Star Martial Police Bureau, high-level conference room.
Dozens of guards stood at the ready on both sides of the long corridor outside the door.
Their faces were all solemn as they jointly guarded this special meeting.
CLACK, CLACK!
At that moment, accompanied by the sound of steady footsteps, the Chief Commander appeared at the end of the corridor and slowly walked to the door of the conference room.
Seeing him, the guard stationed at the door immediately stepped forward and said respectfully in a low voice:
"Commander, the Hall Master and the dean of the Martial Arts Academy have already arrived. They are waiting for you inside!"
"Mm. Keep the perimeter secure outside. No oversights."
The Commander gave a slight nod, then pushed open the heavy doors and walked inside.
The spacious room inside was tidy and bright.
The walls had been specially fitted with soundproof glass, cutting off all external eavesdropping.
At this moment, the dean of the Martial Arts Academy and the Hall Master of the Jianghai City District library stood before the conference table, their faces grave.
Other than them, there were no other high-level leaders present.
And on the conference table before them sat a small Bloodthirsty Leech.
Its clearly segmented body squirmed, trapped under reinforced tempered glass and sealed inside a jar.
Dark red fluid spurted from the leech's mouthparts, staining the glass.
But even with its escape path sealed, the leech continued to coil and spring, frantically ramming the side of the jar. It was a horrifying sight.
It looked as if it would break free of the jar's confines and escape into the outside world at any moment!
"Commander, why did you summon us here so urgently?" the library's Hall Master asked, stepping forward as the Commander entered the room.
「Just a short while ago.」
He and the dean had both received an invitation from the Commander.
It asked them to come to the Star Martial Police Bureau conference room for an urgent matter.
But the call hadn't specified the reason, only mentioning that it was related to the Bloodthirsty Demon.
So the dean and the Hall Master, realizing the gravity of the situation, said no more and rushed straight to the Star Martial Police Bureau.
And that led to this special meeting.
"Something's off. The aura of this leech isn't right…"
The eldest of the group, Elder Li, stroked his white beard. Staring at the coiled leech in the jar, he said gravely, "The accumulation of blood energy within this leech is extremely profound. This is no ordinary Alien Insect."
"As expected of Elder Li. You truly are knowledgeable and experienced to have noticed this Alien Insect's sinister nature so quickly."
The Commander spoke with admiration as he walked to the conference table. He placed his palm on top of the jar and slowly began to explain:
"After several days of investigation by our Star Martial Police Bureau, we have finally found a few clues about that Bloodthirsty Demon."
As soon as he finished speaking, the Hall Master's brow furrowed, and he asked with a puzzled expression:
"Hm? Commander, what do you mean?"
"Wasn't the Bloodthirsty Demon already decapitated by your men? Don't tell me there are other remnants?"
Hearing this, Elder Li, who was standing to the side, also showed the same confusion.
But he didn't speak, just waited patiently for the Commander's explanation.
"Please, don't be alarmed. For the past few days, in order to investigate the origin of the Alien Insect, our Bureau deliberately sealed off the news. It's normal that you two weren't aware."
The Commander explained apologetically, "Actually, the Bloodthirsty Demon… isn't just one person. These fiends are working as a group."
"What?!"
"There are more of them?"
As the Commander's words fell, both the Hall Master and the dean were greatly astonished.
They were completely caught off guard by this news!
After all, the Bloodthirsty Demon had thrown Jianghai City into a panic these past few days, and the impact on both the library and the Martial Arts Academy had been significant.
As the heads of these two institutions, they too were under immense pressure.
Just when things had finally quieted down, it turned out the storm hadn't passed yet!
"My sincerest apologies, you two… The situation was urgent. To avoid causing public panic, we had no choice but to seal off the information for the time being and secretly dispatch more officers to search.
After searching for the past few days, we finally managed to catch this Alien Insect."
With that, the Commander pointed to the leech in the jar and said, "Our people at the Bureau have done a lot of research, but we haven't made much progress. That's why we had to ask for your cooperation in tracing this Alien Insect back to its source."
"I see…"
Hearing this, Elder Li's expression relaxed. "These bloodthirsty fiends are a menace to our citizens. Commander, rest assured. This old man will certainly assist you in the investigation."
"As a member of Jianghai City, I am also willing to do my humble part!"
The Hall Master also said with a nod.
"I appreciate your help."
Receiving their agreement, the Commander breathed a sigh of relief and turned to the Hall Master.
"Hall Master, you've read countless books. Do you have any information regarding the origin of this Alien Insect?"
"This… Let me think carefully."
The Hall Master lowered his head in thought for a moment.
But after a good while, he shook his head helplessly. "Nothing comes to mind. This is truly the first time I've ever seen an Alien Insect like this."
Seeing this, the Commander nodded without saying much and turned to Elder Li.
Elder Li shook his head and sighed. "I have no recollection of this Alien Insect either, but I can faintly sense its abilities… This Alien Insect should be just a clone."
"A clone?"
The Commander was taken aback.
"That's right. I've seen this type of Alien Insect before. These clones are erratic, but if we want to track the main body, I have a good method."
As he spoke, Elder Li took out a small pouch and looked at the Alien Insect in the jar. "With this Soul-Chasing Fragrance Powder, we can easily find the main body of the Alien Insect."
As his voice fell, the Commander's eyes lit up, and he immediately clapped his hands in approval.
"Excellent! We'll do it your way. Once we capture the Alien Insect's main body, the Bloodthirsty Demon Insect itself will have nowhere to run!"
...….
「At the same time.」
Jianghai City, Li Shui Lake.
On the shore, willow trees swayed in the wind. The place was bustling with visitors, and the sound of cheerful laughter rang out continuously.
Families could be seen everywhere, enjoying picnics around the vast lake.
This was Jianghai's largest and most famous lake, where people came to play and frolic by the water's edge every day.
However, what no one noticed was that deep within the lake, an obscure, hidden cave was concealed. A faint, eerie crimson glow leaked from it, looking utterly terrifying.
If one were to venture deeper into the cave,
they would find a giant leech, nearly five meters long, coiled upon the jagged rocks!
SLUURP!
It sucked in and spat out the surrounding water, guiding the massive fluid flow into a vortex.
Any school of fish that passed by, no matter how far, was instantly swept into the vortex and devoured whole.
Not a single drop of blood was spilled.
Just then,
a few dark figures swam over.
They were several dark leeches carrying freshly absorbed Essence Blood, which they quickly merged into the giant main body.
The next moment,
as the Essence Blood merged, the range of the vortex controlled by the leech expanded by several more meters.
It churned the water at the bottom of the lake, drawing in even more fish to be absorbed into its body!
'Not enough… still thirsty… need more… blood…'
The halting words escaped the leech's mouth, cold and merciless.
It was as if its consciousness had just begun to awaken.
...…
「And at that very moment.」
In the library on the other side of town,
Qin Yang finally received the intelligence Xia He had gathered.