Chapter 531: Uninvited Guests
Chapter 531: Uninvited Guests
Due to housing shortages, residents of Mechanical City had limited living space.
This three-story building likely housed three families, each occupying one floor.
When Qingxue entered through the top-floor balcony, she found the metallic smell of blood stronger here, though the room appeared spotless – no corpses or bloodstains in sight.
Staring at the floor where the scent concentrated, her eyes began radiating blue light.
The pristine surface now revealed dark stains and faint handprints through her enhanced vision – the true source of the blood odor.
These traces alone painted a clear picture for her.
Monsters had stormed the building, effortlessly slaughtering all three families. Victims had collapsed during desperate struggles, their blood pooling across floors.
Bodies and blood had been removed, floors scrubbed clean.
But blood enzymes quickly seep into flooring materials – ordinary cleaning couldn’t erase them.
Dihydrofluorescein could detect such traces, though Qingxue relied on mystical detection rather than chemical knowledge.
The residents here were clearly dead.
Feeling no particular sympathy as a monster herself, she silently descended.
The second-floor living room lay in disarray. Two suspects slouched on the sofa – one gaming on a phone, the other uploading photos from a notebook to the network.
Accumulated trash suggested they’d been hiding here for days.
The laptop user finished transferring files. “Black Dog, mission’s done. We move tonight.”
“What’s the rush?”
The gamer looked up. “Boss said keep hiding in Mechanical City.”
“No chance now.”
Bat shook his head grimly. “Messages say Blood Emperor might’ve returned. We’ve killed too many – it’s getting dangerous.”
Besides murdering the building’s residents, they’d been kidnapping humans at night – devouring men immediately, playing with women before eating them.
Recent population surges had strained security, making disappearances common. But excessive killings had triggered increased patrols.
Black Dog scoffed. “That emperor’s just another vampire. Why’d he care about few dead humans?”
“Better cautious.”
Bat eyed the room. “Besides, this place won’t stay safe.”
Three missing families could stay unnoticed briefly, but not forever.
As mission leader, Bat insisted on leaving. Black Dog reluctantly agreed, mourning their comfortable assignment’s end.
As they finalized retreat plans, darkness swallowed the living room.
Every light died. Outside illumination vanished. Complete blackness enveloped them.
“Who?”
Bat quickly shut down the glowing computer and slipped under the sofa, hiding between it and the coffee table.
Black Dog, who had been lounging, threw away his phone and scrambled to press his back against Bat’s.
Their reflexes marked them as battle-hardened warriors.
Enormous blue eyes materialized in the darkness, peering down at them.
Both monsters froze under the crushing pressure radiating from those eyes—this was undoubtedly a powerful monster.
A cold voice demanded, “Which monster do you serve? Why invade Mechanical City?”
Bat rose slowly, bowing his head. “Lady, we’re subordinates of Alcmene. Our presence here holds no malice.”
Alcmene, a girl monster from Greek legends, was half-woman and half-spider.
As wife to King Amphitryon of Thebes, she’d been seduced by Zeus—notorious for his beastly affairs—and bore the hero Heracles.
After losing a weaving contest against Athena, she committed suicide. Athena transformed her soul into a spider: a woman’s torso atop eight spindly legs, eternally weaving in a colossal Web. Legends claim she infests human brains, devouring their consciousness.
This girl monster dwells in Western Europe’s underground cavities, revered as a Traditional Monster.
Her true strength remains unknown, for no monster or superpowered individual who challenged her ever returned.
Though she might join the Lord of All Monsters competition and send agents to Hokkaido early, why target Mechanical City?
Qingxue’s gaze sharpened with mockery. “No malice?”
Bat realized their conversation had been overheard. Calmly, he explained, “We were gathering routine intel about this city. If offended, we’ll offer an apology.”
Such behavior was standard—especially with countless spies already in Mechanical City. Taking photos hardly crossed lines.
“You killed humans,” Qingxue stated icily.
Bat blinked, almost doubting his ears. They were monsters—killing meant nothing!
“So what? I eat humans too!” Black Dog snarled until Bat yanked him back.
“Lady,” Bat pleaded, “we’re all monsters here. Surely you won’t fuss over a few dead humans?”
“This is Mechanical City.” Qingxue’s voice frosted. “Casual slaughter insults its rulers.”
Stability and order demanded monsters show restraint.
Bat tensed. “What will you do?”
“Surrender,” she said, “and live.”
“Fine.” Bat sighed. Then his body ballooned violently, shredding his clothes.
Black Dog, in sync with him, also swelled in size.
A wave of chilling air fell next, directly trapping the transforming bats and Black Dog.
The sharp temperature drop froze their bodies instantly, ice crusting their skin and clothes.
Not just them – nearby furniture and trash froze solid, even airborne moisture crystallizing into icy powder.
The cold spread to the walls, coating them with thick ice layers.
She intended to freeze the whole building into an ice monument, completely immobilizing the suspects.
