Chapter 95
Chapter 95
Eastern Region, Safe Zone 088.
Inside an affluent residential community, Chen Jing of No. 2 High School sat with her eyes closed, carefully sensing her surroundings.
As she activated her Talent, nearly imperceptible waves spread outward and swept across the neighborhood.
Only a few seconds later, the echoes returned, making her closed eyelids tremble faintly.
“It really has grown stronger.”
Chen Jing opened her eyes, delight shining within them.
“After his help, the echoes spread faster, and the information they detect is more precise… Most importantly, the model is much more stable than before.”
Chen Jing sighed with emotion.
Not long ago, she had swallowed her pride and asked Qin Lan for help tempering her Talent.
The results had far exceeded her expectations.
Every time her echo model shattered and reconstructed itself, it placed enormous mental pressure on her, but it also sharpened her control over her Talent.
“Should I invite him to dinner? He spent so much time helping me…”
Chen Jing tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and twined it around her finger as she considered the question. “But he’s a 2-Star Anomaly Hunter. He probably isn’t short on money. Maybe I should give him something more valuable…”
She sighed, caught in indecision.
At that moment, the final pulse of Echo Vision returned from the distance.
Chen Jing, still wondering what gift might properly repay Qin Lan, abruptly stiffened. Confusion crossed her face.
“Hm? What’s that?”
Her echo model had detected something strange.
This was a wealthy neighborhood with excellent security. Staff from the Anomaly Hunter Bureau occasionally patrolled the area as well, so its residents never needed to worry about their safety.
Chen Jing had explored the surrounding streets and houses hundreds of times while training her Talent.
This time, however, an “unknown” area had appeared.
From Chen Jing’s perspective, it resembled a clear, detailed map with a hole burned through it by a cigarette.
“It isn’t far from me…”
Chen Jing frowned slightly and looked in that direction.
After only a moment’s hesitation, she decided to investigate.
The gap was one street away from her home, only a few hundred meters in total.
Night was deepening, and the streets were gradually falling silent.
Chen Jing stopped and used Echo Vision to sense the area again. After reconfirming the unknown “gap,” she continued forward.
For some reason, unease welled increasingly strongly within her as she drew closer.
It felt like a biological instinct warning her away from danger.
But Chen Jing could not understand. This was a Safe Zone under the protection of the Anomaly Hunter Bureau. What could possibly create such an overwhelming sense of danger here?
When she finally saw the “gap” with her own eyes, she froze in place.
“What is that thing…?”
A deep fissure hung silently in the air before Chen Jing, radiating a cold aura.
The surrounding air was frigid and dim.
Bright streetlights shone nearby, but the fissure seemed to swallow their light.
“Something’s wrong… I need to contact an Anomaly Hunter Bureau patrol and have them take a look…”
Echo Vision screamed a frantic warning. Chen Jing instinctively retreated two steps, pulled out her phone, and prepared to make the call.
At that exact moment, a tall figure crawled out of the fissure.
It was a woman–an astonishingly tall woman.
She carried a folded umbrella in one hand, and a thick white mask covered her face.
The woman emerged awkwardly, collapsed to the ground, and seemed to have little strength left. Only after considerable effort did she sway back to her feet.
Chen Jing stared uncertainly at the woman who had appeared out of nowhere. She activated Echo Vision again, attempting to probe the stranger’s true nature.
Her expression changed drastically.
She sensed an intense curse emanating from the woman ahead.
It was exactly like what she had detected from Orderly: Old Liu in the simulated instance.
“She’s… an anomaly?!”
Cold flooded Chen Jing’s body, and even her breathing stopped.
She had never imagined an anomaly would simply emerge inside a Safe Zone.
The woman noticed Chen Jing as well.
“Well, where did this little girl come from? You look so tender…”
“And I happen to be hungry…”
Bloodthirsty greed instantly filled those beautiful, seductive eyes. The woman began walking toward Chen Jing with slightly stiff steps.
She staggered through the first few paces, but quickly seemed to adapt to her surroundings.
She broke into a run, accelerating rapidly. Within seconds, her speed had risen far beyond human limits.
Then she removed the mask from her face.
A mouth split all the way to the ears entered Chen Jing’s view.
The hideous gash lined with dense fangs instantly revealed the woman’s identity.
[Slit-Mouthed Woman]
A 1-Star physical anomaly.
“Impossible! How could the Slit-Mouthed Woman appear here?”
Chen Jing’s mind went blank. She did not even have time to turn and flee.
“Roar!”
A savage roar suddenly erupted nearby. A blood-red figure pounced like lightning and slammed heavily into the Slit-Mouthed Woman.
It was a tall, vicious humanoid monster. Its skin had long since fallen away, leaving crimson muscle, tendons, and blood vessels exposed to the air.
The Blood Corpse.
“Are you all right?”
Tang Qingqing’s concerned voice sounded as she patted Chen Jing on the shoulder.
Nearby, the Blood Corpse had pinned down the Slit-Mouthed Woman and was tearing savagely into her.
The Slit-Mouthed Woman struggled and screamed. “Ah! Ahhh!”
“You’re the same kind as me! Why? Why are you attacking me?!”
“Ahhh!”
In terms of physical strength and close combat, the Blood Corpse was unquestionably superior to the Slit-Mouthed Woman. Other than its low intelligence, it surpassed her in virtually every respect.
After becoming a guardian spirit, however, it obeyed Tang Qingqing’s will. Its sole weakness had thus been eliminated.
“You… You’re…”
Chen Jing stammered. Only then did she notice Tang Qingqing’s combat uniform and black iron badge.
“An Anomaly Hunter?”
Chen Jing was stunned.
The girl before her was clearly the same age, yet she was already a 1-Star Anomaly Hunter.
Tang Qingqing nodded calmly. “You’re Chen Jing, right? I saw you during the Four-School Joint Examination. You left quite an impression.”
“I’m responsible for patrolling this district tonight. Can you tell me exactly what happened here?”
Tang Qingqing turned toward the Slit-Mouthed Woman, whose screams had already gone silent, and her expression became serious.
Only yesterday, she had passed the Anomaly Hunter Bureau’s licensing examination and promptly accepted a low-level patrol assignment within the Safe Zone.
By sheer coincidence, she had arrived in time to save Chen Jing, who had come to investigate the disturbance.
Before Chen Jing could answer, the fissure changed again.
The black crack suspended in the air began to tremble. A new cursed presence poured from within.
Tang Qingqing’s pupils contracted.
“There’s more?”