Sudden Change!

Originally, Cheese had planned to train Li Yèlái in the techniques of Psychic Barrier and Sky Stepping.

But now, the training plan had changed at the last minute.

Compared to training, which could be done at any time, an opportunity like this—low risk, helpful to civilians, and good for training rookies—was rare.

So, the instructor led four rookie handlers, while Cheese took Li Yèlái with her.

At the Security Bureau's invitation, they joined the ongoing manhunt.

The unexpected intelligence Li Yèlái had brought made the operation much easier.

When everyone drove to the alley where Li Yèlái had seen the girl yesterday.

One of the rookie handlers stepped out first. He was a mild-mannered man in his thirties. A faint light flickered in his eyes as he stared into the alley for a long while, clearly activating his ability.

A few minutes later, he gave the instructor a slight nod.

"It was indeed that little girl. A woman in her thirties led her into the alley."

"Good!" the instructor asked. "Can you track them?"

The man nodded. "That won't be difficult. My Trace Tracking can vaguely reveal their appearances and movements."

He can directly see traces, even the appearances of the people who left them behind. That really is a convenient ability, Li Yèlái thought.

This was an ability of the Spirit Eye Path.

It allowed one's eyes to see things that ordinary vision could not perceive.

Though it seemed to have little combat ability, it was first-rate in both pursuit and investigation.

By that logic, the Xiang Yu Mask's abilities were also part of the Spirit Eye Path, except what it saw was more powerful and mysterious, and it possessed tremendous destructive force.

He wondered what Path that blank mask represented.

As Li Yèlái pondered this, someone beside him spoke.

"You're Li Yèlái, the one who killed The Skinner? The instructor said you're strong. How about we spar sometime?"

Li Yèlái's heart stirred.

He turned around and saw a young man in casual clothes looking at him, idly playing with a diesel lighter. Behind him stood a girl who looked quite similar to him, tugging at him to stop talking, her face full of apology.

"Sure. Five hundred per match!" Li Yèlái replied with a smile.

"What do you mean?" The young man froze. "You charge a fee?"

"Of course. The Skinner got killed because he wouldn't pay me five hundred Mega City Coins," Li Yèlái said with a serious expression.

The young man was shocked. "So you were the one who tried to rob The Skinner?"

At those words, Cheese secretly laughed. The other rookies struggled not to laugh, and even the instructor's mouth twitched.

He suddenly felt that the rookie he had brought along was not quite right in the head.

There were four rookies brought by the instructor: two men and two women.

The oldest was the Spirit Eye Path psychic. He had once been a private Detective. After becoming a psychic, he had been discovered by the authorities and recruited into the Disaster Management Department. His codename was Detective.

There was also a pair of twin siblings who had graduated from high school only a few months ago, yet both had become psychics. After being discovered by the authorities, they had been invited to join.

The older brother followed the Zeroing Path, codenamed Starfire. His younger sister followed the Nether Path, codenamed Shadowflow.

It had been Starfire who spoke to Li Yèlái just now. He was somewhat young and hot-blooded.

That was normal. At that age, suddenly gaining extraordinary power naturally made one competitive. He would mature after some time. Perhaps because he also had a younger sister, Li Yèlái found Starfire rather likable.

The last was a delicate-looking girl with a ponytail and a short stature. She looked underage, but was actually about Li Yèlái's age. She did not talk much and had barely interacted with the other three. Li Yèlái only knew that her codename was Heavy Cavalry. For a girl to have a codename like that, she was probably very strong.

As for Li Yèlái himself, the higher-ups had yet to decide on his codename. It would probably take a few more days.

Then, the seven-person team moved swiftly through the alley. With Detective's ability, they quickly confirmed the target's location.

It was a somewhat rundown old apartment building, though it was still a little better than Li Yèlái's complex. At least it had an elevator.

Detective spoke. "They definitely entered this apartment building. I didn't see them leave, so they should still be inside. And she seems to have accomplices, also with children. It's very likely a criminal den!"

A cold glint flashed in the instructor's eyes. "Understood. If you encounter resistance, I authorize you to retaliate immediately."

No matter the era, human traffickers deserved to die.

Countless children within the Mega Cities had been abducted and taken out of the city. Being sold to another Mega City could already be considered fortunate.

