Evil Spirit Consultant

Chapter 281 An unexpected encounter
Deep in the dense forest, two figures moved silently among the shadows of the trees, like agile cheetahs.

Jiang Miaozhi was in the lead, still wearing that flamboyant JK sailor uniform, but the LED lights on her body had been turned off in order to hide in the dark.

Her movements contrasted sharply with her clothing—light, swift, and silent, demonstrating an extremely keen awareness of her surroundings.

Her pink twin ponytails swayed gently with her movements, but her big eyes no longer held the liveliness she displayed during the live stream; instead, they held an almost wild wariness.

Following closely behind was Shen Zhe, still wearing that inconspicuous black windbreaker, holding a strangely shaped compass-like instrument in his hand.

The pointer on the instrument was trembling slightly, pointing towards the lake in front of them.

His steps were steady and precise, each step landing on the least noticeable fallen leaves or rocks, while he carefully observed the traces left around him.

“The energy fluctuations are getting stronger and stronger, right ahead,” Shen Zhe said in a low voice. “Moreover, it seems that someone was here before us… Look here.”

He pointed to a piece of grass that had been trampled on the ground. The break was very fresh. Shen Zhe carefully examined it with his unique senses and quickly found extremely faint traces of energy in the surrounding area.

Jiang Miaozhi stopped, squatted down, picked up a bit of soil with her fingers, and sniffed it:

“Not just one aura, but at least three people. Hmm… two of them have a very ‘clean’ scent, but it’s also somewhat familiar… like the power of some kind of Buddhist or shrine? And the other…”

She wrinkled her nose, her expression turning somewhat strange: "This smell... is so strange. It's very masculine, with a strong bloody aura, but it doesn't feel like it has any spiritual or demonic power at all. It's like... like a prehistoric beast wearing human skin? Hiss... this feeling is making my hair stand on end."

Upon hearing this, Shen Zhe's expression also turned serious: "An aura that can make you feel threatened is definitely not simple. Is it a secret weapon of the Japanese government? Or some other hidden force?"

“They don’t seem like government officials.” Jiang Miaozhi stood up and clapped her hands. “Those government officials all have a kind of formulaic smell about them, like the cold smell of rust and that annoying smell of magic array energy. These three seem more like independent individuals.”

After hesitating for a moment, Jiang Miaozhi's expression also became somewhat uncertain: "Besides... the last guy's scent is very familiar to me, I feel like we should have met him before."

A tall figure flashed through her mind, and Jiang Miaozhi tugged at her braid, not continuing the conversation.

There is currently no evidence to prove anything, so it's best to remain cautious about your own assumptions.

Moreover... if it really is that guy, his combat strength might not necessarily be a good thing for their mission.

“Whoever they are, their target is clearly Lake Mikazuki.” Shen Zhe put away the instruments. “What do we do? Continue forward, or observe for a while?”

Jiang Miaozhi licked her lips, a glint of excitement flashing in her eyes: "Of course we'll keep going! Who cares if there are demons and monsters or official traps ahead? We've come all this way, what are we afraid of? Maybe we can even snag a bargain!"

"Don't forget our mission. We're just here to gather intelligence, not to fight them!" Jiang Miaozhi couldn't help but whisper a reminder.

"Don't worry, I know!"

She had barely finished speaking when her expression suddenly changed. She abruptly turned to the side and shouted in a low voice, "Watch out!"

Almost at the same time she shouted, Shen Zhe sensed something, his figure swayed, and he instantly moved several meters to the side.

Right where they had been standing, several silent, dark figures shot down from the treetops like venomous snakes, rushing straight into empty space!
Those were tentacles formed from pure negative energy, their tips shimmering with a ghostly black light and carrying a strong corrosive aura.

A sneak attack! "There's an ambush!" Shen Zhe shouted, his hands quickly forming hand seals, and a layer of pale golden light instantly enveloped the two of them.

The tentacles struck the light shield, making a sizzling corrosion sound, but fortunately, they could not break through for the time being.

"What the hell?" Jiang Miaozhi reacted quickly, pulling out her mini trident, which she usually used as a prop for live streaming, from behind her back.

The trident instantly extended in her hand, transforming into a ferocious weapon nearly two meters long, gleaming with a cold metallic light.

With a spin, the halberd blade brought a sharp gust of wind, severing several negative energy tentacles!
The severed tentacles turned into black smoke and dissipated, but more tentacles surged out from the shadows all around, rushing towards the two like a tide!

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Yang Liu, Uga Shoji, and Yokota Teru also noticed the energy fluctuations and signs of battle to their sides and rear.

"It's them!" Yokota Teru whispered. "They seem to be in trouble?"

Uga Shouji frowned: "This power fluctuation... doesn't seem to be something set up by the authorities, it's more like it's leaking from the lake?"

Yang Liu's eyes narrowed slightly.

He could clearly sense that the source of those resentful tentacles did not come from a specific spellcaster, but rather emanated from the surrounding environment, especially from the shadows near the lake, as if it were a manifestation of the malice of this polluted land itself.

“It’s not targeting us,” Yang Liu judged. “It’s more like it’s triggered some kind of regional passive defense mechanism, or… something at the bottom of the lake is unconsciously extending its power.”

Just then, a clear, angry female voice rang out from the dense forest, carrying a thick Northeastern accent: "Are you never going to stop? You're asking for it! I'll scatter all of you dark slobs!"

boom!
With a furious roar, a powerful shockwave erupted from the forest, accompanied by the sharp whistling of metal tearing through the air!
The shockwave sent the surrounding trees swaying wildly, and several thinner trees were even snapped in half!

The attacking tentacles of resentment were torn to shreds like paper before this pure power.

Yang Liu and the other two were all taken aback.

"Such immense power!" Yokota Teru exclaimed. "This explosive force... it's almost on par with Yang Liu's, isn't it?"

Uga Shouji also looked surprised: "This aftershock didn't contain any spiritual power, nor was it magic...it was pure physical power?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Yang Liu's eyes.

He could sense that although the power that erupted was far less than his own in total quantity, its instantaneous intensity and technique were quite astonishing, carrying a wild yet precise destructive force.

"Let's go take a look," Yang Liu decided immediately.

The situation is unclear, and it is necessary to find out whether the suddenly appearing third party is friend or foe.

Moreover, the commotion just now has probably alerted the officials by the lake.

(End of this chapter)