33 The Lost Woman

"However, as punishment for running away with your daughter, you must do something for me."

The woman’s face was twisted, her eyes asymmetrical and bulging as she stared fixedly at Tu Ning. "What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to find me ten young girls."

The woman hesitated for a moment, as if her mind couldn't quite process the request, her head even rotating a full circle on her neck. "You want... to turn them into monsters like me?"

"You don't need to worry about what it's for. I have been merciful enough—giving you and your daughter a second life, only to ask for one small favor in return."

Tu Ning had already vanished, leaving only his voice lingering in the air.

The woman began to move, one step at a time, each step more fluid than the last. Slowly, her body became more coordinated, and the features on her face gradually returned to normal.

The moon rose to its zenith, illuminating a thin layer of clouds, while the thick, pungent scent of blood drifted far into the night.

The next day.

The residential building was swarming with onlookers, and police officers moved in and out, overwhelmed with work.

Early that morning, the five members of Old Man Wu’s family on Yangjia Lane had been discovered by a neighbor, lying in pools of blood.

"Captain Qin, the preliminary estimated time of death is around 9:00 PM last night."

Hearing his assistant's report, Qin Chuan immediately turned to Liu Lang. "Professor Liu, what time did you leave here yesterday?"

Liu Lang frowned. He had pinned Xiaobao’s head down at around 10:00 PM.

"Around 10:00, but I didn't notice anything unusual." It wasn't just him; the police who arrived after the report was filed hadn't noticed anything either.

All five members of the family had been decapitated, their expressions frozen in extreme terror.

The strangest part was that only the head of Old Man Wu’s daughter-in-law remained at the scene; her body was nowhere to be found.

Qin Chuan thought of how Xiaobao had survived with nothing but a head and was struck by a chilling suspicion. He couldn't help but look at Liu Lang for confirmation.

"Last night in the interrogation room, Xiaobao said her mother told her to wait there. Could it be that she was at Old Man Wu’s house choosing a new body?"

Liu Lang nodded. "They are capable of it."

"They?"

"Yes. Due to a non-disclosure agreement, I can't say much more. I can only tell you that I have seen them graft their own heads onto the bodies of bears, and even onto zombies."

Qin Chuan gulped, goosebumps breaking out all over his skin.

Shortly after they had seen Xiaobao’s head yesterday, they had received orders from their superiors to sign confidentiality agreements.

"Do you regret it?" Liu Lang asked curiously.

"Regret what?"

"Regret getting involved in this. Your life will certainly never be the same again."

Qin Chuan thought for two seconds, then smiled freely. "As criminal investigators, we’ve been living with our heads on the line for a long time. If I were the type to regret things, I wouldn't have entered this line of work!"

Liu Lang was stunned, the officer's words echoing in his ears.

This police officer, devoid of any special abilities, was determined to investigate crimes committed by monsters and non-human entities!

How many nights had he spent fantasizing about what his life would be like if none of this had happened—if he had just continued as an ordinary student?

Ordinary life might be dull, but it would have been comfortable; he would have been able to afford a private high school, and his parents would have left him a considerable fortune.

Did he regret it?

He didn't know, but he couldn't bring himself to say he didn't.

Feng Wang called.

"Liu Lang, the team is still busy and can't take this case. I know about it; it's not something a novice like you can handle. I'll arrange other cases for you."

Liu Lang glanced at Qin Chuan’s back, feeling a surge of encouragement. "Captain, I can do it."

What was wrong with this kid? He seemed different.

He hesitated for a second before agreeing. "I understand. Be careful, and don't forget to practice your Heavenly Blade techniques."

Liu Lang gave an excited "Yes," and if not for his embarrassment, he would have saluted.

In the crowd, a woman was staring at Liu Lang.

When Liu Lang sensed her gaze and turned around, he saw nothing.

Song Lili wandered aimlessly, eventually finding herself on Niulan Street.

The hawkers' cries filled the air. In years past, at this time of year, Xiaobao would have been clamoring to go swimming.

She watched the flow of people coming and going, the June sun radiating a faint chill.

Where should she go?

Home?

That wasn't a home! That was the source of every nightmare!

If death were the end, wouldn't that have been a beautiful conclusion?

"Auntie Song, where's Xiaobao?" A naive, innocent child spotted Song Lili and shouted out.

It was the neighbor's kid!

"What are you saying, child!" The adult was about to scold the kid for speaking nonsense, but then they saw Song Lili too.

"Little Song... you're still alive... no, where have you been for the last month?" The neighbor's voice was a mix of astonishment, sympathy, and other complex emotions. "Hey, hey, don't run away!"

Song Lili covered her face and fled.

She could never go back there!

"I... I am a monster!" She looked at her hands—strange, fair, and tender, without a single callus.

When she entered last night, the owner of these hands was still scolding her husband!

What a lucky woman, having a husband who indulged her.

When they saw her head, the whole family had frozen in shock.

It wasn't until she swapped the husband's head that Old Man Wu started screaming "Monster!" and lunged at her.

She then swapped out Old Man Wu’s head.

Old Man Wu’s wife and daughter-in-law huddled in the corner, holding the child and trembling.

Looking at their child, Song Lili thought of her own Xiaobao.

Right, she needed to find a body for Xiaobao, too. She removed the child’s head.

The wife and daughter-in-law tried to fight her, so she took their heads as well.

With a head in each hand, she looked down at the man's body.

A woman's body was better suited for her.

And so, she removed her own head from the man's body and placed it onto the daughter-in-law's body.

After gaining the ability to swap heads, Song Lili developed a special intuition—what Tu Ning called her "gift."

She could sense the strength of others. Tu Ning’s power was as vast as a mountain, filling her with terror. Even the lecherous man beside him exuded a danger that made her heart tremble.

She had seen that boy pin Xiaobao’s head to the wall, but her intuition told her she was no match for him.

What should she do?

Forget it, she would just fight!

But Tu Ning had appeared and stopped her.

She had escaped, taking advantage of a moment when the lecherous man wasn't paying attention, and fled with her daughter.

Her last memory before dying was that man—who deserved to be hacked into a thousand pieces—chopping up their corpses, while a large pot bubbled on the stove in the kitchen.

When she and her daughter reawakened, they found they were nothing but heads.

Tu Ning had placed them in a clothing store display window.

She had been placed on a mannequin, and Xiaobao had been hung on a clothes rack.

Xiaobao, being young, didn't understand and even said she had been given pretty clothes to wear.

...

"Hey, little bride, why are you crying? Tell me all about it!" A sleazy-looking hooligan spotted Song Lili crouching in the corner.

Song Lili wiped her tears; she had hidden in an alleyway with no one around.

"Hey, hey, don't run off." The hooligan grabbed her sleeve. "My dear sister, you have such a great figure..."

Song Lili removed the hooligan's head, tossed it aside, and walked away.

A surveillance camera silently recorded it all.