The night was chaotic, with wails echoing everywhere. There were a total of 5 monster corpses, but 12 people had died.
The courtyard house was the hardest-hit area, with 9 deaths.
A’Diao leaned against the wall, only now certain that the toilet’s sensing range was truly confined to the courtyard house.
The consequences were tragic, exceeding the imagination of the government officers.
Since the founding of the Tang Song Empire, barring wartime or disturbances by evil cultists and rebel factions, the local area had rarely seen such heavy casualties. The faces of all the government officers were grim.
Two Spirit Cores were dug out from the five monster corpses. All the government officers knew the value of Spirit Cores, but their initial excitement had faded.
Feng Ting, however, felt that with the consequences already so severe, they had to eradicate the problem by the roots.
“Chief, there was an attack in the alleyway yesterday. We already searched it. Tonight, they came again. The attack area is contained within this region and hasn’t spread. But the number of these monsters is increasing rapidly. It’s clear their nest for entering and exiting is here.”
Feng Ting naturally thought so too. But unlike his other subordinates, who were especially focused on searching everywhere inside the courtyard house, he jumped onto the eaves, surveyed the surroundings, and fell into deep thought…
“Um, I think… could it be related to that tree? That big banyan tree.”
The sudden voice was quite soft and weak, but because the other tenants were all trembling with fear at this moment, her speaking out seemed abrupt.
Feng Ting turned his head to look at A’Diao.
A’Diao wasn’t trying to show off, but she herself also believed the monster nest was nearby. She couldn’t bear to use her remaining budget to rent another place; she had to find their main lair.
She had prepaid two days’ rent, after all.
“When I was just attacked, it was in the tree, and it had blood on it. If it climbed onto the tree from the walls of the houses on either side, then those walls would definitely have fresh blood, right? But apart from the bloodstains from when it climbed while chasing me earlier, there’s nothing else. This shows it reached the tree without having to go over the walls. In that case… could it be entering and exiting through a tunnel connected to the inside of the tree? That’s why it can stealthily reach any part of the courtyard house and the alleyway—I remember there’s also an abandoned well over in the alleyway. Look at that monster that emerged from the alleyway. It’s all wet, covered in a lot of mud, and it’s caked. This shows its body was initially wet. It must have passed through the well to get to the surface, picking up a lot of dust, which then caked.”
When she was renting the house, she had wandered all around the vicinity and had seen the well back then.
“Moreover, these monsters have poor eyesight, but their sense of smell and hearing seem to be very acute. Usually, creatures like this live underground for long periods…”
A’Diao saw Feng Ting staring intently at her, and her voice gradually grew softer. She awkwardly hid behind the young government officer. “I… I was just saying. Pretend I said nothing.”
Feng Ting, with a stern face, dashed across the roof tiles. In a few leaps, he jumped onto the tree trunk. After entering the dense foliage, after a moment, he suddenly called out.
“Three men, come here!”
Holy crap, there really is a problem!
Several government officers quickly jumped up. The young government officer turned to A’Diao and gave her a thumbs-up. “Little girl, you’re amazing! Consider taking the exam to become one of us government officers in the future. You’d definitely be an elite!”
They might have been able to figure these things out eventually, but it would have taken a lot of time and manpower. Her reaction was too fast, her observation skills were very keen, and her mind was quick. She was very suited for their line of work.
A’Diao blushed and said a few modest words, while inwardly thinking: When I make myself even more outstanding, I’m definitely going to marry into a wealthy and influential family and be a pampered young wife. Who would want to be a government officer? It’s poorly paid and hard work. No way.
Several government officers frantically chopped with their sabers, quickly clearing the crown of the big banyan tree. Indeed, the inside of the thick trunk was hollow, and below was a deep, dark hole.
“Chief, shall I go down and take a look?”
A bold government officer was eager to try, but Feng Ting pulled him back. The latter said sternly, “Don’t be reckless. This matter is no small thing.”
He reached out his hand to sense the opening of the tree hole and faintly felt a strong current of air rushing upwards from below.
