After arriving at the hotel, Ye Huai did not get out of the car.
"Have a good rest, good night."
Tong Yang opened the passenger door, pausing for a moment, "Thank you, you too."
Then, she got out and closed the door.
"Wow! A five-star hotel!"
"Thank you, President Ye! We won't stand on ceremony!"
Ye Huai rolled down the car window and said to the group, "It's getting late, head back and rest early. I'm not feeling well, so I won't walk you in."
"No problem, no problem."
"Sorry for the trouble today, you should get some rest too."
Ye Huai nodded, then looked at Tong Yang, "Let's keep in touch."
Tong Yang was looking at her phone. Hearing this, she replied without looking up, "Oh, okay."
She was checking the situation in the gossip group.
Ye Huai had prepared a room for each of them. Everyone was tired and went back to their respective rooms to wash up and rest.
After Tong Yang finished her shower, a reply had already arrived in the gossip group.
[The news is gone!]
[Wow!]
[Oh my god]
[Sis Tong, what did you do?]
Studying is for Making Money: [Didn't do anything, might be related to the butterfly effect.]
However, the money still had to be collected. Even if it was the butterfly effect, it was related to her. Tong Yang felt perfectly justified.
The next day, at six in the morning, her biological clock woke Tong Yang.
Hearing there was a restaurant and gym upstairs, Tong Yang spent an hour in the gym, had breakfast, went back to her room for another shower, and seeing the time was about right, called Xu Junyue.
"Where are you?"
"Boss..." Xu Junyue's voice was hoarse, and she coughed twice, "I think I caught a cold."
"Oh."
Tong Yang called the others, and surprisingly, their situation was exactly the same as Xu Junyue's—everyone had caught a cold.
These guys ignored her wishes and decided to go to the amusement park today, and now not a single one of them besides her could get up?
Tong Yang was utterly speechless, but she couldn't just leave them behind either.
It seemed they wouldn't recover anytime soon. Tong Yang went downstairs intending to extend their room stays, only to be told there was no need to extend; they could leave whenever they wanted.
When asked the reason, it was, of course, related to Ye Huai.
Tong Yang thanked them and asked, "Do you have a thermometer here?"
"Yes, is someone sick?"
"Yes."
"The weather has been cold lately. Our restaurant has prepared ginger soup, and we also have all necessary medicines. If needed, we can send them to the guests' rooms right away."
Tong Yang didn't refuse and gave the other room numbers.
"Thank you, sorry for the trouble."
"Not at all, it's our duty. Miss, you should also have some to avoid getting infected."
"Thank you, I'll keep that in mind."
"Alright."
Tong Yang left the front desk, returned to her room, and updated Ye Huai on the situation.
Ye Huai: [Are you okay?]
[I'm fine]
Ye Huai: [That's good. Let them stay without worry. If they need anything, just call the front desk.]
Ye Huai: [You get some good rest.]
[Got it]
[Are you resting?]
Ye Huai sent a photo of an office.
Ye Huai: [Working to pay off debts.]
[Not bad, remember to balance work and rest.]
Ye Huai: [Okay.]
Ye Huai: [Boss.]
Tong Yang chuckled and sent back a sticker she had stolen from Chu Shiyu.
Not long after, Tong Yang left her room, planning to check on Xu Junyue and Chu Shiyu.
Their colds weren't severe, but combined with the alcohol and lack of sleep, they felt weak all over, curled up in bed not wanting to move.
The three boys were in worse condition, having been soaked in water in the middle of winter.
Lunch was also bought by Tong Yang from nearby.
Seeing Chu Shiyu's condition, she probably couldn't return to school that night, so Tong Yang called her homeroom teacher to ask for leave.
The school required everyone to report back by 6:30 PM every Sunday.
Tong Yang thought about it and simply asked for leave for herself too, planning to return to school on Monday.
She checked out of her own room and squeezed into bed with Chu Shiyu.
"Tong Yang, what are you doing?" Chu Shiyu woke up in the middle of her sleep to use the bathroom and saw Tong Yang sitting on the sofa, browsing a shopping website on the hotel computer.
