As the white fog dispersed, the flight routes over Nanyun returned to normal operation, and the six lanes of traffic jammed at the highway entrance were permitted to proceed.
The white fog departed as elegantly as it had arrived. Within the messy ruins of Songhe Cemetery, a third wave of guests arrived.
“Crunch.”
Fully armed government personnel entered the area. Their tall combat boots stepped over the ruins of the messy cemetery, which looked as though it had been swept by a hurricane. Their once-immaculate boot vamps were now stained with a sticky, unidentified black liquid.
Those who caught their first glimpse of the dead yaksha's corpse couldn't help but freeze in their tracks, looking up at the massive, four-meter-tall humanoid imprint on the ground that resembled a scorch mark.
The entire cemetery had been nearly leveled. Countless tombstones and stone fragments were driven upside down into the mud, and shattered remains of animal and human corpses mixed with mysterious yellow and white fragments could be seen everywhere.
Researchers scrambled up and down through the ruins, turning over shattered tombstones and tree branches, trying their best to collect any research materials they could extract.
The yaksha was savage and brutal, extremely difficult to deal with. They had expended immense effort, using heavy firepower just to trap the yaksha in the cemetery, yet they still had no confidence in eliminating it.
The massive, eerie four-meter humanoid ghost did not fear gunpowder, could conceal its form, possessed boundless strength, and had no weaknesses.
The white fog had only lingered for a brief moment, yet this thing was already dead?
What unknown creature was inside the fog?
But it was definitely an existence far more terrifying than the yaksha.
The researchers couldn't help but shudder.
“Section Head Qin, you probably need to come take a look at this.”
Zhao Daxian stood before a corpse whose gender could no longer be distinguished. His face was pale, and his stomach churned violently.
The case of the "Xiangxi Monster Catfish" had caused a massive uproar, and the entire nation had heard of it.
During this Mountain Lord transit, their Qianli City Special Investigation Section had conducted a joint operation with the Nanyun authorities, wanting to test the depths of this Mountain Lord.
Li Dapeng was naturally the bait.
Since the anomalies began within Great Xia, over a hundred thousand cases of brutal murders involving supernatural powers had occurred across the country.
Although Li Dapeng was still a minor under the law, he had brutally murdered four victims in succession, even pulling out their spines.
The bloodiness and cruelty of his methods were enough to make even veteran police officers who had worked cases for years stare in shock.
However, like Qin Yue, he seemed to have gained superhuman strength; his jumping, running, and five senses had all been greatly enhanced. While he was wanted, Li Dapeng had even attempted to snatch a gun, resulting in three injured officers.
Luring Li Dapeng into the cemetery was actually very simple.
Li Dapeng's phone had GPS tracking.
They only needed to precisely push the latest news about the white fog's transit to his phone and plant a subtle psychological suggestion on the web pages he browsed beforehand, making him believe there was a treasure inside the fog to achieve this result.
Remarkably, this plan faced very little opposition.
Now, he was dead.
The corpse didn't look like it had been mauled to death by a wild beast. His skin was completely peeled off, with barely any intact flesh left on his body, save for some scattered bits sticking to his bones. His chest cavity was wide open, and his stark white skeleton protruded from the flesh.
A few large, black-headed flies were buzzing around the corpse.
—His skin was gone.
In the eyes of everyone who saw this corpse, a massive, visceral terror arose.
Humans are social creatures. Even if Li Dapeng deserved to die, seeing such a bloody and horrifying state of death still made their skin crawl, causing them to tremble and retch uncontrollably.
This was a warning from the body, engraved in their genes and bloodlines when facing dangerous, unknown creatures.
Danger here!
Flee!
Flee!
You will die!
Could they really ensure that the humanoid white tiger harbored goodwill toward humanity?
“Yes, the skin is gone... urgh... It doesn't look like, it doesn't look like a wild beast mauled him. It looks more like... urgh... like something rolled right over his body. Even his intestines are... urgh...”
Zhao Daxian tremblingly switched on his walkie-talkie, took a deep breath, and continued,
“They are currently taking samples, yes... No trace of anyone else has been found for now... The yaksha is dead as dead can be.”
The scene looked as if a Category 17 typhoon had swept through.
—And that was only because typhoon categories only went up that high.
Compared to this ferocious tiger, Ma Guniang—whom they had only met once and who was willing to gift them a cultivation technique—was so amiable, kind-faced, compassionate, and merciful!
Why did he have to run his mouth back then?
Zhao Daxian slapped his own mouth again.
The walkie-talkie remained silent for a long time before a clear and steady female voice finally rang out:
【“I'm afraid we were too optimistic.”】
【“Compared to the supernatural phenomena appearing everywhere, this ‘Mountain Lord’ poses a far greater threat.”】
【“The range of this Mountain Lord's activities seems to have always been in the southwest region. It is speculated that this might be related to the Demon Suppression Division and its jurisdictions.”】
【“Notify the other regions to call off the tracking. I will contact the local police in the southwestern districts to continue clearing the areas and avoid unnecessary losses.”】
【“Do not make contact. I repeat, do not make contact.”】
【“Leave the subsequent cleanup work to them. Return as soon as possible to prepare for a meeting.”】
...
...
The sensation of flying in the sky was actually quite wonderful.
Nan Zhi spread her arms wide, her feet supported by a whirlwind as she flew smoothly. Her waist was cradled by a soft vortex of wind, and she felt as leisurely and comfortable as if she were lying on a sandy beach by the sea.
“Honk!”
“Honk, honk!”
A flock of wild geese flapped their wings. The lead goose flew headfirst into the white fog and lost its direction, letting out anxious cries.
Nan Zhi did a light somersault and landed beside it on the wind. She pointed her finger, and a small path appeared in the clouds. The flock of geese immediately flew out of the fog.
Golden light slowly refracted through the clouds. Large, soft, cotton-like clouds rolled and shifted shapes in the wind. Even though the white tiger woman was exceptionally tall, she still appeared as small as a speck of dust before the vast sea of clouds.
Unhindered and free.
It felt as if nothing in heaven or earth could bind her.
Hu Ban'er, who was wrapped in her tiger tail, looked as if he was about to pass out.
Nan Zhi glanced at the trembling, silent old fox. Her ears on top of her head twitched comfortably a couple of times before she slowly landed on a skyscraper with satisfaction.
—This place was already very close to Qianli City.
Looking down from the top of the skyscraper that pierced the clouds, the mist-shrouded, bustling city, the congested traffic, and the high-tech buildings were nothing more than blocks of different colors.
In this city of steel and concrete, skyscrapers rose from the ground, piercing the clouds like the hands of a clock. Scattered patches of green were squeezed out of their living space, and countless ant-sized people bustled between the high-rises, looking like busy worker ants beneath an anthill.
Nan Zhi flicked her tail. Directly beneath her was the city's landmark building—a colossal clock. Sitting upon it, she could even hear the mechanical gears turning inside the giant timepiece.
Rate on N.U.
