Chapter 683 Rumors and Clues (3k)
The monster snake’s crimson eyes flickered with vigilance. Without waiting for Su Jiu to make a move, it immediately twisted its body and dived down towards the sewage system, as if planning to escape.
With splashes of water, the monster snake moved exceptionally fast. In just three to four seconds, only a dark red tail remained exposed outside the sewage system.
The middle-aged cleaner, seeing this, put down his phone and hurriedly shouted to Su Jiu, “Little sister, hurry and leave! It’s very dangerous here. The Yin-Yang Bureau will send people to handle it later.”
“This monster could be the magma monster snake mentioned in the intelligence…”
Muttering to herself, Su Jiu would not let such an opportunity pass. She stomped her foot, flashed a few times, and reached out to grab the tail of the monster snake, then pulled hard.
“Screech!”
“Kami…”
A loud dragging sound echoed. The cleaner’s eyes widened slowly. The scene before him was no less dramatic than Lin Daiyu uprooting a willow tree. The girl pulled the monster snake, as thick as a thigh and nearly five to six meters long, straight out of the sewage system.
The monster snake shook its head and looked at Su Jiu again, a hint of terror in its eyes. Its entire body thrashed wildly, splashing black water meters away.
“Snake brother, stop running.”
As their eyes met, Su Jiu, after lightly laughing and dragging the monster snake out, didn’t say another word. She stepped on its body and delivered several “bang bang” punches to the writhing, one-horned snake’s head.
After taking a few punches, the monster snake fell into a coma, lying on the ground, its condition unknown.
After knocking it out, she examined it, her gaze sweeping over the crimson scales that shimmered under the light. She murmured softly:
“The monster snake that Shadow One mentioned, this one looks like it has fire attributes. The strange smell that E Huo mentioned should be unique to it…”
“This thing can be shown to Teacher Chujiao, after all, they are professionals.”
she didn’t intend to kill the monster snake, thinking it might be helpful for the investigation.
While Su Jiu was observing, a group of people gradually gathered behind her. Apart from a few ordinary tourists, most of them were members of the Capital Exploration Team. Judging by the surprised expressions on their faces, they were likely attracted by the commotion.
Securing the great serpent with external qi, Su Jiu turned to the leader, Lin Chujiu, and explained the situation, waiting for her judgment.
“Could the demon that appeared in the city be the monster snake causing geological problems as reported by the front lines?”
Lin Chujiu frowned slightly, her gaze falling on the demon. However, demons of this classification were not familiar to her, being oceanic rather than terrestrial. She could only make a brief judgment, which was basically the same as Su Jiu’s previous assessment.
Su Jiu responded, stating her thoughts:
“This monster snake entered through the sewage system, most likely because a junction connected to the magma was breached… Of course, the reason for it intruding into human territory is still unknown.”
…
“The Flame Crystal Unicorn Python is a rare demon that lives in Asia and prefers hot and humid environments, commonly found in the Vermilion Islands. This unicorn python looks like a derivative demon of a subspecies, but it shouldn’t be appearing in a place like Tokyo.”
As the科普 (popular science) voice sounded, Su Ze, dressed in a suit, pushed through the crowd and came to their side. This older cousin was quite useful when it came to demons.
“It could indeed be a magma under-snake. Wait… could it be…”
As if struck by an idea, his gaze fell on the monster snake. He took a few steps closer, squatted down, took out a small knife, cut off a scale, and then, holding it under his armpit, he rummaged through his alchemical items.
“There are generally two possibilities for these types of demons. The first is offspring born from the mating of a male and female Flame Crystal Unicorn Python. The offspring of this type have sturdy scales that don’t change due to climate fluctuations…”
Su Jiu asked curiously, “Then, cousin, what’s the second possibility?”
When asked, Su Ze smiled and placed the scale on his hand. “The second is formed through blood or inheritance from higher-ranking creatures of the same family. If it’s the latter, their scales are very likely to revert to their original color due to sudden temperature changes.”
After speaking, Su Ze took out some bottles and jars. After sorting them out, he showed Su Jiu a blue potion and said softly, “This is a liquid nitrogen potion formulated with extraordinary attributes. A drop on it will reveal the result.”
“Is it time to study the taxonomy of this demon now?”
Taking the potion, Su Jiu lightly snapped her fingers, supporting a shield of external qi to block the rain, making it convenient for Su Ze to test the scale.
She had seen the half-demon shop owner in Chuan Yu conduct similar tests, using feathers or scales to detect insect-related conditions, which was the simplest and most effective method.
Su Ze shook his head, placing the scale on the alchemical platform, and opened the special liquid nitrogen bottle, dropping a small amount. “Not really, it’s just a simple determination of the demon’s situation. I just hope it’s not the second case.”
As the scale touched the special liquid nitrogen, it immediately emitted a “hissing” sound. The fire element attached to the scales was being devoured by the extraordinary attributes.
