NOVPUBWhat people fear is not the darkness, but the unknown lurking within their hearts.
The world fragmented and then coalesced, redrawing an entirely different scene.
[24 hours remaining for retrospection: 9]
...
As Daniel stepped out of the car, he saw Richard eagerly shaking Mike’s hand, "You three are officers from the Federal Investigation Bureau, right?"
Mike presented his badge, which he had prepared beforehand, for Richard to see, "I’m Mike, and these are my partners, Julia and Daniel." 𝚗ov𝚙𝚞𝚋.c𝚘m
Richard hastily nodded in acknowledgment, "Greetings, I am the general manager of this supermarket. Just call me Richard."
He then gestured to the blonde woman beside him, "This is my secretary, Jennifer."
Previously, Mike would have continued to question Richard about any abnormal occurrences within the mall.
However, this time, Daniel interjected, "From this moment, the Federal Investigation Bureau will take charge here. No one, including you, is permitted to enter the mall without our authorization."
At this statement, both Julia and Mike paused, taken aback.
There had been no prior discussion, and they were clueless about Daniel’s intentions.
Julia, with a creased brow, whispered, "Daniel, why are you making decisions on your own?"
Daniel, maintaining a composed demeanor, replied, "He has called upon a priest named Romant to perform an exorcism. But it will agitate the hidden entities, leading to irreversible consequences."
Julia looked at Daniel with a hint of bewilderment, "You’ve seen it again?"
Daniel nodded, "If we don’t stop him, we will all perish here."
In reality, the two situations weren’t that closely connected, but Daniel wanted to avoid any further complications.
Seeing the earnest expression on Daniel’s face, both Julia and Mike couldn’t help but shiver.
Julia walked up to Richard with an assertive tone, "Please leave. We are sealing off the area."
Realizing they weren’t jesting, Richard’s face darkened immediately.
If the police were to seal off the mall, it would validate the rumors of people disappearing there, ruining the mall’s reputation completely.
Richard retorted quickly, "I object! You don’t have the authority to do this!"
Without hesitation, Julia drew her standard issue pistol and handcuffs, her stance firm, "If you have complaints, address them to my superiors. But right now, you have no right to interfere with our operations. Resist, and I can arrest you on the spot."
Feeling that Julia wasn’t merely bluffing and fearing the public scandal it might cause, Richard shot Julia a venomous glare, "Expect a letter from my lawyer!" He then stormed off.
Once Richard had departed, Julia spoke solemnly, "Daniel, I trust your abilities. If we’re all at risk of dying inside, then the threat level of this entity could be B+ or even Rank A."
"It’s not something we can handle alone. We should report to headquarters and wait for backup."
Daniel glanced at her, "How many Evolvers does the headquarters have? Ten? Twenty? Aside from Brooks, Alex, and you two, how many of them are second-level Evolvers or above?"
"Forget about them handling other supernatural incidents in Golden Shores City. Even if Martin orders them to support us, how much firepower do you think they can contribute to an event of this magnitude?"
Julia responded gravely, "Then we should withdraw for now. One thing’s for sure, I won’t let you engage in such a perilous situation!"
At her words, Mike was utterly taken aback.
Isn’t that a bit... suggestive?
Had the two of them secretly become an item behind his back?
Fortunately, these were just Mike’s inner thoughts; otherwise, even before entering the mall, he’d likely face a fierce beating from Julia.
Daniel naturally wouldn’t adhere to Julia’s plans.
Although their last experience seemed bleak, he believed that the creature wasn’t invincible.
If it were, it wouldn’t lurk in the shadows, manipulating from afar rather than confronting them directly.
Dare to kill me when you’re not invincible?
Unless he exhausts all his chances to revert time, this grudge must be avenged!
However, he needed the support of his teammates, and thus he had to reassure both Julia and Mike.
Daniel calmly addressed them, "The outcome I foresaw earlier was under the influence of external interferences. As we speak now, I’ve glimpsed into the future once more."
Both Julia and Mike stared at Daniel in surprise, "Has the situation changed?"
Daniel nodded slowly, "We will eliminate the creature and successfully resolve the serial disappearances in the supermarket."
