Chapter Ten: Striking Again

"Why so formal? Hehe, isn't that what a detective's assistant should do?" Hearing Qin Xiaochuan thank her, Xia Dan covered her mouth and giggled, her round eyes narrowing into slits—charming and adorable. "But, back to the point, what happened yesterday really was terrifying. Who would've thought Stone Demon would become so frightening after his transformation? The other two are said to have even stronger demonic power than he does. For you to catch all three and retrieve the artifacts within a week—honestly, that seems nearly impossible."

As they were talking, Susu walked by the living room carrying a plate of sliced fruit. The television was broadcasting breaking news: "According to reports, there have been four incidents in Zone T where elementary school students have fallen into unexplained comas in the past two days. All four have been sent to the city hospital for treatment. Experts suggest these mysterious comas may be caused by a local gas leak, and advise everyone..."

Hearing the news, Susu exclaimed in shock, "Zone T—isn't that our district? That's truly frightening... Xiaochuan, have some fruit." She placed the fruit plate on Xiaochuan's desk, then returned to the living room, her attention fixed on the news.

"That thing must be devouring children's souls, right?" Gripping his hands, Qin Xiaochuan asked Xia Dan anxiously.

"Stone Demon loves nothing more than devouring children's souls. I've heard he was caught doing just that in the underworld. Now that he’s escaped to the human world, I bet he won't be able to stop himself once he’s tasted it. Plus, with the Starving Ghost Jade in his possession, it’s all too easy for him to snatch children’s souls. If we don’t hurry, who knows how many children will be eaten by that fiend!"

"Then..." Remembering what Stone Demon had said in the forest yesterday while swallowing a child's soul, Qin Xiaochuan asked worriedly, "How long can a child’s soul last after being swallowed before it’s digested?"

"At most, a day."

"A day?!" Hearing that a child’s soul would be digested in just a day, Qin Xiaochuan sprang from his bed, cracking his knuckles. "No, we can't wait. We have to find Stone Demon and capture him, now."

"But..." Xia Dan looked worried as she saw him leap out of bed. "You were just beaten up by Stone Demon. Your body hasn’t recovered yet."

"I have to take him down—there’s no time." For once, Qin Xiaochuan’s face was deadly serious. "I might not understand everything... but if someone’s soul is devoured, their heart is devoured too, right? All their emotions, their memories, gone forever. And if their soul is eaten by that monster, they can’t go to the underworld, can’t be reborn? Unforgivable!" He fished the Soul Gathering Ring that Little Yama gave him from his pocket, slipping it onto his right index finger. "If it’s today, I should still be able to fire one Spirit Light Bullet. That way, maybe I won't lose as pathetically as I did yesterday."

"Ah! The Soul Gathering Ring! Little Yama gave that to you, right?" Xia Dan exclaimed in alarm as she saw the ring. "That ring will drain your spiritual energy and stamina dry! After using it, you won’t be able to stand up for days!"

"I can’t worry about that now," Qin Xiaochuan said as he finished putting on the ring. "So how do we find Stone Demon? You’re the detective’s assistant—surely you have a way."

After hesitating, Xia Dan pulled a device from her pocket that looked like a wristwatch and handed it to him. "This is a Demon Energy Detector. The pointer will guide you to Stone Demon’s location. But with your current condition, even with the Soul Gathering Ring, you might not be able to defeat him. Once transformed, his body is as tough as rock—he's practically invulnerable."

"How will I know if I don’t try? Hand me the detector." With it strapped on, Qin Xiaochuan watched the pointer spin. "Got it. About three hundred meters north—there’s a park there. Looks like he’s still after children’s souls. Let’s move out!"

He dashed out the door without even bothering to close it behind him.

"Hehe, sorry, Auntie, Xiaochuan has something urgent, so I’ll go with him," Xia Dan said apologetically to Susu, who was sitting on the living room sofa.

"That boy, just recovered and already running off again." Susu was cracking sunflower seeds and watching TV. Seeing Xia Dan about to leave, she called out, "Keep an eye on him for me, Dannie."

