The Aftermath of the Lightning Strike
Following the trail of thunder and destruction, Lin Lingling arrived at a massive five-meter-wide crater.
Inside, the charred remains of the wolf demon lay still, its body contorted in an unnatural way.
Lin Lingling crouched down, observing the damage.
“The mandible is shattered… looks like it was struck by a blunt weapon. Could be a hammer, a staff… something heavy.”
The discovery left her stunned.
This wasn’t just any demon slayer—
This was the work of a “General” level warrior.
But that was impossible.
How many General-rank slayers even exist in the world?
Four, maybe five.
And none of them were supposed to be here.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she picked up a wolf bone, only for it to crumble into powder at her touch.
Her pupils contracted.
“The lightning… it completely obliterated the structure of its bones?”
That kind of power—
It was beyond anything she had ever seen.
Who was this person?!
A Shocking Discovery
Lin Lingling took a deep breath, forcing herself to focus.
Then, something yellow caught her eye.
A piece of paper, burned at the edges, lay just three meters from the wolf’s corpse.
Carefully, she picked it up.
Intricate symbols drawn in cinnabar ink.
An aura of condensed thunder energy still crackled within.
“A talisman?”
Her hands tensed.
If she were a monster, just touching this would have incinerated her on the spot.
Her heart pounded.
“This must have triggered the lightning strike!”
She had seen strong talismans before.
But this?
This was on a whole other level.
Lin Lingling exhaled sharply.
If someone could unleash this kind of power with just a talisman…
What could they do with their full strength?!
Following the Trail
There was no blood scent in the air—
Which meant the three missing people had likely survived.
Lin Lingling followed the footprints, leading her to a ranger’s hut.
She hesitated for a moment, then pushed open the door.
Inside the Cabin
Chen Huaian sat calmly by the door, cane in hand.
Su Xingchen, relieved to see another human, welcomed her in.
“Little sister, there are wolves outside! Come in and hide!”
Lin Lingling’s sharp gaze scanned the room.
Two men, one woman.
A bald guy.
A naive-looking girl.
A strong cameraman.
None of them radiated the presence of a powerful slayer.
Lin Lingling frowned.
“Where’s the boss?”
The one responsible for that lightning strike…
Had they already left?
A General-level warrior could indeed come and go without a trace.
But then—
Chen Huaian’s eyes locked onto her hand.
A small smile appeared on his lips.
“Little sister, where did you find that talisman?”
Lin Lingling’s heart skipped a beat.
She tightened her grip on the talisman, forcing a casual smile.
“Talisman? I don’t know what you’re talking about. This is just… my keychain.”
The Cover-Up
As a demon slayer, she had been trained never to reveal the existence of monsters to ordinary people.
Everything had to be kept under wraps.
If civilians ever saw monsters, they would be told they were just mutant animals—
Blaming it on pollution, global warming, or “wildlife disturbances.”
The government even had memory-erasing potions, but those were too expensive to waste on every mission.
So, she did what she was trained to do—
She lied.
“Yep, just a regular ol’ keychain!”
She forced a grin.
“Nothing to see here.”
Chen Huaian’s Counterattack
But then—
Chen Huaian reached into his jacket pocket.
He pulled out a wrinkled yellow talisman, identical to the one in Lin Lingling’s hand.
“Hmm? That’s strange. Because this talisman… should be mine, right?”
Lin Lingling: “???”
Before she could respond—
Chen Huaian smirked and reached in again—
Pulling out FIVE MORE.
“Here, look. I still have some.”
Lin Lingling: “???!?!”
Her mind went blank.
Wait. WHAT?!