Tong Yang said lazily, "Buying a gift, for someone."
"Huh?" Chu Shiyu immediately perked up, "For who?"
"Guess."
"Ye Huai."
"Guessed right, but no prize."
Chu Shiyu put on her jacket, draped the sofa blanket over herself, and leaned in to ask, "What are you planning to give him?"
Tong Yang said, "Tea?"
"You're giving tea to an eighteen-year-old guy?"
Tong Yang pursed her lips, "So what? He seems to like drinking tea."
"That's true. Sometimes I think he's like an old man, lacking a bit of youthful spirit."
Tong Yang smiled, "It's also nice not being so noisy."
"But, coming from a family like his, he probably drinks premium teas. A single tea cake could easily cost tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands. Are you willing to spend that?"
"You want the truth? A bit reluctant."
Chu Shiyu shrugged, "But you have money now. Your savings could buy an apartment in the capital."
"Anyway, that's that."
Ye Huai had been keeping in touch with her these days, occasionally sending small gifts, probably all quite expensive.
In the end, Tong Yang picked out a tea cake for him. The price wasn't cheap, but it was within her acceptable range. She planned to find an opportunity to give it to him.
Back at school, life went on as usual.
The unknown number that texted Tong Yang that night was He Jingjing. They exchanged a few simple words and saved each other's numbers.
On Thursday night, after evening self-study, Tong Yang received a message from Meng Xiao: "1".
She looked around, found a secluded spot, and called Meng Xiao back.
"Something's up."
There was a brief silence on the other end of the line before the voice said, "You captured the anchor?"
It had been some time since Yan Qing from the parallel world was captured.
"Just found out now? Your information is a bit slow."
Meng Xiao said, "After the First District was destroyed, they were transferred to other safe zones. She found me, wanting to cooperate. I would help conceal my dealings with you, and she would help me steal high-quality gene serum."
After leaving the First District, "Yan Qing" escaped.
By then, she already knew Meng Xiao had contact with Tong Yang. For some unknown reason, Meng Xiao's actions, including the fact that Meng Ting was still alive, were not exposed.
Later, when Meng Xiao actively sought out Tong Yang, she didn't mention this matter, so Tong Yang didn't ask further.
After all, the First District was already destroyed by then.
"So that's how it was."
Meng Xiao continued, "After she used the loops to obtain the high-quality gene serum, the entire Main World was hunting her. Not long ago, they learned she had escaped into the Real World. Those people received news that she had already been captured by the Real World."
Tong Yang narrowed her eyes slightly, "Received news? Who transmitted the news?"
Not many people knew about "Yan Qing's" capture.
Besides her, Chu Shiyu, and Xu Junyue, there were only Ye Huai, Police Officer Lin, Police Officer Wan, Officer Xu, and the researchers from Department 749.
Meng Xiao said, "It's unclear, but it's not strange for people from the Primary World to be mingling in the Real World."
Tong Yang was silent for a long time before asking, "What are you trying to tell me?"
"The time anchor from the Primary World serves a very important function."
"Is that so?" Tong Yang furrowed her brows tightly. "Her irreplaceability isn't that strong."
Meng Xiao's voice was low and heavy: "I don't know the specific function, and I'm afraid even she herself doesn't know. However, after the news of her capture by the Real World came through, the higher-ups reacted very strongly. I can't disclose the specific orders that were issued, but your situation and the situation of the Real World will become increasingly worse in the future."
"I understand."
Meng Xiao continued, "In my opinion, their actions are somewhat hasty, and the reason for that goes without saying."
Tong Yang said, "The time anchor from the Parallel World holds your fatal weakness? Once we can find an entry point through her, we won't have to fear the Parallel World anymore?"
"I guess that's the case."
"I see."
"Take care."
"You too."
After hanging up the phone, Tong Yang looked at her mobile and fell into deep thought.
If they could just uncover the secret hidden within Yan Qing from the Parallel World, perhaps the ones holding the initiative would become the Real World.
That being said, the current scientific level of the Real World couldn't even analyze the gene serum, let alone the immense secret about the Parallel World hidden within "Yan Qing."
