Chapter 117: The End of the Campaign

In front of everyone, Liu Mocheng’s figure suddenly vanished from the sky, disappearing without a trace.

Chu Xinghe did not pursue; he could no longer sense even the slightest trace of Liu Mocheng’s presence, confirming that he had left the area.

Such incredible speed...

It seemed that Liu Mocheng’s appearance this time was solely to eliminate Black Night Fork, with no intention to engage anyone else.

Staring at the empty sky, Liu Shiyu’s chest was filled with a surging, uncontrollable rage. She clenched her silver teeth and remained silent for a long while.

Her mind was overwhelmed by boundless fury. She gathered her chaotic thoughts, slowly and steadily calming the restless storm within her heart.

She had waited so many years to kill this man. Even if she lost the chance this time, her patience could stretch even longer.

Next time... I will not lose.

Recalling the vast difference in power just now, Liu Shiyu gripped her sword’s hilt tighter, her resolve to become stronger burning ever brighter.

Cheng Feng, standing beside her, hesitated before asking, “Liu Shiyu, is that man your brother?”

“That’s right... his name is Liu Mocheng.”

Liu Shiyu seemed reluctant to admit their blood relation. Clenching her sword’s hilt, she sighed deeply. “But since ten years ago, he has degenerated. He is no longer human but has become the true fourth Abyssal.”

“He’s one of the five Abyssals?”

Cheng Feng was slightly shocked. This was the first time he had heard of such a thing—that a human could degenerate into a monster... and at the Abyssal level?

In other words, after Black Night Fork withdrew from the Abyssals fifteen years ago, Liu Mocheng degenerated into a monster, taking the place of the former fourth Abyssal.

Though the reason remained unknown, if Liu Mocheng had merely degenerated into a monster, Liu Shiyu’s hatred would not have been so intense.

Cheng Feng sensed there was more to the story and hesitated before asking, “After he became a monster, what did he do?”

Liu Shiyu pressed her lips tightly, fell silent for a moment, then said, “During the great catastrophe ten years ago, after he degenerated into an Abyssal, he killed everyone present... including my family. I was the only one lucky enough to survive.”

“...”

This explosive revelation stunned Cheng Feng. He had never imagined such a thing.

Now he finally understood why Liu Shiyu never spoke of her brother—because she did not want to.

And why, upon seeing Liu Mocheng, her usually calm demeanor would suddenly erupt into such fierce anger and murderous intent.

“I must become stronger...”

A cold light flickered in Liu Shiyu’s eyes as she spoke firmly, “Next time we meet, I will kill him with my own hands.”

Cheng Feng looked at her and asked, “Do you need my help?”

Liu Shiyu shook her head slightly. “No, this is something I want to handle alone. I don’t want anyone else interfering.”

Cheng Feng remained silent.

He turned and returned to Black Night Fork’s corpse, silently clenching his fist.

The death of the shopkeeper weighed heavily on his heart. Next, how would he break the tragic news to the cat demons...

The battle was over.

In the end, humanity emerged victorious.

The logistics personnel cleaned the shattered battlefield, and the commercial street gradually returned to its calm.

One ambulance after another passed by, carrying away the seriously wounded demon hunters, while the brave fallen warriors were given proper burials.

The citizens resumed their daily lives on the street as if no battle had ever taken place.

This was the first battle in which humans eradicated an Abyssal. The shadow cast by Abyssal-level monsters over humanity had been too heavy.

Especially ten years ago, when the five great Abyssals descended, bringing a catastrophic disaster that destroyed cities and claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. Anyone who had witnessed it knew how terrifying it was.

Calamity-level demons brought humanity a despair so absolute that no army or demon hunter seemed to stand a chance.

Yet today, the Disaster Association’s actions shattered that misconception.

After the ‘Black Night Fork Subjugation Battle’ victory, the headlines on Weibo, forums, Tieba, and Douyin for days were dominated by news of humanity’s triumph over the Abyssal.

It declared to the world that even calamity-level terrifying monsters could be overcome by humans.

The public narrative highlighted that the chief ace, Chu Xinghe, had defeated Black Night Fork, drawing more attention to him.

