The Record of Unusual Creatures - Chapter 151

Chapter 151: The Real Paparazzi

 

Hundreds of dogs of all stripes gathered at the house in such a short period of time. If someone else had seen this, it would have been posted on various social media platforms the next day. Therefore, Lily quickly moved the dogs to the back of Hao Ren’s big house.

It was said that Hao Ren’s house was actually the last home in the outskirts of the Southern Suburbs, which was also located at the end of the white, stoned-paved road. The back of the house was a wasteland, flanked by walls and unoccupied homes. You could say this was the boundary of human civilization in the Southern Suburbs. The gathering of hundreds of dogs at the back of Hao Ren’s house was not completely exposed. At least, they managed not to attract unwanted attention within that short amount of time.

Hao Ren as well as Vivian followed them, and they looked at the spectacular scene in amazement.

Among the hundreds of dogs, only half of them were domesticated dogs. The rest were the distinct residents of the Southern Suburbs—stray dogs. This large army was made up of many varieties and different sizes, from the Tibetan Mastiff, which was as tall as a man when standing upright to a big pug, which was as tall as a rabbit when it straightened up. They looked as powerful as the United Nations Military Force. Rollie came and took a peek out of curiosity. It was frightened on the spot, cried and ran up to the roof of the two-storey building. It ran up along the wall. The poor cat probably thought it was karma for running amuck around the area. Now, the dog nation of the Southern Suburbs came to crusade against it with their national power…

Lily strutted proudly in front of the dogs. All of them were docile.They sat on standby obediently. Vivian could not help but turn her face away and said, “She’s enjoying this quite a bit… As a werehusky, she is so embarrassing…”

Finally, Lily finished the inspection of her team, and was satisfied with showing off. She raised her hand and gave a command, “Woof!”

All the dogs immediately put the spell cards in their mouths on the ground and followed Lily, “Woof!”

“Stop! Stop!” Hao Ren dragged Lily to the side in a hurry and said, “Keep it low profile, please. This is too loud.”

Lily quickly nodded and replied, “Woof… Err, I got it. Landlord, what do you think of the size of my army?”

“The combat power is quite strong. It shouldn’t be a problem for us to make a clean sweep of the stray cats in the Southern Suburbs,” Hao Ren said this from the bottom of his heart and then, he bent over to pick up a spell card from the nearest pug. The red paint of the Letta rune was blurred by the dog’s saliva. It became void. “…You’re so smart. You even thought of using dogs.”

“A dog’s nose is sensitive,” Lily said with delight and pointed to her nose happily. “In the beginning, I found the spell cards in between the bricks after I smelled some strange scents. But, it was impossible for me to find all the papers in the neighborhood alone so, I organized the team. They can’t do anything else but, they are excellent in searching. I gave them a clear order, don’t come and see me if they can’t find the spell cards…”

Vivian sighed again. She really did not understand what was there to be proud of such an authority. However, she had to admit that Lily’s talent as a husky had finally played a big role this time. A real werewolf would probably have not been able to put down its dignity, squat on the ground and bark with the dogs.

“So, have they collected all the spell cards on the street in the neighborhood?” Vivian frowned and looked at the large pile of spell papers on the ground, which made her even more worried. There was a possibility that the demon hunters were coming in a group. If they were not, it would have probably taken one week for a demon hunter to create such a big number of spell cards. “I wonder if there’s anything else other than the spell cards. Those guys are the best at setting traps. They’re as cunning as hunters.”

“Let me ask you something,” Lily said as she squatted down and patted a big, yellow dog’s head (it looked like a subchief). She asked the dog with a very serious look, “Woof, woof? Woof woof…”

Hao Ren had the idea of recording this scene. He thought that in the future, he could repeatedly watch them barking at each other and enjoy it for a long time! Listening to Lily’s question, the big, yellow dog tilted its head and thought for a while. Then it replied, “Woofoo…”

Hao Ren and Vivian were muttering, “Can you understand what they’re talking about?”

“No.”

“Then, why did you nod?”

“To protect my dignity. Don’t you see that these dogs look at us as if we’re Servant No.2 and No.3? To them, Lily is the boss. I have to prove that my status is higher than the doggie.”

“As a senior vampire, do you really have to compete with dogs?”

“You’re right…”

Let us ignore the weird conversation between Hao Ren and the vampire. There seemed to be a problem with the communication between Lily and the big, yellow dog. They could not come to a conclusion after barking for so long. Lily reached out to drag a mongrel that looked strong and good-natured. She dragged it next to her and asked, “Woof?”

“Woof!”

“Woof…”

The dog just talked like this. Lily barked, then the mixed-breed barked, then the big, yellow dog barked as well. Hao Ren found it a little strange and asked, “Why do you need a secretary?”

