Encounter

“Sigh, I’ve lost another Familiar.”

On a dark, unlit street, a man who appeared to be in his thirties and dressed very ordinarily sighed softly, as if sensing something.

But he soon looked up, a smile spreading across his face as he looked at the girl standing not far away. “However, having gained something even more interesting, it’s not a total loss.”

“You… don’t come any closer…”

Su Mian trembled, pretending to be terrified. In reality, she truly was a bit nervous. This was her first time facing a situation like this, so a bit of discomfort was only natural.

As for how things had ended up like this? The explanation was simple.

A short while ago, because she didn’t want to have contact with official personnel, Su Mian hadn’t hesitated to leave once Officer Jiang stepped in and told her to get out. While she was curious about how officials dealt with such monsters and wondered what that thing actually was, she knew that staying would be bad for her regardless of who won. If the monster won, she would have to expose her other self; if Officer Jiang won, he would surely interrogate her.

Both were a headache.

Su Mian’s only consolation was that although she had lost her hat, her mask was still on. Combined with her changed physique, she figured he hadn’t recognized her. But if she took off the mask, all bets were off—her current appearance still carried traces of her male form.

So, despite her curiosity, she chose to distance herself. Little did she expect that after walking a short distance, a strange man would appear in front of her!

The man had been standing right in the middle of the road. He was incredibly conspicuous and in the way, yet strangely, both pedestrians and vehicles were swerving around him. The key was that while people were avoiding him, they seemed completely unaware of his existence. Not a single gaze lingered on him, and no one spoke of him. They brushed past him as if he were nothing more than a wall of air.

The scene was eerie, but Su Mian’s confusion only lasted a second, for she soon caught the overwhelming scent of a demon.

Earlier, when she encountered the monster in the alley, she had smelled a similar demonic scent. However, that scent had been very strange—somewhat like a demon but not quite. Since she wasn’t her “other self,” her knowledge of demons wasn’t extensive, so she couldn’t pinpoint the situation.

This man, however, felt even weirder to Su Mian. He clearly felt like a human, yet he carried a heavy demonic scent. Furthermore, this scent wasn’t pure; it was chaotic. To use a cooking metaphor, he was a burnt pot of “everything stew.”

But that didn’t diminish his danger level.

In Su Mian’s perception, this strange man was clearly stronger than the monster from the alley. Since their chaotic scents shared similarities, they were undoubtedly together!

Why are these people suddenly targeting me?

The girl was confused. She had a vague feeling she had seen this man’s face somewhere before, but she couldn’t remember where, and there was no time to think. The man was clearly hostile, and with people and cars constantly passing by, this was not a good place for a conflict.

She turned and left without hesitation. Strangely, the man didn’t stop her, simply watching her back in silence.

Su Mian soon understood why he hadn’t blocked her. Not long after, she saw him again on another street!

“…”

He should have been behind her. She hadn’t seen him move at all. Yet, weirdly, the man had appeared ahead of her.

Is this guy… a ghost?

Su Mian frowned. Although she knew things wouldn’t end simply, the ability shown by this strange man still surprised her—only slightly, though. After years of living in harmony with her other self, she had dealt with all sorts of bizarre situations. Although this was only her second time encountering other “Espers” (the first being Officer Jiang), she remained calm despite the shock.

Seeing the path blocked again, Su Mian immediately turned into a deserted side path. After walking several dozen meters…

“As I thought.”

She looked up to see the man standing in the shadows not far away. His face was slightly blurred, but his mocking smile was unmistakable. And so, the scene at the beginning of the chapter took place.

“Who exactly are you?”

Since there was no way to resolve this peacefully, Su Mian stopped. Her eyes, glowing faintly red, stared at the man.

The man smiled. Truthfully, his appearance was very ordinary, but he possessed a curious temperament. As he bowed, he seemed full of elegance. He spoke softly: “I apologize for meeting in this manner, beautiful Miss… or should I say, Mister?”

“Because you were clearly male before, but have now become a girl, I’m not quite able to figure out your true gender.”

He seemed somewhat conflicted, but quickly gave up on the thought. “Anyway, you can call me the ‘Eye Hunter’.”

“…”

Su Mian fell silent. She hadn’t expected that despite being so tightly wrapped up, her secret would be seen through at a glance. Or perhaps her current voice was just too feminine?

Regardless, since he had seen through her, she wouldn’t say much. She simply blinked in confusion. “Eye Hunter?”

“Yes, it’s just a small, negligible hobby of mine.”

The Eye Hunter’s smile grew more radiant, but the girl felt a wave of nausea. She felt that this sentence contained too much blood and unspeakable horror. Furthermore, speaking of “hunting eyes,” the monster in the alley had also said her eyes were beautiful and that he wanted to collect them.

These two were definitely together!

It wasn’t surprising, though. One monster appears, then this guy shows up immediately after; it would be weirder if they weren’t related.

“Are you following me because you want my eyeballs too?”

Su Mian asked directly. But the Eye Hunter shook his head slightly. “To be honest, I didn’t have that thought at first, because your eyes weren’t beautiful before.”

Damn, I feel like I just got insulted!

Su Mian was speechless. She then heard him continue: “I was observing you earlier because I suspected you were also a Demon Tamer.”

Demon Tamer?

Though it was her first time hearing the term, it was straightforward enough. Su Mian had read plenty of novels and played many games, so she could guess the general meaning.

“What is a Demon Tamer?” she asked.

The man didn’t answer her this time. He smiled and said, “While I don’t mind explaining it to you in detail, neither the time nor the place is currently suitable.”

Purple light flickered in his eyes. “So, let’s change locations first.”

An invisible force descended quietly. The Eye Hunter was clearly very confident in his abilities; after speaking, he turned around, seemingly certain that the girl would follow him.

But…

“Sorry, I refuse.”

the crisp voice came from behind him, causing the Eye Hunter’s body to stiffen. He turned around to find Su Mian standing perfectly still. Her eyes, covered in dots of red, were incredibly cold. In a similarly emotionless voice, she said: “I have no interest in an old man like you. Getting too close would lead to misunderstandings.”