Chapter 30: Unfortunately, the Real Target Escaped

“Shen He, do you copy? Over.”

“Over, my foot! Why couldn't we reach you just now? We almost rushed in ourselves.”

“It’s nothing. I think I ran into the culprit, but it’s been taken care of. You can come clean up now.”

There was a sudden silence on the earpiece after that.

Hearing nothing more, Shen He glanced toward the exit. Why had everyone gone quiet? Was it because of his joke just now, telling them to come clean up? Were they upset? No way—were these officers really that petty?

As Shen He pondered, a familiar vehicle pulled up abruptly at the ruin's exit. Chen Xu and his team entered warily, guns and flashlights in hand.

Shen He swung his flashlight toward them. “Don’t worry, it’s all settled.”

The team let out a collective sigh of relief upon seeing him. Their gazes swiftly locked onto the mutated dog’s headless corpse on the ground.

At the sight, Chen Zhao froze, then remarked, “Is that dagger really that effective? The head’s clean off.”

Shen He waved his entrenching tool. “This thing’s more useful.”

Chen Zhao was speechless. When had this kid started carrying an entrenching tool? He hadn’t seen it among the gear earlier.

Shen He said, “Unless I’m mistaken, this should be the culprit. As soon as I got inside, it sprang out from the basement.”

“Basement?” Chen Zhao followed the beam of Shen He’s flashlight, frowning when he saw the opening. “Check who the previous owner was. There’s no record of a basement in the building permits. This is an illegal structure—notify the construction bureau, and don’t forget to fine them.”

He then instructed the others to bag up the mutant dog’s corpse.

The team, visibly excited, placed the body in a recovery bag. It was their first time catching a mutated animal—let alone one highly likely to be the killer of that high official’s child. Once the forensics team confirmed it, the case could be considered solved.

To solve the case this quickly, and to catch a mutant dog—even a dead one—was a major achievement. After all, in the past month of mysterious incidents across Fragrance City, this was the first real breakthrough. These creatures seemed to become cunning after mutating, making them almost impossible to track.

While the others dealt with the corpse, Shen He turned his attention to his progress as a Martial Artist.

[Martial Artist]
[Current Progress: 50% to Beginner]

Goodness—after that battle, his “Martial Artist’s Beginning” quest progress had doubled, from 25% to 50%. As expected, the fastest way to improve was through combat. Fighting—what a thrill!

He then pulled up his personal stats panel:

[Player: Shen He]
[Strength: 3.2]
[Stamina: 5.0]
[Agility: 2.1]
[Spirit: 3.2]
[Unallocated Attribute Points: 3]
[Skill Points: 1]
(Evaluation: You are a healthy adult male. Years of training have made your physique far superior to the average person, but you still have a long way to go to reach Tier One.)

His panel had changed slightly—attribute points were now split between unallocated points and skill points. The one skill point came from completing his daily quest related to basic combat techniques.

Shen He considered this, then glanced at his Martial Artist section, where a plus sign appeared next to the progress bar. While the others were busy, he tapped the plus sign.

In the next instant, something flashed through his mind—his body seemingly acquired a new set of muscle memories out of thin air. Once he acclimated to his body’s changes, he checked the panel again:

[Martial Artist]
[Current Progress: Beginner (50%)]

His eyes lit up. So that’s how skill points work—instantly advancing from uninitiated to beginner. What would happen next, he wondered? Would reaching 100% at beginner level make him a Tier One Martial Artist? If so, this quest didn’t seem so difficult after all.

As for his three unallocated attribute points—those were precious and better saved for emergencies. There might be another big fight tonight. If he were injured, adding a point to stamina could heal minor wounds instantly—indispensable in a pinch.

Just as Shen He felt a surge of satisfaction, Chen Zhao’s voice echoed from the basement. Flashlight in hand, Shen He walked over and shone it down the stairs.

Chen Zhao was standing at the stairwell, looking up with an uneasy expression. After climbing up, he called to Wu Xiaoxiao, who was guarding the door, “Notify Team Two to come over, have them make a record and collect the remains.”

Wu Xiaoxiao nodded at once.

Shen He crouched at the basement entrance, peering inside. The flashlight revealed a chaotic scattering of bones below—many with clear human characteristics. Some even had streaks of fresh blood still visible.

Shen He’s face paled, his throat tightening as nausea threatened to rise, but his exceptional willpower soon suppressed it.

Chen Zhao lit a cigarette, inhaling deeply before exhaling a slow plume of smoke. “Over the past month, those reported missing in the district… I fear their chances are slim.”

He finally understood why the official’s son had only been decapitated. The mutant dog must have been full by then.

Shen He cleared his throat. “What’s next?”

“Are you tired?” Chen Zhao asked. “If not, take a look around the area where you live. See if you can find that mutant mantis.”

“Not tired,” Shen He replied. “How much effort does it take to deal with a dog?”

Chen Zhao nodded, then asked Shen He to remove his chest-mounted body camera, replacing it with a new one. “Switch it on when we arrive.”

After a moment’s hesitation, he added, “We have to use the camera—it’s for analysis and records. Don’t take it personally. I’ll make sure you get extra credit in your commendation.”

Shen He grinned. “No problem. What can I say—I’m a model citizen.”

Chen Zhao blinked, then laughed and clapped Shen He on the shoulder.

They got into the car, leaving two officers behind to wait for Team Two. The car headed toward Shen He’s neighborhood on the edge of the city.

Chen Zhao smoked all the way. He’d thought he’d be happy once the case of the official’s murdered son was closed. But after seeing that pile of bones in the basement, he felt anything but—if anything, the pressure was mounting.

How had the world come to this? It felt more and more unfamiliar…