“This one’s from Russia, and its accent is too strong for me to understand.” Lily pointed to the big, yellow dog then, to the mixed-breed dog and said, “It comes from the Northeast. Its a of the Chow Chow and Caucasian Shepherd Dog. It can roughly try to translate for me…”

“…”

For the first time in his life, he heard that even dog languages were divided into different phyla! There were different families of languages among the animals?

“They are.” When Lily heard Hao Ren’s question, she roughly explained it to him. Lily talked a bit with the other dog and then, she stood up. “They didn’t find anything else. And there’s no trace of humans in our surroundings. They’ve placed so many spell cards around. Logically, they would’ve surely left their smell everywhere.”

Vivian was not surprised. “For the demon hunters, hiding is very simple. The most powerful demon hunter I knew could walk all the way into Balder’s palace and kill a mimicry monster without even realizing it. But, there shouldn’t be such guys around these days. They’ve been on the decline all these years… However, hiding their scent is a must for every demon hunter.”

Vivian then squeezed the rune papers in her hands and said, “But, they have no way to conceal the Letta rune papers, which is the only good news. Doggie, let your paparazzi keep an eye on every corner. The demon hunters will certainly find a way to investigate the situation after they find out that their runes were destroyed… Maybe, they’ll try to replace the runes with new ones. It’ll be good if we can catch one of them.”

“You want to let these dogs deal with the demon hunters?” The fur on Lily’s back bristled (literally). “I can’t beat those crazy men, let alone these weak—”

“Who’s gonna let them fight? I meant, let them keep an eye on the surroundings!” Lily was hopeless at her ability to understand. “An intellectually normal demon hunter would never have imagined that a werewolf would bribe dogs to be spies. You’re the first werewolf to organize a group of paparazzi as your men in thousands of years. Acting unpredictably is your greatest strength now!”

Lily finally understood what Vivian wanted her to do. She immediately nodded proudly and said, “Rest assured! My legion is invincible!”

How could she have such a big sense of achievement from just being an alpha dog? Rollie had already led the stray cats in the Southern Suburbs last year. Lily’s achievement today was just on an equal footing with Rollie’s…

After assigning the jobs, Lily howled to give a command. This excited the dogs. Hundreds of dogs dispersed within a few seconds. Hao Ren could imagine how powerful these four-legged scouts would be. They were familiar with the environment; all the gaps and holes. Plus, they had a sensitive sense of smell. They were good hunters and investigators in nature. Also, they had many years of life experience with area and population base. Even a true FBI agent was not as highly effective as these true paparazzi here. And more importantly, the demon hunters would not have been suspicious of the stray dogs everywhere on the streets even if they had great vigilance. It would be too late when they find that their spell cards had been cleared away by a group of dogs.

However, this just worked theoretically. Therefore, Hao Ren was still worried. “Will it work? A bunch of dogs can ferret out the demon hunter? It can’t be so simple.”

“As long as they can find the spell cards in this area. It’s not difficult.” Vivian raised her mouth slightly and said, “A small advantage is still an advantage. Also, the demon hunters have been operating smoothly all these years. They’ll become careless.”

At this time, a loud voice suddenly came from the door. “I’m back. Where are you guys?”

It was Y’zaks’ voice.

Chapter 152: Is This Even Edible?

 

Y’zaks and Nangong Wuyue reached home at the same time; one of them was doing street performances while the other one was merely a scarecrow in the job market. They went out on the dot, and came home by bus everyday. Today, they stumbled into each other on the bus on the way home. It was a coincidence. They were startled even before they stepped through the door: a large group of canines emerged from the house. Some even got into a formation and marched forward like an advancing troop—how could it not be scary?

They only knew what was happening when they were inside the house.

“Demon hunters are coming again?” Y’zaks frowned. He had only met with demon hunters once but, that one encounter was enough to leave a bad impression of these obstinate extremists. “Obviously, they haven’t learned.”

“They must be from another group.” Hao Ren waved in dismissal. “I believe the previous group’s still being corrected by Raven 12345.”

Nangong Wuyue was staring at the rune cards, which were laid open on the table. She stared into space for quite some time before her face twitched. “What should we do next? Fight or…run?” She said.

“Run? This is our territory. They can’t just come to our turf without even taking off their shoes!” Hao Ren scoffed. “Vivian and Lily have some surprises for them. And when those demon hunters show up, we’ll nab those who stray from the group. We’ll call for backup if we can’t hold them back. By the way, why am I feeling like your mind’s elsewhere?”

“Sirens don’t like fighting.” Nangong Wuyue squeezed out a dry smile, and tried to divert the conversation elsewhere. Lil Pea emerged from the pot, waving at them. She took this opportunity to walk away. “I’m going to get Lil Pea a new pot of water. You guys carry on.”

