hotmtlnovel #297 - Chapter 296 Chameleon, now!
#297 - Chapter 296 Chameleon, now!
Two days have passed since the last disappearance case.
Inside a room that exuded luxury in every detail, Huang Jianhua sat in front of a huge floor-to-ceiling window, a cigarette dangling from his mouth as he puffed out smoke rings.
"Brother Huang, the Fourth District has identified the identity of that Resurgent," Liu An said, walking up behind Huang Jianhua.
Hearing this, Huang Jianhua spat out the cigarette in his mouth and crushed the butt under his shoe. "Speak."
"067 Chameleon, a Seven-Banned Resurgent, a high-risk-rated disaster, a special-type Resurgent who can freely change the color of his body."
"Hmm?" Huang Jianhua raised his eyebrows in slight confusion. "A Seven-Banned Resurgent dares to run wild in City 200? Doesn't he know this city is protected by the Star Plucking Academy?"
Liu An said, "City 200 is located on the border of the Federation's Second District, so it might be easier for him to escape!"
Huang Jianhua nodded in agreement and continued, "How's Li Chenqiu doing?"
Liu An chuckled, "Li Chenqiu is just like a headless fly, wandering aimlessly around City 200. He spends most of his twenty-four hours holed up in the hotel. Last night, he even took that freshman to the city center for a buffet."
Huang Jianhua crossed his legs. "Looks like he's given up. How boring. I thought Li Chenqiu might give me a surprise. I overestimated him."
Liu An flattered him with a smile, "I'd like to congratulate you in advance, Brother, on becoming the First District's Law Enforcement Chief."
"Hahahaha!" Huang Jianhua opened his mouth and let out a hearty laugh.
Unbeknownst to the two, a gust of wind blew past them from behind.
...
Beep, beep, beep—
The phone vibrated.
Li Chenqiu, who was buried in his food at a fast-food restaurant, raised his head, took out his phone from his pocket, and answered the call from Xiang Nanzhi.
"Hello, what's up?"
"I overheard some information about that Resurgent."
Li Chenqiu paused with his chopsticks in hand. "Tell me."
"A Seven-Banned Resurgent, code-named Chameleon, can freely change the color of his body."
"Chameleon?"
Li Chenqiu repeated the code name, his dark eyes lit up slightly, but quickly dimmed again.
"What's wrong?"
Xiang Nanzhi asked questioningly from the other end of the phone.
"It's nothing. Did you hear anything else?"
"That's all. I'm hanging up now!"
"Okay, bye-bye."
...
Time flew by, and it was already evening.
Ding-ling-ling—
The school bell rang, signaling freedom, and a chaotic noise erupted from the teaching building as students rushed out of the stairwell.
Because the recent disappearance cases had caused an uproar in City 200, many parents had begun to pick up and drop off their children from school.
"Parents, please step back, don't crowd, and don't drive your cars past the yellow line!"
The entrance of Xihua Elementary School was a sea of people, packed so tightly that it was impossible to move. If it weren't for the security guards maintaining order, the scene would have been even more chaotic.
Li Chenqiu, transformed into a little girl, looked up at the gray sky and murmured, "The time is near. Did I miss it again?"
Li Chenqiu smiled helplessly, carrying her pink schoolbag as she walked toward the school gate.
There were many people at the school gate. Li Chenqiu's height of 1.4 meters was like a lettuce leaf in a hamburger, squeezed tightly in the crowded throng, unable to decide where to take the next step, and could only drift along with the current.
After exerting a great deal of effort, Li Chenqiu finally squeezed out.
"Haaah…"
Li Chenqiu breathed a sigh of relief, reaching out to smooth her somewhat messy hair.
The thought of having to go through several more rounds of squeezing made Li Chenqiu's expression gradually turn ugly.
"I'll reward myself with another buffet tonight. I wonder if that boss will still let me in?"
Li Chenqiu tightened her suspenders and walked towards her planned route.
One step… two steps… three steps…
Just as Li Chenqiu was about to take her fourth step, a chilling sensation, as if being stared at by a wolf, rose from behind her.
Whoosh—
The evening breeze, carrying the residual warmth of the sunset, stirred Li Chenqiu's hair, dissipating the chill, but the feeling of being watched remained.
Thud!
Li Chenqiu took her fourth step, her expression unchanged, and continued to walk forward, but this time she did not head towards the originally planned alleyway.
Feeling the suppressed greed and excitement in that gaze, Li Chenqiu smiled.
The fish has finally taken the bait.
...
Rumble!!!
Muffled thunder rumbled from the gloomy sky, and large raindrops fell from the sky, landing on the car windows and under the dim yellow lights. City 200 became hazy and blurred because of the rain...
Pat, pat, pat...
Li Chenqiu held her schoolbag over her head, her white sneakers splashing water in the small puddles, and her school pants below the knees were soaked with rainwater, clinging damply to her body.
After running for an unknown amount of time, Li Chenqiu looked up at the raindrops that were very clear under the lights. She bit her lip lightly, as if she had made some kind of decision, and jogged into a deserted dead-end alley next to her.
At the end of the dead-end alley, above was blue corrugated iron, and below was a pile of garbage, exuding a musty, rotten smell in the wet and cold of the rainy night.
Li Chenqiu jogged to the corrugated iron, squatted next to the pile of garbage with her schoolbag in her arms, shivering uncontrollably due to the cold.
At the entrance of the alleyway, dozens of meters away, the small puddles rippled suddenly, as if a foot had stepped on the center of the puddle, and then a footprint appeared directly in front of the puddle.
Plop!
Footsteps sounded, and another footprint appeared.
Plop, plop, plop...
The footprints spread forward, constantly closing the distance with Li Chenqiu.
"Hehehe, what a treasure!"
A sound like a rat squeaking in a corner rang out. Perhaps the sound of the rain hitting the corrugated iron was too loud, Li Chenqiu did not react in any way, still squatting in place with her schoolbag in her arms.
Rumble!
The pale lightning illuminated the alley, and the footprints stopped in front of Li Chenqiu.
That invisible hand, which could not be seen by anyone, reached towards Li Chenqiu's cheek.
"Do you like to touch other people's faces so much?"
The childishness on Li Chenqiu's face disappeared in an instant, and she raised her head on her own initiative.
Whoosh—
The deep black pupils turned into crystal clear ice blue at this moment, and the dark black hair faded at a speed visible to the naked eye, with snow-white hair fluttering in the wind.
Icy Hell—Open!
Bone-chilling cold spread out, and a layer of thin ice spread out from under Li Chenqiu's feet. Everything around, from the dust falling from the eaves to every drop of rain, was clearly engraved in Li Chenqiu's mind.
Including the Resurgent standing in front of him.
"Not good!"
Chameleon Xue Hai's face turned pale, and he quickly turned around and rushed towards the entrance of the alley!
But it was too late. After Li Chenqiu opened the Icy Hell, the ability he relied on was useless.
Thud!
The soul weapon transformed by Dream Misfortune stood at the entrance of the alley, its scarlet eyes staring intently ahead.
Strands of black mist shot out along the walls on both sides, transforming into soul soldiers tightly attached to the walls, like geckos, with pairs of scarlet blood eyes looking down.
At this point, Xue Hai had no way to retreat.