Could it be…
Before Feng Ting could react, a faint golden light suddenly emanated from below the tree hole. Without the dense leaves and treetops to conceal it, this faint golden light was still glimpsed by people.
A’Diao was extremely surprised and suspicious.
Ah, could this be?
“My heavens!”
“Is that Spiritual Energy?”
“Damn, it’s a Spirit Gate!”
“A Spirit Gate!!!”
This news was too big. Even some tenants who were grieving for their deceased relatives were stunned.
People from the surrounding areas also flocked over, whether to see the news or for other reasons… The government officers had to suppress and warn them.
The matter was too significant. Feng Ting immediately contacted the Government Office’s information department, telling them to transmit the contents of the recording device to their superiors.
The superiors had a considerable reaction, but this no longer concerned A’Diao. She was put into an ambulance. As the ambulance sped along the mid-air maglev line, she turned her head to look at the bustling area around the big banyan tree, her feelings complicated for a moment.
A Spirit Gate, ah. She actually had no chance to monopolize it. It felt like she’d missed out on a fortune.
Entering the hospital meant a life of lying down. But while lying down, she could also receive reminders from the toilet: From XX +20… From XXX +50, from…
All from a certain class group chat.
Oh, it was dawn. Everyone had woken up, routinely checked their phones, and then saw the video she had posted late at night.
Critically hit first thing in the morning, they’d saved money on breakfast. The classmates were extremely “moved,” so they all frantically @’d A’Diao to “thank” her.
All sorts of colorful curses.
A’Diao, earning while lying down, was in a good mood but also felt a bit guilty. Originally, she was too embarrassed to respond to these classmates and teachers. But then she thought, they had studied together for three years, so there were some feelings there, no matter what. Posting a video for no reason without an explanation indeed seemed to go against her usual persona of a well-behaved, good student, and wasn’t conducive to harmonious classmate relations. So, she finally got online and posted some text.
—Sorry everyone, I just wanted to ask if any of you are free to help me clean my house?
—I have nowhere else to live. It sprayed everywhere, like a thick coat of yellow paint. My Master isn’t home, and I can’t clean it all by myself.
—Lest you don’t believe me and think I want to freeload off your labor, that’s why I posted the video for you to see.
—By the way, who’s coming?
The group chat, which usually had dozens of messages scrolling by per second, suddenly went quiet.
Hmm, they’re not cursing me anymore?
Alright, but why aren’t they giving me Mental Energy?
So, are you guys seriously considering it?
A’Diao thought for a moment, wiggled her little fingers again, and @’d them one by one.
—@XX… …Are you coming or not?
From XX +70!
From XXX +45!
From…
Oho!
A’Diao felt her next 500-point exchange wasn’t far off.
The teachers and classmates could always help her when she was down on her luck. It was just that no one decisively agreed to help her clean the Daoist temple, which was quite heartbreaking.
Was she that unlikable?
A’Diao sighed. Suddenly, her best friend, Zhao Min, sent her a message: “Xiao Diao, I have a super-powerful vacuum cleaner and a robot vacuum at home. They’re quite useful. I can lend them to you. But I’ve been a bit busy lately, my homework isn’t…”
An opportunity presented itself.
A’Diao: “Robots are just machines, A’Min. You’re the only one I want. Where are you? I’ll come find you. I’ll take you home, and bring the vacuum cleaner and robot back with us too.”
From Zhao Min +99!!!!
Hmm?
If going by the toilet’s calculations, people were divided into various ranks. Even among the super-low-level targets, there were differences in rank. Currently, it seemed that through the fluctuations in their usual Mental Energy contributions, she could roughly judge the level of these people.
Currently, the highest was her class teacher. Her class was an advanced class, so her old teacher’s level was naturally not low; he was considered quite skilled in the city. That’s why he “easily” yielded a critical hit of 166 Mental Energy points. Apart from him, the other teachers only gave around 90 Mental Energy points.
Unexpectedly, this good friend of hers had good aptitude. Currently, only he had produced a Mental Energy value closest to that of the class teacher.
