Apocalyptic Era: Starting from picking up a Bishoujo
Chapter 108: Encounter 105

Chapter 108: Encounter 105

Upon hearing footsteps of strangers from behind, Zhu Shi and I turned around, and Mazao, after hurriedly putting on a cat-whisker mask, turned as well.

Deep in the grove, where few ventured, stood a young man in deep blue attire mixed with some elements of ancient style, his features refined and amiable.

It was none other than Lu Youxun.

At the sight of the visitor, Zhu Shi furrowed her brows.

She took a step or two forward, intentionally or otherwise, positioning herself in front of Mazao, and then casually asked, "Lu Chan, what brings you here?"

"I sensed some commotion of battle here, so I came to have a look," Lu Youxun responded offhandedly, while thoughtfully glancing behind Zhu Shi.

Last time I simply took a longer look at Lu Youxun’s Black Rope Heart-locking Ring, he had gifted it to me to gain favor, revealing his keen sensitivity to speech and expression. Zhu Shi’s act of shielding Mazao in front of him might seem to him somewhat like a giveaway.

But truly, whether Zhu Shi shielded Mazao or not, since Mazao was now accompanying the two demon hunters including me, there was no reason for him not to observe closely. Even though Mazao was wearing a mask, such minimal concealment might as well have been non-existent to someone with his extraordinary perceptiveness. At least I find it hard to believe that such a disguise could effectively serve its purpose.

Even putting aside the incident of him gifting me the Black Rope Heart-locking Ring, I did harbor some likability towards him. On reflection, there were many reasons for me to dislike him. For example, he and his supporting official forces were my competitors concerning matters involving Mazao, a fact that still causes me wariness; further, his advocacy of Extraordinaryism seemed suspicious, and his continuous involvement in factional struggles within the supernatural organization was frankly irritating.

Yet, his conduct and manner were refined, and he handled himself with appropriate measure, making it difficult for me to harbor any antipathy based on instinct alone. Perhaps these behaviors too were part of his "worldly tactics"... If so, let it be, and I’ll admit his worldly tactics were indeed effective.

However, practical matters first, I still needed to be wary of any moves he might make concerning Mazao.

"You said you sensed activity... Were you nearby just now?" Zhu Shi asked skeptically, "Weren’t you supposed to be far in the rear?"

"Not at all. This mission related to the Human Bureau and the Weirdo Maker. Since I didn’t have other duties on hand, I certainly had to be near the scene. Earlier, when you called me regarding that wine tasting club, I knew you were nearby, so I hurried here," Lu Youxun answered before looking at the Shadow Swapping Monster, "Is he the one with the ability to swap forms and shadows, still alive? Quite a feat catching him... And her?"

Indeed, he eventually turned his gaze towards Mazao, saying, "Even though she’s wearing a mask, if my observations are correct, could she be..."

Seeing her identity revealed, Mazao boldly took off the cat-whisker mask and stepped out from behind Zhu Shi, unafraid.

"I’ve heard of your name and the forces behind you," she addressed Lu Youxun, "You’re looking for me in relation to the soul loss incident, aren’t you?"

Facing her direct question, it was Lu Youxun’s turn to hesitate, then he nodded, "Yes. Regarding the previous wrongs our Extraordinaryism ideology committed against you, I am here to apologize on their behalf and will follow up with compensation."

"Let’s discuss apologies and compensation later. What do you plan to do now?" I interjected, "I’ll be upfront with you, if you intend to forcibly take Mazao away, I won’t stand by idly."

Lu Youxun appeared surprised and looked back and forth between me and Mazao, then asked, "Just to be clear, when you say you won’t stand by idly, do you mean..."

I moved behind Mazao, placed my hand on her shoulder, and stated my position unwaveringly, "It means you’ll be making an enemy of me."

"Zhuang Cheng..." Mazao looked back at me.

I didn’t pay close attention to her expression at that moment and just kept my gaze firmly on Lu Youxun.

I was still not entirely sure where my strength stood. In all the battles I had participated in so far, I had never met an opponent who could match me; Zhu Shi even mentioned that currently, in Luo Mountain, perhaps only Impermanence could decisively defeat me, other powerhouses or forces might only manage to contest with me equally.

But without practical contact and confrontation, it was hard for me to see myself in such a lofty role. Even releasing harsh words now, I was uncertain of their effect. Even if Lu Youxun himself might retreat knowing the difficulty, would his backing forces do the same?

"Please don’t worry, we wouldn’t do that," Lu Youxun eventually made a concession, but the reason he gave didn’t seem entirely due to my stance, "Moreover, even if you hadn’t mentioned it, we are currently unable to do anything."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked.

