“You shouldn’t insult our archaeological research. We need to prepare rigorously, just like construction sites. It’s not something you can just dig anywhere! It’s certainly not just digging the ground!”
“Who are you?” Chen Huaian noticed a young man sitting on the sofa next to the Demon-Slaying Master.
“I’m a graduate student in archaeology from Z University!”
“Why didn’t you disappear with them?”
The young man blushed and opened his mouth but remained silent.
One of the leaders of the J Province Demon-Slaying Division stationed in Jinde Town, Demon-Slaying Master Huang Gubei, quickly explained to Chen Huaian: “This kid was out meeting his girlfriend when the incident happened and thus narrowly escaped.”
“Then you should really thank your girlfriend.” Chen Huaian smiled and wasn’t angry: “I am an outsider, so I don’t have many rules for speaking, but no matter what, you did dig up the buried bone china. Whether or not you made any preparations or used what tools, tell me if you dug the ground or not?”
The young man’s lips moved, looking uncomfortable: “Well, that doesn’t mean digging the ground…”
“Alright, alright, if you keep talking, I’ll bury you in the ground!” Chen Huaian’s face darkened, and the pressure in the entire conference hall dropped by three points.
The young man wanted to say more but saw the sparks in Chen Huaian’s eyes and immediately shut his mouth.
He was just an ordinary carbon-based graduate student, why would he argue with a bunch of superhumans…
No matter how much he talked, they wouldn’t understand. Fine, let it be digging the ground.
“In short, this is the situation,” Huang Gubei sighed, his brows filled with worry: “If we don’t take action soon, I think there will be even more residents disappearing mysteriously. Only two Generals have gone missing alive without a trace, dead without a body. We had no choice but to request support.”
“How much support came?” Chen Huaian asked.
“For the Generals, only Miss Lin,” Huang Gubei cautiously glanced at Chen Huaian, pursed his lips, and hesitated: “I heard you are the newly appointed Governor of the C Province Demon-Slaying Division. Have you reached the General Level?”
Xiang Xiaoyuan shifted her gaze to count the leaves outside the window, while Zhao Ying lowered her head to look at her toes.
Chen Huaian’s rating is Grade A Soldier.
They wanted to promote Chen Huaian to the General Level long ago and had already uploaded the recommendation materials and the Governor appointment letter together.
But the headquarters directly refused to acknowledge it…
“Naturally, I am a General.” Chen Huaian pointed at Lin Chen: “Miss Lin understands very well.”
Lin Chen’s mind went blank, she frowned and said: “What do you mean by understanding very well? Are you saying you’re a General…”
Before she could finish, she was interrupted by the crackling sound of electric arcs.
All the hair on everyone in the conference hall stood up due to static electricity.
Lin Chen stared blankly at the man sitting opposite her.
He was smiling, holding a wriggling snake of lightning in his hand, with electric sparks leaping half a meter high.
“Miss Lin, this palm strike I was about to deliver earlier, shall I do it now?”
“You… You… I…” Lin Chen clenched her fists, her teeth grinding, but feeling Chen Huaian’s aura, she backed down, not only backing down but also being terrified. Back in the C Province Demon-Slaying Division, Chen Huaian had mentioned he wanted to palm strike her, but the aura back then was less than half of what it was now.
What did that mean?
It meant that Chen Huaian, who frightened her, was actually only planning to use five-tenths of his strength!
Now, if he used all ten-tenths, wouldn’t she be flattened into charcoal?!
She forced a bitter smile at Huang Gubei and said stiffly: “Ah, yes, that’s right, indeed, Governor Chen has long been a General, and an exceptionally strong one at that, it’s just that the headquarters haven’t approved it yet.”
Since she couldn’t win, she might as well elevate him high, the higher he falls, the harder he’ll land.
Lin Chen looked up at Chen Huaian, her lips curling into a flirtatious smile, but her piercing eyes were like daggers with hooks: “Am I right, Governor Chen?”
“You are absolutely correct.” Chen Huaian nodded seriously, stating the facts: “Your cousin and uncle are both useless.”
Lin Chen: “???”
Xiang Xiaoyuan/Zhao Ying: “…”
Huang Gubei did not sense the tension between Lin Chen and Chen Huaian. Seeing Chen Huaian speak so confidently, he instantly felt that the abnormal events in Jinde Town were under control. Even if only a General from C Province came to support, how could it matter?
Such a confident General could handle five at once.
“Let’s discuss the compensation issue,” Chen Huaian straightened his posture and cleared his throat: “Since two Generals have already been lost, it indicates that the event has escalated to the General Level. As support, I demand to obtain all the proceeds from this abnormal event, including the bounty and material resources.”
“You can rest assured!” Huang Gubei readily agreed: “The merits for handling General-level events are sufficient to exchange for any resources at the headquarters. You can even get a ticket to challenge the Kunlun Celestial Palace’s steps.”
Kunlun Celestial Palace steps? What’s that…
Chen Huaian pursed his lips and tapped the coffee table twice with his fingers: “I just want money.”
“Money?!”
“Yes.”
Huang Gubei was dumbfounded.
How many Demon-Slaying Masters were eager for the resources from the headquarters, even attracting other country zones’ revived Demon-Slayers to covet them.
But this peculiar Governor just wanted money?
Seeing Chen Huaian’s resolute and greedy eyes, Huang Gubei nodded.
“As long as you can quell this abnormal event, within our capacity, whatever amount you need, just ask.”
…
At five o’clock in the afternoon, when the sunset struggled to hang on the edge of the clouds.
Chen Huaian led the team to the site of the bone china ruins.
“Captain Zhao, what’s the process for our Demon-Slaying Division when investigating a case?”
Chen Huaian gazed at the abandoned kiln caves on the side of the mountain, his eyes intense.
“First, investigate the information of the deceased Demon-Slayers, analyze their cause of d*ath, extract any anomalies, infer the real danger based on the anomalies, allocate Demon-Slayers according to their ratings, and discuss the best plan before starting to clear the anomaly…” Zhao Ying explained each step by counting on her fingers.
“It’s too complicated.” Chen Huaian waved his hand, “By the time we finish discussing, the anomaly will already be upon us.”
“But this is necessary to improve the survival rate of Demon-Slayers.” Zhao Ying pursed her lips.
“The anomaly occurred around the kiln site ruins, so the problem must be inside these kilns. Even if the anomaly isn’t currently in the kilns, this is its root, and it will definitely return.”
Lin Chen rolled her eyes at Chen Huaian’s words.
“Isn’t that obvious? We all know that, but the lair of the anomaly is dangerous. Do you really…”
“So, we go in directly.” Chen Huaian cut off Lin Chen’s words with a wave of his hand.
“Go in directly? Without any investigation or thorough preparation, just enter the lair of the anomaly?” Lin Chen’s mouth twitched, her eyes widened: “Are you crazy? Don’t you value your life?!”
Chen Huaian did not respond,
but continued walking towards the kiln site.
The twilight was like a kn*fe, embedded in the yellow earth.
The kilns huddled in the folds of the ravine, like ribs soaked in pus after skin had been removed.
The wind swept through the honeycomb-like arched doorways, producing a dull scraping sound against the earthenware jars.
Yuan—Chen Huaian sensed it.
“The anomaly… has arrived!”
The footsteps grew distant, along with the eerie laughter, dissipating into the wind.
…
…
