You're Exposed, Beast!

He had Huang Qingyi's contact information and sent him a message directly.

"128 Longshan Road, name Tang Shengchun. Feeding people with locust eggs mixed with Filth Worm's black threads will trigger 'Locust-Human Nest'."

After sending the message, he quickly deleted it and put his phone away, then went upstairs.

Upon reaching the living room on the first floor, Tang Shengchun gestured for Li Ye to sit down.

"Water or Coke?"

"Coke."

Tang Shengchun took a can of Coke from the refrigerator for Li Ye, then casually sat down next to him, smiling at him.

"At your current pace, you'll be able to step into the Dragon Gate realm in about a month."

"Practicing martial arts is very tough. I came from the traditional path, and after studying Western high technology, I realized that there's no need for us Divine Land people to suffer so much when practicing martial arts."

"Mm, you're right."

Li Ye drank his Coke, offering a perfunctory response. But the next second, every hair on his body stood on end.

He felt a hand on his thigh. Tang Shengchun had somehow moved closer to him, his hand resting on Li Ye's knee and beginning to move up his thigh.

"Xiao Ye, may I call you that? Actually, I've always felt sorry for people like you who get a 'Superior' rating in physical tests but can't enter the martial arts path. That's why I returned to the Divine Land to establish high-tech martial arts training.

"The Divine Land only focuses on so-called geniuses who enter the martial arts path through Guiding Methods, ignoring people like you. But in the West, martial arts is a gradual process. Martial arts entered through accumulation and training is definitely stronger than that of the Divine Land."

Without leaving a trace, he glanced at Li Ye's thigh outside his shorts and smiled, "Look at your thigh, it's perfectly trained. The muscles are close to the bone, the contours are distinct, it has a sense of power but isn't bulky."

"The muscle texture is also clear, and the feel... firm yet elastic. You can tell at a glance it contains strong supporting and twisting power, like a cheetah, such beautiful lines."

Damn it, he's still squeezing!

Li Ye's pupils constricted, his body stiffening like a sculpture.

He wasn't afraid of demons or monsters, nor the dangers of combat. After all, if he encountered them, there was nothing he could do.

He was afraid of this!

This was worse than killing him!

Damn it, not only is he a terrorist, but he's also an old gay!

Li Ye practically sprang up, putting a wide distance between himself and Tang Shengchun. He quickly changed the subject, "Coach, this Nutrient Solution is quite amazing. I feel like I have endless energy, but is there no other way besides the Nutrient Solution? I saw some strange medical pods in the basement..."

"You don't need them yet."

Tang Shengchun smiled, "It's not that easy for preparatory students to break through the Dragon Gate. Once your evaluation reaches level 9 with me, you'll enter there daily. Like the medicinal baths at the martial arts hall, it can strengthen the Nutrient Solution you drink, allowing you to break through the Dragon Gate faster."

Something that accelerates the hatching of locust eggs.

Li Ye's eyes narrowed, thinking of the Filth Worm's black threads mixed in the liquid.

Plain locust eggs, even those tainted with demonic energy, would cause physical discomfort.

But with the addition of Filth Worm's black threads, given the Filth Worm's parasitic nature, it would hide and suppress the discomfort within the body, allowing the eggs to burrow deeper. It was estimated that they would only be detected at the final stage of eruption.

Combined with the medical pods, by the time of breaking through the Dragon Gate, it would be too late to undo anything.

"Am I the only one you've recruited so far? I heard from my parents that you have many successful cases in Yangcheng," Li Ye asked.

"Xiao Ye, I know it's hard for you to trust me at first. After all, you have the traditional Divine Land mindset. But in the West, high-tech martial arts training is the mainstream."

Tang Shengchun took it as the wariness of a young person and chuckled, "I'm expanding my market here in Ningjiang first. You're not the only one. I've recruited a total of ten students, and they'll be coming this afternoon. After all, the 'materials' are limited, and we can't accommodate more. Only when we have more materials can we 'benefit' more students."

He deliberately emphasized the words "materials" and "benefit," his eyes narrowing as he spoke, like a cunning old wolf that had entered a flock of sheep. He said triumphantly, "No rush, there's plenty of time. As we spend more time together, I'll know your depths, and you'll know my strengths..."

Know my ass! Know my father!

Li Ye forced a smile, about to try and pry for more information, when suddenly a piercing sound erupted from outside.

Brummmmm!!

It sounded like someone revving their engine on the street, the sound incredibly loud.

Hearing the noise, Tang Shengchun frowned but said nothing, assuming it was just someone showing off their engine.

Li Ye casually took out his phone to check. There was a message from an unknown number, containing only three words.

"Five minutes!"

The message was sent exactly five minutes ago.

He put down his phone, his expression relaxing. He pulled open the backpack he brought, took out a golden cigarette case, and lit a cigarette.

