Stumbling Into a Trap

On the banks of the Huangpu River, the neon lights of distant skyscrapers — flickering in a hundred different colors — cast shimmering ribbons across the water below, swaying with the current like streamers dancing in the night wind.

Then a thick, foul stench cut through the air — rank as raw sewage — and shattered the scene's beauty in an instant. One after another, black, misshapen shadows darted along the riverbank, and the smell poured off them in waves.

Five human silhouettes moved ahead, herding them like livestock with sharp, commanding barks.

They sped toward the riverbank. They had to have everything in place before their target arrived.

"Gray Four, stay outside. The moment you see the target, let us know immediately." The figure in the long gray cloak that hid his build and his face alike was the one who spoke.

All five wore gray cloaks, and a strange, unsettling aura clung to each of them — clearly not people you'd want to cross.

"Understood." The one called Gray Four took up his post outside without another word.

The other four entered a decrepit factory — apparently one that had once processed low-grade meat scraps. The stench of rotting flesh permeated every corner. The scraps were likely mixed with other ingredients and sold off as pet food; that kind of product could still fetch a decent price. Machines were still running inside, but not a soul was present — nor was there likely anyone within several hundred meters of the place.

"Take the target down alive. Do not fail. You all know what happens if you do." Gray One directed his words at the Black-Beast Demons crawling across the floor — mindless creatures that knew nothing but obedience.

The other three glanced at the Black-Beast Demons. A chill passed through each of them.

The Black Church's most terrifying quality was this: fail them, and the punishment they delivered would make you beg for death.

Outside the factory, a young man in purple slowly drew near. His eyes were sharp as blades in the darkness.

"Lulu, stay here. I'm going in to take a look." he said to the high-ponytailed girl beside him.

"Don't go in — they look dangerous... Zhaoting, why are you following these people? And what are those things, half-human and half-ghost?" The high-ponytailed girl, Lulu, pressed.

Ever since Xu Zhaoting had caught an unusual scent on one of the academy students, he had seemed like a completely different person. Zhang Lulu couldn't understand what had happened; all she could do was keep following him until they ended up here.

"Stop asking. Stay here — and if I'm not back in ten minutes, leave immediately. Don't linger, understood?" Xu Zhaoting's voice left no room for argument.

Originally, he and Zhang Lulu had been searching together for clues about the Shadow Demon-Beast. But while looking for their companions on the training ground, Xu Zhaoting had caught a very particular scent.

It was a smell he would never forget for the rest of his life — the exact smell that had come off those pitch-black creatures during the disaster in Bo City.

He had hoped his nose was playing tricks on him. But when he quietly tailed that student, he found exactly what he feared: Black-Beast Demons.

The Black Church.

The Black Church was here.

And they were plotting something again.

Xu Zhaoting's hatred for the Black Church ran bone-deep. They were the ones who had taken everything from him.

Near his old home there had been a nest passage. When he stumbled to the quarantine zone in a daze — still searching for family members who might have survived — all he found was a white list. His father's name. His mother's. His younger brother's. His grandmother's. All four of them, written on that sheet of paper.

He had survived. And in a single instant, he was the only one left.

He had tried to forget. To build a new life somewhere new. He had even met a girl he genuinely liked — being with her brought him warmth, helped the pain fade into the background...

But today, he had caught that scent again.

It had come off a Pearl Academy student. When he traced it here, he found that the student was a Black Church operative. This processing factory appeared to be their base.

He needed to go in and confirm it. If he was right, he would contact the Tribunal immediately and have them raid the place.

These Black Church dogs — every last one of them needed to be wiped from the face of this world.

Xu Zhaoting slipped quietly into the factory. It was vast, with plenty of places to keep out of sight, and he was confident in his ability to look after himself.

Zhang Lulu waited outside. She had no movement abilities at all; standing guard out here was the only thing she could do.

She was terrified. She didn't know what those people were, but every instinct told her they were dangerous beyond anything she could imagine — if Xu Zhaoting were discovered, he might not come back out alive.

Xu Zhaoting had awakened a second element. His second was the Wind Element.

It was a good fit for him. He needed speed — without it, all that devastating lightning power left him dangerously exposed.

He slipped in through a cracked window high on the wall and took position on the crisscrossing steel girders, looking down over the empty factory floor below.

*Sure enough, they're here.* "One, two, three, four..." He paused. *Strange — why is one missing?*

From his vantage point above, he spotted four gray-cloaked figures huddled below, positioned as if lying in wait.

"Looking for me?"

The voice came from directly behind him — cold, soft, deeply unsettling.

Xu Zhaoting spun around. Face slack with shock, he found one of the cloaked figures standing a short distance away.

*How did they find me? Did they set up some kind of trap Barrier around the factory?*

*Impossible. I was careful during the tail — there's no way they spotted me.*

"Lightning Seal: Furious Strike!!!"

His reaction was razor-sharp. Lightning crackled into his palms in an instant. The Seals blazed to life around him as his Star Trail surged, conjuring writhing purple serpents of electricity that whipped toward the figure behind him.

Lightning conducts through metal — the arcs racing along the steel girders bought him a precious sliver of advantage.

"Lightning Element — the target's here! Take him down!" Gray One lunged forward, clearly the leader of the group.

The other three had already drawn the net tight. The moment the order rang out, black, warped shapes erupted at every exit and every window in the factory, and that overpowering stench crashed in from all sides.

Xu Zhaoting swept his gaze around him — and ice shot down his spine. He was completely surrounded.

Ten directly ahead. Seven crouching on the steel beams. Another eight or so pouring in from the doors and windows.

Twenty-five Black-Beast Demons in total.

He never could have imagined they had laid this entire trap specifically for him.

*How had they known he was following them?*

"Then I'll fight every last one of you." Xu Zhaoting let out a roar, fury blazing across his face like a breaking storm.