Chapter 57: Part (2): Disturbance Inside the Police Station

After the four of them entered the police station, they quickly scattered and began flanking towards the direction where the gunshots had been heard. Luo Anying took her sniper rifle off her back and surveyed the surrounding terrain. She chose the office building as the high ground. Using a levitation spell, she lightly kicked off the ground and ascended to the eighth floor.

“Senior Luo, can you see the specific situation at the scene?” Ke Xin immediately asked through the communication device as Luo Anying reached the rooftop.

At that moment, Luo Anying had reached the edge near the parking lot. Looking down, she saw a police officer lying on the ground, bleeding heavily from a gunshot wound to the chest. Despite the severe injury, she could still detect weak life signs; the officer was alive.

“Phantom reporting, a police officer is injured and down in the parking lot of the Linxi City Police Station. Immediate medical assistance is required,” Luo Anying reported through the communication device, before scanning the rest of the area.

The parking lot was empty, except for one police car that was still moving.

The driver of the police car clearly lacked skill. The car first suddenly accelerated and slammed into a green traffic divider, then quickly shifted into reverse and crashed into another parked police car.

Unfortunately, from this angle, Luo Anying couldn’t see the driver’s condition.

If she had already confirmed the presence of a terrorist or other dangerous individuals inside, she would have already pulled the trigger for a precise kill.

“Received,” Ke Xin replied. Upon hearing that someone had been injured, she quickened her pace.

Using magic to stop the bleeding at the first opportunity could greatly increase the chance of survival until medical help arrived.

“Princess, a suspicious target is heading towards your direction,” came the voice of Hong Lian from the earpiece.

At this moment, the other two had reached the parking lot. Upon seeing them, the driver of the police car immediately turned the vehicle around.

Almost simultaneously, the damaged police car appeared within Ke Xin’s line of sight.

In that instant, Ke Xin made eye contact with the driver. She could confirm that the person inside was no longer human.

Moreover, knowing full well that there were people on the road, the driver ignored the warnings and floored the gas pedal, the car’s engine roaring with force as it rapidly sped up.

“Stop the car!” Ke Xin raised her handgun and issued a warning, but the driver clearly paid no heed.

This was, of course, expected. She had already deployed an invisible magic shield in front of her; that was why she could remain so composed.

Hearing the noise, the police officers inside the office building poked their heads out of the windows. What they saw was the speeding car heading straight toward the petite SIA agent. Everyone felt a cold sweat run down their spines.

However, just as the police car was about to hit Ke Xin, the vehicle seemed to hit an invisible iron wall, instantly crumpling upon impact. The energy from the collision spread through the car’s frame.

In less than a second, what had been a relatively intact police car turned into a twisted mess of metal.

“I already warned you.” Ke Xin sighed lightly and cautiously approached what was now the car door, her handgun always pointed at the driver’s seat, her finger poised on the trigger, ready to fire at any moment.

For an ordinary person, surviving such a crash would have been considered miraculous.

Yet, after sensing Ke Xin’s approach, the driver quickly raised his head from the exploded airbag. His face was covered in deep lacerations, but he seemed unbothered by the pain, twisting his head in an eerie way to glare at Ke Xin.

He struggled to lunge at her, growling like a wild beast, but the seatbelt kept him securely in place.

The police vehicles had excellent passive safety, Ke Xin mused.

“What happened?” A familiar voice came from behind. It was Deputy Director Chen, who had just finished his meeting.

Ke Xin couldn’t help but click her tongue. Of course, he would show up now, of all times.

“Special Investigations Bureau, all unrelated personnel maintain distance,” Ke Xin said in a flat tone, not bothering to soften her words.

“What unrelated personnel? This is our territory!” Deputy Director Chen glanced at the wrecked police car, then at the pink-haired girl pointing a gun at the driver’s seat. For a moment, he found it hard to connect the image he was seeing with what was actually happening. “What exactly is going on? I need an explanation.”

“It’s hard to explain, and you can’t get too close. It’s dangerous,” Ke Xin responded while checking in with the others for updates.

“We’ve administered emergency first aid to the injured officer. His condition has stabilized, but he needs to be sent to the hospital immediately. Investigator Guan has already contacted the rescue helicopter from the Special Investigations Bureau,” came the reply.

Elsewhere, Lan Xing had used magic to provide emergency treatment to the injured officer, though her healing abilities were limited due to not having specialized training in medicine.

“That’s good,” Ke Xin muttered.

She suspected that the driver had acted after sensing the approach of the magical girls, deciding to carry out some plan. It seemed that the officer had gotten in the way on the way to the parking lot, and the driver had removed the obstacle in a very direct manner.

She still wasn’t sure if these eerie puppets had any real intelligence or if they were just mindless.

“No sign of the other target’s whereabouts, continue holding the high ground,” Luo Anying reported.

“We’ve wrecked a car like this, and there’s still danger…?” Ke Xin couldn’t help but question, as Deputy Director Chen was still inching closer to the wrecked car. Seeing the familiar officer inside, now gnashing his teeth as if he wanted to tear him apart, Chen couldn’t help but feel a primal fear, involuntarily stepping back.

Though he hadn’t seen any eerie creatures firsthand, he had watched enough zombie movies to know what this looked like.

“What’s wrong with Xiao Li? What are you planning to do with him?” Deputy Director Chen asked, pointing at the officer who had lost all rationality.

“I don’t think you want to know,” Ke Xin responded, now in a dilemma.

At this point, this man had already become a type of eerie creature, and logically, he should be eliminated immediately.

But with so many people around, it would look as if an SIA agent had just killed a police officer. That would create a massive mess, and conspiracy theorists would come up with ridiculous stories that even novelists would envy.

Just as Ke Xin was wondering what to do, Investigator Guan arrived at the scene.

Ke Xin immediately turned toward her with a look of relief, realizing that it was better to let the leadership handle this.

With just one look, Investigator Guan understood the request.

“Deputy Director Chen,” Investigator Guan said as she handed over her tablet, “Your superior should have already briefed you on this matter during the video conference.”

Deputy Director Chen looked surprised for a moment, as if asking how she knew, but given the Special Investigations Bureau’s higher-level clearance, it wasn’t all that strange.

“You might want to take a look at this. It concerns your own personnel,” Investigator Guan added.

Chen took the tablet and quickly scanned the content. His eyes widened, and he started reading the excerpts from the investigation report on the “Corpse Mother” attack in other areas.

After confirming something, he looked up at the officer, Xiao Li, his face turning solemn. Then, he sighed deeply. “I didn’t expect it to escalate to this point. There really is no other way, Investigator Guan? Xiao Li was a promising young officer, and his family…”

“I understand your feelings, but unfortunately, there’s no other way,” Investigator Guan shook her head. If there were another option, they would have taken it.

“This is tough… You guys stay away for now. It’s dangerous here.”

Deputy Director Chen waved off the onlookers, and within seconds, the crowd had dispersed, afraid to stay in the vicinity.