"What the hell is that?"
"Looks like a person."
Aki Hayakawa crouched down to inspect the charred corpse. "Unless I'm mistaken, you just killed your master."
"What?!"
Denji stared wide-eyed at the charred corpse on the floor.
He couldn't tell it was Meng Fan at all.
"He's so blackened even his own mom wouldn't recognize him. How'd you figure it out?"
"His height, his build, and the smell of gas on him. Other than your master, nobody else in this shop could still be bouncing around after getting burned black all over."
"No way! Master survived the explosion, only for me to saw him apart."
"I didn't mean to! Aki, you've gotta back me up. I thought the Fly Devil had suddenly popped out, so I attacked."
Denji hurriedly returned to his normal human form.
He looked at Meng Fan's corpse, feeling both guilty and scared.
"Didn't you just say your master was a devil and could come back to life?"
"He should be able to."
"I've seen it happen once, after all. But last time, he got shot to death. This time, he was chainsawed in half. I don't know if he can come back again."
"Shot?" Aki Hayakawa froze.
That was a seriously taboo word.
The appearance of the world's boss, the Gun Devil, had led to this.
Every nation around the world had banned guns.
Even Public Safety personnel weren't allowed to carry firearms.
There was no way anyone else could just casually own one.
"Are you sure he was shot to death?" Aki Hayakawa shifted his attention from the corpse to Denji's face.
"Yeah, I saw it myself. I think there were ten guns."
"Ten?!" Aki Hayakawa was shocked. If Denji was telling the truth...
Then the source of those firearms was definitely a problem.
It also meant the Gun Devil could make a comeback at any moment.
Aki Hayakawa knew all too well how terrifying the Gun Devil was.
Every appearance of the Gun Devil brought widespread, massive casualties.
During its very first appearance alone, it had killed over 1.2 million people in five minutes.
Aki Hayakawa's family had died under the Gun Devil's gunfire.
That was why he dreamed of killing the Gun Devil to avenge his family.
It was also why Aki Hayakawa had joined the Public Safety Devil Hunters in the first place.
Besides, the Public Safety Devil Hunters' ultimate goal was also to eliminate the Gun Devil.
"What are you guys doing?"
A familiar voice suddenly interrupted Aki Hayakawa's deep train of thought.
Denji whipped around, his face lighting up. "Master!"
He hurried over to Meng Fan and examined him closely. "You're alive! That guy I just killed wasn't you, right?"
"Who else would it be? You think the Fly Devil would say 'surprise'?"
"Surprise?"
"It means a pleasant shock. That corpse really was me, your master, but fortunately, I can come back to life."
"How did you come back to life?" Aki Hayakawa asked, standing up. For now, he stopped thinking about the Gun Devil.
Thinking too much about it wouldn't accomplish anything anyway.
It would only put him in an emo mood ahead of time.
"How? I bought a revival coin beforehand, of course."
"A revival coin? I want one too!" Denji suddenly shouted.
"Are you really that dumb, or are you pretending? I was just saying that."
"You're all okay! Thank goodness!" Just then, a police officer ran into the deli, drenched in sweat. "Did you take care of the Fly Devil?"
"It's been dealt with."
Aki Hayakawa answered first, then went into the cold storage room, whose power had been shut off, to confirm.
Other than the smell of burning and the roasted flies on the floor, there was nothing else to be seen.
"Master, how'd you take care of the Fly Devil?"
"One Great Flame Ring took care of it easily. Even its corpse was burned to ash."
"Can I learn the Great Flame Ring?"
"Stick to practicing the Three-Blade Saw. When I have some free time, I'll help you practice its moves."
"Awesome!"
"Um... could you come take a look? I don't know what's wrong with Kenta. He suddenly fell asleep, and his body's been thrashing around. Could the Fly Devil have flown into his stomach?"
The police officer beside them suddenly asked.
He hadn't come running over to check whether everyone was safe.
He had come to seek help.
"Don't worry, he's fine. I made him have a nightmare so I could revive."
"A nightmare? Then when will he wake up?"
"He's already awake."
"Thank you." After thanking him, the officer quickly left.
"Your revival even comes with clothes?" Aki Hayakawa felt as though Meng Fan was hiding a whole pile of mysteries.
Just then, Aki Hayakawa's phone rang.
The caller ID showed his senior, Himeno.
"Hey, Aki, how's it going?"
"Have you taken down the Fly Devil?"
"Himeno, we've already eliminated the Fly Devil."
"That was pretty quick. Three people working together really is more efficient."
"We'll be back shortly."
"No, no need. It's not often you finish off a devil this quickly. You can show them around. I'll let you know if we get word of another devil."
"All right, Himeno."
After hanging up and pocketing his phone, Aki Hayakawa turned to ask, "How about we get lunch first?"
"Exactly what I was thinking. Speaking of which, you still owe me a meal. Lunch is on you."
"No problem, but I don't know my way around the city," Denji said.
"A miso ramen shop opened recently. We could give it a try."
The three immediately agreed.
They had only just stepped out of the deli.
But they ran into another group of Public Safety Devil Hunters.
"Hello, you're Aki, right?"
The man leading them had slicked-back hair and gold-rimmed glasses, giving him a refined appearance.
"And you are?"
"I'm Natsume Fan Zhi, captain of the Special Logistics Action Squad. We're responsible for the cleanup. In other words, we're here to collect the devil's corpse and inspect the scene."
"Oh! Then if there's nothing else, we'll be going."
Aki Hayakawa and Denji walked ahead.
Meng Fan, however, was grabbed by Natsume Fan Zhi, who whispered, "When are you paying back the money you owe me?"
"I went to the casino to find you that night, but you weren't there. The money's in the car right now, not on me."
"Three million, including interest!"
"It's that much already?"
"If my boss finds out what I helped you cover up, he'll definitely string me up naked."
"Thanks for the hard work. Once I steal my apprentice's money, I'll pay you back in one go. We'll be working together for a long time, after all."
"All right." Natsume Fan Zhi smiled and let go, patting Meng Fan's arm. "By the way, how'd you end up joining the Fourth Division?"
"Master! What are you doing?!"
Only after walking a dozen meters away did Denji notice that Meng Fan was still standing back there.
"Sorry, my apprentice is calling me. Let's talk next time."
With that, Meng Fan jogged after them.
Meng Fan's delay left Aki Hayakawa with another pile of questions. "You know him?"
"No. I was just telling him there wasn't a corpse left inside."
Aki Hayakawa knew he wouldn't get anything out of him.
So he didn't press the issue.
Before long, the three arrived at the newly opened miso ramen shop.
A crowd was standing outside its entrance.
"That's a lot of people. The food must be pretty good."
"Yeah, I've eaten here once. It really is good."
"But with this many people, how long will we have to wait?"
"You might not get to eat here," Meng Fan said.
"Why?"
"Those people are crowded together, not lining up. They're watching something. That means something must have happened inside the miso ramen shop."
(The next major case was about to strike.)
Before you continue