“Ahh?”
“What’s wrong, Shui Miao? Did you sense something?”
As soon as Lin Xue and Chu Miaoyi heard Shui Miao’s words, they immediately grew tense.
They knew Shui Miao was a serious and responsible person, and he wouldn’t joke around at a time like this.
Shui Miao furrowed his brow for a while, concentrating. After opening his eyes, he solemnly said, “I sensed two creatures inside the church—one large and one small. They have no yang energy at all, only yin energy. They resemble humans, but they definitely aren’t human.”
“What? What are they? Are they foreigners?” Lin Xue quickly asked.
Shui Miao shook his head. “Outwardly, they look just like us—Han Chinese. One is an old man, and the other is a little boy about seven or eight years old. But if you look closely, you can see the differences. Their ears are sharper than normal, their teeth are pointed, and their pupils are extremely small—like a tiny piece of mouse droppings.”
“I know! They must be vampires, definitely!” Lin Xue’s eyes lit up with excitement as she blurted it out.
Chu Miaoyi found it hard to believe. “This seems impossible. Vampires are fictional creatures from movies. They surely don’t exist in real life, right?”
“Ah, Miaoyi, you’re wrong there. Didn’t we used to disbelieve in ghosts too? But now, we believe, don’t we?” After explaining to Chu Miaoyi, Lin Xue turned to Shui Miao and confidently said, “Shui, there’s no doubt about it—they must be vampires. Never thought we’d actually run into some. How about we prepare some silver weapons and go take care of them?”
“Hold on! Vampires are supposed to fear crosses. Why would they hide inside a church?” Chu Miaoyi considered things more carefully than the impulsive Lin Xue.
“That’s easy to explain,” Lin Xue replied excitedly. “The most dangerous place is the safest. It seems they actually understand our culture pretty well!”
Lin Xue was convinced that the old and young pair were vampires, which left Chu Miaoyi and Shui Miao speechless.
“Calm down first. Let me check again…”
Shui Miao had never encountered such creatures before, nor did he believe they were vampires. Immediately, he summoned a surge of spirit-devouring energy and sent it flying toward the church. Controlled by his mind, the energy entered the church and burrowed underground, arriving at the doorway of a room.
Underneath the church was a large hidden basement. The air was damp and filled with clutter and maze-like sewage pipes. The older creature was sleeping, while the younger one was playing around like a cat, sneaking about doing something mysterious.
The elder looked to be in his seventies, slightly thin, and was sleeping soundly.
As Shui Miao’s spirit energy approached the young creature, the creature suddenly darted toward a corner at lightning speed. “Haha! I caught you again—you lose again!”
The young creature had caught a large rat. He cradled it gently in his arms. Strangely, the rat didn’t try to escape and seemed unusually tame. After playing for a while, the creature placed the rat back on the ground and tugged on the elder’s hand. “Grandpa, grandpa, I want to go out and play. Please let me go out for a little while, okay?”
The elder woke up and hugged the young one, soothing him. “Xiaobao, how many times have I told you—we can’t go out during the day. People outside consider us monsters now. If we go out, they’ll kill us! Be patient until nightfall. Then I’ll take you out for some tofu pudding, okay?”
“Okay! Promise! Pinky swear!”
The young creature stretched out his little finger, and the two sealed their promise with a pinky swear before obediently going off to sleep.
Witnessing this scene, Shui Miao’s thoughts stirred, and he quickly withdrew his spiritual energy.
“They’re not just ordinary monsters. They must have once been human,” Shui Miao said after opening his eyes. He noticed Lin Xue and Chu Miaoyi staring at him intently, making him feel slightly awkward. “Well… Lin Xue, things are more complicated than we thought. Let me sense them again. Please don’t talk loudly—you might be overheard.”
“Okay, understood!”
“We won’t rush…”
Lin Xue and Chu Miaoyi both responded.
To avoid their intense stares, Shui Miao lowered his head, resting it on his hands as he focused his mind again. This time, he attempted to enter the young creature’s thoughts to search for clues in its memories.
But suddenly, Shui Miao noticed that both the elder and the young creature had vanished.
“How could this happen?”
Had they discovered them? Startled, Shui Miao immediately scanned the surroundings. However, he couldn’t find any trace of the two creatures in the basement room.
They couldn’t have gone far!
Unwilling to give up, Shui Miao expanded his spiritual perception into the city’s sewer system to search further.
The sewers were a maze—filthy, smelly, crawling with rats and maggots. The stench was unbearable. After sensing around for a while, Shui Miao began to feel physically and mentally unwell. He persisted a little longer but still found nothing, so he finally withdrew his spiritual energy and gave up.
