20. Zhu Shi, Part One

Page 1 of 3

I am Zhu Shi, a demon hunter from Luoshan. My brother, Zhu Chang’an, may soon become a target for the Fallen Demon Hunters. Although I believe the likelihood is low, we currently lack any solid leads to track these Fallen Hunters.

What I never anticipated was that he would come to the hospital to visit our mother. While I was glad he had such a rare thought, I couldn’t help but worry—what if the Fallen Hunters launched an attack here and innocent bystanders got caught in the crossfire? It was difficult to explain to him why even the military hospital wasn’t safe. I’m not good at lying, and I struggled to find a reasonable excuse to send him away.

Moreover, sharing a room with him was uncomfortable. Several agents were tailing him, and I had to pretend to be an artsy college girl in front of him. The agents’ gazes felt almost burning. So, I found an excuse to step outside for some fresh air, hoping to ease my exhausted mind. Not only was he under surveillance, but I had also laid down my own protective spells, and my perception extended throughout the inpatient department, so I didn’t have to fear any breach.

When I left, he asked why I brought my guitar case. Inside was actually my spiritual gear, but I simply said it was to play guitar in the courtyard. I had no intention of revealing my work in Luoshan.

Just as I stepped outside the inpatient ward, I saw Agent Kong coming from the opposite direction, presumably to relieve the other agents on duty.

In Luoshan, agents are formally called “Probes.” Their main role is to investigate clues related to anomalous incidents and notify demon hunters to intervene, along with handling various other tasks.

Agent Kong is among the elite. His insights into strange phenomena surpass mine. The university I attend also lies within his patrol area, and we’ve cooperated a few times. I’ve heard from others that his superiors have recently burdened him with excessive tasks, forcing him to impersonate a police officer and run around constantly.

Many demon hunters look down on agents, considering them defective individuals who can never become full-fledged hunters. This mindset essentially means those who cannot become demon hunters are deemed inferior. Yes, they really think that way, and they also disdain ordinary civilians. I suspect Agent Kong’s superiors share the same view; I just cannot get along with them.

With half an hour before the shift change, we chatted briefly in the courtyard pavilion. Kong, a man in his thirties, didn’t share much interest in everyday topics, so we stuck to work. The conversation quickly turned to the anomaly in the fifteenth-floor room mentioned in the phone call earlier that day.

“The cause of the cave that Zhu Chang’an mentioned is still unknown. Although I initially asked if you were available to handle it, are you really okay with this?” he asked with concern.

“We won’t know if there’s a problem unless we try. Besides, I don’t know if the cave is an anomaly that ignores distance and affects those in contact with it. He’s my brother—I have to protect him.”

“But your specialty is combat, isn’t it? If it’s really difficult, you could ask other demon hunters who are more experienced in this field.”

“I can’t just ask other hunters to handle an anomaly I know nothing about…”

“Alright, since you say so, I won’t push further.” He sighed and changed the subject. “However, while investigating the cave, you might as well try to probe that Zhuang Cheng.”

“Zhuang Cheng? Do you still think he’s connected to the cave’s appearance?”

“That’s a secondary reason, and the likelihood is low,” he explained. “What I mainly want to say is that he very likely has already come into contact with our world. In the past two years, anomalous incidents have surged. Someone like him, who relentlessly pursues anomalies yet remains unharmed, doesn’t that seem strange? Perhaps he’s gained some protective power.”

He had said something similar before, but this time I sensed another meaning: “You mean recruiting Zhuang Cheng as an ally in our ranks?”

“Even if he can’t become a combatant, he could certainly be an excellent agent. That would fulfill his wish, wouldn’t it?” He smiled. “Discovering promising talents from the civilian world is traditionally my job as a probe. But if you were to do it, you could become his guide and have him assist you. Even without magical power, he’s exceptionally gifted and would surely be of help.”

“Thanks for the kind thought, but…”

Page 2 of 3

Though I acknowledge Zhuang Cheng’s talent, some truths may differ from Agent Kong’s assumptions.

I recalled how I first met Zhuang Cheng.

—

Around my first year of high school, I heard about Zhuang Cheng from my brother. Unlike ordinary families, the Zhu family is a lineage of demon hunters. It is said our ancestors even produced a great “Wuchang,” though now we have fallen on hard times. My brother was originally the heir to inherit the family’s magical weapon and become a hunter, but due to an accident, I became the heir instead. He lost his childhood memories, and our family sealed off all knowledge of the demon hunter world from him.