Many children were sold directly to villages or settlements in the wilderness.

Those villages and settlements scattered across the wilderness were often lawless places. They were beyond the Mega Cities' control, and once children were sold there, they were essentially impossible to recover.

Therefore, the authorities' crackdowns on human traffickers were always extremely harsh.

Then, the instructor took out an earpiece and contacted an assistant to check the residents of the apartment building.

When he learned that the building was half-abandoned and did not even have surveillance cameras, he contacted the nearest Security Bureau for support.

"We have so many psychics. Do we really need the Security Bureau's help?" Starfire asked in confusion. "Even if it's a bunch of traffickers, I could handle them alone, right?"

As a Zeroing Path psychic, Starfire's abilities were quite powerful. It was said that he could instantly set an entire house ablaze. He did not understand the instructor's arrangement at all.

"Don't get too full of yourself. You are indeed a psychic, stronger than ordinary people. But while dealing with traffickers, you also have to protect the abducted children." The instructor glanced at him. "Professionally speaking, you are still nowhere near as capable as the Security Bureau. Remember, a handler's first duty is to protect civilians, not to fight alone or compete for superiority."

Starfire was somewhat dejected and could only nod silently.

Cheese then said to Li Yèlái, "The Security Bureau will bring weapons over later. Pick one. Even if you don't end up using it, even if the Security Bureau finishes the job, you still need to carry a weapon. If any trafficker makes a dangerous move, act immediately. Don't feel any psychological burden. Criminals won't care about that."

Li Yèlái nodded. This would also be training for him.

Though he had killed The Skinner and was one of the few rookies who had seen blood.

In truth, Li Yèlái had never considered The Skinner human. Killing a monster caused him no psychological pressure. If it were a fellow human being, it might be different.

But if you hesitated because you considered the other side a fellow human, would they care? Were you supposed to discuss human rights with criminals?

When it came time to act, he could not hesitate!

That was what Cheese wanted Li Yèlái to understand.

Soon, plainclothes officers and assault teams from the Security Bureau arrived. The plainclothes officers sealed off every exit of the apartment building, while the assault teams hid inside vans, ready to storm in at any moment.

At the same time, they brought the weapons the rookie handlers needed.

Considering the psychics' strength, they did not provide firearms, instead bringing cold weapons.

They let the rookies choose for themselves.

While the other rookies were still hesitating, Li Yèlái and Heavy Cavalry stepped forward first.

Li Yèlái chose a steel machete and an axe.

Perhaps due to the powerful instincts left by the Xiang Yu Mask, he had wanted a long-handled weapon.

But in the current situation, that would not work. There was no room indoors for him to swing a long-handled Zhanmadao.

So, he chose two short weapons. They would also be easier to conceal.

Heavy Cavalry, meanwhile, picked up an iron hammer the size of two fists. After casually swinging it twice, she silently nodded.

Only then did the other rookies step up to choose their weapons.

The instructor evaluated them inwardly. Li Yèlái and Heavy Cavalry are both decisive. They've seen blood, after all. The other three still haven't adapted. I'll have to see how they perform later.

As an instructor, he would grade every rookie and provide corresponding training.

And Li Yèlái and Heavy Cavalry had earned high evaluations in his mind.

So, the instructor said, "I'll oversee things from outside. Cheese will support you. Don't be fooled by her appearance; her abilities are very strong. Li Yèlái and Heavy Cavalry, you two will take point."

Li Yèlái and Heavy Cavalry nodded.

At the moment, even if the instructor did not act, this lineup was terrifying enough.

More than thirty fully armed Security Bureau assault officers, six psychics, and Cheese, a veteran handler who had undergone a second Awakening.

They could just bulldoze their way through!

Once everything had been arranged, Detective entered the apartment elevator and activated his ability again.

He saw that the woman and her accomplices had all pressed the button for the thirteenth floor.

The Security Bureau assault teams immediately flooded into the apartment building and began gradually closing in on the thirteenth floor.

Li Yèlái and the others took the elevator to the thirteenth floor with several police officers.

However, at that moment, Detective's expression changed slightly.

"Detective, which room is it?" a middle-aged police officer asked quietly.

