Chapter 112: The Test Subject Goes Berserk

The Forest Reserve was a purely primitive wilderness, overgrown with weeds and branches crisscrossing in all directions—there wasn’t a path to be found.

Li Changqing led the way, struggling to break through the obstructing branches. Behind him, Lan Qiqi followed with the grace of a refined lady on a leisurely stroll, seemingly at ease.

“Are we just going to wander around aimlessly like this?” Li Changqing stopped, realizing that blindly rushing through the forest was no solution.

Lan Qiqi, who had been admiring the scenery, was pulled back to reality by his words. “The demons within the Forest Reserve track people by their scent. Those who enter are soon marked by these creatures.”

“But we don’t have to worry,” she said, pulling a pink sachet from her black backpack. “This is Secret Butterfly Incense, extracted from the essence of butterfly-transformed minor demons. It has a strong, fragrant scent that masks our human aura.”

Li Changqing didn’t insist on her staying close; if this witch was determined to follow, what else could he do?

Lan Qiqi was quite familiar with the Forest Reserve.

“Isn’t the point of the test to obtain a demon’s identification token?” Li Changqing asked. “If we avoid demons, wouldn’t that mean we can’t pass the test?”

Lan Qiqi replied, “It’s better to find a demon ourselves and ambush it rather than being silently stalked and attacked.”

Before entering the Forest Reserve, she had already devised a strategy. Since she wasn’t skilled in close combat, a sudden demon ambush would put her in grave danger.

“Stick with me; we can find some weaker demons.”

“What do you say? Sounds fair, right?”

Together, they ventured deeper into the Forest Reserve.

...

Hu Xiong, clad in white pajamas, lay in his motel room watching TV, yawning repeatedly. He stood up and glanced outside to see the sun nearing the horizon.

“I wonder how that brat Li Changqing is doing,” Hu Xiong muttered, about to light a cigarette when urgent knocking came at the door.

“Old Hu! Old Hu!” It was Sima Xi’s voice. Hu Xiong opened the door to find Sima Xi’s anxious face.

“What’s wrong? You look terrible.”

“There’s trouble in the Forest Reserve,” Sima Xi said grimly. “One of the test subjects has gone berserk.”

Hu Xiong’s eyelid twitched, and the cigarette dropped unnoticed from his hand.

Besides the demons raised within the Forest Reserve, there were special test subjects—experimental subjects that the Investigation Bureau had conducted various studies on to fully understand demons.

One such project involved altering the neural structure of demon brains in an attempt to control them.

They would release these test subjects into the Reserve and observe them. Normally, it was manageable, but if a test subject went berserk, the bureau’s battle personnel would be dispatched immediately to handle the situation.

But now, the newcomer evaluation was underway.

The chance of a test subject going berserk during the evaluation was extremely low; in the bureau’s history, it had only happened three times.

Typically, the evaluation had a mortality rate of about ten percent, but during those three berserk incidents, newcomer deaths in the Forest Reserve soared to seventy percent.

“Damn it! Are the lab people out of their minds, messing around with these bizarre experiments all day?” Hu Xiong cursed, then said, “Let’s head into the Forest Reserve.”

Sima Xi hurriedly stopped him, rolling her eyes. “The Forest Reserve is huge. Do you really think we can solve this just by going in?”

“I just got the news too. They’ve already sent No. 13 to handle it.”

“No. 13?” Hu Xiong frowned.

That codename belonged to the Investigation Bureau’s eighth-ranked elite.

The bureau assigned special numbers to its top thirty operatives, who dealt only with exceptional cases, particularly those involving malevolent gods.

Regular demon incidents were handled by others, but these elites were dispatched for cases involving evil deities.

Normally, berserk test subjects were managed by other staff. This time, No. 13 was on leave at headquarters but was now en route, especially since many newcomers were in the Reserve.

“Hopefully, that brat Li Changqing won’t run into that test subject,” Hu Xiong said gravely. The bureau wasn’t large, and he’d taken a liking to the kid since they had a good rapport.

...

Night gradually descended.

The entire Forest Reserve lay silent—no insects chirping, no birds calling. The darkness was as deep and still as an abyss.

Li Changqing and Lan Qiqi sat beneath a large tree. They neither lit a fire nor set up a tent.

In the Forest Reserve, camping inside a tent was impossible. If demons attacked, escaping from a tent could cost one’s life.

“So quiet,” Lan Qiqi said, sitting by the tree with her arms wrapped around her knees, gazing at the bright stars.

“By the way, why did you become a zombie?” Lan Qiqi asked curiously.

Li Changqing was munching on some rations. He glanced back at her. “Why did you become a witch?”

“I like this profession,” she answered. “You know, witches don’t have your kind of powerful combat abilities, but we study ancient texts, witchcraft, potions, and even delve into the evil gods beneath the earth. Some witches can even draw power from these subterranean evil gods.”

“But those are fallen witches,” she added, explaining, “Witches aren’t like the folklore says—mischievous or harmful. The truly wicked witches are those who have gained the power of the underground evil gods.”

“Underground evil gods?” Li Changqing glanced at the ground.

Lan Qiqi noticed his ignorance and, with time to spare, began to explain: “Long ago, countless evil gods entered our world. They wrought havoc, plunging everything into darkness. Then, many angels appeared from the heavens. An endless war raged between angels and evil gods. In the end, the evil gods were sealed beneath the infinite earth.”

“Now, that seal is weakening, and the evil gods are beginning to stir.”

“The Investigation Bureau was established to suppress these evil gods and eradicate demons.”

Li Changqing took a bite of his ration and sipped water. “Why haven’t I heard anyone from the Thirty-Six Bureau mention evil gods before?”

“Because that’s not their jurisdiction,” Lan Qiqi said just as a sudden, blood-curdling scream echoed from deep within the forest.

“Ah!”

“Help!”

The distant cries pierced the night. Li Changqing and Lan Qiqi exchanged a glance.

They both sensed a terrifying demonic aura emanating from the direction of the screams.

“Such a powerful demonic energy,” Lan Qiqi said in surprise.

“Let’s go.”

Without hesitation, they stood and simultaneously fled in opposite directions.