The Devil's Cage

A few hours earlier…

At the brink of dawn, before the sun truly rose, something was happening in Roze Farm on the outskirts of Ai City.

The farm owner, Roze, was standing outside with a nervous look. Even with three strong cowboys armed with weapons beside him, the owner wasn't even close to comfortable.

He knew he ran into something that normal people couldn't solve.

Moooo!

One of the cows mooed heavily.

Roze switched his gaze to the cow barn right away.

A 'cow' without flesh and blood and only the hide over its bones appeared right in front of Roze eyes, making him unconsciously hold his revolver tighter.

The three cowboys behind him were shocked, cold sweat breaking out and drenching their backs, one of them even started shivering.

"W-What is that thing?" said the shivering cowboy.

The other two looked at Roze, hoping for a reasonable answer.

The farm owner was the only calm person at the scene and on top of that, he was the one who told the cowboys to arm themselves after he saw this 'cow' roaming around.

"I don't have the slightest darn idea," Roze shook his head frankly.

He knew about the mystical world because of an old friend but never really stepped into it.

He did not dare and did not want to, but things always unfolded opposite to one's will.

Keeping oneself from the unknown did not mean the unknown wouldn't appear before one's eyes.

"What should we do?" The cowboy asked Roze.

The calm farm owner became the leader of the three young cowboys.

"We wait!" Roze pressed his hat down.

"Wait?" The three young cowboys were stunned.

"I've contacted a professional, so before he arrives, keep your asses safe and wait!" Roze said in a heavy tone.

The three cowboys looked at each other and ultimately stood by Roze, waiting for the 'professional' to arrive.

The wait wasn't too long, a truck was driving towards the farm, and when Roze saw Huai Cuike come down, he heaved a deep breath of relief.

"If you came any later, my boys and I would have left our home!"

Roze and Huai Cuike hugged it out and then he was pointed towards the farm, trying to lift up the bitter mood.

There were 10 of those weird looking 'cows' in the farm when Huai Cuike arrived and more were being converted in the barn. The weird cows didn't just stand there, they walked around and grazed on grasses like normal cows, but that green fire at their eyes sent chills down one's spine.

"Don't worry, leave it to me," Huai Cuike said and then walked to the farm.

He had a magic pistol in one of his hands and a potion in the other.

Pak!

He tossed the vial of potion on the ground and when it broke, smoke came out and swiftly swirled deeper into the farm.

The smoke killed the green fire in the 'cow's' eyes when it touched them, the 'cows' then falling on the ground and truly dying.

Bain put his hands in his pocket and whistled casually after the scene.

"What a pity, the beef would have been nice on plates. If it's delivered to Royan, the steak would be delicious."

Bain then took his hands out of his pocket, reaching out for his magic pistol and a magic grenade before he stepped into the farm. He maintained a 10 meter distance from Huai Cuike and locked his gaze at the barn.

He might seem unreliable in many aspects but as the Herder who worked together with Huai Cuike during operations and got entrusted by the veteran to watch his back, Bain was excellent, both in strength and mobility.

He was far better than any other common Herder, therefore, when a black figure jumped out, Bain shot the target with a single fire.

Bang!

The shot was fired and the figure dispersed!

Spiritual beings!

Bain frowned. As Herders, he hated these kinds of monsters the most.

It wasn't just because of their formless presence, he hated them mostly because they came and went without a sound. He never knew when they would pop up behind him and kill him. Huai Cuike shared the same feelings as Bain.

Orders were given right after the first dark figure was shot.

"Let's teach them who's in charge here!" said Huai Cuike.

"No problemo!" Bain smiled, then released the safety pin on his grenade and tossed it into the half closed cow barn.

Kaboom!

The roof was blasted to the sky, a sharp wail coming from inside the barn.

That sharp and irritating voice was definitely not from a human or any normal living being.