An ace member easily defeating an Abyssal-level monster was tremendously encouraging news for humanity.

With the three great aces guarding Winterlin City, it would remain safe.

Although victorious, the demon hunters who participated suffered heavy losses, so the bad news tempered any overwhelming celebration.

After the battle, the now-empty Cat Maid Café was promptly dismantled.

The cat demons who escaped under Black Night Fork’s command became targets for capture.

The atmosphere was tense; if they were not careful, meeting demon hunters would be fatal.

As for the shopkeeper’s body... Cheng Feng had originally intended to take it away.

But Abyssal-level monster corpses held great scientific value for the Disaster Association, aiding humanity’s understanding of the monsters’ formidable origins.

After all, for centuries, humans had yet to uncover the reason monsters appeared in the world. Monsters didn’t reproduce, so their emergence remained an unsolved mystery.

Therefore, Black Night Fork’s body was reclaimed by the Disaster Association for research, most likely to be dissected...

---

One day.

On the outskirts, in a cemetery.

The sky was gloomy, heavy with dark clouds, not a breath of wind stirring—an oppressive atmosphere filled the air.

Many tombstones stood there, with visitors occasionally coming to pay respects to their departed loved ones.

Before one particular tombstone, a dozen or so figures gathered.

Cheng Feng stood like a statue, motionless, gazing at the name engraved on the stone, his heart heavy with mixed emotions.

Monsters did not deserve tombstones like humans, but the shopkeeper was different. Though once filled with sin, he died with a heart full of atonement.

If not for the Disaster Association’s intervention, if not for the shopkeeper’s resolve to face death, this tragedy would never have unfolded.

The matter in Chiyue City could only be resolved by himself and Xue Ju.

“Why... why did the shopkeeper have to die...” Cat Little Orange choked on her words, tears welling in her eyes, filled with helplessness and sorrow.

Not only her, but the other cat girls around her also couldn’t hold back their tears.

As harmless spirits who did not consume humans, they existed as beings incompatible with both humans and monsters.

It was the shopkeeper who took them in, gave them shelter, and treated them like family. Yet this benefactor was slain by humans...

Cheng Feng looked up at the gloomy sky, his feelings complex.

The shopkeeper had said on his deathbed that the world had only two months left before destruction. What did that mean...

What fate awaited humans and monsters in the end...

---

“Brother Shen!”

“Hmm!”

Shen Changqing walked along the street. When he encountered acquaintances, they greeted each other or nodded silently.

But no matter who they were,

everyone’s face bore no excess expression, as if indifferent to everything.

Shen Changqing had long since grown accustomed to this.

For this was the Demon Suppression Bureau, an institution maintaining the stability of the Great Qin, tasked primarily with slaying demons and monsters, along with some other side duties.

In the Demon Suppression Bureau,

every person’s hands were stained with much blood.

When one becomes accustomed to life and death,

many things become trivial.

When Shen Changqing first arrived in this world, he had felt somewhat uneasy, but over time, he adapted.

The Demon Suppression Bureau was vast.

Those who remained within were formidable experts or those with potential to become experts.

Shen Changqing was the latter.

The Bureau was divided into two professions: Guardians and Exorcists.

Anyone entering the Bureau started at the lowest level as an Exorcist,

then advanced step by step, with the hope of eventually becoming a Guardian.

Shen Changqing’s previous incarnation was a trainee Exorcist, the lowest rank among Exorcists.

Bearing memories of his past life,

he was very familiar with the Bureau’s environment.

After a short while, Shen Changqing stopped before a pavilion.

Unlike the other grim, blood-soaked places in the Bureau, this pavilion stood out like a crane among chickens, offering a unique tranquility amidst the bloodshed.

The pavilion’s doors were wide open, with occasional people coming and going.

Shen Changqing hesitated only briefly before stepping inside.

Upon entering the pavilion,

the atmosphere changed abruptly.

A faint scent of ink mingled with a subtle trace of blood rushed to his nose, causing his brow to furrow instinctively, but he soon relaxed.

The lingering blood scent on everyone in the Demon Suppression Bureau was almost impossible to wash away.