21: The missing beluga whale

Early the next morning, Lu Jianchuan was awakened by a combination of his biological clock and lingering exhaustion.

Although his body still felt heavy, at least he didn't feel like he was about to fall apart at any moment like yesterday. He forced himself to eat a breakfast far larger than his usual portion, then performed half an hour of restorative jogging and basic physical training. The sweat carried away some of the sluggishness, making him feel like he had regained a bit of control over his body.

When he stepped into the Police Station again, though the bloodshot streaks in his eyes hadn't fully faded, his pace was much steadier.

He deliberately threw himself into his work, filling every minute with tedious paperwork and household registration checks, attempting to use this mechanical busyness to block out the chaotic thoughts about Li Ming, "The Forger," and his own fate. Tomorrow was Uncle Li's memorial service, and he needed some superficial normalcy to support himself through that difficult day.

Around ten in the morning, just as he finished recording the follow-up to a neighborhood dispute, instructions came through from the dispatch desk.

"Jianchuan, we just received a report from the 'Ocean Miracle Museum'. They said a precious White Whale has gone missing, and a Zookeeper is injured. The situation is a bit chaotic. Go over and take a look to maintain order until the criminal investigators and emergency comrades arrive."

"Understood," Lu Jianchuan responded. He picked up his police cap and law enforcement recorder, then drove to the scene with another colleague.

The Ocean Miracle Museum was located on the edge of the city, near the inner bay known as the "Quiet Sea." When the police car arrived, there was already some commotion outside. Media members and curious citizens who had heard the news were being held behind the cordon by security guards. Lu Jianchuan and his colleague showed their identification, passed through the crowd, and entered the interior of the aquarium where the incident occurred.

The massive main exhibition hall, which should have been azure and serene, was now filled with a strange sense of chaos and panic. A few pieces of debris floated on the surface of the giant display tank that originally housed the White Whale. The water was murky, and most importantly, that vast expanse of water was empty.

Most shocking of all was the acrylic observation wall, dozens of centimeters thick, which had been broken through with a massive, irregular hole. The edges were jagged, as if it had been smashed and torn through from the inside by some unimaginable force. Tank water was constantly gushing from the breach, spreading across the floor, mixed with a faint, indescribable fishy saltiness and... a burnt smell?

Near the display tank by the wall, a man in a Zookeeper's uniform sat slumped, his head bleeding. His eyes were dull and unfocused, and his body twitched occasionally. He gave no response to his colleagues' calls and questions, only letting out unconscious, meaningless murmurs of fear. The 120 medical staff were performing a preliminary examination and bandaging him.

The museum's person in charge, a middle-aged man in a suit wearing gold-rimmed glasses named Wang Hai, hurried over. His face was as pale as paper, his forehead and the tip of his nose covered in fine cold sweat, which he constantly wiped with a handkerchief.

"Officers, you've finally arrived!" Wang Hai's voice was clearly trembling. He reached out to shake hands, then seemed to think better of it and awkwardly pulled back. "This... this is truly a disaster from the heavens! Our museum's star, that White Whale named 'White Star', it... it's gone! And our employee, Xiao Zhao, also..."

His eyes flickered uncertainly, not daring to meet Lu Jianchuan's gaze for long. His eyes would subconsciously dart toward the large broken hole and then quickly move away, as if something he feared intensely was hidden inside that hole.

"Director Wang, please calm down and speak slowly. What exactly happened?" Lu Jianchuan's colleague opened a notebook and asked as a matter of routine.

"I don't know either!" Wang Hai almost shouted. Realizing his loss of composure, he lowered his voice, but his speech became faster, carrying a hurried tone of someone eager to clear themselves of something.

"This morning... everything was fine this morning. Everything was normal during feeding. Then... then there was a loud bang, like an explosion! And... and that sound, it definitely wasn't the cry of a Whale! It pierced the ears and made one's head spin, like... like the sizzling sound of a welding short circuit, mixed with something else... it was terrifying!"

As he described it, his fingers unconsciously twisted his handkerchief. His eyes occasionally glanced at the injured Zookeeper, Xiao Zhao. In the depths of his gaze, besides panic, there was a sliver of undisguisable dread—it wasn't just fear of the sudden incident, but more like the alarm of a guilty conscience, fearing a secret might be exposed.

Lu Jianchuan observed in silence. He noticed that when Wang Hai mentioned the "welding short circuit" analogy, the muscles in his cheek twitched unnaturally. Furthermore, as the director, in the face of such a major accident, a seriously injured employee, and a missing precious animal, he displayed more fear than grief or concern for the safety of his staff and the animal.

"Director Wang," Lu Jianchuan spoke, his voice steady but carrying a scrutinizing tone, "Is this injured Zookeeper usually the one responsible for 'White Star'? What is he like? How was his relationship with 'White Star'?"

"Ah? Xiao Zhao? He... he's quite responsible!" Wang Hai answered almost reflexively, but his voice was clearly weak and his eyes were evasive. "Relationship... just a normal relationship between a Zookeeper and an animal! It was fine, just fine..." He repeated "just fine" as if trying to convince himself, his sweat flowing even faster.

