Chapter 73: Mad as a Zombie

Chapter Seventy-Three: Mad as a Zombie

“Suppose…”

Xiao Yu muttered to himself as he prepared to continue his investigation.

Bang!

The door was violently flung open as Wang Dong charged in.

Is society really this cold?

Breaking into my room and slamming the door—it’s tough… A string of curse words got stuck in Xiao Yu’s mouth.

“Something’s happened!”

Wang Dong roared as he bolted out of the room.

Xiao Yu’s expression shifted as he sprang to his feet and ran.

The two dashed out of the hotel just as an armed helicopter had landed outside the main door.

“What’s the situation?”

Aboard the helicopter, Xiao Yu glared at Wang Dong.

“It appears a self-harmer has surfaced.”

Wang Dong replied in a cold tone, “He was just spotted!”

How can that be?

Xiao Yu stared at him in disbelief—as if to say, ‘Are you a monster?’

Wasn’t this case supposed to occur once a year?

“What a coincidence,”

Wang Dong shot Xiao Yu a glance. “It happened in Bincheng two hours ago!”

Damn!

Xiao Yu’s face instantly turned steely, his gaze icy and piercing.

Everyone has their own turf; sometimes, people are as territorial as animals.

Bincheng is Xiao Yu’s hometown—he couldn’t stand a crime like this happening there.

That little punk—sneaking over to steal crystals while I’m busy fooling around in the wild zone?

“Fortunately, it was discovered in time and the suspect was subdued.”

Wang Dong said quickly, “But the suspect’s condition is highly unusual!”

Xiao Yu looked genuinely surprised.

What could be so off?

……

Four hours later.

An armed helicopter landed in Bincheng—the Criminal Investigation Sub-Team was here.

Stepping off the helicopter, Xiao Yu recognized a familiar face.

It was Niu Peng, the captain of the Criminal Investigation Sub-Team’s first squad.

Having worked together before, they exchanged a firm handshake.

Niu Peng glanced at the group of National Security officers and then at Xiao Yu, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth.

That kid is already rubbing shoulders with the National Security folks?

Recalling their joint effort on the massacre case and glancing at the first-class police inspector shoulder badge on Xiao Yu’s shoulder, Niu Peng felt a surge of emotion.

Old Zhao wasn’t wrong—this kid is a true force.

Sooner or later, he’ll break out of Bincheng’s little puddle!

……

Interrogation Room.

A blood-soaked man was tightly restrained in an interrogation chair.

Even with his mouth sealed, a beast-like guttural roar emerged from his throat.

Worse, his body thrashed wildly, desperate to break free.

The handcuffs on his wrists had already shredded his skin, blood gushing out.

A madman?

That was the first impression Xiao Yu got of him.

But when he looked into the man’s eyes, his assumption was instantly challenged.

Those eyes were shockingly red.

The whites of his eyes were streaked with blood, engorged and vivid.

They glimmered with a frenzied light—so bizarrely captivating it was almost… exhilarating!

“The sedative isn’t working on him. If this continues, I won’t be able to treat him properly!”

A doctor cried out urgently.

It was the voice of a doctor.

Treat him? What treatment could work?

Xiao Yu’s eyes shifted to one of the man’s hands on the chair.

It was missing all five fingers, blood streaming relentlessly.

Stepping forward with purpose, he swung his leg powerfully.

Thud!

Xiao Yu’s whip-like kick smashed into the madman’s cheek.

One decisive blow and the man slumped, losing consciousness.

Wang Dong: …

Niu Peng: …

Doctor: …

“Why didn’t you knock him out first?”

Xiao Yu frowned as he glanced towards Niu Peng.

Niu Peng rolled his eyes. “We’re police!”

Xiao Yu fell silent.

Wang Dong looked at Niu Peng and shook his head.

Sometimes a person’s failure to rise isn’t due to a lack of skill,

but rather an inability to adapt.

Without a flexible mind, how can you lead others?

There are plenty of elite soldiers, yet generals are scarce.

That’s the crux of it!

……

Criminal Investigation Sub-Team Meeting Room.

Xiao Yu was engrossed in the surveillance footage.

Night, 2:15 AM.

A man, like a walking corpse, lugged a bag along a deserted road.

In a patchwork of CCTV images, the man entered a narrow alley behind a business building.

He stopped right beneath a surveillance camera.

The footage showed him tilting his head back.

He flashed a chilling, eerie smile at the camera.

That smile sent shivers down your spine!

The man sat on the ground and unzipped his bag.

He pulled out one tool after another.

A dagger, pliers, a hammer, a screwdriver, and even a hand saw…

If anyone saw these, they might think he was a repairman.

Xiao Yu’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably—not twice, but more so—as he watched.

He wasn’t planning any repairs.

He was setting the stage for a grisly feast.

And he himself was destined to be the main course!

Sure enough, just as Xiao Yu had anticipated.

The man raised his right hand, gripped the hand saw, and brought it down toward his raised left hand…

A finger was swiftly severed, blood splattering everywhere.

The finger didn’t completely fall off—a chunk of flesh clung to his palm.

A bizarre, almost manic smile spread across the man’s face.

He opened his mouth and bit into the severed finger…

Xiao Yu looked up, stealing a glance at Niu Peng whose face had turned ashen.

This old guy was clearly witnessing such footage for the first time, his shock unmistakable.

He remarked, ‘Look at how calm the National Security chief is… Wait, Wang Dong, why is your face so pale?’

Xiao Yu continued studying the video.

Coincidentally, as the man devoured his fifth finger…

A community patrol auxiliary officer appeared in the alley.

Seeing the man nibbling on his finger, the officer was so terrified he collapsed onto the ground.

No one could expect a normal person to handle such a sight.

Xiao Yu recalled how, when he first saw the footage, Mu Qingwu had startled him by hugging him from behind—nearly making him lose control.

At night, security patrols were run by teams of four—two police officers and two auxiliary officers.

When one auxiliary officer tried to stop the self-harming man, the man erupted in a frenzied attack.

His vicious, savage assault resembled that of a flesh-eating zombie!

The man attacked the officers with wild bites and frantic clawing.

One auxiliary officer was injured when his arm was bitten, his sleeve torn, and a chunk of flesh ripped off…

It took the four of them a full half hour to finally subdue the man.

After receiving a support request, officers from the Criminal Investigation Team arrived and escorted the man to the first squad of the Criminal Investigation Team…

The video ended!

“What do you make of it?”

Wang Dong took a deep breath and looked towards Xiao Yu.

“Yuanfang, what do you think…” Xiao Yu remained silent.

He pondered the man’s frenzied, tearing actions in the video.

It reminded him of a drug from his past life.

After using it, users behaved as crazily as the man before them.

Some even dubbed that drug the Zombie Drug.

It went by another name: Bath Salt!

“Take a blood sample for analysis,” Xiao Yu commanded in a low tone.

Two hours later, the forensic report was in.

It confirmed that some kind of drug was still in the man’s system.

But it wasn’t Bath Salt.

Xiao Yu was puzzled.

What could it be?