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

"Wow, is this the legendary declaration of brother complex? Mom, I'm shocked."

A splash of white suddenly appeared before them. It was Irisviel, the wife of the Emiya family, walking out with her belly noticeably larger than before, dressed in loose clothing. Beside her stood Kiritsugu Emiya, wearing a simple navy blue yukata. Li Cheng noticed that Kiritsugu had unusually shaved his beard.

Behind the two was Sera, who was also wearing a yukata and looked visibly uncomfortable, and another white-haired woman who resembled Sera somewhat, but had a natural expression and much larger breasts. I think her name was... Lyselle, Sera's younger sister, but her figure was much better than Sera's, and could even be said to completely overshadow her sister's perfect figure.

Li Cheng didn't know much about Lyserite. Unlike the diligent and responsible maid Sera, Lyserite, according to Shirou Emiya, seemed to have completely become a "dried-up woman" (a woman who has dried up all her fish and doesn't work), basically not participating in any housework, and treating Shirou and Illya as peers and friends. From Sera's few words to her sister, he seemed to be very critical of her for being lazy and unwilling to do much for the family.

Even so, Liselit's figure is still better than Sera's. Yes, Liselit's figure is better than Sera's. This is a very important point, so it needs to be emphasized several times.

Why do I suddenly feel a chill? Is someone targeting me with malice?

With her arms wrapped tightly around herself, Sera curled up in confusion, not understanding where this sudden feeling of "losing" came from.

Meanwhile, Kiritsugu Emiya had already bypassed the crowd and arrived directly in front of Li Cheng.

"The one in front of you just now, that was the king, wasn't it?"

Kiritsugu Emiya asked directly, his expression turning serious.

"Yes."

There was no need to hide anything from Kiritsugu, so Li Cheng answered quite directly.

“Tell me what happened. Your reaction just now was so tense. I’m afraid what he said wasn’t good news.”

“Okay,” Li Cheng nodded, then patted tide’s head beside him. “tide, play with Shirou and Illya for a while. I have some things to do now.”

Shio looked up, somewhat puzzled, not quite understanding Li Cheng's meaning. However, she obediently let go of his hand and walked to Illya's side. Then, Li Cheng and Kiritsugu Emiya quickly walked away towards a less crowded area. Shirou Emiya was eager to follow, but Irisviel stopped him. Shio simply watched them walk away, without much reaction, though her interest was clearly somewhat dampened.

"Well then, Shio, please take care of me."

A gentle voice came from behind her. tide turned around and saw Irisviel standing behind her with a smile.

Meanwhile, on the other side, in an empty alley.

"Since he said that, it's probably going to be a big deal."

Lighting a cigarette, Kiritsugu Emiya leaned against the wall and said with his eyes closed.

"I'll ask Maiya to investigate. Kurogiri can probably help find out as well. Don't worry, if someone is really targeting us, it's impossible to keep it completely secret. As long as we invest enough, some clues will eventually emerge."

"Thank you, Emiya."

Not knowing how to thank his old friend who had helped him countless times, Li Cheng could only say this in the end.

"No need. It's only right that we help each other. And to be honest, what I owe you is something I can never repay in this lifetime."

With a slightly relaxed expression, Kiritsugu Emiya revealed a rare smile, patted Li Cheng's shoulder forcefully, and then said.

“Ah, that matter…” Li Cheng’s expression became somewhat nostalgic. “Speaking of which, how is Natalia doing lately? It’s been a while since I’ve seen her.”

“Of course, my mother is still continuing her arms business. After retiring from being a bounty hunter, this is all she has left, and she still enjoys it,” Kiritsugu Emiya said with a hint of helplessness. “She could easily come to Japan and live with me, but she just won’t.”

However, it was precisely because she maintained some of her old connections and continued some of her original businesses that Kiritsugu Emiya was able to continue obtaining those meticulously crafted contraband items. You see, a high-precision sniper rifle capable of shattering a barrier with a single shot is not something an action team is qualified to be assigned.

The friendship between Li Cheng and Emiya Kiritsugu began with an accident. During an operation by Kiritsugu, then a bounty hunter, and his adoptive mother Natalia, they attempted to assassinate a magician who created bloodthirsty zombies using puppet bees. Due to a mistake, everyone on the plane was infected and turned into zombie-like beings, except for Natalia and the bewildered Li Cheng who was caught in the crossfire.

