The sea demon inside swallowed it, its form rapidly contorting and swelling, transforming into the likeness of a middle-aged woman in the blink of an eye.
She turned twice in front of the mirror, seemingly pleased with the body.
"Ah, ah..." the woman attempted to speak.
"This was obtained secretly behind the Apostle's back. How do you plan to repay us three brothers?"
The leader of the men chuckled, his gaze roving over the woman who had just taken human form.
"How about letting us have some fun?"
The other two men snickered and moved closer.
"Everyone is at the altar watching the ceremony right now, so we have time to sneakily..."
As he spoke, the leader pounced on her, pinning her down.
"The joys of being human are something we could never experience before."
Laughter echoed from the inner courtyard.
Du Chen landed with extreme lightness from the rooftop, the four men completely oblivious.
"Hey, I'm sorry to interrupt."
Du Chen held up his gun and smiled as he greeted the four.
The four inside were greatly startled and turned to look at him warily.
"Damn it, who are you! How did you get in here!"
"No, I don't recognize you. Never seen you before."
"Just transformed? The ceremony shouldn't be over yet... Wait, why do you have a gun!"
Upon seeing Du Chen, the woman, who found the handsome and suave young man in the suit far more attractive than the three men, cried out in alarm.
"Save me, they're trying to assault me!"
Du Chen nodded. "Since it's a lady's request, there's no reason to refuse."
Bang, bang, bang—!
Three shots in rapid succession.
The bullets easily pierced the foreheads of the three men.
With eyes wide with terror, unable to even scream, the three men dissolved into puddles of blood.
The woman had not expected Du Chen to be so swift, precise, and ruthless, killing without batting an eye.
Startled, her gaze towards Du Chen became fearful. Trembling, she huddled in a corner, clutching herself tightly.
"You actually shot them... The Apostle will not let you go."
Du Chen stepped forward, a kind and friendly smile on his face.
"Don't be afraid, madam, I just have a few questions."
His pupils flashed as he activated his mind-reading ability.
"Within Mirror City, who is the highest authority, and how much do you know about him?"
Under Du Chen's charming smile, the woman seemed to relax her guard slightly.
"You mean the Priest? I heard he can communicate with the gods' apostles, and the path to the surface is opened in an orderly fashion under his arrangement. The Saintess is very pleased with his work and has granted him the highest honor and power. But for us low-ranking individuals, it's as difficult as reaching the heavens to know anything about the Priest."
"Is that Priest recently wrapped in bandages? Tall, thin, and with a very gentle smile?" Du Chen was naturally asking about Gao Tiankai.
"Of course. Are you also a follower of the Priest? I tell you, I'm not interested in those divine messengers, but the Priest is different. I'm willing to sacrifice myself for him."
The woman's expression turned fanatical.
Du Chen was momentarily speechless. He figured Gao Tiankai's appearance wasn't particularly striking among humans, especially when he was with Du Chen, who usually garnered all the attention.
He had never encountered a woman who was so fervent about him.
Heh, no wonder that kid wanted to defect to this side. He was unexpectedly popular.
Du Chen let out a cold laugh.
"Oh, right, what are the requirements for us transporters? There are many sea demons in Mirror City, yet not many are sent to the surface."
The woman glanced at him with a strange look, as if to say, do you even need to ask?
"Everyone who can become a transporter must meet certain conditions, otherwise, I wouldn't have to break the rules and secretly buy human hearts. As for the specific conditions, that's up to the Priest. Only those who can pass the Forbidden Zone certification can become true warriors."
Du Chen was somewhat surprised by the woman's candor. Her words revealed an important clue: the Forbidden Zone.
It seemed he had to find an opportunity to search the Forbidden Zone.
He asked a few more questions about the Forbidden Zone, but the woman knew nothing. In fact, she seemed to have gotten carried away chatting with Du Chen. Perhaps it was because she had just taken human form, and her spirits were high.
But Du Chen had no intention of wasting any more time with her.
Seeing Du Chen's brow unfurrow, the woman grew bolder.
"I've told you so much, you'll let me go, right? As long as you don't report me for stealing human hearts to the Apostle, I'll also keep your secret of killing them."
The woman smiled subserviently, her body leaning closer to Du Chen. "If you want some compensation, I can..."
Du Chen, through mind-reading, learned that she hadn't lied about the previous parts.
However, her last sentence was far from the truth. She was secretly planning how to kill Du Chen while he was being affectionate.
Du Chen grunted, and the cold muzzle of the gun pressed against the woman's forehead. She immediately panicked, staring at Du Chen with terrified eyes.
"It's a pity that only the dead can keep secrets. And you, even after eating a human heart, are still not even human."
Bang—!
A puddle of blood bloomed, and silence returned to the room.
He gently pushed the door open and cautiously, nimbly, retreated along the wall.
He returned to their meeting point without incident, finding Mi Xue'er and Qin Ze waiting outside the ruins. Jia Yunlian, who had returned earlier, stood silently aside, appearing preoccupied.
"Brother Du Chen! You're back!" Mi Xue'er's eyes lit up as she rushed towards him. Qin Ze also let out a sigh of relief.
However, as the four gathered, Du Chen remained vigilant.
He noticed something was wrong.
Jia Yunlian's complexion was terrible. She said nothing about the events on the other path, wasn't injured, but her eyes were distant, and she offered perfunctory replies.
Just as Du Chen took out the item for leaving the secret realm, Gui Li, Jia Yunlian looked at Gui Li and fell into thought.
A moment later, she looked into Du Chen's eyes and slowly spoke:
"I'm not leaving yet."
"Why? Do you want to stay here and be eaten by sea demons?" Mi Xue'er asked her strangely.
"Hmph, little girl, I'm not like you. With my strength, I wouldn't die at the hands of sea demons," Jia Yunlian scoffed.
"You! I was just kindly concerned about you. If you don't appreciate it, fine."
Mi Xue'er was the first to grab Gui Li, and with a flash, she disappeared from sight. Qin Ze followed closely behind and also left.
"Are you sure you're not leaving?" Du Chen's pupils rippled with a hidden wave.
A name immediately flashed into view—
Nia.