Chapter 8: Sudden Change!

Originally, Cheese had intended to take Li Yelu to train his techniques for using psionic barriers to step on air.

But now, the training plan had been temporarily changed.

Compared to training that could be done at any time, this was a rare opportunity—a low-danger mission that could both help the public and provide practical experience for the newcomers.

Thus, the instructor brought the four new handlers, while Cheese brought Li Yelu.

At the invitation of the Guard Bureau, they participated in the ongoing pursuit.

And the unexpected intelligence brought by Li Yelu made the operation much easier.

When the group drove to the alley where Li Yelu had seen the girl the day before, one of the new handlers stepped out first. He was a man in his thirties with a gentle temperament. A faint glimmer flickered in his eyes as he stared at the alley for a long time; he was clearly activating his ability.

A few minutes later, he nodded slightly to the instructor.

"It was indeed that little girl. A woman in her thirties was holding her hand as they entered the alley."

"Very good!" the instructor asked, "Can you track them?"

The man nodded: "That won't be difficult. My 'Trace Tracking' can vaguely see their appearances and their path of movement."

*To be able to see traces directly, and even the appearance of the person who left them—what a convenient ability,* Li Yelu thought.

This was the ability of the Psionic Eye path.

It could grant the eyes the ability to see various things invisible to the naked eye.

Although it seemed to lack combat capability, it was top-tier in terms of efficiency for both pursuit and investigation.

Analyzing it this way, the ability of the Xiang Yu mask was actually a Psionic Eye as well, only it saw things with stronger mystery and possessed extreme destructive power.

He wondered what path the blank mask represented.

As Li Yelu pondered this, he heard someone speak up from the side.

"Are you the Li Yelu who killed the Skinner? I heard from the instructor that you're very strong. When shall we have a sparring match?"

Li Yelu’s heart stirred.

He turned his head and saw a young man in casual clothes looking at him, toying with a diesel lighter in his hand. Behind him, a girl who looked similar to him was tugging at his sleeve, telling him not to say more, her face full of apology.

"Sure, five hundred a pop!" Li Yelu replied with a smile.

"What do you mean?" The young man was stunned. "You’re charging me?"

"Yeah, the Skinner was taken out by me precisely because he didn't cough up five hundred Great City Credits," Li Yelu said with a straight face.

This left the young man horrified: "So you were the one who robbed the Skinner?"

As soon as these words were out, Cheese snickered, the other newcomers stifled their laughter, and even the instructor’s mouth twitched.

He couldn't help but feel that this newcomer he’d brought along wasn't quite right in the head.

There were four newcomers brought by the instructor, two men and two women.

The oldest was the Psionic Eye path user, a former private investigator who had been discovered by the authorities after becoming a psionic and recruited into the Disaster Handling Department. His codename was 'Detective'.

There was also a pair of twin siblings who had graduated from high school only a few months ago but had already become psionics. They were invited to join after being discovered by the authorities.

The older brother was of the Zero-Return path, codenamed 'Starfire'. The younger sister was of the Nether path, codenamed 'Shadowflow'.

It was 'Starfire' who had just spoken to Li Yelu; he was a bit young and hot-headed.

That was normal. Gaining extraordinary power at this age, it was no surprise to be competitive. He would grow up after a while. Perhaps because he also had a younger sister, Li Yelu found 'Starfire' quite likable.

Finally, there was a petite girl with a ponytail. She looked underage, but in reality, she was about the same age as Li Yelu. She didn't talk much and had no interaction with the other three. Li Yelu only knew her codename was 'Heavy Cavalry'. For a girl to have such a codename, her strength was likely formidable.

As for Li Yelu himself, the higher-ups had not yet determined his codename. He figured he would have to wait a few more days.

Subsequently, the seven-person team moved quickly through the alley, and with the use of 'Detective's' ability, they soon determined the target's location.

It was a somewhat dilapidated old apartment building, but it was better than Li Yelu’s complex; at least it had an elevator.

'Detective' spoke up: "Confirmed, they entered this apartment. I haven't detected them leaving, so they should still be inside. Moreover, she seems to have accomplices, also carrying children. It’s very likely a criminal den!"

A cold glint flashed in the instructor's eyes: "I understand. If you encounter resistance, I authorize you to counterattack immediately."

In any era, human traffickers deserved to die.