Next came the fight against the zombies and an attempt to pilot the plane. Li Cheng and Natalia's cooperation went relatively smoothly. Unexpectedly, halfway through the flight, a rocket from the ground destroyed the aircraft. Fortunately, Li Cheng was physically strong and had sharp reflexes, managing to protect Natalia during the explosion. In the end, the two fell into the sea together.

Then, when Li Cheng dragged the unconscious Natalia ashore, he saw Emiya Kiritsugu carrying a rocket launcher, his face filled with grief and despair. Li Cheng, furious that he considered Kiritsugu the culprit (without a doubt), beat him severely while he was still in a daze, breaking several bones. Kiritsugu spent more than four months in the hospital before he could get out of bed.

That was also the beginning of the ill-fated relationship between Li Cheng and Emiya Kiritsugu. At that time, the passionate young men could not have imagined that so many things would happen in the future, let alone that the two of them could have such a deep friendship that they would go to great lengths for each other.

Fate is indeed a wonderful thing.

"Anyway, let's not think about this for now. According to that king, this crisis won't happen immediately. Let's enjoy the festival first. Stop looking so glum. Didn't you notice that Xi's spirits were noticeably lower when you left?"

Patting Li Cheng on the shoulder, Emiya Kiritsugu stubbed out his cigarette, popped a mint into his mouth to cleanse it of the smoke, and walked outside first.

Li Cheng sighed, then smiled, and followed behind Emiya Kiritsugu. The two of them walked into the bustling night market one after the other, heading back in the direction they had come from.

Unexpectedly, Sera ran up to the two of them, breathless, at that moment.

"What happened?"

Emiya Kiritsugu stepped forward and asked.

“Mr. Li, Mr. Li Cheng,” Sera said breathlessly, wiping away sweat, and disregarding her manners, “Miss tide, Miss tide, she’s gone!”

…………

Thank you to readers Tang Mu-Di Xie, Alice Margotlord, Yakumo Miao, Ganghun, Jiujie Zhongyan, Sanmingyuan, Shuke27343706647, ???Liuli???, Shuishen Meiling, and Strategic Bomber for their recommendation votes.

First update of the day.

Section 68, Chapter 3: The Dilapidated Shrine

"It's not in the East Market!"

"They're not here in the West Market either!"

"I can't find tide here either."

"There isn't one in North Point."

"Tsk, where on earth has Xi gone?"

Hearing the news about Kiritsugu Emiya and the others over the phone, Li Cheng felt extremely anxious.

He had only spoken with Kiritsugu Emiya for half an hour when Shio vanished without a trace. This terrified Li Cheng, who frantically searched for Shio throughout the night market. However, two whole hours passed without him finding her.

I've practically searched the entire night market, but why, why can't I find her? Where on earth has she gone?

“Cheng, wait a minute. If we still can’t find her at the night market, I wonder if she might have run up the mountain next to the night market?”

"I think to myself during the communication," Kiritsugu Emiya said thoughtfully.

"Mountains? There are mountains here? This is a big city, how can there be mountains in a place like this?"

Li Cheng said with considerable surprise.

"Yes, there is indeed a barren mountain nearby. Because there used to be a shrine there, it was probably believed that reckless construction would bring bad luck, so it has never been developed much. It's not a particularly tall mountain, and with so many tall buildings around, it's normal that you can't see it."

"Alright, I'll go up the mountain to look for him. Emiya, could you please continue looking around the night market?"

As he spoke, Li Cheng pulled out a map app from his phone and quickly ran towards the marked barren mountain next to the night market. He soon reached the foot of the mountain. It was indeed a small mountain, densely covered with trees, with only a stone staircase piled high with leaves leading straight up to the summit.

Passing between two broken stone pillars at the foot of the mountain, and walking up the uneven, broken stone steps, Li Cheng climbed step by step until he reached the top of the flat mountain, where he saw the collapsed torii gate and the dilapidated shrine in front of him.

"here it is……"

The wooden torii gates of the shrine are severely damaged, overgrown with weeds and vines, making it difficult to determine how long it has been abandoned. However, upon closer inspection, it is clear that the shrine was quite large, suggesting it must have had a prosperous history in the past.

However, Li Cheng wasn't too concerned about that. He came here just to find tide. Although he was slightly surprised when he first saw her, he quickly came to his senses and hurried into the shrine to look for Xi.

