When the hideous monster emerged, Xu Hongjiao’s heart almost stopped with fright.
But just at that moment, her handbag suddenly lit up. A dazzling blue amulet automatically flew out of the bag, positioning itself between Xu Hongjiao and the monster.
The bright blue spiritual light transformed into a blue light sphere, enveloping Xu Hongjiao and forcing the monster back.
The monster’s skinless body suffered numerous burns from the blue light, and it emitted a terrifying silent roar aimed at Xu Hongjiao.
Although silent, everyone near the residential building seemed to hear a bizarre sound.
Upon seeing the floating blue amulet, Xu Hongjiao realized that the Little White Face she encountered earlier was truly a person of great skill.
Yet, she missed the chance to receive help from such a master. Even if it was just taking his advice to drink more warm brown sugar water...
Ordinary people usually shouldn’t be able to see this spiritual light, but driven by extreme fear from her daughter and the monster, a certain latent instinct within her body activated, allowing her to see what was previously invisible.
This instinct automatically fades away once the crisis ends.
This is why some who have ’seen ghosts’ can never see the things they once did again.
The monster, infuriated by the amulet, extended several red tentacles, thrashing wildly in the room and leaving the small ’community chapel’ in complete ruin.
After venting, the light from the amulet also began to dim.
Xu Hongjiao was seized by her neck once more; this time, the amulet couldn’t save her.
The amulet given by Lin Huan had already reached its limit in terms of ability.
Xu Hongjiao hung in the air for a full minute, visible and unrecognizable to Xu Cairou, who stood at the door, heart aching, but she could do nothing because she too was a prisoner.
Ultimately, the monster did not kill Xu Hongjiao as it still had use for her; it only applied slight pressure with its tentacles, causing Xu Hongjiao to faint.
Then it dragged Xu Hongjiao away, its body gradually becoming incorporeal before disappearing from the room.
After the monster left, a small creature only seventy centimeters tall with pointed ears and a large nose appeared in the room out of nowhere.
On its back was a bamboo basket filled with various tools.
First, it took out a can of spray paint and drew all sorts of bizarre symbols and some filthy profanities on the walls.
Then it took out three wallets, placed them on the table, and left a note on them.
Finally, it took out a cloth bag, sprinkled its contents on the room’s floor, wiped the sweat off, and left satisfied.
The next day at noon, a black van stopped in front of Xu Hongjiao’s building.
Lin Huan and two others got out of the car, all looking quite disgruntled.
Because a day had passed, and their wallets were still nowhere to be found...
The Hunter Association’s influence was strong in the area, and if it had been stolen locally, once the Association got involved, not just a wallet but even a battery could be found within a day.
The fact that they hadn’t found it yet indicated it wasn’t stolen by a local thief.
Unable to retrieve the wallets, the three had to apply for additional operational funds from the Foundation, knowing they’d be mocked by a group of buddies upon their return.
The wallet incident was insignificant. Their most pressing concern was resolving the current kidnapping case.
The location had already been cordoned off by local Supporters, and no one was allowed near or permitted to see inside.
Not even local officers or Hunter Association Supporters were allowed a view.
The person who reported the anomaly fainted after dialing the police number, and the investigators also fainted upon stepping through the door, prompting Supporters to close the door and prevent others from fainting.
Once Lin Huan and the other two arrived, the mysterious security door was finally opened.
Standing at the door, Lin Huan frowned.
"Did you notice something?" Hu Yanbing asked.
Among the three, only Lin Huan had some experience, making him their team leader.
Lin Huan said seriously, "Some symbols in this room are Yuta script and bear a strong Abyss style, meaning... demons."
The Yuta script is a common language among the ’high-level species’ of the Inner World. The lettering carries inherent power, with different styles depending on the race writing it.
The spray-painted style at Xu Hongjiao’s home clearly related to demons.
Lin Huan cautiously stepped into the room, feeling slightly dizzy and suffocated but still tolerable.
The environment here had been altered by Supernatural Power, akin to a room filled with insecticide.
Ordinary people, akin to insects, naturally reacted when close, while superpower users only felt minor discomfort.
Yet insecticides usually carried various aromatic scents, while here, there was only a pungent smell of sulfur.
The sulfur smell came from a layer of sulfur spread across the floor, not any monster leftovers.
Su Nuo curiously asked, "Sulfur, demon-series Yuta script... Are you saying the kidnappers are demons?"
Most monsters he had seen were the undead from the Qing Ridge Plateau; demons he had only glimpsed from afar in Sanctuary cells.
Lin Huan hesitated, "On one hand, all evidence points to demons."
"But on the other hand... it’s all too obvious: Yuta script with demonic style, sulfur spread all over..."
"It’s as if shouting, ’Look, it was us demons—come catch us.’"
Hu Yanbing pondered, "If this was done by a demon’s ardent admirer, it might explain things, like a ’Eye of the Demon’ situation. It might resemble a serial killer copycat, making the scene look just like a demon had been."
Before their official operations, the three had undergone professional training, possessing knowledge of Secret Organizations even more than typical Demon Hunters.
Heng An had specialized in targeting Secret Organizations at the start, so the Foundation had vast amounts of information on them.
The three began searching the room; Lin Huan and Hu Yanbing focused on the bedroom and prayer room.
The bedroom was where Xu Hongjiao was taken, and the prayer room was the most graffiti-filled.
Su Nuo searched elsewhere, deducing from the room’s trashed state that the monster used tentacle attacks.
After rummaging around, he arrived in the kitchen, froze upon first glance, then shouted, "Hey, come here—I found something."
On the table, he saw three clearly placed wallets.
These were the ones they lost!