Lu Chan’s gaze toward me didn’t look like he was looking at a fellow human being. Instead, it was as if, on an ordinary morning, he had woken up in his pajamas, opened the curtains expecting the usual blue sky, white clouds, and sunlight, only to find Godzilla’s face staring back at him through the window.

It seemed like even his ability to think had temporarily shut down. He sat there awkwardly on the floor, mouth agape, staring at me blankly, completely unable to process what had just happened.

Zhu Shi, alarmed by his reaction, immediately stood up and called out, “Lu Chan?”

"Are you okay?" I asked, stepping forward instinctively to help him up, feeling that whatever had just happened was probably my fault.

The moment I approached, his entire body shuddered again, as if his reflex was screaming at him to get away from me.

But this time, it seemed like his brain had started functioning again. He stopped himself from recoiling further. I extended my hand, and after taking a moment to steady his expression, he cautiously placed his hand in mine, allowing me to help him stand up.

"What just happened?" I asked curiously.

"Well... how should I put this..." He looked at me with lingering fear in his eyes. “Do you… not harbor any malice toward me?”

"No. Why would I have any malice toward you?"

Honestly, I did have reasons to feel hostile toward him. In the search for Ma Zao, he and I could be considered rivals. But on one hand, I still needed his investigative skills for the search, and on the other hand, he had been nothing but sincere and reasonable in his actions so far, making it hard for me to dislike him.

"Thank goodness you don’t harbor any malice toward me; otherwise, I might have died just now." Lu Chan’s voice carried a sense of survivor’s relief, as though he had just narrowly escaped death.

"Did I do something wrong earlier? Like, was there some taboo related to your consciousness-transmission ability, and I accidentally triggered it?" I asked.

"No, you didn’t do anything wrong. It’s just…" He still looked at me with disbelief. "It’s just that your power is far too overwhelming. So overwhelming that your mere existence creates an untouchable domain around you. If anyone crossed that domain, it would feel like violating a cosmic law. The one who broke the taboo was me, not you."

I’m… too powerful? Even if you suddenly start praising me, I’m not going to give you any rewards for it.

But Zhu Shi had said something similar before. Because my power as an was so immense, supernatural entities would instinctively avoid me. The "untouchable domain" Lu Chan mentioned seemed to align with that same principle.

"It seems you lack a proper awareness of your own power," Lu Chan said, now appearing to slowly come to terms with what he had just experienced. His attitude toward me became noticeably warmer. "That’s fine. Unlike Zhu Shi, I have some experience in guiding and teaching others. If you don’t mind, we could have some private discussions later—"

"Wait a minute!" Zhu Shi immediately interrupted, sounding anxious.

She hurried to my side, placing her hands protectively on my shoulders like a territorial guard dog, and said with clear vigilance, "Senior Brother Zhuang… Zhuang Cheng is mine! You can’t steal him!"

"That’s right. I belong to Zhu Shi." I decided to firmly declare my public allegiance.

"Senior Brother? Junior Sister?" Lu Chan gave a wry smile and turned to me. "Isn’t Zhu Shi supposed to be your mentor?"

I corrected myself, "I am under Teacher Zhu Shi’s guidance."

"I’m not—" Zhu Shi reflexively started to deny it but then paused, her face flushing red, before she stammered, "I… I am!"

"Alright, let’s stop joking around. We can discuss private lessons later. For now, let’s focus on the main task." Lu Chan sighed and then turned his attention back to Zhu Shi. "While I couldn’t transfer the target Oddities’s location into Zhuang Cheng’s consciousness, you should have received it. You two should team up and deal with that Oddities together."

"Wait, now that you’ve seen Zhuang Cheng’s strength, there’s no need for him to be tested anymore, right? Why are you still having him participate in this case?" Zhu Shi questioned, her tone filled with doubt.

Stolen novel; please report.

"You’re still just a young woman. Having a powerful man by your side is far more reassuring." Lu Chan’s reasoning carried a hint of old-fashioned chivalry.

Before Zhu Shi could argue back, Lu Chan turned his gaze to me and asked, "Zhuang Cheng, you haven’t actually killed anyone before, have you?"

I thought back for a moment, then nodded. "No, I haven’t."

While I had fought and won battles before, I had never actually killed anyone. The first Fallen Demon Hunter I encountered mysteriously died of organ failure. Agent Kong self-destructed. And the two men in black suits I defeated while saving Chang'an weren’t even human to begin with.

"Mount Luo hopes we can capture the Oddities alive whenever possible," Lu Chan explained. "There are still many mysteries surrounding the source of the Oddities' power. No one knows exactly where these individuals obtained their ability to transform into Oddities."

"But I think it’s fine if you end up killing the target. The battlefield is unpredictable, and no one can foresee what moves the enemy might make. Never let hesitation put you in danger."

