Mortal Dawn and Dusk, My Eternal Life - Chapter 36

Tianjin’s night, like a massive black vortex, swallowed all the daytime clamor and prosperity, leaving only a few dim streetlights swaying in the damp autumn wind, casting mottled and eerie shadows.

The successive bizarre murder cases of recent days hung like a heavy stone on the hearts of every Tianjin citizen, turning this once lively, sleepless city into an early, deathly silence. Every household tightly shut their doors and windows, fearing that the rumored demon that drained human vital essence would quietly descend upon them.

Inside the police bureau, lights blazed. Gu Mingxuan stood before a large map of Tianjin, his brow furrowed, his gaze sharp as a hawk’s. He hadn’t slept for days and nights. The “drained of life force” murder cases haunted him like a nightmare, making him restless. Not only because of his duty as a police captain, but also because… he sensed a greedy craving for life force from those victims, a craving that was of the same origin as the bloodthirsty impulse within himself! This filled him with an inexplicable fear and… disgust. He had to catch the killer as soon as possible, not only to bring justice to the deceased but also… to prove that he was different from that monster!

After days of covert investigation and subtle perception of residual auras at the crime scenes (this was a special ability he gained after possessing Gu Mingxuan, though he wasn’t yet skilled at using it), he finally pinpointed a general area—the old residential district in the south of the city. Furthermore, based on the pattern of previous cases, he had a strong premonition that the killer would likely strike again tonight!

“Zhang Meng! Li Erniu!” Gu Mingxuan suddenly turned, his voice cold and decisive. “Gather all plainclothes brothers and come with me to the south of the city! Tonight, we’ll set up a dragnet there; we must drag that hidden culprit out!”

“Yes, General!” Zhang Meng and Li Erniu responded in unison, their eyes filled with trust in their general and… a hint of imperceptible worry. They could feel that their general was investing an extraordinary amount of energy into this case, perhaps even… obsessively.

At the same time, in a secluded dark alley in the south of Tianjin, Su Mingyue was holding her breath, hidden in an inconspicuous corner. Her clear eyes shimmered with a sharp light in the darkness, fixed intently on a faint, flickering dark figure deep within the alley. To investigate these strange murders, she had also put in a lot of effort these past few days. During the day, she visited various places under the guise of practicing medicine, secretly gathering information; at night, she used her movement techniques to infiltrate crime scenes and investigate carefully.

Finally, this evening, from a survivor who had been attacked by the killer but fortunately escaped (that person was mentally unstable from extreme fright and was dismissed as a madman, no one believed his words, only Su Mingyue noticed the clues), she learned a vague description of the killer’s appearance—a mysterious person wearing a black cloak, not tall, moving like a ghost. But a more important clue was that the survivor mentioned the killer seemed to carry a faint… herbal scent, and a… nauseatingly sweet fragrance.

Relying on her keen sense of smell, Su Mingyue tracked the scent and finally, in this secluded dark alley, pinpointed this suspicious target. She wanted to see who this deceptive individual truly was!

A dark moon, a high wind, a night for killing.

Deep in the alley, the figure in the black cloak was stealthily dragging a drunkard who seemed to have just left a tavern, preparing to knock him out and take him away. The drunkard was still muttering something incoherently, completely unaware of the approaching danger.

Just as the black-robed figure was about to make a move—

“Your Excellency, performing such a sordid act deep in the night, is there some unspoken difficulty?”

A clear, cold female voice, like a cold spring, echoed in the silent dark alley. The black-robed figure stiffened violently! He abruptly turned, his eyes, hidden in the shadow of his hood, vigilantly looking towards the source of the voice. He saw a young woman dressed in a blue cloth gown standing gracefully at the alley entrance. Moonlight shone on her beautiful face, adding a touch of ethereal immortal quality.

It was Su Mingyue.

“It’s you?!”

When the black-robed figure clearly saw Su Mingyue’s face, he let out a low exclamation, tinged with surprise and… a hint of imperceptible dread!

Su Mingyue was slightly startled herself. The other party actually recognized her?! She carefully scrutinized the black-robed figure before her, but the other person was completely wrapped up, making it impossible to see their face, and she couldn’t sense any familiar aura.

