"No, I wouldn't dare be happy..." the female demon forced a grim smile.
Duan Chen smiled kindly, "Big sister, I have two questions. If you answer them well, perhaps I'll let you go."
"Question one, how did you sea demons come to land from the underwater 'Mirror City'?"
The female demon's eyes darted around, then she said with resolve:
"We discovered an altar in the underwater sacred ruins. After it was stained with the blood of a maiden, a portal could be opened through a mirror.
However, only a very small number of special clan members could pass. To help more of our clan members who couldn't, we were appointed as 'vanguard members' to hunt human hearts.
After bringing them back for our clan to consume, we could completely transform into humans and blend into the land world."
Duan Chen heard the woman's true thoughts and nodded with satisfaction, knowing she wasn't lying.
These underwater foreign races actually planned to infiltrate the human world without anyone noticing. No wonder the number of people suffering from amnesia had increased recently and guild missions were so heavy.
It was all their doing.
"Question two, after you came out of 'Mirror City', how many people did you kill?"
Seeing Duan Chen relax, the female demon tried to quibble.
"Haven't killed any yet, you're my first..."
But her true thoughts betrayed her.
(I first killed a woman and replaced her appearance, then successively killed three young men and four middle-aged uncles...
As long as I pose a little, men pounce on me like dogs. It's just too easy.)
"Eight. Tsk, big sister, you're quite capable. Too bad you ran into me."
Duan Chen looked at the pale woman, as if gazing at a corpse.
"Please don't kill me! Big brother, I was wrong, I was forced. If I didn't act, the Priest would kill me! The Priest has also infiltrated the land. If you don't kill me, I can take you to him!"
The female demon shed crystal-clear tears, appearing like a real human.
But her "acting" in Duan Chen's eyes was merely ridiculous.
Because Duan Chen clearly saw her thoughts—
(Stupid kid, I don't know where the Priest is at all. I only know he likes to swallow octopuses whole and has a scar on his chin. Heh heh, once you let me go, you'll never catch me again!)
"Don't worry, letting you go is impossible. But it's okay, I'll keep both of these clues in mind. Thank you for your contribution to world peace."
Duan Chen's heart sank. If the sea demons were not randomly appearing monsters but an organized and planned invasion, it would be more troublesome than he expected.
Catching a low-level soldier was useless. He had to find a way to expose the Priest hiding among humans.
"You! You can't peek into my thoughts!" the female demon cried out in panic. If he knew everything, what value would she have for survival?
She would surely die!
"After this job, I can finally afford a nice car."
"Audi or BMW..."
Duan Chen seemed to be thinking seriously, completely ignoring the woman's pitiful pleas.
The female demon's pupils trembled. She realized that when he spoke of 'finishing this job' upon their first meeting, he meant *her*.
"I'll give you a piece of advice as thanks, too."
Duan Chen smiled slightly, "Don't get into strange men's cars randomly in your next life."
Bang—!
He pulled the trigger.
The female demon's eyes widened as she fell into a pool of blood, quickly dissolving into a pile of rotten flesh exuding a sea-like odor.
A string of crystal-clear white pearls fell from the female demon's neck.
Unstained by the mud, they emanated a brilliant luster.
Sometimes, items would drop from these foreign guests, originating from secret realms and not being ordinary. Each piece was priceless.
Duan Chen, a special agent for nearly 10 years, had never encountered such things. It was simply because in this small city of Su, there were no major cases, and small demons and monsters couldn't drop anything valuable.
But this necklace, Duan Chen knew at a glance, was not simple.
He pulled out his special detector and scanned it, and the item's detailed information appeared—
[Name: Mermaid's Tear]
[Quality: Common]
[Remarks: Legend has it that the tears of a mermaid princess solidified into pearls, symbolizing the pure beauty of love. Giving it to the girl you admire can increase favorability by 20%, and wearing it can increase the wearer's loyalty by 10%, helping you bid farewell to the troubles of being cuckolded.]
"A good thing."
Surprise flashed in Duan Chen's eyes.
However, what surprised him further was yet to come.
When he opened the black travel bag the female demon was carrying, besides the eerie and terrifying severed head of a woman, it was filled to the brim with dazzling gold.
"Good heavens, this female demon is quite a rich woman! Could the underwater 'Mirror City' be a land of gold?"
If one female demon was like this, wouldn't a vast underwater city be a treasure vault hidden beneath the sea!
If he could take a trip to 'Mirror City', wouldn't he be rich!
Duan Chen thought of his meager salary and his cramped rental apartment, and a happy smile bloomed on his face.
Outside, the rain poured down, and the radio played the latest news—
"Breaking news from this station: The underwater 'Mirror City' has attracted nationwide attention, with foreign races in human skin infiltrating the human world.
Some say it's the awakening of the silent civilization of 'Atlantis',
while others attribute it to supernatural phenomena.
Please be cautious of anyone around you who experiences memory confusion.
Because they—
may no longer be [human]..."
Duan Chen tutted, dissatisfied, "These unscrupulous media outlets, if they continue to sensationalize it like this, the sea demons will only hide deeper."
He parked his Corolla by the roadside, lit a Panda cigarette, and in the swirling smoke, he took out his phone and dialed a number.
The call was connected quickly.
No one spoke, waiting for Duan Chen to speak first.
"Old Zhang, the mission is complete."
"Thirty thousand is the price." A steady old man's voice came from the other end of the phone.
Duan Chen frowned, "Too stingy. Can't you apply for more bonus? How long will it take me to afford a good car at this rate?"
"Plus a supermarket discount card." The voice on the other end was unyielding.
Duan Chen knew he wouldn't get any more benefits and sighed.
He glanced at the gold coins and the necklace, a sly glint in his eyes, "Since that's the case, I won't be handing in the spoils from killing the female demon."
The old man snorted, a hint of a chuckle in his voice, "As you wish, you brat. Those trifles, the guild doesn't care about them."
"Alright, you said it."
Duan Chen's mood instantly brightened.
With Old Zhang's promise, if this bag of gold coins and pearl necklace were to be sold...
Heh, forget Audi or BMW, he might even be able to buy a Lamborghini!
A smile flickered across Duan Chen's lips.
"But Old Zhang, 'Mirror City' is far more complex than imagined. They mention sacred ruins underwater and even a maiden, it's likely related to a cult. Moreover, a sea demon Priest has already infiltrated the land. The danger level is D+, and it needs to be investigated as soon as possible."
"Gao Tiankai is injured and won't recover anytime soon. Send me another agent to help me out. I don't have a partner, and it's somewhat lacking."
The old man on the other end sighed, "You brat, it's not that I don't want to give you people, but we're all very busy lately. You know how few agents there are in Su City. After the next guild assessment, I'll apply for more slots with my superiors. It's a difficult time now, you'll have to bear with it."
Duan Chen tutted, tapping the steering wheel impatiently.
Leaders always made promises for the future. 'Difficult time,' 'bear with it'—they wished they could use him as an entire troop.
"You brat, with greater ability comes greater responsibility. The guild has high hopes for you. I'll definitely recommend you for the special training slot in the Da Jing district next time," Old Zhang said with a chuckle.
"Then regarding salary..."
"Hello, hello— the wind is picking up, my signal is bad, I'll call you back."
Beep, beep, beep...
The call ended.
"..."
Duan Chen twitched his lips. This stingy old guy was still good at playing dumb.
Fine, he wouldn't argue with him. In this day and age, if you didn't have some side hustles, you'd starve.
He glanced at the glittering gold coins, a faint smile appearing on his lips.