“When it comes to fighting, she’s the least we can count on.” Vivian was not surprised with that. She now turned to Y’zaks. “We’ll need your help if fighting isn’t avoidable because, you have great combat capability. If the last encounter is any indication, many of the demon hunter’s tricks won’t work on you because you’re from the Otherworld.”

“I’m flattered,” Y’zaks grinned from ear to ear. “But still, I wish I could educate them so that they’d get back on the right path…”

Hao Ren smirked: death seemed easier than enduring the lectures of Y’zaks.

“But, there’s a problem: this is a residential area; although there aren’t many left in this area, still, there are people. If a fight breaks out, collateral damage will happen. And most of the people left are elderly,” said Y’zaks with concern.

“Yes, we care about that but, demon hunters may not.” Vivian spread her hands out. “For them, the lost of an innocent life is a necessary evil. They even consider them as ‘martyrs’.”

Y’zaks was enraged and he hit the table. “Then, they deserve even more lectures! Heck, even demons wouldn’t have done what they did! Landlord, I’ll buy you a new table when I get a job.”

Hao Ren raised his hand to wipe off his cold sweat. “Really appreciate that…”

With the plan sorted, Raven came to mind. Hao Ren asked the MDT to contact Raven 12345 on ‘heaven hotline’ but, he got her answer machine: “The god you’re calling is not reachable at the moment. Please, call again later. Thank you.” She was most likely on a trip. She had mentioned it before—God was always not there when he needed her.

And there was no sign of enemy either for the rest of the day.

Vivian’s bats returned safely. They only found traces of runes and drugs left behind by demon hunters, and they were from a day before. There was no lead and no sign of demon hunters nearby. In contrast, Lily’s sniffer squad had some fruitful findings: they retrieved over a hundred rune cards from all corners of the town. These rune cards were piled up like a mountain on the table. Basically, the doggies would come back every few minutes with rune cards in their mouths. Every time there was a bark outside, Hao Ren would go out and collect the cards from Green Bean or Prince Reinhardt (remember Lily’s two subchiefs?). After a few rounds, Hao Ren found it really tiresome. Lily also found it too inefficient. So, she called her squad back, reassigned their patrol zones, and divided them into different ranks of command. One dog would be assigned to each zone. It would be responsible for collecting information and cards from other sentinels. Then, relaying the information and cards back to their senior officers who in turn would report back to the king—Lily. That way, they could enjoy a quieter afternoon.

Aside from the serenity, Hao Ren and Vivian were flabbergasted at what the sniffer squad had become: half a day into its operation, the squad had already established a clear chain of command with Green Pea and Prince Reinhardt appointed to the rank of captain. Bean Bun, the ferocious dog in the Southern Suburbs, and a ‘surrendered general’ from the previous dynasty was placed under probation while it served as team leader of Avenue 3, Southern Suburbs…

Hao Ren and Lily were arguing about whether Bean Bun was a ‘surrendered general’ or a ‘surrendered emperor’. Logically, Bean Bun should have been the latter but, Lily was hell bent on calling it a ‘surrendered general’. Hao Ren gave up—he was going out of his mind from arguing with the husky, he thought.

Lily the alpha dog of the Southern Suburbs was really having fun. The husky in her was lively, jumping, and rolling around. For the third time, Vivian swore not to fight with Lily—it was not worth it.

Just like the bats, the sniffer squad had found more and more rune cards but, not the faintest sign of demon hunters. That was until the late afternoon, when Captain Prince Reinhardt reported back for the last time. Lily’s face turned dead serious as she said, “The demon hunters are playing us…”

As expected, what the husky said was not taken seriously. Vivian had Lily continue to stay alert, sending out a few strays, whose biological clocks were messed-up to patrol at night. Meanwhile, she sent more bats out as air support. No amount of diligence was enough when it came to dealing with these extremists with terminal ‘demon-hating compulsive disorder’. No one ever heard of these demon hunters giving up without a fight; the deeper they hid, the more dangerous they were.

A cautious hunter was much more difficult to deal with than a brave but, slacking one.

After their dinner, Hao Ren went out to mooch around the town as usual; to help with his digestion, and also for surveillance. Of course, he knew the risks. That was why he had the MDT with him. If he ever bumped into any demon hunters, he could escape by teleportation. Worst came to worst, the MDT made a great self-defence brick. So, he had it all well thought out.

After loitering for a while, he found the streets completely quiet as usual except for the sudden increase of dog activity in the dark corners of the streets—they were the eyes sent out by Lily. Even Madam Chow, the old lady, who came back from her walk told Hao Ren, “Dogs are coming out in large numbers tonight. Could it mean the coming of an earthquake?”

