“So that’s how it is… Sigh. Then we can only report it to the Tribunal Division first and hope they’ve changed the rules a bit. Human lives are at stake…”

“……”

Wen Yuxian only exchanged a few brief words with them before leaving.

…

Hujing Prefecture. The Ouyang Estate.

It was a vast manor with lavender fields and large numbers of servants already hard at work throughout the grounds and mansion early in the morning.

This was the home of a famous luxury-goods tycoon.

A beautiful new day had begun, yet he still lay asleep with his wife in his arms, unwilling to wake from his dream.

They were a well-known model couple in Hujing Prefecture. Married for thirty years, deeply devoted to one another, perfectly harmonious.

A gentle breeze drifted in through the unopened window, rousing him little by little from sleep.

He reached for the phone on the bedside table—

Then froze.

There was a letter resting atop the phone.

He picked it up.

And his face changed drastically.

The Hua Lan Federation had thirty-one prefectures. Every single one held populations exceeding one hundred million people. Countless events occurred each day.

Not long ago, the Huang and Bai families of Changhai Prefecture nearly went to war inside Bubble No. 3. Qingniao Prefecture solved an orchard murder case spanning over twenty years with more than a hundred victims.

But the people of Hujing Prefecture had no attention to spare for news from other regions.

Because they were terrified by a mad killer who appeared and vanished like a ghost.

This serial killer was unbelievably arrogant, as though completely certain nobody could ever catch him. Before every murder, he would first send his chosen victim a death notice, politely writing things such as:

“I’m terribly sorry, but I’m going to kill you.”

What enraged people even more was that the police still had not captured him.

No matter how heavily they guarded the victims after the warning letters arrived, every single target still died in the end.

Because he resembled a shadow hidden in darkness, crouching with endless patience, waiting for the exact instant police and victims lowered their guard.

Several victims even committed suicide because they could no longer endure the terror.

This madman enjoyed tormenting people in this way.

The more protection a victim received, the more excited he became, and the greater his sense of achievement when he finally killed them.

His victims had no fixed profile.

Ordinary citizens.

Tycoons.

Men.

Women.

Children.

The elderly.

His targets shifted unpredictably, which was exactly why everyone lived in fear, terrified they would become next.

Naturally, many people online mocked him for only targeting ordinary humans instead of atavists, saying he bullied the weak and feared the strong.

But ridicule was one thing.

The killer was not stupid.

In fact, he was an extremely intelligent psychopath.

Going after atavists?

That would just be suicide.

So yes—he targeted ordinary people.

So what if he bullied the weak?

The Ouyang Estate had already arranged numerous bodyguards because of this case, upgrading its security systems again and again.

Yet despite all that, they still woke up to a death notice.

The police arrived quickly.

The Ouyang family members paced anxiously around the living room.

All staff members inside the estate had been gathered into the front courtyard under heavy supervision.

Perhaps the killer was hidden among them.

“Mr. Ouyang, don’t worry. We will not leave Madam’s side for even a single step.”

Yes.

The target named in the death notice was Mrs. Ouyang.

“Your protection? What use is your protection?” Mr. Ouyang looked even more distraught than his wife, practically on the verge of tears. Meanwhile, Mrs. Ouyang herself calmly comforted him from beside him.

The police officers present all wore grim expressions.

Because unfortunately—

He was right.

Protection could last a day.

Perhaps a year.

But not forever.

This killer could hide in darkness for incredibly long periods of time—even three or five years.

Eventually, both victims and protectors would let their guard down.

“Can’t the Tribunal Division send someone to deal with this?”

“They already did before. But he isn’t an atavist, and he’s extremely cunning. Whenever Tribunal Division personnel appear, he hides himself completely.” The chief looked troubled. “And the Tribunal Division can’t guard a single place forever. There are too many murder cases needing their attention.”

Against this sort of enemy, the best defense was offense.

Capture the killer, and everything would end permanently.

Otherwise, he remained a bomb that could explode at any moment.

Because his beloved wife’s life was involved, Mr. Ouyang no longer cared about anything else. He began contacting every connection he possessed, seeking help from every direction.

His network naturally reached the highest levels of many industries.

Yet no matter what assistance his friends offered, none could truly provide lasting peace of mind.

Until one well-informed friend suddenly said:

“There’s an intelligence broker. Why not give it a try? Maybe he has information on this lunatic.”

…

Early the next morning, Jing Pei received a call from Mei Yanlan.

Since it was Sunday and there were no classes, and Mei Yanlan herself had nothing to do, she wanted Jing Pei to come over for extra lessons.

Because for the foreseeable future, Mei Yanlan intended to stay busy “handling her man.” She had already requested marriage leave from the academy, meaning she would not have time to continue tutoring Jing Pei afterward.

So she planned to fulfill her duties one final time through pure cramming—stuffing as much knowledge into Jing Pei’s head as possible.

In any case, with Jing Pei’s intelligence, she would remember it all eventually.

Thus, Jing Pei had the driver take her to the apartment shared by Mei Yanlan and Xiao Cheng.

When Jing Pei arrived, Mei Yanlan stood in the kitchen wearing an apron and simmering soup.

Her black hair was pinned up loosely, and the huge black-framed glasses were gone. The small beauty mark beneath her left eye now looked strangely alluring.

Her entire appearance glowed with vitality.

Gentle.

Enchanting.

Like some spirit that had thoroughly fed on masculine vitality.

She no longer resembled the plain, honest Teacher Mei from school at all.

“You’re here! Come in first. Give me a moment—I need to finish preparing the soup and leave it to simmer.” Mei Yanlan smiled brightly, clearly in an excellent mood.

Following the strange medicinal smell in the air, Jing Pei entered the kitchen behind her.

Then she saw Mei Yanlan holding a dried seahorse.

“Teacher Mei,” Jing Pei said solemnly, “you two share the same roots. Isn’t this a bit too cruel?”

Mei Yanlan lifted the dried seahorse beneath her nose and inhaled deeply, then flicked it into the pot with her fingers.

“Well, it’s good for replenishing vitality. I’m stewing it for my husband to strengthen his body. These past two nights have really exhausted him.”

Anyone ignorant of the truth would probably praise her as a virtuous wife and loving homemaker.

Still, the Seahorse Demon Clan and ordinary seahorses were already completely different species at this point. Jing Pei had only been teasing her.

So Jing Pei went out into the living room to wait.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Cheng still had not left for work and was just coming downstairs.

One hand braced against the wall, his steps drifted slightly, and his complexion looked poor. Upon seeing Jing Pei, he merely gave a faint nod. As though terrified Mei Yanlan might appear again, he hurried out the door almost at a run.

The moment he stepped outside, Fang Bihe’s call came in again urgently.

In the past, whenever Xiao Cheng saw her calls, he would immediately excuse himself to answer—even during meetings or while on dates with Mei Yanlan.

But now, he suddenly did not want to pick up.

Partly because he was exhausted and lacked the energy to comfort her.

Partly because he felt guilty.

It was all Mei Yanlan’s fault.

She must have been pretending before. Or maybe she had been single too long and finally snapped from suppression. Her assaults were simply too fierce to resist. He had been forced into it!

He absolutely was not the sort of casual man who could sleep with women he did not love!

Mm…

Jing Pei smiled quietly.

There probably was already something growing inside him now, wasn’t there?

In any case, it was only a matter of time.

After all, once someone fell into the hands of a hybrid atavist carrying both Succubus Clan and Seahorse Demon Clan bloodlines, how could escape still be possible?

Her watch vibrated once.

Jing Pei withdrew her attention and opened her email.

Business had arrived again.