“They’re gone. I suspect they overheard our conversation…” Shui Miao lowered his voice. “Let’s leave for now. We mustn’t act rashly until we understand the situation better.”
He looked pointedly at Lin Xue as he said this.
Chu Miaoyi caught Shui Miao’s meaning and chimed in, “Right. These two creatures are extremely powerful. They vanished in an instant. We wouldn’t be foolish enough to charge in blindly and get ourselves killed.”
“Indeed, they’re very strong,” Shui Miao nodded, sighing. “Their speed was too fast. I still can’t figure out what they really are. Anyway, let’s not dwell on it now. Let’s go back and keep an eye on Guo Jing first. We can deal with this matter later.”
“Right, right!” Lin Xue nodded repeatedly. “Guo Jing might be planning to flee abroad with the stolen money. If he escapes overseas, we’ll lose our chance to catch him. Let’s go, Lin Jie?”
Lin Xue clicked her tongue, reluctantly driving off.
It turned out that Lin Xue was a huge vampire enthusiast. She was convinced the creatures in the church were vampires and longed to meet them. She felt no fear—only excitement.
But now, she felt only disappointment.
Back at the bureau, Chu Miaoyi assigned Lin Xue to lead a team to monitor Guo Jing. If any signs of escape emerged, they were to act immediately without hesitation.
Lin Xue, sullen and silent, left with a few officers to begin surveillance.
With nothing else to do, Shui Miao returned to his shop.
“Ah?”
“What’s wrong, Shui Miao? What did you sense?” Lin Xue and Chu Miaoyi immediately tensed up upon hearing Shui Miao’s words.
They knew Shui Miao was a serious and earnest person—he wouldn’t joke around at a time like this.
Shui Miao continued to furrow his brow, concentrating for a moment longer before opening his eyes. With a grave expression, he said, “I sensed two creatures inside the church—one large, one small. They have no yang energy, only yin energy. They look human, but they’re definitely not human.”
“What? What are they? Foreigners?” Lin Xue quickly asked.
Shui Miao shook his head. “On the surface, they look like us—Asian. An old man and a little boy around seven or eight years old. But if you look closely, you can see the differences. Their ears are pointier than normal people’s, their teeth are sharp, and their pupils are tiny, like specks of mouse droppings.”
“I know! They must be vampires! They have to be!” Lin Xue’s eyes lit up, and she exclaimed excitedly.
Chu Miaoyi found it hard to believe. “Th-that can’t be, right? Vampires are fictional—from movies. They can’t exist in real life, can they?”
“Oh, Miaoyi, you’re wrong about that. We didn’t believe in ghosts before either, did we? But now we do,” Lin Xue retorted before turning to Shui Miao with certainty. “Xiao Shui, I’m sure they’re vampires. Who would’ve thought we’d run into them? Why don’t we prepare some silver weapons and go take them out?”
“Wait, that doesn’t make sense! Vampires are afraid of crosses. Why would they hide in a church?” Chu Miaoyi considered the details carefully, unlike the impulsive Lin Xue.
Lin Xue remained excited. “That’s easy to explain—the most dangerous place is the safest. Looks like they understand our culture pretty well!”
Lin Xue was convinced the two creatures were vampires, leaving Chu Miaoyi and Shui Miao utterly speechless.
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Let me investigate further…” Shui Miao had never encountered such creatures before and wasn’t convinced they were vampires. He immediately channeled a stream of soul-devouring energy toward the church. Under his mental control, the energy slipped into the church, burrowed underground, and reached the entrance of a room.
Beneath the church was a large, hidden basement. The air was damp, and the space was cluttered with miscellaneous items and crisscrossing sewer pipes. The older creature was asleep, while the younger one was playing—tiptoeing around like a cat, though it was unclear what he was doing.
The older creature appeared to be in his seventies or eighties, slightly thin, and sound asleep.
As Shui Miao’s soul-devouring energy approached the younger creature, the little one suddenly darted toward a corner with lightning speed. “Haha! I caught you again! You lose!”
The little creature had caught a large rat. He held it gently in his arms, stroking it. Strangely, the rat didn’t try to escape and seemed docile. After playing for a while, the little creature set the rat down and went to tug at the older one’s hand, whining, “Grandpa, Grandpa, I want to go out and play! Please, just for a little while!”
The older creature woke up and hugged the little one soothingly. “Xiao Bao, how many times have I told you? We can’t go out during the day. People outside think we’re monsters. If we go out, they’ll try to kill us! Be patient. When it’s dark, Grandpa will take you out for some tofu pudding, okay?”
“Okay! It’s a promise! Pinky swear!” The little creature held out his pinky, and after linking fingers with his grandfather, he obediently went to lie down and sleep.
