"Why are multiple young men and women found dead and naked on the streets?"
"Why do hundreds of survivors keep disappearing?"
"Behind all this, is it the brilliance of human nature or the sublimation of morality, is it..."
Tang Yu had a blank expression.
For some reason, as he saw the headline, something in his heart just couldn't help but blurt out.
So, is this why the Luoxia Daily outsells the official newspapers?
He continued to read on.
"Recently, within the Luoxia Sanctuary, several heinous murder cases have occurred. According to secret information gleaned by our reporters, many of the deceased were Awakeners, covered in scars. Even more astonishing, all the victims were beheaded, as if the murderers had a particular fascination with heads."
"In addition, according to our newspaper's findings, apart from the murders mentioned above, there have been numerous disappearances of survivors within the Sanctuary. Our reporters would like to remind everyone to be more vigilant, try to avoid going out late at night, and avoid areas with a low density of people..."
Tang Yu furrowed his brows.
He hadn't expected that a large Sanctuary like Luoxia would have such deplorable security conditions.
The cases mentioned above all reportedly took place in relatively stable and prosperous areas like the Central District, the commercial sectors, and the Dawn Bay District.
In a complex and chaotic area like the relief district, perhaps it's not that there are no cases, but rather that there are too many to count?
Tang Yu wasn't sure if this was because the Luoxia authorities were too focused on defending against attacks from Demonized Beasts, or because too many Awakeners, emboldened by power after the apocalypse, started harboring twisted desires within.
"Forget it, this is Luoxia's headache, not mine. The most I can do is to have the Carmen Brothers step up patrols of the neighborhood... The neighborhood is within the Territory bounds and is equipped with various defense constructions. Yeah, shouldn't be too much of a problem."
He didn't have the slightest interest in those murderers.
He flipped over the newspaper and continued browsing.
"Reportedly, the Zhentian Martial Arts Hall has reached compensation agreements with most families of the victims, but there are still some families in deep sorrow, demanding the Hall to send out search parties for the missing students, insisting on seeing their loved ones, dead or alive."
"Top secret news, who would have thought that the Feiyang Mercenary Corps, ranked eighteenth in mission points at the Mercenary Guild, would encounter a powerful Demonized Beast in the wild, resulting in their total annihilation. The Commander of the Feiyang Mercenary Corps was an Awakener at the Sixth Layer, a top formidable figure, and the team members all possessed the strength of the Fourth or Fifth Layer. We can only imagine how formidable the Demonized Beast that attacked the Feiyang Mercenary Corps was... May heaven be free of Demonized Beasts."
Other news was either about the strong Commanders of major Mercenary Corps slaying Super Demonized Beasts or about some expert making a strength breakthrough to the Sixth Layer, joining the ranks of top-level fighters.
These stories about Awakeners were of interest to many people, not just the Awakeners themselves.
Most importantly, the newspaper's channels were not only extensive, but the news was also precise. A newspaper that only used headlines to attract readers couldn't sell so many copies.
What surprised Tang Yu was that he didn't see any gossip in the newspaper. He didn't believe that with the newspaper's sources, it couldn't capture even a hint of scandal.
Perhaps they were worried that exposing certain private messages would result in the newspaper's reporters being torn apart by enraged Awakeners?
He put down the newspaper.
Tang Yu raised an eyebrow, sensing an Awakener's presence that was no inferior to his own.
Approaching were several Awakeners, dressed in light blue uniforms with a red emblem on their sleeves, running hurriedly past him towards the distance.
The leader among them had the strength of the Fifth Tier.
"This uniform, looks like it's from the Luoxia Security Team, isn't it?"
Thinking of the content he'd just read in the newspaper, Tang Yu followed the direction from where the Security Team members had left, looking towards a corner of the street further down, where there were gatherings of people.
The crowd had already formed a semi-circle, barricading the entrance to the narrow alley, with those at the back continuously standing on their tiptoes, trying to get a clear view of the situation inside.
It wasn't until several members of the Security Team arrived that they were able to part the onlookers and enter the alley.
'Rubberneckers really are everywhere; even after the apocalypse, these onlookers are so bold. Don't they worry about the trouble this might bring or the dangers they might encounter? Especially those in the innermost circle—if real danger were to arise, they probably wouldn't even have a chance to run.'
Tang Yu thought to himself before walking over as well.
The crowd of onlookers had been separated, and the entire narrow alley was completely sealed off.
He didn't get too close, but with the vision of an Awakener at Fifth Tier, he looked through the gaps in the crowd into the alley.
The high buildings on both sides were close together, blocking out the sunlight, making the alley appear dim.
His gaze passed over the police tape, beyond the members of the Security Team dispersing the crowd at the entrance, and saw two bodies lying on the ground, their garments soaked with fresh blood.
Next to the deceased, two forensic doctors, dressed in white lab coats and wearing gloves, were examining the bodies.
The bodies were feet-first towards the alley entrance; Tang Yu couldn't see the full scope of the scene, so he walked a few steps forward and his gaze sharpened.
"Just as I suspected, these are another two bodies without heads."
The heads did not appear to have been cleanly sliced off; instead, it was as though they'd been brutally ripped off.
The necks were stretched out, the intense pain had twisted the victims' faces grotesquely, their lips and complexions turned deathly pale. Muscles spasmed, veins protruded like serpents on their faces and necks, and their entire bodies struggled furiously in resistance.
They were pulled out like radishes, violently torn apart, blood gushing from the severed necks, the victims' bodies twitched unconsciously a couple of times before they utterly lost the breath of life.
Upon seeing these two bodies, such a scene emerged in Tang Yu's mind.
He had a hunch that the heads had not been taken after killing the people but rather were removed bit by bit with increasing force while the victims were still alive—until they were finally plucked out with a pop.
Director Jin sat at the head of the conference room table, unable to help rubbing his temples again.
"It's the fifteenth case; this is now the fifteenth beheading murder case. There are thirty-nine victims in total, with thirty-eight being Awakeners, their strengths ranging from First to Fourth Layer."
The newspaper mentioned only a few cases, ones where there were so many witnesses that it couldn't be covered up, so they were published by the press.
Many more cases were forcibly subdued by their Security Bureau. Even so, the Sanctuary had recently been in a state of panic, with not a few monsters and demons seizing the opportunity to reveal themselves.
Heavy penalties are to be used in times of apocalypse; for some survivors causing disorder, the Security Team did not hold back, arresting those who should be arrested, killing those who should be killed.
Director Jin wasn't too worried about those seizing the opportunity to cause trouble. What gave him a headache was the still elusive, headless killers.
Strong, organized, repeated offenders.
If they didn't come up with results soon, his position as the Director of the Security Bureau was looking precarious.
Director Jin scratched his scalp and accidentally pulled out a handful of hair.
It weighed even more on his heart.