However, this calculation method might not be very accurate, because the Mental Energy contributions from Feng Ting and the other government officers weren’t very high. Could it be that their level was even lower than these students and teachers?
Impossible.
These people were all civil servants who had passed the national examination. They were skilled in both literary and martial arts, and their individual qualities were much higher than many teachers.
A’Diao became less certain about this calculation method, thinking she would test it again later when she had time. Perhaps it was because these government officers were experienced and knowledgeable, their mental states were relatively stable, so their emotional fluctuations weren’t large. After all, the more difficult the target, the harder they might be to “farm.”
Look, the effect of the cesspit explosion was just so-so. They had probably seen countless rotting corpses in their usual work.
Being a government officer wasn’t that easy.
“This is a Rose Thorn Fungus toxin, originating from an underground plant called Rose Thorn Mushroom. It’s estimated these creatures live year-round in such underground spaces, feeding on these plants, accumulating this toxin in their bodies, and utilizing it in their mouthparts. The mouthparts can both suck brains and fresh blood, and also inject toxin to kill prey. Luckily, the toxin you were exposed to wasn’t deep; otherwise, you’d already be dead.”
The next afternoon, after a series of examinations, the hospital confirmed that A’Diao’s foot wound contained toxin. This was conveyed to A’Diao through Feng Ting.
This person was travel-worn, with blood still on his clothes, as if he had been in a fierce fight, likely having killed more than one or two monsters. But A’Diao had no mind to observe him; she was just scared into a cold sweat by this news, guessing it was probably because she had hit the monster’s head early on, affecting its toxin output.
She really had cheated death.
“By the way, I also saw that monster spray poisonous gas from its tail. Is it the same toxin?”
“No, that’s another type of anesthetic toxin. It’s not fatal, but it can cause a living creature to fall into a coma, making it convenient for it to absorb fresh brains.”
The coroners within the Government Office had already examined the monster corpses, gaining more comprehensive knowledge than the clinic doctors. Feng Ting glanced at A’Diao’s left leg, which was bandaged up like an elephant’s leg. “Moreover, this type of monster is called a Fuqiu Creature. It’s a type of Demonic Spirit, belonging to Level 1 Demonic Spirits. It’s not considered particularly powerful, but it’s extremely dangerous for ordinary people. That you could kill one and escape from a Fuqiu Creature’s pursuit is truly impressive.”
A’Diao was stunned for a moment, looking bewildered. “Big Brother, what are you saying?”
Feng Ting: “Quick reaction. Think I’m trying to trick you into talking? Your handprints are on the stick, and it’s also stained with the brains of that Fuqiu Creature from under the cellar.”
A’Diao: “…”
What’s he doing? Trying to find out if I took a Spirit Core? And then kill me to take it for himself?
“I…” A’Diao had no intention of denying she killed a Fuqiu Creature, but she had to hide the toilet’s existence. However, from Feng Ting’s words, he probably only thought she had beaten the Fuqiu Creature to death with a stick. This was for the best, within her expectations.
Just as A’Diao was about to speak along these lines, Feng Ting changed the subject.
“Last night, the Government Office made a temporary resolution. Due to the heavy civilian casualties caused by the Demonic Spirit raid, to reward those meritorious in killing Fuqiu Creatures, an amount of three thousand Star Coins has been set. But this is an internal reward for us government officers. For ordinary citizens, if there are capable individuals who bravely resist and slay Demonic Spirits, following the rules from the founding era, a civilian bravery award has been established. It has been decided that one Fuqiu Creature is worth ten thousand Star Coins.”
My heavens!
A’Diao was stunned. Ten thousand Star Coins? In her eighteen years, she had never seen so much money in total.
She quickly calculated in her mind and said slowly, “That Fuqiu Creature was indeed killed by me through hard work. The wooden stick even broke. Then, does its corpse also belong to me? It seems the Government Office setting such a high reward also has conditions, right? For example, the Demonic Spirit’s corpse…”
