Hidden Dead Ends

In the lobby, the tall woman stopped exactly where Li Chengyi had thrown the vase.

“This spot—according to the footage, he threw the vase with enough force to knock back several people. That level of strength matches a basic modified human,” she noted, her gaze sweeping over the scattered shards.

“What kind of modification? Earth-type Black Wolf suit?” the man on the other end asked.@@novelbin@@

“Something like that, but slightly weaker. Speed is on par, but no distinct features yet,” she replied, following the trail to the elevator.

“He didn’t use the elevator; he took the stairs.”

She turned and continued up the stairwell, following the trail to the ninth floor.

The ninth floor was a spacious lounge, with the Aishi Realty logo emblazoned on the right-side wall, its metallic blue-black lettering reflecting the faint moonlight.

“Dasong died here—knocked down from above,” the woman said, stopping at the broken floor-to-ceiling window, gazing down through the shattered glass.

“Any conclusions?” the man’s voice came through.

“Roughly comparable to a standard Earth-type Black Wolf, but without the signature fang launchers. It’s possible the subject chose not to use them,” she replied. “The incident at Gleis Parking Lot should’ve been buried, with most witnesses dead, yet here we are with fresh complications.”

“It’s likely a dead-end manifestation,” the man suggested.

“Dead-end?” The woman hesitated. “Isn’t that something only enthusiasts in niche circles talk about? Does it really exist?”

“You wouldn’t know if you’re not paying attention. They do exist, though occurrences are rare. Only about a dozen people in a city encounter them at any given time. Deaths due to dead-ends in all of Yiguo probably don’t exceed a few hundred daily, possibly less. People don’t usually die instantly in a dead-end, so there’s a chance to survive,” the man explained. “Think about it—Yiguo has billions of people, with tens of thousands of natural and accidental deaths daily. A few hundred barely register. If it weren’t for the safety concerns of the elite, the authorities wouldn’t even bother.”