Volume One: First Steps in the City Chapter Eighteen: One Unexpected Event After Another

Lu Yi followed Fang Hao’s gaze and immediately understood, then walked toward the car as well.

“What is actually going on here?” Li Xinran couldn’t help but ask Lu Yi.

“We’ve experienced everything for real. Isn’t your equipment template and the things in your storage proof enough?” Lu Yi replied.

“No, but if that’s true, why don’t we just explain ourselves?” Li Xinran seemed anxious. “If they think we’re making things up or lying, how am I supposed to explain this to my friends?”

Lu Yi paused to think, then spoke in the team channel, “Simply offering explanations won’t help much—it’s better to let them discover the truth on their own, so we can prove we’re telling the truth.”

Seeing that Li Xinran was still uneasy, Lu Yi added, “Don’t worry, everything will be clear soon enough. Just wait and watch.”

The car soon returned to the Security Bureau entrance. Deng Zhi leapt out, eager to share his deductions, and after hearing him out, everyone looked at Lu Yi and his companion with odd expressions.

“Is that really how it is?” The Emperor asked Mad Blade.

“It’s hard to say,” Mad Blade replied quietly. He glanced around as if searching for something, then focused his gaze on the Security Bureau’s main gate.

A few steps brought Mad Blade to the gate, where he felt around for a moment before turning to the Emperor. “It seems what these two said is true.”

“What?” Deng Zhi cried out in shock, while Fang Hao feigned disbelief. “Impossible! If there really were such monsters, there should be claw marks on the walls.”

Mad Blade let out a cold laugh. “Such claw marks shouldn’t exist in the first place. Wouldn’t a town covered in claw marks look suspicious? Could such a town really continue to exist? It’s actually normal that there are no marks at all.”

Fang Hao was taken aback, then nodded. “You make a good point, but it only means it’s possible. Without solid evidence, I could just as well claim this peaceful town has no monsters and therefore no claw marks.”

Mad Blade patted the Security Bureau’s iron door. “Which is why this is the evidence.”

“What?” Fang Hao hurried over. He crouched down and quickly found several claw marks on the iron door. “These, these are…”

“These are the monster’s claw marks. If I’m right, the creature can move through reflective surfaces like glass. But the special glass used in doors and shop windows here counters this ability, preventing them from entering buildings,” Mad Blade said with a hint of pride.

“So that’s it. I failed to consider that, and my observations weren’t careful enough,” Fang Hao realized, inwardly reflecting on his ‘mistake’.

By now, the others were looking at Deng Zhi with a strange expression.

The stares made Deng Zhi’s anger boil. He had expected Lu Yi to stubbornly argue his point, even throw a tantrum, but never expected someone else to overturn his theory.

Yet he couldn’t vent his anger on Mad Blade, so he redirected it at Lu Yi, waiting for a chance to strike.

“Hey, what are you all doing?” As everyone gathered by the iron door, a stern voice rang out behind them. Turning, they saw two middle-aged men in uniform pushing a cart.

“We’re just checking if our friend from yesterday has come out,” Xiao Wen replied calmly.

“Your friend from yesterday? Wait here.” The two middle-aged men coordinated with their colleagues inside, then entered the Security Bureau.

Time passed quickly, and just as everyone wondered if something had gone wrong, the security officers led Xie Ruida out through the main gate. “Alright, you can take him.”

“Wait.” A forceful voice called out from behind, accompanied by the screech of brakes.

Before the car had even stopped, a young man jumped out, strode up to the officers, and eyed Xie Ruida. “This is Xie Ruida.”

After confirming with the security officers, the young man showed them his ID and a document. “We need to take this man back for further investigation.”

“What?” The trial participants were all shocked. What was happening in this city? Who was this unexpected interloper?

“Excuse me, which department are you from?” The high school student barely got the words out before Mad Blade shot him a glare.

“Remember what Lu Yi said about demon hunters? These people are ability users in this world, too,” Mad Blade remarked with interest. “They seem pretty powerful. I wonder if I’ll get a chance to spar with them.”

“Don’t even think about it,” the Emperor said warily, watching Mad Blade closely.

After a round of discussion, Xie Ruida was taken away in the newcomer’s car, disappearing from sight.

“Well, looks like we’re heading back to Anvalo,” Mad Blade said, unfazed, even whistling cheerfully. “But listen up—this time one of you is driving.”

“Wait a second, have you considered this possibility?” A middle-aged man stopped them. “What if there’s supernatural power everywhere in this world? In this town, it’s the monsters that move through reflective surfaces. In Anvalo, it’s the Reaper. Now that we know how to survive here, as long as we stay in this town, maybe the Reaper can’t harm us.”

His words made several newcomers’ eyes light up. “Hey, now that you mention it, that could work.”

They all looked to the experienced trial participants. The Emperor glanced at the middle-aged man. “It’s possible, but it doesn’t really matter. Even if the Reaper’s range is limited, the city won’t let you stay away forever. Don’t forget there are also compulsory storylines.”

“Hey, it’s worth a try. Besides, how many forced plot events are there anyway? I think we should just stay in this town when we can. If something comes up, leave right after it’s done…” The middle-aged man trailed off, his expression changing.

The other newcomers’ faces changed as well, because they’d all just received a compulsory event notification. “Me, I… Just my luck, huh?” The middle-aged man could only sigh.

Lu Yi stared at the bold characters in his mind: “Arrive at Neisongbaken Square at 11 o’clock to attend the anime convention.”

When everyone suddenly fell silent, the Emperor sensed something was off. “What’s wrong with all of you?”

“I just received a compulsory storyline,” the high school student said hopefully, looking to the experienced participants for reassurance.

“Me too.” “Same here.”

Seeing that all the newcomers had received compulsory storylines, the Emperor found it odd as well. After hearing a few details, he realized the events were not the same but were widely scattered. Frowning, he said, “Alright. We’ll head back to Anvalo now. Each of you, take down our phone numbers. If anything strange happens, contact us immediately.”