Chapter 1350: Strange Occurrences

Blue Star.

Pingjiang City.

The sun shone brightly as citizens bustled about their daily lives. Pedestrians and vehicles moved orderly through the streets, making it seem as though nothing had changed—just an ordinary day before the spiritual energy resurgence.

To the average person, the world often doesn't reveal its true nature. Engrossed in the daily grind of making ends meet, most people don't have the energy to pay attention to anything else. Even if there were some terrifying dangers lurking, they believed that someone would handle it. Over time, they had grown accustomed to this way of life. Aside from needing to be extra cautious at night, the daytime felt no different.

As for the terrifying beast tide that had occurred outside the city a few days ago, very few people knew about it.

All information had been swiftly sealed off by the Demon Hunting Department.

The dangers and tragedies of this world were borne by the Demon Hunting Department. Protecting the peaceful lives of the citizens was their sacred duty.

This mysterious organization acted like a guardian deity, silently safeguarding the last vestiges of peace in Pingjiang City.

However.

Nearly half a month had passed, and the Demon Hunting Department had taken no further action.

Even on this sunny day, the headquarters of the Investigation Bureau in the eastern part of the city was shrouded in a heavy atmosphere. Even the usually efficient and composed Captain Xu Rong hesitated several times before knocking on the door of the Chief Captain's office.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

After a few moments of hesitation, she finally rapped on the door.

A deep voice came from inside.

"Come in."

Xu Rong slowly pushed the door open and stepped into the office.

With a nervous glance, she saw the Chief Captain standing by the window with his hands behind his back, gazing through the glass at the busy colleagues outside. His profile was stern, as if he had already anticipated something.

For a moment.

Xu Rong found herself at a loss for words, falling into silence once more.

The Chief Captain, however, broke the silence with a calm question.

"How is it?"

"That expert... still no trace of him?"

Xu Rong nodded at his words, her eyes filled with guilt.

"Yes..."

"Our teams have searched everywhere, but there's no sign of anyone living outside the city. We haven't found any additional clues either. It's as if that expert vanished into thin air, leaving no trace."

As she spoke, the guilt in Xu Rong's eyes became even more apparent.

It had been her who, disregarding protocol, had barged into the Chief Captain's office to report the image of the expert she had seen that night. She had placed high hopes on that mysterious figure.

The Chief Captain had also been excited about the matter for a long time and had ordered multiple teams to search for the expert.

But in the end.

After all the excitement and the immense effort spent searching for half a month, they had come up empty-handed. For Xu Rong, this was an unacceptable failure.

Chief Captain Hao seemed to understand everything.

Without turning around, he smiled and reassured her.

"I understand."

"Xiao Xu, don't be so disheartened. An expert like that wouldn't be easily found by us. No matter the cost, if we can enlist that person's help, the entire situation in Pingjiang City could be turned around. It's all worth it!"

"You didn't come here just to report another failure in finding him, did you?"

Xu Rong took a deep breath at his words, finally relaxing a little.

Then, she spoke again, her face regaining its usual seriousness and efficiency.

"Reporting to the Chief Captain."

"Recently, things have seemed calm on the surface, but several major incidents have occurred at night. Including the Phantom Spirit corpse discovered last night, several types of Phantom Spirits near Pingjiang City have been completely wiped out."

"It seems... someone is deliberately exterminating entire clans of Phantom Spirits!"

Extermination?!

The Chief Captain was stunned, a glint of sharpness reflecting off his glasses.

When he turned around.

This usually composed captain now had a look of unease on his face, his brows slightly furrowed as if he had heard something unbelievable.

"Are you sure?"

"Phantom Spirits are extremely vicious creatures. Even if our entire Demon Hunting Department mobilized, we wouldn't be able to achieve something like this. The idea of exterminating an entire clan is no small matter. How could such power exist in Pingjiang City?"

Faced with the Chief Captain's imposing questioning, Xu Rong's expression grew even more serious.

"Chief Captain, this is absolutely true."

"Previously, several teams reported similar incidents. All the team captains have personally inspected the scenes of the massacres. Not a single Phantom Spirit survived!"

