The Poppy Devil

"Understood, Miss Makima."

Creak!!

Bang!!

The office door opened and closed again.

Himeno stood in the hallway outside, looking despondent.

Meng Fan and the others were already waiting up ahead for news from her.

"Himeno, why do you look so down?"

"Kobeni's bonus request probably got rejected," Meng Fan teased.

"No way. I already told my parents about it. Now they're going to yell at me again." Kobeni lowered her head, sweat pouring down her face.

"Kobeni, are your parents really that strict with you?" Arai asked.

"They only care about my older brother because he gets good grades. They're always ordering me around."

"If her parents cared about Kobeni at all, they'd never let their daughter become a Public Safety Devil Hunter," Meng Fan added, rubbing salt in the wound and laying bare the truth.

"Damn it. If I ever get the chance, I'm going to visit your family and give them a piece of my mind," Arai said indignantly.

"Please don't, Arai. That would only make them hate me more." Kobeni had long since grown used to it and had no desire to fight back. She simply considered it a sacrifice for her brother.

"Your bonuses are all fine. It's just that Power is going to die."

"Power's going to die?" Everyone was shocked.

"Let's talk outside."

Himeno led everyone outside.

She repeated what Makima had said in the office.

After hearing her out, they exchanged bewildered looks.

Denji, in particular, had never imagined that the seemingly kind and approachable Makima could be so ruthless.

"Miss Makima doesn't know Power very well. That's why she came to that conclusion," Aki Hayakawa hurriedly explained, defending Makima's actions.

"Right. Miss Makima must think Power is an uncontrollable fiend. She doesn't know Power can actually be pretty reliable sometimes."

"Power? Reliable?"

"Whatever the case, we can't let Miss Makima kill her." Denji was the first to protest.

The two of them were always bickering and fighting.

Neither could stand the other.

They seemed like bitter enemies, but when it mattered, Denji always stepped up.

"We have three days. I'm sure Power can recover."

Himeno tried to encourage everyone.

"Himeno, is there any way to help Power recover quickly?" Denji asked.

"There is. If we eliminate the source, Power will recover."

"Kill the Poppy Devil within three days?" Arai panicked.

He had heard the others discussing the Poppy Devil's abilities earlier.

If the Poppy Devil took control of Meng Fan,

their entire group would be wiped out.

"Meng Fan, do you have any good ideas?"

"I do, but is Power really being controlled by the Poppy Devil? Something about this seems fishy."

"I don't know of any devil besides the Poppy Devil with such powerful control abilities."

"Meng Fan, do you have another theory?" Aki Hayakawa asked.

"The Poppy Devil only appeared decades ago. We don't even know if he's still around. Besides, if this really is the Poppy Devil, why leave apples at the crime scenes?"

"The reason I think the Poppy Devil is behind this is that someone saw him before," Himeno suddenly said, hoping to clear up Meng Fan's doubts.

"Someone saw him?"

"That's right. Back then, the whole country cracked down on illegal drugs to weaken the Poppy Devil, so people came to believe they'd all been destroyed. But underground dealing never stopped. Most people just don't know about it. Plenty of things that seem nonexistent are actually going on behind the scenes. There are still people whose families have been torn apart by those drugs."

After Himeno's detailed explanation,

everyone set their sights on the Poppy Devil.

All they had to do was find the Poppy Devil and kill him to save Power's life.

Hope flared within them in an instant.

"If we're really going after the Poppy Devil, it's best to find a few devil hunters with strong mental fortitude. Ideally, they should be able to keep one another in check. Too many helpers would only become a liability," Meng Fan said, making sure to explain the strategy for facing the Poppy Devil.

"I've thought of that too. But if the Poppy Devil really does show up, we'll have to leave you to handle him alone." Himeno jokingly patted Meng Fan's arm, seemingly placing all her hopes on him.

"Seriously? That's your plan?"

"It's all for Power. You don't want Miss Makima to kill her either, do you?"

Once they finished their discussion,

everyone went home.

Aki Hayakawa's home was unusually quiet.

When Power was around, the house always felt far too noisy.

Now that she was gone,

something seemed to be missing.

Aki Hayakawa was cooking in the kitchen.

Meng Fan and Denji sat quietly at the dining table.

Denji propped his chin on his hand and stared outside.

Meng Fan kept studying the apple in his hand.

"What do you two want to eat tonight?"

"I'm not really hungry. I'm going to my room to rest."

Denji dragged himself back to his room.

Normally, he was the first to shout when food was ready.

Now he had no appetite at all.

"I'm not eating either. I need to head out."

"Where are you going?"

"Don't worry about me. I'll be back soon."

By the time he finished speaking, he was already out the door.

As he walked, he called Natsume Fan Zhi.

"Calling me out of the blue? Are you finally ready to pay me?"

"That's right. Where are you? I'll bring it over."

Once he learned the location,

the two met at a deserted dock.

Natsume Fan Zhi had driven there in a truck.

When they met, Meng Fan first handed Natsume Fan Zhi a briefcase filled with money.

Natsume Fan Zhi tossed it onto the driver's seat without checking it.

"Aren't you going to count it?"

"I trust you. Also, I've brought a devil's corpse in my truck."

Natsume Fan Zhi opened the cargo door.

A devil's corpse was soaking in a tank.

To keep the corpse from rotting and stinking,

Natsume Fan Zhi had prepared a tank filled with formalin.

"This is the Dog Devil that Division Two killed. His hearing and sense of smell were both incredibly sharp."

"If you absorb the Dog Devil's corpse, you won't have to worry about sneak attacks anymore."

"How much?"

"Six million. It took a lot of effort to steal this corpse."

"Deal, but same as always-put it on my tab for now."

"No need. This time, I don't want money," Natsume Fan Zhi said with a smile.

"No money? Then what do you want?"

Natsume Fan Zhi moved closer, brought his mouth to Meng Fan's ear, and whispered, "I want the Poppy Devil's corpse."

"What?! The Dog Devil for the Poppy Devil? That sounds like a terrible deal for me."

"It's not. On top of the Dog Devil's corpse, I'll give you ten million and two other devil corpses. Most importantly, I'll tell you where the Poppy Devil is."

"You know where the Poppy Devil is?"

"That's right. I'm the only one who knows where he is."

"What do you want the Poppy Devil's corpse for?"

"I can't tell you that. Besides, the Poppy Devil's ability requires powerful mental strength, and you don't have that. Even if you absorbed his ability, you'd only be able to control one or two ordinary people. It would be useless to you."

Natsume Fan Zhi had even worked out his reasoning.

For Meng Fan, a deal like this, with everything to gain and nothing to lose, really was a windfall.