The undead have descended upon the world? I possess a sword that can cleave the heavens once more!

Gao Buhuan rubbed his eyes.

She rubbed it again.

After confirming several times that he was not mistaken—Old Hu was still alive, but the third-tier corpse seed was gone!

She couldn't hold back any longer and rushed forward.

"Old Hu!!!"

She knelt on the ground, hugged her partner tightly, as if trying to pull her whole body into her arms, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

"That's great, Lao Hu...you're alive...you're alive..."

She was crying so hard she could barely breathe and could barely speak.

Although it was only a few minutes, she stood outside staring at the life indicator light, and every second felt like a year. Countless possibilities ran through her mind, and in every single one of them, Old Hu died inside.

He survived.

He's alive!

"Cough cough... cough cough cough..."

Old Hu's eyes rolled back as she choked him, his face turning red. "Xiao Huan... be gentle... if you choke me any longer, I really won't live..."

Gao Buhuan finally realized what was happening and quickly let go. She raised her tear-streaked face and looked at the pale-faced man in her arms, whose thighs were still bleeding. She laughed and cried at the same time.

Then she remembered the most crucial question.

"Old Hu," she sniffled, her voice still trembling with tears, "what exactly happened inside? Where's that Tier 3 corpse?"

Several people in black trench coats gathered around, their eyes wide open, waiting for the answer.

Although they all saw the sword-wielding youth standing there and had an unbelievable guess in their minds, the youth's face... was too young and immature, and it was really hard to connect him with the killer of a third-tier corpse species.

Wu You's ears twitched: it turned out that the monster was a third-tier corpse species.

Although he had guessed something from the monster's words before, this time it was confirmed.

Old Hu didn't answer immediately.

He glanced around, taking in the expectant looks on everyone's faces. Finally, his gaze settled on the boy next to him, lingering for two seconds.

"Let's go back to the station first," he said.

Then he gestured towards Wu You with his chin, "Kid... um, young man, why don't you come back to the station with us first?"

He scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed.

"Um, we are from the Eastern Spirit Kingdom... um, we..."

He wasn't very good at talking to begin with, but now his mind was racing as he tried to find an excuse to lure the boy back.

The Investigation Bureau doesn't actually manage wild ability users very strictly. As long as they don't do anything that harms ordinary people or human society, they generally won't interfere. Besides, this boy killed a third-tier zombie and saved his life.

According to the rules, the other person can just leave now without any problem, and he should thank them.

But he really didn't want to miss out on such a promising talent.

The people around weren't stupid either. Seeing Lao Hu's reaction, they immediately had a guess in their minds.

A young man reacted the fastest and immediately replied:

"Ahem, young man, we are an official organization of the Eastern Spirit Kingdom, similar to the Public Security Bureau, so you don't need to worry. However, we need to take a statement about tonight's events, so please come with us to the station first."

He paused, then a smile spread across his face:

"Our place has mild winters and cool summers, lots of delicious food, and many beautiful young ladies who are not only good-looking but also have lovely voices."

Wu You was amused by these words.

He glanced at the disheveled man on the ground, then at the group of men in black trench coats around him.

He recalled the man in the black fog who stood in front of him, rushing forward even knowing he would die.

And then there's the girl rushing over to hug her partner and crying her eyes out, and the way this young man is talking nonsense with a straight face.

Wu You also gained a preliminary impression of this official organization of ability users.

They are dedicated, loyal, and perceptive.

not bad.

He bent down to pick up the cloth bag wrapped with a sword sheath, and nodded to the group of people.

"it is good."

Upon hearing the word "good," Lao Hu was instantly energized, jumping up to stand up without even noticing his leg injury. He stumbled and nearly fell, only to be caught by someone nearby.

"Let's go, let's go!" He waved his hand, his face flushed with excitement. "Let's get back to the station! I need to report to Director Ye right now!"

Gao Buhuan, whose tear stains were still wet, rolled his eyes and said, "Can't you worry about your legs first?"

"What do you care about your legs! It's not like you can't walk!"

"Ouch."