Countless children within the Great Cities were kidnapped and taken outside. Being sold to other Great Cities was considered lucky.

Many children were sold directly to villages or settlements in the wilderness.

Those villages and settlements located in the wilderness were often lawless lands. They were not under the control of the Great Cities, and once sold there, it was basically impossible to find them again.

Therefore, the authorities' crackdown on human traffickers was often very harsh.

The instructor then took out his headset to contact the support staff to check the residents of the apartment.

Learning that the apartment was semi-abandoned and didn't even have surveillance, he contacted the nearest Guard Bureau to provide support.

"With so many psionics, do we still need the Guard Bureau to help?" 'Starfire' was a bit puzzled. "Even if it's a group of traffickers, they wouldn't be enough for me to fight alone, right?"

As a Zero-Return path psionic, 'Starfire's' ability had considerable power. It was said he could ignite a building in an instant. He was very confused by the instructor's arrangement.

"Don't be too complacent. You are indeed a psionic, stronger than the average person. But while dealing with traffickers, you must also protect the kidnapped children." The instructor glanced at him and said, "Professionally, you are not yet as excellent as the Guard Bureau. Remember, the primary duty of a handler is to protect the public. Not to fight alone or be combative."

'Starfire' felt a bit depressed and could only nod silently.

Cheese said to Li Yelu: "The Guard Bureau will send weapons over in a moment. Choose your weapon. Even if you don't end up using it, or even if the Guard Bureau finishes the job, you must carry it. Once a trafficker makes a dangerous move, strike immediately; don't have any psychological burden. Criminals won't care about that."

Li Yelu nodded. For him, this was also a form of training.

Although he had killed the Skinner and was one of the few newcomers who had seen blood, in his heart, Li Yelu had never viewed the Skinner as a human. Killing a monster didn't carry much psychological burden. If it were human compatriots, it might be different.

However, if you hesitate because you think the other party is a compatriot, the other party won't care about that. Are you going to lecture a criminal on human rights?

When it's time to strike, you cannot hesitate!

Cheese wanted Li Yelu to understand this point.

Soon, the plainclothes officers and the assault team from the Guard Bureau arrived at the scene. The plainclothes officers blocked all exits of the apartment, while the assault team hid in vans, ready to storm in at any moment.

At the same time, they brought the weapons needed by the new handlers.

Considering the strength of the psionics, they did not provide firearms but brought cold weapons instead.

They let the newcomers choose for themselves.

While the other newcomers were still hesitating, Li Yelu and 'Heavy Cavalry' stepped forward first.

Li Yelu chose a steel saber and an axe.

Perhaps benefiting from the strong habitual influence brought by the Xiang Yu mask, he wanted to choose a long-handled weapon.

But in the current situation, it wouldn't be useful; there wasn't enough space in the rooms for him to swing a long-handled horse-chopping saber.

So, he chose two short weapons. They were also easier to conceal.

'Heavy Cavalry' went up and picked up an iron hammer the size of two fists. After swinging it casually a couple of times, she nodded silently.

Only then did the other newcomers step forward to choose their weapons.

This led the instructor to evaluate in his heart: "Li Yelu and Heavy Cavalry are both very decisive; they are indeed the ones who have seen blood. The other three still can't adapt; we'll have to see how they perform later."

As an instructor, he would grade every newcomer and provide corresponding training.

Li Yelu and Heavy Cavalry were rated highly in his mind.

Thus, the instructor said: "I will be in command outside, and Cheese will assist you. Don't be fooled by her appearance; her ability is very strong. As for Li Yelu and Heavy Cavalry, you two take the lead."

Li Yelu and 'Heavy Cavalry' nodded.

As it stood, even if the instructor didn't make a move, this lineup was already terrifying.

Over thirty heavily armed Guard Bureau assault team members, six psionics, including Cheese, a veteran handler who had undergone a second awakening.

They could just steamroll them!

After everything was arranged, 'Detective' entered the apartment elevator and activated his ability again.

He saw the woman and her accomplices all pressing the button for the thirteenth floor.

Thus, the Guard Bureau's assault team immediately flooded into the apartment and began to approach the thirteenth floor step by step.

Li Yelu and the others took the elevator with a few officers to the thirteenth floor.

However, at this moment, the Detective's expression changed slightly.

