Doomsday police, please show your god/demon ID card.

The night was deep and all was quiet.

The police station was quiet, with only the faint hum of the heater breaking the silence.

Su Yan lay on the cot in the corner, her breathing steady, seemingly fast asleep.

However, gradually, the rhythmic breathing suddenly became disordered.

Her brows furrowed unconsciously, and her eyes darted rapidly beneath her closed eyelids, revealing an expression of extreme pain.

My body began to tense slightly, and my fingers unconsciously gripped the sheets.

In a half-dream, half-awake state, she seemed to feel her body sinking deeper and deeper, as if falling into a sticky, cold, slowly pulsating darkness.

The surrounding area was a wall of mycelium emitting a faint phosphorescence, wriggling like a living intestine, and a cloyingly sweet, putrid odor permeated the air.

In the darkness, she seemed to see a mass of flesh that kept changing shape.

The surface of the tumor was cracked with countless dense holes, which devoured the nutrients transported by the hyphae—rotten organic matter, bone fragments, and even undigested zombie limbs.

"Eat...expand...assimilate...more..."

What is this?

I feel like I've seen myself somewhere before.

Su Yan's mind was foggy, and she struggled to open her eyes wide, trying to see more clearly.

Gradually...

He seemed to see some improvement; a few more cracks appeared on the tumor.

The crack was small at first, but it slowly widened, and a vague sense of unease spread in Su Yan's heart.

suddenly.

The crack widened to its maximum size, and several scarlet eyes slowly turned to look at Su Yan.

"what!"

A scream.

Su Yan sat bolt upright in bed, letting out a heart-wrenching scream.

Cold sweat soaked her temples and back, her pupils dilated with extreme fear, her vision blurred, and her chest heaved violently.

"What happened?"

"Enemy attack!"

Everyone woke up instantly.

Wang Hu had already loaded his gun. Dr. Zhang sat up in surprise, and the nurses huddled together.

Tang Long was the first to rush to the bedside, his hand on the gun handle, his eyes scanning the surroundings like lightning, finally locking onto Su Yan's deathly pale face.

When Su Yan saw him, she grabbed his arm tightly like a drowning person clinging to a piece of driftwood, her nails digging deep into his skin.

Her lips trembled, and her words were broken and choked with sobs.

"Tang Long...it's awake...Tang Long..."

"It found me...it's looking for me..."

"It's hungry...it...it wants to eat me."

Tang Long's arm was gripped so tightly by her that it hurt, but he didn't move.

He frowned, scrutinizing the other person, and said in a deep voice, "What nonsense are you talking about! We're back, it's safe here!"

"Are you having nightmares again?"

Wang Hu, gun at the ready, strode to the window, peeked warily through a corner of the curtain into the thick darkness outside, and asked in a low voice, "What spotted you?"

There's nothing outside!

"Not outside..." Su Yan gasped for breath, shaking her head desperately. "It's in my head...it's in my head...I saw it..."

"That...that fleshy ball, it...it found me."

"It's true! I can feel it, right...right under the supermarket! It...it's watching me."

This statement came out.

The atmosphere at the scene froze instantly.

"Are you sure this isn't the time for jokes?" Wang Hu asked, frowning.

Dr. Zhang pushed up his glasses, his voice filled with disbelief: "Xiao Su, are you sure? The supermarket is several kilometers away."

"You can sense it from this far away?"

Su Yan gritted her teeth: "I...I'm sure!"

"That feeling of being locked on... is the same as the feeling I had before I fainted in the supermarket, but it's clearer, more... hungry."

Su Yan's voice was still trembling. She slightly raised her eyes, which were filled with fear.

"Could it be... that it's targeting us?"

The group exchanged bewildered glances, their eyes filled with fear.

Tang Long's expression changed slightly.

A monster that can control zombies and seems to have mental perception abilities has been watching them from this distance.

This is really not good news!

Only Dr. Zhang was still muttering to himself, "But...this doesn't make sense!"

"What kind of biosignal could travel this far?"

At this moment, Wang Hu, who was guarding the window, seemed to have thought of something.

He suddenly spoke up: "Um... I... when I was searching for supplies in the west of the city, I encountered a group of people who had escaped from the city center. I had heard that some 'capable people' had emerged from that area!"

"A capable person? What do you mean?" Tang Long looked at the other person with some suspicion.

Wang Hu pursed his lips, a hint of uncertainty on his face.

