One of the special bullets flew towards the little girl with enhanced firepower.
Although she looked like a frail little girl, Wei Wei knew this was a demon’s trick. They often transformed into the most tender figures in people’s hearts, using these forms to commit the most terrifying acts…
But the bullet flew out of the gun and into the girl’s back, only to pass through without causing any visible damage. Instead, her body began to twist and swell like a distorted reflection in water. The next moment, these twisted shadows suddenly shattered, with fragments flowing to both sides of the street.
A banshee’s mournful cry echoed from all directions.
The tall streetlights transformed into gaunt, one‑legged monsters with bright eyes, thrusting towards Wei Wei. The parked cars suddenly honked incessantly, growing massive steel teeth and cold, menacing eyes.
The dark, silent buildings turned into giant beasts sitting on the ground.
“Psychic projection.”
Wei Wei listlessly retracted his gun, unable to hide the disappointment on his face.
…
…
“Little sister, when asking for directions, be polite.”
“I may have lost my hair early and have a thick beard, but calling me grandpa is too much…”
At the same time, Uncle Gun, who had received the captain’s command, sighed and looked at the pitiful little girl beside him. He suddenly sprang into action, jumping out of the equipment vehicle’s small window and onto a nearby utility pole. With a kick, he leaped to the adjacent building.
His hands and feet climbed the smooth surface with an eerie speed, rushing towards the rooftop.
“Grandpa with the thick beard, may I ask you for directions?”
But Uncle Gun’s movements were exceptionally agile and swift. Just as he reached the rooftop, he heard a voice in front of him.
He paused slightly, looked up, and saw the little girl standing upright on the wall.
Looking to the left, another little girl appeared, and to the right, yet another. The rooftop was filled with the figures of little girls, all pale‑faced with black eyes, staring at him. Their pumpkin lanterns grinned wickedly as they slowly extended their pale hands.
“Captain…”
Uncle Gun lowered his voice, gripping the communicator: “Is this thing targeting us? Maybe it’s not a corrupted monster this time, but someone familiar who’s setting us up?”
…
…
“Damn it!”
Sister Lucky suddenly threw away her cocktail glass and jumped into her sports car, rushing towards Ye Feifei’s location.
As she accelerated, she looked around frantically.
What little girl?
Where was she?
But just as she had driven a few steps, she slammed on the brakes at the red‑light pedestrian crossing.
She saw a row of little girls carrying pumpkin lanterns, slowly crossing the road.
When they turned to look at her, their black eyes transformed into empty mouths.
…
…
“Demon power field?”
LIttle Lin, who had spent the evening browsing the night market and buying sweets and face masks, sat on a fence in a quiet street. He smiled kindly at the little girl with pigtails in front of him.
The little girl seemed mesmerized by his smile.
However, Little Lin didn’t notice that behind him, the fence was filled with roses that weren’t in season yet, blooming vibrantly. The roses emitted an enchanting glow, and their vines began to move like snakes, crawling over him.
The vines wrapped around his legs, hips, and waist, becoming sharper and more menacing.
Then, a mournful cry sounded, and the vines suddenly tightened.
…
…
Ye Feifei, sitting on the curb, looked up and saw a little girl with pigtails.
She was startled and lifted her bag: “Want an ice cream?”
In her surprise, she didn’t find it strange that a lone little girl was on the street at midnight. After all, she used to get lost often as a child.
But the little girl looked at her quietly, and her eyes suddenly filled with darkness. A gentle smile spread across her face: “Sister, may I ask you for directions?”
…
…
“Captain, something’s off…”
Uncle Gun’s urgent voice came through the communicator: “Why are we all being attacked? Is it possible that this isn’t a corrupted monster, but someone familiar who’s setting us up?”
“Not everyone has been attacked…”
Sister Lucky’s voice suddenly rose, tinged with panic and gravity: “It’s the entire district that’s under attack.”
“It’s possible there are attacks outside our district too.”
“Some kind of demon power field we don’t understand is covering the entire district…”
“…”
“Damn…”
The next voice was Captain Ouyang’s, clearly aware of the worsening situation, his tone low and serious:
“Regardless, each of you investigate nearby:
Uncle Gun, prepare to eliminate the demon power field spreading through the district.
Lucky, go protect Feifei and help Uncle Gun control the situation when the time is right.
Little Lin, I need a location…”
“…”
“Received.”
“Received.”
“Understood, Captain.”
“…”
“Time to earn our pay…”
Captain Ouyang’s voice came through the communicator: “Now, let’s verify: Lucky, what color are your stockings today?”
“Black!”
“Black!”
“Get out…”
“Black!”
“…”
Wei Wei also responded enthusiastically, verifying the authenticity of his teammates.
Because of the demon power field, even advanced communicators could be affected by demonic power and malfunction. But more serious was that some demons could alter voices in the communicator to send misleading information. In areas with strong demonic power, the communicator would crackle, making it impossible to accurately determine if it was a teammate speaking.
So, periodically verifying with private questions was a necessary procedure.
Closing the communicator, he turned to look out of the car window.
Everything around him was distorted, with lights refracted into various shapes with halos. Mournful cries echoed from the darkness, constantly piercing his eardrums. The streetlights and parked cars transformed into giant, brutal monsters one moment, only to return to normal the next. The air grew increasingly viscous. Faint whispers spread, and tall, twisted figures stepped silently across the street.
“Originally, the Soul‑Devouring Banshee’s attack wasn’t targeted at any of us, but rather the entire district, affecting everyone equally?”
Wei Wei confirmed that Captain Ouyang’s judgment was correct; indeed, the entire district was under attack. He could even hear the overlapping, eerie voices of the little girls asking for directions, originally sweet and innocent but now unnervingly similar:
“Brother, brother… Can I ask you for directions?”
“Uncle, aunt, can I ask you for directions?”
Every living person in the district had been affected. The homeless on the streets, people sleeping in buildings, even the elderly couple who had just finished work and were pushing their noodle cart home—all encountered the figures asking for directions.
They were everywhere, crowded together in the streets and alleys, forming balls of little girls that rolled through the streets. Some jumped out and entered still‑open shops, approached people drinking at midnight, and stared at them with black eyes, asking in a childish voice:
“Can I borrow your brain?”
“…”
Wei Wei watched the scene around him, where demons filled the streets and a power that caused twisted illusions affected everyone.
But instead of advancing, he suddenly raised his hand and bit his palm. A hint of blood appeared in his eyes:
“Death aura.”
In an instant, his face turned pale, and the living aura around him completely disappeared, like a breathless corpse. The illusions around him also vanished cleanly at that moment. The Knowledge Demon’s power field could influence any living person within its range, performing large‑scale suppression. But it couldn’t affect the dead.
“Hmm…”
At the same time, the head charm hanging in front of the rearview mirror opened its eyes, admiringly watching Wei Wei:
“What a fascinating aura… The Scarlet Demon, capable of remembering and mimicking other sequence abilities.”
“No wonder the Twelve Gods treated the Scarlet as the only demon when they were gods in the church…”