The sky darkened as storm clouds gathered, and soon raindrops began to fall.

  Li Yuan pulled up his hood, but just then, the female student from earlier ran over with an umbrella.

  “Rain again… Has it been raining every day lately?”

  “Is the Jade Emperor drunk, or did the Dragon King catch a cold?”

  Li Yuan instinctively stepped aside, but the girl stubbornly followed. “What’s wrong? Can’t you tell me? I won’t laugh, I promise!”

  “Think about it—haven’t I been the one who’s treated you best these past three years of high school?”

  The girl kept trailing him as Li Yuan quickened his pace.

  Suddenly, a raven landed on a nearby power line, cawing eerily as if amused.

  Hearing the raven’s cry, Li Yuan’s expression shifted. “Stop following me. I have work to do.”

  “What work? Don’t tell me you’re actually working at Darunfa killing fish?”

  “Oh, right! I saw a post online the other day—some guy said he’d been gutting fish at Darunfa for over a decade, and his heart had turned as cold as…”

  “Just get lost!” Li Yuan suddenly roared at her.

  The girl froze, tears welling in her eyes.

  “You…”

  Li Yuan said nothing, adjusting his raincoat before walking away. The raven on the power line let out a mocking screech and flew off.

  The rain intensified.

  Li Yuan’s face twitched, and his heart began to pound violently.

  At that moment, the raven swooped down beside him, transforming into a girl.

  “Oh my, who was that? She seemed… fond of you.”

  “You yelled at her so harshly—her heart’s probably shattered~”

  Li Yuan ignored her.

  “Hmm… Why not turn her into a Deep One? Given how she feels about you, she’d be far more loyal than your underlings.”

  Li Yuan glared at the raven girl. “She talks too much. Useless.”

  “Let’s move. It’s time.”

  The raven girl grinned. This’ll be fun…

  Outside Beiling City Police Station:

  “Nanyan is our primary target. The anomalies there have been thoroughly outlined in prior briefings. Any questions?”

  “No, sir!” the team replied in unison.

  “Our goal is simple: uncover what’s inside Nanyan—monster, human, or otherwise. It will give us answers!”

  Yang Yan turned to the group. “Check your gear!”

  The officers inspected their Type 54 pistols, magazines, and equipment.

  Yang Yan felt uneasy about leading this hastily assembled, unauthorized team. Their enemy wasn’t human—it was something beyond comprehension. But he couldn’t show doubt. A timid leader breeds a timid unit.

  After the gear check, Yang Yan took a deep breath.

  “Listen up! Our adversaries may not be human. This could be our first encounter with the unknown, but not our last. This operation is codenamed ?**‘Cloudbreaker’**.”

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  “We will expose the truth!”

  “Move out!”

  Nightfall, Yangshan District.

  Li Yuan stood atop a building, gazing down at the rain-soaked streets. The downpour showed no sign of stopping.

  A raven swooped in, morphing into the girl beside him.

  “You’re sure they’ll come this way?”

  Li Yuan closed his eyes and emitted a strange, whale-like cry—a sound with bizarre wavelengths that reverberated across Yangshan.

  Most residents ignored the noise, but to Li Yuan, it painted a mental map of every soul in the district.

  “Their route’s unchanged. Four police cars, seventeen officers. Their target is Nanyan. Tell the Queen Bee she’s compromised.”

  The raven girl plucked an earpiece from her ear.

  “Hey, hey—004? Yeah… You’re exposed. Not my fault—002’s intel. Cops are headed your way. Handle it.”

  Li Yuan snatched the communicator. “Queen Bee. One of them’s dangerous. You might not survive him. Evacuate all civilians from the hotel and release my Deep Ones.”

  “All of them?”

  “All. No one leaves Nanyan alive tonight.” He ended the call.

  “Chu Yang… If you somehow survive this…”

  “Stop jinxing yourself,” the raven girl interrupted, transforming back. “My job’s to film. Later!”

  Li Yuan cracked his neck. His body swelled, green scales erupting across his skin as he shifted into a piscine monstrosity.

  Nanyan Hotel.

  Four police cars skidded to a synchronized halt at the entrance.

  A bearded officer stepped out, grinning. “Man, my driving—”

  “Save it. This isn’t a joyride,” Yang Yan snapped, drawing his pistol.

  The group tensed. The hotel blazed with light but stood eerily empty.

  “A trap?”

  “More like a slaughterhouse.”

  “Stay sharp. We’re not dealing with humans.”

  A young man—Chu Yang—exited the car, stretching casually.

  “Chu Yang, be careful,” Yang Yan warned.

  “Relax. I can handle myself.”

  Above, a raven circled, a camera strapped to its chest.

  Nanyan’s Rooftop.

  The Queen Bee puffed a cigarette holder, surrounded by hundreds of uniformed women.

  “Guests have arrived. Though that fish-man said to stand back, this is our territory. I won’t let it reek of seafood.”

  “Cut the power. Ambush them. Guard the exits. No one leaves alive tonight.”

  The women dispersed via elevators.

  The Queen Bee dialed a number.

  “A few drunk cops ‘slipped’ and died here. You’ll… manage the fallout, won’t you?”

  She exhaled smoke. After a pause, a drowsy male voice replied:

  “…Yes, Queen Bee.”

  Inside Nanyan.

  The officers swept the first floor—empty. Same with the second.

  “Even if they knew we were coming, evacuating this fast? How?”

  “Unless everyone obeyed instantly.”

  “That’s impossible. Patrons paid good money. Some would’ve argued, protested outside…”

  “Unless forced. Non-human force.”

  As they reached the third floor—

  Click.

  All lights died.

  “Ambush!”

  Squelch. Squelch. Squelch.

  Wet footsteps echoed everywhere.

  “What’s that—?!”

  “OPEN FIRE!”