Chapter 67: West City

Chapter 67: West City

The cleanup operation in District 3 was in full swing, progressing vigorously.

With the support of standard fighter jets and armored vehicles, the military's efforts were significantly bolstered, and the teams tasked with penetrating deep into the demon hordes were better protected.

Most importantly, with the source crystal detection information shared by Xu Qingran, the troops on the field instantly saved a lot of energy. They could focus all their psychic energy on attacks, and with the military equipment transferred from the East City warehouse, it was more efficient than using older or modified versions.

Naturally, things started moving faster.

After being shocked by Xu Qingran, Ma Biao quickly snapped out of it and started barking orders with renewed vigor.

During this time, Xu Qingran was only busy with his own scope of work and rarely interfered with Ma Biao's command. Apart from sharing psychic energy with everyone, his main responsibility was to lock onto the larger Class I demons. For most people, even if they successfully received the shared information, due to the difference in abilities, their ability to sense the source crystals remained somewhat unclear.

In such cases, they had to rely on higher-ranking soldiers to step in.

The more difficult ones had to be handed over to Ma Biao and Xu Qingran. And Xu Qingran really blew them away. The psychic cannon, which few in the entire South City could use, was like a child's toy in his hands, taking down a major demon with a single blast.

Ma Biao figured Xu Qingran was just showing off.

He came from a prosperous star system, and the military academy he trained at must have taught him how to use this thing! He just couldn’t wrap his head around the idea of someone mastering it so effortlessly after just two days.

Xu Qingran didn't know or care what others thought of him.

After a whole night of helping the army push the demon hordes out of District 3’s alert zone, relieving the pressure on the residential areas in District 1, he took a two-day break with everyone before gearing up for a similar operation in District 5.

By the time they hit District 5 for the second cleanup, the army was fully behind Xu Qingran and Ma Biao.

Ma Biao, having achieved a great victory in the previous operation, also regained some confidence and returned to his normal level of command, even exceeding expectations. Therefore, the operation in District 5 went more smoothly and ended earlier than in District 3.

The cooperation between the two halves of the South City's army was very pleasant.

The personnel transferred from the East City had a rare and satisfying battle, fulfilling their value as soldiers, and were quite satisfied.

Ma Biao was eager for the results of District 10 and eagerly asked Xu Qingran, "Do we have a chance to arrange a big battle to encircle and suppress the dominant entities of Districts 3 and 5?"

"You can try in your dreams," Xu Qingran replied mercilessly.

The reason District 10 was secured was largely due to Lin Xuan and his crew having already set up the defense layout before Xu Qingran showed up, including in-depth detection of the dominant entity's source crystal information, just needing that final push and some extra resources.

But for Districts 3 and 5—

Once the initial sweep of the two districts was done, Xu Qingran and Ma Biao headed back to the main camp in South City’s upper half to regroup.

The dominant entity’s location had been pinpointed, but detection in District 3 was only at 50%, and in District 5, it was hovering around 30%. Both areas were significantly larger than District 10, and even if he were to take over the detection, it would likely take at least one to two months to capture the source crystal's movements.

Hearing this, Ma Biao’s spirits sank.

Xu Qingran didn’t jump at the chance, just saying, "First, stabilize the surrounding spawn in the two districts. When you have time, take a few with strong source crystal perception to follow up on the information."

"Once you hit your detection limit, I’ll step in and help out."

Ma Biao crossed his arms, nodding with a look of determination.

If Lin Xuan could do it, they certainly could too!

Back at the District 4 camp in South City, there was a palpable sense of relief as things calmed down in the upper half.

Xu Qingran had just left the workshop with Ma Biao when they encountered a soldier coming to report: "Boss Ma, that guy who blasted his own psychic pool last time is still out cold..."

Xu Qingran was hearing about this for the first time and instinctively looked at Ma Biao.

Ma Biao's expression turned serious, and he frowned, asking, "What's going on? Didn't I tell those two D-types to rest well and then stabilize his condition first?"

The reporting soldier looked like he was about to cry, "We can't help it, Brother Ma. The only two D-types in our camp have spiritual pools at only B-level, and the injured soldier is an A-level spiritualist. The gap is too wide. At their level, they can only assist with logistics at most. The difficulty of such intensive treatment is still too high..."

