'The Bloodthirsty Demon was caught so quickly?'
Qin Yang froze, a flicker of astonishment on his face. He hadn't expected this news at all.
But the bold headline on the trending topics list couldn't be fake.
Jianghai City Serial Murder Case Solved! The Bloodthirsty Demon Has Been Captured! Justice is Served!
After all, the Bloodthirsty Demon had been wreaking havoc for days, plunging the entire city into a bloody reign of terror and filling everyone with panic.
To calm the public, the Star Martial Police Bureau had naturally cast a wide net to apprehend him.
His capture was only a matter of time.
"I can't believe this. Why couldn't he have been caught sooner? If they'd nabbed him one night earlier, would I have been swept up in that raid at Platinum Han?!"
Xia He grew more and more frustrated as he recalled the previous night's events. He forwarded a few links to the trending articles.
DING DONG!
As the notification chimed, Qin Yang clicked the link and glanced over the comments below the trending topic.
Every single one was a comment from the public, cheering:
"The Star Martial Police Bureau is incredible! They finally caught that monster!"
"Amazing work! I heard they sent in several teams. It was a massive effort."
"My uncle's family was one of his victims. May their souls rest in peace."
"He looks so vicious. Thank god he's been caught. We can all finally stop living in fear."
Qin Yang scrolled through the comments, then clicked the second link and saw a photo of the Demon at the scene of his capture.
The photo was set in an abandoned amusement park. Gloomy moonlight slanted across a rust-spotted carousel.
A middle-aged man knelt in the center, pinned to the ground. Five riot control forks restrained his limbs and neck, leaving him completely immobile.
His face, pale as death, was twisted into a beast-like snarl.
A crimson light smoldered in the depths of his sinister eyes, radiating an overwhelming, evil aura.
He stood in sharp contrast to the dozen or so fully-armed soldiers behind him.
Like a caged beast, he looked as if he could break free at any moment.
"Tsk, tsk. Old Qin, have you seen the photo? This Demon is terrifying to look at. Don't tell me all Evil Cultivators end up like this?"
Xia He shook his head and remarked, "I heard that when they caught this monster, he was gnawing on some piece of meat. No one knows what kind of animal it came from."
"Most people who succumb to demonic cultivation end up like this."
Qin Yang shrugged, feeling a sense of relief.
The monster who had been roaming free was finally behind bars.
This way, Jianghai City's alert Level could finally be lowered.
'Otherwise, with patrols on every street, it would have been hard for me to move around freely.'
'Now that the monster is caught, I'll have a lot fewer problems to deal with.'
"Three days. In three days, that guy's dead."
Xia He put his phone away and said with sudden, absolute certainty.
"Three days?"
Qin Yang raised an eyebrow, confused.
"Yep. That monster's crimes are beyond heinous; he killed too many innocent people. After three days, once the Star Martial Police Bureau finishes their interrogation and gets the full story, they'll execute him by public beheading!"
Xia He said quietly.
"I see."
After hearing the explanation, Qin Yang felt at ease. He understood the reasoning behind the decision.
The Bloodthirsty Demon's recent, nonstop killing spree had terrified the people of Jianghai City.
Without a swift and decisive action, how could they possibly calm the restless public?
Besides, making an example of him would not only reassure the public but also serve as a deterrent to other potential Demons. It was killing two birds with one stone.
Just as Qin Yang was reflecting on this...
Suddenly, a familiar, mechanical voice rang out in his mind!
"DING! High-risk lifeform detected: Blood Demon!"
"Warning: Extremely dangerous!"
"Host is advised to evacuate the area immediately! Seek shelter and conceal yourself without delay!"
The urgent, electronic voice rang out like a Soul Summoning Bell, sending a jolt through Qin Yang's entire body.
'Huh? A Blood Demon?'
Qin Yang's expression changed, then his face lit up with unexpected joy.
'Is the system bugging out again?'
'Is another one of those little animals that drives the system crazy here?!'
"Where is it? Where's the Blood Demon?"
At the thought, Qin Yang rubbed his hands together and looked around excitedly, searching for the Blood Demon the system had mentioned.
However, after scanning the area for a good while, he couldn't spot a small animal, let alone a single cockroach.
