Chapter 11

The next morning, news of a missing woman case surged to the top of Xu City’s trending searches.  

Xi Le had also heard about the disappearances. It was an incident that had frequently made city news recently, with several cases occurring even before Xi Le had crossed over into this world.  

Within just one year, nine individuals aged 23 to 30 had gone missing in Xu City, including several pregnant women. The cases were still under investigation.  

After confirmation, all these incidents were found to be the work of the same perpetrator, who was highly likely a Contaminant.  

Xi Le skimmed through the news for a while. Seeing that he had no surgeries scheduled next, he decided to grab a meal at the hospital cafeteria first.  

Though it wouldn’t fill him up, he had to eat something—otherwise, what if he collapsed?  

On his way to the cafeteria, Xi Le encountered a woman who looked extremely strange. She was in a hurry, with dark circles under her eyes.  

Unable to resist glancing at her a few more times, Xi Le noticed she seemed on the verge of fainting. Assuming it might be low blood sugar, he casually handed her a piece of candy.  

Lu Li, who received the candy, quickly thanked him but didn’t eat it, instead slipping it into her pocket.  

Only after the woman had left did Xi Le suddenly remember—that candy had probably been sitting in his pocket for a long time.  

When he became the Crimson Moon in others’ eyes, the candy had already been in his pocket.  

Lu Li was swamped with work as a community handler (CH) for a gaming company. The game she managed had been plagued with issues lately, and players in the fandom supertopic practically wanted to sacrifice her as the CH for entertainment. If announcements were even slightly delayed or apologies came a bit late, the CH would “die” once in their eyes.  

Last night, Lu Li had left work at 10 p.m. But on her way home, she saw two people drive past her.  

She hadn’t paid much attention to such a trivial matter at the time. However, while driving, she came across the latest news about the female disappearances in Xu City. Suddenly, Lu Li realized—the missing woman was one of the two people she had seen last night!  

That meant the person beside her was very likely the culprit.  

But she hadn’t looked closely and couldn’t recall the other person’s appearance at all.  

Lu Li had planned to report it to the police, but her best friend suddenly went into labor, forcing her to visit the hospital first before heading to the station.  

Lu Li found her friend’s hospital room and sighed in relief upon seeing her safe and sound. “Are you okay? Does it still hurt? I was so worried.”  

Her friend replied weakly, “I’m alright…”  

Noticing the dark circles under Lu Li’s eyes, her friend said sympathetically, “Overtime again? Your job is way too exhausting.”  

The door behind them opened, and her friend suddenly perked up. “Lu Li, Lu Li! Dr. Li is here. He’s pretty handsome and single—want to give it a shot?”  

Lu Li: “…” She forced an awkward smile. “No need for that.”  

A pleasant voice came from behind her. “How is the patient resting? Make sure she gets proper post-op rest and isn’t disturbed too much.”  

“Understood, Doctor. I’ll be careful.”  

Lu Li turned around to thank the doctor.  

But the moment she saw him, her entire body froze in terror.  

Memories from last night flooded her mind, screaming wildly in her head.  

It’s him, it’s him—the person who was with the missing woman last night was him!!

Lu Li remembered everything now—the other person she saw last night was this very doctor standing before her!

Lu Li never imagined she would meet someone suspected to be the murderer under such circumstances.

Summoning all her strength, Lu Li forced herself to stay calm.

She tried to sound as normal as possible and said, “Thank you so much, Doctor.”

Li Zhuoxue smiled gently, gave a few more instructions, and then left the room.

Only after Li Zhuoxue had gone did Lu Li feel like she could breathe again.

She collapsed onto the floor, warm sweat trickling down her forehead, soaking all the stray hairs by her ears.

Her friend asked, “Lu Li? Lu Li, what’s wrong?”

It took a long time for Lu Li to snap out of it.

Her heart was still pounding wildly. Despite the doctor’s gentle smile, the overwhelming pressure he exuded had made her forget to breathe.

Lu Li got up from the floor, her mind in a daze, and muttered, “I need to go out for a bit.”

She hurriedly left the ward.

She had to report this to the police—this doctor was very likely the murderer! Even if he wasn’t, he was definitely connected to the killer!

Lu Li took out her phone and frantically dialed 110.

But before the call could connect, someone appeared before her like a ghost.

“What a coincidence, running into you again here.”

Li Zhuoxue slowly walked up to her from behind.

Though his demeanor was as warm as spring, it sent shivers down Lu Li’s spine.

The phone in her hand slipped, and the call that was about to connect was mysteriously cut off.

She had been discovered. He knew.

Lu Li wanted to scream for help from those around her, but she realized there was no one nearby anymore.

She looked up sharply and saw Li Zhuoxue with his hands in his pockets, his eyes behind the glasses staring at her eerily.

He said, “You know, don’t you?”

Lu Li froze, her face twisted in terror as she stumbled backward.

But Li Zhuoxue advanced step by step. “You know I’m the murderer, don’t you?”

