The Severed Head

They possess humans because they can get their fill of fresh organs and succulent flesh from them.

They learn human habits and disguise themselves as humans to avoid attacks, live longer, and enjoy more delicacies.

Just as a dog learns to beg by bowing—essentially, it's a way to get food rewards.

Now, if they saw a slab of meat lying in front of them, would they stop to check for surveillance, worry about being discovered, or even destroy the cameras before eating?

Tu Ran doubted their intelligence had evolved that far.

"Parasitic aberrants are a bit smarter than ordinary ones, but they don't have much intelligence. They say most parasitic aberrants have the mental capacity of a four- or five-year-old," Ding Naiqing recalled. "I remember the Research Institute once studied a flying aberrant's brain. They said it was the smartest known, but even it had only the intelligence of an eight-year-old human child."

So her trap was set up adequately.

Now that the cameras were destroyed, the most suspicious were the ones who knew about it.

Tubin, and those ten guards.

"From your perspective, what could cause the cameras to fail like this?" Tu Ran asked; she wasn't well-versed in these things. "Could the footage be sabotaged remotely?"

Hearing this, Ding Naiqing typed a few codes she didn't recognize into the console. After a dizzying series of operations, he said, "It's possible, but this time it's not that—it's a problem on the farm's end."

"Then the biggest suspect is Tubin," Tu Ran murmured thoughtfully.

She couldn't figure out why he'd do it if it really were him. Didn't he know that if the cameras went down, he'd be the prime suspect?

"Sister Ran, we're heading to the farm today—should we pay a visit to Mrs. Igman?"

Today?

Tu Ran glanced at the time. It was already half past twelve.

She rubbed her temples wearily. "Yeah, we should visit. We're not getting anything else from the cameras now, so go get some rest."

"Alright, you get some rest too, Sister Ran," Ding Naiqing said, worried. "You don't look so good."

"Mm, I know." Tu Ran nodded, picked up the water glass beside her, and gulped down a few mouthfuls to suppress her unease.

Of course she didn't look well—her life was hanging by a thread.

After seeing Ding Naiqing out, Tu Ran took a quick shower, finished in ten minutes, set her alarm, and collapsed into bed, falling asleep immediately.

At seven in the morning.

The helicopter took off from the hotel rooftop.

Xie Xu had assigned two additional pioneers, who boarded the plane with them.

Ding Naiqing, seeing the two extra people, secretly transmitted to Tu Ran, "Sister Ran, aren't they the ones from Researcher Xie's team that were searching for the Threshold door? Why are they joining us?"

Tu Ran said calmly, "Xie Xu learned about our situation yesterday. He was worried we couldn't handle it alone, so he sent some extra hands to help us."

"Didn't know Researcher Xie could be so generous," Ding Naiqing marveled.

Generous my ass! Tu Ran couldn't help but curse inwardly.

Half an hour later, the helicopter landed in Fengli County.

Tubin was already waiting there. When he saw the cabin door open, he rushed over.

"You're finally here! This morning, lots of bodies showed up on the farm, all killed like Mr. Igman. We're all huddled together and too scared to move," he said, frantic and agitated, clinging close to Tu Ran, babbling. "You've got to catch that monster. If we don't, everyone's going to die—everyone on this farm will be dead..."

He even tried to grab Tu Ran's arm.

"Stop! Don't touch!" Ding Naiqing quickly blocked him, using his own body to separate him from Tu Ran.

Tubin might be an aberrant, and if he touched Sister Ran and infected her, their team would be doomed.

He had to protect Sister Ran.

"Don't worry. We'll definitely catch the aberrant today," Ding Naiqing reassured him.

"I hope so. I really hope so," Tubin said, dazed.

Tu Ran narrowed her eyes. He looked like he'd been scared out of his wits.

She asked, "Did you know the farm's cameras went down yesterday?"

Tubin's eyes widened in exaggerated surprise. "The cameras are down? I had no idea. After you left yesterday, everyone went back to their rooms to rest. I went back to mine and didn't step out again. I didn't know about the cameras."

Tu Ran exchanged a glance with Ding Naiqing. If Tubin was an aberrant, he'd have to be quite intelligent.

While they talked, the group reached the gate of the farm's most opulent villa.

"Where's the mastiff's body?" Ding Naiqing asked, startled to see the front yard empty.

"When we came out this morning, it was already gone," Tubin said.

Tu Ran crouched slightly and, using the early morning light, spotted drag marks on the ground.

She smelled blood.

It was faint, but she caught it.

Following the scent, she crept forward, then stopped at a patch of grass.

Here—this was where she'd hidden her camera.

Beneath the thick clump of weeds, waist-high, the smell of blood was overpowering enough to make her sick. Even Ding Naiqing noticed it.

"Sister Ran, stand back a bit. Let me pull it aside," Ding Naiqing said.

Tu Ran stepped back, giving him room. Ding Naiqing aimed his machine gun at the center of the weeds, parted them, and exposed the spot reeking of blood.

A pale, white head emerged.

Not a mastiff's.

Golden hair matted with sticky blood.

It was human.

As the head came into view, an even more revolting stench of blood washed over them. Tu Ran's acute sense of smell sent her stomach churning.

"That's Karen Cinth," Liang Feng suddenly spoke up. "She's the one who was asking questions with Naya Rivera."

Because he and Li Wu had been the ones searching for her yesterday, he remembered her appearance clearly.

Tu Ran was certain that when she'd hid the mini camera in this spot yesterday, there wasn't a trace of blood.

This head was placed here last night.

And now that it was here... Tu Ran's eyes searched for her camera, finally finding it just in front of Karen Cinth's head.

Karen's unclosed eyes were staring straight at the camera.

Tu Ran couldn't help but shiver.

It felt like a provocation and a warning.

She couldn't move. She didn't dare retrieve the mini camera.

Luckily, Ding Naiqing wasn't afraid of such scenes. He simply picked up the camera, blew off the dust, and handed it to Tu Ran with a smile. "Good thing it didn't get blood on it."