The Strongest Modern Supernatural Organization - The Nation

"Pfft—pfft—pfft—"

The sounds rang out in quick succession, like the snapping of dry branches. They weren't loud, so they failed to draw the attention of the students watching the commotion.

But the middle-aged officer from the Public Security Bureau furrowed his brows even deeper.

Others might not know, but how could he be unaware? Those crisp reports were clearly the sound of a suppressed pistol.

"Master."

The young officer also realized something was wrong. He walked over, his expression grave. "That sound just now?"

"Everyone, fall back! Extend the police cordon by fifty meters!"

The middle-aged officer issued the order decisively. After a moment of thought, he added, "You stay here and maintain the perimeter. I'm taking my men inside to take a look."

He drew his service pistol from his holster to check its condition.

This was his first time dealing with that department, and he was still unsure of the situation. Dealing with murderers—wasn't that the job of the Public Security Bureau?

Why was a special department even needed?

Now that gunfire had erupted, he didn't have the luxury of overthinking. Ensuring the students' safety was the top priority.

"Officer, what's the situation inside?"

Seeing the middle-aged officer's increasingly grim expression and the fact that he had drawn his weapon, Chen Chen, standing outside the cordon, asked anxiously.

Several minutes had already passed, and Shen Qing still hadn't replied to his messages.

"Please, do not approach—"

Just then, a figure pushed quickly through the crowd outside the cordon. Xie Chong had finally arrived.

He produced his credentials and handed them to the middle-aged officer. The two exchanged salutes and spoke briefly before heading toward the back of the office building.

The middle-aged officer's expression visibly relaxed. He turned to Chen Chen and said, "Don't worry, your classmate should be fine."

Chen Chen was baffled by the man's sudden change in attitude.

He subconsciously looked in the direction where Xie Chong had disappeared. That man's face... why did it feel like he had seen him somewhere before?

Chen Chen frowned, his gaze sweeping across the area until it landed on a vehicle nearby—it looked like a small electric scooter, but was actually a motorcycle.

Although it had no markings, it looked familiar. Shen Qing had arrived on that very bike.

"A delivery driver?"

Chen Chen remembered. During their last video call, there had been another person with Shen Qing, also delivering food. It was that guy!

Shen Qing had called him a senior and even greeted him, "Yo, your classmate?"

Delivery?

Chen Chen was even more confused. A delivery driver exchanging salutes with a Third-Class Police Inspector?

[Slayed demon, Living Corpse. Obtained Entry: Black Armor (Green · Strange Tale).]

[Black Armor: Armor of black iron, impervious to blades and bullets. Physique strength +50%. Can be actively activated to provide a certain resistance to magical attacks.]

A line of black text drifted away from his vision.

In the Alumni Grove, Shen Qing ignored the newly acquired entry. He was squatting on the ground, wearing rubber gloves, examining Wu Yuan's corpse.

The body was stiff, not at all like someone who had just died. Everything from the neck down was a sickly, grayish-blue.

There was a blurred pattern over the heart, almost blending into the surrounding skin.

If the lighting hadn't been just right, it would have been nearly impossible to notice.

It was a Withered Tree without leaves, its branches gnarled and twisted. Instead of fruit, seven tightly shut eyes grew from the tips.

"Tap, tap, tap."

A burst of rapid footsteps approached.

"Is it done?!" Xie Chong's voice arrived first, followed by his appearance on the path.

He glanced at Wu Yuan's corpse on the ground. Recalling how he had nearly been beaten by Shen Qing that morning, he wasn't particularly surprised by the scene before him.

Then, he saw Shen Qing flick the suppressed pistol in his right hand.

"Yeah, done."

"Half-man, half-corpse. Tough hide, sure, but he's not a real zombie. Hit the internal organs, and he's finished."

Well, Wu Yuan had tried to run, and Shen Qing hadn't bothered to chase him—or rather, there was no need. He had simply raised his hand and fired three shots.

What do zombies fear? Anything with "pure yang"—gunpowder, copper bullets, aren't they all?

