Who hasn’t grown out of a time of innocence and wonder?

Even someone as formidable as Liu Sishan must have had moments of naivety and endearing behavior as a child.

She waved her hand lightly, and the ice sword instantly melted into pure water, dissipating into the air.

“You really are... Sisi?” Zhang Ping asked, watching Liu Sishan in surprise.

Without removing the icy mask covering her face, Liu Sishan looked at Zhang Ping and said, “Second question. According to our investigation, your ability is the Greed Gem, ranked as Ineffective because it doesn’t meet activation conditions. So, why have your actions been so unusual recently?”

“Because I ate the Greed Gem,” Zhang Ping replied honestly.

It was an answer he could give since even appraisers didn’t know all the effects of Contract Gems.

Liu Sishan paused, puzzled. “You ate it yourself?”

“Yes. After consuming the Greed Gem, I gained full control over my body and mind. That’s when I discovered two Mutated Beasts lurking within the school. It made me question whether Mingzhu City belongs to humans or Mutated Beasts, so I started investigating,” Zhang Ping explained.

Liu Sishan fell silent. Zhang Ping’s answer was plausible, but according to their investigations, Mingzhu Ability Academy had only one Mutated Beast.

They had even hired assassins to probe further but still failed to uncover its identity.

“Are you saying you can accurately identify all the Mutated Beasts in the city?” Liu Sishan asked seriously.

Zhang Ping froze, his narrowed eyes opening slightly as he countered, “Are you saying you still don’t know what the Mutated Beast in the city is?”

“Just answer my question,” Liu Sishan avoided the topic. After all, she still wasn’t sure whether Zhang Ping was human or a Mutated Beast.

Some Mutated Beasts could create extremely sophisticated illusions that felt entirely real, yet were merely projections of the victim’s imagination.

If she were caught in such an illusion now, any intelligence she provided could be leaked to the enemy.

“Based on my investigation, a large number of Mutated Beasts are hiding in the city, and they’re all Skyborn Foxes. I suspect it’s an invasion by an entire clan. Their abilities typically include two or three, with innate ones being Cognitive Distortion and Common Sense Disruption.

Currently, two Skyborn Foxes are hiding in the school, and almost every street has over thirty of them. Most importantly, the Patrol Squad has been completely taken over by the Skyborn Foxes. There are no living humans left there—anyone who joins the Patrol Squad is eaten by them.”

Realizing Liu Sishan still doubted him, Zhang Ping hesitated briefly before deciding to provide more information.

Liu Sishan’s eyes widened. She knew Mingzhu City was dangerous, harboring an unknown number of Mutated Beasts, but she hadn’t expected the situation to be this dire.

If Zhang Ping’s words were true, Mingzhu City was effectively overrun by Mutated Beasts, with the entire city serving as their hunting ground and humans reduced to their reserves of prey.

“I’ve noted down the identities of some Skyborn Foxes. You can try verifying them—that should prove I’m human, right?” Zhang Ping asked, looking at Liu Sishan.

Liu Sishan hesitated, then nodded after some thought. “Go on.”

“On Prosperity Street, the owner of Supreme Morning Diner is a Skyborn Fox, and so is the boss of Jiu’an Furniture. On Dragon Pearl Street, all three blacksmiths at Longspear Forge are Skyborn Foxes. Investigate them first. Once you verify this, we can talk further,” Zhang Ping said methodically.

After a pause, he added, “To be honest, I originally thought you already knew the Mutated Beasts were Skyborn Foxes and understood their abilities.

But from what I see now, your group must have identified the presence of Mutated Beasts in Mingzhu City through other means, without grasping the specifics. So if you’re sending people to investigate, make sure they’re trustworthy. I don’t know if any Mutated Beasts have infiltrated your team or organization.”

Liu Sishan couldn’t help but waver at his words. She couldn’t be certain whether there were Skyborn Foxes hiding within her organization.

Cognitive Distortion and Common Sense Disruption—just their names were enough to hint at the terrifying implications of those abilities.

After a moment’s thought, Liu Sishan decided to contact her captain. Zhang Ping’s information was too critical to ignore, even if its truth was uncertain.

“Stay here. I’ll be back shortly,” she said, glancing at Zhang Ping.

Zhang Ping shrugged, his narrowed eyes watching Liu Sishan as he replied helplessly, “Do I look like I can move?”

Fair enough.

In reality, he could easily break free from the binding liquid suit restraining him.

However, considering the misunderstanding it might cause, he chose to let the strange liquid wrap around him—it wasn’t particularly uncomfortable, anyway.

Liu Sishan left the darkroom, pulling a badge from her pocket.

The badge, slightly larger than a coin, was embedded with a blue pearl at its center.

She pressed the pearl lightly, and an aged voice came from the badge. “Sisi, Manny already briefed me on the situation. Your Fire of Fortune hasn’t just survived; it’s burning brighter than ever. So, what good news do you have?”

