Frankly speaking, Jiang Qianyu still quite liked this side of Lu Yunzhi—at least far better than the utterly dejected look she’d worn moments ago while confessing to her own killings.
She couldn’t pinpoint the strange psychology at play, but even after knowing Lu Yunzhi for just one day, Jiang Qianyu genuinely didn’t want to see this girl bullied. Watching her look so upset made her heart ache—it felt almost like seeing someone mistreat your own wife.
This thought wasn’t entirely wrong… yet something felt off.
Probably because Lu Yunzhi had been sending money every month to the original owner of this body these past days, supporting her and Bai Dongqing.
“See? I’ve made it here. The feed’s clear, right?” Lu Yunzhi’s voice came through the earpiece. Jiang Qianyu watched on her screen as Yunzhi stood inside the second-floor bathroom.
“I can see it. Quality’s good.”
Just as Yunzhi said, from Jiang Qianyu’s view, it truly felt like watching a first-person live stream—crisp visuals, virtually zero lag.
“Yunzhi, the home test worked fine, but will it hold up at the mission site? Tomorrow Apartments is pretty remote. What if there’s no signal?”
No sooner had she finished speaking than Yunzhi flashed a thumbs-up through the camera.
“Don’t worry! When I say it’s fine, it’s fine. Trust me!”
“Yunzhi, this really isn’t a small matter…”
“Ah, it’ll be totally fine! Our department’s tested this through multiple iterations. It won’t fail on us. Alright, I’m heading down now.”
Moments later, Yunzhi briskly returned to the first floor. During her trip upstairs, she’d changed into a sharp black long-tailed double-breasted coat, tight tactical pants, and tall leather boots—impeccably put together.
Her black hair, subtly streaked with hidden blue-black dye, gave her a heroic, dashing air.
Only her expression and gaze looked a little… vacant.
Slipping the guitar case onto her back, Yunzhi stood behind Jiang Qianyu and patted her head. “Test’s done. I’m heading out. Wait for my good news.”
“Mm. Be careful.”
Watching Yunzhi leave, Jiang Qianyu let out a soft sigh.
Today was just the beginning. No one knew what came next.
This mission was merely training for the upcoming Class A assignment. If a Class B mission was already this troublesome… she dared not imagine what Class A would bring.
“Should I make a new puppet…?”
“Nah. I’ll practice on these guys first. Let’s see what the Nightwatchers are really made of.”
·
·
Inside the dark, damp stairwell, five Hunters advanced cautiously.
They’d reviewed the file: a textbook Class B mission.
No environmental hazards. No more than two monsters. Fewer than ten fatalities.
Not exactly easy, but not simple either.
With vigilance, a four- or five-person team could usually complete it without casualties.
Class B monsters typically exhibited only one point of mutation. Even with flawed intel, someone on the team would counter it—like elemental weaknesses in a game.
Silent, keys in hand, they reached a fourth-floor door.
Liu Yongkang stepped forward. As he slid the key into the lock, a fleeting vision flashed in his mind.
Click.
The door swung gently open. They exchanged glances and stepped inside.
Chaos reigned. Furniture toppled. Footprints scuffed the floor in disarray.
“Someone’s been here. Split up and check the place. Something’s off,” the team leader said, standing center-living room, scanning the space.
Ever since entering, a chill of foreboding clung to him. His mental-energy mutation had saved him too many times for him to ignore it.
They searched every corner. Found nothing. The messy prints and overturned furniture remained unexplained.
Only one fact was clear: someone had stayed here earlier that night.
Where they were, who they were, what attacked them—unknown.
And irrelevant.
Time ticked on.
To lure the target, they stayed in the living room.
Tension thickened the air. No one spoke. Some adjusted gear. Others stared at phones.
The mission itself wasn’t the stressor.
It was Lu Yunzhi.
Minutes ago, command messaged: she was en route. Under forty-five minutes out.
Alone.
“I need to say something,” the leader began, seated in a corner, eyes sweeping his four teammates. “Lu Yunzhi arrives in under an hour.”
“This mission… I know some of you may struggle to understand. Or accept.”
“That’s normal. I feel it too.”
“But remember this: your sympathy only applies if Lu Yunzhi is still human.”
All eyes locked on him.
“You know the Dollhouse mission—her team’s.”
“I’ll tell you plainly: during that mission, Lu Yunzhi consumed a living person’s soul.”
“Ninety percent of Hunter corruptions start exactly like that. No matter the victim’s sins—once she crossed that line, she was no longer a Nightwatcher.”
“So understand: we’re not villains. We’re nipping a time bomb in the bud.”
No sooner had he finished than Liu Yongkang shot to his feet. “Captain! Something’s behind you!”
The leader leaned against the living room’s small window. In the fogged glass’s lower corner, a pale face peered inward.
Thump thump thump!
Simultaneously, urgent knocks hammered the front door.
They sprang up. The leader rushed to the peephole—
Even he, a veteran of dozens of missions, felt his scalp prickle.
Beyond the door, the narrow corridor was packed shoulder-to-shoulder with bowed heads. Faces hidden. Every hand gripped a weapon—a fruit knife, a pair of scissors.
