Chapter 5: The Night’s Peculiar Assignment

A soft splash!

His sneakers crunched through the pooled water, sending splashes up to dampen his pant legs, yet the young man paid it no mind.

His gaze remained fixed ahead, the lights of the plaza already visible in his periphery.

Unlike professional demon hunters, Bai Chen was merely an auxiliary member of the demon-hunting organization, lacking both specialized training and practical combat experience against demonic entities compared to the official members.

When the manager called to report an anomaly at Wanhua Plaza, Bai Chen’s predominant emotion was tension, rather than excitement.

Although the rain had ceased some time ago, the streets of Fengling City still hadn’t regained their former vibrancy.

Ultimately, this was due to the recent sensational serial murder case, which had caused residents to significantly reduce their evening outings.

‘If it truly is that killer, can I really win on my own?’ Bai Chen mused, wanting to live to a ripe old age and certainly not wishing to forfeit his life during its most brilliant years.

While he yearned to find his parents’ murderer, his current strength suggested a higher probability of something going wrong.

Upon entering the vicinity of Wanhua Plaza, Bai Chen halted, surveying his surroundings with caution.

Normally, many elderly women would be square dancing here, but the recent rain had left the area eerily deserted.

Yet, it shouldn’t be completely devoid of people…

‘Where is the anomaly the manager mentioned?’

Just as his nerves were taut, he suddenly heard a commotion behind him and swiftly spun around.

The sight that greeted him made him gasp.

“Don’t run, stop!”

“You, young man over there, quickly get out of the way!”

Several men, completely naked from the waist down, sprinted towards him with agile legs, moving at a hundred-meter dash pace, all while flipping off the police chasing them from behind.

The police officers in pursuit were clearly exhausted, stumbling as they ran.

As they drew close enough, Bai Chen saw the last thing he ever wanted to witness.

They varied in size, from eagles to chicks, encompassing all models.

As their owners ran, they, too, swung their ‘heads’ freely, showcasing their masculine prowess.

The scene was so ‘beautiful’ that he suddenly wished he could swap out his eyes for a pair that had never seen such a sight.

Bai Chen finally understood why the plaza was empty; even grandmothers with skin as thick as a city wall couldn’t endure a few pantless perverts 遛鸟 (TL Note: A Chinese slang term referring to the act of public indecent exposure, similar to ‘flashing’.) in front of them.

As they passed him, Bai Chen not only didn’t dodge but instead extended his hands and feet, either tripping the perverts or grabbing them by their collars.

The perverts lost their balance, tumbling into a heap like piled arhats, until the police officers arrived and cuffed them all.

“Thanks, kid. You’ve got some good moves.”

When Bai Chen showed them his demon hunter identification, the police officers’ expressions immediately changed.

“You’re a demon hunter? So young.”

They had expected an experienced old uncle, not a young man.

Putting away his identification, Bai Chen glanced at the perverts:

“So, this is the anomaly you reported.”

“That’s right.”

For a moment, Bai Chen felt like he had been played; even as an auxiliary member, apprehending exhibitionists was hardly within his job description.

It wasn’t the serial killer, leaving him unsure whether to feel relieved or disappointed.

Just as Bai Chen grumbled inwardly, his gaze, sweeping over the perverts, suddenly stopped.

‘Haven’t I seen them somewhere before?’

‘That’s right, weren’t these the hooligans from earlier this evening?’

The men before him all wore idiotic expressions, their gazes unfocused, mouths agape and drooling; anyone unaware would assume they had escaped from a mental asylum.

It was truly impossible to connect them with their appearance from earlier that evening.

Bai Chen knelt before one of them, pried open his eyelid, and saw a pulsating heart shape deep within his pupil.

“They really were controlled by a demon…”

Bai Chen’s muttered words reached the police officers, one of whom quietly inquired:

“So, what’s the situation? Can you figure out what happened?”

The police station had received several complaints because of their post-rain streaking.

Bai Chen nodded slightly, then patted one of their cheeks:

“Hey, who told you to do this?”

“Ah… Master’s command, must complete…”

“Who is your Master?”

“Complete… command…”

“What command?”

“Command, is command.” The pervert even tried to continue streaking as they spoke, but with their wrists cuffed, they couldn’t even stand up.

This was completely incoherent.

“The situation is quite serious.”

Bai Chen stood up, looking at the police officers.

“These individuals are all innocent victims attacked by a demon; just hand them over to the branch for processing.”

After giving his instructions, Bai Chen headed home under the moonlight; his hurried outing had yielded nothing but polluted eyes and mud-splashed pants and shoes.