"Where is he?" Xu Qingran suddenly spoke up from the side.

Then he added, "I can try."

Ma Biao sighed at Xu Qingran, "Brother, I know you're incredible, but even the strongest among us spiritualists can't help with some things."

"The only spiritual type capable of repairing disorders in the spiritual pool is the D-type. Others, regardless of how high their spiritual pool level is, can't achieve that effect."

Xu Qingran glanced at him and said without changing his expression, "I am a D-type."

Ma Biao: "...?"

So, accompanied by a shocked and skeptical Ma Biao, Xu Qingran followed the soldier to the medical center.

He glanced at the unconscious, injured soldier on the bed, asked the surrounding medical staff about the situation, and then requested the spiritual energy transmission equipment, skillfully fitting it onto the patient.

Typically, if a D-type wants to transmit spiritual energy to another person most effectively, there are two ways.

The first is like him and Shen Tingyu, becoming soul mates. However, this is an exclusive one-on-one bond and can't be done by switching partners each time, so it's basically impossible to implement in daily life.

Hence, there's the second way.

A transmission device developed jointly by the Empire's technology team and the soul research team. It resembles an arm guard with a small groove in the middle, allowing the spiritual energy transmitter to grip it like a handle. The recipient only needs to wear this device to effectively receive the D-type's transmitted spiritual energy while avoiding the feared intimate soul contact.

This effective transmission differs from the one Xu Qingran gave to Lin Xuan last time.

That kind of ordinary physical contact, except for soul mates, is limited for others in terms of transmission. The limitation lies in the 'amount' received and its storage, just like the spiritual energy given to Lin Xuan. If he doesn't use it promptly, the excess will quickly dissipate and can't be retained.

Transmission through the device can avoid this result.

After setting up the equipment, Xu Qingran began his spiritual energy transmission healing.

He was quite familiar with this device, as Lin Qianmu, also a D-type, had taught him how to use it back in the military academy.

Ma Biao stood by, his face showing a look of existential doubt.

Xu Qingran, a D-type?

—Whose D-type is this violent, punching anyone he doesn't like, blasting devils with a single shot, and so brutally killing his little darling?! This is completely different from the D-type he learned about from textbooks!

As a D-type with double S-level capabilities, Xu Qingran's 'healing' process was naturally stable and smooth.

The military doctor watched with wide eyes, observing and recording the entire process, seeing the injured and unconscious soldier's spiritual pool fluctuation data gradually stabilize from extreme disorder, completely out of the danger zone.

He couldn't help but exclaim to Ma Biao, "Heavens, Brother Ma, the helper you found is truly amazing, how can he be good at everything!"

Ma Biao thought, indeed, does such a person really exist in this world? Is such a person really meant for the Tianlong system? Wasn't there a mistake when assigning jobs to new recruits?

A mistake is good, this person must be tightly held onto by our South City!

Perhaps... perhaps with the help of such a talented individual, the long-standing stalemate in Upper South Continent could also improve? Gradually, we could secure the entire South Continent, then the entire Taiyue Star, and then the old Silver Dragon City—

Ma Biao tried hard to pull himself back from such overly beautiful fantasies.

He couldn’t help it—he truly wished for the liberation of the Tianlong system. He’d seen how prosperous and convenient other star systems were—skyscrapers everywhere, people zipping around in high-tech cars, high-speed trains, flying public transport, and tons of malls and food courts. But here, they couldn’t even get basic internet freedom.

"Alright, if nothing goes wrong, just follow the normal treatment and recovery process," Xu Qingran said after completing his simple task, handing the equipment back to the military doctor. "Let me know if you need anything else."

The military doctor watched him leave with admiration: "Alright, alright, sir, take care!"

When Xu Qingran came out of the medics’ station, many soldiers outside also cast admiring glances at him.

Unlike the initial attention he received just for his good looks, now he had become a revered 'legend' in both halves of South City, completely conquered by his strength.

Even the braver ones dared to greet him.

Some of those who greeted him were the same guys he’d beaten up before for crossing him.

The system thought it was nothing short of a miracle.

It checked its mission objectives and watched Xu Qingran, cool and collected, walking through the crowd.

Who knew he could clear his name without playing the meek, gentle role?

Wow, the host is killing it! My judgment’s spot-on!