"Don’t worry, Auntie! I will. Bye-bye!" Xia Dan smiled awkwardly and hurried after Xiaochuan, closing the door behind her.

To the north of Qin Xiaochuan’s home was a large theme park, famous for its beautiful scenery and abundant amusement rides. On weekends, many parents brought their children to play there.

A little girl with braided hair and a checkered dress bent down to pick up a Starving Ghost Jade that had rolled to her feet. She cradled it in her hands and offered it to Stone Demon, who had disguised himself as a kindly, square-faced man.

"Uncle, did you drop this ball?"

"Good girl. As a reward, I’ll eat your soul."

Stone Demon brought the jade before the child’s eyes. A pale wisp with a trailing tail was drawn from her mouth into the jade. The girl, now soulless, collapsed to the ground with a thud.

Staring at the freshly captured soul, Stone Demon licked his lips. "Looks like this little one’s soul will taste delicious."

"Stone Demon! I’m here to settle the score." Just as Stone Demon prepared to extract the soul from the jade, Qin Xiaochuan arrived.

"You again? Didn’t you get enough of a beating yesterday?" Stone Demon, interrupted once more, was visibly furious. "I warned you not to come after me again. Didn’t you hear my advice?"

"Unfortunately, my memory’s not so good," Qin Xiaochuan replied, shaking his head. He jabbed a finger toward a nearby grove. "Let’s settle this somewhere quiet. I doubt you want witnesses. There’s some woods over there—let’s finish this."

Without waiting for a reply, Qin Xiaochuan sprinted toward the woods. Stone Demon glanced at the jade in his hand, snorted, and pocketed it, charging after him. Today, he clearly had no intention of letting Qin Xiaochuan escape.

Once in the woods, Stone Demon, seething with anger, immediately transformed into his battle form—intent on tearing Qin Xiaochuan to pieces.

"You’ve interrupted my meal twice. Today, I’ll rip you apart!"

But unlike yesterday, Qin Xiaochuan was no longer so afraid.

Never mind that—just hit him with everything I’ve got. With this thought, Qin Xiaochuan threw himself at Stone Demon with a punch, wanting to gauge just how tough his opponent really was.

Stone Demon didn’t dodge, puffing out his chest confidently, ready to take the punch head-on.

"Bang!"

Qin Xiaochuan’s fist struck Stone Demon’s belly—the softest part of his body. But an immense recoil sent pain radiating through Qin Xiaochuan’s hand, splitting the skin. This guy’s defense really was formidable. Rubbing his bleeding knuckles, Qin Xiaochuan took two steps back.

"Hahaha!" Stone Demon threw back his head and laughed. "For an underworld detective, your research on me is sorely lacking. Once I transform, my skin is impenetrable—not even bullets leave more than a white mark. And you think your fists can hurt me? Now it’s my turn!"

With that, Stone Demon lunged, slashing at Qin Xiaochuan with his claws. Qin Xiaochuan ducked, evading the blow. The claws missed and, just like yesterday, tore a tree trunk behind him clean in half.

Without hesitating, Qin Xiaochuan grabbed the fallen half of the tree and charged at Stone Demon’s chest. "Then how about this tree?!"

Stone Demon slid back a short distance, bracing himself, then seized the trunk with both hands. "I told you—it's useless! Don’t you listen?" With a powerful swing, he hurled both the log and Qin Xiaochuan aside.

Damn it... Wiping blood from the corner of his mouth, Qin Xiaochuan staggered to his feet. Looks like I’ll have to risk everything—use the Spirit Light Bullet and gamble it all. But… his body’s as hard as steel; if it doesn’t work... I only get one shot. The only vulnerable spot is his eyes, and I have to get close, very close... Wait, if I have to get close—then that’s where I’ll strike.

With this thought, he began to maneuver, searching for the perfect angle for a fatal shot.

Seeing Qin Xiaochuan barely able to stand, Stone Demon tossed the log aside and strode over. In a flash, he kicked Qin Xiaochuan hard in the stomach, sending him flying. Qin Xiaochuan hit the ground and rolled several times before coming to rest on the grass, coughing violently. Blood trickled from his lips, a clear sign that his internal organs had taken serious damage.