“The deceased's bodies were severely mutilated. The heart, liver, spleen, kidneys, and other internal organs were all missing.”

“Of course, this isn’t organ trafficking. That requires matching. Randomly killing people and taking their organs is just a matter of luck, and the crude methods suggest more of a brutal murder.”

At this point, Su Beiluo was utterly perplexed. After all, Zheng Country had been at peace for a long time, with the nation thriving and the people at ease. Where did so many psychopathic killers come from? For a moment, there wasn't a single clue, and everyone in the bureau was stumped.

But Su Zhou, because of the snake spirit's earlier reminder, vaguely understood something.

“Yala, did you mean that this case isn't the work of a human, but a monster?”

Su Zhou asked in his heart, “Isn’t the entire world suppressed by the great array formed by the ‘Spirits of Order’ incarnate? How can there still be monsters appearing in the city?”

“Very likely. I smell a strange scent. Moreover, no array can be perfect.” The snake spirit, who had prompted Su Zhou earlier, was hidden in the youth's sideburns. It answered mentally, “The Order Array has gaps. In deserted alleys, and isolated buildings, evil spirits and monsters can be born—to use an analogy you can understand, like dust in the cracks of a keyboard. It looks clean on the surface, but dirt is inevitable.”

“Similarly, the power of the Gate of Seals projected onto Earth will create spiritual energy gathering points, giving birth to some special *xié mó* (demonic entities)."

“Ordinary evil spirits, monsters, and *mówù* (demonic creatures) are nothing to worry about. But Su Zhou, if you discover any *xié mó*, you must kill them.”

Nodding slightly, Su Zhou didn't really understand what Yala meant. He decided to ask it in detail later, but at this moment, Su’s father started talking, and his professional habits took over.

“Look, these are the locations where the victims were killed—looking at this distribution, you also find it strange, right? Outsiders find it strange, and we criminal investigators find it even stranger.”

Once Su Beiluo started talking about the case, he became energetic and couldn't stop. He even took out paper and pen, ready to analyze the entire case process and questionable points for Su Zhou on the living room table.

The Su family had been *kuài* (police constables) and police officers for eight generations. Although the profession was indeed difficult, so bitter that it was almost unbearable, he still hoped that Su Zhou could become the ninth generation, worthy of the family precepts of his ancestors. So, he was constantly trying to cultivate Su Zhou in this area.

“Dad, your son is about to enter his senior year of high school, and needs to prepare for the *gaokao*."

Su Zhou himself wanted to see the case analysis, but at this moment, Ning Shiyu's bland voice came from the kitchen: “Anything can wait until after the exam. Don't delay your child's studies now."

“...Your mom is right."

Listening to his wife, Su Beiluo put away the paper and pen with some regret, and said seriously: “You don't need to pay attention to these things now. The most important thing is to get into a good academy after your senior year... We all know you're smart, but you just don't put your whole heart into studying. Look at Zou Qiming's grades. He can go wherever he wants. You should learn from him.

“By the way, those paranormal magazines of yours have filled the mailbox. I put them all on your bed. Go clean them up later.”

The Su family was still very open-minded.

Whether it was his father or his mother, they supported Su Zhou's hobbies. As long as his grades improved, they would give him some horror comics, paranormal magazines, or books related to the occult.

These magazines and books were all high-quality. The quality was so high that Su Zhou had suspected for a while that his parents also liked strange tales.

At this time, Su's father was still nagging, with a somewhat self-reproachful expression: “Your mom and I won't interfere with your hobbies. After all, we're busy and don't have time to educate and guide you, so we don't force anything. It was already beyond our expectations that you were able to get into a key high school on your own.

“But after all, this is the senior year of high school, the last year before the *shèng jǔ xuǎn shì* (Sacred Examination Selection). We still hope you can try your best to go to a better academy."

“Sigh, *gaokao*."

Hearing his parents' earnest hopes, even Su Zhou couldn't help but sigh in his heart: “What Mom and Dad said is indeed right. Even if I have supernatural powers, the *shèng jǔ xuǎn shì* cannot be ignored if I want to live in Zheng Country's society."

The *shèng jǔ xuǎn shì* is the *gaokao* (National College Entrance Examination).

Three hundred years ago, after the sages and worthies of Zheng Country ended the century of turmoil in Divine Province and established the world, they changed the nearly two-thousand-year-old emperor system and replaced it with the ‘Oversight of the Sages,’ jointly maintained by various academies, which continues to this day.

The so-called Oversight of the Sages is to select a group of the most outstanding scholars from hundreds of large and small academies across the country as ‘Sages,’ and form a core government centered on them.

The most outstanding scholar among the Sages is the ‘Chief Sage,’ who is the nominal leader of the country.

