The city lights flickered as night cloaked Shanghai in a somber veil. Cheng stood at a street corner, trying to blend into the shadows. His ears were attuned to the faintest sounds, his nerves stretched taut as bowstrings. He watched the city bustle with its night-dwellers - hawkers shouting, cars honking, people laughing. But beneath the cacophony, he sensed a disquiet that was not there before.
Suddenly, a woman's scream cut through the night. As Cheng turned towards the sound, he witnessed a scene of unbridled horror. A man, seemingly an ordinary pedestrian mere moments ago, was now tearing at a woman's arm with his teeth, his eyes wide and bloodshot. His movements were animalistic, and his growls drowned the woman's cries for help.
Cheng's training kicked in. He sprinted towards the attacker, pulling out his firearm. However, as he drew closer, he realized the man's strength was beyond human. He was tearing the metal railing apart where the woman had been clinging. The tranquilizer would be too slow.
The street was now in pandemonium, as bystanders fled in terror.
"Shanghai Police! Let her go!" Cheng shouted, aiming his weapon at the rabid man.
It was then that he noticed - the man's veins were dark, almost black, pulsing under his skin like writhing snakes.
As the attacker turned towards him, Cheng did not hesitate. He fired. The rabid man dropped to the ground, motionless.
Cheng immediately attended to the injured woman, who was sobbing uncontrollably. Sirens wailed in the distance as backup arrived. He looked around; the scene was one of utter chaos. The life of this city, that only moments ago had seemed so vibrant, had turned into a nightmare.
Later at the police station, Cheng sat with a cup of bitter tea, his hands still shaking. His thoughts were on the rabid man's veins, and he couldn't help but link it to Blood Moon Delicacies.
As if on cue, his phone buzzed. It was an anonymous message. A news link. The headline read: "Rabid Cannibal Attacks Sweep Through Shanghai: Is This the Curse of the Blood Moon?"
Cheng's breath caught in his chest. He scrolled through the article which mentioned ancient rituals, blood moon, and cannibalism. He thought of Mr. Lang and his restaurant serving human flesh. Was there something more sinister at play?
Cheng realized that he had been thrown into an abyss, and the shadows he was fighting against were darker than he had ever imagined. The Blood Moon Delicacies and its enigmatic owner were not just a part of the criminal underworld; they were at the center of an ancient, malevolent whirlwind that threatened to consume everything.
He steeled his resolve. If this was the storm, then he would have to be the eye.
The streets of the French Concession in Shanghai, usually bustling with activity and street-side cafés, had taken on a sinister tone. A fine mist began to shroud the shadows as Detective Cheng, still reeling from what he'd witnessed earlier, ventured deeper into the old neighborhood.
Meanwhile, the televisions in a small pub flickered. Patrons were gathered around, their beers forgotten as a news reporter on the screen detailed a strange incident that had taken place just a few streets down.
As the story unfolded, it became evident that this was no ordinary incident. It was the tale of Mrs. Wu, a school teacher known and loved by many in the community. As she was walking home, she was overcome by an inexplicable rage. Her eyes turned black, her veins bulged as though her blood had thickened to ink, and her voice morphed into a chilling growl.
Mrs. Wu attacked Mr. Li, the local butcher, tearing into his flesh with her teeth. The patrons of the pub gasped as they watched the grainy surveillance footage, which had been captured by a street camera, play out on screen.
Detective Cheng watched from the door, his heart pounding in his chest. It was eerily similar to what he had experienced not too long ago.
"Witchcraft," muttered an old man, his face ashen. "It's the curse of the blood moon," he whispered as he hurriedly crossed himself.
The crowd was now murmuring in agreement. People were throwing around wild theories and connecting it to old legends.
Cheng slipped away from the pub. He needed to focus on what was logical and real. He couldn't allow himself to be pulled into the lore.
As he made his way to the site of Mrs. Wu's attack, he saw the police tape cordoning off the street. Forensics was already on the scene, and the area was flooded with blue lights.
Cheng ducked under the tape and approached the lead officer, presenting his badge.
"Detective Cheng, Shanghai PD. What have we got?"
Officer Li looked at him grimly. "Something we can't explain. We've seen this in movies, but I never thought I'd see it in real life."
"What are you talking about?" Cheng pressed.
"The woman. Mrs. Wu. She… she was eating him, Detective. Like a wild animal," Officer Li whispered, his voice shaking.
Cheng's blood ran cold. The shadows of the city were indeed hiding more than he had thought. And as the moon hung heavy and bloody in the night sky, he couldn't help but wonder if ancient curses and urban crimes were interwoven more tightly than the tapestry of reality could hold.
The Shanghai Police Department was thrown into chaos. Officers raced around the precinct, phones rang incessantly, and the chief barked orders as more reports of rabid attacks came flooding in.
Chief Lu stood behind a large table, strewn with reports and photographs, his face contorted into a visage of rage and helplessness. He slammed his hand onto the table, making everyone jump.
"This is spreading faster than a damn plague!" he roared. "What the hell are we dealing with?"
Detective Cheng stood silently in a corner, eyes scanning over the locations of the attacks. His mind was working overdrive, piecing together connections. He recalled the information he had received about Blood Moon Delicacies and felt his stomach churn. Could it be related?
As Cheng's mind raced, outside the police precinct, the city was gripped with fear. News of the cannibal attacks spread like wildfire. Panic-stricken citizens barricaded themselves indoors, and shop owners shuttered their businesses.
In one of Shanghai's countless alleyways, a makeshift shrine was erected. People clad in traditional attire prayed to the old gods for protection. The smell of incense wafted through the air as they pleaded for mercy, believing an ancient curse was reawakening.