“Captain, I’m not sure if this counts as good news…” Liu Sishan sighed and relayed Zhang Ping’s information verbatim.

On the other side of the badge, an elderly man with silver hair looked up at the others around him after hearing her account.

In the meeting room, more than ten members sat in silence, each furrowing their brows as they contemplated the intelligence Liu Sishan had provided.

Although it differed in some respects from their current findings, much of it aligned in ways that couldn’t be ignored.

“Skyborn Fox. Has anyone heard of this Mutated Beast?” The elder lightly tapped the table, breaking the silence.

The middle-aged man to his right responded, “I can confirm that no such beast has ever been reported near Mingzhu City. However, the abilities—Cognitive Distortion and Common Sense Disruption—have appeared in the past. They were associated with the Mind-Devouring Phantom Fox and the Risk-Entrusting Fox, respectively. It’s possible the Skyborn Fox is their offspring.”

“In that case, the information provided by Sisi’s young friend might actually be true,” the elder mused.

The burly man seated to his left interjected, “If that’s the case, let me verify it myself.”

“Jin Bo, don’t be reckless,” the middle-aged man warned.

The elder smiled faintly. “If this young friend is a Mutated Beast, then the information could be a trap—or bait designed to earn our trust. Still, Sisi’s Fire of Fortune doesn’t lie. Jin Bo, take a team and verify the information. If possible, bring back the Skyborn Fox’s corpse!”

“Yes, Captain!” Jin Bo saluted before swiftly departing.

The middle-aged man’s face darkened with concern. “Captain, isn’t this too risky?”

“Chen Ming,” the elder replied solemnly, “‘The greatest enemy is ignorance.’ In recent days, we’ve lost several elite members, yet we’ve only identified two Mutated Beasts. We still don’t know who—or what—we’re truly fighting. This is our chance to confirm the enemy. Hesitation and fear aren’t the Slaughter Unit’s way.”

The elder’s gaze drifted to the window, where the faint silhouette of Mingzhu City lay shrouded in the night. With a sigh, he continued, “Mingzhu has fallen into ruin. It’s our duty to sweep away the filth and restore its brilliance. How can we afford to falter now?”

Prosperity Street, Supreme Morning Diner.

The diner resembled the layout of Iron Soul, but with just two floors.

In the second-floor master bedroom, a middle-aged man snored loudly, sprawled on the bed. Beside him lay a two-meter-tall fox, its breathing steady as the human skin affixed to its forehead shifted rhythmically.

Suddenly, a door materialized on one side of the room.

The fox’s eyes snapped open, but it was already too late.

One punch!

The fox’s head burst apart silently. No sound escaped, and the snoring man remained oblivious.

Jin Bo grabbed the fox’s corpse with one hand and barked, “Move!”

At the same time, within Mingzhu Ability Academy, ‘Luo Shiyu’ abruptly opened her eyes. Leaping from her dormitory, she scanned the distant streets.

“Your Highness?”

Another Skyborn Fox materialized behind her.

“Lunara IX is dead,” ‘Luo Shiyu’ declared coldly. “Someone killed Lunara IX.”

Without hesitation, she launched herself into the air, soaring a hundred meters high, her sharp gaze locking onto distant movements. The scent of death lingered in the air—another Skyborn Fox had fallen.

Target located!

She plummeted from the sky, landing heavily on Prosperity Street, only to frown as the enemy’s aura vanished once more. Moments later, it reappeared—farther away this time.

Another Skyborn Fox was dead.

“ROAR!!”

Her anger boiled over, unleashing a deafening roar. Waves of energy rippled outward, whipping through the streets like a hurricane.

Startled, countless Skyborn Foxes emerged, human skins fluttering eerily in the wind.

Meanwhile, Jin Bo’s team had already escaped Mingzhu City with two Skyborn Fox corpses.

Even as corpses, they retained their human-like appearances until they crossed the city’s border. Then, the bodies began to shift, morphing into foxes. The sight startled the team members, who exchanged uneasy glances.

Jin Bo turned back, his lips curling into a bloodthirsty grin. “This is good. At least we finally know who the enemy is.”

The Slaughter Unit had long suspected that Mutated Beasts lurked in Mingzhu City. They had relied on the city’s collective fortune as a guide. Yet despite deploying twenty elite members, only eight remained in contact.

The other twelve? Missing.

Worse, their Fire of Fortune had extinguished—a grim confirmation of their deaths.

The Slaughter Unit, an independent organization, existed solely to serve as Mingzhu City’s last line of defense in times of catastrophe. Its members, once celebrated geniuses, had abandoned their pasts and faked their deaths to operate from the shadows, safeguarding the city in secret.

Losing twelve elite members had been a bitter blow, and the frustration of failure simmered within them all.

But now—finally—they had found their enemy.