This unexpected twist made Julia a bit skeptical, "Are you sure?"
Daniel confidently replied, "I’ve seen the future!"
Seeing is believing.
There’s nothing more convincing than witnessing something firsthand, even if the concept of seeing the future seems implausible.
Noticing Julia’s lingering hesitation, Daniel nonchalantly said, "At this point, the decision rests with you both. After all, I would never risk my life recklessly. Power is valuable, but life is priceless."
With those words, all of Julia’s doubts instantly evaporated.
In her eyes, Daniel was a cool, even cold-hearted individual.
He would never gamble with his life; after all, everyone only has one to live.
With that thought in mind, Julia nodded in agreement.
Subsequently, Daniel briefed the two on certain matters, saying, "You both get prepared. I’ll head in first to scout the situation."
Hearing this, Julia immediately protested, "No, I can’t let you go in there alone!"
A hint of disappointment flashed in Mike’s eyes, ’They definitely have something going on between them.’
But by then, Daniel was already at the entrance, "Don’t worry about me. As long as you two follow my instructions to the letter, I’ll be fine."
"I’m entrusting my life in your hands."
With that, Daniel’s figure vanished into the building.
Julia bit her lip lightly, a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks.
For some reason, hearing Daniel speak that way sent her heart racing.
Noticing the change in Julia, Mike whispered, "Are you alright?"
Snapping back to reality, Julia quickly replied, her voice tinged with urgency, "I’m fine. Stop dawdling and call headquarters for supplies. We need to be ready in twenty minutes, or Daniel might be in danger!"
Mike pursed his lips, concluding that he was truly out of the picture.
...
Upon entering the mall, Daniel was alone this time.
He appeared composed, undeterred by the encroaching darkness.
The exact location of the creature was still unknown.
Given its penchant for lurking in the shadows, Daniel decided to turn the tables: play the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.
Having mapped out his plan, Daniel ventured into a restroom on the first floor, flashlight in hand.
Not for any strategic reason; he simply needed to use the facilities.
As he was relieving himself, holding the flashlight in his mouth, he suddenly noticed, from a row of stalls behind him, a foot protruding from one of them.
The beam of the flashlight swung to reveal a slender ankle wrapped in black silk, connected to a black high-heeled shoe.
It was unmistakably a woman’s foot, and from its position, it seemed as if she had collapsed inside the stall.
Daniel was puzzled, "Why is there a woman’s foot in the men’s restroom?"
Could it be a body?
With that thought, he approached the stall, flashlight in one hand and pulling out his pistol with the other.
Reaching the stall door, he cautiously nudged it open with the barrel of his gun.
Inside, a woman was sprawled out, face up on the toilet seat, seemingly unconscious.
Daniel checked for breathing.
It was faint, but she was alive. Moreover, he recognized her. It was Richard’s secretary, Jennifer.
Hadn’t she left with Richard? Why was she unconscious here?
It was highly unusual.
He nudged Jennifer, saying, "Wake up!"
Within moments, Jennifer’s eyes fluttered open.
However, upon seeing Daniel, her eyes widened in terror, and she instinctively recoiled.
She opened her mouth, seemingly about to scream, but Daniel, with lightning reflexes, quickly covered her mouth.
In a hushed, stern voice, he warned, "Stay quiet if you want to live. Unless you want to attract them!"
Given that Jennifer had fainted in the men’s restroom, Daniel deduced she must’ve encountered those creatures, so he got straight to the point.
Upon hearing this, tears welled up in Jennifer’s eyes as she stifled her cries, "I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to... there are monsters here!"
Daniel voiced his confusion, "Didn’t you leave with your boss earlier? Why did you come back?"
Jennifer whispered, "The manager sent me to retrieve something from the office. But as soon as I entered, I saw those terrifying creatures... the mannequins... they moved!"
"They chased me, and in a panic, I found myself here, and I fainted from fear." As she spoke, Jennifer quickly grasped Daniel’s hand, looking up at him with an expression mingled with dread, "You are human, right?"
Daniel responded, "Of course I am. But you mentioned they chased you here?"
"Why are you still unharmed?"
Seeing Jennifer shake her head in confusion, a realization hit Daniel.
