"Exceptional circumstances are permissible, but we should strive to minimize destruction."
Duan Chen watched the two with interest. Xiao Jianjian yawned on his head, its bright eyes silently observing the pair.
Qin Ze and Mi Xue'er simultaneously realized this was Duan Chen intentionally testing them, and a desire to win arose within them.
Mi Xue'er stepped forward, "Hmph, such a simple matter, leave it to me."
With that, she pulled out paper and a pen from her bag. With two strokes, she sketched a palm-sized caterpillar. Spiritual energy flowed with the brushstrokes, and as she lifted the pen, the caterpillar leaped from the paper, coming to life.
"Go, get inside and open the door," Mi Xue'er directed the paper-drawn worm to crawl through the gap under the door.
After a moment.
With a click, the door opened from the inside. The paper-drawn worm lost its spiritual energy and drifted to the floor.
"Xue'er is amazing," Qin Ze praised sincerely.
Mi Xue'er turned her head away haughtily, "Hmph, this is nothing."
Duan Chen mentally marked them as having passed and stepped forward, shielding the two behind him.
"Alright, little ones, the real test begins now. Be 120% attentive."
Qin Ze and Mi Xue'er immediately straightened up, "Yes!"
Duan Chen gently pulled the door open and cautiously stepped inside first. He was met with a scene of disarray and a faint, putrid smell.
The room was not large. Clothes were haphazardly piled on the sofa: outerwear, underwear, and several rotten pairs of briefs.
On the table sat several takeout boxes. The food was only partially eaten, with leftover soup and remnants. Beneath the television opposite, a PS5 and controller lay next to a tall stack of game discs, with a few scattered on the floor.
*Crack!*
A sharp sound came from behind him.
Duan Chen turned swiftly, drawing his gun, only to see Mi Xue'er had accidentally stepped on an empty cola bottle.
Mi Xue'er broke out in a cold sweat and instinctively raised her hands.
"I'm, I'm sorry, Brother Duan Chen..."
"Don't be careless. There might be a sea demon hidden here."
"You mean Lu Zhai is still hiding here?... The most dangerous place is the safest place?"
"Look at the takeout on the table."
Following Duan Chen's gaze, the two immediately tensed.
It had been over half a month since Lu Zhai 'jumped into the river.' Food exposed to the air should have long since developed mold and emitted a foul odor.
Yet, the takeout on the table was clearly not old.
Just then, a faint sound came from the inner room!
The three exchanged a look. Xiao Jianjian's ears twitched, it leaped from Duan Chen's head, and trotted into the inner room on its short legs.
Duan Chen moved quickly, his long legs striding forward, the dark muzzle of his gun aimed into the room.
"Meow~" Xiao Jianjian meowed at a cabinet.
Duan Chen chuckled, thinking, *Wu Suowei, Wu Suowei, you said your cat wasn't a dog, yet its nose is quite sharp.*
Raising his gun and approaching, Duan Chen yanked open the cabinet door—
Two bags of fresh dried fish.
"............"
Xiao Jianjian happily jumped up, meowing and rubbing against the packaging. Its paws pawed at the bag, pulling out the dried fish and happily gobbling them up.
Duan Chen's face darkened, "It seems I overestimated you."
The inner room was slightly tidier than the living room. The single bed was adorned with seven or eight cartoon dolls, with one life-sized waifu body pillow of an anime girl being particularly eye-catching. The girl was wearing only white lingerie, her exaggerated chest almost bursting the pillowcase.
In addition to the bed, one wall was covered by a display cabinet, neatly housing hundreds, perhaps thousands, of figurines.
At the center was a golden-haired, ahoge-sporting girl in a swimsuit. Her face was lifelike, and she held a greatsword. Beside her stood a flat-chested black-haired beauty, a bright blue flame burning in her left eye. She stood on rocks, her left arm transformed into a massive, cool cannon.
"It's Saber and Black Rock Shooter," Qin Ze couldn't help but stare, "and they're both limited editions."
"Hmph, Qin Ze, how old are you to still like such childish things?" Mi Xue'er looked at the scantily clad figurines with disdain.
"A man remains a boy until death," Duan Chen smiled and leaned closer to examine Saber.
Mi Xue'er's eyes lit up, "Brother Duan Chen, do you like them? I also think these little things are exquisite and beautiful. When we get back, I'll buy you a cabinet full to decorate the new bedroom?"
Qin Ze felt a pang of jealousy: ??? Is the double standard really this obvious?
Just then, a red-haired anime girl figurine in the corner seemed to blink. Qin Ze suddenly looked at it, experiencing a strange illusion for a moment—
Did the figurine's eyes have light?
"Be cautious. Beware of abnormalities," Duan Chen warned, not forgetting Xing Zi's words.
Qin Ze rubbed his eyes. The figurine looked normal again, and he couldn't help but wonder if he had imagined it.
Duan Chen scanned the room. It was small, with no obvious hiding places, but the sound he had heard was definitely not an illusion.
Suddenly, a wicked idea struck him. He smirked and deliberately spoke loudly, "Ah, so many beautiful figurines, so many lovely girls. I really want to hold them and play with them."
As he spoke, he tapped the display cabinet with his gun barrel. The glass shattered and scattered across the floor.
"Oh wow, this feel..."
The single bed trembled slightly.
Duan Chen chuckled and continued, "Tsk, the more beautiful something is, the more I want to destroy it. This entire cabinet, if I push it over, watching the beautiful girls shatter into pieces... that must be so satisfying!"
Qin Ze and Mi Xue'er immediately wore expressions of 'Are you a devil?'.
Duan Chen casually picked up two figurines and threw them on the ground. The beautiful girl's head rolled away...
"Damn it! Stop!"
A curse came from under the bed, and a fat man laboriously crawled out.
His face was flushed red, and he glared fiercely at Duan Chen, "Scum! Take your dirty hands off them!"
Qin Ze and Mi Xue'er were startled and retreated behind Duan Chen.
"Finally out, aren't you," Duan Chen said with a gentle smile. "You've got some backbone, after all."
Lu Zhai's expression changed; his palms were sweating. Why had he gotten so hot-headed and crawled out?
Master Apostle had warned him to be careful, saying this place was no longer safe and that agents from the Spirit Hunting Guild would come sooner or later. But he simply couldn't bear to part with his beloved collection of beautiful girls!
He had tasted human happiness and didn't want to lose it.
So, Lu Zhai decided to continue hiding here, partnering with his fellow sea demon 'Uncle-Grandpa,' and venturing out at night to kill a few unfortunate souls to appease his superiors. Master Apostle would then turn a blind eye.
Now, someone had found him... They could kill him, but touch his wives, absolutely not!