This kind of national system is called ‘Scientific Council’ or ‘Technical Committee System’ abroad. Some countries criticize it as an oligarchy of scholars, while others secretly imitate it.

In the last year of ‘Higher Education Academy,’ all senior high school students will participate in a ‘*gaokao* selection’ jointly conducted by all academies, also known as the ‘*shèng jǔ xuǎn shì*.’

Those who can pass the assessment are formal students of major academies, future reserves of the Sages. Those who fail can still enter the academy again through various means in the future, but the difficulty is a thousand times higher than the *gaokao*.

“I can't really be considered ‘smart.’ At most, I have some talent in fighting."

Su Zhou was quite speechless about his parents' inexplicable confidence in him. Although teachers and parents all said so, he actually knew that he was just an ordinary person in terms of learning. He couldn't memorize anything he wasn't interested in at all.

His grades were entirely dependent on his good health. He stayed up late every day and night with perseverance, grinding away with time. Otherwise, that was just how it was, a bit of a hard injury.

“This is a problem that needs to be solved.” Su Zhou lowered his head and thought seriously, biting his fingernails: “I wonder if superpowers can improve intelligence or help me cheat… In any case, I should work hard.”

“Stop biting your nails there like an idiot. Have some soup.” While Su Zhou was thinking, he smelled the fragrance of lotus root coming from the kitchen. Ning Shiyu brought a pot of lotus root soup and placed it in front of Su Zhou along with a bowl, and the family began to eat this belated breakfast together.

“Remember to open the windows more often to ventilate. Breathing fresh air is good for your body."

“But Mom, there's smog outside.” After gulping down a large bowl, Su Zhou subconsciously retorted.

“Then let some fresh smog in, good boy.”

The hospital was indeed very busy. After drinking a bowl of soup, Ning Shiyu, after confirming that Su Zhou was fine, pinched her son's face, gave a few instructions, and left in a hurry.

Su Beiluo wasn't much better. The director called, saying that he had found some important clues. He didn't even have time to shave his beard and went straight out.

“You're probably tired too. Take a shower and get some sleep, and get some rest. We might be very busy recently. If you need anything, go to your Uncle Shao's place. Aunt Wen is also very worried about you.”

The man gave a final word of advice, and then the sound of hurried footsteps disappeared into the corridor elevator.

Su Zhou had long been accustomed to this. He finished the pot of soup, washed the dishes, and walked to the bathroom with a change of clothes.

*Whirr.*

Actually, there was nothing for Su Zhou to wash off. When the snake spirit Yala reshaped his body, it had already performed a marrow cleansing, transforming him completely. His body was more flawless inside and out than a newborn baby. Compared to that, the shower water might be the dirty stuff.

But as he was washed by the water, Su Zhou could feel a trace of tranquility, and the little red snake also darted out from the top of his head, standing upright and swaying like a cowlick, enjoying the impact of the water with a look of comfort.

“…Yala, do you like water?”

“No, I'm just feeling this world."

Doing its thing in the water, the snake spirit had a look of intoxication: “Ah, only now do I finally feel it for real. I've finally returned to the world! Hahaha, those *pū jiē zǎi* (losers) would never have guessed that I was the first to escape the cage!”

Although there were many things he didn't understand, such as who ‘those *pū jiē zǎi*’ were, Su Zhou didn't ask since Yala didn't intend to explain. This was the tacit understanding between him and the snake spirit.

After drying himself and changing his clothes, Su Zhou was about to throw the changed clothes into the washing machine, but he was startled by his own reflection in the mirror opposite the washing machine.

“Whoa! Who is this?!”

For a moment, Su Zhou felt as if he was looking at a stranger—the person in the mirror had fair skin, red lips, and white teeth. If it weren't for the homicidal aura and the terrifyingly sharp look in his eyes, he could definitely be called a handsome young man of the orthodox type.

Although everything was generally the same as the original self, every subtle aspect had been upgraded several notches. No wonder Su Zhou didn't recognize himself at first glance.

“Is this the effect of the perfect body? No wonder Mom and Dad looked at me so strangely… Luckily, they work overtime a lot and don't see me much, otherwise they would definitely become suspicious."

Pinching his face and showing his teeth, Su Zhou saw that his teeth seemed to have been upgraded, like white jade, warm and firm. He tapped them twice and couldn't help but click his tongue twice: “At this rate, I might be able to make a living with my face.”

“Of course!”

Beside Su Zhou's ear, Yala swung its tail with pride: “I don't like ugly things—the perfect body created from my blood is naturally perfect in every way.”

“Su Zhou, you can try it out and see what miraculous things your body can do now.”