Chapter 54: A Lone Man and Woman Alone in a Room

The blue light of the electronic lock burst out, and the sound of the sixteen-digit encrypted gear assembly meshing was like a rusty music box.

The tip of the girl’s canvas shoe hung just above the threshold.
The residual warmth of the tactical glove still lingered on her cold wrist.

The moment the entrance’s motion-sensor light came on, she saw her own distorted reflection on the titanium alloy surface of the gun maintenance box—inside, the Demon Suppression Division’s special 9mm spiritual energy bullets were neatly arranged.

Xu Zhi flicked on the warm light, and the warm orange light instantly filled the thirty-square-meter space.

The girl looked around this somewhat small single dormitory with curiosity.

Originally, as a history major at Lin’an University, Xu Zhi should have been living in the school dormitory.
But as a front-line military officer of the Demon Suppression Division at the same time, it was inevitable that he would have to go out to exorcise demons in the middle of the night.
Living in the student dormitory was not convenient.

This was the first time she had come to Xu Zhi’s residence.

The girl’s gaze was unconsciously attracted to a yellowed photo on the third shelf of the bookshelf—in the photo, two children were standing in the setting sun.
A ten-year-old self was pursing her lips, which seemed to have been stitched.
The bridge pier behind them was covered in moss.
Xu Zhi’s hand was on her shoulder, and he was smiling carefree.

The edge of the photo frame was severely worn, obviously having been repeatedly caressed.

“You usually…”
The girl’s voice suddenly choked.

This dormitory was a bit too simple.
There was only a bed, an ergonomic chair, a computer, and a bookshelf full of various books.

But the single bed was covered with a messy quilt, and the armrest of the ergonomic chair was wrapped with a blood-soaked bandage.
The bookshelf that occupied the entire wall was filled with dozens of “top secret” Demon Suppression Division archive boxes, sandwiched between “A Study of the Origin of Nuo Opera” and “A Diagram of the Demon Veins.”

All these scenes showed that his days in the Demon Suppression Division were not easy.

“That zombie is indiscriminately attacking demon slayers.”
Xu Zhi unbuckled his tactical belt, and the ceramic holster hit the ergonomic chair with a dull thud.
“You should stay here for a while.
Go back to school after this is over.”

“Oh, oh.”
The girl took off her high heels and stepped on the wooden floor barefoot.
The rustling sound of the maple tree blowing in the night wind came from the half-open window.
“You’re not going to go find that guy, are you?”

“Mmm, I’m a Demon Suppression Envoy after all.”

“You were attacked by that guy before!”
The girl stood on her tiptoes and grabbed Xu Zhi’s collar, making him look her in the eye.
“You almost died, you know?”

“I’ll be careful.”
Xu Zhi guiltily averted his gaze.
The girl’s aggressive gaze made him not dare to look her in the eye.

“Look at me! Look at my eyes!”

The girl forcefully turned the boy’s sharp-featured face towards her.
“Don’t go! Do you hear me?!”

“I have new equipment this time…”

“You!”
The girl angrily let go of Xu Zhi’s face.
“If you die, I won’t be the one to collect your body!”

“I’m sorry, this is my duty…”
Xu Zhi turned around evasively and started to tidy up the messy bed.
“You sleep on the bed.”

‘It seems I have to find a way to knock him out and tie him up and take him to the demon market.’

Looking at Xu Zhi, who was tidying up the bed with his back to her, the girl suddenly felt a surge of anger.

Fine scales gradually climbed up her wrist, and ice crystals condensed in her hand, forming a club-like shape.

‘Since you’re so stubborn, don’t blame me… no, don’t blame me for being ruthless!’

The girl gritted her teeth and raised the ice crystal club, about to smash it down on the back of Xu Zhi’s neck.

“You didn’t bring that saber, did you?”
Xu Zhi suddenly turned his head and casually handed over the pistol hidden under his pillow.
“Use this for self-defense for now.
Do you know how to use it? … What are you doing?”

What he saw was the girl hiding one hand behind her back, scratching her face in embarrassment.

For some reason, the room was suddenly filled with the scent of osmanthus.

How could he have known that the moment before he had turned his head, the girl had quickly stuffed the ice crystal club into the back of her waist? The cold air had instantly soaked through her cheongsam, leaving a dark water stain on her back.