No matter how fast Wu Yuan could run, he couldn't outrun a bullet. This was even easier to deal with than that Tree Demon; after all, that was a tree that had gained sentience. If he had aimed for the "heart" there, it probably wouldn't have done much.

As for why he had a pistol? Isn't it normal for an official organization to have guns? What year was it? He wasn't going to just trade spells and go toe-to-toe with the enemy.

This was their standard equipment.

"If you hadn't come, I would have been wondering how to get out of here without blowing my cover," Shen Qing said, holstering the pistol.

He estimated that the Public Security Bureau had already surrounded the area outside; for a student like him to just walk out would be somewhat inappropriate.

"A pistol? I have to say, that's a bit unexpected..."

The corner of Xie Chong's eye twitched. He gave a thumbs-up, feeling that Shen Qing's adaptability was truly impressive.

Many newcomers, perhaps too deeply influenced by web novels, almost always chose to use spells against enemies, forgetting that this was the modern era; even if they carried a pistol, they wouldn't think to use it.

Even he did it occasionally.

After all, as people of the Great Xia Kingdom, who didn't have a martial arts or immortal cultivation dream?

But Shen Qing was different. One could tell from how he killed the Tree Demon that he was extraordinary, with a unique line of thinking. No wonder he could remain calm even before becoming a Supernaturalist, spraying a mouthful of Tongue Tip Blood to kill a Lesser Ghost.

"However, I don't know whether to say you're lucky or unlucky."

Xie Chong also crouched down, pulled a pair of gloves from his pocket, put them on, and began to examine Wu Yuan's corpse. "The target didn't awaken any innate abilities; he was an ordinary person infected by Corpse Qi. But it's clearly not a simple accident. He knew how to cultivate."

Shen Qing frowned. "What do you mean?"

Xie Chong explained, "At the current stage of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, only very ancient objects are likely to become spirits. It's not easy for an ordinary person to become a half-human, half-corpse creature, especially while maintaining self-control."

"Heavenly timing, geographical advantages, and human factors—not one can be missing."

"So,"

Shen Qing's brow furrowed deeper, his gaze landing on Wu Yuan's chest. "Are we talking about hitting the small fry and having the elders come for revenge?"

Xie Chong clapped his hands and stood up. "It's not that serious."

His tone carried a hint of pride. "This is the modern era. Extraordinary powers have only appeared for a few years, and the strongest extraordinary force is the state. All these ghosts and monsters are just paper tigers. With the official authorities backing us, we'll just kill anyone who dares to cause trouble. There's no such thing as an old monster hiding for hundreds of years."

"However..."

Xie Chong changed the subject. "There must be something behind this tattoo, so we still need to be careful."

He looked at the gap between the circle of ancient trees in the Alumni Grove, where there was a fresh, large pit; it was clear one tree was missing.

"The other trees didn't become spirits, yet this one did. It was likely catalyzed by some means. Having enough human popularity in a university to provide cover, combined with being a plant-based spirit, it's no wonder we had such a hard time finding it before."

Xie Chong looked back at Shen Qing with a half-smile.

"Your luck is quite something; your first mission is a serial case. Alright, let's go, you outstanding student who assisted in capturing a criminal."

Xie Chong's identity didn't matter; as an outsider, naturally, no one would recognize him.

But Shen Qing was a student at this school, and his identity was right there. He had to find a reason; was he supposed to hide until nightfall and sneak away?

Or was it that the area behind the office building was only so big, and he hadn't run out or encountered the murderer after all this time?

There had to be an explanation.

Shen Qing nodded, looking at Xie Chong thoughtfully. "You know quite a lot; you truly live up to being a senior."

As long as there were no ridiculously powerful old monsters, it was fine.

As for demons and monsters of similar strength, if they really came knocking, they would just be delivering Entries and Karma Cutting Values to him.

It was just that... it seemed best not to visit the big brother and the others for a while.

"Um," Shen Qing suddenly asked, "do you have family?"

Xie Chong: "???"