Still, as long as "Yan Qing" was in their hands now, they finally had some semblance of confidence.
She just didn't know what exactly the Parallel World planned to do. Even if she asked "Yan Qing," she probably wouldn't know anything.
"Secret..." Tong Yang murmured.
What kind of secret could it possibly be?
Who was the person among them who leaked the news of "Yan Qing's" capture to the Parallel World?
Unlike Meng Xiao's thinking,
Tong Yang felt this person wasn't necessarily someone from the Parallel World hiding among them. It could also be someone like Gao Changdong, who made a deal with the Parallel World for some benefit.
Among those who knew about "Yan Qing's" capture, who could it possibly be?
Tong Yang had no leads for now.
However, if things continued to develop this way, the day would come when her ability to enter the loop
would also become known to the Parallel World.
And Tong Yang felt that day wouldn't be too far off.
She couldn't prevent Real World humans whom she brought into the loop and who died within the loop's timeframe from recovering their memories of the moment of death and thus learning the secret of her entering the loop.
Fortunately, even if the Parallel World found out, it wouldn't pose a threat to her.
But the loop caused by the time dislocation, and the fact that the time dislocation was continuously shrinking, absolutely must not be known by anyone.
Tong Yang walked out of the corner, passing through a dimly lit forest path. In the faint light, a figure stood silently under a tree.
Tong Yang narrowed her eyes slightly and discreetly drew the dagger fixed in the right-side pocket of her backpack.
This area had no streetlights. Besides her, no normal student would come here at night.
"Creak—"
Suddenly, the figure swayed, emitting a strange friction sound.
Tong Yang looked closely and saw that the person's feet were suspended, not fully touching the ground. A rope was looped around their neck, tied to the tree trunk, their body swaying occasionally with the wind—utterly chilling.
Tong Yang frowned, turned on her phone's flashlight, and shone it towards the person.
A male student with a contorted face hung in mid-air, his complexion purplish, pupils wide open, eyeballs almost bulging out, staring dead ahead, legs stiff and straight—clearly deceased for some time.
Strangely, he looked somewhat familiar.
Tong Yang instinctively checked her phone signal. It was unaffected, so she likely hadn't entered the Parallel World.
Yet, the boy's corpse showed no signs of disappearing.
Not in the Parallel World, and the corpse hasn't vanished...
"Hehe..."
In the silent environment, a woman's laughter sounded.
"Darling, a greeting gift for you. Do you like it?"
Tong Yang followed the voice. On another branch adjacent to the one holding the male corpse, a slender figure was coiled around it like a cold-blooded creature.
"I'm so looking forward to meeting you, Tong Yang." The girl's voice carried delight and a hint of intimate teasing.
Tong Yang composed herself slightly and spoke calmly, "Since you're so eager, shouldn't you stand before me and greet me openly and honestly?"
"Oh, I can't do that. I'd die." The girl said laughingly, rather playfully.
"It's fine. Don't you all want to kill me anyway?" Tong Yang curled the corner of her mouth into a cold smile.
"Ah, I mean, I would die." The girl hugged the branch, flipped over to the top with a forceful movement, and swung her legs. "I know you're very strong, very fast. I would die."
"Sister, you won't die."
To Tong Yang's left front, from behind a thick tree trunk, came a childish voice.
Unlike an ordinary child's, it was a voice somewhere between a boy's and a young man's, with a deep tone.
Distant light filtered through gaps in the tree shadows. Tong Yang saw a blurry figure behind the tree, peeking out halfway to watch her.
Judging by the shape, it should be a child of seven or eight.
"Is that so. If you're not here to kill me, and you won't let me kill you either, then I beg your pardon, but I won't keep you company," Tong Yang said.
"Are you leaving?" The girl sighed regretfully. "I wanted to chat with you a bit more."
"My mom told me not to talk to strangers." Tong Yang's words were vague.
"What a pity... what a pity..." The woman on the tree shook her head back and forth.
Tong Yang didn't move her feet, maintaining a safe distance from them, uncertain if there were others hidden in the darkness.
