Leave a comment

“Breaking news: The violent incident in Philo District has been taken over by our city’s Police Supervisor of the Supernatural Abilities Department, Charlie. The public is urged not to panic; the perpetrator will certainly be brought to justice…”

A murder occurred in Philo District.

The report was received at 8:32 AM, with the first responders being auxiliary police patrolling nearby.

The scene was quickly cordoned off. The victim’s entire facial skin had been removed, making identification impossible. The blood-soaked cloud-patterned robe on the body suggested the victim was a student from the Canales Academy’s Supernatural Abilities Department. Assistance from the Supernatural Abilities Police was requested, and three newly appointed auxiliary officers stood solemnly outside the cordon.

Pedestrians seemed utterly indifferent to the scene, each moving like ants leaving their nest, aimlessly stepping out to start their day.

Unlike their predecessors who were killed by a wandering person with supernatural abilities in an alley half a month ago, the three auxiliary officers were equipped with the newly issued high-voltage electric guns this month. Contrary to the nervous rookie officers, the pedestrians truly showed no concern for the so-called murder case. The daily deaths in the city, caused by various reasons and presenting in all manners of demise, were not numerous but enough to become “accustomed” to for some.

“Urgent notification: Area 00421, Philo District, due to environmental adjustment needs, the weather is urgently changed to: light rain…”

The hologram above the people broadcasted the meteorological announcement. The faces of some pedestrians without umbrellas changed, cursing while they quickly moved towards the steps of the nearby shops, while many others took out their umbrellas.

As artificial raindrops began to fall, umbrellas bloomed like black flowers enveloping the “ants” below. The citizens of Tianzhou City seemed to favor black, with streams of black umbrellas moving with the crowd. Though occasionally, a few brightly colored “flowers” would bloom among them, only to be submerged by the overwhelming black “flowers” again.

“Damn it! Umbrella! Give me an umbrella!” An auxiliary police officer felt raindrops on his nose and hurriedly called for a colleague to bring an umbrella. But before the umbrella could cover the victim, the rain intensified.

The dried, scabbed blood began to wash away, raindrops hitting the victim’s face from which the skin had been peeled, causing the exposed, blood-red flesh to quiver under the pattering rain…

“Damn it!” Although the umbrella soon began to shelter the corpse from the rain, the entire crime scene had already been compromised.

Suddenly, the sound of police sirens came from around the corner, and several police cars adorned with black bodies and white stripes stopped at the mouth of the alley. Pedestrians parted and continued on their way, while the three auxiliary officers saluted, undeterred by the rain.

The first to step out was a police supervisor in a black uniform and draped in a gray cloak, followed by four officers from the Supernatural Abilities Department, all similarly dressed.

The head of the Supernatural Abilities Department, Charlie; the auxiliary officer at the front glanced at his badge and swallowed hard.

“Take those three to report.” Seeing the scene had been tampered with, Charlie decided not to inquire further from the auxiliary officers and directly ordered one of his officers to send them to file a report.

……………………………………

Releasing his psychic powers, Charlie didn’t need an umbrella; he simply squatted down, gently touching his chin with his hand.

A flash of white light passed over his right hand, and Charlie stood up.

“Record.”

“Yes!” An officer nearby quickly stepped forward and activated his portable recorder.

“Time of death, 3:45:37 AM today.”

“The victim’s identity is unknown… Wait a second,” Charlie suddenly noticed a jade pendant on the victim’s clothes.

“The victim was from the Tang family, with a third-tier fire ability, beaten to death… with random punches.”

“The victim fought with the assailant before death, but didn’t even have time to use his ability. The fight from start to finish lasted thirteen seconds.”

“…Is that recorded?” Charlie crouched down, examining the body closely.

“Done, sir!” The officer saluted.

“Notify those guys at Smith College, this is the seventh case this month, maybe we can get some information from them.”

“Sir, traces of demonized spirits have been detected, should we notify the Demon Slayer Association?” an officer, who had been inspecting, suddenly looked up to ask.

“…In that case, write up a report to hand over to those old men at the Demon Slayer Association, maybe they can find a breakthrough.”

Charlie said this, pressing down on the wide-brimmed hat on his head.

The rain grew heavier.

……………………

Nancy opened her eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling.

The silver-haired girl propped herself up against the bed, staring blankly out the window – it was only dimly lit outside, with the glow of neon lights filtering in through the window, providing some illumination.

Ah, an unfamiliar ceiling… Today was her first day in this other world, where the air smelled bad, the mattress was uncomfortable, and habits were hard to change.

“My head… hurts…” Nancy rubbed her snow-colored long hair. The bed in the original owner’s home was too flimsy, so much so that lying on it for less than eight hours had already made her entire body ache.

“Beep… beep… beep…” At that moment, the electronic alarm clock by the bed suddenly went off, obviously set by the original owner.

Nancy casually picked up the alarm clock, and upon clearly seeing the current time, she was slightly taken aback: 6:30 AM.

Well, this was the result of her military past. The troops usually trained at 7 AM, meaning they gathered at 6 AM. Thus, this early rising habit was ingrained in Nancy’s soul. Even a year after being discharged, she hadn’t shaken off this habit, and now, it was clear she had brought this early-rising tendency into this new body.

After a casual wash-up, Nancy realized she still had a full two hours before Nina needed to go to school. Having promised to take that troublesome girl to school the day before, Nancy had no intention of breaking her word.

Although it was just past 6 AM, Nancy had no idea where Nina had gone. There was no sign of her in the living room, just the unlocked chain left behind.

However, Nancy wasn’t worried that the original owner’s sister had just run off. Wasn’t Nina’s schoolbag still lying there? Whatever she was doing, if she still intended to go to school, she would surely come back.

Moreover… the Philo district here was even more notorious than the Hell’s Kitchen in New York from Nancy’s previous life. Nancy didn’t believe Nina could make it two streets away on her own.

Just like that… Without any worry, Nancy made herself some food and began to eat.

While eating, she also turned on the living room’s holographic TV to watch the news of this world. After all, the worldview of this world was similar to the Cyberpunk 2077 game from her previous life. It was better for Nancy to stay informed if she wanted to survive.

“Breaking news: The violent incident in Philo District has been taken over by our city’s Police Supervisor of the Supernatural Abilities Department, Charlie. The public is urged not to panic; the perpetrator will certainly be brought to justice…”

Hm? Nancy’s hand, holding a piece of bread, paused slightly after seeing this news.

It looks like… the main storyline is about to begin.