I adopted a child demon from the Gap, and I'm a special agent for the Bureau of Supernatural Ab

"Shut up!"

With a sudden leap, Li Cheng crashed into the megaphone, smashing through the ceiling and landing on the floor above. But before he could even catch his breath, the megaphone on that floor immediately blared.

“You have no chance of escaping, Li Cheng. It’s been three years, hasn’t it? You haven’t gone back to see them even once, have you? That’s not how a man should behave.”

"QNLM!"

Another attempt to destroy the loudspeaker was made when a distant gust of wind rapidly approached. Already on guard, Li Cheng quickly retreated. The next second, a violent explosion engulfed the entire floor, smoke and debris swirling wildly, accompanied by the sound of numerous footsteps.

Amidst the smoke and dust, Li Cheng looked down and discovered that, unbeknownst to him, a large number of soldiers had completely surrounded the building where he was.

"Let me just give you a friendly reminder, Li Cheng, after all, we're friends. Hmph, I've already left this city. I was just chatting with you on the phone for fun."

During the communication, the other party could be heard laughing uncontrollably.

"I hope you have a great time. This gift from an old friend wasn't easy to prepare."

Click!

Almost at the same time that Li Cheng destroyed the communication device, a group of fully armed soldiers finally rushed up to the floor where Li Cheng was.

Above the sky, the setting sun was blood-red, dim yet dazzling. The light gradually faded, and night fell silently. Under the sparse stars of the night, bursts of fire and smoke rose from the ground.

Ah, I'm so tired...

The already tattered clothes were now stained crimson with blood, their original color indistinguishable from the surrounding fabric. The ground beneath their feet had been completely transformed into a heap of blood and flesh. The pungent smell of rust lingered in their nostrils, impossible to dispel.

Of the 30,000 soldiers stationed in the city, about half were deployed to participate in the operation to surround and kill Li Cheng. Their preparations were undeniably thorough, carrying a variety of high-powered weapons, which they used without regard for the friendly forces entangled with Li Cheng. During the long battle lasting over seven hours, Li Cheng suffered numerous heavy attacks, and coupled with the initial blow that pierced his lung, his condition was now extremely poor.

How embarrassing! I haven't felt this embarrassed in ages...

Looking at the collapsed houses and the corpses that almost covered the streets, Li Cheng smiled silently. He turned around and looked at the building that had almost completely collapsed, the building where the person he was looking for was located, according to the intelligence.

This time, the other party wasn't lying. Li Cheng searched the entire building but couldn't find them. Although he found a room that seemed to be the person's office, it was empty. He didn't know if the person had just left or had slipped away quietly when Li Cheng arrived.

In short, this operation completely failed to find the target. Instead, they were discovered, ridiculed, and tricked again, ultimately falling into a trap and ending up in this battered and bruised state.

It's really... as ugly as ever.

However, it's still a long way from giving up. Even without finding the real person, having one communication session has improved things considerably from the previous clueless situation.

However, my physical condition is a bit bad, so I need to leave here as soon as possible and find a place to recuperate.

Killing tens of thousands of soldiers, and fully armed ones at that, is not comparable to killing a few dozen people. Li Cheng's current situation is quite dire. If another A-level expert or several thousand more soldiers were to appear at this moment, he would probably have a very difficult time escaping.

Whoosh!

Just then, a point of light swiftly pierced through Li Cheng's abdomen. He couldn't help but let out a muffled groan, but immediately realized what was happening and rolled away into a small alley.

We got tricked! Damn it, in this situation, how could there not be a follow-up attack? I should have thought of that earlier. I was careless.

They could hear the approaching footsteps of soldiers outside the alley, and there were quite a few of them. In the current situation, it was impossible to confront them head-on. However, when Li Cheng tried to escape from the other end of the alley, he heard the same dense footsteps coming from that direction.

Are we surrounded?

Hmph, whatever, the situation can't get any worse anyway.

Clenching his fists, Li Cheng wiped the blood from his forehead, ready for battle.

For a moment, he considered whether to awaken the contract and use the power of the realm and the gap. But he quickly shook his head and rejected the idea.

He couldn't involve her under any circumstances, and besides, if he used it now, she would definitely come immediately. He didn't want her to see the soldiers he had slaughtered and whose streets were now filled with their remains.

Having such thoughts is really being pretentious.

Finally, Li Cheng sighed silently, then laughed self-deprecatingly. The footsteps outside the alley were growing ever closer.

Is it coming?

Li Cheng tensed up, waiting for the moment the battle would break out. However, before anyone appeared on either side of the alley, he suddenly heard a barely perceptible footstep, followed by the sound of a door being flung open behind him.

Oh no, there's an ambush!

Instinctively, Li Cheng turned around abruptly and took a step back to create some distance. But then, his eyes widened, and he froze on the spot.

"It's you?!"

…………

Thank you to reader Sin Demon King EX for the blade, thank you very much.

Thank you to reader Sleepyhead Meiling for the monthly pass.

Thank you to readers Yuzuru Ringo, Io Shrimp, Sin Demon King EX, Sleeping Goddess Mei Ling, and Male God Xuan Yi for their recommendation votes.

Section 189, Chapter Sixteen: An Uncontrollable Heart

You could feel his energy waning.

Even though the effects of the contract were largely masked, basic mutual sensing remained intact. Just as Li Cheng was able to detect that tide had arrived in Black Continent, tide could also sense that Li Cheng's aura had weakened considerably compared to the beginning.

Was he injured?

At this very moment, tide is in a rebel camp.

Just yesterday, while Shio was walking on the grass with her two rather dim-witted companions, Cirno and Aqua, they unexpectedly encountered an attack launched by the government forces against the rebels.

