Chapter 24: Physical Elimination

Chapter 24: Physical Extermination

Dead! All of them!

Inside the dollhouse, the space was crammed with layers of headless dolls, leaving almost no gap at all. The floor was stained blood-red, soaked in thick, viscous blood. Furniture, decorations, and even the walls were splattered with blood as if it had been sprayed everywhere.

Every single doll had lost its head, except for that disgusting green skull, which stood upright on the living room table on the first floor—the very place where it had first appeared. However, the direction the skull was facing had changed. It was now aimed directly at Jiang Ren, who had opened the dollhouse. Its dull, lifeless, yet malevolent gaze seemed to be issuing a challenge.

"Jiang, has it broken free from your control?"

Dorn had already retreated outside the door. Looking at the densely packed headless dolls inside and the mysterious, blood-like substance dripping from them, he suddenly felt an urge to flee the villa.

"Once it falls into my hands, it has only one outcome." Jiang Ren took a chocolate bar from the burly man behind him, tore open the wrapper, and took a large bite. "It’s just that there’s no fun left to be had."

The attempt to win by sheer numbers had proven a failure. After swallowing the chocolate in a few bites, he couldn't help but sigh, his face showing the disappointment of a child who had lost an interesting toy.

"Plan A!"

Jiang Ren swallowed the remainder of the chocolate, closed the dollhouse, and gestured to the two burly men behind him. The two men nodded; though they looked somewhat fearful, they did not hesitate to pick up the dollhouse and head downstairs. Judging by their effortless movements and expressions, the dollhouse was not heavy.

Dorn glanced at them, then asked Jiang Ren with some confusion, "What is Plan A?"

"Physical extermination!"

Jiang Ren followed the two men at an unhurried pace, keeping an eye out for any unexpected developments. Dorn hesitated for a moment upstairs, gritted his teeth, and followed, though he kept a distance of at least five meters from Jiang Ren.

"What’s going on... is that dollhouse leaking blood?"

The detectives outside the door watched as the dollhouse was carried out, puzzled and unsure of whom to ask. Robert, however, turned pale and hurriedly scurried several steps away, fearing that staying too close would lead to some unforeseen danger.

*Click!*

The door at the rear of the container slid open slowly under the control of an electronic device, revealing the empty space inside. From the outside, it was clear that the thickness of the metal on the door, sides, top, and bottom exceeded half a meter. In terms of blast resistance, it was no worse than the vault doors of some top-tier banks.

While the dollhouse was being moved inside, Jiang Ren looked around. This was a famous wealthy neighborhood where the average living space was quite large, but that didn't mean there were no people nearby. If a murder occurred, people should have gathered to watch. Yet, at this very moment, even though the surrounding roads were not blocked and people were passing by from time to time, no one paid any attention to the situation.

This phenomenon occurred because "Hazardous Species" possessed a special, passively emitted energy field. This field caused those who were not the target of the Hazardous Species to subconsciously ignore the special events occurring around it; sometimes, they would even choose to take a detour to avoid the area entirely. Furthermore, it prevented those targeted by the Hazardous Species from calling the police or seeking help, no matter how dangerous the situation became. This was why, despite the terrifying existence of these entities, they remained unknown to the public, with even rumors being rare.

It was not difficult to become immune to this special energy field. One only needed to have frequent close contact with different Hazardous Species; the more exposure, the less the influence, until one became completely immune. Detective Dorn was an example of this.

"Boss, it's ready!" A burly man said beside Jiang Ren, handing him a small, black box the size of a Rubik's cube.

Jiang Ren skillfully took the box, pressed one of its corners, and tossed it inside before the container door closed.

"Jiang, what was that you threw in there?" Dorn had been standing too far away to see clearly.

Jiang Ren paused, gave him a look of pity for the intellectually challenged, and said in a gentle tone, "A bomb with a timer."

Dorn: "A time bomb?!"

*BOOM!*

Just then, a muffled explosion sounded from inside the container. A tablet was held out in front of him. Jiang Ren took it and opened the feed to see the scene inside the container. The dollhouse had been blasted to pieces, its remains burning in the flames ignited by the bomb.

But the physical extermination did not end so simply. After all, while physical attacks were effective against some Hazardous Species, a common bomb was certainly not enough to finish one off.

The next moment, several small holes opened on the walls inside the container. Superheated flames erupted, incinerating everything within. There were very few substances known to cause harm to Hazardous Species, and the simplest and most effective among them was fire—the higher the temperature and the longer the duration, the better.

Piercing, hoarse screams emanated from the tablet. Hearing the sound, Robert and the others felt a chill creep over their bodies despite the bright sunlight.

"What a pity." Jiang Ren felt a hint of regret.

He had enjoyed the dollhouse's ability to automatically advance the plot using the dolls, so even knowing that the dolls couldn't deal with the Hazardous Species hidden within, he had still enthusiastically ordered his employees to buy a large bag of them. He hadn't expected this Hazardous Species to play so unfairly.

Since that was the case, there was no other choice but to resort to physical extermination.

Ten minutes later, the dollhouse and the dolls had been reduced to piles of charred, indescribable residue. The door slid open, and a wave of heat rushed out. Dorn was forced back several meters by the heat, yet sweat still beaded on his forehead. The other detectives felt the heat and instinctively moved further away. Only Jiang Ren stood motionless, completely unaffected.

Although the flames had ceased, the intense heat would not dissipate easily; if one were to throw a piece of clothing inside now, it would ignite in less than half a second.

"Is it finished?" Dorn looked into the container with curiosity.

Jiang Ren did not wait for the temperature to drop; he jumped, landing inside the nearly two-meter-high container. His boots, made of an unknown material, were completely unaffected.

"Hazardous Species aren't that easy to deal with."

Jiang Ren stepped forward, crouched down, and used his left hand to pick up a marble-sized, irregular black object from the pile of charred remains. This was the core of the Hazardous Species. Only by destroying the core could the creature truly be eliminated. As long as the core remained intact, the Hazardous Species would eventually revive, with the only difference being a matter of time.

However, ordinary methods could not destroy the core. Just as Jiang Ren was about to act, he saw several wisps of black gas emerge from the irregular object and dart rapidly into his head.