Chapter 97: Chapter 97: The Cauldron
The situation was urgent. After a quick preparation, the group swiftly set out, taking the elevator down to the second basement level. As the elevator doors slid open, they were presented with a stunning scene—a massive parking lot lay before them, yet surprisingly few vehicles occupied the space, leaving it feeling eerily empty.
Spotlights were focused on an area where three police SUVs were parked neatly in a row. A closer look revealed that they were marked with the words "Emergency Management," identical to the one Kuang Hongyi had driven before.
At that moment, about a dozen workers clad in uniforms were bustling around the vehicles. Someone was directing operations as a forklift brought a large silver box to the last of the three vehicles—the one that looked the most rugged—and placed it into its trunk.
Only upon drawing closer did Yang Xiao realize that the trunk of the last vehicle had been modified, fitted with an aluminum alloy frame designed to secure the silver box tightly in place.
"Captain, you’re with me in one car," said Beibei, taking the car keys from a staff member and joining Yang Xiao and Yu Shu in the first vehicle.
Da Xiong, Xi Menxiu, and Zhuge Zhijie hopped into the second car, while the last vehicle was occupied by a few uniformed individuals.
"That silver box in the last car must contain the special equipment Director Nalan mentioned," Yang Xiao thought, his curiosity intensifying.
The trio of vehicles exited the police station and made their way towards Chunliu Street. The journey wasn’t far, but the midday traffic of the working day led to a considerable jam. While waiting, Yu Shu, seated in the passenger seat, heaved a sigh and handed Beibei the tablet. After swiping through it for a moment, Beibei expressed frustration: "What’s all this mess? How can this even be called intelligence?"
"Shua shua shua—"
Yu Shu looked down and began writing, always carrying a blue folder with her. She showed it to Beibei and tilted it so Yang Xiao in the back could see too: there were liaisons arranged on-site.
"How often do we get deployed on missions?" Yang Xiao inquired.
"It varies. Most of the time, we can go a whole month without running into a single case," Beibei replied as she accelerated the vehicle forward once the traffic light turned green.
Hearing this, Yang Xiao touched the money in his pocket, feeling an unspeakable anguish— he had only just started the job and hadn’t even had a chance to spend his money before being called out on a mission. If he were to fail this time, his resentment would be no less than that of a ghost’s, potentially spiraling into a supernatural incident.
Banishing his emotions, Yang Xiao continued to inquire, "Are all supernatural incidents caused by the Resentful Eye Item going out of control?"
"That’s correct."
They arrived at the Xinmao Building. The surrounding area was a bustling business district with an overwhelming volume of pedestrian traffic. After parking the car in the underground lot, they were greeted by staff members in work uniforms waiting for them.
As Beibei parked the car, a young man in a police uniform approached quickly, "Hello, which one of you is Captain Beibei?"
"I’m Deputy Captain Beibei, and this is our Captain Yang," Beibei said, not forgetting to introduce Yang Xiao.
"Please come with me, Captain Xu has been waiting for quite some time."
"Hold on, we need to get our equipment."
Da Xiong went to the last vehicle, where the trunk was now open. Yang Xiao noticed the silver metal box was actually a large combination safe, complete with a numeric keypad and several small screens.
Yu Shu stepped forward and entered a series of numbers on the tablet. Then Da Xiong and a man from the last vehicle placed their index fingers on the touchscreen. A faint electric buzz sounded, "Zzi—"
The next second, Da Xiong grabbed the handle on the metal box, pulled it firmly outward, and the metal door swung open. He retrieved a much smaller black box from inside, then expertly strapped it onto his back with several fastening buckles. The group, followed by the police officer, headed for the elevator.
The elevator ascended directly to the 27th floor. Before the doors opened, they could hear a commotion. When the doors parted, they saw dozens of people crowding in front of the fire escape, with police maintaining order and security tape stretched across the area, to limited effect. A few individuals were causing a significant disturbance at the front, one particularly defiant woman dressed in a red leather jacket and heavy makeup, was brandishing her phone’s camera in the face of a policeman, insisting, "Why can’t I go into my company?" The scene was chaotic.
Soon, under the guidance of a police officer, they arrived at an office. Upon opening the door, they were greeted by a haze of smoke and a middle-aged man in police uniform, fretful and visibly distressed.
Upon seeing Yang Xiao and the others, the man rushed over as if they were his saviors and firmly grasped Yang Xiao’s hand after learning he was the captain, "Captain Yang, you have no idea how relieved I am to see you. This situation has been a nightmare."
Beibei, on the other hand, didn’t mince words with Captain Xu, "Captain Xu, no offense, but you seem to lack enforcement. The commotion outside is out of hand."
With a sigh, Captain Xu cast a stern look outside, "You don’t understand. Everyone doing business in this building is either rich or influential, with complicated backgrounds. To be frank, I’ve already received three or four calls just in this short time."
Understanding Captain Xu’s predicament, Beibei didn’t press further. Captain Yang took charge, "Captain Xu, we arrived in a rush and would appreciate a briefing on the situation." Beibei had taught him these basic investigating procedures on the way.
Yang Xiao and the others took seats on the couch, and after Captain Xu sent the junior officers away, he pulled up a chair and his face grew somber, "Here’s the situation: The incident occurred on the 29th floor of this building at 10:12 AM. A woman named He Manling, for some unknown reason, suddenly went berserk, lifted a decorative bronze tripod, and bludgeoned a man who was engrossed in his work to death with a single blow."
"How are we sure it’s related to ’that’?" Beibei asked in a lowered voice, swiftly transitioning into work mode, as nothing seemed particularly amiss to her so far.
Standing up, Captain Xu walked over to the window and drew back a curtain to reveal a half-meter-tall tripod with three legs, jet-black in color and with a metallic sheen.
"This tripod comes in a pair. We left the one that killed the man untouched; this is the other one, and they’re identical," Captain Xu explained.
Yang Xiao and the others went over for a closer look and quickly grasped the situation—the tripod must weigh at least around a hundred pounds. Picking it up, let alone using it to strike someone, would be challenging, clearly beyond the strength of an ordinary woman.
Captain Xu then opened his laptop on the desk and pulled up photos from the scene. They showed an office where a man lay in front of a shattered desk, with a toppled bronze tripod nearby. The man’s head was missing, and a significant portion of his upper body was crushed, blood and brain matter spilling across the floor.
