At 8:00 AM, it was practically the ‘happiest’ time for people across the country.
Elementary school students wearing red scarves walked along the road, bathed in sunlight.
They were brimming with the scent of youth and sunshine.
After entering the campus, the smiles on the faces of the parents who saw them off gradually faded, while the students’ faces regained theirs.
Next to this elementary school stood a three-story building resembling a villa.
Its walls were composed of various stacked metals, and its double doors, carved with flying birds, exuded an air of elegance.
A scene of ten thousand beasts stampeding was carved into the doorposts, framing the metallic letters — TFV.
This was the Nanjiang City branch of the Hunter force, and it was currently the place where the Hunters of Nanjiang rested, recovered, and resupplied.
One should not assume that the Hunters’ locations were always grand and towering.
To avoid disrupting the lives of civilians, their supply stations had always been hidden underground.
Intricate metallic corridors were decorated with nocturnal lamps.
These passages were like an Underground Great Wall, distributed throughout every corner of Nanjiang City.
Bright sunlight filtered through thin white curtains, reflecting into a room on the top floor of the TFV branch.
White steam rose from a desk, and the wind gently blew the tea tag hanging from a coffee cup.
Griping the handle of the cup between his index finger and thumb, a man in a tailored black suit sat at the desk.
He lifted the saucer, gazed at the coffee in his hand, and took a gentle sip.
It was bitter yet mellow.
After flowing over the tip of his tongue, an elegant sweetness blossomed across his taste buds.
The man exhaled a breath of hot air and placed the cup back on the saucer.
A red ring on his index finger reflected a dreamlike light.
His name was Alec, codename Valon.
He was 33 years old and had already served in the Hunter force for 15 years.
This should not be considered young; the average age of a Hunter was only 35 to 38.
Hunters were in constant contact with the Cryptic, and their bodies were more or less eroded by Cryptic Energy.
Unlike the Weiyi, the deeper they were eroded, the more pain their bodies had to endure.
Having experienced all sorts of Cryptic incidents over the years, he had gradually begun to decline.
Now, he had been assigned as the person in charge of Nanjiang City.
Though he was called the person in charge, in reality, he only needed to handle some paperwork and register certain situations.
‘A new day has begun. Perhaps this is where the joy of work lies…’
Alec leaned back against the sofa, comfortably shifting his body.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
He immediately sat up straight and said, “Come in.”
With a clatter, the door was pushed open.
Long black hair entered first as a man wearing a monocle walked into Valon’s office.
A calm expression adorned his sharp, chiseled face, adding a touch of elegance to his otherwise stoic features.
Seeing who it was, Alec’s body slumped back down.
A sincere smile touched his lips, but when he saw the other man’s serious gaze, the smile vanished like a ripple on the water’s surface.
“Lin Bai, have the results of last night’s operation come out? Is the situation bad?”
Alec straightened up again, his tone solemn.
He had already prepared himself for the worst-case scenario.
The deaths of three Level 1 Hunters and five Level 2 Hunters was no small matter.
Every Hunter was precious, and their deaths would be a significant blow to the force.
“It is very bad. The disposal failed. That Singularity Class Weiyi has successfully evolved. It is preliminarily determined to possess extremely high intelligence.”
Lin Bai pulled over a chair and sat down.
He opened his briefcase, took out several documents, and placed them on the desk.
“Level 1 Hunter Su Jiang was confirmed dead last night. His codename was Lan. Level 1 Hunters Ice Duke and Feng Nü are also critically injured and on the verge of death. They were brought back by the Level 1 Hunter White Ghost. The remaining Level 2 Hunters returned safely.”
“I see…”
Alec took a cigarette from his breast pocket and placed it in his mouth.
He reached out and pressed his hand on the documents.
There were three in total: White Ghost’s report from yesterday, the intelligence and theories regarding the Singularity Class Weiyi — b707, and Lan’s death report.
Click—
He flicked his lighter, the flame igniting the cigarette.
Alec took a deep drag, picked up Lan’s death report, and casually tossed it back to Lin Bai.
“I remember Lan’s family lives in Nanjiang, right?”
“Correct.”
“Lin Bai, please personally go meet Lan’s relatives. Tell them that Lan is carrying out a cleaning mission that will last 2.5 years and won’t be back for a while. In the meantime, his salary will be deposited into his card as usual.”
Exhaling a cloud of smoke, Alec continued puffing.
