Southern Xiangnan Province, Sihu City.
A middle-aged man with slightly graying hair stepped out of a stretched limousine, followed by a young woman with long hair.
"Father, are we really going to open a branch in Sihu City? It’s right next to Qianhu City, which is Ruixing Group’s territory." The man, who appeared older than the middle-aged man, frowned and asked.
"What’s wrong, Jianda, are you afraid? Do you think our Kowei can’t compete with that young upstart’s Ruixing Group?" The middle-aged man asked in a low voice.
Zhang Jianda said with a headache, "Although Ruixing Group is developing rapidly, its current scale is far from that of Kowei."
"But the market here has already been occupied by them. Wherever we open a branch, the prospects are better than here. There’s no need to confront Ruixing Group head-on, they won’t give up business to us just because we’re Kowei..."
The middle-aged man snorted lightly, "I have decided; it must be here. You needn’t say more, go prepare. Kowei is still under my control."
Zhang Jianda sighed and shook his head as he left the vicinity of the middle-aged man. The middle-aged man had an overwhelming influence in the Kowei Group, and even if he was his son, Zhang Jianda couldn’t change his father’s decision.
Indeed, that middle-aged man was Zhang Jianda’s father, Kowei Group’s founder, Zhang Kewei!
Wen Wen had met Zhang Kewei once more than a year ago, back then Zhang Kewei was just an elderly man in critical condition, but now he looks a few years younger than his son.
After Zhang Jianda left, the woman behind Zhang Kewei whispered a few words into his ear.
After hearing her, Zhang Kewei sneered and said, "You mean Feng Ruixing, president of the newly founded superpower organization, SRS Foundation, a few months ago?"
"What does that have to do with me? I’m just a businessman here to conduct serious business; he can’t possibly send superpower users to assassinate me."
The woman fell silent, then resumed her position behind Zhang Kewei.
The Hunter Association offers certain protections to prominent businessmen like Zhang Kewei, usually employing retired Demon Hunters as bodyguards. Wang Qin is the superpower user responsible for protecting Zhang Kewei.
She had already given her warnings, and whether Zhang Kewei listened was beyond her control.
Gray mist floated everywhere in the sky, making the whole world appear devoid of any other colors.
This place lies between the Inner World and the real world—the Gray Mist Layer.
Here, on the side closer to the Inner World, countless souls and apparitions wander aimlessly, and at any moment, monsters might invade, treating mindless ghosts as their food.
However, not all souls are helpless victims; some recover some consciousness due to certain stimuli and are known as Wandering Spirits.
Wandering Spirits don’t possess stronger powers than other souls, but they can move according to their will, allowing them to avoid being hunted by monsters.
Though their speed isn’t fast enough to escape monsters entirely, their taste and nutritional value are not better than other souls, so monsters usually don’t bother with them.
On the desolate streets, a long-haired woman in white floated with a fierce expression.
Her facial features were distorted, her white clothes mostly stained with blood, and her tongue stretched a foot long. Anyone who saw her would probably be half scared to death.
This woman in white was a Wandering Spirit that had coincidentally awakened its self-awareness, but she wasn’t trying to scare anyone; she was fleeing for her life.
These Wandering Spirits in the Gray Mist Layer had never faced such peril before despite not living comfortably.
Today she devised a plan to sell her charms to a coarse Wandering Spirit in exchange for some trinkets Wandering Spirits enjoy.
But as soon as she entered, she found the coarse Wandering Spirit captured, and suddenly prepared to escape. Unexpectedly, the one who captured the coarse Wandering Spirit chased after her too.
These Wandering Spirits had survived for unknown years here, when had they ever suffered such humiliation?
Was that monster not insane?
It chose not to eat the delicious ready-roast duck but insisted on gnawing on the dirty duck with feces smeared on its tail?
Only after the sound behind her disappeared did the woman in white stop. Barely catching her breath, she felt her hair grasped tightly, dragging her in a particular direction.
She endured the immense pain, turned her head, and saw a tall monster in a gray robe.
The monster had a sharp red tail, its large grasping hand was red too, and it radiated a pungent smell...
It was the scent of sulfur!
This creature was a Demon!
Beside the street in Sihu City, a young man grabbed an older lady, holding a reflective amulet, and began eloquently speaking.
"I see your countenance is dark, elder sister, it seems you’re experiencing some calamity, so I’ll be kind and gift you this Colorful Blue Amulet."
"How much?" The stout aunt asked with an unfriendly tone.
Lin Huan flicked his hair, "I feel we have a destiny, so I’ll be generous and take a loss. I won’t charge eighteen hundred; not even nine hundred ninety-eight, just ninety-eight to take this Colorful Blue Amulet home!"
"You should wear it often, and drink more hot brown sugar water; the calamity of blood naturally recedes."
The big aunt slapped Lin Huan, eyed him like he was insane, and briskly ran off the street.
Lin Huan reached out to call the aunt back, but eventually stopped himself, fearing she might call the cops if he persisted.
"You’re killing me with laughter; drinking brown sugar water, only you could think of that."
Two young men walked over, heartily slapping Lin Huan on the shoulder, mocking him without restraint.
One of these men was Hu Yanbing, who was accidentally recruited into the Sanctuary when Wen Wen captured Dr. Feng; the other was the Containment Officer Su Nuo from the Qing Ridge Plateau collection.
Lin Huan nudged their hands aside, "I wasn’t deceiving her; she indeed is experiencing a calamity of blood; telling her to drink more brown sugar water was for her own good..."
Su Nuo and his companion were stunned, "No way, Lin Banxian’er, you can actually predict like a fortune teller?"
Lin Huan boasted, "If you start a Paranormal Affairs Office like me for a year and a half, you’ll also learn when a woman is undergoing a calamity of blood."
Hu Yanbing rolled his eyes, "Isn’t that calamity of blood just that monthly inconvenience for women..."
"Come on, I’m just trying to earn us some money; it’s not like you two clowns lost your wallets..."
Hu Yanbing snorted, "As long as I have my momentum, I can survive without food or drink."
After the trio squabbled for a while, Lin Huan looked seriously towards the direction the aunt left, and before she left, he discreetly slipped the amulet into her handbag...