Investigation Report of the Gods

Chapter 72: Time Freeze

「One second!」

「No, not even one second—I only need half a second to subdue this man.」

「By then, I... I...」

Mr. Strange Bird, in an instant, came up with a hundred reasons for himself, mustered the greatest courage he had ever had in his life, and rushed into the cake shop. He had even lost interest in what lay beyond the “Gate”, focusing all his attention solely on Song Chu‑shi.

He locked eyes on the back of Song Chu‑shi’s head, sprinted several steps to his rear, suddenly raised his gun, and pulled the trigger.

Only a fool would speak while pointing a gun. Mr. Strange Bird chose to fire directly.

Behind the counter, the round-faced staff member suddenly saw a customer entering the store, followed closely by another man who drew a gun and aimed it at him. She was so frightened that her mouth fell open in a scream.

But no matter how strong her reaction, it was too late to warn him.

Aiming directly at the back of the man’s head, Mr. Strange Bird pulled the trigger without hesitation, feeling the violent jolt of the gun and the bullet being released from the chamber.

At the same time, the box in his hand abruptly emitted a strange squealing noise. From the specially-designed opening in the side of the box, something that resembled a cable—but more like a tentacle—extended outward, slithering through the air like a snake.

It darted like lightning toward the back of Song Chu‑shi’s head.

Even if the guy wasn’t afraid of bullets, there were still deadlier things waiting behind.

He had won this round. He had predicted Song Chu‑shi’s position in advance. So all he needed was half a second...

But just then, he suddenly heard a soft chuckle—“Chi”—and Song Chu‑shi’s voice drifted in:

「As an Investigator, do you lack even the most basic ability to judge danger?」

Mr. Strange Bird's entire body trembled. His eyes widened in shock, staring dead ahead at this figure.

He didn’t dodge, didn’t flinch, not even bothering to turn his head. He slowly lowered the cake leaflet in his hand. Though his face was hidden, the scorn in his voice could be clearly felt.

But...

Something was off!

Mr. Strange Bird even had a delayed reaction before suddenly realizing: I already fired the gun... the bullet is already out of the chamber...

He didn’t even dodge—so how was he still speaking to me?

Why was the bullet flying so slowly?

Only when he realized this did he notice the bullet had already left the chamber, about ten centimeters from the muzzle, and was now just five centimeters away from Song Chu‑shi’s head.

Smoke and flash still bloomed at the muzzle, but the bullet remained completely motionless, as if frozen in mid-air.

Upon realizing this, he shifted his eyes slightly and saw the tentacle from his box struggling to drill forward, but its speed was also decreasing—bit by bit, it froze within the air.

The Monster Investigator couldn’t even comprehend what was happening. He only felt an indescribable pressure within this eerie slowness.

He strained to move his eyes and then noticed that the air around him was filled with dust.

This dust shimmered slightly under the lights of the hotel lobby, spreading around him and Song Chu‑shi, filling every corner. Wherever the dust reached, all sound vanished—time vanished—leaving only the silent image behind.

Because of the dust’s spread, the bullet had frozen in mid-air. The mysterious weapon in his box had also frozen in the air.

The staff member behind the counter, along with the scream from her mouth, was also frozen.

No—it wasn’t just them. He too had been frozen...

It was only now that he realized he had already been surrounded by the dust, and because he had been frozen as well, the process of thinking through these questions had slowed to a crawl.

「Sorry.」

Song Chu‑shi spoke softly: 「I hold no grudge against you, but you are unfortunate.」

Listening to these slow, calm words, Mr. Strange Bird felt only absurdity.

He didn’t understand.

He had fought against the grotesque many times. He had tangled with those crazy Mysterious Organizations on several occasions. He was no stranger to formidable enemies.

But how could there possibly be an opponent so terrifying that he had no time to react at all?

「Shoo」「Shoo」「Shoo」

At that same moment, outside the cake shop, the sound of figures cutting through the air began to rise. The clack of hard-soled shoes on the stone pavement echoed. Several shadows dressed in black trench coats, carrying briefcases, appeared outside the cake shop—and vanished in a flash.

Along with them vanished all the sounds of the street outside, the panic of the passersby, and the flickering shadows of the Infected.

"Too slow..."

"The Disaster Management Bureau needs a complete overhaul. Otherwise, how are we supposed to resist the Tides? Just rely on that monster?"

Song Chu‑shi sighed softly, his gaze falling upon the glass cabinet of the cake shop.

It was as if, through the reflection in the glass cabinet, one could see a parallel space to this cake shop, and in that space, someone was beating the corpse of a Crystal Skull.

He patiently waited for the person to finish beating it. That space was dissolving, and Han Su’s figure began to appear within this cake shop. Then, his expression turned to surprise, and he shouted two words:

"Careful!"

