After interviewing several of the abducted children, they seemed to give simir answers: none of them heard anything informative from the kidnappers, none of them remembered anything distinct from them. But ohing remained - almost all of the children said they smelled something from the men, some kind of oil mp smell, reizable from big temples.

  “What are these oil mps?” Captain Ko asked.

  “Probably just the on liturgical mps in some of the local temples.” Tyler Khan answered: “Mostly used for remembrances of the dead and sending prayers to the gods.”

  “Okay, but why?” Captain Ko sighed and id ba his chair.

  “Ghost repellent?” Kevin shrugged: “They’re used in local religious ceremonies and they’re in temples, big temples. So maybe that’s their use?”

  “Only temples of the South-Eastern District use it, I think.” Marcus scratched his jaw: “I’ve been to a few temples in the South-Western District, I don’t remember seeing any traditional oil mps. All they have are electric mps now, some may use special dles made from wax.”

  “How about the Northern District? They still have temples over there, right? With so many from our district moving there to make a living, it’d be pretty natural that some of the transpnts bring our s over?” Tyler Khan shrugged.

  “That’s a likely theory.” Captain Ko looked at Tyler Khan, then id his eyes on Marcus and Kevin: “Kevin, I guess you’re the most familiar with the Northern District, do you have any ideas?”

  “Huh?” Kevin seemed surprised when the captain put him on the spot like this, but then after thinking for a brief moment, he answered: “Yes, I remember, there are some smaller temples and pces of collective worship there. They’re nowhere near any of the rid tral business areas, but you find many in the ‘serving people area’. But - oil mps are always kinda expehough. I don’t see how normal smaller temples or pces of worship could afford it.”

  “You’d be surprised how much mohe local transpnt unities have, and how rie of the small temples be.” Tyler Khan shook his head: “But - ba our focus - I think I agree, that we may o trace the oil, or oil mps. ”

  “Okay, I agree. we see these people?” Marcus asked: “I believe most of the men should be in the custody of the unity collective right now. And also, if it’s possible, I suggest we pay the people a visit and check out the department that handled renting the ptform as soon as possible.”

  “We’re on it.” Tyler Khan stood up and waved at his colleagues waiting outside the room: “Hey! Where are the people detained?”

  “They’re detailed at the detentioer, just down the road. ” One female member of the unity watd patrol team came to the door and answered: “It’s done a while back, so we o track down the paperwork. The annual reviews and audits were all simple and everything passed. So probably not muformation could be found.”

  “That’s fine. ” Captain Ko stood up straight: “We e up everything we .”

  There were in total five men captured by the local unity watd patrol team, and each of them ut into simple white cloaks and locked in a separate cell. The metal bars in one of the holding cells were bloodied, and the man locked inside was kneeling on the ground, bandaged up in the head and had his hands cuffed behind him.

  “You don’t know what you’re doing! You fug hacks! You useless plebs!” The bandaged and cuffed man yelled at all the people that came in: “You are dooming us all! You are dooming everyone!”

  Marcus looked around, and he did not see any of the men that he fought. Looked like aside from the one bashed into the water by him and was now probably dead, the others might have been taken away by Chef Tang already. And iang’s hand, no doubt many more normally unspeakable things would be doo them in order to find out what the “pn” behind their as was.

  “Tell me more about this pn then.” Captain Ko got in front of the bars and said in a low but stern tone: “What am I missing? What do I not know? Why don’t you enlighten me?”

  “Peh!” The man smirked, then spit a mouthful of spit onto Captain Ko’s face.

  “Heh.” Captain Ko scoffed and wiped his face , while raising one hand at Marcus and Kevin to halt and not e over. “You’re a feisty oh an attitude. But a fool just the same. What do you think you’re doing here? Eh?”

  “I’m here, because you foolish lot don’t know what the city is fag. And you don’t know what the hell you’re doing.” The man shivered, as he looked up at Captain Ko. His eyes were bloodshot, and somehow his head wound uhe baarted bleeding again.

  “Or you tell us, we’re all ears.” Captain Ko k down on one knee so he could look at the man from the same height: “Again, I ask you this with the most curiosity I offer. What do you mean? Why don’t you eborate? Maybe we will uand. Maybe we will let you go. Maybe, hell, maybe we’ll even join you in your, hmm, righteous endeavor.”

  The ech station became quiet, as people waited with bated breath. A chill breeze blew through the hallway, and brought a faint trace of oil smell to Marcus. Though easily missable, it caught his attention. It seemed that the children were ielling the truth.

  “Hehehe…” the ma out a chilling ugh, as dark red blood flowed and dripped on the ers of his mouth: “Like I told you, it’s already too te. Too bad you weren’t chosen…”

  Before this man could tinue, a sudden wave of chiliness and cold swept through Marcus’ body, and he immediately pulled Kevin to the side while calling out to Captain Ko: “Captain! Careful - ”

  “Spsh!” The man was still smiling aing out hoarse and gurgling ughs, when an invisible force threw him ba the wall. And in front of everyoside the holding cell, his throat unctured by an invisible object, creating a gaping hole on his sweaty, pale flesh. Red and warm blood shot all over the cell after about half a sed. Marcus trated his Qi on his eyes, and he barely caught the long umbilical cord-like tail from the fat infant monster with multiple arms and hands before it fled.

  One of the unity collective members rushed over and opened up the gate. But it was too te - the man’s body was already cold and stiff whe the ground, with his neck, his fad even his chest covered in dark spider web-like veins.

  “Why is this happening!? ” Another male member of the unity collective, ohat was in a leader position cried: “What the fuck!? What the fuck!?”

  “Thuy! Call down!” Tyler Khan immediately pulled this almost hysterical man to the side: “Calm down! This is a watch station!”

  Marcus took a look at the other men in holding cells. Apparently they saw or heard what happened. All of them seemed shaken, two of them even started weeping and praying.

  “Talismans! Talismans!” Just this moment, two members of the unity collective rushed over with pstic pouches in their hands. Ihem were folded talismans made with light yelloer of passable quality.

  “Breath of fire shall se by soul. My mind my flesh be bathed in gold. They shall see the m sun. My bones buried with no renown.” The other men captured did not take the talismans hao them, and just k down on the floor, seeming like they were ready to accept death.