At the same time.
Biancheng, Drum Tower.
Stomp... stomp... stomp...
The sound of leather shoes on bluestone slabs was crisp and abrupt in the silent night. Following it, a tall, slender figure emerged from the shadows of the Drum Tower's corner, passed through the main gate beneath it, and entered.
Behind the Drum Tower, a humanoid demon was crouched, gnawing on flesh and blood. Hearing footsteps behind it, it stopped feeding and slowly stood up. The monster that turned its head revealed a face gradually coming into focus:
It was the face of a man, tears streaming down, his expression one of profound pain.
He was weeping, tears constantly welling from his eyes, yet fresh, bloody scraps of flesh still clung to the corners of his mouth and his bared teeth.
The monster looked at the tall, slender figure emerging from the Drum Tower gate, at the imposing man slowly stepping out of the shadows. It let out a mournful cry,
"Captain, kill me quickly, I don't want to become a demon, kill me!"
The tall, slender man stopped. His face remained hidden in shadow, only occasionally glimpsed by fleeting flickers of light, revealing a single, crystal tear tracing a path down his cheek.
Without hesitation, the man reached into his coat, drew his pistol, and chambered a round, aiming at the humanoid monster before him.
"Bang!"
The man walked out with heavy steps, standing beside the corpse of his demonized subordinate, whom he had just shot. His stern, weathered face, apart from the tears, was devoid of any expression.
He could weep, he could grieve, but he showed no emotion.
He slowly drew the short knife from his waist, flicked it, then his left hand, holding the pistol.
Then, he leaped up, standing atop the Drum Tower.
He looked at the humanoid demon standing at the other end of the rooftop, fired directly, and then, like a bullet himself, he shot towards the enemy.
The orange-yellow muzzle flash tore through the still air, whistling past the humanoid demon's head. Immediately after, a flash of gleaming steel swept from the other side, aimed at the demon's head.
Clang!
Sparks flew.
He saw clearly. This humanoid demon was indeed a person, a beautiful woman. She wore a long red dress, tall and graceful. If she were standing under a spotlight, she would undoubtedly be the darling of photographers and reporters.
But at this moment, this woman was holding a slender sword, blocking the blade.
The woman tilted her head, her long, alluring eyes fixed on the man. With a seductive smile, she taunted, "Tong Yun, how does it feel to kill your own subordinate?"
"Ah!!!"
Bang bang bang...
Clang clang clang...
Tong Yun's mournful, enraged roars were like the howls of a wild dog whose pup had been killed. Gunshots, shouts, and the clash of swords continued without pause.
Tong Yun attacked, spiritual energy erupting from his body. He exploited the gap as his short blade parried the long sword, his pistol, reloaded, fired again at a tricky angle.
The woman toyed with him. Facing Tong Yun's reckless, defensive-less, life-for-life fighting style, she maintained her elegant footwork, as if performing a beautiful sword dance.
With a single sword stroke, the woman severed Tong Yun's pistol. She then retreated, holding her sword and looking at Tong Yun, chuckling playfully like a predator to its prey, "I didn't expect you to be quite so handsome.
Why not consider following me? What's the point of being a demon hunter?"
Tong Yun remained expressionless, dropping his broken pistol. He reached into his coat again, slowly drawing out another short knife, and looked at the woman coldly.
"Is this your answer?"
Tong Yun looked at the woman, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "It is the duty of a demon hunter to kill demons, whether they are born demons or humans turned into demons."
Tong Yun, wielding both knives, charged at the woman again, engaging in even more intense close-quarters combat.
"A spiritual martial artist of the Lingyun realm is truly troublesome. Your bodies are like machines, with powerful strength and endless vitality. Tong Yun, I like your body."
While fighting Tong Yun, the woman provocatively sneered and taunted him.
Tong Yun's brow furrowed. Seizing an opening, he thrust both knives fiercely into the woman's shoulders, pinning her heavily to the rooftop.
He dared not hesitate, drawing yet another short knife.
Swoosh.
A flash of steel.
The woman's head was severed by Tong Yun's blade.
But to Tong Yun's surprise, the woman's body dissolved into a pool of blood.
Simultaneously,
That familiar, seductive laughter rang out again.
Tong Yun pulled out his short knife and looked towards the rooftop of the building ahead. The woman stood there, smiling at him.
The woman raised her hand and flung a jade-green ice spike, which embedded itself in front of Tong Yun.
"Tong Yun, this is your chance, if you desire power."
As the woman's words fell, her figure vanished into the night.
Tong Yun retracted his short knife. After a moment of silence, he bent down and picked up the jade-green ice spike.
...
"I heard you gave my knife away?"
Bai Fei stood behind He Li and said softly.
He Li sat on the sofa, his expression unchanged, not moving.
"No."
He Li denied it directly, then explained, "The situation was urgent at the time. Kuer ran out of knives, so I had to lend him yours for emergency use."
"Is that so?"
Bai Fei took out his phone and opened WeChat. It displayed messages between Kuer and Bai Fei. Kuer kept praising Bai Fei's knife, detailing the circumstances of He Li giving it to him, and also showed chats where they discussed sword techniques. Below that, it indicated they had a two-hour video call.
Faced with this irrefutable evidence, He Li chose to remain silent.
Bai Fei let out a soft hum and said, "For Kuer's sake, I'll forgive you this time."
"Thank you, Fei Ge." He Li nodded, his expression calm, then asked, "Can you take the knife away now?"
Bai Fei slowly raised his hand, removing the knife from He Li's neck.
"Fei Ge? Do you want to have ramen for lunch? A large bowl with extra meat, my treat."
"As an apology?"
"Yes."
"Alright, and get me a portion of tripe and an iced soda."
"Deal."
At noon, the two of them, laughing and arm-in-arm, went out for ramen.
Susan sat in her office chair, her eyes fixed on the small glass bottle on the desk, containing half a bottle of powder.
Suddenly,
The office phone rang.
Susan snapped back to attention, picked up the phone, and after listening to the caller, her eyes flickered. She asked, "Do you need me to go personally?"
"Alright, I'll send someone."
Susan hung up the phone, thought for a moment, and then dialed again.
"Bai Fei, you and He Li go support the Biancheng branch."
...
Biancheng Airport.
Bai Fei took off his sunglasses and sighed, "He Li, why the long face? We finally get to go on a business trip, just treat it like a vacation."
He Li wore a sullen expression, his entire demeanor radiating displeasure.
"Last time we went to Tarim, Captain said the same thing to me, but do you know what I encountered there?"
"Fei Ge, it seems you still don't grasp the seriousness of the situation."
Bai Fei asked in confusion, "What seriousness?"
He Li took a deep breath. "If the branch bureaus of the Spiritual Management Association can handle things themselves, they will never request support. Any request for support means it's a... big problem."
...