Apocalyptic Era: Starting from picking up a Bishoujo

"The 'police' claimed to have important matters," the officer's pace, however, was unhurried as he left through the community's east gate.

Changan, on the other hand, arrived at the community's south gate, which was the one we had entered through, to rendezvous with me.

After seeing me, he unhesitatingly shared the content of his recent conversation with the "police," then said with a troubled expression, "I might be in danger lately, and probably shouldn't go to school. You'd better not get too close to me either, to avoid being implicated."

As I kept an eye on the "police's" movements, I responded, "Understood."

"But why did he send you away earlier?" Changan asked, puzzled.

"To prevent a leak of case details, I suppose. You're a semi-involved party, so it's fine for you, but I'm essentially unrelated," I analyzed simply, as a layperson, "The incident this time appears to involve local elites as victims, and it's likely not as simple as just a few deaths. Before the truth comes to light, no one wants to stir up a storm and a flurry of rumors."

Changan realized the point and then pulled out his phone to check the time, telling me, "I've got a place to be later on, so let's say goodbye here."

"Don't you have class this afternoon?" I questioned, "Or are you giving class a miss to go to the clubs again? Even at a time like this..."

One major reason Changan often faced criticism at the university was the rumor that he frequently visited places of ill-repute.

What was worse, this wasn't just gossip, it was true.

With his looks and financial standing, the opposite sex was practically at his beck and call. Even with his current reputation, he had no shortage of women willing to throw themselves at him. I could never understand why he would be interested in paying for sex.

"No, no, I'm actually going to visit my mother at the hospital!" he protested quickly, "As for today's classes, I've already asked for leave. I need to be at the hospital till the evening, and it conveniently happens to be a military hospital with strong security measures—so I can lay low there. My sister should be visiting tonight too; she keeps nagging at me for not visiting our mother..."

"Well, that's good. But for your own good, you should really stay away from those clubs. Hasn't Zhu Shi constantly criticized you for not being virtuous?"

"Alright, alright, I get it... Sigh, I don't know how I'll talk to my sister; she probably thinks I'm out of my mind already," he grumbled.

"Just act like nothing ever happened, and Zhu Shi won't bring up your supposed madness."

"I am not out of my mind!"

He protested loudly, muttered a few more phrases under his breath, then said his goodbyes to me and turned to leave.

Secretly, I stuck a "Firefly" on his back to keep track of him in case of any mishaps. Though there was no evidence to suggest he was a target for the serial killer, his background matched that of the previous five victims and he was now connected to the case; this level of precaution was necessary.

After taking these measures, I found a fried chicken restaurant on the street, settled inside, and quietly kept watch on the "police's" movements.

-

Not long after I parted ways with Changan, the "police" took out his phone at the roadside and dialed a number.

The "Firefly's" sensory capabilities covered all angles without a blind spot; through it, I could see and hear everything within this space. Thus, I saw the specific numbers he dialed and silently recorded them on my own phone, all the while continuing my surveillance.

The phone call made by the "police" was quickly answered.

"I've done what you asked. There were indeed unusual traces at Zhu Changan's residence," the "police" began, "I didn't see the 'cave' he reported when he called for help, but the 'Magic Array' definitely existed, and it was almost a functional ritual array."

"Thank you, Agent Kong," a young woman's voice, fastidious in nature, came from the other end of the line.

And I eavesdropped on the conversation clearly via the "Firefly."

Agent Kong?

Was the "police" surnamed Kong? But why 'agent'?

Traditionally, in our country, police officers don't usually add the title of 'agent.' Earlier, I had some suspicions, but now it seems this man really isn't a police officer?

The young woman continued to speak.

"You just said that ritual array was 'almost functional.' What do you mean by that?"

"What I mean is, the array shouldn't be functional." Agent Kong patiently explained, "Though I'm not a demon hunter like you, I have studied ritual practices at Luo Mountain before. I can tell that as a ritual array, it has over ninety percent completion, and its goal is to open a Different Space overlapping with our reality. However, for the lack of the final Magic Symbols, it couldn't precisely locate the target space.

"To describe it, the Array is like a domino set missing a few pieces at the start. No matter how high its overall completion, missing the most crucial parts means it won't function."

The young woman noted with understanding, "I see... but weren't there some strange phenomena reported there?"

"I'm not sure about that," Agent Kong shook his head. "I think Zhu Changan likely wasn't lying, but I cannot explain why that ritual array would suddenly activate."

Wait, what are they talking about now?

Ritual Arrays? Different Spaces?

Demon Hunter? Luo Mountain?

Is it the demon hunter as I'm thinking—the one that 'hunts demons'?

As for Luo Mountain...

I had never heard of this organization or power before, but I knew the concept.

Daoism's hell is called "Fengdu," also having names like "Luo Feng Mountain" or "Fengdu's Luo Mountain." The so-called Luo Mountain is The nether world. Daoist scriptures in the Dongyuan Collection also record: Fengdu's Luo Mountain, located in the north, has a base of water sign for the home of ghosts, the root of utter darkness. The mountain rises two thousand six hundred miles high, with a circumference of thirty thousand miles, and it has cave palaces, all of which are the capitals of ghost gods.

