Target Found?

"See you in a bit."

At the station entrance, Xie Chong watched Shen Qing leave before mounting his small electric scooter. As he flipped through the documents in his hand, preparing to head out, he suddenly froze.

"Coastal Industrial University..."

His gaze landed on a line in the file regarding the Tree Demon's boyfriend. "Isn't this Shen Qing's school? What a coincidence."

In front of the gates of Coastal Industrial University, it being the weekend, students were coming and going.

A figure wrapped up tightly against the elements dodged the crowd, walked up to the security booth at the gate, and handed over an alumni card. "Sir, it's me."

The guard took the card and adjusted his reading glasses. "Oh, Xiao Wu, back at school again? But why are you wearing so much today? Isn't it hot?"

Xiao Wu shook his head and extended an arm wrapped in bandages. "There was a bit of an incident recently, I got burned. The doctor said I shouldn't let it touch the wind, so I have to dress like this."

Upon hearing this, the guard's eyes filled with concern.

"Oh my, you really have to be careful. Is the injury serious? We still need you to give a speech at the freshman orientation every year."

"It's a minor injury, nothing to worry about."

Xiao Wu shook his head and slid a pack of cigarettes through the window. "Sir, take these. I'll head in now, you go back to your work."

The guard took the cigarettes, his face breaking into a smile. "Alright, alright, go on then. Just call me if you need anything."

Turning away, the smile in Xiao Wu's eyes vanished instantly. He kept his head down and walked quickly into the campus, crossing the plaza toward the office building.

"This human energy is just too overwhelming... so annoying."

Surrounded by the vibrant vitality of the young students, his entire body felt as if it were being roasted. He couldn't help but curse, "It's all because of that idiot."

Thinking of that Tree Demon made his blood boil.

It should have been a perfect partnership. Under her life-force nourishment, his half-corpse body wouldn't have rotted, and she could have used his essence and blood to nourish her origin.

They each got what they needed and lived in peace, yet that idiot had to go out and find someone to drain for their Yang energy.

And it was he who had catalyzed her in the first place.

He had sensed that strange Yang energy long ago. If he hadn't been dependent on the Tree Demon's life force, he never would have tolerated her cheating on him—and she had actually thought he didn't know.

Sure enough, yesterday, he had been placed under surveillance by someone he couldn't identify.

"I was afraid my phone was being monitored, so I even used a code in the delivery notes to warn her, but this piece of trash still ended up dead. As expected, even when a tree gains sentience, it's still just a block of wood."

Now, with the Tree Demon dead, his condition had immediately deteriorated.

Xiao Wu gritted his teeth in hatred; otherwise, he wouldn't have had to risk returning to the school now to search for the residual life force at the place of her origin to maintain his normalcy.

"It's a pity I'm just a half-corpse. Human blood has too much Yang energy; only the life force of a plant-based spirit is of any use."

Xiao Wu scanned the passing students. It wasn't that he hadn't tried drinking human blood directly, but to him, it felt like boiling hot water.

Suddenly, he froze and whipped his head around.

"Her aura?"

For a split second, he had clearly sensed a trace of plant-based energy, but with the crowds coming and going at the school gate, the human energy was so intense that the scent felt like a hallucination.

When his gaze landed on a tall male student, he quickly lowered his head and walked away.

"This Yang energy is just too strong..."

Combined with the dense human energy in the vicinity, it made him feel a sense of intense discomfort.

"Hmm?"

At that moment, Shen Qing seemed to sense something and looked up, frowning as his gaze fell on the figure that had already walked away.

Although it wasn't particularly hot in May, surely it couldn't be comfortable to be wrapped up that tightly?

"Let's go, what are you spacing out for?"

It wasn't until the young man beside him patted his shoulder that Shen Qing snapped back to reality. "It's nothing."

Chen Chen, his close roommate, was also back at school regarding employment agreements.

The two soon arrived at the counselor's office, where Zhou Ming was organizing the files for their graduating class.

Chen Chen was there to submit his employment agreement, and the paperwork was simple, but Shen Qing's case was different.

"So, you're planning on 'flexible employment'—delivering food?"

Zhou Ming frowned as he looked at Shen Qing. Although flexible employment counted toward the statistics for the employment rate, it did nothing for him personally.

He just couldn't understand it.

Even though jobs were hard to find right now, as graduates of the university's software program, they should be able to land a position paying seven or eight thousand yuan as long as they had paid attention in class.

Not to mention that Shen Qing had already passed the first round of interviews at Guangfei Technology Company; the second round was basically just a formality.

"I really don't know what you're thinking. Is Guangfei Technology Company not good enough? There are so many people trying to get in who can't."

Zhou Ming said earnestly, "That company was founded by one of your seniors; you'd have someone looking out for you there. You spent four years in university, and now you're going to deliver food? Don't you feel like you're letting your parents down?"

He grew more animated as he spoke, but seeing Shen Qing remained completely unaffected, he finally sighed.

"Forget it, do as you please. Just fill out this flexible employment form and send me your proof of income."

At the very least, the employment rate was still there. He had seen plenty of students like this; before graduation, they always felt they could do anything, but once reality taught them a lesson later on, it would prove that he was the one who was right.

Soon, the two walked out of the office.

Chen Chen patted Shen Qing on the shoulder and consoled him, "The counselor is just like that, don't take it to heart. You know how he is.

So what if you're delivering food? Making a living with your own skills is nothing to be ashamed of!"

Shen Qing nodded; he hadn't taken it to heart to begin with.

Compared to those who forced students into factories and threatened them with their degrees, their counselor was at most a bit mercenary, which was already considered decent.

Although, in reality, a counselor didn't actually have that kind of power; it was just that students hadn't truly entered society yet and were easily intimidated.

"Let's go, it's almost noon. Let's head to the cafeteria; it's been a long time since I've had the spicy hot pot on the second floor."

The two walked out of the office building, and the sunlight hit them head-on, but Shen Qing suddenly paused, his gaze quickly sweeping across his surroundings.

"Do you smell a stench?"

He looked toward the back of the office building, in the direction of the Alumni Grove—the place where alumni donated money to adopt trees. Aside from when distinguished alumni returned for the school anniversary, no one ever went there.

"A stench?" Chen Chen sniffed the air and shook his head. "Do you?"

"Maybe it was just my imagination."

Shen Qing withdrew his gaze, patted his pocket, and suddenly changed the subject. "I think I dropped my meal card in the building. You go ahead."

"Huh? Alright then."

Chen Chen nodded and turned toward the cafeteria. He hadn't walked more than a few steps before he turned back and shouted, "What do you want to eat? I'll help you—"

Before he could finish, he saw Shen Qing disappear behind the office building.

Chen Chen was left with a face full of confusion.

At this moment, Shen Qing, who had already walked some distance away, pulled out his phone. Before he could speak, Xie Chong's voice came from the other end.

"Shen Qing? Perfect, I have some new information here. I was just about to call and tell you."

Shen Qing interrupted, "I think I've found the target."

The closer he got to the Alumni Grove, the more obvious the stench became—not just a physical smell, but a perception within his soul.

Mixed in with it was the aura of the Tree Demon from yesterday.