"Zhuang Cheng, this applies to you as well—don’t hold back. According to Mount Luo’s investigation, those who have become Oddities are already enslaved by an inhuman hunger for devouring souls. They have, quite literally, become monsters in human form."

"Put aside all hesitation, and kill the enemy without mercy."

Zhu Shi frowned as she listened, but she didn’t argue. Instead, she asked, "I remember you have a divination technique that allows you to extract information from the brains of the dead. If we manage to retrieve the Oddities’s head, can you get any useful clues from it?"

"No, I can’t." Lu Chan shook his head. "Before dying—or before they self-destruct—the source of their power disappears from their bodies. Additionally, their spiritual information is automatically destroyed. If it were that simple to extract intel, Mount Luo would have already uncovered the secrets of the Oddities."

"I see…" Zhu Shi murmured. "Well then, we’ll head out now."

"Good luck," Lu Chan said with a solemn nod.

---

After leaving the teahouse, Zhu Shi and I took a taxi toward the designated area.

It was early evening when we got into the car, but by the time we got out, the sky had already turned dark. We had arrived in the old district of Xianshui City and continued on foot.

On the way, Zhu Shi explained to me that the divination spell Lu Chan performed had revealed a "likely route the target Oddities would take in the near future." That was where we were heading now.

No wonder Zhu Shi felt the clues from Chang'an were irrelevant. I had to admit—this method was far more efficient.

I took out the photos I had received earlier from my coat pocket, pulling out Ma Zao's picture and examining it repeatedly.

In the photo, Ma Zao's left wrist still wore the intact red GPS bracelet. Clearly, she hadn't realized the true purpose of the bracelet, or else it would have already been discarded or destroyed.

But if that’s the case, why am I unable to receive the GPS signal?

And another thing—if Lu Chan possesses such an incredibly convenient divination technique, capable of predicting even the Oddities's future movements, why can’t he track Ma Zao’s exact whereabouts?

Previously, I had assumed it was because Lu Chan’s divination required certain prerequisites or clues to function properly. But now, walking down these dark streets and thinking it over again, it still felt off.

Surely, in a place as large as Mount Luo, there must be more skilled diviners, right? If even they couldn’t track Ma Zao, then something must be very wrong.

Zhu Shi suddenly turned around with a serious expression and said, "Zhuang Cheng, if we actually find that Soul-Loss Syndrome girl, don’t tell Lu Chan."

I put the photos back into my coat pocket. While her suggestion aligned with my own feelings, I still had to ask, "Why?"

"You’ve seen the methods used by Lu Chan’s faction, haven’t you? When it comes to that girl, whose innocence or guilt is still unclear, they’ve impersonated police officers, gone around fabricating accusations, and generally shown no regard for her basic rights."

She paused, then added, "I also hope Mount Luo can study that girl and maybe discover a cure for Soul-Loss Syndrome—because my mother is a Soul-Loss Syndrome patient."

"However, this must be based on the girl's voluntary cooperation, not treating her like a test subject stripped of dignity.

"That faction probably sees enormous profit in the Soul-Loss Syndrome girl, which is why they resort to such ruthless methods. I absolutely won't condone or support that.

"So, Zhuang Cheng, you might think my ideals are naïve…"

She slowed her speech, seemingly searching for the right words, but I cut in ahead of her.

"I told you from the very beginning," I said. "I don't care about this faction or that faction. But I'll stand by your side. If you think we shouldn't tell Lu Chan, then that's exactly what we'll do."

Hearing this, she seemed deeply moved and nodded firmly.

Seeing her reaction, I felt a pang of guilt. After all, the reason I said this wasn't entirely for Zhu Shi—it was for Ma Zao, and ultimately, for myself.

"Speaking of which, are you very familiar with Lu Chan? You seem to know a lot about him," I asked, instinctively changing the topic.

"Familiar might not be the right word, but we do have some history together," Zhu Shi shook her head. "Lu Chan was once a "Formation"-rank Wuchang, an elite Hunter whose combat prowess was unparalleled. He was also very kind and generous to his colleagues. Many Wuchang, myself included, have received his guidance.

"Furthermore, he wasn't always aligned with the faction that believes Hunters should act as gods ruling over humanity. He once belonged to our faction instead."

Confused, I asked, "If he's so powerful, why isn't he on the frontlines anymore?"

"Because he lost his former strength…" she said with a complicated expression.

"There are many organizations outside Mount Luo—some of them hate Mount Luo and believe the world should remain under ordinary human control. They fear Mount Luo intends to use superpowers to dominate the world, so they decided to strike first. They capture and imprison Hunters, conducting inhumane experiments in an attempt to scientifically decode their powers.

"Two years ago, the largest underground faction targeted Lu Chan during his most vulnerable moment. After an enormous expenditure of resources and lives, they managed to capture him. He was imprisoned and experimented on for eight months…"