Chapter 139: The Crimson-Blooded Golden-Eyed Ape

It was as if he could see right through Lin Qiu.

The man opposite him watched Lin Qiu, his one remaining non-human eye revealing a sense of calm as he said, "I know why you have come, but as you are now, you are no match for me. I have no desire to kill you; you have been kind to the Crimson-Eyed Blood Ape, and it is fond of you, so I shall spare you."

Lin Qiu was stunned, and he could not help but chuckle inwardly. The man was right—at this moment, he was indeed no match for him.

However, Lin Qiu looked directly at this seemingly formidable opponent and said bluntly, "Then, Senior, please also understand that my people will arrive very soon. If you wish to leave, I suggest you do so quickly. If my team gathers here, we have brought back opponents far more powerful than you."

"The Exotic Beast Administration... no matter how many years pass, you remain as bold as ever! Even when arresting someone, you speak with such righteousness. Human China is truly fortunate to have the likes of you."

The man spoke with a touch of nostalgia, his tone filled with memories of the past and a hint of wistfulness. To Lin Qiu, however, these words sounded like a thunderclap in his mind.

He stared at the man in disbelief, eventually stuttering, "You... you know who we are?"

The man offered a faint smile—if that face could even be said to possess such an expression. "Yes. You have changed your name many times, yet you remain the mysterious organization under the Chinese government. Although your predecessors throughout the dynasties have had their ups and downs, since the founding of the New China, you have indeed protected humanity and maintained order between the human world and other realms. That, however, is exactly what I have never liked about you."

"Why?"

"I enjoy killing."

"...Uh, you certainly have unique tastes, Senior."

Lin Qiu was left speechless. A man like this was truly capable of kidnapping young women to be drained of their yin energy by an ancient demonic vine.

Yet, the man continued, "However, I have also suffered divine retribution. The form you see me in now is the result of my excessive slaughter; I have ultimately fallen victim to the Karma Tribulation!"

Lin Qiu asked with curiosity, "Karma Tribulation? Senior, are you perhaps from the Buddhist faith?"

As soon as the question left his lips, Lin Qiu shook his head internally. A freak like this, a demonic cultivator who reveled in slaughter—how could he possibly be from the Buddhist tradition?

But just as the thought formed, the man raised one hand in a Buddhist salutation and said coldly, "This humble monk’s dharma name is Xingchi."

Lin Qiu nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. This guy really was from the Buddhist faith? He looked nothing like it! Lin Qiu scrutinized him from head to toe, failing to find a single trace of a virtuous, high-ranking monk. After all, the man kept talking about things from five hundred years ago and clearly knew about the Exotic Beast Administration.

Looking from Xingchi to the small monkey, Lin Qiu asked, "The Crimson-Eyed Blood Ape? Little monkey, is it the sixth of the legendary Six Divine Monkeys, born from the sea of gold, stone, and blood?"

"Indeed. You know quite a bit, kid. However, this one is merely a descendant of that divine monkey and lacks the true abilities of its ancestor. But if nurtured properly, the power to traverse the heavens, descend into the earth, and stir up the seas is surely within its reach."

Lin Qiu was rendered speechless once more. He called that "lacking true abilities"? That was already incredibly overpowered! As he complained to himself, his gaze toward the little monkey softened with affection and envy. Stirring up the seas and traversing the heavens—not even their mysterious department head was said to be capable of that! It seemed that exotic beasts truly possessed gifts that ordinary cultivators could never match—innate bloodline talents!

"Do not let your imagination run wild. Your leader is a hundred times more powerful than this little monkey."

Before Lin Qiu could even process this, he blurted out, "Oh, is that so...!"

He stopped mid-sentence, staring at Xingchi in terror. "Damn it! How do you know what I’m thinking?"

Xingchi smiled without answering, merely uttering a soft Buddhist chant: "Amitabha."

Watching such a man chant a holy name felt indescribably eerie to Lin Qiu. Yet, he could not deny the palpable sense of threat emanating from him. Dealing with someone like this was truly outside of Lin Qiu’s expertise.

Such an unknown powerhouse was better handled by Heize, the muscle of their squad. But at that moment, Heize had already returned with Wang Xiaomeng.

...

Once Heize and Wang Xiaomeng left the hills behind the Xu residence, they headed straight for the city. Before long, their report reached headquarters, which dispatched elite units and coordinated with local special forces.

These special forces consisted of veteran soldiers equipped with specialized weaponry designed to deal with supernatural phenomena and exotic beasts. They did not need cultivation; with the aid of exoskeleton armor, each one of them was a formidable combatant. Lin Qiu had witnessed their prowess before, and their mobilization brought a sense of relief to Wang Xiaomeng and the others.

Sitting in an armored vehicle, Wang Xiaomeng used a military laptop to report the latest developments to their new team leader via video link. The new leader was a burly man who wore a pair of scholarly-looking glasses. His surname was Jiang, and he was known as Team Leader Jiang.

After hearing the report, Team Leader Jiang felt Lin Qiu’s actions were risky, but he agreed, "His methods are dangerous, but they have provided excellent reconnaissance for our follow-up rescue teams. I can only demand that you increase your speed. The first squad has already departed via armed helicopter and should have arrived by now. Your team is the main force. The local authorities have implemented a lockdown under the guise of an exercise, and the Xu family is cooperating unconditionally. You must ensure our team member remains unharmed."

Wang Xiaomeng understood Team Leader Jiang’s intent. Without further ado, he began drafting a plan, discussing tactical maneuvers with the captain of the special forces unit. Wang Xiaomeng’s professionalism left Heize stunned; he never expected Wang Xiaomeng to be so capable of formulating strategy.

Noticing Heize’s gaze, Wang Xiaomeng gave him a few side-long glances. To his surprise, Heize actually began to blush.