After that, things in South City started to settle down.

After helping Ma Biao handle the upper half of South City, Xu Qingran made time to return to the East City camp.

Deputy Mao told him the Silver Dragon headquarters hadn’t responded to his request.

Xu Qingran ordered him to resend it.

Then he began to think about which new area to tackle next, looking at the map of Upper South Continent.

West City and North City—he was especially curious about the latter.

He had inquired a bit from Ma Biao about the situation in North City. Even under lockdown, they were holding their own against the devil groups, managing things pretty well. Lately, things had gotten worse because their military supplies were cut off, leaving them under-equipped.

West City, on the other hand, had a reputation for being even more of a mess than South City.

Perfect place to blow off some steam—or maybe just go full chaos mode.

The system sighed: "..."

Host, don’t go overboard, okay?

After sorting out patrols and training at East City, Xu Qingran headed to South City’s District 4 to grill Ma Biao for more info.

The moment he stepped into the camp, he found Ma Biao yelling at nothing, his face red with rage.

A few guys were holding him back, shouting, "Brother Ma, chill out!"

"How the hell can I calm down?!"

"Those bastards from West City, not doing their jobs properly is one thing, but now they’re messing with my kid, how can I stand it?!"

Xu Qingran heard the key words and instantly became interested.

He walked to the center of the commotion and asked the furious Ma Biao, "What’s wrong?"

"Xu," the soldier beside him saw him as if he had seen an anchor, inexplicably feeling a sense of reassurance.

Even Ma Biao's anxiety slightly eased, but his expression was still clenching his teeth: "Big brother, I want to go and deal with those scoundrels from West City!"

A soldier explained to Xu Qingran: "Alas, just now someone from Ma's family came and said that his little daughter seems to have been taken by people from West City. His wife collapsed from crying and is now lying in the clinic."

Xu Qingran was taken aback by this news.

The land next to South City's Districts 1 and 2 is the area of West City.

There isn't even a river or city wall separating them, just boards and stone tablets marking the division. Due to limited conditions, even the checkpoints are very basic, so residents of the two cities occasionally have contact and communication, and it's no problem to cross districts directly.

However, in this lawless area of Upper South Continent, the governance in West City is the most chaotic in the entire Upper South Continent.

Especially the exiled soldiers, because they are the farthest from the East City headquarters, and successive commanders have not been very diligent in setting rules and managing, knowing that they won't be punished for anything, they have become increasingly out of control.

To put it this way, the military guards in South City have a bit of a bad temper, thinking they are the best in the world and looking down on everyone when they wear their military uniforms, arguing with residents every day. But after all, they are just harsh with words and quick to anger, and they rarely commit murder and arson, so people living here dare to argue back with them.

West City is different.

The military guards there, if you dare to go against their wishes or resist, will really shoot you without a second word.

The soldier beside him was still explaining: "It's bad enough that the military is unreasonable, but they also cooperate with the local bullies and religious cults!"

"The reason Ma is so anxious is also because he heard that the religious cults in West City have a horrific practice of specifically capturing children to kill and cook them! They firmly believe that children possess powerful and pure energy, especially those whose souls and spirits are not yet formed, have infinite potential."

"They believe that the pure spiritual energy on these children is the blessing left by the evil god at each person's birth, which will disappear after they mature and form." The soldier said with a pale complexion, as if feeling nauseous, "They also believe that drinking the blood of women can help preserve youth, so they also capture solitary women."

"It's appalling, it makes me want to vomit."

"Anyway, the people there are either normal or savages."

"But because these savages are very good at causing trouble, the benefits they gain are shared with the military, so the military guards in West City give them special treatment, secretly tolerating their bizarre actions. Generally, we people from South City don't want to have anything to do with West City people."

In terms of military defense, it has always been each to their own.

"I see," Xu Qingran responded.

His expression was thoughtful.

Seeing Ma Biao looking like he wanted to rush over to West City immediately, Xu Qingran comforted him: "The cleanup of South City's half district has just started to get on track, the residents here and your team members need you."

Ma Biao was unwilling: "But..."

Xu Qingran interrupted him: "I happen to have plans to go to West City, so I can help bring the person back."

Ma Biao suddenly looked up.

Excited, his eyes slightly red, even though he was at least a decade older than Xu Qingran, he said to him: "Brother Xu, then I'll leave it to you!"

