At 6:47 PM, Bei Sui City, Yucheng District.
A mahjong parlor located near an old residential area had already been cordoned off with caution tape. Someone leaned against the rough mud wall, waiting, occasionally raising a hand to check their phone screen.
In the faint light, it was vaguely discernible that it was a girl with a ponytail.
Half an hour ago, many residents, unsure of the situation, bravely pointed and gestured at the caution tape from a distance, speculating about what terrible incident had occurred inside the mahjong parlor.
For instance, did some unlucky fellow lose dozens of games in a row, only to discover the opponent was cheating, and in a fit of rage, pull out a vegetable cleaver used for shaving leg hair to stage a mahjong parlor rampage?
Or was it that someone was caught sneaking out to gamble with their secret stash of money, and their pregnant wife, sniffing them out, arrived, leading to a tragic incident where both lives were lost in the struggle?
People always love gossip and excitement.
But now, those people had left, and silence reigned.
"I'm here. What's the situation?"
Mo Mo walked along the muddy, unpaved stone path, the sound of gravel grinding beneath her shoes particularly clear in the night.
"Oh, it's Mo Mo Jiang~ I've been waiting for you for so long~"
The slender figure leaning against the wall pounced forward, only to be unceremoniously pushed away by Mo Mo, who extended her hand and firmly shoved her: "Ji Yue, stop playing around. This is a very serious matter."
"Mo Mo Jiang is as cold as ever."
Ji Yue rubbed Mo Mo's soft, fair palm with her face: "In our line of work, if you don't do something you like and constantly keep yourself tense, your mental state can easily go awry."
"You too, Mo Mo Jiang. I'm really afraid that one day you'll suddenly go crazy, and as your subordinate, I'll have no choice but to righteously eliminate you in tears, and then carry your body to..."
"Alright, you don't need to say any more."
Mo Mo frowned slightly and repeated, "What's the situation?"
Ji Yue pulled aside the caution tape and led Mo Mo into the mahjong parlor: "Hmm... how should I put it, the victims' situation is very clear."
"There were five tables open, four people per table, plus the boss and his wife, and two waiters, making a total of twenty-four people."
Ji Yue said softly, "Now, they are all dead."
The old, yellowed glass door creaked shrilly. Walking into the inner room, the scene that appeared before Mo Mo's eyes was countless human-shaped shadows, like stains, "stuck" to the floor.
Other than that, there was nothing.
Not even a trace of blood could be seen.
But Mo Mo knew that these human-shaped shadows were the victims' "entirety."
Youths, uncles, old people, women... twenty-four shadows of various forms, appeared eerily on the smooth floor.
Silently recounting the tragedy that had occurred not long ago.
They would remain here, forever, even if this city were to turn into desolate ruins under the assault of disaster.
They would still be here.
Unless...
The culprit who caused all of this paid for its sins.
Mo Mo squatted down, gently caressing a shadow, but the sensation her fingers felt was always the cold, rough floor.
Clearly right here, but...
Mo Mo lowered her eyes: "Darkborn People from the Black King's clan...?"
Among the seven monsters at the world's extreme point, the one known as the Black King, its subordinate clans often possess Blood Source related to darkness and shadows.
"Exactly. It seems to be the ability to devour shadows. I don't know if it's a legitimate Black King clan member or a rogue, a fallen one who has never even seen the Black King."
"Furthermore, the motive and number are temporarily unknown. There are no signs of a struggle at the scene, and the surveillance was deliberately destroyed, which is why I called you over."
Ji Yue sighed softly: "While people are still alive, their shadows beneath their feet are devoured, stripping away all individual existence."
"Then, the unneeded subject transforms into a shadow, and because it's an unneeded shadow, it remains permanently in its original spot, like a bound spirit."
When the lively girl reached this point, she couldn't help but clench her fists: "Excessive, truly too excessive."
"Just thinking about the murderer, still using the victim's face and identity, casually moving around in my city..."
Ji Yue gnashed her teeth: "I can't stop the anger and disgust."
So much so that she had to cling to Mo Mo Jiang to curb her rage.
Mo Mo glanced at Ji Yue: "You'd best not go crazy, otherwise, as your leader, I'll have no choice but to righteously eliminate you with a smile and send your corpse to the crematorium."
Ji Yue: "...Mo Mo Jiang, you won't find a girlfriend like that."
"Also, why wouldn't you keep my corpse and display it in your home as a collection?"
"Maybe it could even ward off evil."
"No, you'd only attract evil."
Mo Mo stood up, extending her hand. Countless delicate, translucent threads extended from her fingers, exploring the entire mahjong parlor as if they had a life of their own.
Capturing the residual "information."
In Mo Mo's vision, she quickly saw some fragmented scenes: five "people" who walked in from the entrance, passed through the crowd, and their shadows touched the victims' shadows, devouring them like predators...
"Ding--"
The threads broke, all of them retracting into Mo Mo's fingers as if startled.
The information had been fully captured.
Mo Mo turned and left: "There are five in total. I'll draw the faces they used when they arrived immediately."
"First, clarify the identities of these twenty-four victims, then mark them all in yellow. As long as they dare to use those victims' faces, we'll find them."
"Contact the well-known Transcenderss nearby to set up a blockade. They're just a bunch of scumbags who can't stand the light, after all."
In Mo Mo's eyes, a cold killing intent was steeped: "I will make them pay for their sins."
Looking at her boss's serious expression, Ji Yue blinked and asked, "So, who's writing the report?"
Mo Mo turned her head, asking expressionlessly, "What do you think?"
Ji Yue: "..."
"Alright." She sighed resignedly: "I'll write it then."
The two left the scene, and soon professional personnel arrived to handle the site. The mahjong parlor was sealed off, and not long after.
Five of those twenty-four shadows disappeared cleanly, like chalk erased from a blackboard.
As if they had found release.
...
"Hmm, although leaving without a word is a bit impolite, my evil-detecting radar has reacted."
"No time to hesitate."
"Protecting this city is the duty of a Magical Girl!"
On the brightly lit rooftop, under the moonlight, the transformed Magical Girl Shen Qiqi held up her magic wand, pointing at a seemingly ordinary middle-aged uncle in the crowd below: "I've found you."
"Evil monster!"