A heretical cultivator in Bureau 749, I'm the fiercest at pulling out tendons and skinning peop

Ji Zuodao stretched out his toe and kicked the unconsciously twitching bio-aggregate on the ground with a light kick, his brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly.

"Hiss—this damn thing...how did such a perfectly normal bastard end up like this?"

He crouched down, rummaged through the several tails with their different colored fur, and poked the half-torn fleshy wing, looking disgusted.

"Hey Dog, look, can we still get anything out of this?"

Dog Grandpa strolled over slowly, twitching his nose twice.

"The restriction is quite deep. In the superstitious terms those foreigners use, it's probably a contract with some kind of thing. Someone tried to take something they shouldn't have from him, and look, this is what happened."

It raised its paw, disdainfully tugged at the wolf's ear, and added:

"This thing is noisier than a farmers' market right now. A bunch of animalistic thoughts are fighting inside, it's giving me a headache."

Ji Zuodao raised an eyebrow: "Can't you hear a single human word?"

"It's all gone, not a single bit left."

Dog shook his head.

"This contract is ruthless. Ordinary animals at least retain some humanity, and have the hope of being reborn as humans. But this thing's humanity has been completely devoured by its bestial nature, leaving not even a trace. It's likely to be reborn as an animal for all eternity."

It smacked its lips, and its tone suddenly became "sympathetic to the suffering of dogs":

"How tragic, how truly tragic. It would be better if I, the Dog Lord, could do him a favor and swallow him whole, so that his soul would be scattered and he would be spared from reincarnation, ending it all and saving him from suffering like a ghost in this world..."

"Oh my goodness~"

Dog-Grandpa shook his head, moved by his own words.

"I'm such a damn merciful dog."

Even as he spoke of "compassion," his saliva "compassionately" dripped from the corner of his mouth onto the ground with a "plop."

The dog stared intently at the oddly shaped lump of meat, making a distinct "gurgling" sound as it swallowed its saliva.

"Speaking of which..."

It licked its lips, trying to make its tone sound like it was discussing academic issues.

"As the old saying goes, 'The crooked melons and cracked dates are sweet, and the ugly ones are fragrant.' This thing may be a bit ugly, but its ugliness is so creative and layered... it'll definitely have a unique flavor when stewed!"

The more Dog talked, the more excited he became, his eyes began to light up as if he could already see the delicious food:

"Just imagine, in the dead of winter, with the wind howling. Gathered around the stove, we make this stew! The wolf leg is chewy, the bat wings are tender, the fox tail is plump, the snake pieces are sweet... and then we throw in a couple of yellow fairy bones to make the broth!"

"That broth, tsk tsk, what must it taste like? One sip, and a hundred flavors mingled, life... no, dog life is complete!"

"Get out of here! All you ever think about is food! Are you a reincarnated glutton?"

Ji Zuodao reacted quickly, shoving away the dog's head that was getting closer and closer, and pulled a thick hemp rope from his pocket.

He moved with remarkable speed, quickly tying up the still slightly twitching thing on the ground, bundling it up like a thirty-year-old cotton quilt, and stuffing it all into the bulging human skin bag at his waist.

He tightened the hemp rope at the top of the bag and patted it to make sure the "New Year's goods" inside wouldn't pop out on their own.

"It's such a waste to eat that!"

Ji Zuodao tied up the bag, looking heartbroken.

"This thing is a bit ugly, but it's rare! A fusion of East and West, a genetic mishmash, a live specimen! Its research value! Its collectible value!"

He counted on his fingers, his eyes clicking like beads on an abacus:

"Take it back with you for Chinese New Year as a gift for the head chef. The old man will be so happy, he'll definitely give you a big red envelope!"

"At worst, you can put it on the black market... Hey, let me tell you, there are some rich perverts who have a particular fondness for this! The weirder the better, the uglier the better, and the more money they'll spend on it! This thing can fetch this much!"

He made an exaggerated gesture.

Doggy stared at the gesture, his eyes widening slightly, but then he curled his lip, turned his head away, and turned his back to Ji Zuodao, letting out a disdainful snort through his nose:

"What a greedy bastard!"

"Tacky! Utterly tacky!"

