Scarlet Descent
Ch. 89 - The Sheep-Faced Demon

“Whoosh…”

After a night of slaughter and pursuit, Wei Wei finally sat on the edge of an old building as dawn approached. He removed his raincoat, flinging it into the fading darkness, letting the blood-soaked garment splatter everywhere. He then sat down, lifted the goat-faced mask, and lit a cigarette.He listened intently several times, confirming he could no longer hear any heartbeats. He wasn’t sure how many peripheral hunters he had stopped or how many people he had saved. He didn’t bother counting; it would be clear from the next day’s newspapers or by asking back at the base. The surviving hunters would be sent to the base by the Security Hall.Technically, he should have captured and handed them over one by one, but that was inefficient. Instead, he hung them in visible spots and had someone report them to the police. So, the number of captures was whatever the police found. As for those who died accidentally, that wasn’t his concern. He was just someone who liked to guide them back to the right path; whether they lived or died was forgivable as long as they stopped doing wrong.Exhaling a plume of smoke, Wei Wei watched the night fade with it. He massaged his temples, which ached from excitement and blood loss, and began to analyze his new ability:Through his artwork, he spread fear. When his targets were sufficiently frightened and met certain conditions, he could hear their heartbeats and locate them using the Scarlet power. However, this ability had limitations:Distance Limitation: He needed to be within a certain distance to hear their heartbeats.Fear Requirement: The targets had to see the artwork, feel fear, and understand its implications.Intentional Violation: They had to knowingly defy the artwork’s deterrent effect.Temporal Limitation: The sensation would only last for a while.As he smoked, Wei Wei analyzed and summarized these points. The distance limitation likely related to his ability’s current scope, which might expand as his power grew. The fear requirement meant that if the targets didn’t fear the artwork or didn’t understand its significance, he couldn’t hear them. If they felt fear but then stopped their actions, he also couldn’t hear them. The final limitation was that this sensation was temporary.Like someone who knows they’ll be caught for skipping class but still tries, their fear is most intense at the moment of action. If they succeed in escaping without being caught, their fear dissipates, and he can’t hear them anymore. This explained why he couldn’t hear any more heartbeats now. He had stopped many hunters, but some remained unheard, either because they hadn’t been detected or because their fear had faded after completing their actions.“Perhaps…”Wei Wei tossed his cigarette butt from the rooftop and murmured: “I should name this ability…”“Justice’s Gaze?”He jumped down from the rooftop, landing smoothly with the aid of his Scarlet power. This ability was indeed different from any he had before. Captain Ouyang was right; demonic powers had limitations. They could disrupt logic but not create it out of thin air. His Scarlet power could turn objects into deadly weapons, but he couldn’t create them from nothing. This new ability, however, seemed to build a direct connection between him and the hunters, like a promise: As long as you sin, I will find you.It was akin to a believer summoning a demon—once conditions were met, the demon would respond.Wei Wei walked to his motorcycle, which was almost out of gas after a night of riding. Though he had been responding to “believers” like a demon, it was inefficient. He acknowledged that this ability didn’t quite match his current status; it felt like a child wielding an adult’s weapon.“Never mind, I’ll think about it later…”Wei Wei took a deep breath, mounted his motorcycle, and headed back to the base. He needed to get back; Uncle Gun was probably starting to cook porridge.This night was destined to be restless. As Wei Wei moved from one happiness to another, numerous messages were spreading wildly. The previous night’s police deployments and sightings of legends, combined with the operations of special intelligence agencies, made the chaos spread rapidly. Before morning newspapers could disseminate the news, panic was already spreading.Hidden organizations in the city began exchanging information. Sleep-deprived journalists were frantically writing news drafts and censoring photos. Before the city fully awoke, rumors of a red demon descending upon Scrap Iron City had spread through the streets.“He’s really a demon, I saw him with my own eyes…”“He nailed someone to a lamppost and flew into the night with open wings.”“He wore a black cloak and held a blood-red sickle, with a goat’s face…”“I really saw it!”“At the time, I was dozing off in the store when he ran in to buy oden…”Among the terrifying tales, a group of children insisted: “He’s not a demon! He’s a good big brother.”“He wore a cute mask and told us to be good.”As these rumors brewed, Wei Wei pushed his motorcycle, which had run out of gas, back to the base. Uncle Gun was smoking at the entrance, looking out into the distance. Seeing Wei Wei, he quickly stood up, calling out to others inside while asking Wei Wei if he needed a stabilizer serum.“I’m fine. How’s the progress?”Wei Wei smiled, leaning his motorcycle against the wall and walking into the base. Uncle Gun looked around nervously and quickly covered the blood-stained motorcycle with an oilcloth.“Nothing’s wrong. I said Scrap Iron City doesn’t have demons. Let those people think about whether they’re being saved or harmed.”Just then, Captain Ouyang was on the phone, visibly frustrated: “I don’t know what it is!”“Maybe it’s just a citizen with a sense of justice?”“...You don’t allow people to have unique fashion preferences?”“I can handle unusual decorating styles, but this is too much!”“Fine, let the TV stations report it. Write your own script; this time, no censorship...”Seeing Wei Wei enter, Captain Ouyang quickly hung up and stepped forward, inspecting Wei Wei from head to toe before sighing in relief: “Go wash up in Uncle Gun’s room, then come downstairs quickly. I have important things to discuss with you.”“Okay…”Wei Wei glanced at the freshly steamed buns Uncle Gun had made and obediently agreed. He quickly went upstairs to wash and change into clothes Uncle Gun had prepared for him. Downstairs, he found a somber atmosphere. The Environmental Protection Office’s door was closed, and everyone was gathered in the rarely used conference room.Uncle Gun slipped Wei Wei two buns, urging him to take them inside. Upon entering, Wei Wei saw an oil painting on the table: a beautiful, naked girl sitting in a bathtub, blowing bubbles. She blushed and seemed to want to hide, but then sat still, her skin covered in goosebumps.“Is this the forbidden demonic artifact confiscated from the Love Demon’s house?”Wei Wei was surprised. This item had been brought back by Ye Feifei  and should have been turned in. It could have earned the Scrap Iron City base merit points and bonuses, but Captain Ouyang had kept it for its artistic value, displaying it in his office. Lucky Sister  was displeased but couldn’t do anything about it, so she just gave Wei Wei a bonus instead.Why were they bringing it out now? The artifact’s purpose was to prevent eavesdropping, so Captain Ouyang must be worried about being overheard. Noticing Ye Feifei was absent, Wei Wei realized the discussion was serious.“Sit down, Wei. I want to…”Captain Ouyang’s expression was grave, and he glanced at the buns in Wei’s hands before waving his hand.“Never mind, eat your buns first... and then we’ll talk.”

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