Chapter 30 Part 2

Even post-mutation, it should match something similar. But the fresh report showed—completely absent.

As if the “Night Crying Woman” wasn’t a humanoid weird at all, yet it clearly formed from a human.

Thinking of the fully human-like back figure occasionally captured on Golden Summit, Zheng Shangyun had a headache. He turned and said:

“Call He Chengfeng over.”

“Yes, Captain Zheng.” The assistant responded immediately.

Soon, Second Esper Squad Captain He Chengfeng arrived. Seeing his superior’s expression, he knew the test report was out.

And the results were probably not optimistic.

He Chengfeng picked up the report, skimmed it quickly, then read it carefully again. He understood why his superior looked so grim.

Not in the database.

Did that mean their judgment on the “Night Crying Woman” had been wrong from the start?

Was it not mutated from a human, but composed some other way?

They exchanged glances. He Chengfeng pondered and spoke: “Actually, this might be good news.”

Seeing his superior say nothing, He Chengfeng continued: “From this report, though our prior judgment had some error, we now have a new breakthrough.”

If the “Night Crying Woman” was a non-human mutated weird, then all previous unexplainable inconsistencies now made sense. They might even end this weird incident that had spanned Mengjia City for two years.

After a silence, Zheng Shangyun rubbed his brow: “So, that weird in [Taiping Luxury Garden] sent this not for us to test, but to tell us the ‘Night Crying Woman’s’ true identity?”

He Chengfeng twitched his mouth: “Who knows.”

“True.”

“Anyway, let’s have a meeting first.”

Zheng Shangyun shook his head and refocused, no longer dwelling. With the new direction on the “Golden Summit” incident, he immediately prepared to redeploy.

Previous info errors had let the “Night Crying Woman” rampage this long; now with news, they couldn’t let it slip again.

The Resurgence Management Office lit up brightly and bustled into action.

…

Inside [Taiping Luxury Garden]:

Bo Ting finished chatting with Mr. Xu, contentedly set down his phone, and then noticed… something felt off tonight?

The usually quiet suburbs seemed unusually lively.

On the road outside the complex, car engines roared one after another.

Bo Ting: …

Even though their complex fronted the road, there were too many vehicles passing tonight, right?

And it was already 11 p.m.?

Bo Ting frowned and double-checked the time.

It was evening, not morning.

So why were so many people coming to the suburbs at 11 p.m.?

Bo Ting had even just heard an off-roader cross the opposite intersection, heading toward Golden Summit.

The blaring horns at the traffic light rang out particularly clearly in the silent night, but fortunately, it wasn’t long before all the cars departed.

Bo Ting wore a strange expression on his face as he couldn’t help but send a message in the group chat.

“Did everyone hear that tonight?”

The message came out of nowhere, and ordinary people definitely wouldn’t understand it, but the neighbors in the group had all heard it.

“The car noises just now?”

“I heard them too.”

Wu Ge, who lived in a building near the security booth, subconsciously chimed in.

“They were so loud my ears hurt.”

“Doesn’t Mengjia City have noise restrictions at night?”

Sister Han, who had been sleeping her beauty sleep, complained.

Bo Ting touched his ear.

It was indeed a bit noisy, but not that exaggerated.

Wait.

That wasn’t what he had asked about.

Fortunately, Fitness Zhang Bro, who often thought along the same lines as Bo Ting when it came to deductions, stepped up.

“That’s not the point.”

“I’m just wondering, what are all these cars doing here in the middle of the night?”

“Isn’t Jinding Peak right ahead, where that serial killer has been showing up?”

“Are all those cars there to arrest the murderer?”

The abrupt speculation instantly energized everyone.

“Is that it?”

“A little noise is fine then.”

Sister Han immediately changed her tune. “As long as they catch that damn pervert, I could go seven days and nights without sleep.”

“Sister Han, don’t say it like that.”

Bo Ting felt it sounded off.

Seven days and seven nights—what was that if not evoking the idea of the seventh day after death?

Hearing Bo Ting’s comment, Sister Han lightly coughed and took the advice.

“Little Bo’s right.”

Through her connection with Doudou, Sister Han knew full well that it was currently hanging on Bo Ting’s door, making her feel a bit guilty at that moment.

Bo Ting relaxed his gaze and looked back at the discussions in the group.

“But why capture him so late at night? Will that even work?” Elder Wen, who tended to overthink, hesitated. He always felt that going up the mountain at night wasn’t safe.

Upstart Bro rubbed his buzz cut. “They must be fully prepared.”