Ji Zuodao ignored it, patted the human skin bag at his waist with a smug look on his face, and listened to the dull thud coming from inside, which sounded like a pile of bones and rotten flesh squeezed together.

Just as they were about to call for everyone to head home, Bai San Niang's hesitant voice came from the side:

"Um... Comrade investigator," she pointed to the still slightly wriggling human skin bag at Ji Zuodao's waist, then looked at both ends of the alley, "now... what should we do?"

What to do? Oh, right, he's here to investigate a case.

After thinking for a moment, Ji Zuodao grinned:

"Of course we'll go knocking on their door!"

"Huh? Is it that direct? Shouldn't a case be filed or something first?"

Bai San Niang was dumbfounded.

"The end of the year is just around the corner, are we really going to let this mess linger over the New Year? Isn't that bad luck? Of course, we should get it sorted out before the New Year! Clean and tidy, so we can have a good New Year!"

Ji Zuodao spoke with great eloquence, but the little grumbling in his heart never stopped.

He was naturally happy to have cases, achievements, and bonuses.

While I was happy, I also felt a little uneasy.

He had specifically inquired about it—

My colleagues in the neighboring districts have had a very comfortable few months. Everything has been peaceful and uneventful. At most, they've had to deal with some petty theft and petty squabbles.

Why is it that whenever it's his territory that troubles keep piling up, one after another, without end?

So, Ji Zuodao's face is practically screaming "Welcome to cause trouble," "Business accepted," and "No rest all year round"?

Or does he just look like a pushover who's easy to talk to and a sucker who'll come looking for trouble?

Ji Zuodao shook off his inexplicable frustration and turned to Bai Sanniang, saying, "Come back to Bureau 749 with me. These guys are so arrogant; they might just turn around and try to silence you. The bureau is heavily guarded; it's safe."

Upon hearing this, Bai San Niang's pale and delicate face remained expressionless; she simply nodded slightly.

She knew it perfectly well.

The reputation of the Jinghai 749 Bureau in terms of rescue services is... well, it's a long story.

But when it comes to hard skills like "fighting," "keeping order," and "making troublemakers never leave alive," they are truly undeniable, as solid as steel.

It's definitely safe to hide there.

Having reached a consensus, they turned around and prepared to leave this place of trouble.

But just as Ji Zuodao took a step—

He suddenly stopped in his tracks, frozen in place.

"What's wrong?" Bai San Niang asked alertly, gripping the hilt of the bone sword that had just reformed.

Ji Zuodao did not answer immediately.

He slowly, very slowly raised his head, his gaze like a cold searchlight, sweeping inch by inch across both ends of the alley, and the walls and rooftops piled with clutter.

He licked his slightly dry lips, his voice not loud, but with a hint of gritted teeth:

"Sure..."

"That's really something..."

"These foreigners... they're fucking arrogant."

Ji Zuodao tugged at his crisp black stand-up collar uniform, the absurdity in his tone growing stronger:

"I've been wearing this official's robe for about a month now."

"I've beaten up the Hehuan Sect, scared away visiting monks, and dealt with all sorts of ignorant demons and monsters..."

"Within the Jinghai territory, they're using the 749 code, yet they're still so brazenly surrounding us..."

Ji Zuodao slowly exhaled, and the white mist dissipated in the cold air.

He twitched the corners of his mouth, revealing a cold, unfriendly smile:

"you……"

"This is the first one."

As he finished speaking.

"Rustle, rustle—"

"Click-clack—"

"Gurgle...ho..."

A variety of chilling, shrill sounds, like a tide, surged forth from the darkness at both ends of the alley, from the shadows of the piles of junk, and from the rooftops of the low houses on either side... densely packed together.

In the dim light, the "eyes" that flickered with light that was either scarlet, eerie green, pale white, or murky shone silently, like will-o'-the-wisps that collectively awakened in a summer graveyard.

Densely packed, layer upon layer.

It completely blocked all the paths in front and behind the alley, and covered the walls and roofs on both sides.

Dead silence.

In the alley, even the cold wind seemed to have stopped blowing.

The air was so still it was suffocating.

Bai San Niang's knuckles as she gripped the sword turned slightly white.

Dog was still lying there lazily.

Qiqi tilted her little face up, looking to the left and then to the right, her big eyes showing no fear.

Ji Zuodao stood still, without moving.