Lu Shanhuai placed the report on the table and stated, “The person I followed at the Internet cafe last time knew very little and was basically of no help. He only knew that someone paid him to drive a truck full of goods out of the slums. He was unaware that the cargo contained siren blood samples and a large number of syringes.”
Tang Wen inquired, “What is the source of the syringe?”
Old Lin, who sat in the corner, still wore a sour expression, as if someone owed him eight million.
“I don’t know,” Lu Shanhuai replied, “We don’t have enough manpower here. Even the few of us are a makeshift team. Furthermore, we found people who had injected themselves with exotic creature blood in the underground boxing ring two days ago.”
He raised his hand, projecting holographic images of each victim of draconic mutation.
Behemoth’s face was at the forefront.
Lu Shanhuai elaborated. “Edward, also known as ‘Behemoth,’ is the individual who has been injecting blood the longest in the underground boxing ring. It has been about two months since the first injection. The amount of blood he has injected is substantial, which is why his body shape changed so drastically in this short period. His interrogation is ongoing, and there may be more information.”
Strictly speaking, matters in the underground boxing ring should not fall under the purview of the Hunter Association.
The alliance’s longstanding rule is that in ordinary disputes, the interstellar police will take the lead, with the Hunter Association only intervening when there is suspicion of exotic creature involvement.
Special situations require special handling, so compared to the Star Police, the Association always enjoyed certain privileges and maintained an air of mystery in the eyes of ordinary people.
Just like the dichotomy between light and darkness, as prosperous as the star capital may be, chaos still reigned in the slums, where illegal transactions never ceased. As long as there were no major incidents, the star police would not pay them much mind. Had Shen Zhaomu not suddenly slaughtered his way over this time, the mutants would not have been exposed so quickly.
Lu Shanhuai continued, “In addition, we have discovered mutants in the residential areas of the Southern District and near the planetary square. They are currently in the interrogation room.”
Old Lin humphed.
Tang Wen explained, “What Old Lin means is, what do those interstellar policemen even do for a living?”
“After all, we can’t interfere too much with the Star Police, just as they cannot interfere with us. We can only express our opinions openly,” Lu Shanhuai lamented, helpless. “You’ve never been a commander. Sometimes, coordinating with other organizations is more challenging than planning tactics.”
Shen Zhaomu silently studied the information projected on the screen for a while and then said, “Two or three months ago, the exotic creature uproar was at a minor peak, during which the Federation deployed the most manpower. At that time, half of the investigation team left, and even one-third of the Federation’s resident hunters departed for other galaxies. If the Church started large-scale activities during that time, it would indeed be the best opportunity.”
“Yes,” Lu Shanhuai sighed, “Brother Shen, you weren’t here at that time; otherwise, maybe we would have discovered the Church by now.” He turned to everyone, “I’ve dispatched more teams to investigate separately. This afternoon, I’ll speak with the Star Police to gather more information about the slums. If I can’t be reached in an emergency, the command will be transferred to Shen Zhaomu.”
After the meeting, the hunters packed up and prepared to leave.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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“Qtja lr la?”
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The Bai Yiyi mentioned by Lu Shanhuai was the White Doe Princess of the Beast Tribe and one of the strong contenders for the chief hunter position this time.
Like interstellar mercenaries, hunters could form teams and operate together if they wished.
And if the team was exceptional, many tasks could be completed more efficiently, which was advantageous when competing for the seat of the chief hunter.
Shen Zhaomu didn’t particularly care about who accompanied him; he always followed the Association’s instructions and preferred to work alone.
Shen Zhaomu replied, “Why are you bringing this up suddenly?”
“To be honest, there was a time when I thought that you didn’t want us to join your team because you believed we weren’t strong enough,” Lu Shanhuai confessed, rocking his chair. “But I know you’re not that kind of person. Besides, I am now a senior commander officially, Qianqian is an excellent sniper, and Yang Zhiming is also a mechanic recognized by the Association. Have you not considered forming a team?”
Lu Shanhuai took a deep breath and continued, “I know that even if you choose to remain solo, you’ll likely become chief sooner or later. I had thought about discussing this with you later, but with the Church’s renewed activities, we’ll likely be in the field soon.”
“After all these years, we’re all delighted to see you with someone by your side. Sister-in-law is a great person and a perfect match for you. You don’t have a lone wolf personality, so why not team up with us? We’re ready whenever you are. Just ask, and we’ll be there.”
Shen Zhaomu fell silent for a moment.
Finally, he met Lu Shan’s hopeful gaze and said, “Let’s discuss it later.”
Upon leaving the conference room, Shen Zhaomu made his way to a dark corner of the corridor. The dim light couldn’t keep up with his pace, as if some shadow from the past had sneaked over and entangled him.
