Notebook

"This thing is getting stronger, we shouldn't waste any more time."

Fu Qian pointed upwards with his hand.

Successfully acquiring four escorts was an unexpected bonus.

Without further ado, his top priority was to lead the group to the Divine Son to assist with the birth.

And he wasn't just saying it.

It had only been a few minutes since they left the house, but the shadows overhead had grown denser, and visibility had decreased significantly.

Even the wind felt thick and uncomfortable, as if it were laced with invisible needles, making their skin tingle.

"The perimeter has been cleared as well."

The captain nodded and decisively issued an order.

Considering Fu Qian's poor condition, he specifically instructed Bai Ci Nü Su Gao to keep a close eye on him.

Whether that meant watching over him or monitoring him was hard to say.

Fu Qian had no objections.

After all, his background was mysterious, and it was impossible to dispel their wariness with just a few words.

Not to mention that these people were currently in a bloodthirsty state.

Soon, the group crossed a long street, heading towards the center of the shadows.

The atmosphere along the way was oppressive, and everyone remained silent.

Indeed, aside from the naturally perverse, few people could maintain a good mood after slaughtering their own kind—even with ample justification.

The surroundings were an older residential area with tightly packed buildings, severely limiting their vision.

Everyone drew their weapons and proceeded with caution. Fu Qian, walking in the center of the group, was actually the most relaxed.

As they approached the central area, Fu Qian suddenly felt a sense of alarm.

A window on a nearby building was suddenly pushed open, and a grayish mass shot out, hurtling towards his face.

Su Gao's blade and Fu Qian's Air Bullet struck it almost simultaneously.

Crack!

The thing stumbled from the impact, then was cleanly cut in half by Su Gao's swift strike.

Even so, it left a deep gash on Fu Qian's shoulder.

Half of its body continued to crawl on the ground for several meters before stopping.

Having undergone special training, Fu Qian no longer cared about such minor injuries and immediately retreated to a safe distance.

It was then that he finally saw what had attacked him.

Black long hair, a stained coat; it looked like it had been a person not long ago.

Unfortunately, it was now completely deformed.

Its entire body seemed to have been stretched ten times its length and then snapped back, its legs almost retracted into its body, leaving only a small segment at the very bottom.

"This is the first time I've seen this kind of Curse," the crew-cut man said, taking a deep breath, though his tone held a hint of relief.

Fu Qian glanced around, and the captain and the others showed similar expressions.

Although they had previously speculated that the Curse's contamination would lead to mutations into monsters, it had only been a hypothesis. Now that it was confirmed, their guilt had lessened somewhat.

"How's your injury?" the captain asked, turning to look at Fu Qian.

"It's nothing, let's keep going!"

Fu Qian acted as if he hadn't noticed the wound on his shoulder, having decided to maintain his tough guy image to the end.

Hmm.

The captain nodded silently, having observed Fu Qian's reaction after the attack.

He was increasingly convinced that Fu Qian was a seasoned transcendent who had seen his fair share of battles.

Only someone like that could possess such knowledge and courage.

The captain secretly admired him and resolved to find a way to help Fu Qian break the Curse after the matter was resolved.

"Damn it, there are still so many!"

At that moment, a gruff voice could be heard from the crew-cut man.

In just this short while, Maggot People had emerged from windows, rooftops, and even overhead pipes, surrounding the five of them.

"Move!" the captain ordered decisively.

The group began to move quickly, clearing a path before they were completely surrounded.

Fu Qian was quite happy. Along the way, no matter who attacked, he unhesitatingly fired an Air Bullet at them.

If he remembered correctly, the summary included enemy kill counts, which might affect rewards or something. It couldn't hurt to rack up some stats.

Plus, he could practice his proficiency.

Soon, Fu Qian's Air Bullets were hitting headshots every time.

Combined with the Cat School's buffs, he was now hitting whatever he aimed at.

At this point, the five of them had rounded the corner of the long street, and the scene opened up before them.

In the spacious hall, nearly a hundred figures wrapped in human clothing were hunched over on the ground.

They were packed densely, covering every area.

Among them were individuals who looked like they were once well-dressed.

Their bodies even swayed gently to some kind of rhythm.

Damn it!

Even though Fu Qian claimed to be well-traveled and experienced, he felt a wave of nausea at the sight.

The captain's face had turned as black as charcoal; he clearly hadn't expected things to be this serious.

"Alright, let's stop here!"

Before he could speak, the old man, who had been silent until now, spoke up.

Seeing everyone looking at him, the old man snorted and continued.

"I believe this incident has exceeded our authority to handle. We should report it to the agency and have them send people to deal with it."

"I think you're just scared!"

The buzz-cut man was the first to explode.

"Report it? Don't tell me you don't know how long it will take them to get here!"

"That's right, I'm scared."

The old man was unfazed.

"I'm not like you guys. I only do what's within my responsibilities."

"What we did before can still be somewhat explained, but what do you plan to do with this scene now?"

"With so many people, if we really turn this place into a living hell, are you really confident you won't be held accountable?"

"If we all die here, the situation will truly be out of control."

"We don't even know what caused the pollution and the Curse. It's all based on what this stranger said, and you just believe him?"

Why is this bringing me into it again?

Seeing the old man pointing at him, Fu Qian calmly shook his head.

"There's no need to believe everything. Not everything I said was the truth to begin with."

"We can't just leave. We won't be able to explain ourselves if we go back."

The captain said with a cold face.

"Who says we found nothing."

The old man pulled out an item and tossed it over.

"At least we found this."

Fu Qian glanced at it – a tattered black notebook.

"Where did you find it?"

The captain, however, looked startled.

"During the cleanup."

The old man snorted and pointed at Fu Qian.

"Except I didn't trust him, so I didn't take it out until now."

"With this, it's not like we found nothing, right?"

Seeing the remaining three fall silent, seemingly swayed, Fu Qian felt uneasy.

This wasn't right. It felt like they were about to disband before even meeting the boss.

Fu Qian pointed at the item in the captain's hand.

"Here, can I take a look?"

"This is an important item."

Before the captain could reply, the buzz-cut man got angry first.

The captain ignored him and handed the notebook over.

"There's no harm in showing you, this thing is related to another incident we've been looking for.

I've looked through it before, and there's nothing special."

The notebook was thin, not containing much. Fu Qian flipped through it with his fingertips, frowning.

"I don't understand this part here? What does it mean?"

What?

Following where Fu Qian pointed, everyone looked at him as if he were joking.

"You're not kidding, are you?"

"Why would I joke? This part is a mess of gibberish, I can't understand it at all."

The captain silently handed him a stick.

"Can you copy it?"

Fu Qian: "Why?"

"Because to us, that section is blank."