This was her favorite thing to chatter about.

Hao Ren kept wandering for a while and found nothing unusual so, he sashayed back to his house. When he stepped through the door, he saw Nangong Wuyue carrying the little mermaid and feeding something to her. It was not a chopstick.

Hao Ren came up closer and saw the little mermaid happily chewing on a piece of rune card like it was a cookie.

The little mermaid looked up. When she saw her ‘daddy’, she slapped her tail and jumped into Hao Ren’s arms excitedly. He was still startled. “Is this even edible? Will she be okay?”

Nangong Wuyue nodded. “I was away for a while and when I came back she was already chewing on these cards. Vivian says the rune cards are made from paper and plant-based die. They’re absolutely safe.”

“Areuh—areuh,” the little mermaid cooed.

Hao Ren stared silently.

No-one could tell if the demon hunters would come that night but, one thing was for sure—there was enough ‘food’ for the little mermaid. So much so that Hao Ren did not need to buy her chopsticks for a long time!

Chapter 153: In the Dark of Night

 

The recipes expanded. Hao Ren could already figure out what the little mermaid would eat—everything of bamboo and wooden fibre.

Seeing that the little mermaid loved the cardboard as much as chopsticks, Hao Ron pulled some pieces of wood from the basement, cut them into smaller chunks, cleaned them and fed them to Lil Pea. The little mermaid lay floating in the water with her bloated stomach skyward, burping and murmuring to herself while she swam. She was into everything bamboo and wood—chopsticks, wood, paper and books. She could have gnawed on the TV cabinet if not for her overly tiny mouth. The waft of ‘food’ in the house made Lil Pea drool all the time. Hao Ren had to guard his table—the little mermaid would likely start gnawing on the ridge of the table legs.

A bat reported back from its round of patrol. Vivian and the bat had a special ‘chat session’ near the table. She surrounded the bat with Blood Fog and carefully analyzed it as it was suspended in the fog. The bat slowly faded like ink on a paper and before long a shadow was all that was left. Nangong Wuyue looked on and was captivated by the amazing magic. She asked curiously, “I knew you share senses with the bats so, why do you still need them to come back and report in person?”

“There are many things which I can’t rely on shared senses alone. Also, there’s a limit to how much energy I can share out at any one time. Some details could be overlooked.” Finally, the analysis was completed. Vivian merged the shadow back into her. “By breaking up the bat’s memory and retracing its track, sometimes important clues can be uncovered.”

“So, what have you got?” asked Hao Ren.

“This bat flew as far as the Northern suburbs. Do you remember the warehouse, where we battled the Ebbens? The one that was burned down by Big Bluey with his lightning storm? I’ve found traces of sorcery nearby.”

Hao Ren was stunned. “Sorcery? Demon hunters were practicing sorcery?”

“They practice everything.” Vivian nodded. “Or, to put it another way, most superstitious things like exorcisms, witchcraft, totem worship and healing prayers are linked to demon hunters. And, these practices were taught to the humans a long time ago for self-defence against the other kinds. These skills don’t require magic or willpower. They merely utilize materials in nature so, ordinary humans could master them, and they were extremely popular during the ancient times. A few thousand years ago, tribal shamans used slow poison and incense burning to protect their people at night and those things worked. However, as time went by, most of the unusual creatures had been hunted down by demon hunters; the remnants either devolved, lost their strength or, completely became human or beasts. So sorcery, which human once used as protection became redundant. The mastery of these skills became less and less as each generation past until it became more like a farce. But, the genuine demon hunters still retain and practice real sorcery and magic till this day.”

Y’zaks offered his comment as he listened on. “It seems, these so-called demon hunters did something noble.”

“There’s no absolute good guy or bad guy.” Vivian shrugged. “To the humans, they’re good guys. But to other creatures, they’re the bad ones.”

“Maybe because, I’m from a different world. I have no prejudice against any of the races in this world,” said Y’zaks as he scratched his bald head. “To me, they’re all the other kind but, I’m particularly annoyed by these obstinate demon hunters.”

“That means, the demon hunters have sniffed something out.” Hao Ren rubbed his chin and smacked it.

“Wasn’t the scene cleaned up with no trace of supernatural power left? How did they find out about it?”

“Although signs of supernatural power can be cleaned up, the fact that a place as large as the warehouse was struck and burned down by lightning was unnatural in itself.” Vivian’s mouth twitched slightly. “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what had happened there. I’m more curious about how they traced it back to us here—the Southern Suburbs and Northern Suburbs are far apart across the town. What have we missed?”

While the discussion was going on, Lily, who was lying on the couch watching the idiot box protested. “Can you please stop talking about this annoying topic at night? I’m watching TV here.”

