Prelude

Accompanying Old He and An Ye were the members of the local Yujing Bureau team, two young girls codenamed Kite and Pearl. They followed closely as they descended from the upper floor. They had intended to greet Jiang Xun upon seeing him, but before they could open their mouths, they were met with this grim news.

Seeing the others arrive, Jiang Xun took a glance at the restaurant. Noting that the demon remained stationary and unmoving, he temporarily abandoned the idea of stepping directly inside.

He turned toward Kite and Pearl. Since this was no time for idle chatter, he spoke decisively.

“The situation here has spiraled out of control. We need backup. Notify your captain immediately and have her bring her people here, otherwise…”

“It is only us.”

Before Jiang Xun could finish, the long-haired girl who looked like she suffered from middle-schooler syndrome, Pearl, shook her head resolutely. Seeing Jiang Xun’s expressionless face and the confused looks of the other two men, she explained further.

“To be honest with you, over the past month, similar demon-summoning incidents have occurred in Yujing more than once or twice. In fact, the captain and the others are currently dealing with another incident. It is impossible for them to make it here.”

“Pearl is not lying to you. Actually, if it weren’t for our special circumstances, we probably wouldn’t have had the chance to appear here either.”

Kite, standing beside her, took over the conversation.

Of the two, one was on ‘vacation’ due to special reasons, and the other had not yet fully recovered from a previous injury. That was why they had the opportunity and time to come here and help.

But they were the only ones who could come; there would be no other reinforcements in the short term.

Jiang Xun frowned slightly upon hearing this. Although he had guessed a portion of the situation in Yujing, the environment here seemed even worse than he had anticipated.

The bigger problem was that without reinforcements, the few of them would most likely be unable to stop this Elite Demon.

Once it completely stabilized this environment, the situation would become even more dire, as a steady stream of demons would use this place as a gateway to the real world!

“What about relics? Or magic potions?”

The youth looked at the two girls, but the result was exactly as expected. The girl with the black hair, Pearl, shook her head.

“The only relic we brought is the ‘House Builder’ used to interfere with the Shadow Realm from the outside, and Kite’s gun. Everything else has been taken to deal with other troubles. As for potions… the captain and the others don’t even have enough for themselves.”

“…”

Great, absolutely no help at all, then?

Even Jiang Xun could not help but feel a headache for a moment.

But time waited for no one, and the demon in the restaurant certainly would not wait either. After hesitating for less than a second, the sharp-eyed youth spoke decisively.

“Go to Yujing University!”

“Captain, you mean…”

“Go to Yujing University and find their president to borrow a relic. Explain the situation clearly; they will lend it!”

As he spoke, Jiang Xun’s gaze landed on An Ye, who had remained silent. The boy wearing glasses nodded immediately. At the same time, Pearl spoke up.

“I will go with him. I was injured before, so staying here would only be a burden. Besides, someone needs to report the specific details here to the Bureau.”

“Fine.”

Jiang Xun had no objection. The two teenagers wasted no time and prepared to head back upstairs immediately.

A large part of this Shadow Realm had shattered earlier, but due to the demon’s descent, the lower portion was now gradually stabilizing. Currently, the mansion was in a very peculiar state where the upper half was a normal area while the lower half remained a Shadow Realm. To return to the real world, one had to go through the upper floors.

Once their figures vanished into the stairwell, the remaining three glanced at each other and then simultaneously looked toward the demon inside the restaurant.

In the first-floor restaurant, a fierce battle was on the verge of erupting.

Meanwhile, on the third floor, Su Mian felt her own condition was equally poor.

She could no longer stand steadily and knelt on the floor, panting heavily. She felt as if her entire body was burning with an incredible heat; it was as if fire was flowing through her internal organs!

Hot, so hot. The indescribable heat made her feel exceptionally irritable, creating an urgent need for release.

“What is… going on?”

Although her other self claimed this was due to hunger, Su Mian realized this was different from any previous time.

She looked up at the full-length mirror nearby, seeking an answer, but what was reflected inside was not the familiar succubus, nor her own self in the maid outfit, but total darkness!

However, that darkness and chaos were more like a shell; the girl could clearly feel something recovering beneath it.

“The descent of the Abyssal Demon stimulated us, causing the sleeping power to throb. It craves to wake up, craves to feed, craves a feast…”

The succubus’s voice rang in her ear, and a warm breeze even brushed against her ear, but when Su Mian turned her head, she saw nothing.

Then, she seemed to sense something again.

She immediately looked back at the mirror.

The darkness inside the mirror seemed to be thumping, beating like a heart!

Moreover, the frequency was becoming faster and more exaggerated.

As that darkness throbbed, Su Mian clearly felt her own heart being synchronized. Within her chest, it felt as if two hearts were vibrating together; they gradually drew closer, gradually overlapped, until they became one!

“Hungry…”

Within the darkness, a blurred will reached out to the girl, but in a daze, she soon realized the voice did not belong to someone else, but to herself.

It was her body clamoring, her soul whispering; together they stated the same phrase—

“So hungry.”

A hunger that defied description rapidly swallowed Su Mian’s rationality. Her breathing became incredibly heavy, and the intense desire to feed made her feel as if she wanted to devour herself immediately!

“Go to the restaurant.”

The succubus’s sweet voice awakened the girl’s last shred of reason. She wanted to say something, but she opened her mouth and nothing came out.

Only the voice of her other self continued.

“There is no need to suppress it, or else you will lose control completely! You need a dinner, or perhaps a grand banquet!”

As the succubus whispered, Su Mian slowly stood up. She could foresee that this time was indeed completely different from before.

The desire this time was so strong that it was not something that would gradually fade by staying alone. Just as her other self said, if she did not want to lose control, she could only feed!

“Fine.”

As if giving up resistance, or perhaps because her reason had been completely exhausted, the girl remained silent for a moment before finally pulling open the door with force.

Leaving the room, she walked down the stairs along the corridor. As she approached the ground floor, a series of muffled, violent sounds began to drift up from below.

There was the roar of burning flames, the crack of firearms, and finally, a violent noise like a bomb exploding. The entire building seemed to shake violently along with it.

The world then became quiet for two seconds. In the next instant, a terrifying aura flooded everything like a torrential storm.

Su Mian’s footsteps halted. Her body trembled slightly uncontrollably, but it was not from fear; it was excitement.

This power originating from below stimulated her once again, causing her eyes to turn scarlet without her realizing it. An invisible blood-red hue enveloped her like the hem of a dress; as she moved, it looked like dancing wings.

In the next second, the scarlet girl vanished from her spot.