a twinge of apprehension hit him. Yet after hearing Chen Jing’s remarks, he straightened his back with unexpected pride—Team Leader Chen had a point; he hadn’t broken any rules.

“Alright…”

Sensing Xia Chong’s simmering anger, Chen Jing diverted the conversation, asking, “What did you encounter that left you so badly injured?”

“One that can control flesh and blood.”

Xia Chong, her attention diverted, replied, “Two team members—one dead and one injured. But my own injuries, I caused myself.”

“Hmm?”

Those words sent a shock through both Gecko and Lu Xin.

Gecko gazed at Xia Chong’s legs, slowly lifting a hand to his chin, his expression showing pained contemplation.

For Lu Xin, a disturbing image flashed before his eyes: the woman, her face fierce, wielding a knife to cut her own thigh; the thought sent a chill down his spine.

……

“Haha, good evening…”

Before Xia Chong could say more, a soft, giggling laugh broke the tension.

Everyone turned to look, and in the gloomy alley a figure in blood-stained clothes appeared, prompting a fresh wave of alertness. Once they stepped out of the shadows, they saw a doctor leading the way in a coat stained red.

No, it’s a white coat—only, it has been stained red.

Trailing behind were two individuals in blue-and-white striped attire typical of mental patients, wearing plastic shoes.

One was lanky, his face marred by bloodstains and plastered with clusters of band-aids, his gaze oddly bewildered.

The other wore a Fat Doll mask, but it was half-broken, revealing a rugged, half-face.

“Eh…”

One of them stepped forward and scrutinized Chen Jing from head to toe.

Just as Chen Jing was about to introduce herself, the one who approached smirked and remarked, “So skinny—lacks any masculinity.”

Lu Xin felt instantly indignant; after all, Section Chief Chen, though attractive, exuded a strong, manly presence.

But he said nothing, for he noticed another person in a mental patient outfit approaching, standing before him with eyes framed by clusters of band-aids, intently scrutinizing him.

Lu Xin offered him a friendly smile and said, “Hello.”

The newcomer quickly turned to Gecko and replied warmly, “Hello, hello!”

Lu Xin then realized that the man’s gaze seemed a bit off.

He couldn’t help but muse that the Central City companions didn’t seem quite normal at all…

……

“Scalpel…”

Xia Chong exhaled softly and remarked, “You all managed to survive.”

“We nearly lost our entire team.”

The doctor chuckled, leaving it unclear if he was serious or just joking.

However, he quickly picked up on something and asked, “Did any of you get injured?”

Xia Chong nodded briefly without adding a word.

Chen Jing scanned the surroundings and quietly asked, “How many of you have entered?”

Xia Chong shot her a glance and replied candidly, “Seven teams reached the outpost—one on standby, two mobile, and four entering Water Buffalo City from different directions… plus your Qinggang team—that makes eight teams in total here.”

“So, that means at least two more teams are en route?”

Chen Jing fell silent for a moment before asking, “Are you planning to regroup later or scout ahead?”

Xia Chong glared coldly at the building, clearly torn about what to do.

Beneath her frosty demeanor, a torrent of anger simmered.

It wouldn’t be surprising if she wanted to torch this building on the spot, but with one injured team member completely out of commission and awaiting rescue, she couldn’t make any rash decisions.

“At the very least, let’s wait until the captain gets here!”

The doctor chuckled, “Now it’s clear that Black Table is the real deal. The mysterious organization is growing desperate—they even have their own Ability User teams, and their strength rivals ours…”

Hearing his remarks, Lu Xin felt a twinge of embarrassment.

After all, the misdeeds are being carried out by his own relatives…

Lost in thought, he suddenly noticed something, and looked up.

In the dim half-light above, something was quietly drifting over from the distance.

It appeared to be a round object, floating weightlessly in mid-air.

Everyone was initially startled and drew their weapons, but as it came closer, they realized it was just a solitary red balloon gently floating.

On this windless deep night, the balloon seemed to have a life of its own, bobbing unpredictably until it halted mid-air beside them, resembling a blood-red eye silently watching.

Swish!

In stark contrast to Lu Xin and the others’ surprise, Xia Chong and the doctor turned pale upon seeing the red balloon.

Their voices, laced with disbelief and cold fear, murmured, “Captain Li…”

“Did Captain Li’s team suffer a complete annihilation?”

……

It was clear that both Xia Chong, usually so expressionless, and the doctor—whose demeanor was never entirely proper—now wore expressions of astonishment, disbelief, sorrow, and fear.

“What kind of monster could decimate Captain Li’s squad?”

They exchanged puzzled glances, with no one able to answer.

Yet, their reactions spoke volumes—the team captain was clearly exceptionally powerful.

“Brother, I’ve found her…”

Just as everyone in Central City sank into oppressive dread, his sister suddenly yanked at Lu Xin’s sleeve.

Her voice trembled with urgency.

Creak…

Before Lu Xin could even turn, a shrill, piercing noise erupted from nearby.

It was the sound of a knife slicing across the shell of an abandoned car.

Everyone turned their heads, and at the end of the street, a little girl in a white dress appeared.

She was slight, with her diminutive dress billowing in the night breeze—revealing ghostly pale calves marked with thick stitches, her black hair cascading down, and her small face hauntingly pallid.

Clutching a gleaming dining knife, she slowly slashed along the wrecked car’s shell.

Her eyes, void of emotion, stared blankly ahead.

Her gaze remained empty and indifferent as she looked straight ahead.