"Last night, while patrolling the outskirts of the city, our team stumbled upon a wasteland that seemed to have been a gathering place for Phantom Spirits. It had been turned into a large slaughterhouse. The Phantom Spirits died horribly, completely wiped out!"

Hearing such a detailed and confident report, the Chief Captain also began to lose his composure.

He adjusted his glasses, his tone noticeably more urgent.

"Where exactly is this location?!"

Xu Rong immediately responded, providing a detailed account.

"It's about fifteen miles south of the city, at the foot of a barren mountain in the northeast direction. No one usually ventures out there, but to prevent the news from leaking and causing unnecessary panic, our team has already sealed off the area!"

The Chief Captain pondered for a moment, then immediately put on his coat and issued an order.

"Good job."

"Lead the way. I need to inspect the scene personally!"

Xu Rong nodded and opened the door, following closely behind.

Within just over ten minutes.

Several cars drove out of the southern part of the city and stopped at the foot of the barren mountain.

The Chief Captain's personal appearance startled the surrounding members of the Demon Hunting Department, making them tense.

After passing through the cordoned-off area.

The Chief Captain maintained a stern expression, not bothering to address the other team members. Only when he saw the bodies of the Phantom Spirits, each bearing horrifying wounds, did he freeze in shock.

The gruesome injuries were almost insane. Even when dealing with Phantom Spirits, this level of brutality was excessive. It was as if they had been killed multiple times over.

What was even more terrifying...

As he moved closer to inspect, he noticed that each Phantom Spirit had multiple fatal wounds, which defied logic. It looked more like a massacre than a simple extermination.

After examining the scene for a while, the Chief Captain's eyes began to tremble.

"This..."

"If the goal was simply to exterminate the Phantom Spirits, a single fatal blow would have been enough. There was no need for multiple strikes. Some of these wounds are old, while others seem to have been inflicted post-mortem."

"This massacre is too horrifying. Who could possess such power and be so ruthless? To go as far as delivering additional blows to every Phantom Spirit..."

"This isn't just ordinary killing. It feels more like some kind of revenge. Who could have done this...?"

The Chief Captain was suddenly overwhelmed by a profound sense of shock, staring at the sea of corpses with growing panic.

The brutality of the scene seemed to hint at a terrifying presence, one whose motives were unclear. The sheer ruthlessness of the act sent chills down his spine, and even he felt a sense of unease he had never experienced before.

As for the other members of the Demon Hunting Department, they were equally stunned, exchanging uneasy glances. For a long time, no one dared to speak, their eyes fixed on the sea of corpses in complete silence.

Only Xu Rong, murmuring the Chief Captain's detailed analysis, gradually showed a flicker of suspicion in her eyes.

Memories from half a month ago began to resurface in her mind.

That night...

After the terrifying beast tide, the team had also inspected the corpses outside the city and found that many of them had been struck post-mortem. They had discussed it at length, and the memory had left a deep impression.

Now, a similar post-mortem strike had occurred again.

The coincidence was too bizarre, making Xu Rong fall into deep thought.

Upon closer reflection.

She realized there was another overlapping detail!

The Phantom Spirit clan that had been struck post-mortem that night seemed to be the same one that had recently been exterminated.

This!

Xu Rong's eyes widened in shock, as if she had stumbled upon some hidden truth.

If it had happened once, it could have been a coincidence. But twice, or even three times, that was no longer a coincidence. There had to be some kind of connection.

Just as she was beginning to piece things together, the sky gradually darkened.

Nighttime was the most dangerous period, often when otherworldly creatures roamed. Staying outside the city was far from wise, and the Demon Hunting Department had a duty to protect the citizens. They couldn't linger here any longer.

The Chief Captain took one last look at the sea of corpses, then turned and issued an order.

"Let's return to the city. This matter must be reported and handled through proper channels. We'll decide on further action after an investigation. No one is to leak this information!"

Hearing this, Xu Rong also snapped out of her thoughts and immediately responded.

Several cars set off one after another, heading back to Pingjiang City.