A powerful heat emanated from the flames, causing Wen Wen, with his vampire constitution, to feel uncomfortable. He took two steps back, hiding behind Lin Zheyuan.
Aside from that fiery blast, the flames from the assistants' flamethrowers also seemed to be drawn towards the *Bloodthirsty Vine*, swirling around it until they formed a fiery vortex that completely enveloped it.
Amidst the scorching flames, there was a faint sound, a desperate, high-pitched wail.
"Plants can make sounds too?" Wen Wen muttered softly behind Lin Zheyuan.
"After all, this is a plant from the Otherworld," Lin Zheyuan replied.
As the two chatted, the countless tough tendrils of the *Bloodthirsty Vine* turned to ashes in the fire. When the flames finally dissipated, the once terrifying *Bloodthirsty Vine* that had cornered Wen Wen was nothing more than a few twisted, charred branches.
"Wow, impressive, Uncle! With such power, why didn't you strike earlier?" Wen Wen quickly moved to the ashes, poking them with a dagger while exclaiming in amazement to Uncle Gong.
Lin Zheyuan nodded, realizing that although Wen Wen often appeared unserious, he was quite cautious, taking the initiative to inspect the remains of the *Bloodthirsty Vine*.
But in reality, Wen Wen was just hoping to find something unscathed to stow away. However, he was disappointed—the Hunters Association had been thorough, leaving no hidden dangers behind.
Uncle Gong pointed to the scorch marks around the area where the *Bloodthirsty Vine* had been. "If I had struck from the beginning, this entire annex would look like this. It would be unusable after that."
Seeing that there was no chance to salvage anything, Wen Wen retreated. This old guy seemed to have a widespread attack ability.
"You don't need to worry about any loose ends. Our Hunters Association is thorough, with a complete post-action protocol. Rarely do the monsters we defeat come back to life."
Lin Lu jumped over, patting Wen Wen's shoulder. Wen Wen's active participation in this mission had significantly improved her opinion of him.
Wen Wen smiled bitterly. He was actually worried that the Hunters Association would be too thorough. In the future, he decided to avoid working with them too much, fearing he'd do the work and receive no benefits.
"Thanks for your help this time. We'll transfer the reward to your account. We still have some follow-up work to do, so we'll excuse you from staying here. I hope we can collaborate again in the future."
Lin Zheyuan smiled kindly at Wen Wen.
"Sure, sure."
Wen Wen agreed verbally, but inwardly, he resolved not to work with the Hunters Association easily again.
"Have you really considered joining the Hunters Association? Your abilities are good, and we're currently in need of people like you. The benefits should satisfy you."
"I think I'll pass. I prefer a bit more freedom."
...
"I reflect on myself thrice daily: am I perverted? Am I perverted? Am I perverted?"
Lying on a lounge chair, Wen Wen basked in the sunlight, occasionally rocking the chair to keep it swaying.
He held a bullet in his hand, examining it carefully.
It had been over ten days since the last operation, during which Wen Wen had helped the Hunters Association capture another vampire.
As for what he said before about avoiding working with the Hunters Association...
Well, the pay from the Hunters Association was quite generous, and even supernatural beings need to make a living...
It all boils down to the fact that he couldn't resist the lure of the rewards.
Because of their similar abilities, Wen Wen played a significant role in this capture. As a reward, the Hunters Association provided Wen Wen with a residence—a house with a balcony.
The city of Furong had many supernatural cases. In the short term, staying here was much better than wandering around hoping for luck, so Wen Wen accepted the house with a smile.
Of course, the house was still the property of the Hunters Association; Wen Wen was just allowed to live there. The Association wasn't wealthy enough to hand out properties freely.
Speaking of which, during this operation, Wen Wen did consider capturing that troublesome vampire and imprisoning him in the containment facility. But in the end, he didn't.
First, there were many people from the Hunters Association around, making it inconvenient to act and risking exposure of the fact that he possessed the Catastrophe Containment Facility.
Second, the facility already had one beautiful female vampire; there was no need for another foul-smelling old man...
Aside from the house and money, the Hunters Association also provided other rewards, namely the bullets Wen Wen held in his hand.
There were twenty in total, called Demon-Hunting Bullets, capable of dealing additional damage to most supernatural creatures. As long as they hit, the damage would be considerable.
For instance, the Feathered Serpent Monster he encountered before would be almost half-dead after taking a full magazine of these bullets.
However, these bullets were not to be used lightly, as there were only twenty of them and they couldn't be purchased. Lin Zheyuan gave them to Wen Wen to try to win him over.
Supernatural beings like Wen Wen, who had strong combat abilities right after awakening, were extremely rare.
Thus, under the barrage of material and incentives from the Hunters Association, Wen Wen eventually gave in, agreeing to help them out occasionally.
Wen Wen didn't have much of a problem with this. Back when he was an ordinary person, he often assisted the police with cases. Now, helping the Hunters Association deal with monsters was pretty much the same thing.
The bullets were likely inscribed with runes, targeting supernatural beings with this mystical element. But the crucial parts of the runes were covered by metal, making it almost impossible to replicate them.
Even though Wen Wen was a complete amateur, he knew that such esoteric things needed to be complete to be effective.
Looking at them wouldn't reveal much, so Wen Wen headed to the bathroom, sat on the toilet, and slowly vanished.
For safety, whenever possible, Wen Wen usually chose small, secure places where he wasn't likely to be watched when entering the Catastrophe Containment Facility.
Bathrooms were a pretty good choice.
...
Inside the Catastrophe Containment Facility, the female vampire leaned against the railing, sitting on the ground with her long legs stretched out. The left leg of her pants had a piece torn off, revealing her fair skin.
That piece of cloth had been taken by Wen Wen earlier and used as a makeshift mask.
She glanced at the suddenly appearing Wen Wen with a disdainful sneer but quickly turned her head away.
Her feelings towards Wen Wen were complicated. Although she hated him deeply and wished him dead, she still needed the food he provided, so she didn't want anything to happen to him outside.
Thus, she was quite conflicted.
Nearby, Qin Shuang huddled in a corner like a mistreated child, trembling slightly.
But despite his pitiful appearance, given the chance, he would attack Wen Wen in an instant. As he was transforming into a malicious spirit, his soul was entirely driven by malice.
Wen Wen ignored the two prisoners. This time, his target wasn't them but the rune inside Qin Shuang's cell.
The massive rune that bound him, preventing his escape!