Chapter 579
BOSS Style, Hound Appears
The traffic flow resembled a paralyzed dragon, coiled up on the expressway leading to Xiguan District.
The midday sun streamed in through the windshield, making the interior of the car feel unbearably hot and stuffy.
Fang Cheng rested one hand on the steering wheel, his fingertips tapping lightly in sync with the rhythm of jazz music playing from the car stereo.
Outside the window, the sounds of horns and complaints rose and fell.
Today is the weekend, and the citizens of Dongdu are like birds released from their cages.
Half of the traffic flowed towards the scenic areas surrounding Xishan, while the other half squeezed towards the Golden Beach to the east, completely blocking the main road of the viaduct.
Fang Cheng's destination was his maternal grandfather's house in Wanghu Town.
These past two days, as usual, besides his regular daily exercise, he spent most of his time at the base construction site, keeping an eye on the project's progress with Lin Chuqiao.
Occasionally, he would also take time to have tea and chat with the newly recruited members to increase their familiarity with each other and to assert his presence as the organization's big boss.
Even the floorboards in his living room that he had worn into with his footsteps had already been repaired by a contractor.
Life seems to be gradually getting back on track.
As for that unlucky fire dragon, he's really tough.
He finally woke up from his coma around 6 a.m. yesterday.
The black market doctor in charge of the treatment immediately informed the professor of the good news, and the professor then relayed it to Fang Cheng.
Fang Cheng originally planned to visit the illegal clinic at Jinshui Fish Market today and ask Masked Man for the password to his overseas bank account.
Before I even left the house, my grandfather called.
Although the old man tried to sound stern on the phone, he couldn't hide his longing for the person he was talking to.
It was said that his uncle rarely cooked today, so he made Fang Cheng's favorite braised lion's head meatballs and stewed beef with potatoes.
He was ordered to come home for dinner no matter how busy he was with work; otherwise, it would be disrespectful to him.
Fang Cheng figured that the fire dragon had just passed the danger period and probably couldn't even speak properly, so it wouldn't hurt to go a couple of days later and readily agreed.
As my thoughts drifted, the traffic ahead came to an almost complete standstill.
Fang Cheng lowered the car window and peered out.
At the intersection a hundred meters away, there were yellow and black barricades.
Several dark green military trucks were parked across the middle of the road, completely blocking the entire eight-lane road.
Armed soldiers are stationed on both sides of the checkpoint, checking each passing vehicle and person.
Fang Cheng's pupils contracted slightly, and he instantly understood the situation.
For the past few days, television news has been continuously reporting on the terrorist attack on the Silver Wing.
The military announced that it had imposed martial law throughout the city and was conducting a full-scale manhunt for the escaped terrorist leader.
It seems this is not just empty talk, but a serious threat.
The deployment of troops along the entire road, with its layers of defenses and vigilance, resembled a large-scale, dragnet-like search operation.
Fang Cheng's gaze swept over the checkpoint, where the atmosphere seemed very tense.
Dozens of special forces soldiers, armed with submachine guns, stood in scattered positions, their fingers always resting on the trigger guards.
His sharp eyes scrutinized the people in each vehicle, as if he would open fire without hesitation at the slightest sign of trouble.
Nearby, a communications soldier was speaking into a walkie-talkie, his voice urgent, as if he were calling for reinforcements.
The drivers and passengers in the surrounding cars were clearly also frightened by the scene.
The complaints vanished instantly, leaving only scattered, uneasy whispers.
Fang Cheng leaned back in his chair, his expression still calm, but his mind was racing.
The "terrorist leader" mentioned by the military, who was responsible for the crash of the armed helicopter, is naturally referring to him.
"Has my identity been exposed?"
A thought flashed through Fang Cheng's mind, but he immediately shook his head and rejected it.
impossible!
If the military has identified him, then what's here isn't a checkpoint or roadblock.
Instead, a group of tanks and armed helicopters went directly to his house and knocked on his door.
It appears that the other party only possessed scattered clues and was attempting to use them to expand their investigation and search for suspicious targets.
Perhaps, that night downstairs at the Silverwing Building, a passerby caught a glimpse of himself wearing a mask?
Various thoughts flashed through Fang Cheng's mind. He frowned slightly and gazed at the scene outside the window.
Turning back now is absolutely out of the question.
Driving against traffic on this congested road is practically like having the words "I have a problem" plastered on your forehead.
Not only would it immediately attract firepower, but it would also drag innocent bystanders into the mess.
Fang Cheng's gaze passed over the layers of vehicle roofs and landed on a green-painted armored personnel carrier behind the roadblock.
The car windows had one-way privacy film, but that didn't stop Fang Cheng.