Xu Qingran's strength, Ma Biao now completely believes and recognizes.

So now Xu Qingran doesn't even need to consider, directly setting the next 'challenge' place in West City.

He packed his psychic knife, and asked Ma Biao for an original psychic gun and an off-road vehicle, driving alone to West City.

They say the people of West City are all devils.

Then let's see who is more 'evil'.

The West City is divided into twenty-six districts.

Adjacent to South City District 1 is West City District 19.

It was afternoon at the checkpoint between West City District 19 and South City District 1. Guards in silver serpent uniforms, carrying guns or knives, were yawning out of boredom.

Both districts were residential, so aside from cross-city travelers, almost no one passed through.

However, due to the strained relationship between the two cities, even cross-city travelers were rare. Being on duty here was a real test of patience.

"Aw, poor little thing, are you lost?"

A guard at the vehicle entrance had just finished yawning when he heard the sneering voice of a companion not far behind him.

Turning around, he saw the remaining three guards who were supposed to be on duty with him, squatting in a corner, teasing a flightless bird with an injured wing. They roughly tossed it back and forth, leaving fresh bloodstains with each landing.

The guards showed no pity, instead bursting into laughter.

The guard at the entrance was about to join in when he suddenly heard the sound of a vehicle approaching from a distance.

An off-road vehicle, glinting in the winter sun, was speeding toward the checkpoint from South City District 1.

"Work's here," he reminded them.

Only then did his companions get up and return to their posts, except for the last one—a pot-bellied man who had been tossing the bird around like trash. He stomped on the struggling bird, crushing it, before casually joining the others.

As guards stationed at the most boring checkpoint, they always perked up whenever someone arrived.

—Finally, someone to mess with. They loved running into simple, ordinary travelers, watching them get startled and scared, which added a bit of excitement to their otherwise dull job.

As one of the guards waved a flag, the imposing off-road vehicle obediently stopped before the security line.

Before they could say anything, the person inside stepped out.

He was very cooperative.

A tall young man stepped out of the vehicle, around six feet, with a perfect leg-to-body ratio.

He had brown hair—dyed or natural, it was hard to tell—and was dressed in a black shirt and slim-fit trousers, with a dark gray trench coat that added to his aloof demeanor.

The man also wore a plain black mask.

"Show your ID, and take off the mask."

The checkpoint guards quickly composed themselves, standing on the platform, arrogantly reaching out to the young man below.

Muttering, "Wearing a mask in broad daylight, like you’ve got some plague or something."

This checkpoint didn’t have the fully automated systems like those in the Fairy Galaxy; most of the checks were done manually by the guards here. They mainly checked if the person was a local, a visitor, or returning home.

The man first pulled something out from his trench coat and handed it over.

But when opened, it wasn’t an ID, but a photo of a little girl, around three years old, with her hair in a small braid.

The guards all glanced at the photo, then looked up, puzzled: "?"

The man wearing a mask said to them, "I’d like to ask if any of you have seen this girl?"

"A friend’s child was playing nearby and seems to have been taken by someone from your West City. I’m here to take her home."

The guards at the checkpoint finally realized that not only was the man not cooperating with the inspection, but he was also using them to inquire about something.

"Listen, kid, we’re the ones asking the questions here," said the guard holding a gun, his tone unfriendly. "Hand over your identification now. If you don’t cooperate, even if you’re from South City, we’ll kill you without hesitation!"

Children going missing in West City was a common occurrence, and as veterans of West City, they knew what was going on. But usually, they couldn’t care less about even the residents of West City, blaming them for not keeping a closer eye on their children.

So, they certainly wouldn’t care about a child from another city going missing.

The young man below remained unfazed by their threats. Instead, he asked through his mask, "If I don’t cooperate, are you really going to kill me?"

This made the West City guards chuckle. "Kid, is this your first time in West City?"

"We in West City aren’t like those South City cowards who just talk tough," said the gunman, aiming his gun at the man. "We mean what we say."

The man’s beautiful peach blossom eyes met theirs briefly before he sighed softly, "Alright."

Everyone laughed, thinking he had finally realized the danger and was ready to comply.

But the next moment, they saw he was now holding a psychic gun, something only military personnel could possess. Without a word, he aimed it at the man who had mocked him and fired.

