As dusk approached, the slanting sunlight spread from the far end of the city, seeping through the towering buildings, casting faint golden glimmers. However, in the depths of the city surrounded by skyscrapers, in places the sun struggled to reach, the narrow alleys had already plunged into darkness.
The lingering dampness in the air and a slight chill contrasted sharply with the dry atmosphere outside the alley, while the quickly melting ice flakes between the cracks in the bricks served as "evidence," hinting that something unusual had occurred in this quiet street.
Several swift shadows darted through the gaps between buildings, weightlessly leaping down to a corner of the alley. Their edges flickered, swiftly condensing into wolf-like forms. These indistinct figures prowled the alley, sniffing around for a while, then slowly gathered together. The leading shadow raised its head and let out a loud howl toward the sky:
"Awooo-"
"Thud!"
A rock hit the wolf’s head precisely, abruptly cutting off its howl. A scolding voice then emerged from the shadows of a building, "Shut up! No howling in the city! And don’t add a 'woof' at the end either! Humans aren't fools; no one will believe you all are dogs!"
The wolves made of shadows let out a few whimpering sounds and obediently retreated. A petite figure emerged from not far away.
It was a short-haired girl wearing a black skirt and a dark red jacket, with a strand of hair slightly curling up on her forehead. She looked about sixteen or seventeen but had an unusually calm and mature expression. She walked out of the shadows, passed through the wolves bowing their heads, and saw the male corpse lying by the roadside.
A barely noticeable shadow flickered across her face as she squatted beside the body to inspect something. One of the wolves approached, conveying some information in a low, muddled growl.
"…The scent of rain?" The girl frowned and looked up at the sky, which had been clear for the past two days. Despite the approaching dusk, the sky between the high-rise buildings remained pristine, with no trace of clouds, and only the sunlight was slowly fading.
After a moment, as if realizing something, she lowered her head to examine the horrifying wound on the man's body again, muttering softly, "...Rain, heart, the stench of frogs..."
Just then, a sudden ringtone from a phone in her small waist pouch interrupted her monologue—the ringtone was the opening theme of the 1986 version of *Journey to the West*.
[TL Note: who wanna bet Yuan Tong played Black Myth Wukong before writing this?]
Before the monkey could complete its fourth somersault, the short-haired girl answered the call.
“Hello, who is it... Oh, right, it's me.” She held the phone to her ear and waved her free hand, signaling the wolves around her to guard the scene. As she stood up and moved aside, she continued, “I've arrived. My wolves sensed something strange here first... Didn't catch it, though. It slipped away.”
She sighed as her eyes fell on the unlucky corpse.
“It’s the 'Rain.' Along with it, a tangible 'Rain Frog' materialized, but the rain seemed to be a localized projection, affecting only one person... Yes, quite unfortunate. A 'Rain' that falls on just one individual. It had stopped by the time I got here, and now the depth here has reverted to L0. The 'Rain' has detached from the boundary zone.”
She paused, listening patiently to the voice on the other end of the line as it seemed to give instructions and asking questions. After glancing again at the corpse beside her, she responded.
“...Medical personnel? Just send someone to collect the body. There’s no way an ordinary person could survive an encounter with a 'Rain Frog' alone—even more so his heart is gone... Tch, fine I'll stay here until it's handled. Don’t forget to count the overtime fees.”
A middle-aged man’s nagging voice came through the phone, but the girl had lost her patience. She muttered a few indifferent replies and hung up.
Sighing once more, she stepped back and gestured for one of the wolves standing guard to lie down. She then sat on the wolf's back, resting her chin in her hands as she gazed at the dead man.
“Unlucky guy. I wonder if you had any family, dying here all alone... Well, I’ll keep you company for a bit... It must’ve been cold, dying in that 'Rain,' huh? Too bad I’m not the matchstick girl; otherwise, I’d keep you warm as you proceed with your journey…”
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
She mumbled softly, waiting patiently for the cleanup crew to arrive. After a short while, the sound of an engine roaring reached her ears from the direction of the street about a hundred feet away—the noise was as if a heavy armored vehicle dragging a shipping container was barreling over a series of speed bumps with burning firewood. Even the wolf beneath her nearly jumped from the commotion, but since she was sitting on it, it stayed put.
Looking in the direction of the noise, she spotted a large van wobbling and rattling as it made its way from the street corner. It shook so much over the speed bumps that it looked like a relic from 1991 Soviet Union.
The girl calmly got off the wolf's back, her expression unchanged, watching as the van passed the speed bumps and finally came to a stop. Several burly men, all decked out in black tactical gear, high-tech equipment, and armed to the teeth, jumped out and began pushing the van from behind.
