Chapter 22

“Escaped Forbidden Item B87, danger level: medium. Ability: surveillance. Usage: it enjoys consuming human eyeballs and deceives or manipulates its host to acquire food.”

“If the host fails to provide human eyeballs to Forbidden Item B87 for a prolonged period, the object will consider it a violation and immediately remove the host’s eyeballs.”

“Though not highly dangerous, B87 poses no large-scale threat. Sealing method: imprison it in a clay jar and cut off its food supply, causing it to fall into a dormant state.”

Paranormal Incident Management Department.

Captain Li looked at the corpse of the victim, his expression grave. “Preliminary suspicion points to the escaped Forbidden Item B87.”

After a female high school student jumped to her death, the police suspected traces of malevolent entity, leading them to report the case to the Paranormal Incident Management Department for further investigation by Captain Li and his team.

Upon reviewing the girl’s horrific state of death and the complete surveillance footage, they preliminarily identified the culprit as the escaped Forbidden Item B87.

Although B87 wasn’t well-known, it was still a troublesome entity.

Its strength was minimal. Though classified as a B-level Forbidden item, its power was so weak that even a C-level ability user could easily subdue it.

Yet, it was clever. It always targeted ordinary humans.

Its classification as B-level was due to its unique ability, it could observe anyone’s movements at any given moment.

After sealing B87, the Paranormal Incident Management Department had used its powers numerous times to rescue hostages, dismantle false god cults, and even spy on foreign nations’ strategies.

Indeed, it was a very useful forbidden item.

Weak yet highly functional—that was why the department had decided to seal it as a forbidden object instead of destroying it.

Three years ago, Forbidden Item B87 escaped during an operation and subsequently went into hiding within society, luring humans to become its hosts.

Those it targeted either lost an eye or, in severe cases, took their own lives. B87 did not directly kill but would flee immediately after consuming an eyeball.

The Paranormal Incident Management Department had attempted to capture it several times, but it was too cunning, always disappearing after feeding.

Yu Yu, flipping through reports of previous victims targeted by B87, remarked, “The cases are similar to this one. To outsiders, it looks like the victims gouged out their own eyes.”

Glancing at the deceased girl not far away, she sighed, “It’s a pity. If only she had reported it sooner.”

While ordinary people were unaware of malevolent entities, some law enforcement agencies maintained communication and cooperation with the Paranormal Incident Management Department.

For instance, in the current high school case, after the police discovered signs of malevolent influence, they promptly reported it to the department for handling.

If the victim had reported the incident as soon as B87 bound and threatened her, there might have been a chance to save her.

Even if she lost an eye, she could have lived.

Yu Yu, after saying this, felt her own words were hollow. “But what’s the point in saying this now? They didn’t know.”

Ordinary people didn’t know about malevolent entities. When faced with such incidents, their first thought wasn’t to seek help from the authorities but rather from psychiatric institutions or so-called “spiritual masters” to exorcise the ghosts.

This was why the Paranormal Incident Management Department didn’t hinder the development of metaphysical organizations but allowed them to gain popularity online.

These groups provided a path for ordinary people to seek help when faced with malevolent entities.

Looking at the gruesome sight of the dead girl, Yu Yu spoke softly, “Captain, sometimes I think the Deputy Minister’s idea isn’t without merit. Maybe we should tell the public about the existence of malevolent entities.”

That way, when people encountered such dangers, they wouldn’t be left in confusion, ultimately succumbing without a fight.

Captain Li frowned but remained silent. Xiaojun, standing nearby, couldn’t hold back any longer.

He slammed the table and threw his hat down, shouting angrily, “Damn it! This isn’t about revealing the truth about malevolent entities—it’s about the forbidden items!”

“Malevolent entities are the embodiment of all humanity’s negative emotions, driving people toward ruin!”

“I don’t know which idiot thought it was a good idea to create forbidden items out of them! Sure, it’s one thing to deal with minor malevolent entities, but some powerful ones that pose unnecessary threats are turned into forbidden items too!”

“Take B87, for example. When we first captured it, it had already harmed over a hundred people! A vicious entity like that should never have been made into a forbidden object—it should have been destroyed immediately!”

After B87’s two escapes, it harmed dozens more people, and according to regulations, it should have been dealt with immediately. But it was spared because it was deemed “useful” to certain individuals.

Thinking of the innocent people harmed by B87, especially the dead young girl before him, Xiaojun’s eyes reddened. “It’s a disgrace! An absolute disgrace!”

“Xiaojun, calm down,” Captain Li said quietly. “B87 helped us disrupt several false god cult sacrifices. In one major case, it saved over thirty people.”

Not to mention its other contributions at the national level.

Xiaojun grew even more agitated. “Are the people it saved the same as the ones it killed? Does saving some lives justify all the ones it took?”

He moved closer to the victim, shouting, “Tell me, did B87 ever save her? Why did she have to go through this?”

Xiaojun, an ordinary ability user in the department, didn’t understand the leadership’s perspective or grasp the broader picture.

All he knew was that innocent people were being harmed by B87, and he had once had a chance to kill it. Those people didn’t have to die.

Yu Yu quickly stepped in, glaring at Xiaojun. “Why are you shouting? It’s not the captain who made the forbidden items! Why are you yelling at us?”

Xiaojun averted his gaze, his voice muffled. “We were the ones who first caught B87. We had the chance to save those people.”