“N-nothing…”
The girl’s surface was calm.
Who knew how high her heart rate was at this moment.

‘Why did you have to turn your head!’

‘If it weren’t for the girl’s quick reaction, he would have seen the scales on her arm and that ice crystal club by now!’

The girl’s right hand, which was behind her back, was steaming with a faint white mist.
The scales were silently receding, and the melting ice water was slowly flowing down the inside of her thigh.

Xu Zhi suddenly narrowed his eyes and took half a step closer.
The warm light from the lamp above his head cast a shadow on his tense jawline.

“You…”

‘It’s over! He’s found out, hasn’t he?!’

‘It’s over, it’s over, it’s over!’

‘If he finds out, we can’t be friends anymore!’

The girl’s heart was about to jump into her throat.
She could even hear her arteries beating a drum in her eardrums.
The adrenaline was about to make her pupils contract into a dangerous vertical line.

A net of light spots was cast by the patrolling drones flying past the window.
The tip of Xu Zhi’s nose was only half an inch away from the bangs on her forehead…

“You look pretty good in a cheongsam.”
Xu Zhi suddenly nodded heavily.

‘Why do you have to pause like that when you speak!’

Fortunately, this pig-headed Xu Zhi was a block of wood and didn’t notice anything unusual.

The girl suddenly let out a long breath.
The back of her waist accidentally hit the bedside table, and the table lamp was suddenly shaken.
The warm yellow light spot flowed on the taotie emblem embroidered on Xu Zhi’s collar.

His out-of-the-blue compliment made the air freeze for two seconds.
The copper wind chime hanging by the window happened to be hit by the night wind, making a clear and melodious sound.

“You…”
The girl shyly and angrily punched him in the chest, and a blush couldn’t help but climb up her cheeks.

“Hiss…”

The girl’s punch seemed to have pulled on Xu Zhi’s unhealed wound.
The electric-shock-like pain that climbed up his brain nerves made him involuntarily suck in a breath of cold air.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry… Are you okay?”
The girl hurriedly helped Xu Zhi sit on the bed.
“Did I pull on your wound?”

“Mmm, it’s time to change the dressing.”
Xu Zhi said,
“The wound on my back.
Help me apply some medicine.”

“It’s a good thing you’re here, otherwise I’d have to go find Lu Qingtian to help me apply medicine.”
He muttered as he turned his back to the girl and unbuttoned his uniform.
The light brown medicine stain seeping from the bandage on his back shoulder was spreading.

“Oh…”

The medical scissors hit the metal bedside table, making a piercing sound.
The girl knelt on the sunken part of the mattress.
She stared at the centipede-like scar on the man’s back.
The smell of disinfectant alcohol mixed with the cedarwood scent on his body drilled into her nasal cavity.
The girl suddenly found that her snake scales were faintly visible under her skin.

Her cold fingertips touched Xu Zhi’s shoulder blade, and both of them couldn’t help but tremble at the same time.

“Does it hurt?”

“It’s fine…”
Xu Zhi gritted his teeth and grunted.
The medicinal oil touching the unhealed wound brought an electric-shock-like pain.

“You’re still trying to be brave when you’re sweating all over from the pain!”
The girl’s fingertip poked the new flesh at the wound, making Xu Zhi flinch in pain.

‘Good opportunity!’

Looking at Xu Zhi’s defenseless back, scales suddenly climbed up the girl’s wrist again.

‘Knock him out now! Then take him to the demon market and lock him up!’

“Didi-di!”

The encrypted communicator on the tactical belt hanging on the back of the chair suddenly flashed with a red light, startling the girl.

The medicine bottle accidentally slipped out of her hand, and the brown medicinal oil spilled all over the floor.

“Ah, I’m sorry!”
The girl hurriedly lowered her head and retracted her scales.
She bent down to pick up the medicine bottle, but the small bottle was already empty.

“It’s okay.
I’ll go get some more from Lu Qingyu later!”
Xu Zhi hurriedly put on his tactical uniform and rushed out the door.
“Don’t go anywhere.
Wait for me to come back!”

The girl’s “wait” was shattered by the sound of the door slamming.
She picked up a piece of the bandage that still had his body temperature on it.
The cedarwood scent on Xu Zhi’s body still lingered on it.

The roar of a car engine suddenly sounded outside the window.
A black SUV turned into a stream of light and rushed into the distance.