Chapter 403: Chapter 399: Disguise
Tu Xiao’an had some major objections to this reward. ’That’s not how you play the game!’
But on second thought, half a Divine Beast Bloodline was still better than an Ancient Bloodline. ’Perspective is key,’ he thought, and with that, his mood instantly brightened.
Just then, a flood of memories that weren’t his own surged into Tu Xiao’an’s mind. As a team leader for the Demon Management Bureau, Du Tianyi’s mind held countless secrets, and the sudden influx of information left Tu Xiao’an stunned.
He now knew exactly how many Rank Three Demon Spirits were hidden in Wencheng, where they were, and what they were doing. It was all laid bare for him to see—information that was considered top secret.
He even learned of many unknown major incidents that posed a direct threat to Wencheng’s safety.
The sheer volume of information was too much for Tu Xiao’an to digest. He stood dazed in the ruins of the villa, completely frozen, as if turned to stone.
’C-Level Incident: A Rank Two Awakened Spirit Monster in the west of the city went on a rampage, killing an entire family of five. Team One handled the case. Closed.’
’B-Level Incident: In the morgue of Wencheng People’s Hospital, a corpse with overwhelming resentment awakened as a zombie. It brutally murdered three staff members and escaped. Current whereabouts unknown.’
’A-Level Incident: The Ancient War Ruins may soon become active. A monster is confirmed to have escaped from within, entered a village, and initiated a large-scale massacre, resulting in 170 deaths. The situation is currently being handled as an emergency.’
Du Tianyi’s memories were like a case file database, filled with all sorts of bizarre incidents—some resolved, others still ongoing.
’Ancient War Ruins?’
Tu Xiao’an took note that the Demon Management Bureau had classified this as a major A-Level event. Du Tianyi had come to find the Bull Demon King today partly to extort him, but his main objective had been to recruit the Bull Demon King for a job.
Unfortunately for him, Du Tianyi had been inexplicably Devoured before he could state his true purpose.
Tu Xiao’an also learned another crucial detail: everyone in the Demon Management Bureau had a Life Lamp. If a member were to perish in the field, their lamp would be extinguished.
Originally, Tu Xiao’an had planned to subdue Du Tianyi and use his identity to get the Blackbird Crow released.
After all, he had made a promise. It now looked like he would have to make the trip himself, taking advantage of the window before Du Tianyi’s death was discovered.
The location of the Demon Management Bureau was now also in Tu Xiao’an’s mind.
[Ding... Congratulations, Host, on successfully fusing with the Gold Elemental Attribute. You now control a fourth Elemental Ability.]
The system’s voice was as pleasant as a spring breeze.
Outside, on the battlefield, the Bull Demon King and the Rank Three Snake Flood Dragon, Celestial Master Zhang, were locked in a fierce battle with the agents of the Demon Management Bureau. By now, a dozen or so experts had already lost their ability to fight and had been forced to withdraw.
And yet, more and more people from the Demon Management Bureau kept arriving.
Each new arrival was stronger than the last.
"You two Demon Spirits! Surrender at once! Even if you’re Rank 3, you can’t hope to make waves in Wencheng!"
A human expert at Rank Two Ninth Stage, who was on the verge of a breakthrough, bellowed as he continuously directed a group of experts in the fight.
The Bull Demon King and Celestial Master Zhang felt a growing bitterness. This fight was pointless. They could only hope that Tu Xiao’an would hurry up and deal with Du Tianyi so they could retreat.
Even a mighty dragon can’t crush a local snake, and these guys were from the government’s own Demon Management Bureau.
"Haha, you human brats! Your Grandpa Niu isn’t done playing yet!" he roared. "You want to capture us? You’re far too weak! Come back when you’ve got one of your own Rank Three Creatures!"
"You Demon Spirit is courting death! We’ll see how long you can keep up that tough act!"
The Demon Management Bureau agents were anxious to charge in. After all, their team leader was inside, facing unknown dangers, and they had to get in to support him as soon as possible.
But these two Rank Three Demon Spirits were simply too powerful, stubbornly blocking their path and making it impossible for them to advance even a single step.
