Ten o’clock the next morning.
A four-man reconnaissance squad of armed police arrived at the perimeter of the Abandoned Cement Factory.
The captain, surnamed Hu, was thirty-eight years old, a veteran borrowed from the SWAT brigade who had participated in many special operations.
The other three were Xiao Zhao, Xiao Chen, and Lao Wei.
They were all plainclothes detectives with real-world combat experience, temporarily issued bulletproof vests and standard-issue pistols.
The four of them gathered at a breach in the perimeter wall on the north side of the factory.
“After we go in, maintain a single file formation with two-meter spacing. I’ll take the lead, and Lao Wei will take the rear. Do not turn on your flashlights; rely on natural light.”
Captain Hu’s voice was very low.
The wind blew across the sheet metal roof of the Abandoned Cement Factory, making a wailing sound that drowned out half of what he said.
“If you spot the target, do not engage. Retreat immediately. Do you understand?”
“Understood.”
The four of them entered the factory grounds through the breach in the wall.
The weeds inside the factory grounds had grown to waist height, and in some places even over their heads, severely obstructing their view as they walked through.
They walked forward along a small path that had been trodden down.
The weeds on the path showed signs of being repeatedly trampled, all flattened in the same direction.
This indicated that someone frequently came in and out of here.
Three minutes later, they arrived at the entrance of the first production workshop.
The rolling door of the workshop was half-open, and the rusty door panel swayed gently in the wind.
Captain Hu leaned against the side of the door frame and first peered inside.
The workshop was huge, at least three or four hundred square meters, filled with discarded mixers and conveyor belt equipment.
The dust was thick, and light leaked in from holes in the roof and broken windows on the sides, forming beams of dim, yellow light.
“Go in.”
The four of them entered the workshop in single file.
The temperature inside was much lower than outside.
The air was filled with the smell of damp cement and an indescribable fishy odor.
Xiao Zhao wrinkled his nose.
Captain Hu waved his hand, signaling him to be quiet.
They advanced along the edge of the workshop.
Every time they passed a piece of equipment, Captain Hu would stop to observe whether there were any signs of activity around it.
About two-thirds of the way into the workshop, they found the first trace of human activity.
An area of dust on the ground had been clearly disturbed, as if someone had sat or lain there.
Scattered nearby were a few bone fragments and some dried, dark liquid.
Lao Wei crouched down and took a look at the bones.
“Animal, small canine, it’s been gnawed on.”
Captain Hu nodded and continued forward.
At the deepest part of the workshop was a corridor leading to the adjacent warehouse.
The corridor was narrow, wide enough for only two people to walk side-by-side, and had no windows, so the light dimmed sharply here.
“Is your body cam on?”
“It’s on.”
Xiao Chen replied in a low voice.
His camera was clipped to his left chest pocket, its indicator light flashing green.
The four of them entered the corridor.
The corridor was about thirty meters long, with bare cement walls on both sides.
There was no decoration, and there was standing water on the ground, which made a squelching sound when stepped on.
When they reached the middle of the corridor, Captain Hu paused.
He held up his right index finger.
Silence.
All four stopped moving at the same time.
The corridor was very quiet, with only the distant sound of wind blowing against sheet metal and the sound of dripping water from somewhere.
Then, Captain Hu heard another breathing sound.
That breathing sound came from about ten meters ahead in the corridor.
It was very light and irregular in rhythm.
Captain Hu’s hand slowly reached for the holster at his waist, silently undoing the buckle.
“Retreat.” He said the word in a breathy whisper.
They kept their footsteps as light as possible, minimizing the sound of stepping into the standing water.
They retreated three steps.
Five steps.
Seven steps.
At the eighth step, in the darkness ahead of the corridor, two white points of light lit up.
Looking closely, they were two pupil-less white eye sockets.
Captain Hu’s back pressed against his companion’s chest.
“Run!” His voice changed pitch.
The four of them turned and ran.
But the corridor was only thirty meters long, and the movement speed of the thing behind them far exceeded their imagination.
Xiao Zhao was in the lead; he was the first to rush out of the corridor and back into the workshop.
Xiao Chen followed closely.
Lao Wei was third.
Captain Hu was last.
The moment he stepped out of the corridor entrance, he saw a black-red tentacle shoot out from the deep darkness of the corridor in his peripheral vision.
It was so fast that he only saw a blurred afterimage.
The tentacle wrapped around his right ankle.
Captain Hu’s body was dragged back by a tremendous force.
His whole body arced through the air.
His back slammed heavily against the cement wall of the corridor.
“Captain Hu!”
Lao Wei looked back and saw this scene.
He raised his pistol and fired three shots into the darkness of the corridor entrance.
Bang—!
The gunshot exploded in the workshop, the echo rolling under the sheet metal dome.
The bullets hit the darkness, but there was no feedback.
No cry of pain, no pause, not even the sound of bullets hitting a hard object.