Chapter 139 Beloved (1) The Monster in the Slums…

Chapter 139 The Beloved (1) Monsters in the Slums...

When You Guang regained consciousness, she found herself standing before a clinic, utterly bewildered. Hadn't she just been in a narrow alley with a wealthy lady? How had she suddenly ended up here?

A wave of confusion and panic washed over her. She scanned her surroundings but saw no sign of the woman. Peering through the glass door of the clinic, she saw a doctor inside speaking to a woman with long black hair, her back to the door.

You Guang felt disoriented—had everything before been a dream?

Looking down, she realized the trash she had collected was gone. Panic seized her; that was her entire day's effort, and she hadn't eaten yet!

Strangely, despite not having eaten all day, she felt no hunger. Instead, a peculiar sense of energetic fullness enveloped her.

You Guang ran down the street, searching for her trash bag. As she reached into her pocket, her fingers brushed against something. Pulling it out, she was stunned to see a check.

Her eyes widened—how could a check possibly be in her pocket? Under the streetlight, she examined it closely, shocked to discover it was for ten thousand yuan, with her name written on it...

"Help me with one thing, and I'll give you ten thousand."

The woman's words echoed in her ears. Had it truly not been a dream?

***

Night had fallen, and the moon shone brightly.

Wei Tao stood alone outside the slum, wind whipping trash everywhere. She glanced up, noticing the recently installed surveillance cameras around the perimeter.

She had a vague sense that something was amiss in Seven Cities. Over a month ago, the city had suddenly gone on high alert, followed by a two-day lockdown of District B, restricting movement in certain areas. And in recent days, she'd clearly noticed an increase in patrolling soldiers and Divine Chosen on the streets. However, not being an official Divine Chosen, she was privy to few details.

As she paced, lost in thought, a flashy sports car pulled up in front of her.

A young woman emerged—her regular partner for the past month, Miao Yuanjin. Miao Yuanjin wore a military-green outfit of special material, her face beaming with excitement.

Wei Tao's lips twitched at the sight.

"When did you get here?" Miao Yuanjin scurried over, looking around. "Wasn't there supposed to be one more person?"

"You..." Wei Tao offered a gentle suggestion, "Next time we go on a mission, could you drive something a little less conspicuous?"

She was being diplomatic. What she really wanted to suggest was for Miao Yuanjin to forgo driving altogether and take public transport or a taxi.

But Miao Yuanjin paused, glanced back at her car, and looked troubled. "This is already my most low-key car. Look at the color—it's a drab gray."

Wei Tao: "..."

Wei Tao was speechless. She risked her life on missions and couldn't dream of affording such a car, yet for Miao Yuanjin, it was "low-key." Clearly, this young lady came from immense wealth. Wei Tao just couldn't fathom why she'd chosen to become a Pollution Source Hunter.

"The other person hasn't arrived yet," Wei Tao changed the subject. "Let's wait a bit longer."

After about ten minutes, someone finally appeared from around the street corner.

The person wore a dark hoodie, hood up, hands stuffed in pockets, head down as she walked toward them. From her build, it was clear she was female—tall and slender.

Wei Tao was pleased. This person was discreet—likely an experienced professional.

Only when the woman drew closer did Wei Tao ask, "Here for the mission?"

"Mm." The woman nodded, hands still in her pockets.

"Everyone's here," Wei Tao turned to face the slum. "I assume you're all familiar with the mission details. Before we go in, I think we should confirm our identities to facilitate cooperation. I'll start: I'm Wei Tao, a second-level Beast God Chosen."

Miao Yuanjin wasn't keen on sharing her name with strangers. "I'm a first-level Moon God Chosen."

To prevent Miao Yuanjin from being underestimated, Wei Tao quickly added, "She's already showing signs of advancement; she'll be a second-level Moon God Chosen very soon."

Wei Tao was right; Miao Yuanjin had indeed felt on the verge of advancing recently.

Once she reached second-level, things would improve. A second-level Moon God Chosen could use a Holy Light Barrier, capable of defending against certain pollutant attacks.

The woman in the hood, still with her hands in her pockets and head down, said, "I'm a Beloved of the God of Thunder and Lightning. I... am also second-level. My name is... Wang Zuxian."

Wei Tao paused, surprised. The voice sounded quite young, similar to Miao Yuanjin's. Looking closer, she saw that the woman not only wore a hood but also a medical mask. Under the streetlight, her face was completely obscured.

But in their line of work, you encountered all sorts. Wei Tao was long accustomed to it. After these brief introductions, Wei Tao said, "Since everyone's here, shall we go in?"

"Mm." Wang Zuxian nodded.

"Okay." Miao Yuanjin had no objections.

Yet, Miao Yuanjin felt a flicker of confusion. When Wang Zuxian had spoken, her heart had skipped a beat—that voice felt strangely familiar.

The three entered the slum together.