By now, over thirty experts had the two Rank Three Demon Spirits completely surrounded, but that was the extent of their success. Capturing them seemed next to impossible.
Just then...
A figure shot out from within, moving at incredible speed. When the agents from the Demon Management Bureau got a clear look at the person, they were overjoyed.
"Team Leader! Are you alright? We’re sorry, we were useless and couldn’t get in to help you!"
But when the Bull Demon King and Celestial Master Zhang saw who it was, their faces were a picture of shock. ’How can it be Du Tianyi? If he’s the one who came out, then what happened to our master, Tu Xiao’an?’
’Could Du Tianyi have won?’
Du Tianyi waved to the agents of the Demon Management Bureau, his expression calm and composed, projecting the aura of a true master. At the sight, the agents’ morale soared.
"With the Team Leader here, we’ll definitely capture these two Rank Three Demon Spirits! We’ll throw them in prison and suppress them for all eternity!"
Du Tianyi nodded, then called out to the Bull Demon King and Celestial Master Zhang in the distance, "Are you still not going to surrender? I’ve already killed your master."
As he spoke, he turned his back to the Demon Management Bureau agents. Though his words were delivered with righteous fury, he was secretly winking and making faces at the Bull Demon King and Celestial Master Zhang.
"..." The Bull Demon King and Celestial Master Zhang were both completely baffled. ’What in the world is going on?’
A familiar voice reached them via telepathy. "You two can scram now. I’ve Devoured Du Tianyi. Your master has some business at the Demon Management Bureau, so play along."
The Bull Demon King and Celestial Master Zhang exchanged a shocked glance, a glimmer of understanding in their eyes. ’So this is a fake Du Tianyi! It’s Tu Xiao’an in disguise! No wonder he was winking at us!’
"Master, what kind of stunt are you pulling now?" one of them transmitted back. "Luring out the entire Demon Management Bureau was one thing, but now you want to go to their headquarters? Are you trying to raise hell in the Celestial Palace or something?"
"Can’t you see I’m Du Tianyi right now?" Tu Xiao’an replied. "Relax, I know what I’m doing."
Tu Xiao’an’s impulsive, ’act-first-think-later’ style left the two Rank Three Demon Spirits feeling utterly helpless. They simply couldn’t keep up with him.
At that moment, the Bull Demon King let out a booming laugh. "Haha... I’m done playing! Not a single one of you can put up a decent fight! This old bull is outta here!"
"Amitabha," Celestial Master Zhang intoned piously. "This humble Daoist must not commit any more sins of slaughter."
WHOOSH...
With those parting words, the two Rank Three Demon Spirits abruptly turned and shot off into the distance. They were so fast that they vanished in the blink of an eye.
The agents of the Demon Management Bureau were left dumbfounded. ’They just... ran? Do they have no principles at all?’
"Haha! Long live the Team Leader!" one of the agents cheered. "The moment you showed up, those two Rank Three Demon Spirits got so scared they practically pissed themselves running away!"
"After them! We can’t let those Rank Three Demon Spirits get away! They’re too dangerous to be left loose in Wencheng!"
"Du Tianyi’s" voice was grave. "Don’t bother chasing them. It would be useless even if you caught up. I have my own plans. Everyone, fall in. We’re heading back."
The man who had been leading the charge earlier stepped forward. "Boss, are we really not going after them? The fallout from this incident is going to be severe. What happened to you in there?"
Tu Xiao’an looked at the man. According to Du Tianyi’s memories, his name was Gao Feng, and he was Du Tianyi’s most trusted subordinate.
Tu Xiao’an’s plan for disguising himself as Du Tianyi was simple: go to the Demon Management Bureau, get the Crow out, and then leave Wencheng for good.
Time was short, and he couldn’t risk exposing his disguise. He said coolly, "We’ll discuss this matter back at headquarters."
"Team Leader, are you injured?"
Tu Xiao’an put on a show of coughing a few times. "It’s just a minor injury. Nothing to worry about."
With that said, the group fell into formation and departed in a great procession, heading back to the Demon Management Bureau.
