Wood Guest Language

Peace District, Jingu Street.

A relatively remote and abandoned old street, originally slated for commercial development, but the project was forced to a halt due to issues with the terrain.

At this moment, both ends of the old street have been cordoned off by the Public Security Bureau, and further inside, temporary checkpoints have even been set up using road barriers.

Several plainclothes officers pace back and forth.

Near the checkpoint, there are about twenty officers in uniform, armed with firearms and riot shields.

The safeties are off, and everyone's gaze is fixed tightly on the two-story building opposite, ready to respond to any sudden situation at a moment's notice.

"Captain, are we just going to keep waiting like this?"

A young plainclothes officer couldn't help but speak up, "I don't believe it. With this many guns, we can't take that thing down? We really have to wait for that so-called special department?"

"The roads here are complex; no one knows if there's a back exit."

Wang Yu's brows are tightly furrowed, his eyes never leaving the old building across the way.

"You all saw it earlier—that thing didn't die even after taking a full magazine from a handgun. Unless we wait for the specialists to handle it, what do you want to do? Switch to assault rifles and turn it into a sieve, or are you thinking of using a rocket launcher? Never mind that the bureau doesn't even have that many rifles to begin with—do you think the commotion wouldn't be big enough already?"

Today's operation was never supposed to turn out like this.

They had been following the trail of that theft ring, intending to wipe out the organized crime group in front of them in one fell swoop.

As it turned out, the moment they breached the front door, they suffered casualties; there weren't just criminals inside, but demons.

If they hadn't been wearing bulletproof vests, it wouldn't have just been a matter of injuries.

They retreated from the building in a panic, not even knowing how many demons were inside, though they were certain it wasn't just one.

With criminals mixed in among them, they had no choice but to seal off the surrounding area.

"Look out, they're trying to break through the checkpoint!"

Someone shouted.

The rusty iron gate suddenly swung open, and three heavily wrapped creatures charged out—they were actually wearing bulletproof vests too!

These things could be bought online, which explained why there had been no movement until now.

"Bang! Bang!"

A dozen handguns opened fire in unison.

Bullets tore through the areas not covered by protection, revealing patches of blue-gray, rotting skin underneath.

Especially on their faces, where muscles were twisted and rigid, and their eyes were milky white—it was enough to make one's scalp tingle; these were clearly not living humans!

Bullets entering their flesh had no effect other than a slight pause from the impact; they kept moving forward, and even when hit in the head, with brains spilling out, it was useless.

Hitting their limbs was somewhat effective, but given the creatures' rapid movement and the psychological pressure, it wasn't easy.

"What the hell are these things!"

A wave of fear washed over them.

Everyone finally realized that these demons were no simple matter; their bodies tensed up, and their hearts hammered against their ribs.

Even for public security officers, they were human first; facing demons that couldn't be killed by handguns, how could they not react?

"We absolutely cannot let them break through the checkpoint!"

Yet, they still raised their riot shields and gritted their teeth to hold the line; if handguns were useless, they would have to use their own bodies to hold them back.

But the next moment, a dull "thud" echoed out.

The disgusting faces were inches away, and a massive force slammed into the shields, as if a runaway electric scooter had crashed head-on into them.

Immediately, men were sent flying backward along with the road barriers.

"Fill the gap, now!"

Wang Yu roared, but the disparity in strength was clear, especially with the added psychological pressure.

Just as the officers behind rushed up to fill the gaps and pull their teammates to safety, the three disgusting monsters lunged forward.

"Get out of the way!"

At this life-or-death moment, a sound like something hitting the ground rang out, and a figure descended from the air, positioning themselves directly between the three monsters and the defensive line.

Landing without any buffer, the figure sank into a stance and unleashed a fierce Cannon Fist.

The creatures, which even two or three men had struggled to hold back, were sent flying backward, slamming into the wall with a "bang," their chests caved in and their limbs twisted.

Yet, they were still trying to crawl back up.

All the officers stared with wide eyes, most of them completely bewildered.

Is this even human?

Before they could even recover, the figure had already charged forward, finishing the job with a few quick movements—grappling, heavy strikes.

A series of bone-crushing sounds echoed, and the three monsters were torn apart within seconds.

Looking at the remains scattered across the ground, the corners of the officers' mouths couldn't help but twitch; this method was not just cruel, it was a literal dismemberment scene.

What kind of terrifying rule was this, that one couldn't get close to him?

[Karma Cutting Value +45]

Walking Corpses again, like cannon fodder, they were everywhere, and they didn't even provide any useful traits.

Shen Qing frowned slightly, turned his head to look at the approaching Wang Yu, and went straight to the point.

"Captain Wang, there should be other demons inside. I'll leave the perimeter security to you."

"Also, for this kind of demon, standard firearms aren't very effective. Since you're using pistols, they're only useful if you concentrate fire to completely destroy the head."

He glanced at the riot shields on the ground and added, "Right, trouble lending me a riot shield."

He didn't know what the situation was like inside, so naturally, he needed to take extra precautions.

A police riot shield could withstand rifle rounds; even against an Eighth-Grade demon, unless it had special abilities, the shield would at least give him a chance to buffer.

After speaking, Shen Qing picked up a riot shield and walked toward the building.

"...Captain, is that really someone from the Special Department?"

An officer swallowed hard, feeling a chill run down his spine.

Was this guy really an official agent? He felt more like an extremely dangerous individual.

At this moment, the light inside the building was dim, and the air was filled with a musty, rotting stench.

Holding the riot shield, Shen Qing cautiously advanced down the hallway.

It was a straight corridor leading to the end, with several rooms on either side. They were all open and empty, but various daily items were scattered about, as if the occupants had left only recently.

Suddenly, a gust of wind struck from above, and Shen Qing reacted instinctively.

"Scrape!"

He sidestepped, angling his shield upward, and was met with an unsettling grating sound.

Scanning with his peripheral vision, he saw that a section of the ceiling had been torn open at some point.

The figure landed; it was humanoid, but its body was covered in leaves, its hands and feet were sharp like bird talons, and a pair of green pupils stared at him fixedly.

"As expected, it's not just Walking Corpses."

Shen Qing tossed the riot shield aside and settled into a stance.

Natural spirits were difficult to detect, so there was no way to determine their exact numbers, only general intelligence.

However, now that he roughly knew the opponent's strength—only a Ninth-Grade—he didn't need to be so wary.

The shield was actually getting in the way; his own physical defense was no worse than that.

"Hiss—"

The demon let out a sharp cry and charged.

Shen Qing met it head-on, his right hand forming an eagle claw. Twisting his waist, he grabbed the creature's shoulder with an Eagle Catch and pulled it inward, then shifted his left shoulder, drawing power from the ground.

Half-step Collapse Fist!

With a gust of wind, under a force comparable to an Eighth-Grade Supernaturalist, a "bang" rang out, and the demon didn't even have time to scream before its body exploded.

Green fluid splattered everywhere; this thing was fast, but clearly not built for defense.

[Slayed demon, Mountain Spirit Wood Guest, obtained trait: Wood Guest Language (Green · Anecdote).]

[Wood Guest Language: Whispers of mountain spirits, messages passed through leaves. By touching plants, you can see blurry images of what they "saw" within the last three days.]