His gaze narrowed slightly, and a faint red light flashed deep within his pupils.
The field of vision was instantly zoomed in and magnified.
The heavy metal body and bulletproof glass appeared almost transparent to him.
The scene inside the carriage then came into perfect view.
"This is……"
Fang Cheng's lips moved slightly, and he let out a soft whisper.
There are not only people in the carriage, but also a monster being held captive?!
As he stared intently, a thought flashed through his mind, and he instantly came up with an idea.
Then, she gently closed her eyes, amplifying the perception of her five senses.
Invisible ripples spread outwards, weaving through the congested traffic and crowds, and penetrating directly into the armored vehicle.
The cacophony of horns, engines, and pedestrians' conversations receded like the tide.
All the surrounding noise was filtered out, and only the faint sounds coming from inside the military vehicle remained in the ears.
....................................
Inside the armored vehicle, the air conditioning was running at full blast, but it couldn't mask the strong, pungent stench of fish and mutton.
Two fully armed special forces soldiers sat facing each other.
The one on the left looks very young, but his palms are sweaty as he holds the gun, and he adjusts his posture every now and then.
On the right is a middle-aged man with a stubble beard, chewing gum with his eyes half-closed, showing the relaxed demeanor typical of a veteran.
On the floor between them lay a humanoid creature bound hand and foot with steel chains.
It was on all fours, with its spine bulging out strangely, and its grayish-white skin covered with bluish-black blood vessels.
It was wearing a metal mouth guard, and suppressed growls kept coming from its throat, with saliva dripping onto the floor through the gaps in the mouth guard.
"Old Xie, this thing keeps making noise, does that mean that 'White Owl' is nearby?"
The young soldier finally broke the silence, his voice trembling slightly as he asked the question.
The middle-aged man, called Old Xie, opened his eyes, glanced at the monster at his feet, and sneered:
"Xiao Wu, don't be so alarmed. This beast will go berserk if it smells anything with a strange odor."
"Our task now is to cast our nets and catch fish. With this net, we might catch shrimp or crabs. As for whether it will be that big fish, Bai Xiao, who knows?"
"But... will this really work?"
Xiao Wu continued to stare intently at the hideous monster before him, his eyes filled with disgust and terror.
"Using monsters to catch other monsters sounds really weird."
"It's normal that you don't understand. This thing has a formal name in the supernatural community: 'search hound'."
Old Xie spat out his chewing gum and patiently explained the science to the newcomer:
"The advisors above analyzed that in the battle at Silverwing Building, Bai Xiao's strength, speed, and that iconic mask all fit the characteristics of a 'vampire'."
"It just so happens that there are a few vampires imprisoned in Xishan Prison, so the higher-ups simply trained them as search dogs and assigned them to various search teams. This makes it much easier to pinpoint targets during investigations." He paused, seeing the newcomer's confused expression, and chuckled before continuing:
"The hounds are not dogs in the literal sense; they are monsters specially bred by our official agencies, and they are exceptionally sensitive to the unique scents emanating from their own kind."
“Like this ‘hound’ in our team, it’s a low-level vampire we captured the year before last. Due to physical and mental mutation, it completely lost its rationality and was left with only an instinctive craving for food, killing, and the scent of its own kind.”
"It can smell even the slightest scent of vampires or high-level superhumans within a hundred-meter radius, making it hundreds of times more sensitive than a dog's nose."
Xiao Wu nodded in sudden realization, then pondered for a moment before asking further:
"So, the guys outside are shining that laser pointer in their eyes to find the disguised alien monsters?"
"Yes, this is called a pupil test."
Old Xie patiently explained:
"The superhumans can usually disguise themselves as ordinary people, but these monsters have a wild streak hidden in their genes."
"When that special spectrum shines on someone, ordinary people might just feel glare, but extraordinary people can't stand the stimulation. Their pupils will instantly change color or deform, and they can't hide it at all..."
As the two were talking, the chained "hound" suddenly began to struggle violently.
Splash—splash—
The thick steel chain was stretched taut, emitting a heart-stopping scraping sound.
The monster suddenly raised its head, its bloodshot eyes fixed on the direction of the rear door of the carriage.
Then, an unprecedentedly shrill roar erupted from its throat, and it even began to frantically pound its head against the floor.
Holy crap!
Old Xie's expression changed drastically, and he grabbed the black submachine gun beside him:
"This reaction... could it be that we've really encountered a big fish?!"
"Oh no, Bai Xiao is here? What do we do? This is the city center!"
Xiao Wu turned pale with fright and frantically released the weapon's safety.
Holding the cold metal gun in his hand gave him more confidence.
The magazine is filled with mercury bombs specifically designed to target alien monsters and destroy their physical structure.