"Whoosh—"
The girl suddenly threw a throwing knife. It sliced through the air, severing the corpse's neck. Splattering blood drenched Tong Yang.
The knife flew with extreme speed. Even with the corpse as a buffer, it didn't slow down in the slightest, flying straight towards Tong Yang.
Tong Yang's expression turned icy. She spun around and kicked the knife back with a flying kick.
Just as the headless corpse hit the ground, the knife accurately embedded itself in the girl's chest.
"See? I knew it. If I faced you directly, I would definitely die." The girl said triumphantly, completely unconcerned about the knife in her chest, as if she felt no pain at all.
Tong Yang wiped the blood from her face. "If you don't want to die, get lost."
"Don't be in such a hurry! I heard it's against the law to kill people in your world!"
"I'm just an ordinary person. How could I possibly kill you?"
Tong Yang drew the dagger from the side pocket of her backpack. "I'm merely squashing a bug or two when I'm bored. How could the law possibly convict me for that?"
"Who are you calling an insect?" The girl's voice turned dark.
"Ah... I can understand that an insect's comprehension isn't great."
"You..."
"Sis, we should go," a little boy hiding behind a tree reminded her.
In the darkness, the girl paused for a few seconds and sighed, "What a pity, Tong Yang. We'll meet again."
After saying that, she jumped down from the branch. The little boy walked out from behind the tree, took her hand, and the two turned and walked into the woods.
Tong Yang didn't give chase. Only after their figures had completely disappeared did she move.
Walking over to the gruesome corpse, Tong Yang shone her phone flashlight on it and saw the boy's face clearly. It was that classmate she had splashed with cola some time ago.
Tong Yang clenched her teeth and dialed Police Officer Lin's number.
It was nearly ten at night. Police Officer Lin was probably resting at home; there was the background noise of a TV when the call connected.
"Tong Yang, what's up calling so late?" Police Officer Lin's voice sounded a bit strange.
Tong Yang was silent for a moment before asking, "What are you doing?"
"Putting on a face mask."
Tong Yang said, "A student at Beida has been killed."
Police Officer Lin paused, her voice sharpening, "What did you say?!"
"A student is dead. My classmate."
"It wasn't you, was it?" Police Officer Lin asked in a panic.
"...No, it wasn't."
Police Officer Lin let out a relieved sigh, her tone becoming a bit more composed and serious. "Related to the parallel world?"
"Yes."
"Is anyone else around?"
"No."
"Specific location?"
"In the woods between the girls' dormitory building eleven and building four."
"Okay, wait a while, we'll be right there." Rustling sounds came from Police Officer Lin's end. "Are you sure he's dead?"
Tong Yang had quite a bit of blood splattered on her. She couldn't leave this place; it would be terrible if she were seen.
She turned and found a clear patch of ground, sat down cross-legged, and said helplessly, "His head was cut off."
Police Officer Lin sighed. "Then there's nothing to be done. Wait for us to arrive."
"Okay."
Tong Yang leaned back against the rough tree trunk. The blood on her was almost dry.
Not far away lay the headless body of the boy.
After thinking for a moment, she opened a social app and scrolled through her message list.
The boy had added her contact. Because he often sent her meaningless messages, Tong Yang had muted his notifications.
Tong Yang tapped into the chat and saw the boy's name on the main page. He had sent her messages not long ago.
[Tong Yang?]
[What are you doing going to such a remote place alone?]
[I've come in. Where are you?]
[Tong Yang, are you okay?]
[I know you find me annoying, but reply to me now, I'm getting a bit worried.]
At the very bottom was a voice call he had made.
Even with messages muted, voice calls could still come through, but at the time, Tong Yang was on a call with Meng Xiao, so his call was automatically declined by the system.
Tong Yang felt weary, utterly unable to understand.
Before this, he had also stalked Tong Yang.
Tong Yang had rejected him many times, using both soft and hard approaches, but he remained unmoved, claiming it was to "walk her back to the dorm."
And now, he had paid for it with his life.
Besides irritation and a nameless anger, Tong Yang couldn't describe any other feeling.
