Shen Ge gripped the cleaver “Unbreakable” and slashed down, severing the head of the Blood-Robed Ghoul Hound—a grotesque, candle-like mass of melting black magma.

But the severed head didn’t fall. Instead, thick black blood stretched like sinews from the wound, suspending the head midair in a horrifying, nauseating display.

One strike wasn’t enough?

No problem.

Two strikes, three strikes!

Shen Ge transformed into a butcher, hacking at the Ghoul Hound’s head with relentless fury. Meanwhile, the red ghoul attached to the hound’s body sensed danger and lunged at him, its maw gaping wide.

While his right hand kept chopping, Shen Ge reached into his pocket with his left and hurled a fist-sized lump of flesh—his “Poké Ball”—

The Ghoul Stomach!

The Ghoul Stomach swelled midair, swallowing the Blood-Robed Ghoul whole before thudding to the ground, bloated to roughly a meter in diameter. The ghoul thrashed inside, distorting the stomach into a spiky sea-urchin shape, but it never broke free.

As time passed, the stomach shrank from a meter-wide bulge to the size of a basketball. The ghoul was being digested.

Meanwhile, under Shen Ge’s frenzied “Random Wind Cleaver” technique, the Ghoul Hound’s head finally rolled to the ground.

[Host has successfully slain a Tier 1 Ghoul. Reward: 50 System Points!]

Two ghouls eliminated in under two minutes. Fang Mingyue stood frozen in shock.

She had already braced herself for a heroic last stand. Facing two Tier 1 ghouls in her current state, in this environment, survival was nearly impossible. Her only goal had been to buy time, to let as many survivors escape as possible.

And then this man appeared—slaughtering one ghoul with a few swings of his cleaver, then devouring the other with his Ghoul Stomach.

The feeling of being dragged back from the brink of death, of hope surging where none had existed, left her momentarily dazed.

By the time she regained her senses, Shen Ge was standing before her. His yellow ghoul-energy protective suit was familiar—she’d seen it in research files from the Yunnan branch.

The Ghoul Stomach was even more recognizable. It belonged to Gou Deqi, an agent from the capital.

Gou Deqi, true to his name (“Dog Virtue”), was a cowardly, lazy man who shirked duties and avoided danger at all costs. When news of the Tier 4 ghoul incident in Chongqing broke, he’d immediately taken a month’s leave.

Fang Mingyue had no idea why such deadweight was kept in the Special Response Division, but as a junior agent, she couldn’t openly criticize a senior.

Was this man Gou Deqi?

Her gaze shifted to Shen Ge, who nudged the Ghoul Stomach with his foot and grumbled, “Hey, can’t you digest faster? A measly pound of blood pudding and you’re taking this long? You need some Jianli Brand Digestive Pills or something.”

“…”

Ignoring the bizarre comment, Fang Mingyue noted that his voice—deep and smooth—was nothing like Gou Deqi’s rasp. And he sounded much younger than forty.

“Thank you for saving me. Without you, I’d be dead. Are you… from the Yunnan branch?” she asked.

“Nope. Rong City branch,” Shen Ge replied.

Fang Mingyue blinked. “You’re Shen Ge?”

“Huh. You know me?” He seemed surprised.

“Elite agents have access to personnel files for cross-branch coordination. Before this mission, I reviewed the Southwest Division’s records. Rong City has four agents—I’ve met the other three.”

She’d been impressed when she first read his file. An ordinary civilian with no training, yet he’d resolved multiple ghoul incidents immediately after joining. That wasn’t something just anyone could do.

And now, after months trapped in this ghoul-infested nightmare, he’d pulled her from the abyss. For the first time, she felt hope.

Respect and gratitude welled up in her.

“Oh.” Shen Ge nodded.

“Are you here as backup? How many entered? Any way to communicate? This incident is far more complicated than we thought!”

“I’m not backup. I’m here to end this incident. Are you from Chongqing branch or HQ?”

“HQ.” She didn’t see the difference between “backup” and “ending the incident,” but answered anyway.

Still, his confidence struck her. This wasn’t just any ghoul incident—it was Tier 4. Even the legendary Old He wouldn’t dare claim he could resolve it so casually.

“Ah. So you’re one of the three overconfident HQ agents who waltzed in and immediately lost contact two days ago?”

“…”

The bluntness stung, but she couldn’t deny it.

Honesty hurt the most.

“From the outside, it’s only been two days? I’ve been trapped here for months. Time flows differently here. Some of the earliest Chongqing branch soldiers have been here three months, others nearly half a year.”

Shen Ge frowned. “Makes sense. Explains the buildings that look decades abandoned.”

“You’re not surprised?”

“Why would I be? Ghoul abilities are all over the place. I’ve seen one that turned half a building invisible. Time distortion’s no big deal—just like the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. If I trained here for ten years, wouldn’t I be invincible when I got out?”