A thin beam of psychic energy struck the target’s forehead.

The overwhelming force penetrated his body, shattered the defenses of his psychic pool, and exploded within it. The man’s body jerked violently, as if struck by lightning, his eyes rolled back, and after a few spasms, he spat out blood and collapsed.

Everyone was stunned.

Stunned that an ordinary civilian had a gun.

Even more stunned that this gunman’s psychic power was so strong, surpassing even military personnel!

After the initial shock wore off, they quickly drew their weapons to counterattack.

But Xu Qingran was quicker. His agile body moved like lightning, and in a flash, he was on the steps, kicking down the person still fixated on his original spot.

The checkpoint between West City’s District 19 and South City’s District 1 was sparsely populated and eerily quiet.

Aside from the boredom, fights could break out without anyone noticing, and there was no worry about the commotion attracting attention.

So Xu Qingran fought with relentless enthusiasm and brute force.

Just as they said they would shoot if anyone defied them, Xu Qingran was also willing to kill. But unlike them, who enjoyed the thrill of standing at the top and controlling others' lives, he wanted them to die with a 'lasting impression.'

He wanted them to remember the agony they endured before death.

Xu Qingran routinely beat them to the brink of death, leaving them powerless to resist, then took the photo from the dead man’s hand and asked one by one, "Have you seen this girl?"

The people being questioned were in unbearable pain.

Outwardly, their bodies appeared unharmed, but only they knew that their internal organs and bones had been shattered by Xu Qingran’s psychic power.

Xu Qingran asked each one, but no one could answer his question.

So the wails on the ground grew fewer and fewer.

Until the end, only that cocky little fat guy remained.

Seeing the corpses of his comrades, he panicked, turning to crawl toward the other side of the checkpoint.

Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as he frantically shouted, "Help... help, someone please help...!"

...The control room!

There was a communicator there to contact other stations. Even if it meant his death, he couldn’t let this man leave West City alive!

However, with his bulky frame, injuries, and legs rendered useless, how could he possibly outrun Xu Qingran?

He hadn't crawled far before a pair of ornate military boots embroidered with silver wyverns appeared in his vision.

Up close, he noticed that the material of these boots differed from theirs. The pair before him was clearly much more expensive and refined.

By chance, the spot where the fat man was halted happened to be right next to the corpse of the bird he had just killed.

Following the boots upward, he looked up and met those deep amber eyes.

A faint smile played in them.

The question Xu Qingran asked was one the fat soldier had memorized.

In fact, earlier that day, while on checkpoint duty, they had encountered a vehicle returning from South City to West City. The driver was a priest from a temple in District 19, and since the priest had excellent relations with the military, they had followed protocol, letting him pass with minimal inspection.

If there was anyone related to the missing children, he could only think of them.

A coward who feared death, he was prepared to offer this crucial information when Xu Qingran asked the question.

But to his surprise, Xu Qingran didn't repeat the question. Instead, he appeared weary, speaking in a lazy tone, "Oh, so you have a preferred way to die?"

His eyes curved, smiling like a demon in an angel’s disguise: "I can grant you that."

"Wait..."

The fat man’s words were interrupted by a series of muffled sounds from the checkpoint station.

The sounds repeated several times until the man lying on the ground ceased breathing.

Xu Qingran then glanced down at the photo in his hand and murmured, "Never mind, I’ll take care of it myself."

After folding the paper and tucking it into his pocket, his gaze fell on the tragically dead bird.

The wind blowing in from outside the checkpoint made its feathers flutter slightly.

He picked it up with one hand, carried it outside the checkpoint, and buried it under a tree.

Xu Qingran crouched there, staring at the mound of dirt for a full minute.

Then he picked up a small stone, placed it on the freshly turned soil, and smiled, saying, "Be more careful in your next life."

He stood up and returned to the silent checkpoint station, driving his off-road vehicle boldly into District 19 of West City.

It was broad daylight, but Xu Qingran felt as though he had driven into the night of South City.

Along the way, he hardly saw any living souls moving about.

He drove slowly on the city roads. The houses were mostly occupied, but the residents were quiet, gloomy, and unusually wary. When they saw his car passing by and met his gaze, they would expressionlessly close their curtains.

The architecture of West City isn’t much different from that of South City.

