Chapter 8: Traitors Must All Die!

"Zhang Huaian, what is the situation on your end?"

The voice of the team leader, Xia An, came through the earpiece. Zhang Huaian boredly unfolded a newspaper to block his face, peering through a slit cut into the paper to watch Zhou Mo’s movements.

Zhang Huaian sat upright, using a beanie to cover his conspicuous hair color. "This Zhou Mo is truly patient. He has been waiting here for an entire afternoon."

"I suspect he’s waiting for his accomplice to get off work, but I really don't understand—he’s covered up so thoroughly, isn't he worried about drawing attention to himself in this physical examination center?"

In fact, almost every passing doctor and nurse couldn't help but take a second look at Zhou Mo.

Xia An chuckled over the earpiece. "The more patient he is, the more significant their scheme must be. Arrest him once they meet up."

Zhang Huaian paused slightly and asked in a low voice, "Captain, have you discovered new evidence on your end? Are we ready to arrest them?"

Xia An’s voice sounded somewhat pleased. "Yes, we found a large amount of blood in his home. Judging by the volume, Zhou Mo’s residence was definitely a crime scene, and it happened within the last few days. He wasn't careful when cleaning it up; we’ve already extracted DNA."

Zhang Huaian let out a sigh of relief. "That’s great..."

"Captain, Zhou Mo is on the move."

Through the slit in the newspaper, Zhang Huaian saw Liao Feng take off his white coat, exchange a few words with the nurses nearby, lock the door, and leave.

Seeing Liao Feng depart, Zhou Mo immediately stood up and followed him, acting somewhat furtively.

Witnessing this, Zhang Huaian frowned. "Captain, something isn't right."

"What? Did something happen?"

Zhang Huaian put away the newspaper, stood up as if nothing were wrong, and checked the time, scanning the direction the two had gone with his peripheral vision. "The two of them might not be accomplices. Zhou Mo looks more like he's tailing him."

"Tailing? Don't jump to conclusions yet. Let’s see what they are up to first. Remember to stay safe."

"Understood."

After hanging up, Zhang Huaian followed them into the fire escape. Listening to the direction they were heading down, he deduced they were likely going to the underground parking garage.

Zhang Huaian stayed above for a moment, not moving until he heard the sound of a door closing; only then did he head down.

But when he reached the door, he found the electronic lock had been engaged. Just as he prepared to pull out his tools to pry it open, he noticed through the small window on the door that the lights in the underground garage had begun to flicker, and the detection instrument at his waist was vibrating violently.

Zhang Huaian’s expression shifted; he immediately dropped his tools and pressed the communication button.

"Captain! Requesting backup!"

"I lost them, and there is a subconscious monster here!"

...

"Who are you?"

Liao Feng stood under the dim lights, clutching his briefcase, looking calmly at the clumsy thief before him. The forced stalking along the way had made it impossible for him not to notice.

Zhou Mo laughed softly. "It seems Dr. Liao has a poor memory for important people; you’ve forgotten me already."

Liao Feng frowned at the face that was more than half-hidden. He did indeed feel a vague sense of familiarity, but he saw so many patients every day that he honestly couldn't remember when he might have offended such a young man.

Most of the people he had offended were already dead.

Never mind, it wasn't important.

Liao Feng shook his head slightly, took off his glasses, and tucked them into his chest pocket. "I don't know why you're following me, but I'll give you one chance: get out of my sight."

"Young man, I’m not in a good mood these past two days, and I don't want any trouble. Do you understand what I mean?"

Liao Feng looked at Zhou Mo with unshakeable confidence, silently summoning the subconscious monster that belonged to him.

However, in Zhou Mo’s hollow eyes, he could clearly see the massive bat perched on the ceiling of the garage, its mouth agape, staring at him with vicious intent. It seemed that with a single command from Liao Feng, the giant bat would swoop down and tear him to shreds.

At the same time, the lights in the underground garage began to flicker erratically, like a scene from a horror movie right before a ghost appears.

Being stared at by such a monster put immense pressure on Zhou Mo, but the brain hidden under the car gave him a sense of reassurance—and, of course, a hint of anticipation.

Zhou Mo smiled politely. "Dr. Liao, please don't misunderstand. I have no ill intentions; I just want to ask you a question."

Liao Feng’s patience was wearing thin. He frowned and asked, "What exactly do you want to ask? I have no interest in playing these games with you. If you don't want to die, get lost!"

However, the Zhou Mo opposite him slowly removed his glasses and hat, revealing a hollow skull and the two deep, dark voids in his face.

He smiled like a demon that had just crawled out of the abyss.

"I just wanted to come and ask you: do you know who took my brain?"

*Zzzzt!*

The lightbulbs in the underground garage crackled with electricity, but in Liao Feng’s heart, it was like a thunderclap!

*Rumble!*

Liao Feng’s brain went blank, and his complexion turned as pale as death.

The color drained from his face, his legs trembled, and his expression was full of disbelief, as if he had seen a ghost.

The lights flickered incessantly, reflecting off that eerie face. Those two pitch-black voids seemed to pierce through the incandescent light one moment and turn into bottomless abysses the next, as if they were about to suck Liao Feng’s soul inside.

"You..."

"Weren't you already dead?"

"Why... why are you still here?"

Seeing Liao Feng’s reaction, Zhou Mo knew he had found the right person. He smiled even more hideously, bowing his head to let Liao Feng see the hollow interior of his skull.

"Do you think my current state can be considered 'alive'?"

Compared to his amateurish attempt when facing Li Ya, Zhou Mo’s acting skills had improved significantly; at the very least, he truly didn't look like a human anymore.

Liao Feng’s mental fortitude was far worse than that of Li Ya at the Messer Clinic. He backed away two steps, his legs shaking in terror.

"You—don't come after me! It wasn't me who killed you!"

"It was them! They insisted that I help find a scapegoat! This has nothing to do with me; I never wanted to kill you!"

"Compared to them, I’m just a small pawn. I couldn't disobey their orders!"

The two voids on Zhou Mo’s face curved into an arc, making his entire face look even more grotesque in the flickering light.

"Who are they?"

Zhou Mo’s voice echoed through the underground parking garage, and he took a step toward Liao Feng...

Liao Feng shuddered violently. He sat down on the ground, stretching his hands forward as if to block Zhou Mo’s approach from afar. His voice trembled as he said, "They... they are from the Chuanghe Research Center..."

Before Liao Feng could finish his sentence, the giant bat above suddenly opened its mouth, let out a piercing screech, and swooped down with its wings spread nearly two meters wide!

But its target was not Zhou Mo—it was Liao Feng!

As the massive wings enveloped Liao Feng’s body, the phantom of the giant bat slowly turned transparent and vanished into the air.

Liao Feng clutched his head in agony, screaming in panic, "No, I didn't tell anyone the secret!"

"I didn't break the rules!"

"You can't do this to me! I don't want to become a monster..."

"Please, I beg you, don't..."

Liao Feng’s entire face was transforming into the visage of a bat. His voice grew increasingly sharp, his arms elongated, and he lost the shape a human should have.

Finally, the incoherent words in Liao Feng’s mouth turned into a dull, sharp roar. He suddenly raised his head and stared fixedly at Zhou Mo with that terrifying face.

"Traitors must all die!"