Without a doubt, it was an oppressive massacre. The disparity in combat capability between fully armed soldiers and civilians with only inferior weaponry was insurmountable. Clearly, the resistance lacked capable commanders or the unwavering will to fight, so to the three bystanders, it appeared as a one-sided tragedy.

What happened next was simple: Cirno, believing herself to be invincible, rushed out to defeat both sides. Then, Aqua, unable to bear the brutality, intervened. Shio initially didn't intend to help, but since the two beside her had joined in, and considering the resistance had provided some assistance to Li Cheng, she decided to lend a hand after some deliberation.

As a result of their help, the three of them ended up staying in the rebels' temporary camp.

"What does this human faction war have to do with us? Ugh, what a hassle... Cheng, what exactly happened?"

It must be said that tide's current mental state is quite abnormal. Sometimes she reverts to a childlike way of thinking, simply missing Li Cheng and wanting to find him. But other times, she will show a deep expression and seriously consider some practical issues.

tide switched between these two states from time to time, sometimes innocent, sometimes gloomy, and sometimes even switching back and forth between the two states. She herself did not react to this abnormality at all, and at the same time, her two teammates who were acting with her were not the type to have strong observation skills, and they did not notice anything unusual about Xi.

She wanted to find him, she wanted to find him right now. Although her expression remained largely unchanged, tide's emotions were gradually becoming uncontrollable.

But at this very moment, the other two members of the small group stayed with the rebels.

Aqua was specifically detained. According to the rebel leader, their true leader, an A-rank powerhouse, had been defeated and captured by the enemy's forces and taken back to their territory. This magician girl named Aqua, while powerful, wasn't particularly adept at communicating with others. After witnessing the rebels' dire situation, she quickly agreed to help them.

In a sense, this girl is also a naive and simple-minded type.

Thinking this, tide turned her head and looked at the camp, where a little girl was being swayed rapidly on her back.

But this one is just staying here purely for fun.

As a fairy who embodies nature, Cirno is not a very bright person. On the battlefield, she foolishly rushed out to fight, only to be hit by a cannonball and knocked unconscious. When she woke up, she was in a daze and saw the dead soldiers all over the ground, thinking that she had killed them, and was excited about it for a long time.

Incidentally, she seemed to have no concept of the living and the dead, and did not react at all to the various corpses. She even asked tide why these people did not stand up.

This contrasts sharply with Aqua, another member of the small team who almost threw up at the time.

However, these things are not important at all compared to the one and only thing that tide truly cares about.

Where exactly is the inheritance...?

No, we can't stay here any longer. We have to go find him. Cheng is likely in danger right now; we must find him no matter what.

While these two could be helpful with me, I'd be much more efficient acting alone. Given the current situation, I'll leave them here.

"Have you heard what happened in the city?"

Just then, tide overheard a conversation between two rebel soldiers not far away.

"I know, it's said that tens of thousands of Black Army soldiers were wiped out in one go, is that true?"

"It should be true. I heard that more than half of the city's military strength was wiped out. I also heard that the commander-in-chief is planning a counterattack."

"What a joke! With our current troop strength, how could we possibly launch a counterattack? We should be grateful to be alive."

"That's not necessarily true. If more than half of the troops in the city are wiped out, we might actually have a chance!"

"Ha, it's not like we can take it down even if only half the men are left."

Two soldiers were chatting idly by a tent when one of them overheard approaching footsteps. He turned around warily and saw a young girl with blond hair walking towards them with a curious look in her eyes.

"Hey, the edge of the camp isn't a place for kids. It's a place where you could be attacked at any time. Okay, let's go back now."

The soldier waved his hand casually, not paying any attention to the little girl. But to his surprise, she didn't leave; instead, she walked right up to him.

"Hey, didn't I tell you? Kids, hurry up—wait!!"

Before he could finish speaking, the soldier suddenly stopped. His bright purple pupils emitted a strange light, fixing his gaze firmly on the soldier, which he could not look away from.

What... what's going on?

The soldier opened his mouth wide, wanting to shout, but then he found that his body was completely out of his control. Not only that, his once clear mind also began to blur. Within a few breaths, the soldier completely forgot what he was doing, just staring blankly at the girl in front of him, his expression like a puppet.

"Uncle, can you tell me where that city is?"

The young girl gazed at the soldier and spoke softly to him in an ethereal, otherworldly voice.

"It's right north of the camp. Just follow the main road straight for about twelve kilometers, and you'll get there. It's very close to the camp."

Without the slightest resistance, the man obediently looked into the girl's eyes and answered blankly.

"Okay, thank you, Uncle. Goodbye."

The girl politely bowed and thanked him softly. Then, she turned and left silently, disappearing from the soldier's sight. Almost the instant the girl vanished, the soldier snapped out of his daze. He looked around in confusion but found nothing amiss.

"Huh, what just happened?"

He turned around, wanting to ask about his teammate's condition, only to find that the other had already collapsed next to the tent, fast asleep.

At the same time, tide had already passed through the gap and appeared on the edge of that city.

Is Cheng (承) located here?

Standing atop a tall building, tide closed her eyes and began carefully searching for the other person's presence.

Ah, I can feel it, I can feel it.

So clear, so close. Yes, there's no mistake, he's here, he's still here. He is right here in this city.

Clenching her small hands, her emotions were almost boiling. Standing on the top of the building, tide couldn't help but let a slight smile twitch at the corner of her mouth.

Cheng, I've come to find you.

A gentle breeze swept by, softly ruffling Xi's long hair. The soldier patrolling in the building across the street seemed to sense something, turning his head to look this way, only to see an empty rooftop. He scratched his head, then turned back to continue his patrol work for the day.