Sensing this, Shui Miao quickly withdrew his soul-devouring energy.
“They’re not just monsters. They must have been human once,” Shui Miao said as he opened his eyes, noticing Lin Xue and Chu Miaoyi staring intently at him. He felt slightly awkward. “Well… Sister Lin Xue, things are more complicated than we thought. Let me sense a bit more. Please don’t say anything rash—I’m afraid they might be able to hear us.”
“Okay, sure!”
“We’re in no hurry…” Lin Xue and Chu Miaoyi responded one after another.
To avoid the women’s relentless staring, Shui Miao lowered his head, propped it up with his hand, and focused his energy on sensing. This time, he wanted to delve into the little creature’s mind, hoping to find some clues in its memories.
But Shui Miao suddenly realized both the old and young creatures had vanished.
“How is this possible?”
Had they been discovered? Shui Miao’s heart sank. He quickly expanded his senses, searching the basement room, but there was no trace of the two creatures.
They couldn’t have gone far!
Unwilling to give up, Shui Miao expanded his psychic senses into the city’s sewer system to continue the search.
The sewers were a complex, filthy, and foul-smelling maze, teeming with rats and maggots—utterly disgusting. After sensing for a while, Shui Miao began to feel uneasy. He persisted a bit longer but still found nothing, so he withdrew his senses and gave up the search.
“They’re gone. I suspect they heard us…” Shui Miao lowered his voice. “Let’s just go. Until we understand the situation, we shouldn’t act recklessly.”
He glanced pointedly at Lin Xue—this warning was meant for her.
Chu Miaoyi caught Shui Miao’s meaning and chimed in, “No problem. Those two creatures are so powerful—vanishing in the blink of an eye. We’re not foolish enough to blindly walk into danger.”
“They are indeed incredibly powerful!” Shui Miao nodded and sighed. “Their speed is astonishing—gone in an instant. I really don’t understand what they are. Let’s not dwell on it for now. We should go back and keep an eye on Guo Jing. We can deal with this later.”
“Right, right!” Lin Xue nodded repeatedly. “Guo Jing might abscond with the funds. If he flees abroad, we’ll never catch him. Sister Lin, let’s go?”
Lin Xue smacked her lips reluctantly and drove off.
As it turned out, Lin Xue was a die-hard vampire enthusiast. She was convinced the creatures in the church were vampires and longed to see them for herself. She felt no fear—only excitement.
But now, she was filled with disappointment.
Back at the station, Chu Miaoyi assigned Lin Xue to lead a team monitoring Guo Jing. If there was any sign he was planning to flee with the money, they were to arrest him immediately without hesitation.
Lin Xue, sullen and silent, took a few people to surveil Guo Jing.
With nothing else to do, Shui Miao returned to his shop.
The shop was just as he’d left it. Shui Miao lay back in his recliner, cycled through his spiritual techniques, and began pondering the church incident.
“If they really are vampires, they should know European dark magic. If they know dark magic, they could transform into bats and use it to evade my psychic senses. That’s not impossible… But where would they go?” After some thought, Shui Miao realized the problem: when he noticed they were gone, he hadn’t thoroughly sensed every inch of the area. Perhaps there was a hidden compartment underground? Or maybe they were hiding among the piled-up clutter? He shouldn’t have just skimmed the surface and rushed to search farther away. Maybe they had turned into bats and were hanging upside down somewhere?
That afternoon, Shui Miao’s thoughts were entirely consumed by the church creatures.
As the sun began to set, Wang Yong arrived as agreed.
Shui Miao took Wang Yong to a small restaurant, ordered a few dishes, and chatted with him about his grandfather’s gambling habits. He also repaid the money he’d borrowed from Wang Yong to rent the shop, adding an extra two thousand yuan.
Of the 100,000 yuan, only 10,000 remained.
After the meal, Shui Miao bought a new phone and topped up his plan, spending another five thousand.
On the walk back to the shop with Wang Yong, Shui Miao recounted the day’s events at the church and asked if Wang Yong knew anything about such creatures.
Shui Miao hadn’t planned to ask—such creatures were rare, and he doubted Wang Yong would know. But with little else to talk about, he brought it up casually.
To his surprise, Wang Yong grew excited after hearing the story. “Shui Miao, is all of that true?”
“It’s true, Godfather. Do I look like I’m joking?” Shui Miao blinked. “Why? Do you actually know something about this?”
