Song Ye wiped his hand on the tattered undergarment, then brought it to his fingertips and smelled it.

“You guessed right, it’s demon beast blood,” Song Ye said solemnly after confirming.

He ventured deeper into the ruins before turning back, clutching a blood-stained brick in his hand.

"The bloodstains extended into the landfill."

Shen Qian frowned and asked, "Captain Song, can you tell what kind of monster it is?"

"I don't have that ability."

Song Ye shook his head, then said with some annoyance, "I do have a police officer under me who is certified as a 'hunter' by the Martial Arts Association. If he were here, he might be able to see something."

"'Hunter'?" Shen Qian asked curiously upon hearing a new term.

"Like pharmacists, it's a professional badge that requires passing a special exam to obtain certification. It grants hunter status and allows relatively free access to restricted areas," Song Ye explained.

“Ah, my aunt is a hunter. I remember there used to be a lot of information about forbidden zones and monsters in her room!” Huo Ling’er interjected.

A thought struck Chen Qian, and he asked, "Can you contact your aunt? Why don't you ask her?"

Huo Ling'er nodded, took a short video of the bloodstains on the bricks and tiles, and then made a phone call.

After exchanging a few words with a pleasant female voice on the other end of the phone, Huo Ling'er hung up and walked back.

"My aunt said that there aren't many monsters whose blood can emit a fragrance. Generally, you can judge their strength by the intensity of the fragrance. Our fragrance is relatively faint, so the monster's level can't be too high."

"What level is 'not too high'?" Shen Qian relaxed slightly, took out a concentrated juice and smacked his lips.

"It's probably between X and W levels," Huo Ling'er said.

"Cough cough!"

He choked before sinking.

Sorted alphabetically, level X is two levels higher than level Z, and level W is three levels higher.

You...your aunt calls this not too high?

Shen Qian glanced at Song Ye, whose face had turned ugly, and knew that it wasn't that he was overreacting.

"Captain Song, an X-level monster should at least be at the high level of a beginner martial artist, right?" Shen Qian confirmed.

“That’s right. According to our internal action manual for police warriors, an X-level monster usually requires two to three high-level beginner warriors to be deployed. If it is a W-level monster, a mid-level warrior must be present.”

"Oh no, what should we do?" Huo Ling'er panicked upon hearing this.

"It's alright. Your teacher Chen and Director Zhao are both intermediate martial artists. Since this unknown monster left bloodstains, it means it was also injured. They can definitely handle it," Song Ye calmly analyzed.

Shen Qian thought about it and realized it made sense, but just to be on the safe side, he still took out his bracelet and sent a message to Liu Changqing.

Song Ye took out his walkie-talkie to notify the others, while he also took out his baton from his waist and cautiously walked into the ruins.

Seeing that Liu Changqing had not replied for a long time, Shen Qian remembered the other party's instructions and decided not to wait any longer. He then led Huo Ling'er into the ruins.

Huo Ling'er became inexplicably nervous again, clinging tightly to Shen Qian's arm.

Shen Qian glanced at her and, seeing that her fear didn't seem feigned, swallowed his words.

...

High in the sky, a storm raged. Liu Changqing stood in mid-air, frowning as he looked ahead.

Boom!

A bolt of lightning streaked across the clouds, illuminating the figure strolling towards them.

The newcomer was dressed in a long black robe, appeared to be around thirty years old, and had a nonchalant smile on his face, exuding a roguish air.

"Nie Han, you're still alive in Northeast China, aren't you?!" Liu Changqing sneered as he looked at the newcomer.

"Liu Changqing, you're still single!" Nie Han said with a smile.

Liu Changqing's face instantly darkened. "Are you courting death?"

"Your internal energy cultivation is still so poor. It seems you haven't succeeded in finding the Dao yet."

Nie Han shook his head, "If that's the case, it'll be less fun to beat you up."

"What are you doing in Jingcheng?" Liu Changqing didn't answer, but squinted and asked.

"Keep an eye on my junior brother, lest he fall victim to some people's evil deeds before he's even grown up." Nie Han glanced down at the garbage dump at his feet.

Liu Changqing glanced down at the ground, then looked up knowingly, “No wonder the teacher never mentioned him; it turns out he joined your side.”

"What, surprised?" Nie Han said with a smile. "You were clearly a genius from your Jingcheng, but we poached you. How does that make you feel?"

"hehe."

Liu Changqing scoffed, "You probably don't know, but three years ago he knelt under the Tower of Babel for a whole day and night, and the teacher pretended not to see it."

Nie Han paused, then frowned and asked, "Really?"

"Would I lie?" Liu Changqing scoffed.

"Why?" Nie Han frowned and murmured, "Why won't the Marquis of Jingcheng accept him?"

"That just means he's a good-for-nothing," Liu Changqing shrugged.

"Hahaha, a peerless genius who broke through to the intermediate martial arts realm at the age of sixteen, and you call him trash?" Nie Han laughed, "How arrogant."

"But that's the truth, and only your Plum Garden will collect the garbage."

Liu Changqing laughed and said, "Don't misunderstand, I'm not talking about him, I'm referring to everyone in Plum Garden... they're all trash."

Nie Han's face turned cold. "The day before yesterday, Jiang Huan blocked the gates of Beidu. Today, I will avenge my teacher's loss of face."

boom!

A hundred-meter-high cloud layer coalesced into a sharp sword, slashing down towards Liu Changqing.

...

The abandoned landfill was even more vast than Shen Qian had imagined. They had already walked hundreds of meters, but the two still hadn't seen a single person.

"Strange, where did everyone go?"

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