Chapter 158: Shadows and Suspicions

The night was as dark as ink, pressing down heavily.

Su Mian sped along the silent highway leading to the safe house on the city’s outskirts.

A heavy atmosphere permeated the car’s interior, broken only by the engine’s low hum and the occasional subtle beep from the instruments.

Su Mian hugged her arms tightly. Despite the comfortable temperature inside the vehicle, a chill seeped into her from the depths of her heart.

The last image she had seen through the binoculars—Shen Zhixia’s retreating back, the dark stains on her hands, and the rapidly dissipating violent energy—flashed repeatedly in her mind, like fragments of a recurring nightmare.

“Is she… hurt?”

“That thing that attacked her…” Su Mian’s voice was dry, shattering the silence.

Xiao Moyuan stared straight ahead, his expression appearing somewhat stern in the faint glow of the dashboard.

“Energy readings indicate that Target B, that low-ranking bloodkin or blood s*ave, completely lost its life signs after a brief, intense conflict.

Shen Zhixia’s energy field, however, fluctuated violently and significantly diminished after the battle, but it didn’t collapse. She likely sustained injuries, but they shouldn’t be fatal.”

He paused, his tone thoughtful.

“More critically, consider the nature of the attack. It wasn’t a hunt; it was a clear, murderous assault.”

“Low-ranking bloodkin or heavily enslaved blood slaves typically lack advanced intelligence, their actions driven by instinct and the commands of their superiors.”

“Attacking Xia’s direct blood servant is practically suicidal, unless…”

“Unless Xia ordered it?” Su Mian interjected, only to immediately refute her own suggestion.

“No, Xia wouldn’t need to do that. Shen Zhixia is his important ‘bait’ and ‘tool.’ Moreover, if it were Xia’s command, Shen Zhixia wouldn’t have struggled so violently or fled in such a panic afterward.”

“There are two possibilities,” Xiao Moyuan calmly analyzed.

“First, the assailant wasn’t directly controlled by Xia but was influenced or driven by another force. The target could have been Shen Zhixia, or perhaps the attack was meant to provoke or test Xia through her.”

“Second, the assailant was still under Xia’s command, but Xia’s objective wasn’t to kill Shen Zhixia.

Instead, it might have been a ‘stress test’ or ‘punishment,’ or even a twisted form of ‘training’—forcing her to unleash her potential or further erode her humanity under extreme circumstances.”

“Regardless of the possibility, both reek of unsettling cruelty and deception.”

“What about that anonymous warning sender?” Su Mian recalled the window where the curtains had been swiftly drawn.

“Did he see all of this? Does he know something?”

“That attack was meant to obstruct us, disappearing completely after the third jump. However, the signal became blurry again after that third jump, and soon vanished once more.”

‘Completely eradicated, their anti-tracking capabilities are formidable.’

Xiao Moyuan stated, “He saw it, that’s certain. But he chose to remain hidden, neither intervening nor communicating further. His stance and objectives remain unclear.”

The car turned onto a secluded forest path, eventually stopping in front of a detached villa. Its exterior was ordinary, but it was fortified with multiple arrays and technological defenses.

This was one of the temporary safe houses arranged by Hong Luan.

Lu Yang and Grey Falcon had already arrived.

Lu Yang’s face was still a bit pale, but his eyes were relatively calm. Grey Falcon, meanwhile, was rapidly operating several flickering instrument screens.

“Initial on-site analysis is complete,” Grey Falcon said, cutting straight to the chase.

“Target B’s residue is confirmed to fall within the ‘blood s*ave’ category, specifically one that underwent forced, abnormal mutation, was extremely mentally unstable, and on the verge of collapse.”

“Its body contained various mixed ‘dark energy imprints,’ including bloodkin magic, and… faint residual traces of ‘witchcraft.'”

“Witchcraft?” Xiao Moyuan’s eyes narrowed.

“Is it similar to the encryption features of the ‘anonymous warning signal’?”

“The similarity is not high, but they belong to different branches of the same major system,” Grey Falcon said, pulling up data comparison charts.

“You could understand it as a ‘dialect’ difference.”

“More importantly, we extracted a very faint but indeed present ‘guidance imprint’ from Target B’s residue. The function of this ‘imprint’ wasn’t direct control; it was more like… a strong ‘suggestion’ or ‘drive,’ guiding it to a specific area and amplifying its bloodlust and aggressive instincts.”

“Someone deliberately led it towards Shen Zhixia?” Su Mian gasped.

“It appears so,” Grey Falcon nodded.

“And the timing was incredibly precise—just as Shen Zhixia entered the pre-set hunting ground, at a moment when her attention might have been divided.”

“The other party clearly understands Shen Zhixia’s operational patterns and is aware of the ‘blood s*ave’s’ condition.”

Xiao Moyuan walked to the screen, meticulously examining the complex data streams and energy spectrum graphs.

“Can we trace the source of the ‘guidance imprint’?”

“The traces are extremely faint and were completely destroyed by the subsequent battle, making direct tracking impossible,” Grey Falcon shook his head.

“However, considering the ‘anonymous warning sender’s’ appearance tonight, and the ‘witchcraft’ characteristics carried in his signal… we cannot rule out a connection.”