On the other side of the spectrum, online forums and social media were ablaze with their own brand of panic and conspiracy theories. Rumors spread that the government was involved in some dark experiment or that a zombie apocalypse was upon them.
The news stations didn't help to alleviate the fear. Graphic videos and frantic interviews were broadcast on loop, sowing terror and uncertainty.
Suddenly, the televisions across the city, from screens in appliance store windows to home TV sets, flickered. A shrouded figure appeared, holding a picture of the blood moon. A distorted voice spoke.
"The Blood Moon has awakened. This is just the beginning."
The transmission was cut off as abruptly as it started, leaving the city in an even greater state of panic.
At the precinct, Chief Lu received a call from the mayor. They needed to assure the public that the situation was under control. But was it?
Cheng approached Chief Lu. "Sir, I think there's a connection between the attacks and Blood Moon Delicacies."
Lu raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"I received an anonymous tip. I need authorization to go undercover."
Chief Lu hesitated only for a second before nodding. "Do what you need to do."
As Cheng left the precinct, he noticed groups of terrified citizens, praying, crying, and holding each other. He steeled himself. He didn't know if he was dealing with the underbelly of human darkness or something supernatural, but he was resolved to face it head-on. For Shanghai, and possibly for humanity.
As Cheng prepared for his undercover mission, he delved into the archives, scouring for any historical patterns that resembled the present cannibal attacks. What he found was an intricate web of obscure cases and unexplained phenomena that spread across the globe.
In the quiet library of the police department, Cheng's fingers danced across the keys of an old computer. His eyes widened as he read a report from 16th-century France about a village that fell into madness. The villagers reportedly devoured each other under the haunting gaze of a blood moon. The event was attributed to witchcraft, but now Cheng was not so sure.
Another case surfaced from 19th-century New Orleans; a series of disappearances coincided with the opening of an elegant French eatery named "La Lune Sanguine." Eyewitnesses claimed that on the night the establishment vanished into thin air, the moon was as red as blood.
Cheng's heart raced. He found similar patterns in ancient cultures - from Aztec legends of blood-moon feasts to Indonesian folklore speaking of cursed banquets turning men into monsters.
But it wasn't just the past. There were contemporary reports, though sporadic and dismissed as urban myths. A small village in the Carpathian Mountains recently lost its inhabitants to what was termed 'mass hysteria' – accounts of neighbors consuming each other after eating at a new tavern. A remote town in the Amazon where an entire community vanished overnight following the opening of an exclusive dining club.
The global threads were entangled, but the motifs were the same: a new dining establishment, exotic dishes, a blood moon, and horrific cannibalistic behavior.
Cheng felt as if he were standing on the precipice of an abyss. His instincts screamed that these were not mere coincidences; they were connected in a sinister way. And now, this ancient horror had seeped into the very heart of Shanghai.
As he sat in the dimly lit library, Cheng made a mental map of his discoveries. He realized that his city might not be facing just a crime; it could be against something that had haunted humanity for centuries.
The weight of his revelation pressed heavily upon him. The Blood Moon Delicacies was not just a criminal enterprise - it was an ancient malevolence that had wormed its way through history. And at the center of this dark tapestry was the enigmatic Mr. Lang.
Inspector Cheng knew that in order to protect his city and perhaps the world, he would have to go beyond his training as a food inspector or a law enforcement officer. He would have to confront the shadows of history.
Closing his laptop, Cheng clenched his jaw. It was time to shed light on the darkness.
The schoolgirl, Ai Ling, had been lying in bed all day, her bitten hand bandaged and throbbing with a persistent heat. The television news droned on about cannibal attacks, but Ai Ling had her own problems. Her friends were on the phone, giggling about boys and pop idols. But Ai Ling felt wrong, a kind of hunger gnawed at her belly.
"I'm not feeling so good," she confessed, her voice thin and brittle. Her friends attempted to soothe her, suggesting she had the flu, but Ai Ling wasn't convinced.
"I need to go," Ai Ling said, disconnecting the call abruptly. She swung her legs out of bed, a sudden urgency propelling her. She needed fresh air, perhaps a stroll to the pharmacy for medicine. The thought of food had her stomach churning, an unnatural, voracious hunger building within her.
As she meandered down the dimly lit streets of Shanghai, a group of street punks spotted her. A girl alone at night was a tempting target. They approached, their lewd grins illuminated by the dim streetlights. Taunting and jeering, they encircled her like a pack of hyenas.
But something within Ai Ling snapped. The streetlights flared brighter, casting ominous, dancing shadows. She felt a surge of strength, a feverish heat coursing through her veins. Her vision turned crimson, and the laughing faces contorted into something grotesque, something... edible.
In the blink of an eye, the schoolgirl was a whirlwind of violence. Her bitten hand clamped down on the throat of one punk, teeth sinking into flesh. His screams only spurred her on. Panic engulfed the others as they scrambled to escape the monstrous form their victim had become.
When the carnage ended, Ai Ling stood alone in the pooling streetlights, her school uniform splattered with blood, the crushed remnants of the gang scattered around her. The hunger subsided, and with it came a wave of horror and confusion. But, there was no time for contemplation.
Somewhere in the distance, the wailing of police sirens pierced the silence. Dread filled Ai Ling. She fled into the labyrinthine alleyways of Shanghai, leaving behind the chaos her hunger had wrought.
Back at her deserted apartment, Ai Ling fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face. She was just a schoolgirl. How could this be happening? What had she become?
As the sirens grew closer, Ai Ling couldn't shake off the sense that her world was about to spiral into a nightmare far more terrifying than the bloody spectacle she left behind.