Vivian shot her a scornful glance. “We’re facing trouble yet, you act like it doesn’t concern you. Can’t you go to your room?”

“It’s livelier here than back in my room.” Lily was still lying on the couch. She grumbled, “Argh…it’s so annoying…”

“C’mon, stop it.” Hao Ren knocked Lily’s head with his knuckle. “We’re in a discussion.”

Hao Ren would not have allowed his tenants to make noise in his living room. However, he knew he was raising a husky so, he was very accommodative towards Lily. Every time Lily showed her temper, he would just give her a slap on the wrist. Lily did not realize how much patience she had been shown; she kept praising Hao Ren for his big heart as her good impression of him conitnued ballooning.

A sudden splosh was heard—Lil Pea had jumped out of the pot. She pulled Hao Ren’s arm and made some gestures as though saying that she was feeling drowsy. Hao Ren looked up at the clock and noticed it was already past ten. He yawned because he was feeling a little tired too. “I’ll hit the sack now. The demon hunters probably won’t show up tonight.”

“Okay.” Vivian smiled at him. “Get some rest. I’ll be on vigil tonight.”

Hao Ren nodded before he carried Lil Pea back into his room. Suddenly, Lil Pea cried and pointed towards the direction of the tea table. Before Hao Ren could figure it out, Nangong Wuyue was already hustling after them with a pot in her hand. “Bring her mom along.”

“Can you please stop mentioning her mom?”

Nangong Wuyue’s smile was mischievous. Hao Ren’s face was as sour as vinegar but, she totally ignored it. “Fill the pot half-full and let Lil Pea sleep in there so that she won’t cling to you again tonight. You don’t want to sleep with your shirt on like last night, do you?”

Hao Ren felt a little relieved knowing that the little mermaid would be happy to sleep in the pot. The thought of cuddling her in one hand while having the pot in another as he slept, unnerved him.

He carried his daughter back into the room and spent half the time thinking whether he should place her on the writing table away from his bed: he did not want his face bathed in water mid-sleep should Lil Pea turn in her sleep. As he put the pot down, he found it ridiculous that after spending 25 of his bachelor years, he suddenly got a daughter—a mermaid daughter! What a life!

“You have to sleep like everybody else and not be clingy.” Hao Ren rested his arms on the writing table and his chin on his arms. Lil Pea did the same but, in her pot. They were staring at each other. He did not care if she did not get it. He just kept telling her, “Don’t simply get out. If there’s a situation, alert us. Also, don’t get on the floor or you’ll be stepped on.”

“Hmm…ahh…” The little mermaid reached her hand out to touch his nose as she made a sound. She then turned around and swam away before curling herself up in a sleeping position at the bottom of the pot. It was as though she had understood him.

Hao Ren stared at the little mermaid, who was sleeping at the bottom of the pot. He was hesitant on whether to put the lid on as he was worried. What if she sneaked out at night, loitered around the house and got stepped on? But, the thought of her waking up and finding herself trapped in a closed pot made him uncomfortable. He left it without the lid.

He also placed the MDT at the edge of the pot so that it could keep an eye on the baby. After all, this thing would never sleep.

Outside, the night was dark. Pitch dark.

The moon crept up in the sky and sneaked back down very slowly. There were no signs of pedestrians on the streets as the cold air in the late autumn night was inhospitable. There was only the occasional barking of dogs at the far side of the town. It was apparently the means by which the strays conveyed messages across town.

Suddenly, three loud and pressing barks of a dog shattered the quietness of the night.

Chapter 154: On the Move

 

Eerie howls rang across the whole area, not much different from signal fires. While this may sound odd, Lily’s K9 squadron was the real deal. Like well trained scouts, each of them had their own patrol area. They were the best recon unit that even the demon hunters could not defend against.

It did not take long for the first signal, which sounded off on Street 34 to spread like wildfire throughout the Southern Suburbs. No one would have suspected a series of howling by stray dogs to be anything suspicious. After all, the area was rather deserted and bands of strays moved about their turf with impunity. Aside from the ‘Queen of Dogs’, no one understood what the series of howling actually meant.

At that time, Lily was lazing on the sofa watching a soppy love drama. Her tail brushed incessantly against the sofa (Hao Ren had to buy a hand-held vacuum to get rid of her shed fur). As the howling got nearer, she reacted almost immediately and leapt into the air. “Warning, something’s been sighted…” She crashed as spoke.

Vivian proffered her hand to the idiot who had fallen under the table. “Have a heart and spare Hao Ren some intact furniture will you? You found them?”