"The specific situation is complicated," Lu Youxun replied, "Simply put, the higher-ups are at a stalemate, and no one can act rashly."

"Is it an internal issue within your Extraordinaryism?" Zhu Shi asked doubtfully.

"It’s between Extraordinaryism and Governance Ideology, and also with your faction. Besides, Zhu Shi, I know you’re not interested in the infighting among factions, but it wouldn’t hurt you to pay more attention to what’s happening within your own faction when you have the time," Lu Youxun sighed, "This stalemate won’t last many days, but until then, let’s coexist peacefully."

"Alright," Zhu Shi nodded, "Since you’re already here, come and help quickly. It’s rare to capture a Weirdo alive, so let’s not kill him yet. While he hasn’t self-destructed, you take charge of interrogating him."

"Of course, that’s my job."

Lu Youxun nodded and, without a sideways glance, passed by us to reach the Shadow Swapping Monster, casually asking, "By the way, there were reports of damage from the wine tasting club just earlier, does this Weirdo have any connection to the wine tasting club?"

"He has a collaboration with the owner behind the scenes there," Zhu Shi said as he laid out the entire situation involving that nightclub, "That nightclub even hires very young girls. I plan to inform the official forces to demolish the nightclub once my brother sends over the evidence he has gathered."

"Need evidence to deal with such guys? You’re too naive in this regard. We’re from Luo Mountain, the ’Transcendents.’ When it comes to dealing with mortal scoundrels, we just shape them as we please."

Lu Youxun sneered and immediately took out his phone, instructing someone on the other end to demolish the nightclub. I had almost forgotten, given his usual lack of airs around us, that he was a major executive at Luo Mountain, controlling many agents, with even past agents like Agent Kong running about due to his commands.

Zhu Shi seemed to want to say something but eventually didn’t. Even if Lu Youxun disregards the need for evidence, the ones suffering are still villains. Scoundrels have their way of dealing with other scoundrels, and this could be considered the nightclub’s bad karma. In any case, I found it quite gratifying.

After giving his orders, Lu Youxun put away his phone and began his work.

He did not start by interrogating the Shadow Swapping Monster but instead picked up a stick from the ground and began drawing an elaborate and mysterious Array around the Monster. As he drew, he explained the purpose of this action: it was to seal the Weirdo’s superpower to prevent him from using his body-swapping ability to escape during interrogation.

Although Zhu Shi could directly destroy the Weirdo’s superpower, this destruction was only temporary. Depending on the enemy’s strength and attributes, the reboot time varied. Zhu Shi quietly explained to me that based on his earlier touch, the effect would last at most an hour and a half. If the Shadow Swapping Monster’s abilities suddenly rebooted and Zhu Shi failed to destroy it again, they would have to capture him once more.

Lu Youxun seemed aware of Zhu Shi’s capabilities, but not because Zhu Shi had told him or because there was a rule within Luo Mountain requiring demon hunters to report every detail of their abilities.

Zhu Shi told me that this was purely because she often carried out missions for Luo Mountain’s Impermanence, hence the inevitable exposure of her abilities. Since Lu Youxun specialized in gathering information, it was normal for him to know the details.

The process of drawing the sealing Array took nearly an hour. During this time, the Shadow Swapping Monster, bound by the Flame Palm, seemed to have not given up hope completely, his eyeballs rotating as he looked for a chance to escape. If this were another Weirdo, he might have already chosen to self-destruct in despair, but he appeared unconvinced. Possessing such a cheat-like escape ability, how could he still be captured? He most likely thought something went wrong.

I hoped he could hold out a little longer; extracting information from a decapitated head post-mortem is always less comprehensive than interrogating a living person.

However, as time passed, the hope in his eyes dimmed, and resignation seemed not far off.

"I didn’t expect you to know how to seal abilities with an Array..." Zhu Shi curiously observed the Array on the ground and then turned to Lu Youxun, who was holding the stick, "An Array capable of sealing abilities should be quite a high-level technique, and you managed to set it up using just Array Talismans without any special materials... I’m not surprised you know how to arrange Arrays, but I’ve never heard of you being particularly skilled in this area?"

"I’m not very proficient in Arrays and sealing, either. But, this Weirdo’s abilities relate closely to duplication, and I happen to know a little about duplication techniques," Lu Youxun said calmly.

Zhu Shi seemed to recall something but appeared hesitant and did not continue speaking.

Lu Youxun threw the stick he used to draw the Array lines to one side, then addressed the Shadow Swapping Monster, "It’s impressive you haven’t given up hope yet. Now, please spill everything you know."