News of what had happened here was quickly reported to the Lonely Lantern Society—the Awakened organization of Fengyue Kingdom.
In the capital, on the forty-second floor of a hundred-storey skyscraper.
A short-haired young man in a crimson suit lounged in front of his monitor. When the file arrived he curled his lip in amusement: "Interesting—a psycho who kills and leaves nothing but clothes and bones."
"Captain, what is it? Did a Monster appear?" Kong Cheng's mutter immediately drew the attention of the people nearby.
They crowded round his screen; the moment they saw the case file, every face registered shock.
"Definitely the handiwork of an Awakened—one of those nut-jobs who finally got powers after years of repression," declared a pony-tailed woman with utter conviction.
Kong Cheng sneered. "Let's go clean it up. We only see one or two of these a year—might as well have some fun."
"Yay, fun time!" The pony-tailed girl beside him lit up and bounced on her heels.
The rest grinned just as widely. An Awakened who dares target only ordinary folk can't be stronger than Level Two. Even if something goes wrong, Level Three is still within their reach.
They boarded a plane at once; from the moment the report was filed to their arrival in the city, less than three hours passed.
The moment the wheels touched down they made a beeline for the bar.
Minutes later, Bureau Chief Deng Guangyuan stood outside the entrance, glancing left and right, waiting for the Lonely Lantern people to show.
"I never expected those Awakened to move so fast—since when are they this efficient?" Behind him, the middle-aged female Inspector was equally surprised at their speed.
"Probably just bored," Deng Guangyuan replied while he waited. "Besides, the country's small; it's a short hop from the capital."
A few minutes later two black sedans sporting the national crest appeared in the street.
"Get the cordon open—now!" Deng barked at the officers ahead.
The tape was pulled aside and the cars rolled right up to the door.
Bang, bang, bang! Doors slammed as five young men and women in red suits stepped out.
Deng forced a smile and hurried over, bowing respectfully. "My lords, you're finally here. I'm Deng Guangyuan, bureau chief of this district."
"Good. Keep your cordon outside; leave the rest to us." Kong Cheng gave him a haughty glance and strode straight into the bar.
The other four didn't spare the so-called bureau chief a second look—just an ordinary man, not worth their time.
"Yes, yes, of course!" Deng chuckled obsequiously and turned away from the entrance.
After so many years he was used to their attitude.
Kong Cheng led them inside. Blood, bones and clothes littered the floor, but his expression never changed. He turned to a slightly plump, horse-faced youth in the team: "Track him—see if you can pick up the trail."
"Got it, Captain—leave it to me. I'll find him for sure!" The horse-faced youth grinned confidently.
He closed his eyes and began to sniff—unlike most trackers among the Awakened.
He didn't rely on mental sensing; he relied on his nose.
After several minutes of scent-work he snapped his eyes open and looked at Kong Cheng. "Captain, got him—follow me!"
"Move!" A faint smile flickered across Kong Cheng's face.
He led the team out of the bar and back to their cars.
Vroom!
Engines roared as the two sedans sped toward the outskirts.
Moments later the cars stopped in farmland a dozen kilometres outside the city and everyone piled out.
The horse-faced youth pointed at a wooden house glowing with yellow light in the distance. "Right there!"
Under the light of the twin moons, Kong Cheng gazed at the cabin amid the golden paddy fields a few hundred metres away.
A dirt path at their feet led straight to the house.
"Go!" Kong Cheng barked and sprinted forward.
He'd barely covered a few metres when his face twitched—something was wrong. He whirled round.
The turn made his face blanch: the other four behind him had vanished.
'To wipe them out in seconds—an illusion?' Kong Cheng's muscles bulged; his height shot from 1.7 m to 2 m and his fists turned golden.
Eyes wary, he roared, "Show yourself! Did you really think a mere illusion could handle me?"
Illusion-type abilities were a branch of Mental-type, and Mental-types usually had frail bodies—if the enemy appeared, one punch would finish it.
Thud! A black hand punched through his heart from the front, blood gushing.
Kong Cheng stared in disbelief at the hand that had materialised in his chest. "S…pa…ce… type?"
Crack! Crack!
Fractures like broken glass spread across the world around him.
Boom! The scene shattered. A two-metre, pitch-black creature stood before him, a huge black orb set in its forehead.
"It was an illusion," the creature sneered, ripping out Kong Cheng's heart and stuffing it into its maw.
Thud! Kong Cheng collapsed, unwilling to accept defeat. Before his eyes closed he saw four corpses beside the cars.
His teammates.
"Trash." The blackness peeled away, the figure shrinking to reveal He Xuelin.
He walked over and began to feed; minutes later nothing remained but blood and bones.
Standing by the cars after devouring all five, He Xuelin felt the energy inside him surge—he was now at the very peak of Level Three.
'Still not enough—breaking through to Level Four needs far more.' He had assumed the five would suffice.
Only upon reaching the apex of Level Three did he realise how massive the bottleneck still was.
"No more delays. With five of them dead, the Level Fours will act. If I don't reach Level Four before they react, I'm dead." He turned toward the city.
A ruthless glint flashed in He Xuelin's eyes. "For revenge, I'll have to trouble the rest of you."
He strode straight to one of the team's sedans.
Vroom! The keys were still in the ignition. He started the engine, floored the pedal, and spun the car round in a tight circle.
Then he shot off toward the city.