He didn't dare to talk in depth. Lu Jianchuan was almost certain of it. This guy knew something, and he was afraid of the police investigating the real situation between the Zookeeper and the White Whale. What he feared being discovered was likely much more than just a missing animal.

Just then, the injured Zookeeper, Xiao Zhao, seemed to be triggered by something. He suddenly became agitated, waving his arms and letting out even sharper, blurred howls: "...Electricity... stop electrocuting... monster... white monster... eyes... its eyes..."

Though the words were fragmented, the two words "electricity" and "monster" were like two bolts of cold lightning that instantly struck Lu Jianchuan.

He subconsciously touched the silver-gray armband hidden under his sleeve. A shiver, a mixture of chill and realization, quietly crept up his spine.

A white... monster? Electricity?

This didn't sound like an ordinary missing animal case at all. This scent was exactly the same as that night at the warehouse.

Lu Jianchuan's partner, a veteran criminal investigator with sharp eyes named Zhao Dawu, stood with his arms crossed, listening to Director Wang's full-of-holes narrative with a deep frown.

"Director Wang," Zhao Dawu's voice wasn't loud, but it carried undeniable pressure. He took a step forward, staring at the other man with piercing eyes. "You don't look like you're 'completely unaware' at all. An animal is missing, equipment is damaged, and an employee is seriously injured. As the person in charge, all you know is it's a 'disaster from the heavens'? Where is the museum's security footage? Where are the daily feeding records? And this injured comrade," he jerked his chin toward Xiao Zhao, "his state doesn't look like he was just simply scared; it looks like... he's suffered an extreme trauma. Has there been any special situation in your museum lately?"

Wang Hai was driven back step by step by Zhao Dawu's rapid-fire questions. His face looked even worse, and his lips trembled. "The cameras... right, the cameras seem to have had a malfunction, we're checking them... the records are all there, you can check them... Xiao Zhao, he... he might just be faint-hearted and hasn't seen a scene like this before..."

Trying to cover it up only made it more obvious. Lu Jianchuan sneered inwardly. The more Wang Hai tried to hide things, the more it proved there was a significant problem.

Taking advantage of the moment while Zhao Dawu was pinning down Wang Hai to dig for details, Lu Jianchuan quietly moved to the side of the injured Zookeeper, Xiao Zhao. The medical staff had already given him basic treatment, but his mental state was extremely unstable. His eyes were unfocused, his body shook violently from time to time, and he repeatedly muttered fragmented phrases.

Lu Jianchuan crouched down, trying to make his voice sound as gentle as possible. "Xiao Zhao, can you hear me? Tell me, what happened? What happened to 'White Star'?"

Hearing the name "White Star," Xiao Zhao shuddered violently. His pupils constricted suddenly, as if he were seeing something utterly terrifying. He grabbed Lu Jianchuan's arm, his fingernails almost digging into the flesh, his voice sharp and distorted:

"Electricity... zizi... It... it Life Qi-ed! White... not a fish! A monster! Eyes... its eyes are glowing! The wall... the wall broke! It... it's looking at me! Ahhh—don't come over! Don't electrocute me anymore! I was wrong! I was wrong!"

He was incoherent, fear having completely consumed his reason. Other than repeating "electricity," "monster," "eyes glowing," and begging for mercy, he could provide no coherent or useful information.

"Officer, officer! Please stop questioning him!" The medical staff nearby saw this and immediately stepped forward, gently but firmly separating Lu Jianchuan. "His current mental state is very unstable. He has suffered an extremely intense trauma and needs to be taken to the hospital immediately for sedation and a professional evaluation. He cannot be subjected to any more external stimuli. Please understand."

Lu Jianchuan watched as Xiao Zhao was helped onto a stretcher by the medical staff, still constantly struggling and howling. He could only stand up helplessly and nod. "...Alright, thank you for your hard work."

The conventional path of questioning was clearly no longer viable.

He stood up and looked around. Zhao Dawu was still dealing with the sweating Director Wang, while other colleagues were examining the scene. The scene was a mess, but all the clues seemed to point toward that Domain he was most reluctant to touch yet unable to avoid.

Electric shocks. Mutation. Destruction.

How similar this was to the "constantly appearing threats" mentioned by "The Forger" and the pattern of the warehouse monster!

He couldn't wait any longer. He needed intelligence, information from the only existence that might know the inside story.

Lu Jianchuan took a deep breath. Using the crowd as cover, he quietly backed away and slipped into a relatively quiet corridor leading to the employee break area. After confirming no one was around, he leaned his back against the cold wall, quickly pulled out his phone, unlocked it, and tapped on the chat interface with the starry sky avatar.

His finger hovered over the screen for a moment. He suppressed the complex emotions in his heart and quickly typed a line of text.

Lu Jianchuan: Is the matter at the aquarium related to "those things"? Do you know the specifics? I need information.

The message was sent successfully. He gripped his phone tightly and held his breath, waiting for a response from "The Forger." He knew he was actively stepping into an even more unfathomable territory, but to deal with this clearly abnormal situation, he had no other choice.

The faint clamor of the exhibition hall came from the end of the corridor, while the corner where he stood seemed isolated from the world, left only with the cold glimmer of the phone screen reflecting his grave and determined face.