"......"

"Thank you."

Song Chu‑shi looked at Han Su, a hint of delight seeming to show on his face. He sincerely thanked Han Su and even slightly bowed.

"You..."

Han Su looked at Song Chu‑shi, who had just been targeted at gunpoint and with a bullet already fired. The shock in his heart was indescribable.

At first, he thought Song Chu‑shi had been taken out by the Monster Investigator.

Only when he confirmed that the bullet remained suspended in the air, not advancing even slightly, did he begin to understand that something was off. Things weren't as he had imagined.

It wasn’t the Monster Investigator taking out Song Chu‑shi, but rather that the birdman had been completely subdued.

Yet the horror in his heart couldn’t dissipate. To freeze a fired bullet and a Disaster Management Bureau Investigator in front of one's eyes without resistance—what exactly was this Song Chu‑shi using?

Looking to the side again, Mr. Strange Bird’s expression was quite something.

A ferocious grin even still lingered on his face, as if he had just thought about the benefits that killing Song Chu‑shi would bring him. But by now, he had realized the truth. His eyes were full of terror.

"The Crystal Skull Organization seems to be looking for something. Do you remember anything?"

Song Chu‑shi opened his mouth and said to Han Su: "You probably already know. The children who were kidnapped back then all knew about this thing. But it’s strange—it can't be mentioned casually."

"Otherwise, it will become aware and hide itself."

"Of course, I came in to create an opportunity for you, but you still need to seize it yourself."

"As for the report to the Disaster Management Bureau later, you can fabricate that yourself."

"......"

Han Su instinctively wanted to speak but suddenly realized he couldn’t open his mouth. He had the intention to talk, but no sound came out.

He had been frozen too?

"Your rank isn’t high enough."

Song Chu‑shi said calmly: "I can speak to you, but anything you say to me can be heard by someone else."

"There’s someone in Qinggang who loves to peep. It can see everything in Qinggang—of course, that includes you. It can see all your secrets, whether public or not. You’ve always lived under its gaze."

"That’s why, back then, no matter what you tried to look into, you couldn’t find it."

"I took advantage of a gap during its metamorphosis to enter Qinggang and brought you into the Disaster Management Bureau. But its metamorphosis is almost complete now. Its surveillance over everything will only grow stronger."

"By then, I don’t know whether it will continue watching you or simply erase you."

"......"

While speaking these shocking words, Song Chu‑shi suddenly smiled: "But there’s no need to be afraid. As long as you obtain the Investigator License before it fully awakens, everything will be fine."

"Miss Ai can protect you. But you must possess the qualifications of an Investigator—or higher—for her to function properly."

"Soon I’ll try to gauge how far its awakening has progressed and deliver the intel to you, but you must ensure it stays only in your heart. Don’t tell anyone."

"For now, let me teach you a small trick."

"In the future, if you ever want to try something secretive without being noticed by someone, I’ll teach you a method—pour a glass of water and place it by your side. If there are ripples in the water, don’t proceed."

"......"

While simply delivering these two sentences, he turned around and looked at Mr. Strange Bird, who was still pointing a gun at the back of his head.

Lowering his head slightly, he glanced at the tentacle that had emerged from the box, let out a faint laugh, and then reached out to grab the gun in Mr. Strange Bird’s hand. During the entire process, Mr. Strange Bird remained stiff and motionless, as if resistance never even crossed his mind.

Song Chu‑shi reversed the gun and pressed it against Mr. Strange Bird’s forehead.

At this moment, Mr. Strange Bird’s heart was filled with terror, and his eyes were nearly brimming with tears. But he couldn’t do anything—he could only look at Han Su with effort.

As if hoping Han Su could help him now.

Then he realized that Han Su’s gaze toward him was also full of anticipation.

"Bang!"

Song Chu‑shi pulled the trigger. A bullet instantly pierced through Mr. Strange Bird’s head. Even the moment when the bullet entered his skull and brought out his brain matter was displayed in slow motion.

Then, Song Chu‑shi tossed away the gun, picked up the briefcase beside him, and turned to leave the cake shop.

As he walked away, the dust that had been surrounding Mr. Strange Bird began to retract—like time rewinding—gradually funneling back into the briefcase in his hand.

The surrounding silence and emptiness began to thin out as well.

Suddenly—"Bang"—the bullet that had been frozen mid-air abruptly hit the sofa.

Right after that, the tentacle emerging from Mr. Strange Bird’s box smacked into the sofa with a hiss, collapsing limply.

Then came Mr. Strange Bird himself, who suddenly let out a breath filled with despair and terror, before slumping onto the counter with a thud, his corpse twitching weakly twice.