I suddenly realized that I seemed to have unwittingly come into contact with another unfamiliar world.

Who are they, after all?

The conversation was still ongoing.

"Perhaps the source of the phenomena isn't the ritual array?" the woman called a demon hunter speculated.

"I don't know about that. I'm just a 'probe,' only responsible for reporting the existence of the strange events to you. The follow-up handling is the responsibility of you demon hunters," Agent Kong first adopted an attitude of indifference, then continued, "By the way, I also saw another person there, likely a friend of Zhu Changan, named Zhuang Cheng. Do you remember him?"

Hearing my own name suddenly brought up, I sat up reflexively in the fried chicken restaurant.

"Zhuang Cheng…" the demon hunter woman repeated my name.

"I've also heard rumors about this person. He's a famous enthusiast of ghost stories in Saltwater City, always investigating supernatural things," Agent Kong seemed to know a fair amount about me, "Wasn't there a foreign Feng Shui Master who came to guide our local tycoons just three or four years ago, and he was exposed on the spot by Zhuang Cheng? I heard he even assisted official forces in other provinces in cracking down on feudal superstitious powers.

"Now he seems to have noticed many suspicious points in this incident, such as why that ritual array wasn't discovered until now..."

"We of Luo Mountain have too little experience in criminal investigation. If it had been a proper police officer, they would not have missed such a big clue," the demon hunter woman sighed, "Luo Mountain's actions in recent years have been problematic. We should at least collaborate more with the police during the investigative process. How can we monopolize all the work and still not do it well?"

"This isn't something we frontline staff should be discussing," Agent Kong avoided the issue, only to continue the former topic, "Looking at him, he seems to have never given up chasing supernatural events."

"You mean…" the demon hunter woman's voice grew serious.

Agent Kong on the other end of the phone nodded, "You know the trend in the last two years. Zhuang Cheng has most likely already come into contact with the world of demon hunters, and might even have acquired a certain degree of power."

Ah? I've already come into contact with the world of demon hunters?

Do I know about this?

And what does "the trend in the last two years" mean? From his tone, it seems like it's been easier for people like me to come into contact with "the world of demon hunters." So why haven't I ever encountered it before?

"Do you mean the source of the supernatural phenomena isn't the ritual array, but him?" the demon hunter woman asked back.

Hearing this, I slightly reined in my thoughts, then felt that this speculation was not without reason.

If I was truly influenced by the Broom Star Physique that attracted the supernatural as Mazao said, and Changan, as my friend, was involved in supernatural phenomena due to the impact, then it made complete sense to trace it back to me. Even if I wasn't the source but Mazao was, I couldn't escape blame.

Agent Kong and the demon hunter woman's analysis might be correct.

"I just had this idea, actually, there are no clues in this regard. At the end of the day, we don't even know why the Fallen Demon Hunter left an incomplete ritual array in that house..." Agent Kong skimmed over my suspicion, "Moving on to practical topics, do you have time to take care of the ritual array in that house? Such things are inconvenient for ordinary people like me to handle, it has to be you demon hunters."

"I have to go to the hospital tonight, so how about this afternoon, I'll quickly handle that ritual array," the demon hunter woman said efficiently, "We just don't yet know what caused that cave. If all else fails, we'll break open the entire living room floor of that house, physically removing the foundational conditions for the cave's formation."

"That's one way to do it," Agent Kong agreed.

But a tremendous sense of urgency instantly rose within me.

They want to destroy that cave?

No, I haven't explored it yet.

I couldn't accept it.

To me, whether it be Mazao's mentioned "Doomsday" and "Blessed Monks," or the "Luo Mountain" and "demon hunters" these two people talked about, they were all just concepts at the level of speech—intangible.

That cave was different. That cave was the only physical anomaly I had ever witnessed, of unique value.

It may cease to exist, but—it must be after I have explored it.

I had to do something to stop them.

Just then, Agent Kong spoke again.

"Also, I'm a bit worried that Zhu Changan might be the Fallen Demon Hunter's next target. Being watched by that kind of entity, I can't guarantee his safety no matter where he goes, and I can't provide any protection for him, it'll depend on you to step in. Didn't you fend off the Fallen Demon Hunter just last time? If you currently have no other leads, I suggest you try to lie in wait at Zhu Changan's place."

"Okay, I'll go protect him," the demon hunter woman readily agreed, then seemed to realize something, "But if that's the case, I temporarily won't be able to deal with that ritual array and the cave."

"We probably don't need to rush that for now; after all, it hasn't caused any casualties before."

"No, unknown supernatural incidents must be resolved as soon as possible…" the demon hunter woman pondered for a moment before saying, "Tomorrow then. Early tomorrow, I'll ask other demon hunters to temporarily take over my protection duty, and I'll personally take care of it."