"Historically recorded, those who wore similar masks were invariably brutal and indiscriminate killers, one can say that each appearance of this mask would unleash a bloodbath, causing extreme panic."
"The last known owner of the mask before this appeared three hundred years ago in Europe, imprisoned by the King in the Bastille, until after his death when all traces of him were erased."
"Now that he has put on this mask again, it is clear he has inherited something..."
After hearing the explanation, Xu Fei couldn’t help but say:
"Could it just be a coincidence? That the two masks merely look somewhat alike."
"I hope it is a coincidence."
This time, Gao Jin did not refute but instead asked:
"During your encounter with him, did you recognize what Special Ability he was using?"
Chen Lei turned towards Xu Fei.
Xu Fei shook his head and answered:
"I couldn’t tell, only that his physical abilities are far beyond that of an ordinary person, with remarkable speed and incredibly hard fists."
Gao Jin nodded slightly, then commanded another subordinate by his side to retrieve surveillance camera footage for confirmation.
While he had specifically come here to deal with the Ghoul uprising, upon learning about the masked man, he seemed even more concerned about another matter.
Seeing this, Xu Fei then changed the subject:
"Chief Gao, should we take the Ghoul leader’s skeletal remains back to headquarters or destroy them here?"
Gao Jin shook his head:
"I have carefully observed the remains; that old Ghoul is probably not dead yet."
At these words, both Xu Fei and Chen Lei involuntarily felt their hearts skip a beat and looked up in unison at their chief who was fond of startling remarks.
The flashing neon of the night sky enveloped the entire city.
Old Factory Street, with neither the sounds of human voices nor the noise of cars, was as quiet and peaceful as always.
Cheng Leyi stood before the window with binoculars in hand.
In the deep night, the silhouette of a gray-white building emerged.
A few sparse lights were still on, glowing faintly through the windows as if to guide those returning late at night.
She bit on a mint candy to stay alert, the crunching sound filling the silence.
Her fingertips touched the binoculars, switching them to thermal imaging mode.
Instantly, the view through the lens shifted, replaced by a thermal map of various degrees of heat, colorful and varying in brightness.
"All is normal, nothing happening on my end..."
Cheng Leyi muttered into the headset, almost as if talking to herself.
Then she moved the lens upward, landing on a window on the ninth floor.
Despite the tight seals of the glass and curtains, a fuzzy human silhouette could be seen sitting at a desk through the heat signature.
"What a diligent and progressive good boy, studying hard..."
Cheng Leyi smiled faintly.
Having not noticed any unusual movement for a long time, she was beginning to feel sleepy and wanted to take a small break.
However, she perked up and continued her vigilant observation after just receiving a phone call.
Suddenly, a ruckus could be heard from the other end of the street.
It seemed a few drunken men were returning from the night market, causing a commotion, shouting and singing as they went.
Cheng Leyi shook her head, speechless at the sight.
However, almost the same moment she turned the lens away.
A shadow flickered like a ghost, swiftly emerging from the dark alley and arriving at the base of the tubular building on the east side.
Immediately after, the shadow’s toes lightly pressed against the wall, propelling upward several meters in a single leap.
Then, with a light grasp on the protrusions of the wall for a slight boost, the figure soared into the air again.
Each kick was as light as a dragonfly skimming the water, leaving only faint traces on the wall.
The figure moved swiftly, the fabric of the clothes making a gentle sound as if blending with the wind.
In the blink of an eye, he had scaled several floors, reaching the ninth.
Then, with a swoosh, he dived through the half-open window.