Chapter 23: Operator Shakya Reports for Duty

After waiting for quite a while and confirming that Qin Yun was not at home, Longsheng had no choice but to leave the food with the elderly caretaker in the lobby of the apartment building, asking him to pass it on to Sha Ke Ya when she returned.

On his way back, Longsheng did not want to head home too early; it was only a little past 3:00 PM. The nearby commercial pedestrian street was one of the few places that still felt relatively lively. Even though many citizens had fled the city, this area remained much the same as always. Seeing such a scene, Longsheng felt a slight sense of relief. If he had come out with Bruce today, it would have been quite bustling. But wandering around alone like this wasn't bad either; Longsheng planned to check out a bookstore for any good new releases and perhaps buy some games. Since he had finally made it out, he shouldn't treat himself poorly. With that thought, his pace lightened.

"Hmm... did that shop close down?"

Longsheng had bought some books on digital products and was heading to his usual game store. However, something was strange; he circled the area several times but couldn't find the storefront.

"That's odd..."

Longsheng found the small alleys in this area unusually difficult to navigate today. Although the population of New Chunqiu City had decreased recently, he had visited that game store just last weekend; it couldn't have shut down so quickly. Rubbing his chin, he decided to look one more time, and if he still couldn't find it, he would just head home. Thinking this, he cracked open the canned cola he had bought at the convenience store, finished the last few sips, and started walking again. Since this was a back alley, there was no need to be too particular about where he tossed the trash. Longsheng casually flicked the empty can toward a wall corner.

The empty can clattered and rolled toward the alley where the game store was supposed to be, but suddenly, it vanished.

"Are you kidding me..."

Longsheng had seen the scene clearly. He had subconsciously tossed the can toward a pile of trash he thought was in that direction, but the can seemed to roll into something that obscured it and simply disappeared.

"This..."

A wild theory crossed Longsheng's mind. He picked up a discarded mop handle from nearby and extended it forward, slowly approaching the spot where the can had vanished. Sure enough, the end of the stick disappeared into the scenery ahead. He stirred it around and found that the area acted like a mirage, disturbed by the motion of the stick. When he pulled it back, the stick showed no signs of damage.

"Is it some kind of holographic projection?"

Longsheng was fond of sci-fi, and he had seen such things in movies often. Thinking this, he decided to reach out with his own hand to test it. He swallowed hard; after all, it was his own body, and it took a significant amount of courage. If something went wrong, he didn't even want to imagine it. Just as he was lost in his wild thoughts, he realized he had already unconsciously reached his hand through.

"Huh?" There was no strange sensation on his hand at all.

It seemed this was indeed some kind of optical illusion. Bolstered by this, he gathered his courage and walked straight through. To his surprise, there was no alternate dimension or anything astonishing. It was simply the alley he had been looking for. However, the difference was that at the end of the alley stood the game store he had been trying to find. Several figures dressed in identical black suits were standing at the entrance.

The situation felt eerie, so Longsheng decided to observe from the shadows. He crept closer, hiding behind a dumpster. There appeared to be several people lying on the ground, and the figures in black were gathered around them, discussing something.

"Did a crime take place?" Longsheng wondered.

Suddenly, he saw someone who shocked him. Among the black-clad figures, there was one person in plain clothes. There was no mistake—it was Qin Yun! Although she wasn't wearing the clothes he usually saw her in at school, her hairstyle was unchanged, and he recognized her at a glance. Connecting this to the fact that a woman in a strange uniform often came to pick her up in a car after school—a uniform similar to those worn by these black-suited people—he felt a surge of confusion.

"Qin Yun... who exactly are you?"

Longsheng’s mind was filled with questions. After talking for a while, the black-clad figures seemed to place the bodies lying on the ground into body bags, intending to haul them away. Seeing that they were finishing their work, Longsheng quickly slipped away the way he came to avoid being discovered. He ran to the street corner and panted heavily. *Don't get caught,* he thought. He waited at the intersection for a while, but no one emerged from the alley; it seemed the group had left through the other side. Not wanting to get involved in any trouble, Longsheng decided to head straight home.

He would bet everything that the girl was Qin Yun. He had heard her speak during their conversation, and her voice was unmistakable. He couldn't possibly know what Qin Yun and the others were doing, nor did he know her affiliation with those people.

In reality, it was indeed Qin Yun—Sha Ke Ya and the agents of Schwager had received a report of a bizarre incident and had come to investigate. Sha Ke Ya hadn't been in the best state lately, so her training had been put aside, and her martial arts master had suggested she take a few days off. This rare vacation, however, was ruined by an early morning phone call from Ziyuan regarding a bizarre homicide at a shop in the commercial district.

"If it's a homicide, isn't that for the police? Why do we need to get involved?" Sha Ke Ya had asked, puzzled.

"If the police could handle it, they wouldn't have called us. In any case, I suspect this incident is related to a new enemy."

Since Ziyuan said so, Sha Ke Ya had no choice but to go. Sighing, she checked the time—it was 9:00 AM. With an hour left before the 10:00 AM appointment, she decided there was time for a shower before leaving. The incident site wasn't too far from her place anyway.

Sha Ke Ya grabbed a shared bike downstairs and pedaled toward the scene. Upon arriving nearby, a male agent in a Schwager uniform was already waiting for her. He introduced himself as Agent J.

"What's going on?" Sha Ke Ya asked as she hopped off the bike.

"Ms. Sha Ke Ya, please follow me." The agent gestured for her to follow. They turned into a small alley, and Sha Ke Ya found nothing there. "Why are we coming to this empty alley? There's nothing here..."

Before she could finish, she saw the agent in front of her suddenly step into empty space and vanish.

"Please come forward, Ms. Sha Ke Ya."

Skeptical, she continued walking. She felt a flicker before her eyes, as if she had passed through a curtain, and suddenly, a shop appeared before her. Several police officers and agents were standing at the entrance.

"This is an optical holographic screen; it masks the view of people outside so we can handle the incident undisturbed," Agent J explained.

"Oh? Schwager has this kind of black tech?" Sha Ke Ya poked her head back out; sure enough, she couldn't see the rest of her body on the other side of the screen.

"I've brought her!" the male agent called out to the others waiting there. He led Sha Ke Ya to the group.

"We'll leave it to you then. We police can't handle this kind of phenomenon... I'm truly sorry. On behalf of our precinct, I thank you." One of the officers, who seemed to be a high-ranking official, shook Sha Ke Ya's hand. He gave a brief description of the case and then allowed Sha Ke Ya and her team to enter the shop to examine the scene.

"Understood, we'll take it from here. We will notify the police of our findings," Sha Ke Ya said.

"Very well, thank you for your hard work." The officer handed a copy of the case report to the agents and Sha Ke Ya before leaving.

The case was simple: this game store had been attacked by an otherworldly entity, and the two employees inside had been found dead. Parts of the victims' bodies had been erased, resulting in instant death. It wasn't chopped off or bitten off—it was erased very cleanly, just like a drawing being wiped away by an eraser. This was definitely not an ordinary crime.

With permission granted, Sha Ke Ya and the agents began a thorough search of the shop. Things were becoming truly bizarre.