"The killer was arrested half a month ago?"
Su He heard a chilling story from Hou Police Officer.
A cartoonist drew ten comics, themed around terrifying murder cases, each depicting a woman being brutally killed.
The cartoonist uploaded the works onto the internet and started an event called "Ten Comics".
There was no introduction, but beside the comics was a blank box with an upload button.
Until one day, a photo appeared on the website, and the story of Ten Comics began...
The cartoonist was arrested by the police, but the influence of Ten Comics gradually spread across Kunyang.
Was the killer the cartoonist, or someone influenced by the cartoonist?
Who would be the next killer?
Anyone who had seen the comics could potentially become a killer. The first case occurred in Kaohsiung City, and the next in Jiufen. The entire Kunyang had become the murder scene for the cartoonist!
Su He's phone rang. It was Director Yu Qing.
"What? Fan Xiaotong is missing?"
Su He jumped up, causing the coffee cup to roll across the table and smash on the floor.
"Where did she go missing?"
"The hospital..."
Su He and Hou Police Officer exchanged a glance, their eyes fixed on one of the comics.
A murder scene set in a hospital ward!
"I'll drive!" Su He snatched Hou Police Officer's car keys and ran outside.
In the passenger seat, Hou Police Officer contacted the station for backup as they rushed to the hospital.
At 5 AM, with only a few cars on the streets, a police cruiser suddenly roared by, drifting around a corner with a piercing screech.
At the intersection, a street sweeper was taken aback as trash flew everywhere. "What the hell was that? Got my blood pumping..."
Inside the car, Hou Police Officer clung to the door handle for dear life as Su He took several sharp turns before finally relaxing.
"Su He, you drive like a professional racer..." As the car stopped at the hospital entrance, Hou Police Officer couldn't help but remark.
"I know a bit... I'm planning to enroll in a driving school when I return to the capital," Su He said as he got out and headed for the hospital.
No driver's license?
"He must be joking, right?" Hou Police Officer's legs felt weak as he exited the car, but he quickly caught up to Su He.
In the hospital lobby, Director Yu Qing and some crew members were anxiously speaking with the police. Su He went straight up and asked, "Have you checked the security cameras?"
"Su He... we did, but there are no cameras in the ward or hallways... The other cameras didn't catch Fan Xiaotong either, or any sign of her leaving the hospital. We've searched every room, it's like she vanished into thin air..."
Vanished into thin air? Impossible. Su He exchanged a look with Hou Police Officer, who ordered a full lockdown and room-by-room search of the hospital.
Su He was deeply anxious. Though he and Fan Xiaotong had known each other for less than 24 hours, the young girl had already made a profound impression on him. If only he had accompanied her to the hospital, this wouldn't have happened!
In the security room, Su He repeatedly reviewed the footage of Fan Xiaotong's admission until her disappearance was discovered.
Earlier, Su He had a man send Fan Xiaotong to the ambulance. After checking in, that man was seen leaving the hospital.
With it being the early morning hours, there were few people and vehicles entering or leaving, except for one hearse headed to the mortuary.
"The comic!"
Su He looked up at Hou Police Officer, who produced one of the comics. Su He flipped to a panel depicting a coffin lined with ice, a woman's corpse lying atop the ice. Upon closer inspection, her limbs and torso were severed, her head detached and held on by a wooden stake.
Icy bloodied water pooled across the panel, drenching the eerie, blood-red scene.
The killer wasn't in the hospital!
Hou Police Officer's team had searched the entire building without finding Fan Xiaotong.
"Keys!" Su He extended his hand toward Hou Police Officer.
Hou Police Officer hesitated, then placed the keys in Su He's palm. "It'll be daylight soon, drive carefully..."
Hou Police Officer took the passenger seat and guided Su He to the mortuary.
Located in a secluded area, as they neared their destination, Su He turned off the lights and sirens. Arriving at the gate, he scaled the walls to slip inside.
The hearse from the security footage was still parked in the courtyard. Su He and Hou Police Officer split up to search the premises.
"Thump, thump, thump..."
Suddenly, the silence of the mortuary was broken.
Su He dashed toward the source of the sound.
Kicking open a door, he found a scrawny man carrying a large bucket filled with ice cubes.
Their eyes met briefly before the man turned and fled.
Su He didn't give chase. On the floor nearby, Fan Xiaotong lay mumbling, "Su He... ghost..."
A gunshot rang out from outside. Fan Xiaotong rolled over, continuing to sleep.
A piece of paper on the ground caught Su He's eye - it was one of the comics.
Inside the room, a coffin was half-filled with ice. In the corner sat an electric saw.
...
Dawn broke as Su He dozed off in the police cruiser.
Hou Guangyi removed his uniform, draping it over Su He before heading into the station.
Four of the Ten Comics had been realized, the fifth thwarted - but the cases could occur again at any moment.
In the interrogation room, the scrawny man Tan Peng had bandages around his bullet-wounded leg.
"Who is the 'he' in your group chat?"
Police had discovered a group chat titled "Ten Comics" on Tan Peng's phone, filled with disturbing, bloody content. A user nicknamed "he" was live-streaming the killings.
"Don't know him..." Tan Peng glanced defiantly at Hou Police Officer. "You caught one of us, but there are thousands more... We're creating art. Have you ever seen photos this intense?"
"Hahaha, we're everywhere..."
Hou Police Officer approached Tan Peng and pressed down on his leg wound, staring into his eyes as he applied increasing pressure. "You're all just rats crawling out of the sewer. I'll root every one of you out..."
The scrawny man gritted his teeth, refusing to make a sound as he glared back at Hou Police Officer.
"It's just attempted murder, officer... won't be in for too long!"
Leaving the interrogation room, Hou Guangyi could no longer contain his rage. He stormed into the bathroom, shouting at the mirror, "Damn it!"
Hell is empty, and the devils are here on Earth!
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