"All five rooms on this floor," Detective said in a low voice. "They seem to have been connected internally. I saw people enter through 1301 and come out through 1305."

"Did they leave?" the officer asked again.

"No. After entering the rooms last night, no one came out."

The officer nodded. The assault team immediately split into four two-man groups, with four groups raising their guns to cover the four doors on both sides. More assault officers guarded every stairwell.

They sealed off every possible route for the traffickers to escape.

But strangely, although many people had entered the rooms, there was not a sound inside.

Neither the traffickers nor the abducted children made any noise.

Instead, a faint smell of blood seeped out.

The bizarre situation made everyone uneasy, but they still began the operation.

No matter what was inside, rescuing the abducted children was the first priority.

So, there was no hesitation, nor any lines like "checking the water meter" or "bringing warmth."

Heavy Cavalry raised her iron hammer and smashed it directly into the security door of 1303. Some ability activated, and the security door twisted out of shape. Then the entire door toppled backward and crashed heavily onto the floor.

The next second, Li Yèlái and Heavy Cavalry rushed into the room close behind it.

They were both psychics with Psychic Barriers. They were safer than the assault officers. If the traffickers had firearms, they could serve as the front line for their teammates behind them.

However, when Li Yèlái charged into the room, he found no resistance at all.

The vicious traffickers and terrified, trembling children he had imagined were nowhere to be seen.

All the rooms on the entire floor had been opened up, making the interior especially spacious. In the center of the room stood a huge long table.

It was covered in an enormous amount of food, piled into a small mountain. All sorts of aromas and the scent of blood filled the room.

On either side of the long table sat six men and women in suits, wearing various animal masks. They leaned back in their chairs without reacting at all to Li Yèlái and the others' arrival.

The eerie sight put the assault officers on high alert. A cold light rose in Cheese's eyes as she spoke directly. "[Listen to Me], disarm yourselves!"

As a Whisper Path psychic, Cheese had already used her ability.

Yet those people showed no response.

Heavy Cavalry and Li Yèlái exchanged a glance, then cautiously approached. Li Yèlái reached out and tore off one man's Minotaur mask.

Beneath it was the lifeless face of a middle-aged man.

His face was already deathly pale, blackish-red blood running from his eyes and nose. His rigid expression was filled with shock and terror.

Dead?

The Minotaur had to die?

Everyone grew even more wary. Detective spoke. "He was one of that woman's accomplices."

"Can you see how he died?" Li Yèlái asked calmly, suppressing the urge to vomit.

"I can only see him sitting down at the table. It was probably last night." Detective's expression was ugly. "All of them suddenly died after sitting at the table."

The assault officers then stepped forward and removed the masks one after another.

They found that they were all accomplices of the woman Detective had seen earlier.

But strangely, even after searching all five rooms, they found neither the woman nor the seven abducted children.

Where had they gone? Detective's ability clearly had not seen them leave.

They should have been in this room.

Could there be some undiscovered secret passage?

Or was there somewhere inside this room where people could hide?

Thinking of this, Li Yèlái suddenly remembered the woman yesterday staring at fish that were leaking blood!

Could it be...

After considering a certain possibility, Li Yèlái's face stiffened.

Then, with a trace of prayer in his heart, he turned and looked toward the mountain of food still giving off both fragrance and the smell of blood.

Cheese seemed to realize something. When she approached the dining table, her steps froze and her expression became extremely ugly.

The others noticed it as well, their faces growing increasingly horrified as they looked toward the table.

After hesitating for several seconds, Li Yèlái reached out and pushed aside the mountain of food.

As huge amounts of food fell from the long table, a slender arm bone finally appeared among the pile.

In an instant, overwhelming rage and terror surged through everyone's hearts.

As more and more food fell to the ground, more and more bones came into view.

They had been dismembered, devoured, and brutally killed!

At that moment, the pile at the center of the long table suddenly collapsed on its own, revealing the naked woman inside.

She was passionately kissing a severed head in her arms. She seemed slightly bewildered at first, then turned to look at Li Yèlái, who was closest to her.

A smile appeared on her face.

"We've been discovered," she said with a coquettish laugh.

The response she received was the roar of gun barrels!

And Li Yèlái's furious axe strike!