"What are you looking for, Old Qin? Spot a hottie in black stockings or something?"
Seeing Qin Yang's odd behavior, Xia He curiously followed his gaze but saw no other women besides a middle-aged cleaning lady.
"Bro, I think you're just desperate."
Xia He sighed and put a hand to his forehead, then clapped Qin Yang hard on the shoulder. "Some day when we've got time after work, I'll take you to Platinum Han and broaden your horizons."
Qin Yang: "..."
Qin Yang paid no mind to Xia He's teasing, but he was a little disappointed.
He hadn't found any sign of the Blood Demon.
'Is this damn system messing with me!?'
Just as he was wondering, an alarm on his phone went off. It was time for work.
He had no choice but to put his confusion aside and head to work with Xia He.
......
The first floor of the library was no longer packed like it had been.
Only a few scattered people were sitting in the lounge chairs, a stark contrast to the previously packed room.
"A lot of people have left."
Qin Yang observed the desolate scene, feeling a bit wistful.
Before, the library had been packed, but most people only pretended to read. In reality, they were taking advantage of the building's excellent security system.
They had come to take "refuge."
The three safest locations in Jianghai City, each protected by an Innate Realm expert, were the Star Martial Police Bureau, the city library, and the Martial Arts Academy.
Even the nearby hotels had been booked solid.
Now that the Bloodthirsty Demon was captured and the threat was gone, things were finally returning to their usual calm.
'Who knows if a similar Demon will show up in the future. I can't let my guard down.'
Qin Yang shook his head and walked toward the section of the library containing books on Body Techniques.
He had made significant progress in his Swordsmanship over the past few days, but he couldn't afford to neglect his escape-focused Body Techniques.
Even if you can't win a fight, you have to be able to outrun your opponent.
As long as disaster couldn't catch him, there would always be a chance to make a comeback!
With this in mind, Qin Yang began searching the library's first floor for Body Technique Martial Arts.
After a thorough search, he only managed to find six suitable Body Techniques.
'There are so few Body Technique Martial Arts on the first floor,' Qin Yang thought. 'Far fewer than the Swordsmanship manuals.'
Qin Yang browsed the Body Technique books. They contained nothing more than basic footwork.
Thanks to his Heaven-defying Comprehension, he grasped the core principles of these techniques in an instant.
The core principle was to imitate the movements of nature and its creatures.
The leap of a deer in the forest, the dive of a fish in a stream, the flight of a bird in the sky...
'So, it's about imitating how wild animals flee?'
After a moment of contemplation, Qin Yang had a bold idea.
'If I combine the principles of all these Body Technique manuals, could I create a new Cultivation Technique that works on any terrain?'
'Let's try it!'
Without hesitation, Qin Yang closed his eyes and began to process the details of the six Body Techniques.
INSTANTLY!
Images of the six Body Techniques coalesced in his mind. It was as if thousands of creatures were stampeding, scattering like startled birds and beasts, their movements impossible to trace.
Qin Yang extracted the essence of each, fusing them together into a coherent whole.
The essential movements of each Body Technique merged into one.
A moment later.
A brand-new Innate Technique took shape!
"'Graceful as a startled swan, fluid as a roaming dragon... It combines the strengths of countless beasts. I'll call it the Seven-Star Dragon Roaming Step!'"
Qin Yang was ecstatic, a pleasant sensation washing over him.
'That's all it takes?'
'Creating an Innate Martial Art... it's a piece of cake!'
....
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
That day, Qin Yang and Xia He were eating in the cafeteria.
"I've got something good to show you, Old Qin. Don't go sharing it around."
Xia He said mysteriously, sending him a video link.
"What's this?"
Qin Yang opened it on his phone. It was a short video clip. "Is this one of *those* kinds of videos?"
"Get your mind out of the gutter! It's the video of the Bloodthirsty Demon's beheading. A friend of my dad's sent it. You'd better not share it."
Xia He said in a low voice.
Hearing this, Qin Yang's curiosity was piqued, and he pressed play.
But just as he started watching...
Suddenly, the system's mechanical voice, which had been silent for some time, rang out once more!
"DING! Blood Demon detected—Bloodthirsty Leeches! Host is advised to flee immediately!"