PD -Chapter 83 Encircled and Captured

Demon-burning flames ignited in my hand. I used my spiritual power to solidify the fire and burned through the ropes binding my wrists, then untied those on my ankles. Finally, I managed to stand up.

I checked my pockets and found that my phone and flashlight were still there. I took out the flashlight and scanned my surroundings. I was in a sewer system, at a pipe junction. I had randomly chosen a path and crawled into it when I suddenly heard movement ahead.

I went to investigate—and saw Liu Xiaopeng tied up there.

I immediately rushed over to untie him, patting his face to wake him up.

Liu Xiaopeng slowly opened his eyes. Then he suddenly sat up and backed away several steps, keeping his distance from me.

“Are you real or fake?” he asked.

Only then did I realize his experience was likely the same as mine—he had also been deceived by that entity’s disguise, which led him to this state.

“I’m real. The fake one turned into you. We need to find Xiao Xiao and Zhu Zhu now,” I said, pointing to the injury on the back of my head.

“Then we have to get out of here immediately!” Liu Xiaopeng looked up at once and began searching for an exit.

I shook my head. “We don’t even know where we are underground. Even if we find a way up, it’ll probably be too late.”

“Then what do we do?! We can’t just ignore Xiao Xiao and the others!” Liu Xiaopeng suddenly grew agitated.

I raised my hand, signaling him to stay calm, then took out my phone. Seeing that only one bar of signal remained, I lifted it high and called the police.

Fortunately, the call was connected quickly. I deliberately sounded panicked and told them that while passing near Xiao Xiao’s house, I had seen someone peeping into their home and attempting to break in and harass two women.

Then, following the operator’s questions, I reported the exact location and the suspect’s appearance. The dispatcher immediately notified the nearest police station and told me that officers would arrive within ten minutes before hanging up.

I calculated the timing. That thing had only left a few minutes ago—if the police truly arrived within ten minutes, they should make it in time.

Later events proved my guess correct. After everything was over, Zhu Zhu described what happened that night.

At the time, they were still worrying about whether something had happened to us when they heard a knock at the door. When they opened it, they saw Liu Xiaopeng standing alone.

Zhu Zhu asked where I was. To lower their guard, the entity disguised as Liu Xiaopeng said I had been captured and that he had returned to discuss how to rescue me.

Zhu Zhu was initially suspicious, but upon hearing I had fallen into the entity’s hands, she panicked and lowered her guard, letting him into the house.

Once inside, Zhu Zhu and Xiao Xiao were knocked unconscious by poison gas and tied to the bed. But at the critical moment, the sound of a window shattering suddenly rang out, and three police officers burst into the room.

Although the entity was stronger than ordinary humans, it did not want to expose itself too early and attract unnecessary trouble.

So when it saw the police, it immediately fled—but it was still captured on a body camera.

As a result, Liu Xiaopeng became a wanted criminal across the city.

However, all of this we only learned later from Zhu Zhu. At that time, Liu Xiaopeng and I were still in the sewer—this was the only option.

Liu Xiaopeng also understood that the entity now looked exactly like him. Once the police report was made, he might become the one hunted.

As expected, when we finally escaped the sewer after dozens of minutes, the entire area had already been locked down. Police checkpoints lined the streets, flashing lights everywhere, and fully armed special police stood in formation.

We moved carefully, avoiding checkpoints and taking side paths, until we finally reached an intersection not far from Xiao Xiao’s house.

But at that moment, sirens suddenly blared. All the special police raised flashlights and weapons and rushed directly toward us.

My heart sank. It seemed we hadn’t gone unnoticed after all—they had been waiting to close the net.

I looked at Liu Xiaopeng and shouted, “You go first! I’ll draw them away!”

He hesitated. He didn’t want to leave me behind, but faced with so many special police, he didn’t know what to do.

“Hurry and go find Xiao Xiao and the others! You’re a wanted man now—if you get caught, you won’t get out!” I urged, pushing him.

Only then did Liu Xiaopeng react. He quickly ran into the darkness, climbed over a low wall in the alley, and disappeared into the distance.

The special police had already reached us and surrounded me tightly. I sighed, unable to open my eyes under the blinding flashlights, and raised my hands to show I was not resisting.

“Get down! On the ground!” a officer shouted.

I had no choice but to slowly lie down. Even so, I still felt a boot slam hard into my back.

Then my arms were forcibly twisted behind me, and with a cold click, handcuffs locked around my wrists.

Someone grabbed the back of my collar and lifted me up. Through the dim streetlight, I saw his face—it was unfamiliar, but his black uniform and cap confirmed he was a police officer.

What I didn’t expect was that this unknown officer looked at me and suddenly curled his lips into a smile.

That smile felt strangely familiar—and it made my scalp tingle.

I froze for a long moment. It wasn’t until I was thrown into the back of a police car that I finally realized where I had seen that expression before.

The sewer… Liu Xiaopeng!

Yes! When I had been tied up in the sewer, the entity disguised as Liu Xiaopeng had worn the exact same smile—cold, sinister, unforgettable.

My heart dropped.

I already understood its plan.

It must have shed Liu Xiaopeng’s skin while being chased by police, attacked a passing officer, taken his uniform and equipment, and now disguised itself as a police officer.

This time, it intended to use the identity of law enforcement to deal with me.

Thinking of this, panic rose in my chest. But I was locked in the police car…

Although I could use spiritual power to break free, I couldn’t openly fight the police. If something went wrong, the consequences would be unmanageable.

I sat in the back seat, separated by a metal cage, staring at the “officer” driving ahead, trying to think of a way to resolve this cleanly.

Soon, the police car turned into a compound and stopped.

I was pulled out of the car by several officers.