Hunter of Mysterious Creature

"It has suffered a severe injury, so it shouldn't appear for the time being," the old director said. "Don't think it's as simple as just shedding a layer of skin."

"Only less than one-tenth of the original meme fragment of this anomaly was successfully retained, and the frequency representing its power level has dropped to less than five percent of its original level," the researcher responsible for monitoring equipment added. "According to the data model established earlier, it will not pose any threat to Celestial City for at least the next six months."

"What about after six months? After it has healed... do we have another 'Night Slayer'?" the colonel asked.

"Right now, focus on the problems brought by the Eternal Night," the old director glanced at the colonel. "This is just the beginning. As the Eternal Night continues, the anomalies we will face in the future will only become more troublesome and harder to deal with... Since you have come here, you should have prepared mentally, right?"

"..." The colonel fell into silence, looked around at everyone in the command room, sighed deeply, and sat back in his seat.

"Report! The rescue team has successfully retrieved Special Task Force Leader Ye Xuan and Celestial City Anomaly Investigation Bureau agent Yang Lian. Both of them currently have stable vital signs and are conscious. Should they be transported to the nearest hospital or..."

"Send them to the research institute. The top-tier medical resources in Celestial City are concentrated here now," the colonel sighed as he rubbed his cheeks and said tiredly, "Thank heavens, that's the best news I've heard today."

He fished out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, drew one out, looked up, and saw the "No Smoking" sign on the wall, then smiled wryly, turned, and pushed open the command room door, walking out to the corridor.

With a "click," the colonel lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, then leaned back against the corridor wall and slowly squatted down.

The sound of wheels grinding over the ground came as the old director wheeled his chair next to the colonel and said, "Give me one too."

"Uh... is it okay for your health to smoke?" The colonel hesitated for a moment but still lit a cigarette and handed it over.

"Ha, back when I was staying up late for research, I smoked much more than you youngsters," the old director laughed as he accepted the cigarette. "At that time, the whole lab was shrouded in smoke... I remember once the fire alarm was triggered, and it ruined more than two hundred pages of my research report... haha, cough cough cough..."

"Take it easy, sir," the colonel stood up immediately and gently patted the old director's back.

"It's nothing, just an old habit from when I was young... cough cough..." The old director took another puff of his cigarette. "Nowadays, the young people in the institute like to rely on strong coffee to stay awake, but I really can't get used to the taste of coffee; cigarettes work better, the spicier, the clearer my mind gets."

"..." The colonel looked at the hunched figure of the old man in front of him, wanting to say something, but ultimately remained silent.

"When the casualty report of this mission comes out, send me a copy," the old director said, putting down his hand that held the remaining half of the cigarette and looking toward the window at the end of the corridor.

"...Understood." The colonel nodded. "Once the statistics are complete, I'll have someone report to you immediately."

"Got more cigarettes... cough cough..."

"You shouldn't smoke anymore."

"No worries, quickly, give me one more, don't be stingy!"

"Please be mindful of your health." The colonel resolutely stuffed the cigarette back into his pocket. "Who's in charge of your daily life? I think I should have a talk with them."

"Ha... that kid isn't in Celestial City right now, no one's controlling me."

"Not in Celestial City? Off on a mission to another region?" The colonel asked subconsciously.

"Yes, but not in Shuzhou." The old director nodded. "She's gone to Chunming City."

"Chunming City... the Hunter's Ascension Trial?" The colonel suddenly realized.

"Exactly," the old director said. "I didn't expect your reaction to be quite quick."

"Uh... that's because someone who was part of the same batch of hunters supporting Shuzhou also participated in this trial; I helped him submit his temporary leave report," the colonel said.

"Enough with the unrelated stuff, are you giving it or not?"

"No!"

...

...

Three hundred nautical miles east of Chunming City, Nameless Island, Beach.

Sun Hang lay sprawled out on the sand, enjoying a rare sunbath—once back in Shuzhou, even sunbathing would become something of a luxury.

Taking this opportunity, Sun Hang planned to sunbathe to his heart's content... Ever since he woke up, such leisurely moments have been few and far between; he even doubted whether he was born to live a busy life...

The afternoon sun was hot yet not scorching, the sea breeze blowing from afar carried a faint salty taste, and when the foamy seawater surged up, it just managed to submerge Sun Hang's feet. As the waves receded, many lively fish, shrimp, and small crabs would be left on the beach—a little crab waved its claws as it crawled past Sun Hang, and a few long-dormant fungal threads suddenly sprang from the sand, piercing through its shell in an instant.

Sun Hang spat out the broken crab shell from his mouth and sat up from the sand—if this island had not been classified as a restricted area, it would have been quite nice as a tourist attraction... if only there were a few eye-catching bikini beauties on the beach now, that would be even better.

Sun Hang looked up and saw a drone hovering above him, its round camera lens rotating a few times before finally locking onto him.

"Phew... holiday's over," Sun Hang sighed longingly.

This place was ultimately not a tourist destination, nor were there bikini beauties inviting him to help apply sunscreen.

Behind him, the rubble of a research facility that had been bombed not long ago was still smoldering, and the secondary launch of a self-destruction device had caused the entire basin to sink nearly another hundred meters, completely burying the deep underground lab piled with bones.

"Anna Demosheva..." Sun Hang silently repeated the name in his mind.

What exactly are you?

What am I?

Several dozen minutes later, a speedboat appeared on the sea and quickly headed towards Sun Hang.

Several individuals in standard Mysterious Creature Hunter combat gear jumped off the speedboat and approached Sun Hang.

"Special Rescue Squad, Level Four Hunter, codename 'Thunder'," the leading hunter said to Sun Hang. "Besides you, what about the other hunters involved in the trial?"

"Not very clear, probably all dead," Sun Hang shrugged. "But there should be two others still alive."

"Which two? Where are they now?" Thunder immediately inquired, "What exactly happened on the island?"

"The 'Fisherman' from the Siberian Autonomous Region and Shino Seiichi from Dubhe Tower, they should be trapped in that nuclear submarine in the underground dock," Sun Hang replied.

"Underground dock? Nuclear submarine?" These hunters exchanged looks, the expressions on their faces upon hearing these terms were practically identical to those of Fisherman and Shino.

"If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask your superiors," Sun Hang said. "According to the secrecy guidelines for this trial, I have the right to remain silent with you."

"Can you tell us where the underground dock is? We have to go save them," Thunder asked again.

"You just need to pass this information back; Dubhe Tower should tell you the location of the entrance," Sun Hang said. "Besides, the curse of the Nameless Island should now be lifted, and now even ordinary people can safely land on the island."