The tent was drenched in blood, most of the stains on it radiating outward.
Several army-green quilts were soaked with blood, and even after so much time, blood could still be wrung out. The whole scene looked as if it had been meticulously arranged by a deranged killer, making one's scalp tingle.
It's important to note that about 70% of the human body is liquid, but not all of it is blood; normal blood volume only accounts for 7%-8% of body weight.
To set up such a scene, it is estimated that nearly sixty pounds of blood would be required.
In other words, the blood of the six people who lived in the tent was probably all here.
"This is too heinous! Block off this area first and make sure to find the bodies."
The calm voice sounded even icier: "Also, Xiaoli, take some people and gather the nearby residents for questioning. Hah, I don't believe it, six living people can't just vanish into thin air, can they?"
Soon, footsteps appeared outside the tent where Lv Bai was located.
Swish~
The door curtain was forcefully lifted.
Two fully armed soldiers quickly entered, tapping the tent with the butt of a gun.
"Get up quickly."
Fatty Gao woke up with a start, squinting angrily and cursing, "What the hell are you doing? Can't a guy get some sleep?!"
His curse was ignored, but it helped wake the other people in the tent.
Lv Bai quietly got up and sat up straight.
One of the soldiers with dark skin waved his hand: "Put on your clothes, hurry up."
"Officer, is something wrong?" The frail young man rubbed his eyes, his voice still full of weakness.
"Less talking, move faster."
...
The sky was just beginning to brighten.
A dozen or so citizens loosely formed a circle in the clearing, both men and women, but all wearing expressions tinged with irritation.
It's understandable, anyone forced out of bed like this would be in a bad mood.
More so, without knowing what's happened.
Inside the yellow police tape, Zhou Zongming smoked with a serious expression.
Holding the cigarette, he pointed at a few tents nearby, asking, "This one, this one, and that one, is everyone present?"
Six people, half a platoon of soldiers searched for half a day nearby, finding nothing.
No other clues were found inside the tent, not even enough to determine the number of perpetrators, let alone a single suspicious footprint.
No one could really carry six bodies around, could they?
"Captain, everyone is here."
The reporting soldier sounded somewhat disappointed.
If any citizen had suddenly disappeared, perhaps a suspect could be identified.
Zhou Zongming tossed the cigarette butt to the ground: "Everyone questioned?"
"Yes, at the time of the incident, no one heard anything."
"Six people were killed without making a sound."
Zhou Zongming shot a sidelong glance at the soldier: "Could you do that?"
The soldier smiled stiffly: "Honestly, if they were all sleeping soundly, it shouldn't be too hard."
"And then? After draining the blood, packing up and taking away six bodies."
"Uh, that's not quite feasible."
The soldier thought for a moment, adding: "Captain, do you suspect there was more than one perpetrator?"
"They're definitely professionals... damn!"
Halfway through his sentence, Zhou Zongming suddenly noticed a figure craning its neck, peeking intensely from the tent doorway.
This figure, naturally, was Lv Bai.
He had been staring inside the tent for a while.
The uneven distribution of blood on the quilts had caused some to solidify into clots, while the rest formed blood blisters from natural pressure, looking pockmarked.
It was like a pile of pancakes smeared with ketchup.
Didn't look like the work of ordinary people.
"Hey! What are you doing, kid?"
Zhou Zongming hurried over to pull him away.
He didn't budge.
Lv Bai turned around, flashing an innocent smile: "Just looking around."
Zhou Zongming figured he just didn't pull hard enough, gesturing for Lv Bai to leave.
"Didn't see the police tape? Whatever you saw, forget it completely."
Zhou Zongming glanced at the others, as Lv Bai lifted the curtain, the gathered residents had mostly seen the scene inside the tent, and Cui Qing was so shocked that his legs turned to jelly, plopping onto the ground.
He didn't suspect Lv Bai; after all, a boy looking like a high school student generally didn't appear dangerous, especially with such a bright smile.
Hmm? Such a bright smile?
Zhou Zongming crossed his arms and reassessed Lv Bai: "Aren't you afraid, kid?"
"Afraid of what?"
Lv Bai responded nonchalantly: "Maybe I'm the culprit, isn't it said that from a psychological point of view, perpetrators often like to return to the scene of the crime?"
Zhou Zongming felt a bit of a headache; he didn't think Lv Bai was the culprit, just an eccentric high school kid.
If he had to pick a suspect among the surrounding tents, Fatty Gao and his group seemed more suspicious.
"Alright, go back to sleep."
...
Ton ton ton~
In the evening, after finishing a bowl of seaweed egg soup at the tent entrance, Lv Bai smacked his lips, squinting at the passing crowd.
The tent next door was still cordoned off, but the bloodstains inside had long been cleaned up.
All the living supplies had been packed up and taken as evidence.
Those questioned in the morning had been warned not to disclose the incident.
Even if some snippets leaked, they'd quickly become dinner-table gossip at most.
From the residents' perspective, today remained uneventful.
However, Lv Bai stayed vigilant throughout the day.
He knew very well that a Death Fighter was nearby.
Though unclear why they targeted civilians, the ultimate goal would undoubtedly return to hunting Death Fighters.
"At this stage..."
Lv Bai picked up his plate: "...I'll just eat first."
Time passes irrespective of one's will, and night fell once again.
After being awakened so early, sleepiness came quickly.
Even Fatty Gao didn't chat with his minions as usual, snoring soon after hitting the pillow.
Everyone in the tent fell asleep one after another.
...
The military tent's light-blocking ability was strong.
After lights-out, it was barely brighter than pitch black.
In the darkness, the sour sound of sobbing resonated.
Only by the faint light from the curtain's gap could a figure be discerned.
It was someone holding an imposing figure upside down.
Like when slaughtering a chicken, slicing its neck, then grasping its legs to speed up the bloodletting.