Investigation

North River Second Middle School

On a cicada-noisy afternoon, the asphalt road had been baked scorching hot, and a taxi stopped in front of a well-ordered school.

"Sir, we're here."

The driver spoke respectfully to Mei Ye, who was reading documents in the back seat.

"Alright, thank you."

Mei Ye scanned the code to pay, opened the door, and stepped out.

A wave of heat washed over him, carrying the scent of the camphor trees by the roadside.

A high school campus steeped in the weight of history came into view.

This was a century-old prestigious school, highly ranked in the province and a longtime supplier of geniuses to the major martial arts universities.

It was the dream school in the eyes of many parents.

Yet a series of disappearances had recently occurred at a school like this.

Mei Ye tightened his grip on the saber at his waist and calmly stepped into the campus surveillance area.

The guard at the entrance—a middle-aged man at Body Tempering Level 3—saw Mei Ye's uniform, slapped down the phone he had been using to scroll through short videos, and hurried over to him.

"I'm an officer of the Demon Suppression Bureau. I'm here to handle the demon incident at this school."

Mei Ye showed his identification. The black-covered Demon Suppression Bureau credentials made the guard straighten solemnly.

"You came alone? The demon situation at the school is pretty serious."

The guard spoke hesitantly. With demons appearing in the school, he could not even watch short videos in peace.

"Headquarters can't spare any manpower either," Mei Ye said flatly. "But rest assured, the Demon Suppression Bureau will deal with the demons here."

Seeing Mei Ye's composed expression, the guard was finally somewhat reassured.

"Alright, please come in..."

The school gates opened, and the guard promptly reported the visitor to the school.

Mei Ye entered the campus. On the long green plaza, several students stared in surprise at the cold-faced, handsome man.

Before long, a girl in a traditional school uniform approached him gracefully.

"Are you the police uncle who came to investigate?"

Her white sneakers clicked against the marble tiles as she stared unblinkingly at Mei Ye's unusually striking face, her beautiful eyes full of curiosity.

"That's right."

Mei Ye nodded, his voice devoid of emotion.

"I'm Wen Siyi, the student council president of Second Middle School."

Wen Siyi gave him a sweet smile. She was lovely and refined, but Mei Ye had no interest in admiring a little girl's beauty. All he wanted was to make money.

"Thank you for caring about our school's safety."

Seeing that Mei Ye had not introduced himself, Wen Siyi did not take offense and continued smiling.

"Take me to see the school leaders."

Mei Ye went straight to the point.

"Of course, but may I first tell you about the demon-related incidents at the school?"

"Sure."

Although Mei Ye had already reviewed the files before coming, it would not hurt to hear an involved party's account.

"Come to think of it, one of the missing people is my boyfriend."

Wen Siyi sighed.

Mei Ye raised an eyebrow and blurted out, "Boyfriend? Is this high school really that open-minded? Do your parents know?"

Wasn't this girl the student council president? Why was the first thing out of her mouth that her boyfriend had gone missing?

Mei Ye remembered that high school students in the Divine Land faced enormous pressure. To prepare for martial arts exams and get into specialized martial arts universities, they exhausted their families' money and resources... yet this girl was openly saying that her boyfriend had disappeared.

Was that appropriate? Shouldn't this sort of thing be kept secret?

"We only dated for a week..." Wen Siyi looked troubled. "I thought he was pretty full of himself, so I got annoyed and had him do manual labor for me. But he was actually happy to do it... I didn't know how to reject that weirdo."

So that was it... Mei Ye glanced at Wen Siyi's outstanding appearance and immediately understood everything.

"How did he disappear?"

"I don't know. At least when the others disappeared, we could find their bodies after they turned into puppets... but I couldn't find him. And..."

At this point, Wen Siyi paused, revealing a strange expression.

"I went to ask around in his class and discovered that there was no... such person in the class. It was as though he had appeared out of thin air."

"Oh?"

Mei Ye was intrigued. "Then who was the person who dated you?"

"Maybe he was a demon." Wen Siyi shook her head. "Back then, he wanted to be friends with me and kept pestering me, trying every possible method... It put me in an awkward position, so I had no choice but to agree.

"Now that we became friends, he vanished again. What a failure of a person."

"Heh..." Mei Ye chuckled. He looked at Wen Siyi and found her rather interesting.

"Tell me about the other missing people."

"Alright..."

Wen Siyi readily complied and continued telling Mei Ye about what had happened at the school.