Then, a middle-aged man with dark skin, a coffee-colored jacket, and a strong build stepped out, followed by a young woman in a white dress with long brown hair flowing over her shoulders. Both glanced back at the men pushing the van with a hint of helplessness before turning and walking toward the girl.
When the two got closer, the short-haired girl couldn’t help but mutter, “Seriously, can’t your Second Squad apply for a new vehicle? The Special Operations Bureau shouldn’t be that strapped for cash, right? I bet the equipment on any one of your team members is worth more than that old wreck.”
“Shh!” The sturdy middle-aged man quickly waved his hand, lowering his voice as he glanced back at the stalled vehicle and his subordinates still pushing it. “Don’t say things like that… You don’t understand. Our Special Operations Bureau has unique circumstances. This car is just having an off day; there’s absolutely no way we can replace it…”
“Big organizations always have their own troubles,” the short-haired girl scoffed, clearly losing interest in the topic. She then turned to the petite woman in the white dress who had come along with the man. “Good afternoon, Dr. Lin. Long time no see.”
“Evening would be more appropriate, 'Little Red Riding Hood,'” Dr. Lin responded with a faint smile, her lips thin and reserved. “How’s that injury from last time?”
“Pretty much healed,” the girl called Little Red Riding Hood replied, rotating her right wrist. “You know how it is; wolves tend to have strong regenerative abilities…”
“Humans have the strongest regenerative abilities—it's just that humans are naturally averse to getting hurt,” Dr. Lin corrected, her expression serious.
“...Oh.” The short-haired girl responded absentmindedly, then redirected the conversation to the corpse on the ground. “Let's focus on this case. The victim, male, appears to be in his twenties. His heart was taken by a Rain Frog, and the estimated time of death was about two hours ago. I haven’t searched his body yet, so I’m not sure if he had any identification on him… Yes, it’s to preserve the crime scene.”
As she spoke, she glanced curiously at Dr. Lin. “You came all the way here… Are you planning to treat this too? Is that even possible?”
“No, I’m not a god,” Dr. Lin shook her head, bending down to examine the corpse. “I just came to take a look; my home is nearby…”
She carefully inspected the body for a while, confirming the wound, checking the victim’s belongings, and eventually found his ID.
“The deceased’s name is 'Yu Sheng,' 24 years old, registered address is 66 Wutong Street, Old Town District.” Dr. Lin examined the thin card that represented the victim's identity, comparing it with the man's features. “Captain Song, check with the bureau's equipment later and see if you can contact his family.”
The sturdy middle-aged man nodded, leaning over to take a look at the ID card in Dr. Lin’s hand. He couldn’t help but frown, “Why is the photo on this so blurry?”
“Little Red Riding Hood” also leaned in out of curiosity to look at the ID card found on the deceased.
The photo section of the card was smeared with a layer of gray-black grime, covering the entire face and making the details impossible to discern.
Dr. Lin tried rubbing off the stains with her fingers, but they wouldn't come off. The grime was more resilient than expected, and it almost entirely covered the card.
“Even the name is unreadable,” Little Red Riding Hood muttered. “You can’t see the ID number either. You’ll have to take it back and use a machine to read the chip…”
Captain Song sighed with a sense of helplessness, nodded, and glanced at the remains on the ground with a hint of regret. “It's a pity. It would’ve been helpful if we could’ve found the victim’s ID intact… As it stands, we have very few clues.”
Dr. Lin nodded regretfully as well, looking at the bloodstains on the ground that had almost been washed away by the rain. “...Without even a body left behind, it's going to be difficult to figure out what happened.”
Little Red Riding Hood listened quietly to their conversation, seemingly deep in thought. Then, suddenly, she looked up and addressed the woman in the white dress beside her, “Good evening, Dr. Lin.”
“Good evening, Little Red Riding Hood,” Dr. Lin replied with a smile, greeting the short-haired girl. “How’s the patrol going?”
Little Red Riding Hood glanced around and gently stroked the head of the wolf closest to her. “There was 'Rain' here, and it might have created a tangible 'Rain Frog,' but no other victims seem to have appeared.”
Dr. Lin looked relieved. “That's a bit of good news.”
The sound of an engine starting up came from nearby. The battered old van chugged to life, and gradually, the engine noise became more stable. The armed operatives who had been pushing the vehicle moments ago walked around from behind, panting heavily. The leading man approached, “Captain Song, the vehicle's started up. Shall we...?”
Captain Song nodded and took a step toward his team members.
“All right, let's head back to the bureau. And don't forget to give Dr. Lin a lift.”