Midway through his retreat, Wen Wen suddenly stopped in his tracks.
"Why am I running?" he thought. "That plant and that man in black are both bad news. Even though I can't defeat them on my own, I can't just let things slide."
With a cold laugh, Wen Wen took out his phone and dialed Lin Zheyuan's number.
"Wen Detective?" Lin Zheyuan, who had just been awakened from sleep, answered with a hint of confusion. He had just finished monitoring Wen Wen, so why was he calling now?
"Captain Lin, didn't you say before that if I encountered any supernatural cases I couldn't handle, I should contact you right away? So here I am," Wen Wen said.
Lin Zheyuan, now sitting upright in bed, felt a growing sense of unease.
"You didn't attract another resident of the Hidden World, did you?"
"What are you talking about? I'm not a troublemaker," Wen Wen replied, his face full of innocence. "Here's what happened: I ate something bad and had a stomachache, so I went to Renzhi Community Hospital. While I was there, I discovered that they're feeding a terrifying plant that seems to be absorbing the blood and flesh of living beings. It's already killed at least one person. There's also a very powerful superhuman involved. It doesn't seem like something I can handle on my own, so I'm handing it over to you."
"What did you eat that upset your stomach? Superhumans have a strong digestive system…"
"Don't worry about the details," Wen Wen interrupted, not wanting to admit he was there to steal something.
After hanging up the phone, Wen Wen returned to the vicinity of Renzhi Community Hospital and hid in some nearby greenery, observing the area.
Half an hour later, several black cars arrived. Lin Zheyuan stepped out with Lin Lu, accompanied by a disheveled middle-aged man. The three of them were in plain clothes, while the others wore black uniforms—likely lower-level staff or assistants from the Hunter Association.
The Hunter Association wasn't entirely composed of superhumans. It had a large number of ordinary staff who provided support in battle, handled aftermaths, and took care of logistics.
Seeing them arrive, Wen Wen felt as though he had found his team. He emerged from the bushes to greet them, only to have several guns immediately pointed at his head.
"Don't get excited, I'm on your side."
Lin Zheyuan nodded, and the assistants put away their guns.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Wen Wen stood next to Lin Zheyuan, observing the well-trained assistants around him, who seemed as capable as military police. It seemed the Hunter Association was even more powerful than he had imagined.
"Where's the terrifying plant?" Lin Zheyuan asked, glancing around the hospital.
"Over there, in the west annex—the half that's dark," Wen Wen pointed out.
"Xiao Lu, Uncle Gong, take your teams inside. Be careful—the superhuman from that secret organization might still be in the building."
The two nodded and led a team of assistants armed with flamethrowers and wearing black masks into the building.
"Wait, I forgot to mention—there's a red mist in the room that can cloud people's minds," Wen Wen warned, not wanting to see the Hunter Association suffer any losses.
"We're prepared for that. The pollen from the Bloodthirsty Vine has a hallucinogenic effect, but the particles are large enough to be filtered out with this," Lin Zheyuan said, tossing Wen Wen a black mask equipped with a filter. "Come inside with me."
So it's called the Bloodthirsty Vine. A fitting name, Wen Wen thought as he put on the black mask. It matched his dark coat, giving him an even more villainous look.
Following Lin Zheyuan, Wen Wen entered the west annex once again.
The Hunter Association must wield significant power within the Federation. They cleared the hospital with such authority, not even bothering to be discreet, and no one dared to interfere.
"When I first saw the man, he was standing just outside this door. An old man called him 'Mr. L,' but his collar was so high I couldn't see his face," Wen Wen explained as they stood outside the iron door, trying his best to recount everything he had seen. Wen Wen was eager for the Hunter Association to avenge him, so he made sure to be thorough.
"Mr. L… There's a restaurant near our headquarters called 'Mr. L,' but that alone isn't enough to trace him," Lin Zheyuan said to Wen Wen while growing more serious internally. The name "Mr. L" could be an ordinary alias or it could signify a terrifying organization. This incident needed to be handled with great caution.
"By the way, was this the old man you saw?" Lin Zheyuan asked, showing Wen Wen a photograph.
Wen Wen glanced at the photo and nodded in confirmation.
"This is the director of Renzhi Community Hospital. It seems the entire hospital might be compromised. We'll need to conduct a thorough investigation."
Lin Zheyuan handed the photo to a nearby assistant and then squatted down, his eyes turning green.
Wen Wen could faintly sense something emanating from Lin Zheyuan, spreading throughout the entire hospital.
"His ability must be related to detection. He probably used it to find me earlier. I'll need to keep that in mind for the future," Wen Wen thought, waiting for Lin Zheyuan's results.
After a moment, Lin Zheyuan sighed in disappointment. "As expected, the man is gone. They're like rats in the gutter—once exposed, they're hard to track. Let's focus on dealing with the Bloodthirsty Vine now."
While Wen Wen and Lin Zheyuan were investigating, the battle in the west annex was already underway. The darkness had been replaced by bright searchlights illuminating the area. The assistants wielded flamethrowers, carefully restricting the Bloodthirsty Vine's movements.
The Bloodthirsty Vine had hundreds of tendrils, each several meters long and incredibly tough, resembling a massive, writhing mass of blood-red hair. But despite their strength, the tendrils recoiled from the fire, retreating continuously.
"This Bloodthirsty Vine hasn't fully matured yet, so its weaknesses are more apparent. Given more time, it wouldn't be this easy to handle," Lin Zheyuan remarked.
"Even in its immature state, it's a nuisance. And with a superhuman from another organization involved, I'm impressed you managed to escape. You're more capable than I thought—not like a newbie superhuman at all."
"Just lucky," Wen Wen replied with a smile. He didn't want to attract too much attention and risk being monitored again.
The assistants had forced all the tendrils of the Bloodthirsty Vine into a spacious area and then halted their advance. The tangle of tendrils was too dense for them to proceed safely.
"Uncle Gong, it's up to you now," Lin Zheyuan ordered.
The disheveled middle-aged man, who had been standing by, stepped forward and extended his hand toward the writhing Bloodthirsty Vine. A jet of crimson flame shot forth.