```
"This stuff is getting thicker by the minute; we really shouldn't waste any time."
Fu Qian pointed upwards with his hand.
It was a welcome surprise to successfully recruit four enforcers so smoothly.
Without further delay, his priority was to lead the team to the side of the Godson for delivery.
And he wasn't just talking nonsense.
Just a few minutes after exiting the house, the shadows overhead had become even denser, significantly reducing visibility.
Even the wind felt unpleasantly thick, as if it was laced with invisible needles that numbed the skin.
"The perimeter should be almost clear by now."
The team leader nodded and gave firm orders.
Considering Fu Qian's poor condition, he specifically instructed the porcelain-skinned Su Gao to watch over him closely.
As for whether it was to protect or to monitor him, that was hard to say.
Fu Qian had no objections.
After all, with his mysterious origins, it was impossible to dispel their wariness with just a few words.
Not to mention that at the moment, they were all in a bloodthirsty frenzy.
Soon, the group made their way through the long street, heading towards the center of the shadows.
The atmosphere along the way was incredibly tense, and everyone remained silent.
Indeed, aside from the naturally twisted, there were few who could maintain a good mood after slaughtering their own kind—even if there were valid reasons.
The area was an older residential district, with crowded buildings limiting visibility.
Every member of the team proceeded with care, weapons at the ready, while Fu Qian, walking in the middle of the group, was the most relaxed of all.
As they neared the central area, Fu Qian suddenly became alert.
A window on the brink swung open, and a grey blur whistled out, shooting straight for his face.
The blade from Su Gao and Fu Qian's Air Bullet hit it almost simultaneously.
Pop!
The thing stumbled from the impact, then was swiftly sliced in two by Su Gao.
Even so, it still managed to leave a deep gash on Fu Qian's shoulder.
And half its body crawled on the ground for several meters before stopping.
Habituated to pain through rigorous training, Fu Qian paid little mind to the minor wound and immediately retreated to a safe distance.
Only then did he get a clear look at what had attacked him.
Black hair, a coat covered in grime—it must have been a person not long ago.
Unfortunately, it was now completely deformed.
Its body seemed as if it had been stretched tenfold before snapping back into place, with most of its legs retracted into its torso, only the lower part visible.
"This is the first time I've seen such a curse,"
The crew-cut man took a deep breath, his tone relaxing ever so slightly.
Fu Qian noticed that including the team leader, everyone else showed similar reactions.
They had hypothesized that the curse contamination would turn people into monsters, and now that it was confirmed, the guilt in their hearts lessened a bit.
"How's your wound?"
The team leader turned back to look at Fu Qian.
"It's nothing, let's keep going!"
Fu Qian acted as though he barely felt the wound on his shoulder, determined to maintain his tough image to the end.
Um.
The team leader nodded silently; he had observed Fu Qian's reaction to the attack.
Now he was even more convinced that Fu Qian was a Transcendent who was accustomed to life and death.
Only such a person could have that kind of insight and courage.
Impressed, the team leader resolved to find a way to lift Fu Qian's curse after resolving the incident.
"Damn it, why are there so many!"
At that moment, they heard the crew-cut man curse in a low growl.
In just a short while, Maggot People—emerging from windows, rooftops, and even the pipes overhead—crowded in toward the group of five.
Move!
The team leader ordered decisively.
The group started moving quickly, aiming to carve out a path before being surrounded completely.
Fu Qian, for his part, was quite cheerful, rewarding anyone who attacked with an Air Bullet without exception.
If he remembered correctly, the summary included a count of enemies killed, which might affect rewards or something. Collecting data was always right.
It was also a good opportunity to practice and improve his proficiency.
Very quickly, his Air Bullets reached a level where every shot was a headshot.
With the Cat School's bonuses, he could hit whatever he aimed at.
By the time the five of them turned the corner of the long street, the scene before them opened up.
In a spacious hall, nearly a hundred figures wrapped in human clothing were stooped over on the ground.
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Densely packed, they covered every field.
Among them were no shortage of immaculately dressed individuals.
Bodies even swayed gently to some kind of rhythm.
Damn!
Even Fu Qian, who prided himself on being well-informed, felt nauseous at this sight.
The captain's face had turned as black as charcoal, clearly he hadn't anticipated the situation to be this grave.
"Alright, that's enough!"
But before he could speak, the always-silent old man piped up.
Seeing everyone looking at him, the old man harrumphed before continuing.
"I believe this incident has exceeded our jurisdiction, we should report it to the authorities and let them send someone."
"I think you've just chickened out!"
The buzz-cut man was the first to explode.
"Report for handling? Don't tell me you don't know how long it'll take for them to get here!"
"That's right, I've chickened out," admitted the old man, not the least bit ashamed.
"I'm different from you, I only do what's within my responsibilities."
"The things we've done so far, we can still somehow explain. Now, with this scenario, what do you want to do?"
"With so many people, if we really turn this place into a living hell, are you really confident we won't be dealt with?"
"If we all fall here, that's when the situation will truly spiral out of control."
"We don't even know what caused the contamination curse. It's all been said by this fellow with an unclear background—are you really trusting his words that much?"
Why is this coming back on me?
Seeing the old man pointing at him, Fu Qian calmly shook his head.
"There's no need to trust everything I've said; what I've said isn't entirely true anyway."
…
"We can't just walk away like this, we won't be able to explain ourselves if we go back," said the captain with a cold face.
"Who says we've found nothing?"
The old man pulled out something and tossed it over.
"At least we found this."
Fu Qian glanced at it, a ragged black notebook.
"Where did you find this?"
The captain looked startled.
"During the clean-up," the old man harrumphed, pointing at Fu Qian.
"I just didn't trust him, so I didn't show it until now."
"With this thing, we can't be considered to have come away empty-handed, right?"
Seeing the remaining three people fall into silence, seemingly persuaded, Fu Qian felt uneasy.
That's not right, this feels like disbanding the team before we've even seen the boss.
Fu Qian pointed at the object in the captain's hand.
"That, may I take a look at it?"
"This is an important item."
Before the captain could respond, the buzz-cut man got angry first.
However, the captain ignored him and handed over the notebook.
"There's no harm in letting you see it. This item is connected to another incident we've been investigating.
I've looked through it before, there's nothing unusual."
The notebook was thin, with not much content. Fu Qian flipped through it with his fingertips, frowning.
"I can't understand this part below. What does it mean?"
What?
Following where Fu Qian was pointing, everyone looked incredulous.
"You're not joking?"
"Why would I joke? This section here is all messed up; it's completely unreadable."
…
The captain silently handed over a stick.
"Can you copy it down?"
Fu Qian: "Why?"
"Because to us, that section appears blank."