"Uh! They said they saw someone whose palms could emit flames, just a tiny bit, but enough to light a cigarette! And someone else said a guy got bitten by a zombie but didn't change; instead, he became incredibly strong, able to flip a car..."

"It's like... a superpower in a movie."

"But I've never seen it before, so I thought it was fake."

As Wang Hu spoke, his gaze fell upon Su Yan, whose face was still deathly pale.

"Su Yan, could it be that you've mutated too?"

Everyone was stunned, and Su Yan was even more at a loss. She lowered her head and said, "I...I don't know."

Dr. Zhang, who was standing to the side, suddenly spoke up.

"If these rumors are true, it's not impossible."

"In extreme environments such as fog, viruses, radiation, or a mixture of all these, a very small number of people may undergo 'mutations' in their bodies or brains that we cannot understand, gaining certain extraordinary abilities."

"after all..."

"The end of the world is coming! It's not an exaggeration to speculate as boldly as we can."

He looked at Su Yan.

"Xiao Su had previously made contact with that monster's consciousness and was strongly stimulated. Perhaps this 'awakened' some kind of latent brain potential, making her able to sense its mental signals?"

Su Yan looked bewildered: "I...I don't know."

Seeing that the atmosphere was getting increasingly awkward, Tang Long frowned and spoke.

"Alright everyone! Stop speculating and go home to get some rest."

He looked at Su Yan and said seriously.

"You're probably just having a nightmare."

"Don't overthink it, just get some rest."

Su Yan hesitated, as if she wanted to say something more.

But seeing Tang Long's serious expression, he hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Yes! It might indeed be a nightmare."

She's not stupid; in this situation, it's definitely not appropriate to continue the discussion.

If we continue, I'm afraid people will start to lose heart.

The group exchanged glances and nodded.

"Yes, yes, it's time to rest."

"It's getting late, and I have to get up early tomorrow."

"..."

……

In the following days, everyone tacitly avoided mentioning what happened that night.

As usual, everyone went about their own business, but a subtle sense of tension still permeated everyone's hearts.

The only difference was that from that day on, Su Yan no longer traveled with the team, and Dr. Zhang took her place instead.

Each time they went out, Tang Long, Wang Hu, and the others would subconsciously avoid the direction of the supermarket to the east and instead head west.

Clear out zombies, collect supplies, and mark dangerous areas.

as well as...

Search for survivors.

Unfortunately, it's unclear whether Tang Long's idea was too bad or if the apocalypse was becoming increasingly dangerous.

For several days in a row, not a single survivor was seen.

It was as if they were the only few people left in the entire city.

Five days passed in the blink of an eye.

The silence on the fog-shrouded streets was broken by three gunshots.

[Kill a regular zombie, Order +1.]

[Kill ordinary zombies...]

Tang Long glanced at the zombies at his feet, ignoring them, and instead frowned, asking, "System, how many Order Points do I have now?"

[Ding~ Executive Officer, your current Order Points: 213]

Tang Long looked at the numbers on the system panel and nodded to himself.

At this time.

A voice suddenly sounded behind him.

"Team Leader Tang, shall we continue the search?" Wang Hu had already walked over at some point.

Tang Long snapped out of his daze and glanced at the sky above.

The city was still shrouded in thick fog, making it difficult to see clearly, but the horizon seemed to be gradually tinged with orange. Although the sun was still not visible, it was still possible to roughly tell that it was getting late.

He shook his head: "No! It's getting dark soon! I have to hurry back."

Wang Hu nodded and waved to Dr. Zhang, who was still examining the zombie corpses behind him.

"Let's go, Old Zhang!"

"It's time to go back."

Dr. Zhang looked up at the two of them, then stood up: "Okay."

......

half an hour.

The sky grew completely dark.

The three of them returned to the base.

"Damn! I'm so lucky today, I found a convenience store that no one has searched for yet."

"We can have an extra meal tonight!" Wang Hu walked in front, looking excited.

"Holy crap! Tiger, that's awesome!"

"666!"

"....."

When everyone saw the three of them carrying back large and small bags of supplies, their faces lit up with joy.

Seeing this, Tang Long nodded slightly and walked towards the equipment storage area.

Seeing this, Wang Hu was about to follow, but Tang Long stopped him by raising his hand.

"You go about your business, you don't need to follow me."