“I do! Of course I do! When I was a kid, I was treasure hunting in a tomb and got bitten by one of those things. It almost killed me. The old man and the boy you described must have been bitten too—poisoned and transformed. They’re not monsters; they’re just victims infected with corpse poison from those creatures. I was lucky as a kid—I met a well-traveled old man who cured me using a Western method. Otherwise, I’d be long dead.” Energized by alcohol and nostalgia, Wang Yong grew more animated. “Shui Miao, take me to them now. Maybe they’re my old friends! Maybe they came to Huanghai City looking for me because they were poisoned. That old man’s method was passed down only to me—no one else knows it.”
What are the odds of that? Shui Miao found it hard to believe. “Godfather, what exactly are these things called? Maybe you’ve mixed them up with something else.”
“I think they’re called… something like ‘kǎo shǔ’? I can’t remember clearly. Anyway, they look like rats. After biting someone, there’s no immediate problem, but over time, the person starts fearing light and prefers darkness. Then their whole body itches, especially their ears. After itching for a month or so, the skin on their ears peels, and they gradually become pointy. Their teeth fall out and are replaced by fangs. The most obvious sign is their pupils—they shrink smaller and smaller until they’re like specks of mouse droppings. According to the old man, if the bitten person grows a layer of black fuzz all over their body, they’ll completely transform into a monster—a huge, inhuman creature with a thirst for killing. It’s absolutely terrifying!”
“Kǎo shǔ!?” Shui Miao’s heart sank. It seemed Wang Yong really did know these creatures.
“If they really are vampires, they should possess European black magic. If they do, they might have transformed into bats and escaped my spiritual perception using dark magic. That’s possible… But where could they have gone?” Shui Miao began to realize a flaw in his approach. When he first noticed their disappearance, he hadn’t thoroughly scanned every inch of the area. Perhaps there were hidden compartments underground? Or maybe among the cluttered objects there were places to hide. He shouldn’t have rushed his search and immediately expanded his perception outward. Maybe they had transformed into bats and were hanging upside down somewhere?
The entire afternoon, Shui Miao’s thoughts were consumed by the mysterious creatures in the church.
As the sun neared the horizon, Wang Yong arrived as agreed.
Shui Miao invited Wang Yong to a small restaurant, ordered a few dishes, and chatted with him about his grandfather’s gambling habits. He also returned the ten thousand yuan he had borrowed from Wang Yong for renting the shop, adding an extra two thousand.
In no time, only ten thousand yuan remained from the original one hundred thousand.
After dinner, Shui Miao went to a store and bought a new mobile phone, spending another five thousand yuan on it.
On their way back to the shop, Shui Miao told Wang Yong about sensing the creatures in the church earlier and asked if Wang Yong knew what kind of creatures they were.
Shui Miao hadn’t really intended to ask Wang Yong—such creatures were extremely rare, and he assumed Wang Yong wouldn’t know anything about them.
But with nothing else to talk about, he asked casually.
To his surprise, after hearing Shui Miao’s story, Wang Yong became visibly excited. “Shui Miao, is all that really true?”
“It’s true! Godfather, do I look like I’m joking around?” Shui Miao blinked his eyes. “Wait a minute—do you actually know something about this?”
“Know? Of course I do! When I was a kid, I was treasure hunting in a tomb and got bitten by one of these creatures. I almost died from it. The old and young you described were probably bitten too, poisoned, and then transformed. They aren’t demons—they’re just victims of a deadly infection carried by these creatures. I was lucky as a child. I met an old man who knew a lot, and he cured me using Western methods. Otherwise, I’d have been dead long ago.” Drunk and reminiscing, Wang Yong grew more and more excited. “Shui Miao, take me there now! Those two might even be my old playmates—they might have come all the way to Huanghai City specifically to find me after getting infected. The old man only passed his cure down to me. No one else knows it!”
How could such a coincidence exist in this world? Shui Miao found it hard to believe Wang Yong’s story. “Godfather, you keep talking, but what exactly is this creature called? Maybe you mixed it up with something else.”
“It’s called… called something like ‘tail-rat,’ I think. I can’t remember the exact name. Anyway, it looks almost like a regular rat. When a person gets bitten, there’s no immediate problem. But over time, they start fearing light and loving darkness. Then their whole body starts itching, especially their ears. After a month or so of itching, the ears begin peeling, then gradually sharpen. Their teeth fall out and are replaced with sharp fangs. The most noticeable change is the pupils—they shrink smaller and smaller until they’re like a piece of mouse droppings. According to the old man, if the victim grows a layer of black fuzzy fur all over their body, they’ll completely transform into a monster—huge, inhuman, and extremely violent and bloodthirsty. It’s absolutely terrifying!”
“Tail-rat!?”
Shui Miao’s heart sank. It seemed Wang Yong really did recognize this creature.
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