Beginning

First came a slight heat, followed by an intense numbness.

The strange sensation then spread throughout his entire body.

All pain and fatigue vanished without a trace in that instant.

The physical agony and the mental burden both drifted away, replaced by an unprecedented sense of relaxation.

Because it was so overwhelmingly comfortable, his mind went blank.

He could not remember the process or how long it lasted.

He did not even know when it ended.

He only knew that by the time he regained his senses, the silver-haired, blood-eyed succubus had already returned to a spot not far away, her hands behind her back.

If it were not for the trace of fresh red still lingering on her lips that she had not yet licked away, everything that had just happened would have felt like a dream.

However, Jiang Xun was no ordinary person after all.

He quickly broke free from that dreamlike sinking and took a deep breath.

He stopped looking at the girl in front of him.

“To be honest, I really doubt you are some succubus; you are more like a legendary vampire.”

Whether this was a probe or a complaint, it made the succubus unable to resist covering her mouth and laughing.

She shook her head with an ambiguous meaning and said: “That is not important. Since the deal is done, I should leave as well.”

Just as she turned around, however, she seemed to suddenly remember something.

“Oh, right. Since we got along fairly well, let me give you a reminder.”

“Remind me of what?”

The girl had already turned her back, so Jiang Xun could not see her expression.

He only heard her speak as she walked toward the exit: “Things are not over yet, or rather, they have just begun. I can feel… something more dangerous is descending.”

Something more dangerous?

The youth wanted to ask more, but the succubus gave him no chance.

She quickly disappeared through the doorway with light steps.

He wanted to follow her out to check the situation, but his legs went weak and he nearly collapsed.

Left with no choice, Jiang Xun abandoned those messy thoughts.

He forced himself to endure the weakness and first walked over to Old He.

After he finished confirming the status of his teammates, a commotion soon came from outside the door again.

“Captain, are you guys okay?”

An Ye burst through the door with several people, breathing heavily.

He immediately ran over upon noticing Jiang Xun.

The remaining people looked around vigilantly.

But after searching several times, they found nothing except for the mess on the ground and the three incredibly battered individuals.

Among them, a muscular man standing over two meters tall frowned and asked in confusion: “Where is the demon? Did it run away?”

The others also looked toward the only youth who was still somewhat conscious.

Supported by An Ye, Jiang Xun took several heavy breaths before speaking: “It is over.”

“Over?”

Everyone else was stunned.

Pearl, who had returned with them and was about to check on Kite, could not help but pause: “Did it escape? Did it return to the Abyss or…”

“It is dead.”

“…”

Silence.

Mainly because these words sounded truly hard to believe.

How could a powerful Elite Demon be killed so inexplicably?

They never even considered if Jiang Xun and the others had killed it, because that was too far-fetched.

Jiang Xun wanted to explain, but for some reason, the moment he thought of the succubus, the idea suddenly became very faint.

The succubus posed no threat and was not important.

A gentle voice in his heart whispered this to him.

The youth frowned slightly, faintly sensing that his state was a bit off.

But his weakened body ultimately could not resist that strange feeling.

So, after a brief silence, he suddenly shook his head: “Now is not the time for this. I will write the specific details in a report later. The matter is not finished; we must find Yu Fu immediately!”

Despite Jiang Xun planning to report such an important matter only afterward, the others did not feel anything was wrong.

Their thoughts shifted elsewhere following his topic.

“Yu Fu?”

“That is right. After he summoned the demon through sacrifice, he took a vial of demon blood.”

Although Jiang Xun did not know why Yu Fu took that blood, he could not allow him to continue acting recklessly regardless.

Shengri Manor was very lively during the day.

As night fell, it did not cool down with the temperature; instead, it became even more clamorous.

Boss Yu Fu’s residence and the nearby manors were quickly cleared.

A large number of fully armed black-clad SWAT officers surrounded the place heavily.

Lines of blockades and isolation devices sealed the area airtight.

Small mechanical dogs were released into the manor.

Drones darted through the low altitude.

Even higher up, two large black aircraft hovered.

This level of military force could fight a war in some small, chaotic countries.

Yet it was being used now only to besiege a small manor.

Everyone on the perimeter was very nervous.

Because they knew very well that their opponents were not ordinary people but true monsters.

Ordinary weaponry was difficult to kill them with.

If they were required to act, it meant the internal situation had spiraled completely out of control.

If those professionals could not handle it, they would likely be doomed as well.

So everyone was nervous, yet no one retreated.

