Meanwhile, Luo Shu had just turned the tables, striking a high-stakes deal with the big NPC of this world, Hunter He.
Things weren't looking as bright for Frank Zhang and Angela Yu, however. The two of them sat dejectedly in the police station's waiting room, frustrated by a series of disappointing updates.
Frank was starving. With no money on him, he asked a nearby officer working the night shift, "Hey, sir… any chance I could get a cup of noodles or something?"
The officer barely spared him a glance. "No! Buy it yourself," he snapped, walking off.
Angela's stomach grumbled too, but she just closed her eyes, trying to calm herself and restore some of her dwindling Sanity Level.
Due to pressure from Hunter He, a significant number of police officers had been forced to pull an all-nighter investigating the case, despite the lack of leads. And now, based only on a vague suggestion from Frank and Angela, they were supposed to search every school in the area, looking for any signs of "schools" and "creatures." It was an unusual request, to say the least.
The police were cooperative at first, verifying with Hunter's assistant and confirming his orders. But as they sifted through footage and searched online for clues, frustration grew. AI search may have sped things up, but it didn't mean every surveillance camera could capture a clear face. And the resources and manpower they'd poured into this investigation were yielding nothing but dead ends.
With more than 700 schools in the district alone, the scale of the task was overwhelming. And as for searching for "creatures"… well, that didn't make things any easier. The tech department combed through the internet, but apart from some overseas incidents, Harbor Island had been clean. Nothing unusual had happened recently, not even minor accidents.
At that moment, another officer from the tech team entered the room, clearly irritated. "Look, if you don't have more information, just go home. There's nothing here."
Angela opened her eyes. "What happened?"
"We're getting nowhere," the officer replied, scowling. "We could be at this for months and still find nothing! Just… go, alright?"
Frank and Angela exchanged defeated glances. It turned out that even with advanced technology, real police work was still slow and grueling. And there was something else gnawing at them: Why was there no sign of anything strange?
If Yvonne He's spirit hadn't lied, there had to be some trace of "school" and "creature" somewhere. But according to the police, the schools had been peaceful recently—no deaths, no mysterious events. At most, a few scuffles with minor injuries, but nothing bizarre or sinister.
"So… what now?" Frank looked to Angela, who he assumed had the brains to figure something out.
Angela clutched her growling stomach. "Let's just go get some food first. We can call that assistant for money. Hunter won't mind covering that much, right?"
"Right, let's eat!" Frank agreed eagerly.
They left the station and tried calling Frederick Chen, but there was no response. His phone was off.
They tried a few more times to no avail. At that moment, their neck devices beeped—another warning that time was ticking away. It was now 1:40 a.m., and five hours had passed. They had only 19 hours left.
Angela put down her phone, feeling tears prick her eyes.
"Don't cry, please!" Frank was panicking. "We still have time!"
Angela's skill use had drained her Sanity Level, lowering her confidence and willpower. Now, cold, hungry, and exhausted, she felt like the beeping from her device was the final straw. She slumped to the ground, covering her face, silently crying.
After a long moment, she finally choked out, "Nineteen hours… what can I do in nineteen hours? I just want some food… a bed… I want to go home…"
Watching her cry, Frank also felt a pang of despair as he looked around the bustling streets of Harbor Island, reflecting on the hopelessness of their situation.
Just then, Frank's phone rang. He picked it up, expecting it to be Frederick Chen, and snapped, "Look, we haven't found anything yet. We need money—at least enough to eat!"
But the voice on the other end was Luo Shu's.
"I know, I know. Hungry, aren't you? Alright, stretch out your hand."
Frank was puzzled. "What? Where are you, and what are you talking about?"
With a smirk in his voice, Luo Shu said, "I said, stretch out your hand."
Angela looked up, her tear-streaked face filled with curiosity as she listened to the conversation. Frank, despite his confusion, held out his hand like he was trying to hail a cab.
Suddenly, a young man out for a night jog ran past, casually hanging a backpack on Frank's extended arm.
"Hey! Wait!" Frank called out, but the guy just kept running.
"Put me on speaker," Luo Shu said over the phone.
Frank did as he asked, and Luo Shu's voice came through. "Open the bag. See what's inside."
Angela immediately took the bag from Frank and unzipped it.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]