He couldn’t explain to Lu Shanhuai that this so-called suitable person did not actually exist, nor did he need one.
Long Shiyu’s existence was just a facade. He had always been alone, and that was enough.
Upon returning home, Shen Zhaomu opened the door to find Long Shiyu seated at the dining table, examining the bottles and jars on it.
Upon seeing Shen Zhaomu return, Long Shiyu immediately broke into a smile with his eyes curved into crescents, raising a bottle as he asked, “What’s this?”
Shen Zhaomu looked at it and explained, “This is Bei’en planet’s specialty pepper. The local siren tribe who have lived by the shore for a long time like to use this pepper to make seafood soup. It’s very spicy.”
“Oh,” Long Shiyu seemed immensely disappointed. “I don’t like spicy food. I thought I could try it.”
“I haven’t eaten it before. If you use just a little, it should be bearable,” Shen Zhaomu suggested. “I happened to bring you some soup.”
After Long Shiyu returned from the unauthorized underground boxing arena, he spent even more time sleeping.
The minimal physical activity in the ring wouldn’t significantly increase his sleep time. The primary reason for his extended rest was the reopening of his wound, which led him requiring more sleep and sustenance for healing.
In the past couple of days, when Shen Zhaomu returned home, he would bring some extra food for Long Shiyu.
At the mention of soup, Long Shiyu immediately sat up straight at the dining table.
Shen Zhaomu had brought oxtail soup, with chopped green onions floating on top, emitting a fragrant aroma. Long Shiyu reheated the soup and added a handful of Bei’en chili peppers to it.
He placed the soup back on the table.
Shen Zhaomu glanced at him and remarked, “You added so many chili peppers?”
“I thought it was quite little,” Long Shiyu responded, stirring the soup with a spoon.
“Then take it easy with the first sip,” Shen Zhaomu suggested. The quantity didn’t seem right, and he didn’t recall the locals using this much. It had to be said that Bei’en pepper was nicknamed ghost pepper and devil pepper for its spiciness.
Long Shiyu took a sip.
The huge clump of chili beneath his spoon escaped his notice.
At first, he didn’t feel anything. As the soup trickled down his throat, what followed was…
An intense burning sensation.
The heat ignited his stomach, and surged back up, making his head feel as if it were filled with the scent of chili peppers.
A dragon’s stomach was much more resilient than a human’s, so Long Shiyu didn’t experience throat or stomach pain. However, the overwhelming sensation was both numbing and ticklish, causing him to cough several times consecutively. Each breath he took was filled with that same fiery taste.
“I’ll get some water,” Shen Zhaomu said, quickly rising from his seat.
“I… I’m fine, it’s just a little…” Long Shiyu lightly huffed and puffed. “I feel like — sneezing.”
He held it in for a few moments but ultimately couldn’t contain it.
“Ah-choo!”
In an instant, flames erupted.
Shen Zhaomu’s immediate reaction was to shield himself and Long Shiyu with his psychic power. The flames burst forth with intense heat, engulfing the entire room. The fire raged, and it seemed to be… dragon’s breath?
Long Shiyu found himself surrounded by wisps of flames.
Zhaomu, standing in a sea of fire, was stunned.
Long Shiyu: “Sob.” QAQ QAQ
He had suppressed his urge to breathe fire for too long, and the stimulation of the spicy pepper today had made him sneeze out fire.
Author’s Note:
One cutesy sob a day: 1/1
See? Raising dragons is a risky endeavor. If you’re not a princess, I suggest you don’t try it
Translator’s Note: Will be changing spiritual → psychic. Sorry for any confusion caused! 
Pfft. A small sneeze took out the living room…🔥🔥 Thanks for the update 🤣❤️🔥🐉
Thank you for the chapter.
My dad says to never hold in your sneeze. But wow, what a sneeze.
Lmao correction to the A/N, if you’re not shen zhaomu don’t even think about raising a dragon (shiyu) 😆🤭
Oh my god lmaoooo
Idk why but everything Long Shiyu does is very cute. Even the sneeze that breathed out dragon flames that burned the room is cute. Maybe I’m like the esteemed princess, I have a thick lens that makes everything cute but I know his strength unlike dear princess.
Thanks for the chapter~~~
I am the same – I imagined a little hiccup and some tears as a follow-up after the sneeze 😊
Omg that’s adorable, and maybe a really confused expression or just scared that his princess will be mad at him.
Only fierce princess’s are capable of raising dragonsʕಠ_ಠʔ
Official report for insurance claim: Sister in law has dragon breath from eating too many Bei’en peppers.