Crash!
With a deafening clang, the frozen duo shattered their icy shells. Now monstrously enlarged, they smashed through the ice-coated wall into daylight.
The bright sunlight revealed their true forms.
Bat had become a horned demon with leathery wings and a thrashing tail.
Black Dog transformed into a massive black two-headed hound with a serpent for a tail.
Qingxue recognized them instantly – she’d crammed on global monster documents, including visual references.
The demon was a Gargoyle. Originally just Middle Ages drainage statues on Gothic buildings, legends later cast them as night-roaming demons with stone-like bodies resistant to magic.
The two-headed beast was Orthrus – brother to hellhound Cerberus, slain by Hercules after guarding a giant’s cattle.
These famous Western monsters had enough power to break Qingxue’s ice restraints.
Their appearance drew stares from Mechanical City’s crowd, but residents here knew danger protocols.
No onlookers lingered – everyone bolted to safe locations, emptying the streets within moments.
Qingxue watched from the Rooftop, still feline, as bitter cold radiated from her. Summer warmth vanished, replaced by winter’s bite under darkening skies.
Both monsters attacked immediately.
The Gargoyle swooped at her with spread wings.
The Two-headed Dog spewed hellfire from one muzzle, swamp gas from the other – no holds barred against this threat.
Qingxue’s frostlit eyes narrowed. A frigid gale erupted, flash-freezing dust into jagged ice spikes that rained down.
The Dog’s own flames blew back, singeing its fur. The Gargoyle tanked through ice projectiles, stone body shattering them as it closed in.
Unmoving, Qingxue conjured a massive Ice Block overhead and slammed it downward.
The Gargoyle banked sharply, wings beating to evade the frozen missile.
Suddenly, two arms burst from the ice block, seizing the gargoyle’s wings.
He cried out in surprise as the ice block dragged him crashing to the ground.
Instead of breaking apart, the massive ice block rapidly expanded and morphed into a three-story-tall Ice Giant. The towering behemoth swung its colossal fists, pummeling the gargoyle relentlessly.
The Two-headed Dog instinctively lunged to help, only to discover its limbs frozen to the ground.
Frost around them coalesced into packs of giant wolves that leapt forward, tearing at the beast with icy fangs.
Within moments, both monsters found themselves overwhelmed.
Qingxue watched from the rooftop until two arms suddenly reached from behind to embrace her.
Qingxue didn’t resist, letting herself be held.
The next instant, her entire feline form shattered into razor-sharp ice fragments – pieces hard as steel and sharp enough to slice through metal plating.
This countermeasure against sneak attacks proved useless against the assailant.
Ye Yuqing blinked at the glittering shards littering the ground. “Huh? It broke from one touch?”
Lately she’d been patrolling Mechanical City, dealing with troublemakers.
After getting reports of monster activity, she’d rushed here to find Qingxue subduing two beasts.
Ye Yuqing had tried sneaking up to prank the cat, only to watch it disintegrate beneath her fingers.
“Identify yourself.”
The cold voice came from behind. Ye Yuqing turned to find Qingxue eyeing her warily.
Hands on hips, Ye Yuqing grinned. “Take a guess!”
Qingxue’s gaze swept over her. “Ye Yuqing. When did you acquire your own body?”
“Ugh!” Ye Yuqing scowled. “Why does everyone ruin the fun?”
Since returning from North America, even random strangers recognized her identity, stripping all satisfaction from her disguises.
“You remain as tedious as ever,” Qingxue stated coldly.
Ye Yuqing teleported beside the cat, reaching out again. “Call me Sister Yuqing or I’ll shave you bald!”
Qingxue allowed the contact, only to explode into ice chunks again.
Frost swirled in the distance, reforming the pristine feline.
Qingxue shot Ye Yuqing a withering look. “Handle those two below. Capture them alive.”
She wanted no further dealings with this brat – returning to Fang Cheng’s side mattered more. Months of separation had kindled warm anticipation, thawing her frozen heart.
Ye Yuqing flipped the departing cat the middle finger. “Pfft. That smug furball.”
With Qingxue’s exit, the Ice Giant and wolves dissolved. The battered monsters caught their breath.
Looking up, they faced a new opponent – a woman of divine beauty.
The Two-headed Dog gaped, drool dripping from both jaws.
The gargoyle whispered urgently: “She’s weaker than the cat! Break out now!”
Though spoken softly, Ye Yuqing heard. Rage ignited – how dare they call her weaker?
Silver armor encased her body as black flames birthed a Giant Sword. She leapt from the rooftop, proxy’s aura exploding outward. Both monsters crumpled under the pressure.
As Ye Yuqing vented her fury, two strangers arrived in Mechanical City.
One wore a trench coat with sunglasses and mask.
The other was an icy, regal woman of peerless beauty.
Had Kanzaki Rin been present, she’d have recognized the noblewoman’s face – identical to the nine-tailed fox’s.