Tang Shengchun frowned further, "How can you smoke at your age? It's bad for your health."

"It's okay. After all, no matter how bad it is for my health..."

Li Ye listened to the engine sound, which was getting louder and closer, and grinned at Tang Shengchun, "It's not as harmful as what you're doing."

"What do you mean?"

BOOM!!

Tang Shengchun had just finished speaking when the wall was smashed open. Amidst flying debris, a motorcycle with enormous rear wheels roared in, its rapidly spinning tires pressing down directly on him!

Pfft!

The stone floor was forced into a deep indentation, trapping Tang Shengchun within. He coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"Hoo..."

Li Ye exhaled smoke, which dispersed in front of him. He bared his teeth and grinned, "Also, this is a special issue from the Pest Control Bureau. You should know what that means. You're busted, you bastard!"

"Hahahahaha!"

Pan Zhengyang's laughter boomed from the motorcycle. "I finally found you guys!"

"Impossible!" Tang Shengchun's face was filled with disbelief.

The students he recruited were all investigated beforehand, starting with their parents, observing their words and actions, and checking their backgrounds.

He was certain these students were just ordinary preparatory students, the kind desperate enough to try anything. They would absolutely not bring anyone with a background that could put him in danger.

Rich people might have connections, but rich preparatory students would never be interested in 'high-tech martial arts training'; they had established channels for that.

Let alone having connections like the Pest Control Bureau.

Only ordinary families with nothing and no money, but who happened to have a child capable of martial arts but unable to break through the Dragon Gate Realm, would panic and grasp at any possibility.

Li Ye couldn't have found him!

He'd been watching for a long time? Even more impossible!

Before Li Ye arrived, he hadn't revealed any details to anyone. Anyone who came to visit would see it as normal 'high-tech martial arts training,' at most an industry skirting the edges of legality.

It couldn't be that he drank the incubation fluid, learned the ingredients inside, and coincidentally had ties to the Pest Control Bureau, leading him to report it, right?

"Yangcheng, you guys got away last time. Let's see how you escape this time!"

Pan Zhengyang dismounted his motorcycle and reached out to grab Tang Shengchun, who was pinned beneath.

"You wish!"

Tang Shengchun roared, black lines erupting on his face. His entire body suddenly bulged by a full circle.

Thump!

The floor beneath cracked further. Tang Shengchun sprang out from under the motorcycle. As he did, Li Ye's eyes widened.

The guy's legs had completely mutated, resembling locust legs, bending backward and covered in spines.

But the moment he broke free from the motorcycle, Pan Zhengyang casually pulled out a black cloth-wrapped package from the bike. With a flick of his wrist, he revealed a guidao saber.

Pfft!

The saber flashed, a blur of motion that sliced through Tang Shengchun's body, cutting him in half at the waist. His upper torso fell to the ground.

Pan Zhengyang clicked his tongue. "Just a small fry, but a Dragon Gate Realm cultivator. If I let you escape, what kind of reputation would I have?"

He flicked the blood off the saber, slung it over his shoulder, and looked at Li Ye. "Kid, good job."

Li Ye was a little stunned. "You just attacked without hesitation. What if I had been mistaken?"

"First, a normal person wouldn't talk to me about insect eggs for no reason, let alone precisely about a 'Locust-Human Nest' demon. Second, you yourself have the ability to identify demons, and the current outcome proves you're more reliable than our data analysts." Pan Zhengyang patted the motorcycle beside him. "Besides, who do you think I am? If I had made a mistake, I would have stopped the moment I crashed in. At worst, I'd pay for repairs, no big deal. And I wouldn't make a mistake; after killing demons for so many years, I have this intuition."

"Intuition honed by experience..."

Li Ye chuckled and looked down at Tang Shengchun, who had been cut in half but was still breathing. "What is this? A human mutated into a demon? Does such a thing exist in the world?"

Hearing this, Pan Zhengyang glared hatefully at Tang Shengchun before replying to Li Ye:

"It has nothing to do with you, a student. Knowing too much isn't good for you. Anyway, if you encounter something like this, report it; you definitely won't be wrong. But how did you discover it?"

Li Ye briefly recounted drinking the insect egg liquid and his parents reporting the name. Pan Zhengyang's expression turned strange.

It wasn't about high-tech martial arts training, but something else entirely.

"You mean, after drinking that so-called nutrient solution, you immediately noticed something was wrong, sensed the abnormal Blood Essence, and used your experience to deduce its components, then inferred the specific demon?"

Li Ye's face remained calm. "What's wrong?"

Pan Zhengyang stared intently at him. "Can you truly sense your own Blood Essence precisely? Are you sure?"

Li Ye nodded.

Pan Zhengyang asked, "According to your senses, when will you break through the Dragon Gate?"

"Based on my current progress, it should be in the afternoon three days from now, around three or four o'clock."

Dà Mǐ would arrive in three days.

