Chapter Thirty-Two: Professionals of the National Team

Zhou Shu was certain that this Zhang Peng was definitely not here just to watch the commotion.

But which side was he on?

To still dare come over after hearing the sound of gunfire and explosions...

Well, even though in the Great Qin Nation firecrackers were more likely than live ammunition, this was a demolition site with legends of the dead; not many people would risk coming to gawk. And someone like Zhang Peng, with such remarkable physical prowess—able to leap down from a third-floor rooftop with ease—there couldn’t be many people like him.

Moreover, Zhou Shu knew where Zhang Peng had been before; he had just come from over there. For him to be the first to arrive at the scene—was that really just a coincidence?

Most crucially, how did Zhang Peng know about this at all?

Could he have simply passed by at the right moment?

Either way, in all the online novels Zhou Shu had read, a character like Zhang Peng was either working with the monsters or, more likely, was a government agent.

Even if not directly affiliated, he had to be somehow connected.

It made sense. If monsters and demons appeared, there must also be demon slayers.

Otherwise, the Great Qin Nation could not possibly be as stable as it appeared—at least on the surface.

Sure enough, after Zhang Peng landed, he strode straight toward the corpse, scrutinizing his surroundings. Zhou Shu had to be extra careful to avoid being seen.

When he glanced over again, Zhang Peng was already on the phone. After the call, he continued to study the corpse, occasionally glancing around, never straying far.

Before long, two vehicles marked “SWAT” rolled up.

One was a black, armored anti-riot vehicle, its roof equipped with a remote weapon station.

The other was a SWAT equipment truck—a rugged van, usually used to transport specialized gear.

Impressive—driving a van through this rubble-strewn wasteland was a feat; the driver’s skills must be national team level.

Soon, black-clad SWAT officers emerged from the armored vehicle and took up positions, while white-uniformed personnel—clearly technical staff—poured out of the equipment truck and busied themselves around the monster’s corpse.

There was no longer any doubt: these were official personnel.

Seeing two SWAT officers heading in his direction, Zhou Shu understood his part was over. His pounding heart finally calmed, and he slipped away as quietly as possible.

After Zhou Shu left, the area around the corpse he’d killed was brightly illuminated—not just with portable floodlights, but also with tactical flashlights, camera flashes, and various portable detection devices.

The combat personnel established their positions and stayed put, while the white-coated technicians busied themselves around the corpse, running tests or wandering the scene, gathering evidence.

As the team’s deputy leader in charge of technical matters, Wang Kailun not only led the research but also took reports from the others. After receiving some information, he approached Zhang Peng, who was still standing by, tablet in hand.

“Captain Zhang, the victim’s body has been examined. The traces, methods, and habits match several recent cases on record. Looks like the killer was this thing.”

Zhang Peng took the tablet, flipped through the data, nodded, and glanced at the body. “Have the other demon-hunting teams in the city responded? Do any of them know what happened?”

“They replied. All denied involvement—and honestly, if it were them, you’d see more than just a corpse left behind.”

“So it wasn’t a passing demon slayer either. Even if it were, after dealing with this thing, they’d have reported it to the local Demon Suppression Bureau.”

Wang Kailun pushed up his glasses and joked, “Maybe... it was some newly-emerged prodigy?”

“What kind of prodigy gets their hands on heavy firepower?” Zhang Peng shot him a look and handed over a spent cartridge. “Yet again, NATO standard rounds, plus high-energy explosives... Don’t tell me the wounds on this mutant were made by some prodigy’s fists.”

“Ahem, even if not a prodigy, they’d be a hero—anyone who can take down a mutant is a hero. But this case is definitely odd.”

Wang Kailun examined the cartridge and added, “Including this one, we found twenty-four spent NATO 7.62 rounds on the ground. But the manufacturer and production date markings are strange—none of them traceable.”

“As for the crater in the mutant’s abdomen, it looks like it was caused by some small-caliber high-explosive grenade...”

Wang Kailun perked up as he spoke, grabbed the tablet back from Zhang Peng, and swiped rapidly before showing him the screen again.

“Captain Zhang, we also analyzed the traces from the victim’s location to here. Here’s a rough reconstruction: the mutant was feeding at its usual spot, someone either stumbled in or purposefully entered its ‘dining hall,’ and then they ran all the way here.”

“The person was on foot; the mutant initially tried to cut them off by moving above, then switched to chasing on the ground—very fast. It crashed through several walls making sharp turns. So, the person was agile, maybe had a well-devised escape plan.”

“But here’s something odd—the person’s footprints suddenly changed, becoming some kind of bipedal mechanical tread. It happened abruptly but seamlessly. Maybe outside help, or pre-arranged equipment drop.”

“Then, right here, a fight broke out—or rather, the person singlehandedly pummeled the mutant. The mutant was quickly dispatched.”

“The shooter was clearly a marksman—every round hit a vital spot. Even though this mutant wasn’t especially fast, hitting its weak points wasn’t easy.”

“But that’s just on the surface. From here to here—the distance is short. The shooter must have incredibly fast reflexes and dynamic vision, able to instantly target the mutant’s vulnerable spots and fire.”

“From our previous research and records, this level of neural response and dynamic vision is extraordinary—practically superhuman, at the level of ‘superpowers.’”

“Of course, maybe the mechanical device helped, or maybe it was a team effort. We’re still investigating. But either way, taking down a mutant unscathed—this is not something just anyone or any organization could pull off. It’s on par with our own...”

As they spoke, a technician approached carrying a backpack. “Captain Zhang, Deputy Wang, we found a backpack beside the combat route. No natural dust, just some dirt from being dropped—probably left here today, maybe even just now...”

By then, Zhou Shu had already made it home, having completely forgotten about his backpack. The situation had been urgent, life and death in a split second; it was his first time doing something like this in real life. Even after using his enhancement, he’d forgotten he was still wearing his glasses—proof of how flustered he’d been.

He was “clever” enough to take a winding route home and slipped away from the demolition zone so deftly that by the time he appeared on the first camera, he had already blended into a crowd.

Yes, even though it was well past midnight, the streets were still bustling—a testament to the “surface” safety of the Great Qin Nation.

It was only after arriving home that Zhou Shu’s nerves finally relaxed, and he started to notice aches all over his body.

His back, in particular—he reached around and winced immediately.

“Hiss—”

He walked into the bathroom, switched on the light, and looked in the mirror. Whether or not his back hurt, his school uniform was filthy. Since he was already there, he decided to do laundry and take a shower.

He emptied his pockets—glasses, phone, keys—onto the sink, then began to undress.

He tossed his jacket into the washing machine. As he lifted his shirt—

“Good heavens!”

Where his stomach had once been flat, six distinct abs were now visible, and as he twisted, the “shark muscles” between his ribs emerged.

Further stripping, his pectorals showed a clear, athletic curve.

He pulled his shirt off, tossed it in the wash, and, on impulse, struck a bodybuilder pose—his biceps and deltoids were now well-defined.

Turning around, the triceps on his arms, the trapezius and latissimus on his back—all stood out.

Of course, there were also a few purplish bruises—the source of his pain.

At least he wasn’t bleeding.

He touched one gingerly, and his mouth twisted again in pain.

“Hiss—this must be from that forward roll earlier. The ground was all rubble—I basically rolled on a bed of nails.”

Finally, he took off his pants and stood naked before the mirror.

In that instant, he felt—the primordial energy had been well spent!

PS: Thanks to reader 20200620163325440 for the reward~