Chapter 35

Mike felt a familiar fear, and because of it, he was trembling all over.

As it was getting late, he dared not assemble the officers to search deeper into the tunnel. He quickly called for a halt and hurriedly brought everyone back to the police station.

It was already past seven in the evening.

However, there were still many people outside the police station, mostly couples. Some were protesting continuously, and a few were crying and covering their faces.

"What's going on?"

Mike, puzzled, approached an officer for answers.

"I don't know either. It started in the afternoon. Many families have come to report that their children are missing."

Mike was shocked and quickly checked the afternoon's report records.

He hadn't expected that the three couples from earlier were just the beginning. After he had left to investigate the missing persons case, several more couples had come in.

There were reports from West City, East Suburbs, and both Mid and Upper Towns.

Mike picked up the first report. The complainant was a young mother who claimed that while she was taking clothes out of the house, her daughter disappeared among layers of bed linens in the yard.

All that was found at the scene was her hairpin and a broken red balloon…

Mike looked at the next case. The complainant said their child went out to play in the morning but hadn't come home by the afternoon. During the search, the bicycle was found on the lawn near home, and there was also a broken red balloon…

There were two similar cases.

"It must be Pennywise!"

Mike put down the reports and rushed to his office, just as he encountered Jackson coming out of the restroom.

"Jackson, what's wrong?"

"Mike, what happened to you?"

The two questioned each other, with Jackson noticing Mike's strange expression and Mike seeing Jackson's pale face.

"Don't mention it. I just witnessed a horrific scene in West City. You wouldn't believe it—the man's body was twisted, like…"

"Forget it, if you say not to mention it, then let's drop it!"

Mike quickly interrupted and then asked, "Were there any red balloons at the scene?"

Jackson looked puzzled. "What balloons? The victim's head looked like it exploded."

"Did the family have a child, and was the child missing?"

"The child wasn't missing; it was just the head was flattened like a watermelon."

Mike looked at Jackson with distaste, moving a bit farther away. Based on Jackson's description, it didn't seem like Pennywise's method.

So, it seemed the town's chaos involved more than just the clown!

"Forget it. I feel awful right now. I need to get off work and head home quickly!"

Jackson waved his hand and prepared to leave, but just after taking a couple of steps, the intercom crackled with a new message.

"All officers, today's shift is extended. Multiple missing persons cases and violent incidents have occurred in the town. We need to…"

"Damn it!"

"Keep working hard, Jackson."

Mike also felt helpless, patting his back. "I've already prepared to work overnight."

Just as he finished speaking, the intercom crackled again.

"Attention all officers, a dismembered body has been discovered near the carnival in the suburban area of Mid Town."

Mike frowned and responded, "Understood. Please provide details."

"A witness claims a humanoid monster bit off half of his same-sex partner's body. Nearby streets have been closed…"

Mike's head ached.

A humanoid monster—could it be another mess caused by the clown? Was it trying to make up for all the lost food over the past 27 years?

"It looks like I was right. Tonight is definitely an all-nighter."

Mike shrugged and could only continue working. After bidding farewell to Jackson, he immediately drove to the crime scene.

Passing by the carnival, Mike glanced inside.

It was still bustling with people, colorful lights dazzling. The Ferris wheel and pirate ship were still operating, and children's laughter was deafening.

Moreover, the theme was clowns. Given what happened in his childhood, Mike couldn't help but feel uneasy at the sight of clowns.

Such a place would surely attract Pennywise.

Driving about a hundred meters past the carnival, Mike arrived at the crime scene. This was the outskirts of the town, and several police cars were already parked nearby.

Compared to the missing persons cases, the dismemberment case was even more severe, so more officers were present.

Just as Mike got out of the car, two paramedics passed by him with a stretcher.

One of the paramedics reported into a radio, "The victim is currently lifeless. Suspected to be torn apart by a beast. All organs have deteriorated."

Mike braved himself and lifted one side of the white sheet.

The next second, he was stunned. Under the sheet was a child version of himself, clutching a red balloon.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

The paramedic scolded him.

"Sorry, sorry. I was too hasty. I just wanted to see the victim's condition."

Mike quickly apologized and showed his credentials. When he looked at the body under the sheet again, it was already another person, covered in blood with gruesome wounds.

"Alright, don't do this again."

The paramedic didn't pursue the matter, quickly covering the sheet again and complaining before lifting the stretcher onto the vehicle.

Mike was still anxious. The recent hallucination made him restless.

He shook his head, turned, and prepared to check the crime scene.

Passing by the bridge, colleagues were already questioning witnesses.

"Oh, my poor lover Adrian! We were just a passing same-sex couple, just playing at the carnival, and then a group of damn people started beating us, continuously humiliating us, and finally threw Adrian off the bridge."

The man cried helplessly.

In the quaint town of Delin, where bullying was common among children and violence was revered as they grew up, robbery, assault, and discrimination were frequent occurrences.

It could only be said that this same-sex couple didn't do their research well and dared to participate in the carnival here?

"Don't worry, we will definitely catch those culprits. Could you tell me more about the victim's condition?"

"I saw a monster holding Adrian and then bit into his shoulder, then immediately tore off half of his body!"

"Sir, calm down. Was it a bear or something else?"

"It was a person, a clown!"

"A bear dressed as a clown? Or something else?"

"It was a clown, just like the carnival's theme!"

Indeed, this case was another of the clown's crimes. Mike didn't interrupt his colleague's questioning and immediately slid down the slope to the bridge below.

He found a broken red balloon in the grass.

Mike picked it up and saw it had "I Love Delin" written on it.

It seemed like the carnival's balloons had floated here. The carnival's theme was also "I Love Delin."

He carefully observed the surroundings and found several such balloons.

Mike picked up balloons all the way to the riverbank. When he looked up, he saw bloodied, densely written words on the bridge pillar.

"Time to come home, children. Time to come home, children."

These messages were clearly directed at the seven children from back then.

Mike swallowed hard. To confirm if it was only visible to him, he grabbed a colleague's hand nearby, pointed to the blood-stained words on the bridge pillar, and asked, "Do you see anything?"

"Anything? The bridge pillar?"

"Are there words on the bridge pillar?"

"Of course not."

The nightmare that had once hung over the town had returned.

These messages felt like a declaration of war.