"You can even pinpoint the time? Good. Don't worry about three days from now; even if you break through on the fourth or fifth day, come find me. You absolutely must come find me!"

Pan Zhengyang's eyes burned with intensity. "This is a good thing for you."

"Okay, but this report... I've earned some merit, right?"

Li Ye finished speaking and stared intently at Pan Zhengyang.

His meaning was practically spelled out.

"Reward for reporting, it's time to cash in!"

Pan Zhengyang smiled, "Do you know how much that number I messaged you on is worth? The favor of a Pest Control Bureau Chief, something so many people can't even beg for."

Li Ye also smiled, "I'm just a student."

Pan Zhengyang bared his teeth, "Good kid, I like people like you. You're indeed suited for our Pest Control Bureau! Hmm, thirty thousand yuan then."

"I thought it would be five hundred thousand," Li Ye said.

"If you can make him spit out the information I want, let alone five hundred thousand, I'll give you whatever you ask for."

Pan Zhengyang shook his head and looked at Tang Shengchun, "But he's just a small fry, not even worth keeping alive."

Li Ye followed his gaze and saw that Tang Shengchun's head had mutated into half a locust head, his mouth completely transformed into locust mouthparts, unable to speak human language anymore.

"We chatted for a bit earlier, and he said materials were limited, so they're only recruiting ten students. This 'material,' it's not what I'm thinking, is it?"

"It's not a Locust-Human Nest."

Pan Zhengyang shook his head, "It's something higher up."

Li Ye thought for a moment, uncertainly asking, "Calamity Locust Ghost?"

The demons in the world are myriad and strange, with diverse origins. Some undergo staged evolution, some form naturally, some are mutations, and some have prerequisite conditions.

Locust-Human Nests are prerequisites for great demons.

Just like a single locust poses no threat, a swarm of locusts becomes toxic.

Once too many Locust-Human Nests appear, another demon will be born.

The Calamity Locust Ghost.

Along with the chaff hungry ghost, they are both listed in high school textbooks, considered among the great demons that humanity must recognize.

If the chaff hungry ghost is a man-made disaster, where improper handling allows disaster to fester and ultimately give birth to a great demon.

The Calamity Locust Ghost is a natural disaster. Once it appears, it can blot out the sun. At this stage, the locusts become a true plague, devouring all living things.

"Don't think too much about it. What if you know? You're not even in the Dragon Gate Realm. Such great demons have nothing to do with you. Practice martial arts properly. If you want to contribute, you need to get stronger first."

Pan Zhengyang waved his hand, "Go back. Go to the hospital and take some deworming medicine first, otherwise, you'll be full of worms. It's good you found out early; a few more days and even a god couldn't save you."

It was just early-stage parasitic eggs entering the body, something modern methods could resolve.

However, Li Ye didn't even need to take medicine; he had completely absorbed and refined it into Blood Essence.

"He scammed my family out of three hundred thousand. This money needs to be recovered."

"It will be returned to your family today," Pan Zhengyang said.

"Alright, I'll be going then."

Li Ye turned to leave, but after only two steps, Pan Zhengyang's voice rang out again.

"Wait."

He turned around and saw an object being tossed towards him. He caught it, and the weight in his hand was considerable.

Looking closer...

A Desert Eagle?

He was holding a silver-white Desert Eagle, but its caliber was larger, and the barrel was thicker and longer.

"This is for you. Come by later to get some bullets. I see you've encountered two demons these past few days. You're a troublesome one, so keep this for self-defense. The Pest Control Bureau isn't always fast enough, so having a gun can help you solve problems yourself."

Pan Zhengyang smacked his lips, "This thing is sometimes more useful than martial arts."

Li Ye twitched the corner of his mouth.

Ballistics are also a Dao, and marksmanship is also a Dao, right?

But it was indeed a good thing.

Blood Essence repels evil, gunpowder drives away evil. Besides evil, it can also kill people.

For someone like Tang Shengchun, who was in the Three Dragon Gates, if he had a gun like this, he could really handle things himself.

After leaving the villa, Li Ye saw a convoy of police cars ahead, preparing to surround the area.

He thought about the time it took and let out a wry laugh.

Five minutes.

The Pest Control Bureau was thirty kilometers away. Pan Zhengyang's motorcycle must have been doing two hundred kilometers per hour, its tires probably smoking.

"Don't let ordinary people know about the cult? Or some fifty thousand?"

He mused on Pan Zhengyang's words, then shook his head.

Beneath this seemingly calm surface, there were things he couldn't access.

But all of this truly had nothing to do with him. His immediate priority was to break through the Dragon Gate!

Becoming a martial artist was the only way to more effectively control his own destiny and future, rather than being completely clueless and relying on guesswork.

He casually touched his backpack, where the gun was, and murmured:

"Otherwise, I'll just be passively given things like you. I want to take them myself..."