If anything, the style is slightly more Western.

Xu Qingran wandered around District 19 from day to night without finding many people to ask about the situation.

Finally, he stopped at a noisy bar.

District 19 of West City is a bit livelier at night than during the day.

Because it borders the most strictly guarded Districts 1 and 2 of South City, and the surrounding areas of West City are also residential, this place is a 'safe haven' with hardly any Class IV demons around.

At night, all the troublemakers, street bullies, and people who don’t seem to have honest jobs come out to roam.

They congregate in spots that look like old Western saloons.

Xu Qingran pushed the door open and found a few soldiers who looked like they had just clocked out.

They sat around a table, enjoying their drinks.

The bar was run by a middle-aged couple, who appeared to be around fifty years old.

He walked to the bar, ordered a drink without much thought, and then took out a photo of Ma Biao’s daughter, asking, "Have you seen this girl?"

Then, he changed his approach: "Or maybe I should ask, do you know of any places or people who might take a child like this?"

Upon hearing his question, the couple’s faces visibly tightened.

Besides fear, there was terror, as if they had remembered something horrifying.

"Sorry, sir, but... there are just too many cases of children being abducted here. We really don't know what information we can provide you with." The military personnel in West City, apart from clearing out the devils in disaster areas and preventing the loss of residential areas, don't handle much else.

So even if the residents know something, they have no way to act on it.

Xu Qingran didn't press them further and went on to ask the other patrons at the bar.

Fortunately, most of the customers tonight were in a good mood and didn't provoke him, so the couple was fortunate to avoid any damage to their bar.

Among those Xu Qingran asked, some even gave him sympathetic glances after he asked, but everyone's answer was the same—they didn't know.

The last ones he asked were the group of drunken soldiers.

They were just getting up to leave.

"Huh? A kid?"

"Bro, we're all single, no kids for you, what can we do?"

"Hahahaha! Dying of laughter here, actually asking us for a kid, what a fool, right?"

Their faces flushed, they laughed uproariously as they stumbled out.

Only the only relatively sober, dark-skinned man among them glanced back at Xu Qingran, who was deep in thought, staring at the photo, before following his companions out of the bar.

Xu Qingran left without any results and without touching the drink he had ordered.

As he walked back to his car, he could still make out the figures of the drunken soldiers, arms slung over each other, swaying in the distance at the other end of the street.

Remembering their earlier attitude, Xu Qingran suddenly felt his fists itching.

He was just thinking about whether to go over and throw a few punches to blow off some steam when he suddenly sensed someone approaching.

He turned his head and saw a dark-skinned young man also wearing the Silver Dragon military uniform.

He didn’t look very old, but his exact age was hard to guess.

The boy seemed mute, making incoherent sounds and gesturing, then pointing toward a part of the town.

Xu Qingran paused, then pulled out a photo of Ma Biao’s youngest daughter and asked, "Do you know where she is?"

The boy’s eyes lit up briefly, but then he hesitated, looking scared, and gave a small nod.

"Fine, take me there," Xu Qingran said coolly. "If we don’t find her, you’re dead."

The boy froze for a moment, clearly scared, but Xu Qingran yanked him into the car before he could bolt.

He had no choice but to lead Xu Qingran to what looked like an ordinary house.

Xu Qingran scanned the house, then turned to the boy.

The boy motioned to Xu Qingran, leading him to the side of the house, where he pulled out a loose brick and pointed inside.

The mute boy looked terrified for some reason.

Xu Qingran peeked inside. Huh. The place looked like a church.

He saw a group of people lighting candles, with weird symbols on the floor, surrounding a young woman in the middle of some creepy ritual. A man in a robe was cutting into the woman’s pale arm with a knife.

He held a bowl, catching the blood.

Even a Silver Dragon soldier was among these crazies.

The mute boy clutched the brick, glancing around nervously, scared they’d be caught.

When he looked back at the hole, Xu Qingran was gone.

The mute boy froze: "What the—?!"

Panicking, he looked around and saw the masked man stride to the door and kick it down.

The ritual was interrupted, and chaos broke out with shouts and curses.

He heard the sound of guns and weapons being drawn.

The mute boy dropped the brick and covered his eyes, terrified.

