The Record of Unusual Creatures

Chapter 988: Signs of Impending Trouble

Hao Ren asked the MDT to prepare the medical equipment in the basement urgently, then he placed White Flame in a medical pod. She was unconscious. After the medical pod slowly closed and began to examine her, Hao Ren breathed a sigh of relief, somewhat. He knew the powerful equipment could bring White Flame back to life even if she were on her last breath.

Everyone had gathered in the basement. While White Flame lay in the medical pod, Rollie sprawled herself on the lid and asked curiously, “Why was she abandoned?”

The cat was even more simple-minded than Lily was. She believed that White Flame had been abandoned since she was in the trash bin—just like her when she was still a little stray.

“What the hell is going on?” Vivian only had the chance to ask at this very moment. “How did she end up like this? Where did you—”

“I found her on the street. I guess she fled by teleporting,” Hao Ren quickly cut in without waiting for Vivian to finish. He told her how he found White Flame and that he did not know how White Flame got the bruises. “Looks like there’s been a brutal fight, but who did all this?” he said.

“Teleporting here?” Vivian’s brows were knitted together. “Why did she choose to come here? How did she get our address?” she asked.

Although Hao Ren had met White Flame and Hasse many times before, and they were no longer enemies, it did not mean that Hao Ren would reveal where he lived. He had considered the awkward relationship between the demon hunters and the unusual creatures as well as the demons in his house. While demon hunters like Liu Sheng and Zhao Xi knew where Hao Ren lived, the duo had been “re-educated” by Raven 12345, and they would not have leaked the information to White Flame. So, Vivian was curious as to how White Flame found them. She did not think it was just a coincidence: Earth was so big; it was ridiculous to say that it was a coincidence the demon hunter fell a few hundred meters from Hao Ren’s house while she aimlessly fled via teleportation.

“God knows how. Maybe she tailed us. After all, the demon hunters’ intelligence network is very comprehensive,” Hao Ren said. He could not care less. “By the way, Liu Sheng and Zhao Xi are missing,” he said.

“Missing?” Vivian arched her eyebrows. “How?”

“On the surface, they’re on leave. But since they have no relatives in the area, no one knows their whereabouts. That’s no different from missing,” Hao Ren said. “Judging from the preparation they made before leaving, I guess they were evacuating under certain orders.”

Even Lily started to look serious. She crossed her arms and wagged her tail unconsciously. “Looks like the mass disappearance of the demon hunters is true. Their disappearance must have something to do with the sudden appearance of White Flame and her injury,” she said.

Hao Ren nodded gently. He looked at the medical pod, which was still running with a humming sound. “Now, we can only wait for her to wake up. She should know what happened,” he said.

“What about her situation?” Nangong Wuyue squeezed herself to the front, looking worriedly at the symbols and images on the medical pod.

Hao Ren briefly browsed through the scan report. “Her vital signs are stable. She’s lost a lot of blood and suffered from physical exhaustion as well as mental trauma. But, there’s no serious bodily injury. She’s going to be alright. However, she needs more time to regain her strength. She may be able to regain her consciousness in a matter of an hour,” Hao Ren said.

Since there was an hour before White Flame would wake up, there was no need for them to wait in the cramped basement. Returning to the living room, everyone looked at each other in silence. The atmosphere was strangely depressing. At this time, Hao Ren saw the father and son of the Nangong Family in his peripheral vision. They were sitting in the outermost circle. He could not help but say, “I almost forgot that we also have two demon hunters among us. Have you guys heard any chatter?”

Nangong Sanba and Nangong Wudi shook their heads in unison. The former sighed helplessly. “Did we not go out with you a while ago? We’re just as clueless as you are,” he said.

“We’re not that close to the orthodox demon hunters,” said Nangong Wudi, whose expression looked unnatural. “I could probably hear chatter from the grassroots demon hunters, but not the higher ups in the upper echelon. Being too curious would only arouse suspicion,” he said.

Hao Ren could only nod as there was nothing else he could do. Lily, who had her arms crossed, had been in deep thought for a long while. She suddenly asked, “Speaking of which, are the demon hunters a highly-organized group?”

Nangong Wudi nodded lightly. “It’s a highly secretive organization. So?” he sounded very proud.

“There are hundreds of thousands of demon hunters, if not millions, in the world,” Lily said as her ears flickered. “They’re scattered in all corners of the world; usually they work in a group of five or even fewer, and they’re loosely organized. In such a case, how did the demon hunters get the order across to all the members and instruct them to gather in one place within a mere few days? The amazing thing is, not a single one of them’s been left out.”

The argument was hard to dispute, but Nangong Wudi replied bluntly. “Of course that’s possible. All demon hunters are trained fighters. They’re obedient, and they have great execution ability. They could arrive immediately if the council of elders ordered them to do so.”

“Well”—Lily’s ears flickered again—”so many people are heading to the same place. Wouldn’t their whereabouts be a dead giveaway?” she asked.

“Umm… They have no problem hiding from the sights of ordinary people,” Nangong Wudi said, but this time, he appeared a little hesitant. “Nonetheless, the otherworldlings may be able to sense them. Otherworldlings have a natural sense of magic that ordinary people do not possess. But what I know is merely knowledge that’s a hundred years old. Sanba probably knows more than I do in this aspect,” he said.

“What’s on your mind?” Hao Ren asked, looking at Lily curiously. He knew that the husky was not all brawn and no brain. When she asked a question as serious as this, most of the time, she had a unique insight.

Lily blinked. “Well, according to the information I’ve heard so far, the demon hunters disappeared under the order. I’m just wondering if they achieved this feat in just a few days. By the way, where’s their headquarters?” she said.

Everyone in the living room stared at the Nangongs. The question had aroused everyone’s curiosity: where was the headquarters of the world’s most secretive and powerful supernatural organization?

Vivian once said that the demon hunters were different from secular organizations; they were dispersed, they had no solid base, and were not subjected to any worldly power. But as a legion, the demon hunters surely had their command center. This command center was where the top leader resided and issued high-level killing orders. It was also the treasure house of the demon hunters. Knowledge and property accumulated over thousands of years always required a physical place to store, and that place would be the command center.

However, Nangong Wudi shook his head. “I only know that it’s probably up north, somewhere in Northern Europe, but I don’t know the exact location,” he said.

“Dad, that’s not helpful at all.” Nangong Wuyue rolled her eyes. She then knocked her brother on the head with her tail. “Do you know anything?” she asked.

“Do I look like I know something?” Nangong Sanba spread out his hands. “How could I have found out where headquarters is when I’ve been afraid of my own shadow this entire time?” he said.

At this time, Vivian’s mobile phone suddenly rang in her pocket. She took out it out; the caller was not Hessiana, but Hesperides.

Vivian gestured everyone to be quiet and answered the call. “What’s the situation, Hesperides?” she asked.

Hesperides sounded worried over the phone. Vivian listened attentively, and her face began to look downcast.

Then, she hung up. Her face was sad.

“What’s the situation?” Hao Ren asked as he noticed the look on Vivian’s face.

“If the demon hunters don’t reappear, those hotheads will be instigating a rebellion,” Vivian said, grinding her teeth. “Some of the small families have circumvented the Ancients and held a secret meeting, purportedly discussing to establish a ‘new world order.\'”