Lin Bai raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
Lan had been a sunny young man; in the past, he could be heard laughing and joking here every day… It was a pity… He wouldn’t hear it anymore.
“Didn’t he always say he could retire in 2 years? Let’s just fulfill that wish for him. In 2 years, I will personally deliver the fixed retirement pension, the family compensation, and his ashes to his relatives.”
Lan was a ‘prodigy’ Hunter.
He had joined the Hunter force at the age of 18, and 10 years had passed since then.
During those 10 years, Lan always talked about retiring and quitting, but every single time, he was the one who worked the hardest.
Alec planned to suppress the news himself to give the family some time to prepare mentally.
“Were Ice Duke and Feng Nü saved?”
“They’ve been stabilized, but Ice Duke lost an arm. He might not be able to handle it after being fitted with a mechanical prosthetic.”
Feeling somewhat melancholic, Lin Bai took off his monocle.
“How should we handle the situation with b707 now? Most of our Veteran Hunters are currently out on missions and cannot be deployed.”
Sss—
Alec crushed his cigarette butt in the ashtray.
He reached out and picked up the report on b707, tore open the seal, and took out several photographs.
In the photos, b707 was running on all fours.
Its exact image was blurry; only its hair, which looked like burning flames, was visible.
He flipped to the last set.
The second photo showed b707 standing upright, tilting its head back to stare directly into the camera.
Its face, covered in black keratin, looked like it was wearing a mask.
Its bare body was pitch black, marked with gray vein-like prints.
He pulled out the final photo.
It was the scene where b707 had grabbed the greatsword in Ice Duke’s hand with one limb.
In the image, half of Ice Duke’s greatsword had already turned to dust.
Amidst the gray flames, even the greatsword seemed to be warping.
Even through a photograph, Alec could feel a sense of desolation.
It felt as if it were being infinitely magnified, like a fire lit in the darkness, signaling to the Grim Reaper.
Setting the photos aside, Alec looked at the analysis sheet for b707.
The data was as follows:
[Weiyi File — b707]
Rating: Singularity Class (Humanoid).
Codename: Xiao (Derived from its attack characteristics and appearance).
Danger Level (Singularity Class Only): A+ (Requires at least one newly promoted Veteran Hunter to resolve alone).
Habits: Gluttonous and vindictive.
Through several encounters, Xiao has always been discovered while feeding.
It has a massive appetite, usually preying on large animals or weak Weiyi (such as Grizzly Bears and E-Class Weiyi, Shadow Rats).
During a hunt, Xiao typically focuses its attacks on the first target to strike it.
Attack Characteristics: Hardened body, extreme regenerative capabilities, unknown gray-white flames, and beast-like combat instincts.
The unknown flames are suspected of rapidly eroding objects; if the object’s energy quality is low or insufficient, it will quickly corrode.
Weaknesses: It has been discovered that the entity’s abdominal defense is relatively weak.
It is extremely sensitive to auditory and visual stimuli.
…
“This is difficult…”
Setting the data sheet down, Alec lowered his eyelids.
With his back to the sunlight, his eyes were hidden in the shadows as his fingers gently tapped the desk.
Lin Bai stuffed Lan’s file back into his briefcase, shifted his chair, and crossed his legs.
“Should we report this? Or what?”
“Report it. Let’s see if we can transfer a few available Veteran Hunters from headquarters.”
Alec sighed and looked up slightly.
He raised his palm and pressed it against the final report.
With a clack, the door was pushed open.
Gu Lian walked out of the old man’s room, yawning.
“Finally, I can leave in peace…”
Hearing the cheerful laughter of Yi Yi and the old man coming from inside the room, Gu Lian raised her hand to look at a small patch of bloody skin in her palm.
Then, she looked back at Yi Yi, who was currently standing on the coffee table, singing at the top of her lungs.
Lady-like image, the reserve of a first meeting — Yi Yi had none of it.
She was practically the poster child for being naturally familiar with everyone.
But there were benefits to this.
At least Yi Yi and the old man got along very well.
She quickly walked out of the house.
As she moved through the increasingly bustling streets, Gu Lian’s pace quickened.
After passing several corners, her focus sharpened, and her gaze began to scan her surroundings.
30 minutes later, near a public restroom sign, she saw a pitch-black shield with its point facing downward.
The corner of Gu Lian’s mouth curved into a smirk.
She shoved her hands into her pockets and strode into the restroom, completely failing to notice the large character for ‘Male’ on the sign.