Chapter 269: The Taste of an Old Friend

Rustle, rustle, rustle.

The sound of a pen tip scratching against paper continued without pause.

The eyeballs atop the head were still twitching neurotically, but the image gradually taking shape was surprisingly recognizable.

It looked like a scene from his memory.

In the memory, he stood in a clean, bright space resembling a laboratory or research institute, as if walking down a corridor.

And the direction he was facing, the very center of the image, was an office door marked with a tilted "X"-shaped emblem.

The emblem was split in two.

The left half was darker, like a black shadow, while the right half was lighter, as if in another color.

The next moment, the arm stopped moving, and the head ceased its activity.

The forensic examiner reverted to his seasoned demeanor, the glow of curse power in his eyes settling down. "That's it."

Yan Jing's spirits lifted.

With a concrete emblem, this was unquestionably a critical breakthrough.

He reached out, pulled the drawing paper out, folded it neatly, and tucked it into his overcoat pocket. "Thanks."

"I'm done here too. Fucking overtime on a weekend."

The forensic examiner stretched languidly, then casually pulled the head off the model body and tossed it into a black trash bin marked with a contamination label, producing a dull thud.

He turned around, looked at Yan Jing who was preparing to leave, and suggested casually, "We've been at this until mealtime. How about grabbing a bite outside?"

"There's a new BBQ place on the corner. The meat looked pretty good."

Yan Jing stopped in his tracks, glanced back at the trash bag containing the charred, foul-smelling head, then looked at the expectant forensic examiner. Even his dead-fish eyes couldn't hold back this time. "You can still eat after handling that thing just now?"

"Working in forensics, you need this kind of endurance."

The forensic examiner chuckled, completely unbothered.

"Back when I was an apprentice, my mentor got me used to it over time. You have no idea how bad the smell is when you open up the abdominal cavity after a bloated corpse... The old-timers would still eat and drink right after finishing."

"Same for me. You vomit, and vomit, and eventually you get used to it."

"......"

The blue-haired sorcerer shook his head and pulled open the heavy iron door. "I still need to report to the section chief's office. Go ahead without me."

Holding the drawing, he strode out of the gloomy laboratory, his pace somewhat resembling an escape.

—Even though he felt his tolerance was already strong enough, this world truly was full of extraordinary people.

After a few steps, Yan Jing arrived at the elevator and pressed the button.

During the brief wait, he glanced around casually, then, as if possessed by some whim, turned his head to look at the deepest part of the corridor.

It was a special door.

Aside from the conventional mechanical locks on the alloy door, it was densely plastered with yellow talisman seals inscribed with bloody characters, leaving no observation window.

"......"

Yan Jing knew what was imprisoned inside.

It was an ancient demon known as the Fortune-Telling Demon, seemingly existing since time immemorial.

Ever since being detained here, it had never made any struggle or resistance, as if it were dead, remaining eternally quiet within.

According to Qin Shengshi, the one here wasn't its true body. Its true body far exceeded the current allowed limit and couldn't enter this world. What was imprisoned here was merely an avatar that had descended into this world.

No one in the Sixth Division had ever communicated with it, nor had anyone contracted with it, made sacrifices to it, or borrowed power from it.

—Except for Qin Shengshi.

The elevator doors opened. Yan Jing turned his head, stopped letting his mind wander, and stepped into the elevator.

And at this moment.

In that room at the very end of the corridor, an eerie creature sat upright.

It was draped in a wide, ancient black robe, and atop its neck sat an old redwood fortune-telling stick container, positioned facing the door.

As if the heavy alloy door and all the seals were nothing but decorations, as if it could see through everything.

"......"

But at this instant, the redwood stick container on its neck slowly swayed, emitting the "rustle" of wooden sticks colliding, carrying a sigh known to no one:

"There's a scent of an old friend... Can't hold back, going to make the first move?"

The stick container atop its head swayed again, lifting its gaze upward, its tone hollow yet cheerful.

"But then again, no matter how it goes."

"As for fear of the future... whether it comes from demons or humans, this taste truly brings me joy."

——————————

Wind Capital Sixth Division.

The blue-haired sorcerer pushed open the door and walked into the section chief's office.

Besides Qin Shengshi, who was sitting behind the desk staring at a computer screen, there were two other people.

Chen Yujie was sprawled lazily on the reception sofa, still wearing that bikini, though now with a floral T-shirt and black beach shorts over it. Her fair bare feet were still exposed, casually propped up on the edge of the coffee table without a care for appearances.

And the golden-haired girl was standing behind the sofa, holding a comb and hair ties in her hands, enthusiastically styling Chen Yujie's hair into some strange creation.

It was Luo Xi.

Seeing Yan Jing arrive, they showed no surprise. Only Luo Xi made a playful mocking face at him.

"You're here."

Qin Shengshi, who had been deep in thought over some document on the computer screen, looked up at Yan Jing. "Did the intelligence come through?"

Yan Jing nodded and placed the paper on the desk.

"Good work."

Qin Shengshi didn't open the document immediately. Instead, she spoke up:

"I've already read this afternoon's mission report."

Her deep yellow eyes fixed on Yan Jing. "That mysterious girl... What's your take?"

"......"

Yan Jing was silent for a moment.

"Strong. Extremely strong."

"I can't quite describe the specifics, but..."

Yan Jing suddenly recalled the Explosive Combustion Demon's reaction.

He chose his words carefully: "It's like... she and we aren't even on the same plane. Not in the same world."

"......"

When those words came out, Luo Xi's and Chen Yujie's expressions seemed to shift slightly.

Before Yan Jing came up, they had already read the mission report he'd left behind, so they naturally knew the general gist of what happened.

Someone had stepped in and casually one-shot the Explosive Combustion Demon.

Being able to instantly kill a demon comparable to a first-grade sorcerer was indeed terrifying.

But the description was a bit too mystical.

—What did "spell effects unknown, total curse power unknown" even mean?

—What did it mean that despite her identity leaning toward being a sorcerer, she was still assessed as an extremely high-risk individual? Possibly even on the same level as Wu Nuo?

Wu Nuo had a record of killing multiple peak second Energy Level superhuman entities within a single second.

In his own words.

Others were first-grade sorcerers because they had first-grade sorcerer level strength. He was a first-grade sorcerer because the rating system only went up to first-grade.

And just these past few days, he'd submitted a petition to the Secret State Sorcerer Association requesting the establishment of a special-grade sorcerer title... They'd even replied saying they were considering it!