She didn't need to feel guilty, nor would she take responsibility for his death on herself. She was just extremely displeased.
Displeased with the parallel world, and displeased with the boy.
Tong Yang was extremely displeased. She pulled up a comprehensive English vocabulary audio file, closed her eyes, and tried to calm herself down through study.
She didn't know how much time had passed when she heard some rustling sounds nearby. Opening her eyes, she vaguely saw a human-shaped silhouette moving in the darkness.
Due to the poor light, Tong Yang couldn't make out who the person in the darkness was.
She couldn't let anyone discover the boy's body now, otherwise, she wouldn't be able to explain herself even with ten mouths.
Tong Yang stood up, turned on her phone flashlight, and was about to walk towards the person when she suddenly noticed that the headless body that had been lying on the ground was gone, leaving only a bloody, rolling head behind.
Tong Yang's face stiffened. She hadn't heard anyone else approach.
Thinking of something, she immediately walked forward, shining her phone flashlight towards the blurry silhouette.
There, a blood-covered, headless body was groping its way forward.
Instantly, Tong Yang's face turned pale.
It was unmistakably the boy's body after his head had been severed!
It stretched out its hands, groping in the air like a headless fly, stumbling forward, disoriented.
Seeing this, Tong Yang dug her fingernails into her palm and quickly moved closer to it.
She didn't know what was happening, but Tong Yang felt it wasn't the work of a spirit. She couldn't let it leave this place and be discovered by others; the consequences would be unthinkable.
She walked behind the headless body but didn't approach recklessly.
The boy's neck was a bare stump, his collar long soaked in blood. His blood-stained fingers groped as he moved. Tong Yang tentatively picked up a branch and touched his palm. It was immediately grabbed by his reflex.
He seemed to have found a direction, his steps trembling as he grasped the branch with one hand and reached towards Tong Yang with the other.
Seeing he posed little threat, Tong Yang hesitated for a moment, then took the hand he offered, trying to lead him back.
The boy didn't resist, only gripping her hand tightly, with a force like clutching the last floating plank.
"Can you hear me?" Tong Yang asked.
The boy showed no reaction, only following Tong Yang's lead.
Tong Yang was just trying; of course, without a head, he couldn't hear.
Right now, she didn't even know if he was dead or alive.
Leading the boy back under the tree, she saw his head.
Tong Yang led him over and poked the head on the ground with the branch. No reaction.
Tong Yang flipped the head over, revealing its face. It was still wide-eyed with a fierce, grim expression. It seemed only the body had changed.
Stopping in front of his head, Tong Yang halted, and the boy stopped too.
After a moment's thought, Tong Yang bent down, picked up the head, and placed it on his neck.
She let go, and the head thudded to the ground. It didn't have the effect she had imagined.
Just then, Tong Yang's phone rang. Police Officer Lin was calling.
Answering the call, Police Officer Lin's voice came through.
"We're in these woods. What's your position?"
Tong Yang said, "Walk towards the side closer to building four."
The woods were behind building four. Cutting through here after class could save a lot of time, though usually people only did that during the day.
"Okay, keep your phone flashlight on."
"Got it."
Tong Yang and the boy's body stood waiting for a few minutes.
The body was relatively quiet, without any strange movements.
Before long, several beams of light flickered through the woods.
Tong Yang waved her phone flashlight to attract their attention. The people over there saw her and immediately hurried over.
Seeing a boy standing next to Tong Yang, and the two holding hands, Police Officer Wan let out an exclamation, "Your boyfriend?"
Tong Yang gave a half-smile. "Reach your hand over."
Police Officer Wan walked forward, panting heavily. Though puzzled, he still extended his hand towards her.
Tong Yang handed the male student over to him, then walked up to Police Officer Lin and said, "Police Officer Lin, please contact Dr. Luo. The situation isn't as simple as it seems."
Police Officer Lin nodded and asked, "Where's the body?"
Police Officer Wan asked in confusion, "Tong Yang, is there blood on your boyfriend's hands?"
Tong Yang shot him a glance. "The body is right beside you."
