C9 We Are Professional We Won't Laugh We Are Really Professional(2)

"Alright," Shen Xiang nodded in agreement.

Lee Boran, following his superior, entered the adjacent room where a police officer had already retrieved the surveillance footage. Manipulating the controls, he replayed the video captured by several neighborhood cameras.

"The surveillance cameras in the community have suffered three instances of damage, all occurring just before today's incident, and all facing forward. It looks like premeditated crime," Lee Boran observed, pointing to footage from a distant camera that showed two individuals approaching the building where Shen Xiang resided. "Their target must be this building."

"Have there been any other reports of disturbances in the area?" he inquired.

"Yes, there was a report of a cat making strange noises," Lee Boran confirmed. Leader Su, with arms folded, speculated, "Could their target be the cat? Rewind the footage."

Lee Boran sped through the surveillance in reverse until he came across an afternoon scene of a cat voraciously eating beside a trash can, seemingly starving as it ingested plastic and foam along with its meal.

"Evolution demands a tremendous amount of energy. These animals exhibit an insatiable hunger before evolving," Leader Su remarked, watching the cat frantically climb towards the upper floors. Unfortunately, the camera angle obscured its final destination. After a moment, the cat fell. Pausing the footage, she concluded, "The adversary's intent is quite clear. However, Lee, it's been over a year since we've seen a new case of beast species evolution..."

"If this is indeed evolution, it suggests these individuals possess something significant," Lee Boran mused. "But that seems unlikely. I've heard the research team hasn't made any breakthroughs. How could they have achieved this? These guys are nothing but sewer trash, unless..."

"Regardless, they pose a grave threat to humanity," Leader Su interjected. "I need to report back and request additional personnel. We must locate it swiftly, whether for public safety or other reasons. Evolution is not an overnight process. This cat could potentially cause harm or even commit murder over the course of a week or longer. Contact the network and expedite the surveillance deployment."

"Yes, sir!" Lee Boran saluted, acknowledging his orders, then added, "What about my old classmate? Is he free to go?"

Leader Su glanced at another screen, frozen on an image of a yellow dog stealing a delivery meal. She sighed, thinking to herself that one cannot apply normal reasoning to these creatures. It seemed the incident was unrelated to the individual in question. "Follow the usual protocol: have someone observe him discreetly for twenty-four hours, ensure the confidentiality agreement is signed, and don't bother escorting him out. We've got our hands full now."

"Alright, before we proceed, I need you to sign this confidentiality agreement. Since it pertains to the arrest process, as an involved party, please refrain from disclosing any information about their movements until everything is wrapped up."

Shen Xiang quickly reviewed the document and, finding no issues, signed his name. He was about to strike up a conversation with his old classmate when Lee Boran stood up, offering an apologetic expression. "These individuals have slipped up, so we're in for a busy time trying to apprehend them. I can't stick around to chat today, but once my mission's complete, let's get together with some of our high school friends."

"Sounds good."

Shen Xiang nodded. His relationship with Lee Boran was somewhere between close and casual. He was initially surprised to see him, but didn't really have much to talk about. It was actually a relief that Lee was preoccupied, sparing Shen the need for further pleasantries.

"Thanks for your dedication to serving the people."

"It's my duty."

After exchanging WeChat contacts, Shen Xiang departed the police station. The sky remained a dull gray, but the birds were already awake, filling the air with their lively chatter.

"Four o'clock already," Shen Xiang yawned. He wasn't overly tired, having had a good sleep during the day. The fight and the subsequent running had left him unfazed in the heat of the moment, but now he could acutely feel the aches and fatigue in his muscles.

"Never mind, I'll just head home and catch a few hours of sleep. I need to rest up; I can't afford to be too worn out to pull an all-nighter."

But still...

Shen Xiang's mind lingered on the events of the early morning.

The creature wasn't human, but it didn't quite fit the bill of a monster either. Upon reflection, aside from its formidable strength and intimidating presence, it didn't exhibit anything beyond the realm of normalcy. It seemed more like a chimera or a synthetic beast from some work of fiction, or perhaps a biotech product from a game like Resident Evil. His old classmate had been hinting at something, clearly privy to the situation, and it seemed the intention was to mitigate any fallout.

What in the world? How had he found himself in this predicament?

Fortunately, it seemed the creature had impulsively decided to snatch the takeout. But would it deliberately seek revenge on him later?

I need to be cautious.

"Activate the auto-pilot to head home."

Using the auto-pilot was the safest approach. Walking could lead to an ambush, but with auto-pilot, I'd have the latest in evasion technology at my disposal. It's another excuse to use this feature—I'm not being lazy, just prudent!

Shen Xiang yawned, allowing his body to proceed homeward as his eyes began to droop.

As he reached his doorstep, a sudden chill jolted him awake.

Hold on, if a dog-headed person exists, could there also be an Animal-ears Lady? An adorable one at that?

Hope flickered in his eyes, only to be replaced by a roll of them. What Animal-ears Lady? More like a cat-head lady, if anything.

And now for the moral dilemma: is it better to have an animal's head on a human body, or a human head on an animal's body?

Honestly, neither option appealed to him. This wasn't an anime world—there's no telling what kind of monstrosity it might turn out to be.

"I'm starving. I missed out on my beef bowl. Maybe I should order takeout. No, I'll whip up something myself and catch a few more Z's."

The following day, Shen Xiang found himself back in his routine, albeit with a hint of confusion. The neighbors and even the security guards acted as if the previous night's events were non-existent.

He settled into his usual rhythm: work diligently, sleep soundly, and keep up with his favorite shows.

Life seemed to return to its previous, uneventful flow.

That is, until the third day, when he came home from work to find a change in his regular pattern.

A woman was standing at his front door, waiting for him.