“Besides, arrests happen when it’s quiet at night. What if the guy gets wind of it during the day and runs?”

“I’ve seen on TV that they always do overnight captures.”

Upstart Bro’s logical argument convinced Elder Wen.

Elder Wen then grew expectant about the night’s operation as well.

Cough—as long as they caught the guy, it was fine. Having such a dangerous element roaming free was truly nerve-wracking.

“Um, neighbors, I have an idea.”

“Why don’t we all stay up tonight?”

“It’s such a dangerous operation right nearby. Sleeping feels unsafe. How about we wait for the results before resting?”

Brother Sun, who dealt in clothing wholesale, proposed uneasily.

But he voiced the concerns of the neighborhood.

Yeah.

With such a terrifying serial killer, what if he went berserk during the capture and fled down the mountain?

Their complex was the closest in the area. They’d all seen those TV plots where the criminal took hostages and escaped.

Elder Wen nodded this time.

“Little Sun’s right.”

“Since we’ve already heard the sounds, let’s not sleep tonight, everyone. Wait for the results.”

“It shouldn’t take too long, right?”

Elder Wen wasn’t entirely sure.

Bo Ting shook his head, feeling that everyone was thinking too simply.

This was a mountain search.

And it had rained just yesterday, making the ascent even harder. It would probably take a full day before they got any results.

…

Facts proved Bo Ting’s estimate was spot on.

After shifting strategies, the Resurgence Management Office indeed spent a full day tracking down the “Night Crying Woman” hidden deep in the woods.

Countless cries, combined with sparrows, weasels, insects, and every medium on Jinding Peak capable of transmitting sorrowful sounds, formed the web concealing the Night Crying Woman.

The Ability Users with awakened psychic abilities stood guard vigilantly. Once they pinpointed the direction, they snapped their eyes open.

“West side!”

Yan Feng spoke in a deep voice, and the captain of the Second Esper Squad immediately led the team to encircle it.

Strands of long hair wove densely through swathes of trees. The Night Crying Woman’s form flickered unpredictably. She had never imagined that the premonition of disaster wouldn’t strike that terrifying neighborhood she dismissed, but instead hit the Resurgence Management Office she had never taken seriously.

Just a bunch of humans who were mere food—how dare they corner her like this!

Damn it!

Damn it!

Damn it!

After being chased to the mountainside, malice surged uncontrollably in the Night Crying Woman’s heart. The long hair drifting over the mountain silently retracted, and in an instant, she finally revealed her true face.

—It was a face with nothing on it.

It was less a face and more the illusion humans instinctively conjured upon seeing her.

Cognition blurred for a moment in their minds. He Chengfeng felt a brief daze, but Yan Feng, the psychic Ability User beside him, snapped him out of it.

“Captain He!”

He Chengfeng immediately came to his senses, realization dawning.

Tch, so she had a disorienting ability too. No wonder they hadn’t suspected her mutated identity before.

He Chengfeng took a deep breath, cast aside all the fleeting thoughts, and resumed the pursuit.

The Night Crying Woman’s shrill wail echoed across the entire Jinding Peak, audible to everyone nearby.

Even Taiping Luxury Garden felt the impact.

Bo Ting, who hadn’t gotten results the night before and had just fallen asleep tonight, was jolted awake by the piercing cry.

The grating sound pinched the throat on purpose, drilling straight into his brain.

Bo Ting flung off the blanket and sat up.

“What the hell?”

Screeching like a ghost in the middle of the night?!

Anyone who stayed up all night only to finally sleep and get woken up would be furious.

Bo Ting was no exception.

On the balcony, one cat and one dog lay obediently, showing none of the rebellious chaos from yesterday’s brawl.

Outside the complex buildings, waves of noisy cries kept coming, as if determined to annoy everyone to death.

Bo Ting was so pissed he almost laughed.

Had that serial killer switched to disturbing the peace?!

If the first time he heard the crying in the neighborhood had made Bo Ting a bit uneasy, this time, hearing it from so far away, only anger remained.

In a fit of rage, Bo Ting opened the neighborhood group. After polling the still-awake residents, he unleashed the complex’s ultimate square dance music to clash with the noise magic.

The “whooshing” music suddenly blared near the fitness plaza, accompanied by the cheerful rhythm of the Sunset Red troupe.

Atop Jinding Peak, the Night Crying Woman spat malicious curses and was just about to wail again when the cry brewing in her mind suddenly stalled.

Had she abruptly heard a bizarrely catchy, brainwashing cheerful song?