CHAPTER 32: CHAPTER 27: EXTRAORDINARY OUT OF CONTROL

The world changed slightly.

Shawn looked up at the sky and saw wisps of gray mist, somewhat similar to the Bizarre Realm, but not as dense, very thin.

In the hands of the tall, slim man in the black jacket, the slightly writhing black eye stems projected a shadow of an eagle.

It wasn’t a normal eagle, but just the head and eyes, with wings spread wide as a black silhouette, like a strange eagle shadow.

"Ranger Path," Shawn recalled Hecate’s teachings.

The Transcendents of this path have agile skills, robust bodies, and extraordinary vision. Among Low Sequence Transcendents, they are the first tier because they used bows and arrows as long-range weapons in the past, and now they use firearms.

"It’s going to rain," Daisy suddenly said.

At some point, a dark cloud had floated over, and it looked like it would rain heavily soon.

Benjamin’s expression was grave, he looked at the clouds in the sky, his brows furrowed tightly.

"Let’s go."

Benjamin said solemnly to the others, "Find it before it gets dark."

After adapting for a while, Shawn had roughly figured out some of his abilities. By removing Confusion, he could see all illusions clearly, but at a cost. Due to the nature of the Bizarre Realm, seeing all the strange existences meant losing a bit of sanity.

In the real world it was slightly better, but if in the Bizarre Realm, the speed of losing sanity after removing Confusion would be faster.

This area had already been blocked off by the police.

Benjamin walked at the front of the team, William and Daisy flanked Shawn, with the other Night Watchers a few steps behind.

Upon entering the market district, Shawn immediately saw another Investigator, a middle-aged man with a big beard, frowning, leaning against the wall, smoking, holding a black notebook, and a pen clipped next to his collar.

"Captain Benjamin," the Investigator came quickly, glanced at Shawn, and asked, "Is it him?"

Benjamin nodded slightly.

The Investigator walked up to Shawn, extending his hand, "Hank Brand."

The opponent’s hand was very rough and powerful.

Shawn reached out, shook his hand, and said calmly, "Sean."

Hank seemed about thirty-five, his hair messy, a bit unkempt, his build strong, his mental state not very good.

This was normal.

Due to frequently investigating strange incidents, most Investigators were in poor spirits, and so they had the longest vacations, at least three months a year.

"We can only confirm that the thing is in the market district," Hank said solemnly, "but we can’t find it."

The indescribable illusion is the hardest to spot.

Shawn nodded silently, his gaze swept over the market district before him and quickly headed toward the trash heap.

Benjamin and the others followed quickly.

A foul stench assaulted them; this was the market district’s trash heap, and even though it was cleaned daily, the smell was still unbearable. Not far away was the sewer system, more comprehensive in Dorne City because during the rainy season it was prone to flooding, so the sewers were built much wider than in other cities.

"It should be nearby."

Shawn’s brow furrowed, searching for any strange traces nearby, he squatted and picked up a handful of soil, dark brown and trodden on, but to his eyes, it emitted wisps of dark green.

"Could it have hidden in the sewer?" an Investigator asked.

Shawn nodded slightly, "Possible."

"Have you meticulously checked the nearby residents and shops?"

William said solemnly, "They’ve all been thoroughly checked."

Benjamin immediately ordered, "Divide into three teams, search the sewer."

"Have the police seal all the entrances and exits of the sewer."

Every entry and exit of the market district had been sealed, the only escape might be through the sewer.

A strong, pungent stench filled the air.

Upon entering the sewer, the group quickly found something: a pool of filthy blood on the ground and many mottled, peeled skin fragments.

"Out-of-control entity!"

The Night Watcher in the black jacket squatted down, sniffed briefly, and said, "Just left, less than ten minutes ago."

Shawn’s brow furrowed tightly.

He too squatted down, looked at the filthy traces on the ground, and murmured, "Deformation of flesh and blood?"

No!

Candlefort is an unnameable delusion.