A brief silence fell over the room.

‘If the ‘anonymous warning sender’ and the one who ‘guided the blood s*ave’ to attack Shen Zhixia are the same party, then his actions become even more contradictory and difficult to comprehend.

First, he warned Su Mian to “be careful of him,” and now he seems to have indirectly attacked Xia’s “tool”? Whose side is he truly on? Or is he merely exploiting every opportunity to create chaos and achieve some unknown objective?’

“What about Shen Zhixia’s trajectory after she left?” Xiao Moyuan asked.

“She vanished,” Grey Falcon said, bringing up a consolidated map of city surveillance and energy scans.

“After leaving the conflict zone, approximately one kilometer away, she entered an old residential area with numerous surveillance blind spots, then she simply evaporated.”

“None of the concealed energy sensors we deployed nearby captured any subsequent energy fluctuations from her.”

“Either she has the ability to completely mask her aura, or… someone came to pick her up.”

“Xia?” Lu Yang couldn’t help but ask.

“Most likely,” Xiao Moyuan said, his voice deep.

“Shen Zhixia is injured, and her mission suffered a major unexpected turn; Xia couldn’t possibly be unaware. He either personally dealt with the aftermath or had other subordinates provide assistance.”

“Tonight’s events, I fear, are far from over.”

As if to confirm his words, an urgent communication request from Hong Luan suddenly came through.

Xiao Moyuan immediately connected, and Hong Luan’s calm but slightly urgent voice transmitted:

“Young Master, the Demon Exorcism Institute’s South City Branch Command received an anonymous report fifteen minutes ago, claiming a supernatural malicious assault involving bloodkin occurred near ‘Maple Forest Road.’

They have dispatched a rapid response team, expected to arrive on-site in five minutes.”

“Additionally, we monitored a brief but extremely intense energy burst ten minutes ago in the Old Dock Warehouse Area.

Its nature highly matches Xia’s source blood fluctuations. Subsequently, the energy field in that area entered a complete silent shielding state, and we lost all perception of its interior.”

Messages arrived one after another, each carrying an ominous undertone. The Demon Exorcism Institute being drawn to the scene meant the situation was beginning to go public.

Xia’s energy burst and subsequent shielding, on the other hand, seemed like a stress reaction or the prelude to some action.

“The source of the anonymous report?” Xiao Moyuan asked.

“Untraceable. It was a one-time encrypted communication. The method has some technical overlap with previous warning signals, but we cannot confirm it’s the same person,” Hong Luan replied.

‘Another anonymous sender! What does he want? To stir the waters, but for what? To force various factions into an early confrontation?’

“Our people must immediately evacuate all relevant areas to avoid direct contact with the Demon Exorcism Institute’s rapid response force,” Xiao Moyuan decided on the spot.

“Grey Falcon, clear all traces we might have left. Hong Luan, this place might not be safe either. Additionally, dispatch more undercover agents to focus on monitoring the movements in the Old Dock area and the Demon Exorcism Institute’s South City Branch.”

“Understood,” Hong Luan and Grey Falcon responded simultaneously.

After the communication ended, Xiao Moyuan looked at Su Mian and Lu Yang, his eyes grave.

“Tonight’s operation has been exposed. Although we were very careful, the anonymous informant clearly knows of our existence and general movements. Xia’s side must also be on alert.”

“In the coming days, we must be even more discreet, and our actions will need to be re-planned.”

He paused, looking at Su Mian.

“You, especially, Su Mian. The anonymous warning has repeatedly appeared, seemingly targeting you directly. Whoever he is, you are one of the focal points.

Until the truth is uncovered, your daily activities must be further restricted. Do not go out unnecessarily, and any outings must be accompanied by me or someone arranged by Hong Luan throughout.”

Su Mian nodded, offering no objection.

She could feel the invisible net tightening; danger was no longer a distant image but truly closing in.

Lu Yang also felt the pressure. He looked at Xiao Moyuan.

“Brother Xiao, then what about me…?”

“Your training continues, but practical observation is temporarily suspended,” Xiao Moyuan stated.

“You need time to digest tonight’s experiences, and you also need to systematically improve your foundational abilities. Chen Wan’s recovery also requires close attention; your stability is crucial to her.”

After arranging the follow-up, everyone went to rest.

The safe house room was simple yet comfortable, but Su Mian lay on the bed, utterly sleepless. The rustling of trees outside the window in the night wind, occasionally punctuated by the calls of night birds, only deepened the silence.

Her mind repeatedly replayed Shen Zhixia’s final gaze—the pain beneath the emptiness, the despair in her struggle, and that fleeting, almost pleading panic as she fled. Did Shen Zhixia know they were nearby? Was that upward glance truly just a coincidence?

‘She’s hurt; could it be very serious? How will Xia treat a failed and potentially “disloyal” blood servant? And that anonymous “him.” Who exactly is he? Is he friend or foe? Who exactly was that warning, “be careful of him,” directed at?’

Conflicting thoughts, like tangled vines, tightly entwined her.

It wasn’t until the sky began to lighten that she finally succumbed to sleep in extreme exhaustion, her slumber shallow and filled with dreams.

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