Everyone waited silently at their posts for the next command.

Amidst the slightly anxious atmosphere, the sun slowly set.

Finally…

“Received word from the Bureau team; the demon has been cleared!”

Inside the hastily built command center, the operator immediately stood up to report upon receiving the intelligence.

At the same time, an analyst on the other side also looked up.

“All readings inside the manor have dropped to normal ranges. There is no harm to the human body; entry is permitted.”

Having received intelligence from both sides, the middle-aged man sitting in the center chair did not issue an order immediately.

Instead, he turned to look at a man in a police uniform beside him.

“What about Yu Fu? Was he caught?”

The man shook his head: “No. He and Shen Xiaoya could not be found anywhere. However, we checked the nearby surveillance and found no trace of them leaving, so we suspect they are still inside the manor!”

“What are they staying for?”

“This…”

Faced with his superior’s doubt, the man did not know how to answer.

After all, those who had done similar things in the past would definitely flee immediately to avoid falling into their hands.

But Yu Fu seemed to be an exception.

He remained in the manor even after gaining benefits from summoning the demon.

Was there a conspiracy? Or a special means of escape? Or perhaps…

The possibilities were simply too many.

After thinking for a while, the middle-aged man finally stood up and ordered: “We cannot wait any longer! Order the assault team forward to quickly control all areas of the manor, search for Yu Fu, and cooperate with medical staff to treat the injured!”

“Yes!”

As the order was issued, the SWAT officers immediately began to move deep into the manor.

Several teams cooperated, advancing with interlocking cover.

Soon, they occupied most of the manor and slowed down as they approached the central buildings.

Although intelligence stated the danger was cleared, the culprit had not been caught.

He was likely still hiding inside, so they needed to be cautious.

The SWAT officers divided into several teams to surround the buildings.

The team with the most members was responsible for the one previously used as an exhibition hall.

A large number of medical staff followed behind them because intelligence reported many injured people waiting for treatment there.

However, as they reached the vicinity of the fountain in the plaza before the door, the SWAT team leader suddenly paused.

He frowned and asked his companion beside him: “Do you smell a fragrance?”

“Fragrance?”

The team member had not felt anything at first, but after being reminded, he truly caught a hint of a sweet scent.

“It seems there really is one. Such a fragrant smell? Is it from the nearby garden… wait, are we not wearing masks?”

The young man was stunned, and the leader who had just asked him froze on the spot as well.

Yes.

To prevent certain invisible pollutions, they all wore special protective masks during missions.

They were essentially isolated from the outside world.

Logically, it was impossible to smell such a concentrated floral fragrance!

So where did this fragrance come from?

The two looked at each other and were about to warn the others, but as they turned around, they froze again.

Several nearby members saw their movements and thought there was a situation.

They immediately raised their weapons to alert the surroundings.

But after searching for a long time, they found nothing unusual.

One of them looked up in confusion and asked: “Leader, what did you find?”

“We…”

The leader hesitated, then shook his head: “Found nothing unusual.”

Then why did you turn around so suddenly?

The others felt it was strange, but they could not just stand at the door without entering.

So, after confirming there was no danger outside, they split off a portion of people to protect the doctors and slowly stepped into the main entrance.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, on a bench not too far from the plaza fountain, the silver-haired, blood-eyed girl sat with her snowy-white legs crossed.

She held a mutant white rose she had just picked casually.

She placed the petals gently before her, sniffing the light floral fragrance while quietly watching the SWAT officers’ entire operation.

It was not until most of them entered the building that the succubus turned to look at the blood aura that had been constantly churning beside her.

She spoke calmly: “Why did I stop you just now? Because I was afraid you would burst your stomach.”

She casually tossed away the white rose in her hand.

“Did you not sense it? There are some very special things hidden inside that little brother’s body. No, you definitely sensed it. Having drunk his blood and been so close, it is impossible for you not to sense it.”

“You are just greedy!”

“But I said just now, eating anything and everything will only harm you.”

The succubus rose slowly, her voice becoming colder: “We are not strong enough yet. Or do you want to use this thing?”

As she spoke, she raised her other hand.

In her palm, a golden gemstone emitted a faint light in the night, looking incredibly beautiful and dreamlike.

It was the Demon Source left behind after devouring the Elite Demon.

The girl placed the gemstone before her eyes, watching the constantly changing light.

An unusual color flashed in her eyes.

But she soon lowered it and tucked it away close to her body.

“Endure it for a bit. The night has just begun, and this banquet has just begun as well.”