Chapter Sixty: Insect (3) Anomaly

The situation at the venue soon attracted a large contingent of the city security patrol. The captain of the patrol was a retired C-Class Hero of seventy years, and upon seeing the scene, he began to question Zhao Tianhe for details.

“An unknown monster? And it even yields experience points...” Hearing this, the elder’s expression grew grave. “Which dungeon has fallen? That’s impossible... It’s been over a decade since anything like this has happened!”

“Could it be...” Zhao Tianhe speculated, “that a new dungeon has appeared but gone unnoticed, resulting in monsters within forming their own society? And these parasite-type creatures are just the scouts sent out?”

“That’s not out of the question. In theory, every dungeon within a hundred-mile radius has been discovered and suppressed, but perhaps there are omissions in deeper subterranean caverns or underwater caves,” the elder nodded in agreement. In his long life, he had indeed encountered similar situations.

“So the next question is whether there are other monsters lurking in the city, and...” Zhao Tianhe frowned, thinking of a perplexing issue. ‘Why was the parasite targeting Mark and his group? No, it even showed hostility toward me at first. Is it simply targeting society’s elites? Or is there another factor?’

Since Mark and the others were nearby, Zhao Tianhe did not voice this question. He planned to speak privately with the old captain and then investigate Mark and his companions.

More importantly, he needed to investigate the victims’ identities to determine whether the attacks were random or if the victims had something in common.

Thus, Zhao Tianhe left together with the captain, discussing these matters along the way.

“I see, indeed...” Captain Jeff agreed with Zhao Tianhe’s reasoning. To be honest, their patrol’s usual duties involved nothing more than traffic accidents and violations by air vehicles; criminal cases were almost unheard of.

This world, unlike Earth, was one where magic existed. Solving cases was simple—most could be resolved through spells. Generally, unless there was deadly enmity, crimes didn’t occur. If they did, catching the criminal was the hardest part.

Those with murderous intent often possessed dangerous spells and even illegal magical artifacts; without overwhelming force, they were hard to subdue.

“You’ve got the right idea, kid, but this is our responsibility. You have to clear dungeons every day—better take a break,” Captain Jeff said kindly, patting Zhao Tianhe’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, we have specialized magical tools for tracking clues. Even if you came, you wouldn’t be much help.”

“Well, alright.” After a whole day’s work, Zhao Tianhe was indeed exhausted, and dragging Elley and Artoria along for detective work was hardly appropriate. With rare free time, it was better to rest and have something to eat.

Especially since Elley only had five minutes left in this world.

“There’s a good dessert shop nearby. Last time I saw they had ice cream—apparently just invented here. Shall we try it?” Zhao Tianhe suggested with a smile.

“You need to bathe first. I only need to change profession, but you’re different,” Artoria said, looking at Zhao Tianhe’s clothes and raising her hands.

“No problem, I’ll just use holy water,” Zhao Tianhe replied.

A minute later, soaked in golden water and exuding a faint holy aura, Zhao Tianhe pushed open the door to the dessert shop.

The Sacred Bullet, when not fired, could indeed serve as holy water—highly purified, no less.

Meanwhile, at the swimsuit launch venue, two patrol officers stood before floating metal spheres, each emitting waves of light in all directions, collecting and analyzing information.

These devices were terrifyingly efficient, akin to a fusion of Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes. Before long, they discovered identity clues left by the victim.

It was half a restaurant coupon, marked with handwriting. The metal sphere repaired and enlarged it, projecting a three-dimensional image before the officers.

“Half Mountain... That’s a restaurant on West Street. I’ve been there,” one patrol officer said. “This handwriting looks familiar—probably belongs to a staff member.”

“Is the trail cold?” The other officer continued to examine the projection, then spotted a distinctive metal button—a golden cartoon dog head. “A gold button with a Carty Dog? I always wanted one as a kid. If the victim wore this, it would be very conspicuous.”

An hour later, the victim’s identity was confirmed.

“Brenniel Design Studio, materials department staff...” Old Captain Jeff exhaled deeply, brow furrowed. He was beginning to feel something was amiss. ‘That kid’s guess was spot on. This is no accident—the perpetrator clearly has a purpose...’

“Mobilize all available personnel to check the crime scene,” Jeff ordered. “Also... well, if we can’t get results by tomorrow, then we’ll reconsider.”

On the beach outside the Hero Apartments, Zhao Tianhe had finished his daily training with Pixie and was resting.

“Insects?” Pixie asked in confusion. “Insects aren’t dangerous...”

“I mean monster insects. They can invade the body and transform it into a bug-monster—very dangerous,” Zhao Tianhe explained, sitting on the sand.

“I’ve never heard of such disgusting monsters~~” Pixie tilted her head, her feet tapping away at her phone screen, casting skills and attacking maps without even looking. Lately, she’d turned FGO into a rhythm game.

“It’s definitely disgusting,” Zhao Tianhe nodded, then suddenly stood and looked toward the Hero Apartments!

“What’s wrong?” Pixie asked, puzzled.

“Malice. Danger.” Zhao Tianhe stared at the back of his hand, every hair standing on end. Instinctively, he heightened his auditory senses.

Rustle... rustle...

A faint crawling sound reached his ears, making his scalp tingle—it was the sound of insects moving!

‘They’re after me?!’ Zhao Tianhe’s brows tightened; his short sword appeared in his hand, flames flickered along the blade, and he took up a defensive stance.

Ten seconds later, Zhao Tianhe grabbed Pixie and fled toward the sea!

From the direction of the Hero Apartments, pitch-black fog rushed toward Zhao Tianhe—but it wasn’t fog. It was a swarm of grotesque insects!

“Are these the bugs you were talking about?” Pixie asked curiously, seemingly not frightened at all.

“Of course! These are monsters—they’ll kill you!” Zhao Tianhe cried in terror as he swam out as fast as he could. “Hold tight to my hair! I’m going underwater! Who knows if those things fear water!”