The next moment, with the searchlight from the farm shedding light over the blast scene, Roze and his cowboys saw a scene that they would never forget for the rest of their lives: a 3 meter tall humanoid monster with 3 cow heads and the hands of a man and the legs of a monster running out of the barn in pain.

Bang Bang Bang!

Huai Cuike and Bain fired their pistols at the monster.

Two magazines and 26 rounds of bullets, everything landed on the monster's head.

Each time the bullet landed, the monster would stagger backwards and wail louder and fiercer than ever, yet it did not stop the two Herders from shooting.

After they emptied out their bullets, they did not stop, they reached out for another magazine at the back of their waist, reloading the magic pistol and continued to fire by squeezing the trigger endlessly.

Bang Bang Bang!

Continuous shots sounded again and again, and after the second round, they reloaded their magic pistols and continued to the third.

Fire, reload, fire, reload, rinse and repeat.

Until the monster's heads were all shot into a beehive and its body started to break down, the two of them didn't stop their shooting.

Huai Cuike and Bain adjusted their positions and closed in on the fallen monster from left and right. After making sure the monster was really dead, both of them looked to the destroyed barn together.

After Bain pushed a piece of wreckage away from the ground and revealed a deep, bottomless hole, Huai Cuike frowned.

"This is trouble," Bain muttered.

Nothing could be worse than entering the monsters territory and starting a fight with them.

"Call for backup," Huai Cuike ordered.

Bain ran back to the truck and called for backup.

Huai Cuike glanced over the hole again and then walked to the nervous and anxious Roze.

"Roze, is there anything weird going on around here lately?" he asked.

"No," Roze thought about the question for a while and shook his head firmly.

The farm owner then chuckled bitterly.

"You know me, I'm a scaredy cat, and because of you, I don't even dare to buy and or take any weird stuff, let alone going to some notorious places. Besides, I followed your advice to shed sunlight all over the farm, not a single corner is in the dark."

As a normal man, after having a friend like Huai Cuike, Roze once doubted his existence.

Fortunately, Huai Cuike was a good man and he helped Roze overcome the tough days.

After that?

Roze lived a careful life.

He swore that he would never go near the notorious places and never buy or take any kind of similar items.

Huai Cuike knew how his friend lived these days but because of that, he was more worried than ever.

There was only one possible explanation left: someone was after his friend.

"Did you meet anyone recently?" Huai Cuike asked subtly.

"Huh? I provide supplies to you guys only, so I rarely come in contact with others."

Roze then looked at his three cowboys.

As the farm owner, he had to take care of many things, therefore, other than a large business deal, all the trivial ones were completed by his men.

The three cowboys looked at Huai Cuike in fear despite being much bigger than him.

The horrifying scene that had just ended frightened them to their core.

The monster was scary enough, then what about the person who killed the monster?

Scarier than the former!

"Relax! We are buddies, don't worry, say what you want to say."

It wasn't the first time Huai Cuike had dealt with humans, so he knew what to do.

After some persuasion, the three started to speak.

Their stories dealt with trivial things, nothing wrong in any part but the more they talked, the harder Huai Cuike frowned.

"You said you ran into a very handsome man?" he asked the cowboy.

"Yes! A very handsome man, his eyes were bright and I can't really tell his age. At first I thought he was around our age yet he acted like an elderly, but he was very kind, he bought 5 kg of beef and then left... is there a problem with him?" The cowboy asked carefully.

"If the person you mentioned is who I think it is… then it will be a big problem!" Huai Cuike said.

Victor!

The picture of the ex-Judge appeared in Huai Cuike's mind after hearing what the cowboy said, but the title had gone down the drain.

Victor was resented by the people and after the Battle of Winter Night, people started to call Victor a 'liar' and a 'schemer'.

Wealth moves hearts.

A lot of people cling onto him, just so they could get a chance to get near the treasures he robbed.

Victor had a hundred years worth of wealth from Ring City.

How much was that? How much would a city filled with monsters that lived underground for a hundred years possibly hold?

No one could tell, but one thing was for sure: find Victor and anyone could get rich overnight.