“Do… do we know each other?” Su Mingyue asked tentatively.

The black-robed figure evidently had no intention of answering her question. Seeing that his whereabouts were exposed, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes. Without a word, he tossed the drunkard aside, then his figure flickered, and like a leopard, he lunged at Su Mingyue! His movements were swift and vicious, each move aimed at Su Mingyue’s vital points!

Su Mingyue’s eyes narrowed. She hadn’t expected the other party to attack without a word. She lightly tapped her foot, her figure drifting backward like willow catkins, easily dodging the black-robed figure’s attack. The two then engaged in a rapid, fluid combat in the narrow dark alley.

The black-robed figure’s martial arts style was very strange, his moves cunning and ruthless, and his strength was not weak. He had clearly undergone specialized training. Although Su Mingyue was not known for her martial arts, she had lived for so many years; what kind of situations hadn’t she seen? She handled him with ease. Through the exchange, Su Mingyue quickly discovered that although this black-robed figure’s moves were strange, there was no demonic qi on him, and his breathing was that of a normal person.

“So, he’s just a mortal,” Su Mingyue thought with certainty. If he was a mortal, things would be much easier. She was about to use her Daoist magic to subdue him and interrogate him thoroughly.

However, just then, the black-robed figure seemed to sense Su Mingyue’s intention, and a look of desperation flashed in his eyes. He suddenly leaped backward, creating distance from Su Mingyue, then pulled out a small porcelain bottle from his embrace. From it, he poured out a crimson pill that emitted a strange fragrance! On the pill, there were even faint wisps of… black demonic qi!

The black-robed figure swallowed the pill without hesitation! Almost at the instant the pill entered his stomach, the aura around the black-robed figure surged violently! His slightly hunched figure even straightened a bit, and his eyes gleamed with an eerie red light! His entire being’s strength and speed increased several times over!

“This is… a forbidden medicine refined with demonic qi?” Su Mingyue’s brow slightly furrowed. Such pills, while greatly enhancing the user’s strength for a short period, also came with severe side effects. Minor effects included shortened lifespan; severe effects involved falling into depravity and becoming a true monster. It seemed the other party was willing to pay any price to complete his mission.

With his greatly increased strength, the black-robed figure again furiously attacked Su Mingyue! His moves became even more savage and reckless, like a wounded beast! Su Mingyue could still handle him, but she also felt a hint of pressure. She couldn’t drag this out any longer.

Just as Su Mingyue was about to use stronger means to completely subdue this black-robed figure who had taken forbidden medicine—

“Don’t move! Police!”

“Hands up!”

A rush of hurried footsteps and stern shouts suddenly came from both ends of the alley! Immediately after, dozens of police officers, armed with firearms, surged in like a tide, completely surrounding the dark alley!

The black-robed figure’s face drastically changed upon seeing this formation! He knew that he had been ambushed this time! If he were caught by these police officers, his secrets and those of the person behind him would likely be exposed!

“Not good!” the black-robed figure whispered, a fierce glint in his eyes. He suddenly pulled out a black spherical object from his embrace and violently smashed it onto the ground!

“Bang!”

A dull thud, and a thick cloud of white smoke instantly filled the air, obscuring everyone’s vision!

“Cough cough! Damn it! It’s a smoke bomb!”

“Don’t let him get away!”

The police officers choked and coughed from the sudden smoke, their formation instantly thrown into disarray. Su Mingyue, in the instant the smoke filled the air, also lost sight of the black-robed figure. She was about to give chase when she suddenly felt that she was surrounded by something.

When the smoke gradually cleared, she found herself standing next to the drunkard who had been knocked out by the black-robed figure, surrounded by dozens of armed police officers, right in the center! All those black muzzles were pointed directly at her!

“Don’t move! Hands up!” a police officer roared sternly.

Su Mingyue’s brow slightly furrowed. This… am I being taken for an accomplice?

Just then, from the rear of the police squad, a tall, stern-faced young man slowly walked out. He wore a crisp dark suit, covered by a black trench coat, his fedora brim pulled low, but his eyes, still sharp as a hawk’s in the darkness, were fixed intently on Su Mingyue.

It was Gu Mingxuan. His gaze was cold and scrutinizing, tinged with a hint of imperceptible… confusion.