"Where?"
"The one standing."
Police Officer Wan's face froze. "Wh-what?"
Police Officer Lin raised her flashlight. The others who had come with her saw it and gasped sharply.
Police Officer Wan didn't dare look up, instinctively trying to let go of the body's hand. But the moment he made a move to retreat, that hand gripped his tightly.
Instantly, Police Officer Wan relaxed; it was alive.
He slowly raised his head, saying, "Don't joke around, you scared me..."
Suddenly, his voice cut off. What met his eyes was a bloody neck, and above the neck—nothing!
"Ah... Mmph!!"
Police Officer Wan screamed in fright, but someone behind him covered his mouth and nose.
Tang Shuyan covered his mouth and nose, reminding him, "Isn't our operation supposed to be confidential? Don't attract the students over."
Police Officer Lin's face was pale. "Tong Yang, what's going on?"
Behind her were two forensic examiners. Even accustomed to bizarre corpses, they had never seen such an absurd scene.
Tong Yang said, "I'm not sure."
Tang Shuyan released Police Officer Wan and walked over to the body, which stood dazed and rooted to the spot. He grasped its wrist, frowned, and said, "There's a faint pulse."
"Holy crap!!! What the hell is this thing?! Scared me to death!!!" Police Officer Wan roared in a suppressed voice.
Tong Yang said gravely, "When I was on the phone with Meng Xiao, he chased after me. By the time I found him, he had already been hanged."
Tong Yang pointed to the tree branch above their heads, where a knotted rope still hung. The male student's body had fallen after his head was severed.
The two forensic examiners shone their flashlights on the knot of the rope, then looked at the head on the ground. There were indeed deep ligature marks on the neck.
"There were two people from the parallel world then, a girl and a child. They left less than an hour ago, and he ended up like this."
Police Officer Lin's expression turned grim. "I'll contact Dr. Luo now. You all figure out how to restrain him. We shouldn't stay here; take him back first."
"Okay."
It was nearly eleven o'clock, and the campus was mostly empty of students.
Police Officer Lin had communicated with the school authorities. They had sent some people to guard the perimeter of the woods and, to avoid drawing attention, specifically used an ordinary van parked by the roadside.
Police Officer Wan and the two forensic examiners worked together to bind the body and, along with the head, stuffed it into a body bag. Tong Yang and Tang Shuyan cleaned up the bloodstains at the scene. Fortunately, the ground beneath their feet was soft soil, making covering the bloodstains not too difficult.
"Were they after you?" Tang Shuyan asked.
Tong Yang nodded. "Probably."
"What about this kid? How do we explain this to the school and his parents?"
Tong Yang pressed her lips together. "That's not something I should worry about."
"True enough."
"Are you finished cleaning up? Let's go. Dr. Luo will arrive in about two hours."
In the current situation, Tong Yang certainly couldn't stay at the school and had to go with them. Fortunately, she had already mastered most of her major courses on her own, so it wouldn't hinder her studies.
Covered in blood, Tong Yang didn't plan to return to the dorm. She got into the van with them and called Chu Shiyu, asking her to bring down some of her change of clothes.
Police Officer Lin told them to wait in the vehicle, then got out to communicate with the school personnel. Tonight's operation hadn't alerted others. The general idea was for them to hold steady for now, contact the school again after the truth was ascertained, keep a tight lid on it, and by the way, ask for a few days' leave for Tong Yang.
Not long after, Chu Shiyu came running down in a rush, carrying two bags.
She was fully dressed, with her backpack on. Seeing the van by the roadside, she quickly scrambled inside.
"Tong Yang, what happened? Where are you going?" Chu Shiyu had come in great haste, her clothes not even buttoned properly.
Seeing Tong Yang covered in blood, her face turned pale. "You... what happened?"
“Hi.” Tang Shuyan leaned against the car seat and waved at her. “Because the one who died isn’t from the parallel world.”
Chu Shiyu's face stiffened in disbelief and said, "Tong Yang, did you kill someone?"
Tong Yang glanced at her, taking one of the bags. "No."