The Herder HQ also gave the orders to the members to hunt Victor down, and as one of them, Huai Cuike accepted it without a second thought.

He was indeed moved by the hundred years worth of wealth but he knew the saying 'no man is content'. He didn't want to end up with too much in his stomach,so much so that he couldn't digest.

"Rich! That's a lot of money! But… it's none of our business."

Bain kept muttering, shrugging and pocketing his hands before he squatted down beside the road.

From a certain aspect, Bain had it better than Huai Cuik. He had seen through this unrealistic dream, or in other words, he knew his limits.

He was just a normal man, at most trained, so no matter how strong he could be, he would only be stronger than normal people. Going against those monsters and Inhumans with his bare hands would be suicidal, he wouldn't be a match at all.

Bain would go after small money but in the likes of Victor and the treasure mountain behind him, he would beg to be spared.

Like now, all he wanted to do was return to that alleyway back in Ai City and drink a bowl of warm chicken soup, not squat out here in the outskirts, seeing all sorts of parties weigh the pros and cons.

Mian Yi arrived the earliest after that. He brought the guards from the family and formed a perimeter around the entire farm.

"Mr. Roze, are you selling your farm?" Mian Yi asked Roze in a courteous way.

Roze looked at Huai Cuike.

Huai Cuike knew what Mian Yi was after, so he nodded at Roze without a second thought.

He didn't want his old friend to be caught up in the upcoming events.

The upcoming events would prove too much for a normal man... or even common folks of the mystical side. They would be nothing but cannon fodder.

A lot of intentional parties didn't care about potential collateral damage, but Mian Yi was considered good enough for following the rules and being an easy person to talk with.

"Sell!" Roze said without hesitation.

"Don't worry, I will provide you with a fair price!"

Roze's attitude made Mian Yi happy, he smiled and waved at the servants of the family before walking to the hole.

As for negotiating the price with Roze?

It wasn't something the chief butler of the family should do, his priority was locate Victor before any parties reacted to this little incident.

It would be hard but they were already one step ahead, right?

Mian Yi stood in front of the hole, looking down at the bottomless hole, the smile on his face getting heavier.

He felt the luck of the family was getting better recently.

First the [Philosopher's Stone], now Victor, everything barged into their territory unconsciously and it turned out to be great for him!

"I don't care if you are really in there or this all is just a trick of yours. You cannot run, Mr. Victor!"

Mian Yi talked to the hole slowly.

Right after his words, a group of Song Shi Family guards started their work, exploring the deep hole.

Two detectors in the likes of a remote control car were sent inside, one after another.

The screen in front of Mian Yi was showing him what was going on down there.

Seconds turned into minutes, minutes to hours.

The sun rose from the east, then hung up high in the sky and then set in the west.

Roze Farm became very crowded with people.

All sorts of people came here to have a look, some outright barged in, while others hid in the corners, watching in the dark.

"Why the hell are we not allowed to go in?" One Inhuman questioned the guard with furrowed brows.

"Because this is Song Shi Family's private property! You folks are trespassing on private land and we have the right to stop you here!" The guard said without any expression on his face.

The Inhuman furrowed his brows tighter. He didn't know whether the guard was telling the truth or not, but according to the list of properties under Song Shi Family in Ai City and several others, this little farm might very well be under Song Shi Family.

'If that's the case... it would be nothing but trouble!'

The Inhuman muttered in his heart.

The others who knew more insider news scolded the family shameless.

As for the majority, especially the monsters, rules were not made for them to follow.

The reason why they stayed put until now was because they wanted Song Shi Family to act as a pathfinder for them. They were just waiting for nightfall.

The monsters were greatly limited under sunlight, but something else couldn't bear the wait.

Bloody Mary, standing in the corner, was looking left and right. After it made sure no one noticed its sneaky presence, it vanished.

It ignored the resistance of the ground and dove deep into the earth.

Soon, it discovered something unusual.