Hidden Big Shot Beside Me? (Seeking Follow-ups)

"Deter ghosts and monsters, increase the success rate of talisman inscription?"

Shen Qing glanced at the newly acquired entry.

The former was likely quite useful; after all, ghosts and monsters lacked physical forms, and his physical-type abilities were truly difficult to use against them.

However, he estimated he wouldn't have much use for the latter. Most physical-type abilities were ill-suited for crafting talismans; they were innate constitutions, instincts embedded within flesh and blood.

It was hard enough for him to understand them himself, let alone condense them into talismans for others to use.

Unless he didn't mind offering himself up for study, perhaps there might be a slight possibility.

"Hiss!"

The constant stinging sensation from his palm made Shen Qing involuntarily gasp.

"This thing doesn't count as a spell attack?"

He looked at the faint glow on his body; this was the effect of Black Armor activating automatically, yet it seemed to have had no effect.

As expected, the abilities of demons and monsters were bizarre and varied; even if one's strength surpassed the opponent's, one could not afford to let their guard down.

He turned around to look at the stunned Chen Chen and the other man, just about to say something.

"Holy crap!!"

Chen Chen's sudden shout broke the silence. Fortunately, there was no one nearby, otherwise, they would surely have been drawn over.

He stared at Shen Qing with wide eyes.

He had thought this so-called special department was just something like State Security or a Major Crimes Unit, but then a demon suddenly appeared?

How did this world suddenly feel so different?

"No, Old Shen, what exactly do you do?"

Chen Chen rushed in front of Shen Qing, instinctively wanting to grab his hand, but froze the moment he saw the wound.

"Sorry about that."

He rummaged through his pockets, looking for something to bandage it with, before finally looking at his own clothes.

"I'm fine. Didn't you see? It's already stopped bleeding."

Shen Qing smiled and shook his head. Although the wounds on his hands looked frightening, they had indeed stopped bleeding.

His expression grew complex.

There was no need to figure out how much information Chen Chen knew anymore; for ordinary people who witnessed demons, the only path was to have their memories erased.

Even if they weren't curious, at least half out of ten would be left with trauma; this was a necessity.

"Huh? It really has."

Chen Chen looked, then raised his head with a look of amazement. "No, brother, what exactly do you do? It feels like you're not even human anymore."

Thinking that he would have to erase their memories in a moment, Shen Qing didn't hide anything, treating it as satisfying Chen Chen's curiosity one last time.

"I'm in a special department that handles supernatural events. People like us are called Supernaturalists."

"Holy crap, holy crap, that's awesome."

Chen Chen shook his head, circling Shen Qing with eyes full of shock, as if he were meeting this roommate he had lived with for four years for the first time.

His luck was absurd; not only had he witnessed the other side of the world, but his own buddy was an enforcer of that world!

Was there a hidden big shot by his side?

He felt goosebumps rising; he simply didn't know what to say.

"If there's anything else you want to know, just ask. After all, you'll forget it all in a moment."

Shen Qing patted him on the shoulder.

Chen Chen: "?"

Zhou Ming, who had seemed scared witless just a moment ago, finally regained his senses and said with a trembling voice:

"What do you mean? And student Shen Qing, what exactly is your situation, and what is going on with Wu Yuan?"

"Instructor?"

Although he didn't know why the other man was here, it didn't matter anymore.

"Just as I said, I am responsible for cleaning up demons. According to the rules, I have to erase your memories regarding supernatural events afterward, but don't worry, there won't be any side effects."

Shen Qing explained, "As for senior Wu Yuan, he is not a human, but a Living Corpse."

"How is that possible!" Zhou Ming interrupted loudly, his face turning deathly pale in an instant.

This was even more absurd than Wu Yuan being a murderer. He had been dealing with a living corpse all this time?

The thought sent a chill down his spine.

"That is the fact. He might have been alive before, but in the last year, something must have happened."

Zhou Ming was stunned for a moment, his mouth agape, but he couldn't utter a single word.

Chen Chen had a surprisingly strong capacity for acceptance, but he began to shake his head frantically, "No, Shen Qing, no, Brother Shen, Godfather, we're buddies, you can't do this to me!"

In such an exciting world, he had no desire to have his memories erased.

Before the words had even faded, the sound of an engine approached from afar, and they could see Xie Chong riding his small electric scooter toward them.

"You finished it this quickly?"

"I heard this demon could even injure an Eighth-Rank, and you were this fast?!"

Xie Chong propped the scooter up with one foot, looking at the scattered shards of crimson crystals on the ground with eyes full of astonishment.

But when he recalled the sparring match between Shen Qing and himself earlier that day, it seemed somewhat reasonable.

"It's you!"

Chen Chen and Zhou Ming spoke in unison, both having a deep impression of this "professional."

"Greetings, you two."

Xie Chong offered a casual greeting before looking at Shen Qing's hands, "However, you didn't have an easy time of it either."

He rummaged through the small pouch at his waist, producing a yellow talisman.

"Be grateful for my foresight; these healing-type talismans are very precious, and it's only because of my connections that I was able to beg for one."

As he held the talisman between two fingers and gave it a flick, a verdant green light instantly rippled across its surface.

The entire talisman then dissolved into specks of green light that covered Shen Qing's palms, and the wounds began to heal visibly to the naked eye.

However, the surrounding plants began to wither and turn yellow.

After a few breaths, although Shen Qing's injuries were not completely healed, they were at least no longer as terrifying as before, and the wounds had already scabbed over.

"A talisman that leeches life force?"

Shen Qing flexed his fingers and glanced at the withered plants nearby; sure enough, the abilities of Supernaturalists were strange and varied, and this thing felt a bit creepy.

He raised his head and looked at Chen Chen and Zhou Ming.

"Do you really need to have your memories erased?"

Chen Chen deliberately widened his eyes, putting on a pitiful act, and Shen Qing nodded with a look of disgust.

Xie Chong suddenly waved his hand, interrupting them as he looked at Chen Chen, "Hold on a second, it might not be necessary to erase his memories."

Chen Chen's eyes lit up.

Xie Chong ignored him and turned to look at Zhou Ming, "But as for you, just go home and get a good night's sleep."

"Why?"

Zhou Ming instinctively took two steps back, his expression shifting from confusion to anger, "Why must my memories be erased, but he doesn't have to?"

He shook his head frantically, "No, I don't want to!"

He had only just touched the hidden side of the world, and now they wanted to wipe his memory?! On what grounds!

"See, it's easy for ordinary people to become unstable when they come into contact with the world of Supernaturalists."

Xie Chong glanced back at Shen Qing and continued, "Erasing memories is better for you, for him, and for everyone."

Giving Zhou Ming absolutely no chance to resist, he produced a palm-sized Ancient Bronze Mirror and gave it a shake.

Zhou Ming's eyes, which had been full of resistance, instantly went vacant. A few seconds later, he calmed down, turned around, and wandered off.

"Will he be alright going back like that?" Shen Qing frowned slightly.

"He'll be fine. He'll get home safely, and after a night's sleep, he'll forget all about these memories."

Xie Chong toyed with the Ancient Bronze Mirror, glancing at Chen Chen, who was standing to the side with a curious expression.

"Impressive, right? So don't get any crooked ideas. I can't figure out how this thing works anyway, or how it manages to erase exactly the memories it needs to."

After putting the Ancient Bronze Mirror away, Xie Chong looked at Shen Qing, his tone suddenly shifting.

"By the way, weren't you in such a rush to clock out and head home? Why are you still carrying a handgun?"