Stepping through the half-collapsed gate of the shrine, Li Cheng looked up and noticed several large characters on the shrine's roof, though they had been worn away to the point of being almost invisible. He could only barely make out the shapes of the characters "博" (Bo) and "丽" (Li).

Hakurei? I've never heard of that name before.

Although he wasn't very familiar with the myths and legends of this country, Li Cheng knew a little about them, but he was certain that he had never heard of the name "Hakurei" before.

Ah, never mind, all I need to do is find tide.

Stepping into the shrine, Li Cheng walked across the desolate ground, searching everywhere, occasionally calling out Xi's name. However, even after he had searched almost the entire shrine, he still couldn't find any trace of Xi. In the quiet shrine, only his own voice could be heard.

Could it be... that they're not here...?

Li Cheng sighed in frustration, preparing to leave. His gaze suddenly swept across a dilapidated house before freezing in place.

That's... the main hall of the shrine? It's right opposite the gate. I don't think I went in just now. How strange, how could I have forgotten such an obvious place?

Eager to find Xi, Li Cheng didn't dwell on why he had forgotten to search the main hall in the first place. He ran to the door of the main hall in a few steps and pushed it open.

squeak-

The thick, pungent dust made Li Cheng cough incessantly.

Inside the dimly lit hall, weeds grew rampant, the floorboards were dilapidated, and cracks were everywhere. The surrounding furnishings were similarly broken, covered in dust and cobwebs, with holes in the walls and ceiling. Everything spoke of the place's decay, and everything spoke of its former glory.

Li Cheng stepped into the room and immediately saw Xi kneeling on the ground at the far end of the main hall. Her back was to him, and her long golden hair shimmered like stars in the moonlight streaming in through the hole. She sat there quietly, as if deep in thought, serene as a poetic painting.

"tide?"

Li Cheng was slightly lost in thought, and for some reason, he hesitated whether he should step forward, whether he should break this scene. But after all, it was Xi, the most important Xi to him. Thinking this, he steadied himself. Cautious of his surroundings, Li Cheng approached step by step, slowly getting closer to Xi in front of him.

"What a cautious man you are. I thought you would rush over without a care in the world."

A languid female voice suddenly rang out at that moment.

Li Cheng's body tensed almost instantly, and he was about to burst forth towards the source of the sound, but then an unusually strange pressure swept out along with that lazy voice, forcing Li Cheng to stop.

The other party is the one who surpasses them.

"Excuse me, who...who are you?"

Li Cheng stared intently into the darkness, trying to pinpoint the source of the voice, and cautiously asked.

“I didn’t abduct your little girl. She was just attracted by the strange things here,” a lazy female voice said, accompanied by light footsteps approaching. “After all, she is the last monster that exists in the ‘outside world’.”

"!!!"

Li Cheng took a step back in shock, staring in utter horror at the source of the voice in the darkness.

"Pfft, were you startled? I'm really sorry," the other party couldn't help but laugh, seemingly finding Li Cheng's reaction quite amusing. Her voice unconsciously revealed a hint of girlishness, but she immediately regained her mature and languid tone. "It's been a few years since I've interacted with people, so I'm not very discreet with my words. Please bear with me."

Under the moonlight, a pair of crimson eyes, as red as roses, were revealed to Li Cheng.

She was a petite girl, appearing to be no more than sixteen or seventeen years old. Her figure was somewhat underdeveloped, but overall, her physique was remarkably slender and perfect. Her long, black hair, blending seamlessly with the darkness, was tied back with a large red bow. She wore a typical shrine maiden's outfit, a deep red color, and for some reason, her armpits were exposed. Moreover, it was quite obvious that the girl wasn't wearing a bra; in the moonlight, one could see the slight bulge of her breasts.

Li Cheng, a pure-hearted old man who had never watched any anime or been to a comic convention, looked away uncomfortably.

"Oh my, I didn't realize you were such an upright man. That's something I really like about you."

Upon seeing Li Cheng's reaction, the red-eyed girl showed a slight hint of interest.

"Um, so, who exactly are you?"

Trying his best to adapt to the other person's daring attire, Li Cheng coughed a few times to calm himself down and finally asked the question that concerned him most.

"Why are you here? And why was Xi attracted here, and why has she become like this? You know she is actually a demon, but how much do you know about her situation?"

"So many questions! I'm not a teacher, and with so many questions at once, I can't possibly remember how many to answer. You may be an honest man, but your conversation skills are quite disappointing."