"Detective, which room is it?" a middle-aged officer asked in a low voice.

"All five rooms on this floor," the Detective whispered. "The interior seems to have been opened up. I saw people enter from 1301 and come out from 1305."

"Have they left?" the officer asked again.

"No, after entering the rooms last night, no one has left."

The officer nodded, and the assault team immediately split into four two-man groups. Four groups raised their guns to block the four doors on both sides, while more assault team members guarded the stairwells.

They cut off all possible escape routes for the traffickers.

But strangely, even though many people had entered the rooms, there was no sound inside.

Neither the traffickers nor the kidnapped children made a single sound.

Instead, a faint smell of blood seeped out.

This eerie situation made everyone uneasy, but they proceeded with the operation.

No matter what the situation was inside, protecting the kidnapped children was the primary goal.

Thus, without any hesitation, and without any "checking the water meter" or "delivering warmth" scripts, Heavy Cavalry lifted her iron hammer and smashed it directly onto the security door of 1303. A certain ability was activated, the security door twisted and deformed, and then the entire door tilted backward, crashing heavily onto the floor.

The next second, Li Yelu and Heavy Cavalry surged into the room.

They were both psionics with psionic barriers. They were safer than the assault team members. If the traffickers had firearms, they could act as the front line for their teammates behind them.

However, after Li Yelu rushed into the room, he found no resistance.

The fierce-looking traffickers he had imagined, and the trembling children, were nowhere to be seen.

The entire floor had been opened up, making the space inside look particularly spacious. In the center of the room sat a huge long table.

A large amount of food was piled on it, forming a small mountain. Various aromas and the smell of blood filled the room.

On both sides of the long table sat six men and women wearing various animal masks and suits. They leaned back in their chairs, showing no reaction to the arrival of Li Yelu and the others.

The eerie scene made the assault team members extremely vigilant, and Cheese’s eyes flashed with cold light as she spoke directly: "[Listen to me], disarm!"

As a user of the Whispering path, Cheese had already used her ability.

However, those people had no reaction.

Heavy Cavalry and Li Yelu exchanged a look, approached cautiously, and then flipped off the minotaur mask of one of the people.

They saw the lifeless face of a middle-aged man.

His complexion was already pale, and black-red blood flowed from his eyes and nose. His stiff face was full of shock and terror.

Dead?

The minotaur must die?

This made everyone even more vigilant. The Detective spoke up: "He is one of the woman's accomplices."

"Can you see how he died?" Li Yelu suppressed the nausea in his heart and asked calmly.

"I can only see him sitting down at the table. The time was probably last night." The Detective's face was a bit ugly: "They all did; they sat at the table and suddenly died."

Subsequently, the assault team members stepped forward and removed the masks one by one.

They discovered that they were all the accomplices of the woman the Detective had seen earlier.

But strangely, even after searching all five rooms, they did not find the woman, nor did they find the seven kidnapped children.

Where did they go? The Detective's ability clearly hadn't seen them leave.

They should be in this room.

Could there be some hidden passage they hadn't discovered?

Or was there some other place in this room where people could be hidden?

Thinking of this, Li Yelu suddenly recalled the fish the woman had been looking at yesterday—the fish dripping with blood!

Could it be...

Thinking of a certain possibility, Li Yelu's expression became extremely stiff.

Then, he turned his head with a prayer and looked at the small mountain of food that was still emitting aroma and the smell of blood.

Cheese seemed to have sensed something. After approaching the dining table, her footsteps stiffened, and her face also became extremely ugly.

The others also noticed this, and their faces turned increasingly terrified as they looked at the dining table.

After hesitating for a few seconds, Li Yelu reached out and pushed the mountain of food aside.

As a large amount of food fell from the long table, a slender arm bone emerged from the pile of food.

In an instant, extreme anger and fear surged in everyone's hearts.

And as more and more food fell, more and more bones emerged.

They had been dismembered, they had been devoured, they had been cruelly murdered!

At this moment, the small mountain in the center of the long table suddenly collapsed on its own, revealing the naked woman inside.

She was hugging a severed head and kissing it passionately, looking somewhat dazed, then turned her head to look at Li Yelu, who was closest to her.

A smile appeared on her face.

"You found me." She giggled.

Responding to her were the roaring muzzles of guns!

And Li Yelu’s furious axe strike!