"Don't panic, stay calm."
Old Xie gave a low shout to calm the newcomer, then pressed his earpiece and reported at lightning speed:
"Attention all units, the hunting dogs are reacting extremely violently! Note, extremely violently!"
"The target is likely in the current inspection sequence. How long until air support arrives?"
"Damn it, tell those pilots to hurry up! I need to see fire support within five minutes, or we're all in danger!"
....................................
Inside the Land Rover SUV, Fang Cheng slowly opened his eyes.
The faint golden light that had been shimmering in his eyes quietly faded away.
It turned out to be the case.
First, sense the presence of the monsters in the carriage, then stimulate the pupils with a special spectrum for identification.
This combination of tactics can indeed uncover the supernatural being hiding in the crowd.
Fang Cheng recalled the conversation he had just overheard, and remembered that Cheng Jiashu had once explained to him, a newcomer, the official methods for searching for supernatural beings.
I never expected to run into this screening process myself.
At this moment, the congested traffic slowly crawled forward.
At the checkpoint ahead, there were only two cars left before it was his turn to be inspected.
Through the windshield, Fang Cheng could clearly see a female inspector holding a silver-white pen-shaped instrument, shining it into the truck driver's eyes.
He watched the entire pupil detection process quietly, already understanding everything.
In a normal person, the pupil will only make a constant physiological contraction response under strong light.
Once a person with supernatural abilities awakens their special abilities, the energy circuits within their body will be revealed through reflections in their eyes.
That special spectrum is the fuse that triggers this reaction.
For ordinary people with supernatural abilities, this test may be an insurmountable obstacle.
But for Fang Cheng, it wasn't a difficult problem at all.
He reached into the glove compartment in front of the passenger seat and took out an elegant glasses case.
Then he took out the pair of gold-rimmed non-prescription glasses he had recently gotten and gently placed them on his nose.
With just this one small movement, his demeanor changed dramatically.
The coldness and sharpness hidden deep within him were completely concealed, replaced by a gentle and refined scholarly air.
With his already handsome face, he looked exactly like a university lecturer on campus or a senior manager of a large corporation.
His refined demeanor exudes a harmless air of elitism.
Soon it was his turn.
Fang Cheng slowly lowered the car window and stuck his head out.
Before the other person could speak, he gave a slightly apologetic smile:
"Excuse me, sir, is there some kind of emergency ahead? I'm in a hurry to get to my grandfather's house for dinner; he's been urging me to come several times."
The person in charge of the inspection was a young female officer, probably recently transferred from logistics, whose face still had a touch of youthfulness.
Upon seeing Fang Cheng's handsome face, coupled with his gentle and elegant smile, her tense expression visibly relaxed, and two blushes appeared on her cheeks.
"Hello comrade, this is a routine check. Please turn off the engine and show your identification."
The female officer's voice unconsciously softened, even...
Fang Cheng nodded with a smile, then took out his ID card and driver's license from his bag and handed them over with both hands.
"What are you dawdling for? Hurry up!"
A male soldier holding a submachine gun next to him urged impatiently, his eyes revealing a hint of sourness.
Clearly, he didn't have a good impression of this "pretty boy" who drove a luxury car.
The female officer glared reproachfully at her colleague, then turned to Fang Cheng, raised the silver instrument in her hand, and said somewhat apologetically:
"Sir, please remove your glasses so we can check your pupils. It might be a little bright, please bear with it."
"No problem, cooperating is the right thing to do."
Fang Cheng took off his glasses and casually hung them on his collar.
A pair of deep black eyes calmly gazed at the other person.
Then, a beam of blue-purple light instantly pierced Fang Cheng's eyes.
This feeling is indeed as the female officer described; it is very uncomfortable.
It was as if a red-hot needle had pierced his retina, trying to trigger his defensive instincts and stir up the hidden desires in his heart.
If it were an ordinary awakened being, their pupils would probably have turned into beastly eyes by now.
Fang Cheng merely narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze revealing a deep, lifeless abyss.
No matter how provocative the beam of light was, those black pupils maintained the gentle and stable demeanor befitting a human being, showing no signs of any change.
Seeing this, the female officer visibly relaxed and quickly turned off the equipment.
"The test is normal. Thank you for your cooperation. You may now..."
"Roar--"
Just then, an extremely violent roar pierced through the armored vehicle's iron walls and rang out clearly at the checkpoint.
The voice was filled with an extreme longing and madness that sent chills down one's spine.
"Attention all units! Level 1 alert! The hunting dogs appear to be out of control!"
"The target might be in one of these cars nearby. Immediately block off the intersection!"
The roar coming through the headset instantly made all the soldiers present change color. (End of Chapter)