A sinister aura suddenly engulfed her, making Lu Li dizzy.

This was… the power of Mysticism.

Then, Lu Li noticed that the once-gentle Li Zhuoxue had transformed—his limbs had turned into spider legs, and six eyes had appeared on his face.

This was a Contaminant. The culprit behind the Xu City disappearances was a Contaminant!

His gaze roamed over her body, seemingly pleased.

“How enviable. You get to offer everything to Him.”

Lu Li kept retreating until there was nowhere left to go.

Catching his words, she immediately understood and gasped in horror, “You actually worship… that thing!”

In this twisted and insane world, Contaminants and Evil Gods lurked everywhere. Influenced by corruption, many fanatics worshipped them, offering their lives and everything they had.

Over the past century, countless such organizations had emerged worldwide, deceiving ignorant followers and preying on helpless ordinary people.

Nations across the globe had been cracking down on Evil Gods, but in this era where Mysticism ran rampant, cults thrived in the shadows.

But Lu Li never expected Li Zhuoxue to be one of them.

Hearing Lu Li’s address, Li Zhuoxue was extremely displeased: “What do you mean, cult? I worship a god! That is a god! The greatest god!” Suddenly, an unparalleled light flashed in Li Zhuoxue’s eyes, his limbs flailing like an octopus’s tentacles. “It is omnipresent, eternal, the origin of all life, the greatest god! To offer everything you have to Him is your blessing!”

Lu Li felt terrified; all she wanted now was to escape.

But Li Zhuoxue’s grip on the girl’s hand suddenly became unbreakably firm, no matter how hard she struggled.

From behind Li Zhuoxue, a spider-like leg emerged as he pinned the girl to the ground, while his other hand gently stroked Lu Li’s belly.

His eyes burned with fanatic devotion to his deity: “Great god, you will surely love this. They will become your most devout nourishment!”

“You are the greatest, the most selfless—praise be to you!”

Lu Li was utterly despairing.

Tears streamed uncontrollably from the corners of her eyes.

Her character was really going to die just as the players had cursed—how unfair.

At the critical moment, an extraordinary aura suddenly permeated the surroundings.

Under the influence of this aura, Lu Li’s scalp tingled, and every strand of her hair seemed to come alive.

But the one reacting even more violently was Li Zhuoxue before her.

Li Zhuoxue’s two spider-like appendages exploded violently, and his eyes split into double pupils.

Li Zhuoxue: “Contaminants? How can you possess such powerful Contaminants?”

Lu Li was baffled.

How could she have Contaminants on her?

After frantically searching her body, Lu Li finally traced the source of this overwhelming Mysticism aura—it was the candy given to her earlier by that doctor!

As the candy was revealed, Li Zhuoxue’s loss of control intensified. Fish scales appeared on his face, gills sprouted on his neck, and his consciousness began to blur.

With his last ounce of strength, Li Zhuoxue fled the scene, half his face already transformed into a fish’s head by then.

After Li Zhuoxue left, Lu Li collapsed to the ground.

The candy returned to normal.

Holding it, she couldn’t help but marvel.

Who would have thought a piece of candy would one day save her life?

Without delay, Lu Li immediately called the police—this time, the call wasn’t disconnected.

The moment the call connected, fearing further complications, she cut straight to the point: “I know who’s behind the Xu City disappearances—it’s Li Zhuoxue from Xu City Central Hospital!”

There was a brief pause on the other end before an excited female voice responded: “What? Li Zhuoxue? Where are you now? Find a safe place to hide; we’re sending someone immediately.”

Lu Li was taken to the police station, where an Awakener questioned her: “How did you know Li Zhuoxue was the culprit?”

Lu Li recounted everything that had happened over the past two days in detail.

Naturally, this included the candy.

From the moment she entered the station, Lu Li had clutched the candy tightly, not daring to let go. She even considered turning it into a necklace to wear permanently.

The Awakener narrowed his eyes: “You’re saying a piece of candy saved you?”

Lu Li: “Yes, if it weren’t for that candy, I’d be dead now. Li Zhuoxue said that candy carries the powerful aura of Contaminants!”

The Awakener took the candy and examined it. The candy appeared completely ordinary, having melted slightly from being stored too long.

There wasn’t the slightest trace of Mysticism on the candy, completely unlike what Lu Li had described.

But after what had just happened, the Awakener didn’t dare underestimate this candy.

The person who gave this candy to Lu Li must be highly ranked—an advanced Contaminant.

An advanced Contaminant had actually appeared in Xucheng. What was its purpose? What could Xucheng possibly have that would interest it?

Cheng Qianming: “Who was the person who gave this to you? What did they look like?”

Lu Li said urgently, “He was a…”

Doc…

No, no, not a doctor.

Lu Li suddenly became dazed, her mind blank. She even forgot what she had been about to say.

Who… who was it again?

Lu Li’s eyes widened in surprise.

She couldn’t remember anything at all.