Back home, Bai Chen couldn’t help but recall the scene, scratching his head vigorously.

‘Get out of my head! Don’t let me see you in my dreams tonight!’

Though they wouldn’t be convicted, they likely wouldn’t have the face to show themselves in Fengling City ever again.

‘Serves them right. They’ve done plenty of bad things in the past and even tried to harass innocent girls; I suppose I’ve done the public a favor…’

‘Wait, innocent girl?’

Bai Chen, in the midst of carrying his shoes into the washroom, suddenly paused, the image of that girl’s face surfacing in his mind.

‘A coincidence?’

They encountered a demon right after harassing Mo Qiu; was it simply bad luck?

Or was there another reason?

His colleague’s words echoed in his mind once more, his dark eyes deepening like whirlpools.

Even if Bai Chen was willing to believe she was innocent, such a coincidence was truly…

‘At a time like this, what is that person named Mo Qiu doing?’

Bai Chen pondered for a moment, then shook his head, banishing the thought from his mind; cleaning his shoes was more pressing.

‘Anyway, she couldn’t possibly be humming while thinking of me.’

****

On the other side of Fengling City, in a single apartment.

After a delicate hum, the young woman licked her somewhat dry lips.

‘Bai Chen, are you thinking of me too?’

A rich peach fragrance permeated the air as the black-haired, disheveled young woman lay sprawled on the bed, her two pale legs splayed.

Her face, already doll-like in its pallor, appeared even more fatigued from the excessive exertion.

The sounds from the street outside the window blurred, and the ceiling light shone with a blinding intensity.

After three experiments, she had discovered a peculiar phenomenon.

‘Why do I think of Bai Chen at a time like this?’

The more she thought, the more curious she became; the more curious, the more she yearned to explore the truth.

By the time she snapped back to reality, her body was on the verge of collapse from exhaustion.

The bed sheets were already soaked through, and even her throat ached slightly.

Her fingers, which had done the most work, also began to ache, making it likely difficult even to hold chopsticks.

Even so, Mo Qiu still hadn’t grasped the answer to her question.

‘Could it be that Bai Chen saw through my disguise and cast some strange illusion on me?’

She quickly discarded the notion, as Mo Qiu believed her disguise and acting skills were impeccable.

For deceit, the most crucial element was the ability to lie.

‘With Bai Chen’s little virgin mind, he could rack his brains and never suspect me.’

Mo Qiu sat up, looking at the splashed bed, yet she still hadn’t achieved the result she desired.

‘Is there really no way to avoid wetting the bed?’

And gazing at her still-damp fingers, Mo Qiu suddenly snapped awake.

‘Wait, what am I doing? This isn’t an experiment for the plan at all.’

Unconsciously, she had fallen into a hell of pleasure.

‘So, this kind of thing is really this terrifying? It not only turns one’s brain into an idiot but also consumes a vast amount of physical energy.’

Mo Qiu recalled the courtesans she had met in her previous life; they were not only adept at seduction but could also keep their minds working at high speed.

At the time, she had looked down on those individuals, deeming their body-borne lies far inferior to her own.

‘Women, they are formidable!’

‘No, this cannot happen again.’

She quickly put on her pants, tossing her underwear into the basin in the bathroom.

Ding dong~

“Hello, delivery!”

Mo Qiu got out of bed, dragging her weary body to open the door and sign for the package.

‘Of all times…’

She tore open the packaging, extracting the ‘big stick’ that had arrived via discreet shipping, her vacant eyes showing no ripple of emotion.

Pressing the switch, the vibration that pulsed into her palm made her raise an eyebrow slightly.

‘This, it seems much faster than using my hand.’

Mo Qiu kept her gaze fixed on the ‘big stick’ in her hand, slowly walking back to the bed, then lowered her head to look at her lower body.

Her often-flooded 桃源乡 (TL Note: Literally ‘Peach Blossom Spring,’ a classical Chinese utopian land, used here euphemistically to refer to female genitalia.) had not yet fully dried, and the touch of her fingers felt cool.

Mo Qiu took a deep breath, steeling her resolve.

‘Just once. Tomorrow’s the weekend, anyway.’

She secretly vowed that after this, she would take a bath and go to sleep; without her body in peak condition, she couldn’t continue executing her plan.

‘Yes, this doesn’t exceed the scope of my plan.’

The young woman thought this, then lay back on the bed, lifting her shirt.

A profound question surfaced in her sluggish mind: ‘By the way, how many times has it been now?’