“I hope it’s not the second case…”
Su Jiu thought for a moment and understood her cousin’s thoughts. After all, she knew beforehand that there was definitely a connection between “Ghost” and the magma monster snake. She looked at the scale’s condition and said softly,
“If it’s the second case, does that mean a very powerful demon is systematically controlling them to cause geological activity and natural disasters?”
“That’s about right. It means a great demon is deliberately creating these War General level subordinates in large quantities for some reason, and then causing volcanic eruptions.”
Upon hearing this, Su Ze looked at Su Jiu with surprise. He hadn’t expected her to deduce this. He then nodded slightly, his gaze still fixed on the scale.
After about half a minute, the mist dissipated, and the originally crimson scales degenerated into jet black. His hand trembled slightly. Su Ze’s eyes narrowed again, and he said softly,
“It’s the second case.”
Getting this result, Su Jiu pursed her lips and looked up at the still rainy sky. It was clear that everything was heading for the worst.
Now she likely understood why “Wei” wanted to cooperate. This cooperation might involve encountering a very strong fire-attribute snake demon, possibly even “Ghost”…
A “Ghost” that had persisted for centuries!
Despite being so dangerous, “Wei” only mentioned repairing relics. Indeed, the more beautiful a woman is, the less trustworthy she is.
Su Ze did not accompany them to the subsequent banquet. Instead, he took a few enthusiastic students to study the subdued unicorn python.
After all, it was not their own country. They informed the local authorities, and the study and dining proceeded as usual.
Su Jiu, on the other hand, took Little Foolbird and E Huo to attend the banquet, as there weren’t many meals where E Huo wasn’t so hungry.
The banquet was held in a manor owned by the Fujiwara family in the city center, paid for by the mayor. This was a small gesture from these high-ranking individuals.
On the way to the business district, since it wasn’t too far, the three of them walked under two umbrellas, looking like a family out for a stroll.
“E Huo will be full tonight, and tomorrow it’s time to work.”
“Oh! I can eat until I’m full…”
To prevent E Huo from getting dirty, Su Jiu carried the little girl on her back, while the latter half-leaned on Su Jiu’s shoulder, holding a small black umbrella. As it swayed slightly, a small amount of rain dripped onto the little girl’s back.
“I wonder why we aren’t driving.”
Meanwhile, Lin, dressed in a rather embarrassing maid outfit, followed silently beside Su Jiu. Seeing E Huo’s clothes getting wet on her back, she silently cursed Su Jiu for being a con artist…
She hesitantly stepped forward again and used the umbrella to cover the leaky spot. Seeing that no more rain was coming in, her violet eyes turned away, feigning indifference.
The rain inexplicably became heavier. Su Jiu saw many Onmyoji and military personnel patrolling the roads. Ambulance sirens could be heard one after another.
She found someone to ask and learned that monster snakes were gradually emerging from the sewage systems in the vicinity, causing multiple casualties.
The three of them strolled leisurely and arrived at the location indicated by the GPS navigation. Before them stood the outline of a massive manor, spanning potentially several acres, a significant area considering Tokyo’s prime real estate.
The manor looked extraordinary. Ten youths in waiter uniforms stood neatly at the entrance, their eyes as sharp as an eagle’s, constantly scanning the incoming crowd to identify any impostors.
Judging by the aura faintly emanating from these youths, one of them was a Battle King Level expert, while the others were mostly War General Level.
It was known that a Battle King Level expert was a respected individual anywhere. Here, they served in roles akin to butlers or stewards, highlighting the Fujiwara family’s immense power.
After handing a competition official certificate to a waiter waiting by the entrance, confirming their identity, Su Jiu put away her umbrella and walked in slowly.
Upon entering the grand hall, Su Jiu completely ignored the central area where scholars and celebrities were dancing. She led the two to the dining area.
After all, the primary purpose was to eat.
In the dining area, there were very few people. Only a few reclusive students were eating there with their beast pets. Upon seeing Su Jiu, these students flinched back in slight fear.
Su Jiu scanned the area. There were about fifty to sixty large tables laden with various delicacies, mostly stewed with meat from grade-rated demons, providing a certain amount of energy.
Unless it was a very large demon, it was impossible to consume so much. No wonder the Mayor of Tokyo was so confident.
But today, she had brought a big eater with her…
She stealthily glanced at Lin again and saw that she had already skillfully found a plate and cutlery and was silently heading toward the area with the chili dishes.
No, she had brought two big eaters.
For a time, the three of them ate with great enjoyment. After more than an hour, they had cleared over half of the food on the tables, astonishing the reclusive students and making them feel the urge to make friends for the first time.
“Mom, I met ghosts today, three starving ghosts!”
Later, E Huo, deeming the efficiency too low, decided to go all out. It stopped using utensils and directly shoveled food into its mouth. The small figure left a trail of “scorched earth” wherever it went, even prompting requests for more food.
The restaurant staff naturally complied with every request, as the Mayor had said, “Tonight, I’ll pay for all the students’ expenses.”
“We meet again. Have you made up your mind?”
Just as Su Jiu was enjoying her meal, a clear, slightly charming voice spoke. A warm little hand rested on her shoulder, as if belonging to a long-time acquaintance.
