Chapter Forty-Three: The End

Lin Lei had exhausted the hundreds of points of Gluttony energy he had painstakingly accumulated tonight in order to plunder "Blood Shadow." Naturally, the harvest was immense.

As a Tier 3 Source Energy user, Blood Shadow possessed an ability called [Mist Form], which allowed him to turn his body into a bloody mist. It was a powerful ability, but it came with significant limitations. One was the immense strain on his physical stamina, which meant the duration was limited. The other was that while in [Mist Form], although he was essentially immune to physical attacks, he was not invincible; he could still be injured by certain elemental damage.

Furthermore, while in [Mist Form], he was unable to launch attacks against others. Although Du Juan had witnessed Lin Lei devouring Blood Shadow’s body, she clearly had not realized that Lin Lei could acquire his abilities. This technique had strict limitations, but it had to be said that it was a god-tier skill. Blood Shadow was truly worthy of being a priest of the Blood Cherry Society!

Lin Lei had deliberately hidden this move, tanking several of Du Juan’s shots just to lower her guard, finally succeeding at the critical moment.

*Clatter.*

Drenched in blood, Lin Lei sheathed his bone sword and looked coldly at the head that had rolled to his feet. Seeing the pupils of the woman’s eyes beginning to dilate, Lin Lei shook his head.

"Why bother? To lose your life over an external object..."

Lin Lei grabbed the head and carried it to the headless corpse, quickly finding a red thread on her body.

"So, she really did track me down using this thing... I just wonder how many people in the Death Bird organization know that I am the target..."

Lin Lei’s eyes flickered, and he actively activated "Gluttony" to consume the woman’s remains. His Gluttony energy was insufficient to plunder her, and given the peculiar location and circumstances he found himself in, it was impossible to carry the body back to store it for later. He simply consumed it to replenish his energy reserves.

Although the woman was extremely strong—likely not inferior to an average Tier 4—she only provided Lin Lei with a few hundred units of Gluttony energy.

"She probably hasn't reached Tier 4 yet. The reason she could be so strong, not inferior to a Tier 4, was likely due to this handgun... Her ability was probably meant to be used in conjunction with it."

Lin Lei picked up the now-dull handgun from the ground and decisively tucked it away. Suddenly, he looked up, hearing footsteps approaching from the distance.

"Someone is coming; it must be the others who received the distress signal..."

Although he had fought three battles in succession, the time elapsed was not long. If not for him, more of the investigators and Source Energy users arriving now would have died at the hands of Blood Shadow.

Lin Lei shook his head and turned to merge into the darkness.

...

In reality, once the Investigation Bureau determined the location of the Blood Cherry Society’s lair, the fate of the society was already sealed. Even without Lin Lei hunting down the large number of half-demons, once the Tier 4 experts from the Investigation Bureau or the Death Bird were freed up, they could have easily dealt with these people. Of course, the casualties might have been significantly higher.

The operation was declared over at dawn. While the battle losses were not insignificant, the results were substantial. Over ninety percent of the Source Energy users and cultists in the Blood Cherry Society’s lair had been wiped out. Of course, this was only their lair and not the gathering place of all their forces. As the saying goes, "a wily rabbit has three burrows"; the Blood Cherry Society surely had other scattered forces, which the Investigation Bureau would have to deal with later.

In the building where the investigators had previously gathered, Lin Lei stepped inside to find many Source Energy users from the Bureau present. The leaders of the operation—Li Xueshu, Ling Hongyang, and the "Crow" from the Death Bird—were gathered together. Each looked disheveled and wore grim expressions.

Lin Lei’s gaze swept over the Crow, and he took the initiative to step forward.

"Team Leader."

Seeing Chen Fan drenched in blood, Li Xueshu couldn't help but be startled: "How did you get injured like this?"

Lin Lei waved a hand: "Just some superficial wounds, nothing serious. However, I have indeed exhausted quite a bit of energy, and I would like to request permission to leave early..."

Li Xueshu nodded slightly: "If you want to go, then go. Go back and get some rest."

Lin Lei turned immediately.

"Wait." A voice rang out behind him; it was the Crow calling him back.

Lin Lei turned his head.

"My friend, have we met somewhere before?" The Crow rubbed his chin, looking Lin Lei up and down.

Lin Lei’s eyes flickered slightly: "We have indeed met..." He did not hide it and recounted the scene of their first encounter.

"Oh, I remember now. So that kid was you!" The Crow clicked his tongue in wonder: "You’ve changed quite a bit since then."

Lin Lei chuckled without saying much.

"If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going now. Senior Crow, perhaps we’ll meet again."

The Crow arched an eyebrow and smiled: "See you."

As he turned away, Lin Lei’s eyes flashed faintly. The Crow’s attitude revealed a lot.

"This Crow must not know that I obtained the 'Sword Hilt'..."

Not everyone in the Death Bird organization could be chasing after the "Sword Hilt." For Lin Lei, this intelligence was critical. It meant he had not yet been fully exposed. He still had some room to maneuver when facing the Death Bird.

Of course, this would not make Lin Lei let his guard down. The strength of the Death Bird was far greater than that of the Blood Cherry Society.

"However, I won't have to worry for much longer. Once I reach Tier 3... my strength will undergo another significant leap. By then, other than that Tier 5 individual in the Death Bird, no one else will be anything to fear..."

His eyes shone with a sharp luster.

...

At midnight, in a spacious conference room at the Investigation Bureau headquarters.

"Useless, absolutely useless!" A middle-aged man in a black suit with gold-rimmed glasses slammed his hand against the conference table in anger.

"Three Tier 4 combatants, plus an A-grade Gift, and you still let Ning Hongying escape? What are you all doing?!"

Li Xueshu sat in the corner, calmly eating a lollipop as if she couldn't hear the middle-aged man’s furious reprimand. Ling Hongyang, sitting one seat away, looked utterly speechless:

"Deputy Bureau Chief Gongyu, you can't blame us for this. You know how bizarre 'Ning Hongying's' abilities are. As the leader of the Blood Cherry Society, she simply cannot be viewed through the lens of an ordinary Tier 4..."

"The Death Bird’s Crow had no intention of risking his life to help. Even if Team Leader Li and I could suppress her, we couldn't stop her from escaping."

Deputy Bureau Chief Gongyu snorted, about to continue, when suddenly, someone raised a hand: "Quiet!"

Everyone dared not speak further, their gazes turning toward the person. It was a woman in her early twenties with long, black hair draped over her shoulders and an icy temperament.

Her gaze swept over Deputy Bureau Chief Gongyu and Ling Hongyang in turn. Both men trembled, as if they had been targeted by some malevolent spirit. They both felt a fear that penetrated to their very bones.

She shifted her gaze one by one; everyone she looked at trembled, not daring to let out a breath.