“ABO blood type, tissue typing, cross-matching, compatible for ages five to ten.”
“There’s always one suitable for your child.”
Li Ran took out ten kidneys, leaving Nie Tianwei completely stunned.
Captain Zhang and Officer Xiao Feng were frozen in place.
All the officers present stared at Li Ran in horror.
Several questions sprang up in their minds.
Where did Li Ran get those kidneys from? And all of them from children?
He got ten at once?
Did he kill ten children?
Did he really kill ten children in less than ten minutes just to match organs for the criminal?
Their minds were reeling with shock and confusion.
“This... is this real?” Nie Tianwei bent down, his bloodshot eyes gradually clearing up as he stared dead-on at the kidneys inside the box.
“Every single one is real. If we start the transplant within two hours, your child can be saved. But only if you confess your crimes, plead guilty, and cooperate with the police,” Li Ran said solemnly.
“I... I... can I see my child safe and sound?” Nie Tianwei asked.
Li Ran looked to Captain Zhang, who nodded in agreement.
“You can,” Li Ran affirmed.
Upon hearing this, all hostility faded from Nie Tianwei’s face. He turned into a weeping middle-aged man with a head full of white hair.
Seeing this, Li Ran couldn’t help but feel a pang of sorrow. A man kneeling before him, crying like a child.
At that moment, Captain Zhang led the officers forward to take Nie Tianwei into custody.
Li Ran handed over the box of kidneys to Captain Zhang. “The rest is up to you.”
Captain Zhang looked ashamed. “I should’ve listened to you. I nearly made a terrible mistake.”
Li Ran patted Captain Zhang’s shoulder and said nothing more. He pointed at the box. “I got them through legal channels. There are invoices and receipts inside.”
Captain Zhang opened the box and sure enough, there were invoices and receipts.
The supplier was listed as Happiness Supermarket.
When Li Ran had first visited Happiness Supermarket, he had discovered that in the very back, they sold human body parts. A wide selection, good quality, and affordable prices. You could not only buy fresh ones but even specify the age range.
He had always thought he’d never need any of that. But unexpectedly, he ended up using them after all.
Happiness Supermarket was a place specifically designed for players to buy cost-effective items. If used wisely, many missions could be completed. Purchases could only be made using points.
Once Captain Zhang saw the supplier was Happiness Supermarket, he had no further doubts about Li Ran.
“You were the one who saved my child, weren’t you?”
A man and woman approached Li Ran.
“It was him,” Captain Zhang confirmed, then introduced them. “They’re the child’s parents.”
Hearing this, the child’s parents immediately knelt in front of Li Ran. “We can never repay your life-saving kindness.”
Li Ran helped them up. “Please, get up. I can’t accept this. Anyone would’ve stepped up in this situation.”
“This tremendous grace is beyond words.” The child’s father took out a silk pouch and handed it to Li Ran. “We don’t have anything valuable to give, but please accept this small token of our gratitude.”
Since the parents were so insistent, Li Ran had no choice but to accept it.
After all, this was a special reward hinted at by his golden finger after saving the hostages.
“I don’t know what to say, except thank you.” The child’s mother held Li Ran’s hand, tears in her eyes.
“All right, go check on your child now,” Captain Zhang said.
“Yes, yes.”
A familiar cold voice rang in Li Ran’s ears.
[Mission completed: Assist police in solving child abduction case.]
[Reward: +150 Eerie Power, 1500 Points, Life Drop 1]
[Bonus Reward: Kindred Spirit Paper Figurine]
Li Ran opened the silk pouch, and inside lay a stack of small paper figurines.
[Kindred Spirit Paper Figurine: Player can attach the paper figurine to a target to make them unconsciously speak their true thoughts or innermost feelings. Cooldown: One day.]
“Truth talk?” Li Ran raised an eyebrow, finding this item unexpectedly interesting.
“This thing’s basically an interrogation cheat code. Even if the criminal stays silent, stick this on them and they’ll confess everything.”
But Li Ran thought it could be used for more than just interrogations.
Used to eavesdrop on someone’s true thoughts, or to make them speak the truth — this was even better than the Truth Serum Potion.
Li Ran even thought of another clever use.
If he were in a monitored environment, both parties could stick figurines on each other to communicate via internal thoughts without being detected.
At this, a bold idea formed in Li Ran’s mind.
But he wasn’t sure it would work. Before trying it for real, he needed a test subject.
Li Ran used the Life Drop, and his Eerie Power, Constitution, Strength, and Agility all increased by 50 points.
With the additional attribute rewards from the mission:
Eerie Power: 2280
Points: 4100
Other attributes and skills remained unchanged.
With the boost in attributes, Chitong also benefited from the 20% stat sharing. Her Eerie Power reached 1500, and with the Child of the Night bonus, she could reach 1700.
As for the Little Demon Baby, there was nothing to worry about.
In just one day, her Eerie Power had increased by 100. Her current Eerie Power was 400. Li Ran felt like even if he left her to starve, she’d keep growing stronger — even easier to raise than Chitong. That might be the power of an S-rank.
“Thanks for your huge help,” Captain Zhang said, extending his hand.
Li Ran shook his hand and smiled. “Captain Zhang, it’s time for you to keep your promise.”
Captain Zhang nodded, then turned to Officer Xiao Feng. “Take the suspect back. Bring the kidneys to the hospital and save the child.”
“Yes, sir.” Officer Xiao Feng nodded and left with the team.
Once everyone had gone, only Li Ran and Captain Zhang remained on the rooftop.
Looking at the residential complex’s sky, Li Ran once again saw that familiar human-skin sky lantern.
Only this time, the night sky had more of them. In addition to human-skin lanterns, he even saw a beast-head lantern floating grotesquely in the air.
Those weren’t bamboo-frame lanterns glowing in the dark — they were terrifying, demonized monsters.
“In three days, it’ll be the 10th Anniversary Festival. Every household in the neighborhood is already preparing their lantern displays.” Captain Zhang looked at the monster lanterns in the night sky with excitement and anticipation.
Li Ran, on the other hand, felt none of that. Only a deep sense of dread and unease.
He turned to Captain Zhang. “What kind of place is the Dark Palace?”
Captain Zhang lit a cigarette, staring off into the night sky, and replied lazily, “A place for the dead.”
“Captain Zhang, I need to know the rules inside.” Li Ran stared at his back and quietly took out a paper figurine. With a thought, the paper figure started creeping up Zhang’s pants leg, inching closer unnoticed.
(End of Chapter)