Demon hunter's Cooking Manual

Then, bouncing and skipping, they moved into the mist.

Since it had already been set up against them.

They shouldn't act rashly.

Investigating was the best choice.

Of course, if they could find Jason, that would be even better.

...

"Huh? Where's Jason?"

Rushing into the mist, Hui Lijing couldn't find any trace of Jason, and she looked visibly disappointed.

Especially with the black mist surrounding her, it gave her an uneasy feeling.

"Be careful."

"There's something strange about this fog."

"And also..."

Hu Qiandai was cautioning her friend, but before she could finish speaking, she turned and struck—

Clang!

A cold flash swept by.

By the time Hui Lijing regained her composure, Hu Qiandai had already sheathed her sword.

Click!

With the crisp sound of the scabbard snapping shut, Hui Lijing finally noticed a humanoid monster that had somehow appeared beside them.

The creature's limbs were long and gangly, its body barely covered by tattered scraps. Its arms extended almost past its knees, and its claws were as sharp as daggers. Its mouth was filled with jagged, protruding fangs that made one's scalp tingle just looking at them. But it had no eyes and no nose—just a mouth and ears.

"This..."

Hu Qiandai stared at the monster, deep in thought.

"Why does it feel like this creature fits perfectly with this environment?"

"It's as if they were born for this very place."

Hui Lijing voiced the same thought that Hu Qiandai was having.

"Not just that."

"Look at its clothing."

Hu Qiandai had noticed something more.

Hui Lijing bent down to inspect it.

The monster's tattered clothing had long been corroded by the acidic mist, but a few clues remained—like the material, which seemed to be cotton or linen, and the stitching, which looked machine-made rather than hand-sewn.

After confirming these details, Hui Lijing turned to exchange a glance with Hu Qiandai.

The weight of severity was evident in both their eyes.

Then, the two of them crouched to continue their search.

Soon, more clues emerged.

A silver button.

A modern-crafted brooch.

And a pair of battered leather shoes.

The two were certain that these objects all originated from this monster.

The answer became glaringly obvious.

"It used to be human!"

The female detective gasped in shock.

"Yeah."

"It must have been infected by something to turn into this. The question is—was it from the group that entered earlier, or someone who had been here long before us? Maybe even someone from the Hanakaiin Family or one of their subordinates."

"If it's from the group that entered earlier... that'd be trouble."

Hu Qiandai spoke gravely.

Although, to be fair, she had only encountered the "Inside World" for the first time today.

Yet the memories that had inexplicably surfaced in her mind made her far more adept than the female detective.

In those memories, she had once led her troops in battle against creatures infected like this—monsters that resembled demons.

Not once.

But dozens of times.

In that era, such incidents occurred one or two times a year.

Sometimes, even more frequently.

Even up to her death, she had been subduing batches of these demon-like beings.

However, the demons she had vanquished were far stronger and far more grotesque than this.

The so-called "demon" in front of her?

At best, it could only be considered a defective product.

Most likely, something had been scrimped during its creation.

"Probably not."

"Those guys aren't that meticulous."

"And besides, every single one of them would be armed to the teeth."

"There's nothing resembling a weapon here."

The female detective's basic observational skills were sharp enough.

"Thankfully."

"At least it's not the worst-case scenario."

Hu Qiandai let out a sigh of relief.

Though she didn't see these defective products as much of a threat, she wasn't at her peak strength, either.

In fact, she wasn't even one percent of her former self.

Right now, she was just an ordinary person who had to rely on the "Himezuru Ichimonji" to fight.

Even though she wouldn't back down from a fight, she didn't prefer unnecessary battles either.

However, events would not bend for anyone's will.

Just as Hui Lijing and Hu Qiandai exhaled slightly in relief—

Step, step-step!

Rustle, rustle!

A dense series of noises broke out.

It was the sound of sharp claws treading on the corroded ground, stirring up sand and dirt.

Not just one set of footsteps.

Dozens, perhaps hundreds.

It was precisely because of their sheer number that the noise became so pronounced.

Hui Lijing and Hu Qiandai locked eyes.

In an instant, a unanimous decision was made.

Run!

One or two of these creatures was nothing to them.

Hui Lijing was confident she could rely on the convenience of her firearm to take them down.

But dozens—or even hundreds?

Even if she unloaded every bullet, it wouldn't be enough.

Whoosh, whoosh!

The wind whistled past their ears.

Behind them came the snarling growls of the monsters.

Their sprinting naturally drew the monsters into pursuit.

Without hesitation, Hui Lijing hurled a grenade behind her.

Boom!

The explosion shattered through the air, scattering shrapnel everywhere.

The pursuing monsters faltered, giving Hui Lijing and Hu Qiandai a chance to widen the gap.

But the reprieve lasted only a moment.

The next instant, more creatures emerged in pursuit.

And not just from behind—within the mist, Hu Qiandai could clearly sense monsters attempting to flank them.

No!

This couldn't go on!

If they were surrounded, they'd be dead for sure!

A flash of cold light flickered in Hu Qiandai's eyes.

"Jing, turn around."

"Break through!"

As Hu Qiandai finished speaking, the "Himezuru Ichimonji" was unsheathed instantly.

Clang!

A Sword Qi measuring three meters in length swept out from the blade, slicing the pursuing monsters clean in half.

In an instant, the encirclement that had been forming opened up with a gap.