"That's good." Chu Shiyu breathed a sigh of relief.
"You go back," Tong Yang said.
Unclear how many days it would take, Tong Yang wanted to figure out the reason behind the body's ability to move before returning.
Chu Shiyu shook her head. "I'll go with you."
Tong Yang frowned. "It'll delay your studies."
It's fine. Thanks to you, I've already learned the first semester's courses myself. It won't delay anything.
Seeing she was fully dressed, had even brought a change of clothes, and even her phone charger, Tong Yang said helplessly, "Suit yourself."
Chu Shiyu sat down beside them. The two forensic examiners sat in the very back of the van, watching the body bag in the trunk.
Police Officer Lin turned her head and saw that Chu Shiyu had climbed into the van. Guessing that she intended to go along, she simply asked for leave for both of them.
As for the male student's parents, the school was instructed to notify them to go directly to the Shuangbai District Public Security Bureau.
Not long after, Police Officer Wan, who had been copying the school surveillance footage with staff, also returned.
After properly handling all issues, Police Officer Lin got into the passenger seat, her expression grave, and said, "Back to the bureau."
On the way, Tong Yang explained the course of events to Chu Shiyu.
After hearing it, Chu Shiyu hesitated and said: "His body could still move after death. Could it be related to the gene serum?"
Tong Yang shook her head. "Unlikely. Even with an inferior gene serum injection, the wound healing speed isn't different from a high-quality one. But besides his body being able to move and having a faint heartbeat, he shows no healing function."
Tang Shuyan tucked both hands into the wide sleeves of his Taoist robe and said slowly, "This indicates there are other drugs in the parallel world that we don't know about, which can make a decapitated person sustain life in a short time, like a walking corpse."
Tong Yang's lips tightened into a line. Suddenly remembering something, she said, "We've seen people like that in the parallel world too."
Tang Shuyan raised an eyebrow at her. "When?"
"August 12th, Xili Mall."
Chu Shiyu was first stunned, then as if enlightened, exclaimed in shock, "Those people in the screening room who had their fingers cut off and eyes gouged out?"
Tong Yang lowered her gaze. "Mhm."
Those people were different from the order enforcers who had a certain nerve extracted. When the broadcast commanded the order enforcers to expel them, most people in the screening room did not attack them.
They, like the male student, were all people who were dying, or already dead!
"So the parallel world really has something that turns people into zombies!"
Tong Yang recalled what Meng Xiao had said on the phone. Because they had captured "Yan Qing," the parallel world would take other actions, even acting somewhat hastily. Could it be related to the abnormal condition of the male student's corpse?
After arriving at the Shuangbai District Public Security Bureau, Tong Yang went to freshen up first. The others settled the male student's body and waited in the conference room for Dr. Luo and the others to arrive.
After showering, Tong Yang hastily blow-dried her hair and headed to the conference room.
Director Zhao sat at the head of the table, his expression extremely grave. Everyone else also wore serious looks.
Tong Yang walked over to Chu Shiyu's side, pulled out a chair, and sat down, asking, "Any findings from the surveillance?"
Police Officer Lin sighed and turned on the multimedia screen at the front of the conference room. "See for yourself."
They had already pre-selected the useful clips.
The surveillance footage showed Tong Yang walking alone into the woods with her backpack after evening self-study. Not two minutes later, the male student followed her in.
He was looking down at his phone, occasionally glancing around as if searching for something.
Then, the surveillance footage shook slightly, and a slender calf appeared in the frame. Since the surveillance camera was installed on a tree branch, this leg was in the upper part of the monitor, in a blind spot.
Judging by the leg, it belonged to a child.
"Who's there?"
Probably hearing a noise, the male student looked towards the surveillance camera.
"Help me..."
It was this voice, a timbre somewhere between adolescent and young adult, carrying a strange quality.
"A kid? Why is there a kid here? Did you see a girl pass by here? A girl with slightly blond hair in the front."
"Big brother, I'm scared to come down. Can you help me?" The little boy didn't answer directly.
The male student hesitated. "Jump down. I'll catch you like this."
"Big brother, please come up. I'm begging you."
