Chapter 38: The Undying Hound

The entire training ground fell into a deathly silence, so quiet that the drop of a pin could be heard, broken only by the incessant wail of sirens.

A shadow fell over everyone’s faces; they were all too familiar with that sound.

Ren Jie could even clearly perceive a massive surge of emotional mist being collected into the Mirror Lake space. People were terrified.

The captain of the Seventh Division hung up the phone.

"A major demonic disaster has occurred in District 49. The severity level is unknown, and it is spreading rapidly!"

"Everyone, board the trucks! Veterans with rookies—save as many people as you can!"

"Do you remember the oath you took standing under the flag when you joined?"

At that moment, all the Siyao Officers present roared in unison:

"May my light burn bright, to guard the hearths of all!"

The sound wave rolled forth, surging toward the heavens!

The captain spoke in a resonant voice, "Always remember, this is not just a slogan—it is a responsibility!"

"Seventh Division! Move out!"

Fully armed, the Siyao Officers scrambled into the troop carriers. One by one, the vehicles sped off with their orange lights flashing, rushing toward the scene of the disaster.

It was fortunate that Ren Jie had reported the illegal parking earlier, clearing the emergency lanes. Had they been delayed by even half a minute, countless more lives might have been lost.

Ren Jie and his batch of newly appointed Siyao Officers were among those deployed.

Ren Jie, fully geared up, lunged for the door of the transport truck, only to slam his head directly into the frame with a loud clatter, raising a massive bump on his forehead...

Wei Pingsheng looked on with concern. "Xiao Jie? What’s going on? You didn't see a door that big? Are you feeling unwell? Maybe you should sit this one out..."

There was always an adjustment period after an injection of genetic serum.

Ren Jie scrambled back up, rubbing his eyes as he climbed into the truck.

(#≥益ก̀) "I'm fine, I'm fine! Let's go! Don't keep me from making money!"

Wei Pingsheng’s face darkened. This kid really was obsessed with money.

Even inside the vehicle, Ren Jie kept blinking. His vision shifted between clarity and blurriness, and the world before him would inexplicably slow down at times. He truly felt like he was going blind; he had never heard of such side effects from the genetic serum.

It wasn't that Ren Jie was trying to be a hero. While the rescue bonus was one factor, the main reason was that the public’s emotions at a disaster site would inevitably be in violent flux, making it the perfect environment to harvest emotional mist.

As a Demon-Contractor, Ren Jie needed that mist to grow stronger. He could never have enough.

He was born for places like this.

Seeing the entire Seventh Division deploy, Mo Ji grew anxious. "What are you standing there for? Follow them! This is a much better way to promote the Siyao Bureau than any interview!"

"Call the station manager! Get me two helicopters!"

The cameraman was stunned. ∑(°口°๑) "Huh? Helicopters?"

...

Meanwhile, Jiang Jiuli frowned as she watched the departing trucks. She grabbed her sword, intent on giving chase, but was held back by Mo Wanrou.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to follow them and see if I can help. With a mobilization this large, the scale of this disaster won't be small..."

Mo Wanrou gripped her hand tightly.

"Don't go. The Demon-Suppressing Division will handle it. We are only trainees; our abilities aren't enough yet. If we get involved rashly, it’s unclear if we’ll actually help, and we might even make things worse..."

"One mistake, and it’s a matter of life and death..."

Jiang Jiuli bit her lip, her eyes filled with frustration. She remembered the battle with the Magma Troll—it was because of her own mistake that Ren Jie had...

He had gone again. She didn't know if he would return safely this time.

Watching the line of troop carriers, Jiang Jiuli’s eyes were filled with awe.

"Siyao Officers are people who gamble with death. If they win, they save others' lives. If they lose, they sacrifice their own..."

"Every mission is a battle between life and death. They are just ordinary people, martial artists who haven't even awakened their true abilities..."

"What kind of courage does it take to truly live up to the title of Siyao Officer?"

Mo Wanrou wore a solemn expression. To face a demonic disaster with a mortal body—that was the essence of a Siyao Officer.

In that moment, she finally understood the meaning of, "May my light burn bright..."

...

Information about the disaster site was being relayed constantly to the transport trucks.

The disaster had been classified as Grade Geng, with signs of escalating toward Grade Ji.

Disaster levels were ranked according to the Ten Heavenly Stems: Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren, and Gui. The closer to Jia, the more dangerous the disaster. The disaster that had razed the entirety of Jincheng was a Grade Jia catastrophe; the level of danger was unimaginable.

When Wei Pingsheng saw the report on the demons involved, his expression turned grim.

"A Tier 4 Undead Hound? Tsk... this is going to be a real problem."

Tian Yu frowned. "An Undead Hound? Is it that dangerous?"

Wei Pingsheng’s face was grave. "It’s a massive headache. As everyone knows, almost all demons have regenerative abilities, making them extremely difficult to kill. But the Undead Hound isn't just about regeneration!"

"It can split. Any piece of flesh severed from it will grow into a new Undead Hound. The more you hack at it, the more there are. Even if you don't cut it and just try to contain it, its main body will continue to split indefinitely..."

"On top of that, it has three heads, each with different abilities. It is incredibly hard to keep the situation under control..."

Wei Pingsheng had once participated in a rescue during an Undead Hound disaster; it had been a nightmare. Many had died, including Siyao Officers.

The team members in the truck turned pale. Damn, were all demons this twisted?

Wei Pingsheng spoke with absolute seriousness:

"Listen to me carefully: if you encounter a split-off Undead Hound, ignore everything else and just run!"

"Do not get within a thousand meters of the demon. Even if there are countless people waiting to be saved, you are not allowed to enter that range. Your own safety comes first!"

A young member gulped and asked, "But... but didn't the Captain just say, 'May my light burn bright, to guard the hearths of all'?"

"If we just watch them die and save only ourselves, isn't that too cowardly? Are we even worthy of being called Siyao Officers? They're waiting for us to save them..."

Wei Pingsheng’s mechanical eye glowed red. He lunged up, grabbed the team member by the collar, and slammed him against the wall.

"Slogans are just for listening. Do you know what the annual casualty rate for Siyao Officers is?"

"Think it's cowardly? The reckless ones are all dead. I joined at 18 and have been a Siyao Officer for 30 years. Of those who joined with me, only one is left, and he’s been lying in a hospital bed for 17 years!"

"If you don't want to end up as demon feed, and you don't want your parents to cry their eyes out, you listen to me! I just want you to live a little longer. You're all young, do you understand?"

"No one's life is worth more than your own!"

The young member turned pale, his eyes darting away as he whispered, "Yes... Team Leader Wei."

The carriage fell into silence. Wei Pingsheng tilted his head toward Ren Jie, who was still rubbing his eyes.

"Did you hear that? I'm talking to you. If you get yourself crushed again, you won't have such good luck!"

Ren Jie grinned. "Don't worry, Uncle Wei, I—"

Before he could finish, a loud "CRASH" echoed through the truck. The passengers were tossed around like dice in a cup, spinning in a dizzying blur.

The left side of the transport truck had been struck by a massive chunk of concrete flying from the distance. The truck flipped, rolling several times down the road until it slammed into a streetlamp, finally coming to a halt.

The disaster scene... had arrived.