Chapter 170
“First, investigate the victims' information, analyze their causes of death, extract any anomalies, and then reverse-engineer those anomalies to assess the real danger of the events. After that, we’ll assign and rate the appropriate demon slayers, and before we start the cleansing, we need to discuss the best approach…” Zhao Ying explained, counting off on her fingers.
“Too complicated,” Chen Huai'an waved his hand dismissively. “By the time we finish discussing, the evil spirit will have already shown its face.”
“But this is a necessary process to improve the survival rate of the demon slayers,” Zhao Ying said, pursing her lips.
“The abnormal events are happening around the cave ruins; the problem must lie within those caves. Even if the evil spirit isn’t there now, this is its root. It will definitely return.”
Lin Chen couldn’t help but roll her eyes at Chen Huai'an’s words.
“Isn’t that just stating the obvious? I get it, but the evil spirit’s lair is extremely dangerous. Are you really…”
“So we just charge in,” Chen Huai'an interrupted, waving his hand decisively.
“Charge in? You want to go straight into the evil spirit’s lair without any investigation or preparation?” Lin Chen’s mouth twitched, her eyes wide. “Are you crazy? Do you have a death wish?!”
Chen Huai'an didn’t respond, simply striding toward the cave ruins.
The dusk was sharp, cutting into the yellow earth.
The caves huddled in the folds of the ravine, like ribs stripped of flesh, oozing with pus and blood.
The wind swept through the honeycomb-like archways, producing a wailing sound like a blunt object scraping against a ceramic jar.
Yuan—Chen Huai'an felt it.
“The evil spirit… it’s here!”
Footsteps faded into the distance, accompanied by a chilling laugh that scattered into the wind.
…
…
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Chapter 183: A Demonstration for My Master
“This is absolutely ridiculous! He’s your governor; can’t you talk some sense into him?”
Lin Chen was a bit annoyed with Chen Huai'an, but they were all human. She wasn’t so heartless as to watch him walk to his death.
“Chen… the governor has always been like this,” Zhao Ying said with a weary smile.
If only they could persuade him; the problem was, they couldn’t overpower him either.
Chen Huai'an was single-minded; there was no way to sway him.
All she and Xiang Xiaoyuan could do was provide support from the sidelines.
For major events, they wouldn’t enter and become a liability.
Twenty detection drones had already taken off, surrounding the entire porcelain ruins.
These drones would generate terrain information of the site, and if any evil spirit appeared, they would quickly lock onto its position and calculate its energy level. However, due to technical limitations, if the energy level of the evil spirit exceeded that of a soldier, the detection would become quite vague.
“The governor has entered the ruins,” Xiang Xiaoyuan’s expression turned serious.
Zhao Ying beside her also held her breath, her fingers hovering above the armrest.
“What’s the situation? Is there any energy level detected?”
“None so far.”
“Okay, continue monitoring. Report immediately if there’s any danger.”
“Understood.”
The support team from the Demon Slayer Division in Province C was already in action.
Lin Chen thought she couldn’t just sit idly by.
After hesitating for a moment, she was about to suggest joining Chen Huai'an when Huang Gubei stepped in front of her.
“Miss Lin, there’s new information!”
Huang Gubei was panting, beads of sweat on his forehead, his tone urgent.
“We detected a spike in energy levels in the north of the town, specifically near the food street. I sent someone to check, and they reported that the entire food street has been sealed off by the evil spirit, possibly forming a ghost market.”
Lin Chen’s heart sank, a fierce glint appearing in her eyes.
At the third watch of the night, with blue phosphor as candles, the market thrived—this was the ghost market.
The ghost market was a sign that the evil spirit’s power had reached a certain stage, indicating its desire to expand its range of destruction. Slaughter was the most direct and brutal way for an evil spirit to gain power, but ‘trading’ could influence a much larger area, making its enhancement even purer—nothing pleased an evil spirit more than self-sacrifice.
So, in a way, the ghost market was an independent domain governed by the rules set by the evil spirit.
And the humans within that domain were undoubtedly lambs to the slaughter.
“I’ll handle this,” Lin Chen said, her right hand resting on her whip, her voice steady. “You all continue to evacuate the crowd and prevent anyone from entering the ghost market. I’m heading over now.”