Everyone fell silent at his words.

“It was the Vice Minister who said B87 was useful and told us to keep it,” Xiao Jun scoffed. “He doesn’t lose any sleep over all the people it’s killed.”

Yu Yu, a staunch admirer of the Vice Minister, retorted, “What nonsense are you talking about? How is this related to the Vice Minister?”

“By your logic, should we not create forbidden items at all? Without A-level forbidden items, how would we fight against the sudden appearance of powerful malevolent entities?”

“Do you even realize that before we controlled A-level forbidden items, the metaphysical organizations wouldn’t even respect us? False god cults ran rampant, and we were powerless to stop them. We had to rely on metaphysical groups for help!”

Xiaojun sneered, “Yeah, now we have A-level forbidden items locked up in several cities. If any of them escape, let’s see how you all deal with it. We’ll be done for!”

Yu Yu, furious, stomped her foot. “You’re impossible!”

As Yu Yu and Xiaojun bickered, Captain Li looked on, his expression heavy.

This was the biggest rift within the Paranormal Incident Management Department—one over whether to disclose the existence of malevolent entities to the public, and another over whether forbidden objects should be created at all.

The two sides could not convince each other, split into radicals and conservatives. Though outwardly civil, the tension simmered beneath the surface, ready to explode at any moment.

Captain Li glanced at his team, who were avoiding each other, and sighed, “Let’s focus on the case first.”

He continued, “You all say it’s B87, but I suspect it’s not that simple—perhaps it’s more than just B87.”

A student gouging out their own eyes would certainly involve B87’s manipulation, but the fact that she later jumped to her death raised suspicions for Captain Li.

With a serious expression, he said, “I reviewed the surveillance footage several times. After the student removed her eyes, she appeared to be in great pain, clearly conscious at the time. However, about two minutes later, she walked towards the rooftop in a dazed state.”

“We all know that B87 has no history of directly causing someone’s death. Once it gets the human eyeballs it wants, it wouldn’t logically push its host to suicide…”

“I suspect the victim encountered another malevolent entity, one stronger than B87. Otherwise, B87 wouldn’t willingly give up its acquired food.”

Yu Yu was stunned. “Captain, are you saying there’s another powerful malevolent entity at the school?”

Suddenly, Xiaojun’s eyes widened as he remembered something. “Damn. Some people from the Metaphysical Society told me they were going to the school to investigate.”

The authorities generally encouraged ability users to handle malevolent entities. In cases like this, if organizations like the Metaphysical Society were willing to get involved, the Paranormal Incident Management Department would not refuse their help.

…

The next morning, Shen Xiaodi was shocked. “Sis! What happened to your window?”

Leaning over the balcony, he looked outside. “Whoa, that’s a huge hole.”

Yue Yin ignored him, lazily lying on her bed, reading a novel.

Shen Xiaodi rushed over and said, “Why are you still in bed, Yue Yin? You’re going to be late for school.”

It was the second day of school for Shen Xiaodi. As a member of the Shen family, he had the privilege of being driven to school by a chauffeur.

He had his own little plan, if Yue Yin went to school with him, the driver would have to take her too, so she wouldn’t have to walk.

Despite his good intentions, Yue Yin didn’t care. She remained curled up under her blanket, like a hibernating squirrel.

Shen Xiaodi, hands on his hips, shouted, “Hurry up and get up, Yue Yin!”

Yue Yin poked her head out from the blanket and said, “You go on ahead. I’m not going to school today.”

Shen Xiaodi’s eyes widened. “Did you take the day off?”

Still focused on her phone, Yue Yin sipped her yogurt and replied, “No.”

Shen Xiaodi was shocked. “Then why aren’t you going to school?”

Yue Yin, with a mysterious tone, said, “Because our school’s going to be closed today.”

Yesterday, Shen Baozhu and her group didn’t listen to Yue Yin’s warning and essentially delivered themselves to the malevolent entity.

If things went as expected, they likely met with disaster.

Yue Yin couldn’t believe it—if several people were found dead at school in the morning, how could they not close it down?

She figured if she went to school today, she would surely see a notice about it being closed. So why not just stay home and lounge around?

Feeling smug about her cleverness, Yue Yin continued reading her novel.

Half an hour later, her phone rang.

Her homeroom teacher’s voice boomed like a thunderclap, “Yue Yin, why aren’t you at school yet?”

Shocked, Yue Yin asked, “We still have class today?”

The teacher, half-laughing from anger, replied, “When do we ever not have class? If you don’t come soon, I’ll have to call your parents and have you write a self-criticism letter!”

Yue Yin: …

She couldn’t comprehend it—there had been multiple murders at the school, and yet the students still had to attend class as usual.

Did the malevolent entity not kill enough people, or had humanity developed such a love for learning that they now disregarded death?

While questioning the absurdity of it all, Yue Yin slowly got out of bed and reluctantly prepared for school.

Even as she walked to school, she clung to the belief that they would announce a school closure.

She searched the news on her phone but found no reports about multiple deaths or disappearances at her school from the previous night.

Strange. Had she misjudged the situation? Could it be that Zhou Huai’an and Shen Baozhu’s group hadn’t been harmed?

Scratching her head in confusion, Yue yin walked to school, feeling disgruntled.

Upon arriving, she immediately ran into the principal and the dean, who were accompanying Captain Li. They all looked serious as they headed in a particular direction.