“Just off the fourth street, an area that’s about to be demolished. My buddies are gathering there now. There’s only one person,” Lily said animatedly as she got up. Her feelings of embarrassment were apparent. “Seems like they’re checking on the runic charms. Maybe they’ve already figured out that the rune cards are missing and decided to send someone to check. Alone, you know, alone!”

“And a good opportunity!” Vivian grinned as she deployed her wings. Her eyes turned crimson red. Y’zaks also got up as he cracked his knuckles. The great demon’s original form would be too obvious, and there were no good places for him to transform. Anyhow, it was not like he needed it anyway. Even in his human form, his combat strength was over 9000.

It had been no more than 10 minutes since Hao Ren came back, and Vivian was dithering on whether to wake him up or not. Hao Ren however, did not need anyone to call him. He came out of his room neatly dressed for the occasion.

“So, time for some action?” He asked eagerly.

Hao Ren was indeed eager, eager to put a stop to things. Since they were already targets of the demon hunters, a fight was only a matter of time, and Hao Ren would rather get it over sooner rather than later. The whole thing nibbled the back of his mind and he could not sleep at all. The moment he heard something outside, he immediately got out of bed and dressed up.

“Didn’t sleep?” Vivian asked with a faint surprise. “Weren’t you sleepy earlier?”

“I tried but couldn’t shut my eyes at all. I really envy that little fish. She fell asleep almost immediately. There are even bubbles coming out of her nose.” Hao Ren shrugged. “I heard everything. Shall we go?”

“Tip-top and ready to rumble!” Vivian said, her wings spread out wide. Her grin had the trace of a menacing queen. “It’s time for us to strike back. I’m feeling really good about today!”

“If you just need to say something, say it. What’s with that flashy pose? You’re getting my hair all messy.” Lily said as she got up.

All of them thought they were in pretty good shape all things considered. They were ready to depart before Nangong Wuyue appeared by their side and called out to them softly, “Wait up, let me join.”

Vivian gave the usually low-profile siren an odd look. “Aren’t your kind pacifists?”

“No, we are a peaceful but, that doesn’t mean we are pushovers.” Wuyue giggled as she caught up with them. “Don’t worry, I may be weaker than all of you but, demon hunters are nothing to me. Sides, unless I decide to kill myself, nothing can kill me. Let me follow to see what’s up.”

Vivian still had her doubts as she eyed Wuyue. She knew a few sirens in her lifetime (well, she did live for a long time) and this was a first for her; a siren joining the fray of her own volition. But seeing Wuyue so enthusiastic, she did not say anything more and simply nodded. “I know you are not afraid of death but, there’s a possibility that we may not be able to protect you. So, use whatever abilities you have to keep yourself safe.”

Hence, the crew headed out in high spirits. Hao Ren, who was at the back of the line made sure that the doors and gates were properly locked. As he turned to join the team, Lily took a jibe at him, “Why is it that most heroes I see in those TV dramas look so cool when they leave to fight but, we have someone who tied his shoe laces wrongly and forgot about the mobile phone. Our captain even turned around to make sure the house is locked… That’s so not cool…”

“Ain’t you the one who tied her shoelaces wrongly and forgot about her phone.” Vivian snorted. “I can’t remember how many times I told you to stop watching those pointless shows. You even almost pulled the curtain off to use it as a cloak…”

“I’m going out to hunt those demon hunters! Can’t I be excited about it?”

Hao Ren laughed aridly. “Most of the heroes who go out that way, go out for good. That’s why I stopped watching those shows… From the dialogue alone, I could tell who was going to die in the next episode.”

“Let’s stop. It’s not auspicious to talk about this now,” Wuyue quipped.

They chatted incessantly as they went yet, their speed was blindingly fast. As the neighbourhood was pretty much deserted, they cast off any reservations about being seen and moved at a speed that would have confounded a normal person. However, Vivian kept her wings hidden. She realized while demon hunters did not have particularly strong sense of awareness, their sense still far exceeded that of a normal human. Flying at high speeds in the air would have attracted unwanted attention.

Hao Ren on the other hand, rued the fact that he was not lucky enough to be carried in the air by a pretty lady that night.

The Southern Suburbs at night, was a very quiet place. Almost eerily quiet. There were not many people living there to start with. And at such an ungodly hour, you would not have seen anyone at all. The stretch of cemented street only had a few dim lamp posts to light its path. As it was already late autumn, only a few bugs hovered around the lamps. If Hao Ren was not in the deep of things, he would not have known such an unassuming place hid such an extraordinary secret.

With their enhanced speed, they crossed the length of a few streets in mere moments. Soon, they arrived at a place that was even more deserted that Baishi Road. This was the other end of the Southern Suburbs, and like Hao Ren’s place, it was a wasteland at the end of the road.

There were even less people in the area as most of them had already moved to the newly developed residential area closer to town.