Wang Hu was taken aback. Although he didn't understand, he still obeyed the order.

Tang Long closed the door, and after confirming that no one was around, he silently recited a prayer.

"System, redeem a basic police drone."

[Confirm the use of 200 Order Points to exchange for a Basic Police Drone (Reconnaissance Type) x1.]

"confirm."

[Redeem successful; items have been delivered to the weapon locker.]

Tang Long opened the cabinet door.

A black engineering plastic box, about half a meter square, lay quietly inside.

He took the box out and placed it in the center of the hall.

"Come here, everyone."

The people who were distributing food looked over upon hearing the noise.

"What is this?" Wang Hu was the first to come over, his face full of curiosity.

Tang Long did not answer, but simply pressed the latches on both sides of the box.

"Clatter".

The lid was opened, revealing a sleek, all-black quadcopter drone with a high-definition camera gimbal mounted on its underside.

Next to it, the controller, spare batteries, and a flat panel display were neatly stacked.

"A drone?" Dr. Zhang exclaimed in surprise.

"Where...where did you get this?" Nurse Lin and Nurse Zhao stared wide-eyed.

Wang Hu's expression was the most interesting. He walked around the table, reaching out to touch it but not daring to, and finally managed to utter a sentence.

"Officer Tang, where did you get this thing? I checked the weapons cabinet; it was empty yesterday!"

His words echoed the sentiments of everyone.

After three days, even a fool could vaguely sense that something was wrong.

Putting aside the fact that there are no generators inside the base, it still manages to maintain a constant power supply.

Wang Hu himself has fired over a hundred bullets during this period.

But as soon as he asked, Tang Long would throw two magazines at him.

Now, they've even managed to pull out a drone from who-knows-where.

Tang Long remained expressionless and casually explained, "It was already in there; you just didn't notice."

Nobody would believe that explanation.

Everyone rolled their eyes inwardly, but no one dared to ask any further questions.

In this world, having some secrets is perfectly normal.

As long as this secret benefits everyone, that's fine.

Tang Long picked up the controller and operated it briefly.

hum-

The drone's propellers began to spin, emitting a soft buzzing sound, and it slowly rose into the air, hovering stably at a height of one meter above the ground.

The camera rotates flexibly, clearly projecting everyone's expressions onto the tablet screen.

"Great! With this, searching for supplies will be much safer in the future."

Tang Long nodded in satisfaction and looked at everyone.

"Alright! Let's eat."

......

Dinner time.

Tonight's dinner was exceptionally plentiful, with canned luncheon meat and compressed biscuits.

The oppressive atmosphere of the past few days has finally eased up a bit.

Tang Long finished the last mouthful of porridge, put the bowl down, and the soft sound made everyone stop what they were doing.

He looked around and slowly began to speak.

"I've decided to explore the supermarket's underground area tomorrow."

One sentence instantly brought the atmosphere, which had just begun to warm up, to freezing point.

"What?"

"Go to that godforsaken place?"

"This is too dangerous! Didn't Dr. Su say there were monsters there?"

The crowd discussed amongst themselves, their faces filled with confusion.

Wang Hu frowned as well: "Captain Tang, shouldn't we discuss this again? We've finally stabilized things, there's no need to take this risk."

"I understand everyone's concerns." Tang Long raised his hand, silencing the noisy discussions.

His gaze swept over everyone.

"But you must understand that the thing in the supermarket is always a sword hanging over our heads."

"We can't go around it forever; we'll have to face it someday."

"Instead of waiting for it to come to us, let's find out its details first."

His words silenced everyone.

Everyone understands this principle.

With an unknown and powerful threat looming nearby, no one can sleep soundly.

Seeing this, Tang Long continued, "Besides, I didn't say we were going to force our way in."

He pointed to the drone on the table.

"Tomorrow, we'll send it in first to scout ahead. We'll stay outside the supermarket and retreat immediately if there's any danger."

"We're just going to 'take a look,' not to go and die."

This plan sounds much safer.

Using technological advantages for remote reconnaissance can indeed minimize risks.

After a moment's thought, Wang Hu was the first to agree: "Okay, I'll go with you."

Tang Long nodded, his gaze sweeping over everyone before finally settling on Dr. Zhang.

"Dr. Zhang, you don't need to come with us tomorrow."

Normally, it's fine; we can subdue and eliminate some ordinary zombies. Although they are still dangerous, the danger is not significant.