This area was the worst of the worst, long overdue for demolition, but the presence of a pollution source had indefinitely delayed it.

The paths inside were narrow and winding, lined with illegally constructed shacks. Miao Yuanjin covered her nose as they walked; an unpleasant stench permeated the air, and the cracked, broken ground was perpetually damp, stained with unknown liquids.

"The drainage system here is terrible," Wei Tao explained. Having grown up poor before becoming a Divine Chosen, she was familiar with such places. "Much of the sewage can't drain, hence the foul smell."

Yu Xing was also familiar with the area; in the original host's memories, she had often visited.

There were no streetlights here. The three activated their terminals' illumination functions, navigating the slum carefully.

The slum wasn't particularly large. Moving quickly, they traversed the entire area in less than two hours.

Returning to their meeting point under the streetlight, Wei Tao frowned. "After walking the whole area, did either of you find anything?"

Miao Yuanjin shook her head, brows furrowed.

Yu Xing glanced at Miao Yuanjin, then said, "The intel stated that only those involved in demolition encountered problems. I think we should test that. I brought tools—wait here."

She dashed to a corner and returned moments later, carrying three large sledgehammers.

"..." Wei Tao was stunned. "You actually brought these?"

Each holding a hammer, Wei Tao's expression was complex. "Where do we start? Do we just pick a random spot and start demolishing? Most of these houses are inhabited."

No sooner had she spoken than Yu Xing looked at Miao Yuanjin. "You're a Moon God Chosen; you must be able to sense where the pollution is strongest, right?"

Miao Yuanjin: "..."

Miao Yuanjin studied this "Wang Zuxian," the sense of familiarity growing stronger.

Wei Tao, unsuspecting, also turned to Miao Yuanjin. Suppressing her mixed emotions, Miao Yuanjin said, "Earlier, I did sense one spot where the pollution was particularly intense."

The three walked to the location Miao Yuanjin indicated—a small, dilapidated house with a collapsed roof.

It was clearly abandoned long ago, its front door missing. The roof was split open, allowing moonlight to stream inside.

The interior was even more ruinous, with walls covered in graffiti and mold, and trash strewn across the floor.

"Is this the place?" Wei Tao asked, covering her nose as she stepped inside.

It was a one-room house with a tiny bathroom, clearly uninhabited for at least seven or eight years. Buildings in the slums were already poorly constructed, especially in this area long overdue for demolition. Such houses, left vacant for extended periods, deteriorated rapidly.

Wei Tao and Miao Yuanjin scoured the place, inside and out, but found nothing.

Yu Xing remained outside the entire time. Seeing their fruitless search, she raised her hammer and said, "Don't waste time. Let's begin."

Wei Tao and Miao Yuanjin exchanged a look, then raised their hammers.

Yu Xing's main purpose today was to meet Miao Yuanjin; the mission pay was secondary. She wanted to finish the task quickly.

She raised her hammer and brought it down heavily against the wall of the derelict house.

"Boom!"

With a thunderous crash, Yu Xing suddenly felt a sense of being watched.

Her vision blurred, and the surrounding darkness seemed like paint on a canvas, being wiped away little by little to reveal the original bright background.

The night had abruptly transformed into day.

Clutching the hammer, Yu Xing looked around in astonishment—everything had indeed become daylight.

Not only that, but the ruined house before her was now intact. The door was perfectly fitted in its frame, the roof was sound, and the walls bore no graffiti.

Not just this dilapidated house, but everything around it seemed newer.

Other houses, even the roads, no longer looked old and worn.

People bustled about; the slum housed many "flawed" individuals. To make a living, adults left early each morning for work, mostly odd jobs as steady employment was hard to come by. Some children went to school, while others carried trash bags, scavenging.

She stood alone. Miao Yuanjin and Wei Tao were gone.

Yu Xing frowned, scanning her surroundings, just as a group of children ran past her, laughing and playing.

As she pondered the situation, the door of the restored house opened, and an old man emerged.

"Cough, cough..." The old man coughed a few times, carrying a bag. After locking the door behind him, he too left.

Could this be the former resident of this house?

Suspecting the old man might be connected to the pollution source, Yu Xing followed him out.

As they walked, the old man eventually left the slum. Yu Xing hesitated, unsure whether to follow. After all, the pollution source was supposed to be within the slum, not outside.

Just as she wavered, a rasping, "haha" panting sound suddenly reached her ears.

The noise was exceptionally clear, not human, but like the heavy breathing of a bear she'd once heard at the zoo.

Yu Xing turned—and froze at the shocking sight.

In the slum, a colossal, sky-blotting beast stood over the shantytown. Its fur was pitch-black, its eyes blood-red. Its gaping maw, teeth bared, dripped saliva onto Yu Xing.

A putrid stench washed over her. Yu Xing was so stunned her mouth hung open.

This big?!

She had long suspected the pollution source here was some kind of beast, but she never imagined it would be this enormous. It was too massive, taller than a building.