The road was flanked by four lamp posts that flickered in dim, yellow light. All of the lamp posts had signs of wear and tear, and along them, a row of houses were marked in white paint for dismantling. Hao Ren remembered seeing the markings almost a year ago yet, the houses were still standing. He heard the developer for the area had went bankrupt and with it, the Southern Suburbs’ only redevelopment program.

Well, trying to build skyscrapers in the Southern Suburbs would have been the death of any property developer.

“It’s around this area. Stay close within my Cloaking Spell,” Vivian whispered, her long hair flowing in the night wind. About 50 meters from her, there was a veil of black mist. This mist did not affect the vision of those within it. Anyone outside the mist would have an unknown compulsion to look away. Such was the gift of the one, who was a nobility of the night; the power to control shadows and the darkness. Vivian had used this ability to fight off demon hunters in the past, and also steal chickens from werewolves when she was starving. That last part… let us just keep it to ourselves.

“This area looks so dilapidated…” Y’zaks frowned as he grumbled. His voice was as low as he could go.

“This reminds me of the ruins of Fyrkley back home… Legend says, it was a haunted city that fell from the human world into the cracks of the demon world, and the citizens, who were trapped all became wraiths… That’s how this place feels like right now.”

Hao Ren had nothing to add to Y’zaks very honest assessment of the area. “This is where I live. Please, spare it some dignity…”

“Shush, quiet. I’m looking for the patrol leader.” Lily signaled for the rest to keep quiet. She then took a deep breath and let out a signal for her hidden underling. “Woof!”

So, it was just “Woof!” after all…

Chapter 155: It’s You Again!

 

Lily’s bark was a loud one and it echoed clearly throughout the silent street. However, Hao Ren was not worried about being discovered. The husky’s bark was so authentic that if you did not see her do it, you would have taken it for a normal dog’s bark.

A black Tugou ran out from a corner not far from the street. Hao Ren assumed that it was the scout Lily placed. The mongrel was looking at Lily’s general direction. Then, it started sniffing about to look for her. Vivian’s Shadow Veil had disrupted the poor dog’s senses. It did not even realize that its boss was just right in front.

Vivian noticed the dog’s predicament and made a small tear in the veil, directly where the Chinese Field Dog was facing. The sudden change in perception startled the dog for a bit but, the moment it saw Lily it ran towards her, wagging its tail and nodding its head. Hao Ren noticed that the dog had a rather pronounced limp on it’s hind leg and looked a wee bit unstable as it ran. He realized this was one of Lily’s most trusted comrades: Green Bean. Of course, we should be calling it Sergeant Green Bean. The dog looked even dirtier than before. Its habit of playing on the coal pile was still going strong. The injury on its hind legs was caused by a fall from the same coal pile. Some things never change.

Lily squatted down to speak with Green Bean. After a while, she got up to relay what was told to her. “The demon hunter is still alone. He was circling the area. There are no signs of other hunters in the area. He should be at the alley in front of us any time soon. Let’s get over there quietly.”

As she spoke, she let Green Bean lead the way, all of them tried to stay as quiet possible as they headed towards a narrow alleyway.

Hao Ren was concerned if the amount of people present would blow their cover. It was not that Hao Ren doubted Vivian’s spell but, his past encounters with the demon hunters suggested that they probably had more abilities that were still unknown. Heck, some of them even looked like they were hacking real life; weapons with unlimited ammunition, ninja-like moves, super strong physique and mortality resistance of a cockroach… they even had resistance towards spells and venoms used by vampires as well as werewolves. They were almost like otherworldly creatures draped in human skin. Vivian however, was unconcerned with them. Her vast experience with the demon hunters had accorded her knowledge on their strengths and weaknesses. Her Shadow Veil was designed to exploit said weaknesses. A demon hunter’s senses were much weaker than that of a supernatural being, and that was pretty much the only ‘human’ part of them.

Being a nobility of the night, this was Vivian’s stage. Under the cover of night she had every confidence that she could use her Shadow Spells to take down most demon hunters; as long as it was not the one who turned Fenrir into a pot of wolf stew.

The old street had many other small alleyways along it’s stretch, but there were nary anyone living there any more. Green Bean led the group to one of the alley’s entrance and it dug up a small pile of earth. Under the rock was a piece of runic card that was clearly buried on purpose.

Lily patted Green Bean’s head in praise and signaled for it to leave the area. This was not the place to be for a stray dog right now.

Under the cover of the Shadow Veil, Hao Ren and Vivian led the group into the alley way. The rest followed from behind with utmost care. It did not take long for them to spot a silhouette, decked in a long, black coat not too far from them. The attire gave away the person’s identity; the person was a demon hunter.

