The Turning Point

"Understood, Captain." That somewhat hoarse male voice came from outside the door again.

Under the bright white lights, Zhu Yan quickly stored the two clumps of human skin and uniforms into his ring, wiping away these abnormal traces.

In that brief moment, Zhu Yan had already formed a plan in his mind.

Just now, the thing outside the door introduced itself as "responding to the alarm."

It had asked, "Why did you make a sound like that?"

When he killed the "officer," it had indeed roared with a high-pitched tone; this was very likely their method of warning each other.

In the future, when killing these thriller creatures, he had to be more stealthy and catch them by surprise. He couldn't let them make a sound again!

"Do you need any help?" the thing outside continued to ask.

Zhu Yan took a step forward and pulled the glass door open.

Standing below the steps was an "officer."

It wore an armed police uniform, its face raised, looking at Zhu Yan expressionlessly.

Perhaps because of the Roleplay, this thing didn't conceal its true identity at all.

The edge of the skin suit below its Adam's apple curled up slightly, revealing the bright red muscle tissue underneath.

"No need," Zhu Yan replied, imitating the "Captain's" tone.

He pretended to turn his neck stiffly, quickly observing the situation outside.

Several thriller creatures dressed in armed police uniforms had blocked the intersection, trapping the students within an encirclement.

Zhu Yan saw people smiling and drinking milk tea; the trivial sounds of chatter and laughter drifted into his ears.

A long queue had actually formed at the entrance of the beverage shop. "Officers" laid out boxes of supplies, sitting behind simple, long wooden tables to distribute them to the students.

He looked toward the section of the road behind the duty booth.

This road was outside the "officers'" blockade line. There was no one on the street; only blurry, shifting figures could be seen behind the glass of the storefronts.

Zhu Yan kept his breathing as light as possible, feeling the fine hairs on the back of his neck stand up from the chill.

Danger.

Everyone here was in a perilous situation, but he couldn't open his mouth to warn any of his fellow humans.

Otherwise, he himself might get into trouble.

Finding clues as quickly as possible and killing the Alpha Wolf was the only way to save more people.

"Report the situation outside."

Zhu Yan maintained the bizarre tone, recalling the real Captain's phrase about "buying things."

"Has anyone bought anything from us?" he added.

The "officer" caught the strong scent of black mud and discarded human skin coming from Zhu Yan. Terror gripped it so tightly it could barely breathe.

With such a thick scent of their own kind, the Captain was still too cruel.

It took a trembling step back and submissively lowered its head.

"Captain, we have already taken control of this street."

"Rest assured, these players are all very stupid. None of them have run outside the street."

Zhu Yan thought of Yang Zhanbai, but the thought only flashed by for a moment.

Did that seemingly clever guy really not run out either?

The "officer" carefully glanced at Zhu Yan's expression, then quickly lowered those dark, hollow eyes.

"They are very obedient. Just telling a little lie is enough to make them wait obediently in place."

The "officer" spoke urgently, its words mixed with the sounds of hungry swallowing.

Whether it lied or not was unimportant.

What mattered was the tiny clue the Captain had let slip before dying!

What exactly did "buying things" mean?

"Rest assured, no students have proposed a trade so far."

The "officer" twisted the corners of its mouth up. Even though its head was bowed, Zhu Yan could still see that row of gleaming, ghastly white teeth.

He kept his focus, feeling a burst of cold euphoria erupt from his tightened heart.

Damn it.

Zhu Yan bit the tip of his tongue hard, cutting off this terrifying sensation.

The "officer's" voice carried a twisted smile: "Captain, rest assured."

"We followed The Boss's orders and brought out unnecessary supplies to give to these players."

Zhu Yan acutely caught the unfamiliar term.

Who was "The Boss"?

Was it an honorific for the Alpha Wolf, or was it someone else entirely?

These thoughts flashed by. Zhu Yan remained silent, patiently listening to the "officer" finish the rest of its words.

"So, they have absolutely no awareness of making a trade."

"Naturally, no one will go looking for those important commodities."

The "officer's" mouth split open even wider: "At this rate, these idiots won't even get to see The Boss."

Oh.

Zhu Yan boldly completed the sentence in his mind.

"They won't even get to see The Boss, let alone anything of a higher level."

Assuming this completion was correct, then "The Boss" should be a thriller creature of a higher tier than the "Captain."

It sounded like seeing it was also a necessary step to seeing the Alpha Wolf.

And if one wanted to see "The Boss"...

It had to be achieved through the "trade" and "buying things" mentioned by the Captain and this "officer."

Zhu Yan cast a sideways glance at the bustling little street.

The captain of the thriller creatures couldn't buy things.

He had to think of a way to return to that encirclement and turn back into a player!

Zhu Yan made his decision.

He snorted through his nose, indicating he had finished listening to the "officer's" report.

"Go back," he said coldly, stepping forward down the stairs. "I'll go take a look too. Staying here, I'm not at ease."

Seeing the "officer" submissively lower its head, Zhu Yan hurried back with large strides.

The Hovering Clock hung like a giant colorful moon in the dark sky not far away. As Zhu Yan passed through the "officers'" encirclement without any obstruction, he tried to see the hands on it clearly.

Unfortunately, there were only numbers and human faces on the clock face; no hints about the time could be seen.

That pair of darting eyes rolled around erratically. When they paused in the direction of the students, the thick red lips also split open to the roots of the ears.

Zhu Yan looked away, weaving through the street full of players, trying to find an empty alley or corner.

Many people were eating the food and drinks distributed by the "officers." A boy grabbed Zhu Yan, a satisfied smile on his face.

"Officer sir, why hasn't the clock chimed yet?"

"When will the bus arrive?"

Zhu Yan didn't know the answer, so he turned his head and glanced at the "officer" beside him.

The "officer" hurriedly stepped up, helping to pull this annoying livestock away from the Captain.

"Child, don't rush," it said steadily. "The police station's bus is being dispatched. It will arrive in about an hour."

Ah, was this the "little lie" the "officer" mentioned during its report?

A bus, this thing was most likely an empty promise.

Even if there really was a bus, it would just be a cage for transporting ingredients.

Zhu Yan glanced at the boy. His face actually bore a strange satisfaction as he continuously stuffed potato chips into his mouth.

"Alright, Officer sir," the boy said happily. "I'll go tell my friends."

"You go with him," Zhu Yan picked up on the boy's words, turning directly to the "officer" following him. "Help them out and answer the students' questions."

It was the perfect opportunity to send this thing away.

Otherwise, he would have to waste effort killing another thriller creature.

"Leave it to me, Captain."

The "officer" nodded submissively and walked away with its arm around the boy's shoulder.

Zhu Yan let out a sigh of relief.

He navigated the relatively short street with a series of twists and turns, slipping into an inconspicuous corner.

A few seconds later.

Zhu Yan emerged once again in the guise of a student. As he slipped on a new jacket unstained by the black mud, he surveyed the surrounding shops.

He was currently standing right between the So Happy Convenience Store and the CC Flower Shop.

The flower shop was completely dark, its front doors tightly locked, and there were no students inside.

The convenience store, on the other hand, was brightly lit. A uniformed police officer was standing at the counter, chatting and laughing with a group of students.

Zhu Yan noticed the neatly arranged shelves inside, though all the snacks and water had already been completely cleared out.

Without a moment's hesitation, he turned and stepped up the stairs leading to the convenience store entrance.

Right now, it was still daytime.

According to the rules, during the day, players could conduct normal trades with any horror creature.