He stood up and approached Benjamin, saying solemnly, "There’s still someone who slipped through the net."

Upon hearing Shawn’s words, Benjamin’s expression also turned grave. He looked at the others and said, "William, you immediately take some people back to the surface."

After speaking, he looked at Shawn and asked, "Can you find him?"

"He’s already out of control. We must find him before he harms innocents."

Shawn discerned the direction and said, "I should be able to."

"He’s nearby."

"I can feel it."

Shawn looked at the fork in the road ahead, his gaze settling on the murky sewage ditch. Inside, a tar-like luster was spreading, causing slight ripples under Spiritual Vision.

He suddenly shouted, "Right ahead, in the water!"

Bang!

A flare ignited.

Someone fired a signal flare into the dark tunnel. In the bright light, they saw a humanoid monster lurking in the filthy canal. It had goldfish-like bulging eyes, its bloated body swelling, crouched in a dark corner, with most of its body submerged in the water.

Luckily, it wasn’t the rainy season in Dorne City right now; otherwise, it would be hard to detect its presence.

"Merman!" Benjamin’s figure shot forward in the darkness.

A burst of gunfire rang out.

Under the barrage of bullets, blood splattered from the monster’s body. Its head still retained a human contour, with a terrified, weary middle-aged man’s face. His tattered clothes had ripped apart, stained by the filth of the sewer, with fins extending from his back, and his hands and feet gradually degenerating into webbed limbs.

"No... I didn’t harm anyone..." a hoarse and painful whisper echoed.

Its figure leapt from the sewage, showing an astonishing jumping ability, the monster dodging bullets and fleeing deeper into the sewers.

It seemed to still retain some rationality.

"Chase!"

As its injuries worsened, the monster’s emotions grew more violent. It let out a strange, low growl, its skin turning a dull, dark green, and the human features becoming increasingly blurred, as if something terrifying within was engulfing the exhausted middle-aged man’s face beneath the shell.

"I... didn’t harm... anyone..."

"I just wanted to... earn more... money... for my family..."

Squish.

The exhausted, despairing middle-aged man’s face was completely consumed.

In its place, the monster’s head became a grotesque fish-like head, retaining only traces of human features. The large, protruding eyes couldn’t close, gills sprouted from the neck area, and hands and feet were entirely covered by webs, its limbs on the ground, emitting sharp, hoarse guttural sounds.

The expressions on the monster’s face gradually vanished, ultimately consumed, leaving only madness and bloodlust, all dark emotions.

"Deep Diver!"

After completing its final metamorphosis, the monster’s strength and speed underwent a qualitative change, and bullets were increasingly ineffective against it.

At that moment, Daisy’s figure leapt out from the darkness.

It wasn’t the normal human way of running, but a leap on all fours, so fast that even Shawn couldn’t track it. She skimmed along a nearly vertical wall, jumping several meters away, like some exceptionally agile feline creature.

In the darkness, Shawn saw Daisy’s eyes, which were faintly glowing vertical pupils, with a touch of eerie blood-red in the pupils.

The others ceased firing.

At this distance, they might accidentally harm a comrade.

The monster’s agonized roar echoed ahead, while Daisy’s figure flitted continuously through the darkness, a strong, fishy blood scent spreading.

A moment later.

From the dark passage, a petite figure emerged, covered in filthy bloodstains. A trace of pleasure lingered at the corner of her mouth, her fair and delicate face stained with fresh blood. In her small palm, she held a grotesque fish-like head, the wound cut by something sharp, seemingly twisted off at the end with brute force.

Drip, drip.

Daisy’s faintly glowing vertical pupils were returning to a normal human appearance, the deep pupils radiating a merciless ferocity, chilling to the bone. Her cute face displayed a sweet smile as she presented the bloody grotesque head in front of the group.

"Captain." Daisy tilted her head, looked at the group whose pupils slightly contracted, and said in a pleasant voice, "It’s resolved."

.........