The demon hunter was digging holes with a small spade, his back facing the alleyway. He was so engrossed with what he was doing that Hao Ren was amused. Most demon hunters gave off a stylish aura from head to toe, even in combat. They could have been plastered on a movie poster and none would have been the wiser. This however was very unlike them. I guess you cannot expect anyone to uphold a smart look 24 hours a day.

Vivian slowly drew in the Shadow Veil’s radius, both to increase the potency of the veil, and also to prevent the hunter from detecting any subtle changes in the atmosphere. Hao Ren looked for a weapon in his pocket, and only then did he realized that he forgot the MDT. He had left it at home to play nanny to the little mermaid!

Hao Ren aside, someone managed to find a weapon she was very comfortable with. As they went into the alleyway, Lily had grabbed half a piece of brick along the way. Her claws clutched the solid brick hard. As the demon hunter rose, his awareness at its lowest point, she flung the brick at an incredible speed towards his head.

Of course, she held back on her strength a little. Vivian had emphasized the need to capture the hunter alive and her throw was meant to incapacitate, not kill. Otherwise, at full strength, she would have probably torn the poor sod a new hole.

As the brick streaked towards the demon hunter’s head, something unexpected happened—he sneezed, and the brick grazed his head as it smashed into the lamp post at the far end.

Startled, the demon hunter turned tail and ran. As she saw that the sneak attack failed, Vivian scattered her Shadow Veil and deployed her wings. With a massive flap, she took to the air and charged straight at the demon hunter. She screamed,”Take him alive!” as she went.

Lily grunted in ascent and charged forth as well, her claws shone for an instant as she summoned her Frostfire Claws. Her speed was almost blinding as she dashed ahead in a flash of white. Her momentum was much, much more ferocious compared to when she tossed the brick. Y’zaks simply took a step and appeared almost instantly at the other end of the alley, blocking the demon hunter’s escape route. Hao Ren also leapt out with his shield, yelling, “Hold it, you conniving knave!”

Everything happened all too suddenly and the silence of the night was broken. Vivian, Lily, Y’zaks and Hao Ren, all took their positions to surround the demon hunter. They did not intend to let him escape. Hao Ren’s sudden jeer took the demon hunter by surprise and in his sudden stupor, Lily leapt forward with a vicious swipe. As he felt a killing intent behind him, the demon hunter snapped out of it and rolled away just in time…into Vivian. The vampire was already in the middle of giving a kick when he rolled in front of her. The demon hunter was sent tumbling a couple of meters away, right into where Y’zaks was standing. The great demon just grabbed the hunter with his hands and held him against the floor, rendering him helpless.

The execution was almost flawless, and even Hao Ren was surprised by it. Hao Ren rued the fact that it took a bad guy for them to cooperate this well.

The demon hunter thrashed in pain as he was held in place by Y’zaks. “It hurtsss! Can you guys be a little gentle?!”

“Wait a minute… He sounds very familiar…” Vivian said as she descended.

Hao Ren was also stunned. As the demon hunter was taken down, he caught a glimpse of his face. It was a very familiar look. He quickened his step towards Y’zaks as the great demon lifted the demon hunter up. He yelled in surprise as he saw the hunter’s face. “It’s you?!”

As the demon hunter caught sight of the rest as well, his face had an incredulous look of surprise on it.

“It’s you guys?!”

The person being held in the air by the collar was none other than the same demon hunter Hao Ren met in London. They even fought shoulder to shoulder before… That half-baked demon hunter, Nangong!

Vivian had wondered why this particular demon hunter was such an easy prey. He did not use the Swift-Step, which was well used by his kind. It was the half-baked one…

“Why are you here?!” Lily exclaimed as she saw Nangong. “So, the one messing around our turf for the past two days was you?!”

“Your turf?” Nangong blinked. “You guys live here?”

It looked like the demon hunter had no clue at all that Hao Ren’s tenants were a bunch of supernaturals. His look of surprise was as genuine as one could get.

Once the demon hunter calmed down, he finally noticed the bat wings on Vivian’s back, Lily’s werewolf form, and the shimmering shield in Hao Ren’s hand. A shocked expression appeared on his face again but, as he slowly understood the situation, he began to look resigned. “So, all of you are supernaturals… It seems like my skills are not up to par… Seeing that we were comrades before, can you make this quick?”

Vivian had a conflicted look on her face as she gazed at Hao Ren. She never thought of such a development of events. If it had been a normal demon hunter, she would have ripped his head off without a second thought… But, this Nangong, even the venerable vampire was conflicted on how to handle him.

However, as they were fretting on what to do with their captive, Wuyue’s voice broke the silence. She headed towards them aggressively as she yelled, “Big brother, it’s really you!”