Chapter 24: Alien Beast

"If you really want to kill him, then kill him, but it puts me in a difficult position," Fang Hongyan said, troubled.

"I just want to kill, not necessarily have to," Yang Huawei glanced coldly at the unconscious Zhu Xuewen. Even in his stupor, Zhu Xuewen's pig-like body trembled nonstop. It was uncertain if he could return to normal after such a fright.

The two left behind a huge mess they didn't bother to clean up and headed straight for the hospital morgue where the bodies were stored.

At the hospital, Fang Hongyan flashed her credentials and barged into the morgue, regardless of the hospital staff's consent. The cold room was filled with corpses on various beds, exuding a chilling aura. Yang Huawei's masculine presence seemed to melt the morgue's coldness, creating a warm feeling.

They locked the doctors and guards outside the morgue, and Yang Huawei began uncovering the bodies one by one. Fang Hongyan, though a special agent, had limited experience with dead bodies. For Yang Huawei, this was trivial. In his past, he had spent most of his days surrounded by corpses, with blood and flesh constantly on his body.

Yang Huawei finally stopped in front of a particularly gruesome body. The middle-aged man's bloated belly was torn open, his internal organs missing, and his stomach showed gnaw marks. The blood had been drained, limbs reduced to bones, and the skin hung loosely over his belly.

"Was he... eaten by something?" Fang Hongyan asked, suppressing her nausea.

"I'm not sure yet. I need to see the scene. I need to know what it is, whether it's a beast or not. The records from Sacred City indicate that beasts only appeared in large numbers in January 2010," Yang Huawei said while examining the bodies.

"2010 saw a large number, but there might have been sporadic appearances before that, eventually converging... These beasts seem smarter than humans, at least hiding while they are weak," Fang Hongyan speculated.

"No, beasts are not much different from ordinary wild animals, just much more destructive. The real threat is the beastmen. Although the records show beastmen were discovered only in 2050, researchers believe they existed much earlier, hiding and commanding the beasts. Otherwise, the beasts couldn't have nearly wiped out humanity," Yang Huawei explained, stacking the bodies and placing a blue explosive on them.

"What are you doing?"

"Destroying them. We can't be sure if they carry diseases. All deceased warriors in Sacred City are treated this way," Yang Huawei said, emotionless, and walked out of the morgue.

Fang Hongyan quickly followed, and as soon as they opened the door, a group of doctors and guards rushed in.

"Anyone who doesn't want to die, back off!" Fang Hongyan fired a shot into the air, scaring everyone.

"Everything you saw today is classified. Do not speak a word about it. There's a bomb inside; it'll explode in one minute. Get away if you don't want to die," Fang Hongyan warned, following Yang Huawei out.

A minute later, a muffled explosion came from the morgue, flames shooting up. Fortunately, the morgue was isolated, causing no major damage to the hospital. Cleaning up the mess was left to the support staff. Both Fang Hongyan and Yang Huawei cared only about killing, not cleaning up.

Following the file's directions, they arrived at the last crime scene, a well-preserved ordinary residence. The small living room and bedroom reeked of rotting blood. Yang Huawei walked in without flinching and began examining the scene.

The bedroom, the primary scene, was a mess with blood and claw marks everywhere. Yang Huawei sketched a pair of claws, then moved around, finding and comparing various marks before drawing more lines. Soon, he had a complete drawing of a beast: a creature with short front legs, long hind legs, a long tail, and a long snout filled with sharp teeth.

"Alien?" Fang Hongyan exclaimed, recognizing the creature's resemblance to those from the famous "Alien" movies.

"Have you seen it?" Yang Huawei asked.

"No, just a movie. It's all fiction, not real. This is somewhat different, at least without the tail hook," Fang Hongyan pointed out, although she wondered if it was truly fictional. Yang Huawei seemed like a real-life Terminator, and now a real-life alien beast appeared. The world seemed crazy.

"Real or not, it's here. This is just a level-one beast, almost extinct in my time but still dangerous to ordinary people. I suspect they are breeding and evolving," Yang Huawei said seriously.

"Breeding and evolving? How is that possible?" Fang Hongyan was shocked. Evolution takes thousands of years, but Yang Huawei made it sound easy.

"Yes, evolving to be smarter and stronger. Level one now, maybe level two next, eventually becoming high-level beasts or beastmen," Yang Huawei said.

"I might be too late to stop them. Your world might follow our path, leading to another Sacred City. I must find the source and cut it off," Yang Huawei declared.

Fang Hongyan was stunned. She had heard about the harsh future and impending wars from Yang Huawei but never took it seriously. Now, he told her it was imminent, and she struggled to accept it.

"No, you can't just leave us to deal with it," Fang Hongyan grabbed Yang Huawei, frightened by the thought of facing these beasts alone.

"I won't abandon you. I'll hunt them down and minimize their presence, but my main task is to trace the source. I need to know where they come from and stop them there," Yang Huawei assured her.

"As long as you help," Fang Hongyan sighed in relief. She decided to stick with Yang Huawei, finding security in his presence. Fang Hongyan, curious, glanced at Yang Huawei's lower body, wondering about his size, her face turning red at the thought.

"What are you looking at?" Yang Huawei asked.

"Seeing how big you are... uh, nothing," Fang Hongyan blurted out, blushing. Despite her bold appearance, she was still a virgin and embarrassed by her thoughts.