Chapter 23: The Fourth Murder and a New Lead

In a dimly lit alley in N City, cordoned off by police tape, a pungent, indescribable stench hung heavy in the air. It was a vile mixture of cloying sweetness and decay, far more offensive than any spoiled food festering in a trash can.

Several reporters, cameras in hand, attempted to breach the police line, their noisy questions rising in a clamor.

“Officer, hello! The victim’s death was horrific. Does the police force have a strategy to deal with the latent criminal in N City?” A female reporter thrust her microphone almost into the leading officer’s face.

The grim-faced Chief shoved the microphone aside, his voice thick with suppressed anger and exhaustion. “I apologize, but the incident is still under investigation. No details can be disclosed! Please step back immediately!”

“This is the fourth case this month! Citizens have a right to know the truth!” another reporter persisted.

The Chief spun around abruptly, his gaze sharply sweeping over every reporter present. His voice, now laced with ice, cut through the air.

“I will say this one last time! This matter is of grave importance. Any unauthorized reporting will be considered a leak of state secrets, and you will bear the consequences!”

After a forceful negotiation, the reporters finally dispersed with reluctant grumbles, their equipment temporarily confiscated.

Only uniformed police officers and a few other individuals, whose dispositions were markedly different, remained at the scene.

The Chief took a deep breath, then turned to the most prominent young man among them, his tone betraying clear dissatisfaction and exasperation.

“Xiao Moyuan, this is already the fourth murder case! The higher-ups sent people from your Demon Extermination Bureau here so long ago, yet you haven’t even caught a glimpse of the culprit? Are you truly capable of doing your job?”

The Demon Extermination Bureau, an ancient and hidden power, had historically been the primary force against demonic entities. Numerous demon-exterminating families sent their children to study within its academy.

Whenever inexplicable supernatural events arose, the authorities would entrust the Bureau with their resolution.

Xiao Moyuan, a student of the Demon Extermination Bureau, had been dispatched to handle this current situation due to his proximity. Coincidentally, this particular incident overlapped with his ongoing personal mission.

He wore a simple black shirt, a stark contrast to the tense atmosphere surrounding him. He didn’t even spare a glance for the white-shrouded corpse on the ground, merely responding with a flat tone devoid of emotion.

“If you believe we are incapable, then you are welcome to handle it yourselves.”

He tilted his head, gesturing to a capable-looking subordinate in plain clothes beside him. “As before, clean it thoroughly to prevent a corpse transformation.”

“Yes, Young Master.” The subordinate stepped forward, a bright yellow talisman appearing in his hand as if from nowhere.

He chanted a low incantation, and the talisman ignited without flame, transforming into a wisp of eerie blue fire. It floated gently down onto the white sheet.

The next moment, the flames surged upwards, yet strangely, they did not ignite any surrounding debris. Instead, a bone-chilling sizzling sound filled the air, as if flesh and bone were rapidly incinerating.

The Chief watched, dumbfounded. Though not his first encounter, witnessing such supernatural power always sent a shiver down his spine.

He snapped back to reality, urgently exclaiming, “You burned the body! How are we supposed to explain this to the family?!”

“That is a matter for the police to resolve.” Xiao Moyuan’s voice remained calm, as if stating an unrelated fact.

Without another word, he led his subordinates directly through the police tape, leaving the Chief to fume and pace indignantly.

***

Back in the car, Xiao Moyuan closed his eyes, resting.

He already had a firm conclusion regarding the attacker’s identity. The lingering, restless, and impure demonic aura, characteristic of a newly-turned Blood Race member, was too obvious.

Shen Zhixia.

However, he couldn’t act against her yet.

His ultimate goal in N City was a more deeply hidden, more powerful, special-grade demonic entity known as the ‘Blood Race.’ Shen Zhixia was merely a clue leading to that target, a piece of bait for a larger catch.

Reeling her in too early would only alert the true mastermind.

Blood Race members were classified as special-grade demonic entities not only for the immense power of higher-ranked individuals but also for their ability to create more of their kind.

Humans whose blood was completely drained would become the lowest-grade, unconscious vampires. Those who accepted the Blood Race’s essence would be assimilated into the Blood Race.

Shen Zhixia was one such newly-turned Blood Race member, having received the blood of a higher-ranked individual.

The car interior was silent.

He opened his eyes and looked at a capable-looking young woman in the passenger seat.

“Did you find anything regarding what I asked you to investigate yesterday?”

The woman respectfully handed him a thin folder. “Young Master, the list of female students who purchased the ‘sweet and sour pork’ and ‘scrambled eggs with tomatoes’ combo at the cafeteria yesterday is all here.”

Xiao Moyuan took the file, his fingertips quickly flipping through the documents adorned with identification photos.

The girls in the pictures were either delicate or striking, but without exception, none matched the contradictory image he had formed in his mind from the blurry photos and voice recordings—an alluring timidity that occasionally revealed a playful, scratching claw.

‘She certainly knows how to hide,’ he mused, a faint, almost playful curve gracing his lips. This cat-and-mouse game seemed more intriguing than he had anticipated.

The woman in the passenger seat keenly observed the Young Master’s fleeting smile, a touch of surprise stirring within her.

The usually stern and composed Young Master had seemed… more emotionally volatile since taking on this mission at N University.

“What about Su Mian?” Xiao Moyuan closed the folder, asking casually.

“Su Mian’s background is rather interesting. He’s from a branch family of the Su clan, a demon-exterminating family.

His younger sister, Su Baixue, is currently studying at our Demon Extermination Bureau and possesses considerable talent.”

Xiao Moyuan, of course, knew Su Baixue; she was a junior of his.

She was a budding genius among the new students at the Demon Extermination Academy, frequently approaching him for guidance on demon-extermination techniques during her time there.

Xiao Moyuan was almost certain Su Baixue harbored feelings for him.

However, many girls were interested in him. He merely regarded such talented demon exterminators as juniors to be looked after, never developing any deeper interest. He hadn’t expected her to be Su Mian’s sister.

The woman paused, a hint of confusion in her voice.

“But strangely, Su Mian exhibits no spiritual energy fluctuations whatsoever, making him indistinguishable from an ordinary person.

This is almost impossible for someone from his family background… Consequently, we hadn’t paid him much attention before.”

“An ordinary person?” Xiao Moyuan repeated the words, his eyes glinting with even greater interest.

An ‘ordinary person’ with no spiritual power, yet capable of eliciting such an unusual craving from the newly-turned Blood Race member, Shen Zhixia, when she was on the verge of losing control?

The reason a Blood Race member might lose control must be due to immense energy contained within the blood.

Coincidence? He never believed in too many coincidences.

The waters of N University, it seemed, ran deeper than he had initially imagined. And the fish lurking beneath were not limited to his original target.