She glanced in the direction of the cave ruins.
Chen Huai'an had gone to the most dangerous lair of the evil spirit.
And she would deal with the ghost market formed by the evil spirit.
This way, they could collaborate without being outsiders. The Lin family wouldn’t fall behind in this regard.
“Let’s see who does better, Chen Huai'an.”
“Dealing with abnormal events requires not just strength, but also brains and strategy. A brute like you wouldn’t understand…”
…
…
Inside the ruins, it was pitch black.
From the outside, it looked like just a few dirt mounds, but once inside, it revealed a vast underground palace!
“Damn, I thought it was just a coffin. I could have sliced it open with one sword, but now I have to find where that evil spirit is hiding…”
Chen Huai'an looked around at the darkness, feeling overwhelmed.
There were corridors in front and on both sides; he had to choose a direction. He couldn’t just flail around like a green-headed fly, could he?
Chen Huai'an took out his walkie-talkie. “Xiang Xiaoyuan, help me locate the specific position of that evil spirit.”
【I’m sorry, Governor, but the detection system hasn’t picked up any energy levels from the evil spirit yet… Could you go a bit deeper? The terrain map has been sent to your phone.】
Chen Huai'an opened the terrain map and felt even more confused.
Because the map didn’t match what he was seeing at all.
The terrain map showed a series of connected rooms, but what he saw were clearly corridors.
No energy levels detected? Great.
The aura of the evil spirit in the air was more intense than a spoonful of mustard.
Chen Huai'an knew that the detection system of the Demon Slayer Division was definitely being hindered by something. The information received by Xiang Xiaoyuan was all false, and this was likely why the two soldiers had never returned.
With the enemy already dangerous and the intel completely wrong, survival was nearly impossible.
“Ha, in the end, I’ll have to rely on myself,” Chen Huai'an snorted coldly and opened his electronic girlfriend game.
In terms of esoteric knowledge, Li Qingran was definitely more knowledgeable than him.
When in doubt, consult the electronic girlfriend.
Li Qingran was his; relying on her was like relying on himself.
Any problems? No problems.
“Master! You’re here~”
Hearing Li Qingran’s sweet voice, Chen Huai'an felt as if a spoonful of honey had been stirred into his brain, instantly feeling at ease.
“Qingran, I just finished a fight. Let’s see if your studies are up to par!”
There was a moment of silence in the void, and then a booming voice echoed in response to Li Qingran’s eager expression:
【Hmm, I have repelled tens of thousands of great demons and gained a moment of respite, so I’m here to test your little brain!】
Li Qingran blinked, a hint of worry in her eyes as she hesitantly said, “Master, you’ve killed so many monsters; you must be very tired, right? Are you hurt? Why don’t you rest first and we can test my skills tomorrow?”
“Cough, no need. There’s no time like the present; let’s do it now.”
Chen Huai'an realized he had boasted too much and quickly backtracked.
“Disciple, in the world of cultivation, one often encounters situations where the enemy’s traces are hard to find, especially when trapped by the tricks of spirits and demons. In such cases… what method would you use to break free?”
Li Qingran bit her red lip, tilting her head in thought, then scratched her head and said, “Master, I don’t think I’d encounter such a situation. Spirits and demons are just the lowest-level evil beings; their tricks wouldn’t fool me.”
Chen Huai'an: “…”
This rebellious disciple was becoming increasingly disobedient.
Wasn’t it supposed to be a question-and-answer format?
What did it mean to outright deny him?!
“Ahem, what if you were trapped? How would you find the specific location of that evil spirit? I just want to test you.”
【Disciple, remember that subtlety reveals the obvious; a glimpse can show the leopard. Even the smallest ability has value in repeated honing and learning! Your failure to grasp this disappoints me.】
“Yes, I understand my mistake,” Li Qingran said, blushing, nodding obediently while her fingers fidgeted with the bedspread behind her.
So this was the true intention of her master!
So her master wanted to teach her this lesson!
But she hadn’t realized her master’s good intentions.
Li Qingran… oh, Li Qingran.
You really are foolish!
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