Seeing this, Gao Buhuan quickly helped him up again.

. . .

Lanhe City Anomaly Investigation Bureau, third floor, rest room.

Old Hu—Hu Cheng—sat in a chair, the wound on his thigh almost completely healed: the wound was covered by a thin layer of transparent ice crystals, and beneath the ice crystals, new granulation tissue was growing rapidly.

A man wearing the same black trench coat stood opposite him, with a small silver torch badge on his left breast and a pair of silver half-rimmed glasses perched on his nose. He was holding a report in his hand and looking down at it.

"So," he looked up, his gaze piercing through his glasses, "it was this high school student named Wu You who killed that Tier 3 Corpse Species?"

"That's right, Director Ye!" Hu Cheng nodded vigorously, almost standing up again with excitement. "He doesn't even know the basics of what it's like to be an ability user! He's very likely only recently awakened his abilities!"

The man called Director Ye glanced at him, then looked down at the report in his hand.

The report was filled with densely packed words—Wu You, male, eighteen, a senior high school student at Lanhe No. 5 Middle School, whose parents are garment factory workers, and whose younger sister Wu Jing attends Lanhe No. 1 Middle School… It even included the teacher's comments from his elementary school graduation yearbook: “This student is introverted and not good at speaking, but kind-hearted, serious, and patient.”

The man read it expressionlessly and nodded.

"I'll give you two days off this time." He closed the report. "Get some rest first."

Hu Cheng's face fell: "Huh? No need, Director Ye! It's not a serious injury! Besides, thanks to Sister Xiaoju's treatment, I'm almost fully recovered!"

"That's an order."

After saying that, the man turned and walked out of the lounge, giving him no room to bargain.

. . .

Second floor, reception room.

Wu You sat on a genuine leather sofa, a large plate of snacks and fruits—potato chips, nuts, strawberries, cherries—piled up in front of him. These were all bought by the group of men in black trench coats who had rushed to a nearby supermarket earlier, saying it was to thank him for saving Hu Cheng.

The man who called him "child" and tried to stand in front of him was named Hu Cheng.

Wu You picked up a cherry and put it in her mouth. It was sweet and delicious, and tasted pretty good.

A familiar face was sitting opposite him.

Lin Yuan cleared his throat, looking a little embarrassed.

"Ahem... Wu You, we meet again."

Wu You looked at him and smiled.

"I'm sorry, Uncle Lin, I concealed some things when I gave my statement last time."

He spoke first, taking the initiative to bring up the topic.

"After waking up from that coma, I felt a surge of power within me," he said. "But I didn't know what it was, so I subconsciously kept it a secret."

He raised his hand.

A wisp of cool, grayish-white air swirled from my fingertips, gently wrapping around my fingers. The air was ethereal, like clouds or mist, yet it carried an undeniable sense of oppression.

Lin Yuan stared at the wisp of grayish-white smoke, his teeth aching slightly.

He had already received preliminary information—the high school boy in front of him had killed a Tier 3 Corpse Species. Although it was a Tier 3 that had been severely injured, it was still a genuine Tier 3.

Lin Yuan, the team leader of the logistics department of the Lanhe City Anomaly Investigation Bureau, is a second-tier ability user.

If he were to encounter that heavily wounded Tier 3 Corpse...

Kill?

He'd be amazing if he could last five minutes.

But this boy did indeed kill.

This also means that the boy is now eligible to apply to become a torchbearer.

Torchbearer...

He himself is not even the torchbearer.

Lin Yuan felt a mix of emotions. The last time he saw this boy was when he went to the hospital to give a statement. The boy was an ordinary high school student who had been involved in the incident. This time, the boy was already able to kill a third-tier zombie.

It's only been a few days?

He took a deep breath and suppressed those chaotic thoughts.

"It's nothing," he waved to Wu You, trying to make his expression look natural. "It's not a big problem."

He stood up, his expression turning serious.

"In fact, we should be thanking you."

He bowed deeply to Wu You.

"Thank you, Wu You!"

"Thank you for protecting the residents of Lanxing Community!"

"Thank you for saving our comrades!"