Xiomei blinked once. "You…"
Of course she recognized Fang Chen.
That strange student from the wilderness near Pekking City. The one who had claimed to be responsible for triggering an energy alarm strong enough to be mistaken for a rampaging beast.
Of course, no one still believed he was responsible. They still thought it was a beast that probably fled upon their arrival.
"Why are you here?" she demanded, frowning deeply.
Fang Chen tilted his head slightly while studying her with faint amusement. "Why?" he repeated softly, as if tasting the word. "That's a rather mortal question."
"Mortal?" she echoed. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Before she could continue, one of the nearby officers stepped forward nervously and pointed toward the unconscious figure beneath Fang Chen.
"Lieutenant… look at the mask."
Xiomei's gaze followed the man's hand—and her breath caught.
The figure sprawled on the pavement was wearing a blackened metal shaped into a leering, fanged face mask.
Faint traces of dark qi still seeped from its edges. It was a demon mask.
"Impossible…" Xiomei muttered. She crouched down and pulled the mask slightly aside. Beneath it was a pale, human face with black veins spreading from the temples just like the reports described. "Are you saying this is a Xiao Demon?"
The officer nodded shakily. "Yes, ma'am. The kid brought him here. He said he found him eastwards. Said the demon tried to escape and he stopped one of them."
Xiomei turned sharply toward Fang Chen. "He what?"
Several other officers stepped forward with matching accounts. "Ma'am, the bystanders saw him appear out of nowhere with that body. It was like… like they both blinked into existence. There was no sign of anyone else helping him."
Xiomei's brow furrowed deeply. Her eyes flickered between the unconscious Xiao Demon and Fang Chen's lazy expression.
"Kid," she said finally with a low tone. "start talking. Now. How did you capture a Xiao Demon? Who was with you?"
Fang Chen yawned before stretching his arms lazily as if the entire situation bored him to death. "Ah, that's quite the accusation," he said softly. "I was merely taking a stroll, minding my own business, when this thing—" he nudged the masked figure with his foot "—decided to bleed all over my path. I thought it'd be interesting to bring at least one back instead of letting them all get away."
"Don't play games with me," Xiomei snapped. "You expect me to believe a high school student single-handedly subdued one of the most dangerous entities in Pekking?"
Fang Chen's lips curved into a faint smirk. "Believe what you wish, Lieutenant. I simply did what your men couldn't."
The surrounding officers bristled instantly. One of them clenched his fists. "Watch your mouth, kid."
"Or what?" Fang Chen asked with mock politeness. "You'll lecture me about protocol while your demons run free?"
"Enough!" Xiomei barked. The force in her voice silenced them immediately.
She took a deep breath, steadying her qi.
There was something about this boy... something unsettlingly calm, as if the chaos around him didn't touch him at all. And those eyes… why did they seem to hold profound ancient depth...
She stepped closer, lowering her voice. "You have five seconds to tell me how you did it before I drag you to headquarters myself."
Fang Chen chuckled lightly. "I'd rather not waste my evening on mortal bureaucracy."
"Mortal—" she voiced with an exasperated tone.
But before she could finish, a faint groan came from beneath Fang Chen. The unconscious figure twitched as the black veins on his neck pulsing weakly.
The officers instantly raised their weapons, spiritual energies flaring. "He's still alive!"
Fang Chen glanced down, unimpressed. "Barely."
Xiomei snapped her fingers. "Seal formation—now!"
A glowing circle of blue runes burst to life around the demon's body as several cultivators activated their suppressing talismans. The dark qi hissed and sizzled as it was forced back into containment.
When the last rune sealed, silence fell again.
Xiomei finally turned back to Fang Chen. "You're coming with me. We're not done talking."
Fang Chen shrugged with a calm and almost teasing expression. "As long as it's you doing the questioning, Lieutenant, I suppose I can spare some time."
Her eye twitched. "You're lucky I'm too tired to hit you."
"Luck," Fang Chen murmured while standing up and dusting off his trousers, "is for those without power."
For a brief moment, as the flashing lights reflected off his golden eyes, Lieutenant Xiomei had the strange, unnerving feeling that this boy... this ordinary high school student... wasn't ordinary at all.
...
...
The night sky over the city was dotted with stars, casting a faint glow over the horizon.
High-rise buildings stood like silent sentinel as their lights twinkled in the darkness.
Fang Chen returned to the station with the officers but since he was a kid, he couldn't necessarily be locked up in a cell.
They just asked him to recount the experience and how he winded up with an unconscious Xiao Demon.
"Spill all the details kid, no lies... and don't leave anything out," Lieutenant Xiomei voiced with a commanding tone.
"I like bossy women," Fang Chen smirked causing Lieutenant Xiomei eyebrows to twitch repeatedly.
Fortunately, Fang Chen didn't stall for too long before he started recounting the tale of events.
(( One Hour Ago ))
A group of masked figures moved with supernatural agility, leaping from one rooftop to the next with ease.
Their robes billowed behind them and the demon masks they wore added an eerie quality to their swift movements.
These were the Xiao Demons. They had managed to get far from the museum, confident in their escape. However, unbeknownst to them, Fang Chen had been trailing them.
As they leaped to another building, one of the Xiao Demons who happened to have a tall figure with broad shoulders and flowing black hair, glanced around, sensing something amiss.
Before he could react, Fang Chen appeared beside him, matching their insane speed effortlessly. His eyes sparkled with mischief as he ran and leapt alongside them with a wide grin.
"Hello there!" Fang Chen called out with a tone of amusement. "Fancy meeting you here. Care to explain why you're causing such a ruckus?"
The Xiao Demons exchanged shocked glances as their leader growled in annoyance. "Who are you, kid? How did you find us?"
Fang Chen chuckled, easily keeping pace. "Oh, I was just out for a run and thought I'd join the fun. Your jumps are quite impressive, I must say."
The leader snarled. "We have no time for your games!"
In the next moment, he lunged at Fang Chen as his fist crackled with dark qi. Fang Chen effortlessly sidestepped, evading the lunge by a few inches.
"Whoa, easy there! No need to be so hostile."
The other Xiao Demons joined the attack, synchronizing their movements but Fang Chen danced around them easily.
His agility and speed made their strikes look sluggish in comparison. "You know, if you wanted to play tag, you should've just said so," he quipped as a laugh escaped his lips.
One of the slimmer Xiao Demons who had fiery red hair peeking from under his mask, snarled in frustration. "Don't mock us, you fool!"
Fang Chen twirled away from another strike as his expression turned to one of playful delight. "Oh, but it's so much fun. I haven't done this in twenty thousand years."