Saying he has amnesia isn’t entirely accurate—he retains fragments and vague impressions. From a young age, he firmly believed in the existence of anomalies and often claimed to have seen or encountered them.

Naturally, the family dismissed his claims, and outsiders didn’t believe him either. When he was in middle school, classmates mocked and bullied him, and teachers often pulled him aside for talks. People are easily influenced by their environment, especially during adolescence when personalities undergo rapid change. External acceptance or rejection becomes crucial.

Moreover, after losing his memories, he never actually encountered anomalies again. Over time, he may have gradually accepted that those scattered fragments were just childhood fantasies and stopped mentioning them.

Yet, deep down, there must have remained a corner of his heart filled with defiance and hope, yearning for an opportunity to unleash those feelings.

I pitied my brother deeply, and at the same time, I envied him.

I once believed I would never become a demon hunter.

One day, during dinner, he suddenly mentioned someone—a peculiar student from his high school named Zhuang Cheng, who obsessively investigated urban legends.

This person resembled my brother’s former self. Though he didn’t openly proclaim the existence of anomalies, he was fervently trying to prove their reality, even more aggressively than my brother had been.

I thought my brother was reigniting his interest in the anomalous. For reasons we couldn’t explain to outsiders, my family and I hoped he would stay away from that world, so we criticized the topic from an ordinary person’s perspective as “a futile endeavor.” After a brief silence, he agreed with me.

Later, I investigated Zhuang Cheng. He hadn’t just started exploring strange tales in high school but had shown exceptional enthusiasm since at least middle school. His classmates remembered him vividly, though few were friends. A senior from my high school, who was a middle school classmate of his, spoke of Zhuang Cheng with a shudder.

“That guy used to bring candles to school.”

“Candles?”

“Yes, candles. He would often pull them out from his desk drawer and stare at them with a chilling gaze, almost as if possessed. Isn’t he really into ghost stories and often exploring haunted places? He must have been possessed by some evil spirit…”

I also heard that he once focused on studying feng shui and occult rituals, carrying compasses and divination tools for practice. After a while, his interest shifted to other mysterious fields. Most people thought he was either mentally ill or immature, and the ridicule he faced even surpassed what my brother endured in middle school.

Yet, he seemed completely oblivious to others’ opinions, doing whatever he pleased.

Page 3 of 3

In high school, a girl in my class who loved paranormal romance novels developed strange fantasies and tried to present herself as a “ghost girl” who claimed to “see” spirits. Zhuang Cheng caught wind of this and “captured” her on the spot, ruthlessly exposing her act.

Once, a feng shui master from overseas came to scam a local wealthy family. That high school student somehow caught wind of it and exposed the fraud immediately.

Over the years, I don’t know how many fake supernatural phenomena he’s uncovered, yet he remains “crazy” and “immature” in the eyes of others.

Though this is my own guess, perhaps my brother was drawn to him for this very reason.

Later, I openly criticized Zhuang Cheng in front of my brother. Unlike before, he no longer silently agreed but took Zhuang Cheng’s side.

I only realized afterward that since the first time he mentioned Zhuang Cheng, he had been secretly following his movements like a fan, collecting information.

His tone grew increasingly animated when talking about Zhuang Cheng, as if he saw in him another possible self.

“You know, just before graduating high school, he went to another province to investigate child disappearances. It’s said to be related to local folklore, similar to Japan’s mysterious ‘spirited away’ tales. Actually, this involves a powerful evil force behind the scenes…”

After hearing such stories repeatedly, I had to admit Zhuang Cheng truly was a “legendary figure.”

But it’s dangerous—too dangerous.

One day, Zhuang Cheng will fall into an inescapable plight and die, filled with regret, consumed by his relentless pursuit.

Around two or three years ago, organizations worldwide linked to anomalies noticed that strange phenomena, once hidden in the shadows, began to surge inexplicably. Rare occurrences of space-time distortions increased steadily. The severity escalated year by year, with piles of reports of ordinary people dying due to anomalous events.

In Luoshan, some even made heretical prophecies, saying this is a sign of an impending cataclysm.

If all of human history so far is called “the Age of Humanity,” then from today, within ten years, the prosperous history of mankind will come to an end.

Afterward, not only humanity but all living beings and anomalies will be utterly destroyed in the cataclysm.

In the end, all matter will be reduced to nothingness.

And the next era… there probably won’t be a next era.

If one had to name it, it would be “the Age of the Apocalypse.”