"Chase!"
Wang Baoliu shouted loudly, wielded his blade, and charged toward the direction where the two demons were fleeing.
But very quickly.
He realized something seemed off. He turned back to look, and everyone was just standing there, not moving a muscle. Their gazes on him were somewhat odd.
It was as if they were looking at an idiot.
"Don't look at me like that! I forgot." Just a moment ago, Wang Baoliu had felt like he was an unmatched expert ready to confront the demons in a decisive fight. This delusion made him bold enough to charge after them recklessly.
If the Tiger Demon and Wolf Demon realized some third-rate character was chasing them with a blade, they might just turn back on their escape route, snatch Wang Baoliu, and grill him up as a snack over drinks tonight.
Zhao Desheng let out a sigh of relief. His abdominal injury was quite severe. His eyes rolled back, and he immediately passed out.
"Chief Zhao, hang in there." Lin Fan hoisted Chief Zhao onto his shoulder. "Let's go, we're heading back."
Staying here any longer... What more could they be waiting for?
If another group of powerful foes showed up, they'd all end up slaughtered.
Letting the Tiger Demon and Wolf Demon flee was a regrettable necessity. Zhao Desheng was struggling to hold on, and Lin Fan himself was pretty beaten up, nursing some internal injuries.
If they really had to fight, it was truly uncertain whose neck the deer would end up under.
The junior constables trailing behind looked at Lin Fan's back with eyes full of admiration. Their leader was unquestioningly formidable. That Rabbit Demon? Knifed dead in one strike of the boss's blade. Then the Snake Demon attacked only to have its tail chopped clean off by their boss's second strike. It scampered off, defeated.
Just thinking about it sent shivers of awe down their spines.
"Take another route, avoid the main roads." Lin Fan thought for a moment, feeling the main roads were far too risky, opting instead for paths less traveled for safer passage.
The junior constables' attitudes toward Lin Fan had already shifted dramatically.
When the boss said something, it was gospel.
Jiangdu City.
After finally entering Jiangdu City's outskirts.
Lin Fan exhaled deeply in relief. At least now, they were safe.
The constable juniors broke into broad grins—this had been an actual brush with death, a lucky escape from its grasp.
Demon Hunting Mansion.
Wang Zhou and Li Zhiyong were discussing affairs. The Black Fox Demon incident was anything but simple. Demons held grudges, and even though Chen Zhong had already died, it wouldn't assuage the Black Fox Demon's hatred toward them.
"That Black Fox Demon is not far from its Transformation. This matter must be reported to our superiors. We need them to send high-level experts to fortify Jiangdu City, or once that Black Fox Demon transforms, no one will be able to stop it," Wang Zhou said.
Li Zhiyong replied, "How infuriating! Who would have thought Chen Zhong would bring such grave trouble upon Jiangdu City."
"It may not be necessary to request experts for Jiangdu City's defense. After all, for the Black Fox Demon, achieving Transformation would still require many years of rigorous cultivation. Otherwise, it would need to consume some rare and precious treasures to accelerate its progress—and where would it find such luck?" Liu Ru remarked.
"Better safe than sorry. The mysteries of this world are endless. What worries me most is whether the Black Fox Demon has a backing force," Wang Zhou expressed his concern.
The group fell silent.
What Wang Zhou said wasn't baseless. Just as humans belong to families or factions, the same could be true for demons. This Black Fox Demon appeared far from ordinary, not like some simple, rootless creature.
Should the Black Fox Demon ally itself with an influential force...
Trouble would be inevitable.
At that moment.
A subordinate hurried inside. "Reporting to the esteemed officers, Chief Zhao and Constable Lin have returned. Chief Zhao has sustained severe injuries and fainted. He's already been taken for treatment."
"Hm?" Wang Zhou shot up from his seat, his expression stern as he quickly strode off.
Li Zhiyong exchanged glances with the others—they were well aware of the caravan's misfortune. But judging by the current circumstances, the situation seemed far more complex.
Inside the room.
"Easy there, easy there," Lin Fan grimaced as the doctor treated his wounds. "You could at least be gentle. Does medicine always need to be applied this harshly?"
"Constable Lin, heavy-handed treatment has its merits. These external wounds need careful attention. But I must say, Constable Lin's body is remarkably solid—much tougher than an average person. Based on the severity of these injuries, a typical person might already have ruptured their Five Internal Organs and Six Hollow Organs. Yet your internal injuries are relatively mild," the doctor said with a chuckle.
Particularly when the doctor applied medicine, his fingernail "accidentally" traced a small, deliberate scrape across Lin Fan's skin.
Lin Fan had the urge to kick the doctor away.
Why did this doctor feel suspiciously like a creep?
Nearby, Wang Baoliu puffed his chest with pride. "Well, of course! Our boss isn't your average guy. You weren't there to witness the scene—if you had been, I guarantee you'd have been scared witless!"
The doctor was employed by the government.
Naturally, he understood that demons genuinely existed.
Healing those wounded in battles with demons? He'd treated at least fifty, if not a hundred cases. He certainly knew how terrifying demons could be.
At that moment.
"Lin Fan, how are things? I just heard your report—you encountered trouble?" Wang Zhou pushed the door open and entered. Then he looked toward the doctor, "Is the injury serious?"
The doctor replied, "Reporting to the officer, Constable Lin's injuries aren't too severe. With some medicine and a few days of rest, he'll recover fully."
"Officer, I have matters I need to report," Lin Fan said.
The doctor gathered his belongings—some things were none of his business, and it wasn't wise to linger and listen. He left shortly after.
Wang Zhou watched the doctor's retreating figure before closing the door. "What happened exactly?"
Lin Fan detailed everything that had occurred, leaving out no details, and heightened the perilousness of the situation with a touch of exaggeration.
After all, if he didn't emphasize the danger...
How else could Wang Zhou grasp the magnitude of the predicament?
"Five demons."
Wang Zhou's heart shuddered. It was indeed a demon attack. And from the sound of it, a possibility that humans were implicated seemed quite high.
To him, the fact that Lin Fan and Zhao Desheng managed to lead a group of rookie constables back alive was nothing short of a miracle.
"Officer, we need to detain that Doctor Sun and interrogate him thoroughly," Lin Fan said.
"Right, I'll send someone to apprehend him shortly," Wang Zhou responded. The doctor likely didn't believe Lin Fan and his group had developed suspicions toward him. If he intended to flee, he should have already done so after hearing their initial reports upon reaching the city's ten-mile perimeter.
Thus, there was no need to rush this.
"That reminds me, officer—when battling the demons earlier, we discovered that the Rabbit Demon had an unusual obsession with carrots. It actually let its guard down and lunged toward the carrots. What's the deal with that?" Lin Fan asked.
In Lin Fan's mind, this Rabbit Demon was nothing but a gluttonous and greedy bunny. Even after becoming a demon, it hadn't changed its nature.
"Is there such a thing?" Wang Zhou was momentarily stunned before replying, "Perhaps its nature hasn't been fully subdued. Similar to humans—some die for money, others for beauty."
"This isn't of great significance, though. Not all demons are like this. It's just good fortune to encounter one whose nature hasn't been subdued yet. But most demons won't exhibit these tendencies."
Lin Fan nodded in agreement—this had to be the case.
If they ever encountered a Dog Demon, perhaps dropping their pants and taking a dump would lure the Dog Demon away. Maybe it would abandon its victim for the feces instead—eating it with such delight it forgets about everything else. Who knows?
PS: These recent cover illustrations were done by a friend of mine. Honestly, their skills are quite decent. This latest one is good too, I like it.