"Oh no, oh no, why is he so reckless?! Who charges in like that? Shouldn’t he have a plan? They’ve got guns—he’s gonna get shot to pieces!"

Sure enough, gunfire erupted inside the house.

Bang, bang, bang—he was sure Xu Qingran was dead.

He crouched outside, clutching his head, waiting.

Then he realized the house had gone eerily quiet, with only the sound of a girl sobbing in fear.

The little mute cautiously approached the front of the house, peeking in with half his head.

Then he was shocked to see a room full of corpses.

In the corner of the hall, a large square board leading to the basement had been pried open.

·

After Xu Qingran killed all the odd individuals, he circled around and found the hollow floorboard.

He lifted it, revealing stairs that descended into the basement.

After descending, he ventured deeper and soon found himself in a chamber.

Inside, there were three children and a gaunt, white-haired old man with shoulder-length hair and a weathered appearance. They were all bound by heavy iron chains, limiting their movement.

When they saw him enter, their timid eyes clearly marked him as one of the villains.

The secret room was illuminated by a few faint, yellow lights.

Xu Qingran's gaze swept over them before settling on the girl with two small braids huddled in the corner.

Then he addressed her: "Little Jasmine?"

The girl, frozen in fear, suddenly perked up at the familiar nickname, her eyes brightening as she looked at him.

She asked, "How do you know my name?"

Xu Qingran's eyes crinkled slightly: "Because your dad sent me to rescue you."

Hearing this, not just Little Jasmine, but the other two children and the gaunt old man looked up at him.

Their eyes lit up as if beholding a savior.

Xu Qingran first used the psychic gun to shatter their iron chains.

Then he pulled out a knife, using his psychic power to sever the heavy shackles, freeing their hands and feet.

The old man urged, "Child, did you sneak in to save us while they were gone?"

"Then let's hurry and leave before they return; it would be bad if we're caught!" They were all elderly, weak, or young, incapable of doing much. He didn't want to burden their savior if something went wrong.

Xu Qingran replied, "No, I came down while they were still here."

"Don't worry, everyone upstairs is dead."

The old man fell silent.

Generally, cult members aren't interested in old folks—especially old men.

When capturing the other two children, they ran into this stubbornly helpful old man and took him along to avoid complications.

Just as Xu Qingran was about to lead them out, a beastly roar erupted from the depths of the secret room.

And it sounded like more than one.

He paused his steps and heard the old man beside him sigh, "Poor white dog, fighting with those cats again."

Next to the secret room, there was a narrow path leading to another space.

According to the old man, there seemed to be a rare breed of white dog kept inside. The church members, whether to train it or to tame its wild nature, had introduced more than a dozen cats to fight with it, which was already injured.

Xu Qingran didn’t think much of it at first.

He thought, a dog fighting cats—what could possibly come of that?

Until he walked in out of curiosity.

Only then did he realize that the cats the old man mentioned—

were as big and fierce as the northeastern tigers he remembered, with teeth and claws just as sharp.

And the so-called white dog—

was a dog that looked very much like a wolf from his memory, even one or two times larger than an ordinary wolf.

Xu Qingran admitted that, at this moment, he was truly stunned.

Those animals were isolated in a spacious 'cage' resembling a prison, with metal bars made of special material.

When he entered, he happened to see the scene of the 'white dog' pouncing on the northeastern tiger-like cat. Its sharp claws, glowing faintly with psychic energy, tore through the cat’s skin, leaving deep gashes on its already battered body.

The big cat tried to retaliate but missed, as the white dog swiftly dodged.

Then the white dog turned and sank its teeth into the cat’s neck. The sickening crunch of bones echoed in the confined space.

Before this, more than a dozen corpses of the tiger-like cats were already lying in the corner.

As the white dog bared its teeth and struck at its target’s vital point, it turned slightly, its cold, icy gaze sweeping past the onlookers outside the cage.

Xu Qingran froze.

Its eyes were blue, slightly lighter than Shen Tingyu’s sapphire-like blue, but just as beautiful.

He heard the old man’s voice, dry and brittle like dead wood, mutter, "The white dog... it must’ve been captured from the north city."

"This is a wolf-like dog that can only be found in the north city region, and the white ones are especially rare. In an entire mountain of dogs, you might find just one."

"So the white dog is revered as a symbol of faith by the people of the north city."