Her voice was elegant, and she was an excellent speaker. In just a few sentences, she clearly explained the disappearances at the school.

As Mei Ye listened, he compared her account with the files he had just reviewed and silently analyzed the crucial details.

"Friend from the Demon Suppression Bureau, you've finally arrived."

Inside the school's office building, the principal and dean spoke excitedly to Mei Ye. "Please, you must eliminate the demon in the school! Otherwise, we won't be able to keep this school running!"

"Please rest assured. Demons can't run wild in Jiangbei City!"

"Good. Let's talk somewhere private."

Whether or not the principal truly believed Mei Ye, he led him into an office for a detailed discussion.

After Mei Ye and the others entered the office, Wen Siyi remained outside. Looking at Mei Ye's receding back, she fell into thoughtful contemplation.

"Did someone from the Demon Suppression Bureau come first?"

I had planned to handle it myself.

"But why doesn't that guy look like a police officer?"

Wen Siyi thought about her conversation with Mei Ye just now. That man exuded an indescribable sort of aura.

It felt as though, if no one watched him closely, he might just tear a hole in the sky.

"Heh, I'm probably overthinking it... Maybe he's just an ordinary person who happens to be very handsome."

Wen Siyi smiled softly and shook her head.

"Have you fallen for him?"

At that moment, a gloomy voice suddenly sounded beside Wen Siyi's ear.

"Who?"

Wen Siyi spun around sharply and suddenly saw a boy in Second Middle School's blue-and-white uniform standing eerily in the corridor, staring at her with burning eyes.

"Jin Hong..."

Wen Siyi frowned. "So you finally decided to show yourself? You lying bastard."

"You said you'd be my girlfriend..."

Jin Hong ground his teeth.

"Go stay wherever it's cool," Wen Siyi mocked mercilessly with her arms crossed. "You're just a demon..."

"You weren't like this before. You still have feelings for me, don't you?" Seeing Wen Siyi being so heartless, the boy began to break down.

"Keep dreaming. Are you some male ghost from a women's romance novel? How can you be this naive?"

Wen Siyi scoffed.

"Damn it, you changed your mind." Jin Hong went mad. "I'll kill that man, then I'll kill you!"

As soon as he spoke, the uniform over the boy's body swelled outward before tearing into fragments.

His head twisted, becoming vicious. His skin ripped apart, exposing a hard, smooth beige outer shell that was utterly grotesque.

"Holy shit..."

Seeing the puppet demon, Wen Siyi staggered back several steps in shock. "So ugly..."

"You ugly bitch! I'll kill you!"

Jin Hong flew into a rage. His body was composed of countless puppet limbs, like a spider, and he crawled rapidly toward her, two long arms reaching out to seize Wen Siyi.

Wen Siyi's face turned pale. She clutched the necklace at her chest, and a golden glow blocked Jin Hong's attack.

Jin Hong leaped back, but quickly reacted. He smashed a fire hydrant, which sprayed clouds of carbon dioxide toward Wen Siyi.

The gas choked Wen Siyi's nose and mouth, leaving her unable to breathe. Then, her ankle seemed to be grabbed, and she was dragged away in an instant.

Realizing she was in danger, Wen Siyi hurriedly gripped the necklace at her chest. Another flash of golden light struck into the white mist.

"Bastard!"

Within the white mist, a demon roared in fury.

He revealed his terrifying form, then thrashed through the corridor, shattering the building. For a moment, countless chunks of stone fell and the floor collapsed.

On the slanted, crumbling floor, Wen Siyi fell to the ground in terror. She gritted her teeth and crawled away, but the floor collapsed in an instant, carrying her down to the level below.

With a loud crash,

Wen Siyi hit the ground and let out a muffled groan. If her martial arts grades had not been decent, that fall might have put her in the hospital.

However, at that moment, a large mass of stones above her shook precariously, as though they might fall at any time.

Wen Siyi looked up, cold sweat trickling down her pretty face.

The next moment, just as expected, the stones fell toward Wen Siyi.

Wen Siyi cried out and instinctively raised both hands before herself, closing her eyes.

Yet after a moment passed, the stones had not buried her, and she could still move freely.

She cautiously opened her eyes, only to see a tall figure supporting a slab of stone with one hand. From below, his refined yet cold features appeared divine, like those of a towering god.

"..."

Wen Siyi pressed her lips together and squeezed her legs together, not knowing what she was thinking.