The male student looked left and right, made a phone call, but it was disconnected by the system.
"Wait a moment."
The male student sighed, put his phone away, jumped up to grab a branch, and climbed up the tree trunk using his feet.
"Little friend... uh!"
Suddenly, the male student let out a muffled groan, and rustling sounds came from the leaves.
The next moment, the male student's body suddenly became suspended, hanging in mid-air below the camera, a rope already looped around his neck.
He struggled frantically at first, trying to make a sound, then the veins on his forehead bulged, gradually losing vitality, his whole body stiffening as it swayed in mid-air.
"Weren't they supposed to be clever here?"
"He's so silly."
In the footage, an unfamiliar woman's voice sounded.
"What's this thing?"
Suddenly, a face hung upside down from above, dropping in front of the lens.
Under the night vision, it was a young woman's face, crisscrossed with sutures, as if the entire face had been stitched together, its original appearance unclear.
She narrowed her eyes. "A camera?"
"Nice to meet you all!"
"Do you like the gift we sent?"
"Please take care of us from now on, in our shared home."
"Sister, she's coming."
A boy's voice sounded.
The next moment, Tong Yang walked into the surveillance frame from not far away.
The surveillance paused. Police Officer Lin put down the remote. "You should know the rest, and the surveillance camera was destroyed."
Tong Yang's face was grim. "Yes, I know."
Our shared home?
Tong Yang felt extremely nauseated.
"Do you have any thoughts?" Police Officer Lin asked.
Tong Yang's eyes were shadowed as she voiced her longstanding worry: "Police Officer Lin, I'm afraid this incident won't be an isolated case."
Director Zhao pondered for a long time before saying, "If it were merely a case of murder, the situation might still be controllable. However, if corpses like his, which can remain active after death, appear around the world, even just one or two cases, it would cause global panic. Then the parallel world would have an even greater opportunity to exploit the chaos."
Police Officer Lin said, "We must prevent this from happening. Public sentiment absolutely must not waver, otherwise it will inevitably trigger greater turmoil."
Tong Yang had already recognized the importance of this point.
The reason the state concealed matters related to the parallel world wasn't to hush things up, but to maintain stability in ordinary people's lives. Once domestic turmoil erupted, they would face threats from both within and without.
Director Zhao said, "I have already reported this matter to the central authorities and am awaiting their discussion results. Before that, I ask everyone to work together and cooperate with the people from the 749 Bureau to thoroughly investigate the cause of this incident."
"The consequences of similar phenomena occurring nationwide are unimaginable. Let's hope the situation we fear doesn't arise."
"Tong Yang, you've experienced the most in these matters. Find a few reliable helpers, preferably those already aware of the parallel world."
Finally, Director Zhao sighed and said, "The fewer people who know about this, the better. Even if higher authorities deploy the military as a precaution, they won't act lightly. The method with the least impact is still for you all to help."
Deploying large-scale military and police forces would inevitably attract widespread attention. Once the matter fermented and rumors spread, it would become uncontrollable.
Tong Yang didn't think more helpers were necessarily better, but if what she feared happened, help would indeed be needed.
Tong Yang contacted Xu Junyue and Ye Huai. They should both be useful in this matter.
Xu Junyue agreed enthusiastically without waiting for Tong Yang to explain the reason, flooring the accelerator straight to the public security bureau entrance.
Ye Huai agreed as well, but was temporarily unavailable due to physical reasons.
Past midnight, Dr. Luo and the others finally arrived.
Without any unnecessary formalities, they headed straight to the conference room.
"Take us to see the corpse."
The group moved to the room where the body was placed.
Pushing open the door, the headless body was secured on a platform. Next to it, something with the outline of a human head was placed, covered with a white cloth.
Upon closer inspection, one could see the headless body still twitching occasionally, as if trying to break free from its restraints.
Dr. Luo and the others looked extremely grave, the air was tense.
"Ding—"
At the same time, in the quiet environment, a message notification tone sounded.
Tong Yang frowned and looked. It was a message from He Jingjing.
[Dr. Wu wants to meet with you]!
