Hunter of Mysterious Creature-Chapter 457 - 73: Containment Object 549_2

"Classical novel? What book is so amazing it can turn someone into a mysterious creature?" Sun Hang asked curiously.

"The Count of Monte Cristo," Yuri answered, "However, we've conducted detailed inspections on all the books, even daily necessities, inside the residence of Containment Object 549, including that book, but found no anomalies... We can't be certain if her memetic mutation is linked to her reading."

Yuri continued, "Before being diagnosed, she was an assistant professor and intern lecturer at a local university's language and literature department. She's been involved with this kind of classical literature for years. It wasn't her first time reading The Count of Monte Cristo... Even after her infection, she's flipped through a series of books including The Count of Monte Cristo several times, but nothing like this ever happened."

"Where is that book now?" Sun Hang casually asked.

"At the local Mysterious Creature Research Institute... They've studied this book for several years, and finally concluded it's just an ordinary printed material," Yuri replied.

"Alright... Seems like we're getting a bit off-topic." Sun Hang scratched his head, "Let's get back to the main point... Do you think maybe someone else 'released' this entity?"

"You mean..." Yuri squinted his eyes.

"That mysterious television, since it can distort reality, alter the surveillance footage of Dubhe Tower... then causing a temporary malfunction in surveillance cameras would be incredibly easy... Perhaps it helped Containment Object 549 to escape," Sun Hang suggested, "Of course, I have a bolder hypothesis."

"What hypothesis?"

"Did you open that black box?" Sun Hang turned to ask the researcher.

"No," the researcher shook his head.

"Since the television anomaly can interfere with reality... then perhaps, Containment Object 549 is now in a 'Schrodinger's cat' state... After you open that box, it might be inside, or it might not be... Who knows, after one night, you might find Containment Object 549 appearing in the surveillance camera footage again... After all, you can't even determine if that faulty camera has really 'returned to normal,' right?"

Sun Hang said it all in one go and then relaxedly exhaled a breath of turbid air.

Though upon careful scrutiny, this logic cannot form a closed loop, but when it comes to complicating matters, he's indeed an expert... Maybe he shouldn't be a Mysterious Creature Hunter anymore, and instead write for suspense dramas? Perhaps he could make a name for himself...

"But..." Yuri's one 'but' immediately pulled Sun Hang back to reality, "Why would Containment Object 999 do such a thing?"

Containment Object 999 naturally referred to that mysterious television which Sun Hang had devoured.

To be precise, the television's containment number in the primary containment area is "1-999," whereas the number of the bizarrely vanished containment object is "2-549"... The latter is located in the secondary containment area, where both danger level and importance are lower, and logically, the two shouldn't be associated at all...

"Maybe it's looking for an ally?"

"But, Containment Object 549 is not suitable as an ally, right?" Yuri remarked, "Its combat ability isn't that strong... Although an unarmed ordinary person might not be able to defeat it, Dubhe Tower could easily bring in a guard... or rather, someone proficient in firearms could easily deal with it."

"So weak? And yet Dubhe Tower still wants to contain this mysterious entity?" All previous guesses were void, even the thick-skinned Sun Hang felt somewhat embarrassed, "I thought something qualified to enter the secondary containment area would at least be like Wang Xiyi?"

"Containment Object 549 is just not strong in combat, but its memetic mutation is very special, thus making it a valuable research sample worth containing here..." Yuri patiently explained, "The primary and secondary containment areas mainly differ in the danger level of containment objects, but in terms of research value, the gap isn't very large."

"Shouldn't Containment Object 999 be in the secondary area and not the primary area?" Sun Hang internally complained, "Before I arrived, it didn't exhibit any dangerous characteristics?"

"If Containment Object 999 was meant to disrupt the containment area, there are many troublesome mysterious entities in the primary area; releasing just one could cause us major headaches... But it didn't do that, it merely released one of the many non-conspicuous Containment Object 549... It doesn't make sense." Yuri spoke as if addressing Sun Hang yet seemed to ponder aloud, "Are there other clues on the scene?"

"That's all for now. Due to the concern of destroying the scene, none of us have entered the Containment Room 549, further actions await your decision," the researcher remarked.

"Why don't we go over and take a look first?" Sun Hang proposed, "In such a short time, hard to believe Y-Some 4-23 could mysteriously disappear, right?"

Yuri's eye twitched violently: "Your joke... is really not funny."

"Simple, send a few people to keep an eye on Y-Some 4-23, we go to Containment Room 549... What's the saying, if heaven rains or the mother remarries, if Y-Some 4-23 is truly set on fleeing, you won't have a choice, right?"

Yuri: "..."

...

The primary and secondary containment areas are not adjacent to each other. Sun Hang and others navigated through the vast underground space by railcar along the rock wall for about twenty minutes before reaching the "incident area"—Containment Room 549.

Compared to the primary area, the secondary containment area uses space more efficiently, with standard-sized containment rooms neatly lined up grid-like within the space, giving the impression of a "housing complex" specifically equipped for mysterious entities.

However, as they approached Containment Room 549, Sun Hang stopped in his tracks.

His initially relaxed expression vanished instantly.

In this place, he sensed a strikingly familiar aura.

"Anna Demosheva... Did you follow me all the way from Tianfu City to here?" Sun Hang mumbled to himself.

...

...

Chunming City outskirts, Abnormal Ability Management Department, temporary dormitory.

The soft glow on the girl's body gradually dimmed, and her tantalizing body contours also became hazy... Soon, only a barely discernible human-shaped shadow was left at the corner.

Ling Xiao abruptly noticed, somehow, the extinguished cold flame on the Ruler Sword reignited; replacing the girl as the room's sole light source.

As Ling Xiao shifted his gaze from the Sword to the corner shadow again, that shadow had already left the corner, lunging at him!!

By the glow of the cold flame, Ling Xiao barely glimpsed the shadow was a woman—but definitely not the flawless girl from before.

This woman's figure was incredibly gaunt, akin to a skeleton wrapped in skin.

She was draped in a filthy white robe, her black long hair oily, matted, hung down her cheeks...

Most frightening of all—this woman lacked a lower jaw.

Not only that, her face from above the upper lip was completely missing; from the front, it was possible to see the red oral cavity and dark throat...

In stark contrast to her missing jaw was her upper teeth—besides the upper jaw's alveolar part, her upper palate was covered in sharp, monster-like teeth.

Fortunately, faced with such grotesque "woman," Ling Xiao felt no fear.

He quickly leaped back, dodging the woman's attack as she fell onto the bedside, then Ling Xiao reached to his side and switched on the bedside lamp.

The room instantly lit up brightly.

Yet as soon as the light came on, the woman emitted an ear-piercing scream enough to crack eardrums, simultaneously her/its skin exposed to the light turned flushed, crimson, then developed a scattering of various-sized pustules.

"Afraid of light?" Ling Xiao paused, glanced at the luggage placed by the clothes rack.

The luggage contained a tactical flashlight, maximum brightness 4000 lumens.

Or... Could this thing be used to suppress the enemy before him?