But if they went to the supermarket, Tang Long couldn't guarantee the other person's safety.

Dr. Zhang was clearly aware of the pros and cons, and he nodded: "Okay! Then please be careful."

Just then.

A cold, clear voice suddenly rang out.

"I'll go too."

Everyone turned to look at Su Yan in the corner.

"No way!" Wang Hu immediately objected. "What would you do there? It's too dangerous!"

"Yes, Dr. Su, it's safer for you to stay at the base," Nurse Kobayashi advised.

Su Yan shook her head. She stood up, her face still a little pale, but her eyes were unusually bright.

She looked at everyone and took a deep breath.

"Ever since I heard Brother Wang Hu's speculation about the 'Awakeners,' I... I actually secretly experimented with it these past few days."

Tang Long frowned slightly: "What do you mean?"

Su Yan pursed her lips and hesitated.

"I think... I really have changed."

"I seem to be able to sense certain... peculiar emotions, or rather, the source of malice."

"Like a...human radar."

"And..." she paused, seemingly choosing her words carefully, "I also seem to be able to exert a very subtle... mental interference on people at close range, causing them to briefly follow a simple instruction."

Influence other people's opinions?

This sounds even more absurd than "human radar".

Seeing the doubtful and shocked looks on everyone's faces, Su Yan bit her lip, glanced around at everyone, and finally settled her gaze on Wang Hu.

"Officer Wang, I'm sorry to bother you! I might need to do you a favor."

Wang Hu was stunned, pointed to himself, and asked, "Huh? What do you mean?"

A barely perceptible glint seemed to flash in Su Yan's pupils.

She said in an eerily flat tone, "The dishes are dirty; you should go and wash them."

The words fell.

Wang Hu's expression froze instantly, becoming somewhat blank.

He put down what he was holding, stood up without a word, picked up all the bowls and chopsticks on the table, and walked towards the sink with a slow and mechanical gait.

Splash...

The sound of flowing water could be heard.

Wang Hu stood in front of the sink and began to wash the dishes carefully, one stroke at a time.

The entire police station was deathly silent.

Everyone stared wide-eyed at this bizarre scene, a chill running from the soles of their feet to the top of their heads.

Even Tang Long's eyes widened at this moment.

What... what kind of ability is this?

Hypnosis? Mind control?

suddenly.

"Me... um?"

Wang Hu, who was washing dishes, suddenly jolted and stopped what he was doing.

He looked at the plate in his hand and his surroundings with a bewildered expression.

"Holy crap! How did I end up washing dishes here?"

At the same time, the moment he opened his mouth.

Su Yan swayed, her face turned ashen, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on her forehead. She braced herself against the table to keep from falling.

"That's it! My ability... can only last for a short while, and it's extremely mentally taxing, so I can't maintain it for long."

She explained breathlessly, her voice somewhat weak.

The people looked at her, their eyes now filled with fear, replacing the initial shock.

This ability to subtly intervene in one's thoughts is truly unsettling.

Tang Long frowned: "Hypnosis? Mind control? Dr. Su, have you... unintentionally used it on us before?"

Although he possesses the system, he has no worries about being harmed in the base.

But this thing...

It does look rather eerie.

"No! I promise!" Su Yan hurriedly shook her head: "I only just discovered that I have this ability. I've only experimented with some ants on the ground before."

"Controlling people, this is the first time!"

She paused, then added.

"Moreover, I feel that the stronger the willpower and the more complex the goal, the greater the drain and the harder it is to succeed."

"Just like now, I couldn't handle it just from asking Officer Wang to wash the dishes."

Wang Hu had already realized what was happening.

He touched the back of his head and gave the other person a thumbs up.

"Wow! Xiao Su, your ability is amazing!"

He paused.

A hint of lingering fear crept into his eyes.

"Well... um~ next time you're going to give a demonstration, please let me know in advance."

"Okay!" Su Yan smiled sheepishly, then looked at Tang Long: "Officer Tang, I think I can help you."

Tang Long thought for a moment and then nodded.

"good!"

"However, you should remember three things."

"First, your primary task is to sense and warn, not to fight."

Second, without my explicit instructions, you are not allowed to use any disruptive abilities on any teammate.

Third, if you feel mentally exhausted or out of control, report it immediately, and we will retreat without hesitation. Understand?

Su Yan took a deep breath, and a bit of color returned to her face.

"clear!"