“…”

Fang Mingyue admired his strength and owed him her life, but his train of thought was… unique. While others focused on escaping, he pondered grinding for a decade to become OP.

“Your plan might hit a snag. Accelerated time means most food’s rotted. You’d starve before getting strong.”

“Eh, I can handle hunger. But forget that—shouldn’t you go shut up the weepers in there? Keep this up, and more ghouls will come.” He glanced at the dark room behind her, where muffled sobs echoed, creepier than any ghoul.

Fang Mingyue snapped back to reality. The noise had drawn the ghouls earlier. She hurried inside to quiet the survivors.

Shen Ge sent her away to deal with the ghoul corpses. Once she was gone, he sold the Ghoul Hound’s remains, then retrieved the Ghoul Stomach—now containing only half a bowl of digested “blood pudding.”

[Sell Tier 1 Ghoul Corpse? Reward: 200 System Points.]

Two Tier 1 ghouls slain and sold—another 500 points. His joke about “training for ten years” wasn’t entirely a joke. If possible, he’d gladly grind here for a decade.

A man must endure solitude.

Given the chance, everyone can be the Sword God of Ten-Mile Slope.

“Agent Shen, what’s your next—wait, where’s the ghoul corpse?” Fang Mingyue returned after calming the survivors, only to find the bodies gone.

“Too smelly. Tossed it downstairs.”

Her eyebrow twitched. That fast? Something felt off, but she let it go. “So, what’s the plan?”

“Find the Tier 4 ghoul, kill it, then go home and take a vacation.”

“…”

His casual tone made it sound like taking out the trash, not a Tier 4 catastrophe.

“But bringing these people along to hunt a Tier 4 ghoul…”

“Bring them? No. I’m not even bringing you. You’d just slow me down.”

She flushed. Harsh, but not entirely wrong.

This guy was strong, but his mouth was toxic.

“Agent Shen, I admit you’re strong, but I’m an elite too. I’ve handled two ghoul incidents. I won’t hold you back.”

“Really? Then why were you ready to die fighting two Tier 1 ghouls? Do you even remember your mission?”

He had no intention of babysitting. The best way to shake her off was to crush her resolve.

Fang Mingyue stiffened. Mission?

Enter the ghoul space. Eliminate the Tier 4 ghoul. End the incident.

“But… there are survivors. I can’t just abandon them.”

“If you were truly elite, you’d have taught them how to hide, then left to complete the mission. Solve the incident, and they’re saved. Not cower here, delaying the inevitable.”

“I wasn’t cowering! I was protecting them!” she snapped. She could admit her weakness, but she’d fought. How dare he call her a coward!

“To me, hiding here is cowardice. Let’s do the math. Say you save a hundred people. If the incident isn’t resolved, they’ll die anyway. If it spreads from Dongyu Village to all of Chongqing, how many will die then?”

“Honestly, I heard the screams and got here early. I wasn’t going to intervene. My mission isn’t rescue—it’s ending this. My report won’t even mention you. On paper, ‘missing’ and ‘dead’ are the same.”

“Your stupid sacrifice reminded me of the brave soldiers in my branch. Killing two Tier 1 ghouls wasn’t a risk. But if those loudmouths attract more, I’m gone.”

Fang Mingyue’s actions reminded him of Feng Xiuxiu and the soldier who’d died saving civilians during the Invisible Ghoul incident.

Shen Ge wouldn’t throw himself in front of civilians, but he couldn’t watch these soldiers die either.

Otherwise, he’d have stayed invisible and left.

But the survivors’ entitlement—acting like the dead soldiers owed them—disgusted him.

Whoever wants to save them can go ahead. Not me.

“But—”

“An elite agent abandoning her mission to play hero? Who do you think you are? Is this what the uniform stands for? If you can’t do the job, quit. The country’s got plenty of people who can!”

“…”

She wanted to argue, but his words struck a nerve. An elite’s duty was the mission.

But… was saving people wrong?

Yet part of her knew he was right. Her sacrifice would only delay the inevitable. Until the incident was resolved, more would die.

“Your call. I’m out.” Shen Ge turned and walked away.

“Wait!” She reached out, but words failed her.

As his figure vanished downstairs, she sighed and returned to the survivors. Only six remained of the original group.

“Officer Fang, where’s the other officer?” someone asked.

“Yeah, he killed that monster with a cleaver! He’s strong—he can protect us, right?”

“Where’d he go?”

“He left.”

“Left? He’s just… leaving us?”

“I heard you two arguing. Did you… chase him away? You should’ve begged him to save us!”

“Exactly! You’re an officer—your job is to protect us!”

“Ugh. Can’t rely on women in times like this.”

“Maybe we should go find him?”

“…”

The group turned on Fang Mingyue, blaming her for driving away their savior.

Their words chilled her to the bone.