Chapter 161: Straight From the Source
"Tch...damn rats," Shen said, shaking his head at the mess on the floor before kicking the can to the side, not even bothering to clean up.
He scanned the backroom pantry once more before pushing the nearby door and going back to the kitchen.
Only when the door shut completely did both Aren and Miu let out a breath.
They’d been hiding in the nearby corner of the pantry. Even with Aqua Veil and Domain of Silence, they weren’t taking any more chances.
It’s probably best not to push our luck anymore here. He seems too twitchy and on guard.
In the next moment, they’d left the building. Miu definitely seemed happy now that whole situation was behind them. But still, things were definitely not over yet.
"Yeah, no...He’s definitely not human! What kind of thing lives and runs an establishment like that!" Miu exclaimed at the top of her lungs, but most of it was absorbed by the Domain of Silence.
"Got any ideas, Aren?"
"Hmmm, at first I thought it was a Psychic-user’s Art," he put a hand to his chin. "Then maybe I thought he could be a Magical Beast disguised as a human..."
Aren continued. "He seems like he has the right mannerisms and is capable of genuine panic...so he must be hiding something else."
Before he could add anything, his phone rang. Pulling it out with a quick swipe, he already knew who the caller was.
"Hello? You two better not have done anything stupid!"
Miu snorted lightly. "...Too late."
Aren cut in before she could say more. "Where are you?"
"..."
"On the corner of Harrow street, I just parked."
"Got it, Aren nodded. "We’ll meet you there."
It didn’t take too long to find her. Stella was leaning against the side of a parked car, arms crossed as she looked at the street. The moment she spotted them, she pushed herself off the car.
"...You went in?"
"Yeah."
"...I told you not to."
"We needed confirmation."
Stella clicked her tongue lightly. "And? What did you find inside?"
Miu started first. "Well, we needed a cover so we told him we were food inspectors. He believed us and served poisoned food!"
Aren gave a slight nod. "Not just served it. He forced us to eat it. I took the gamble and found out it was actually poisoned."
"Wait what?!" Stella reacted immediately. "You okay? Do we need to get to a hospital or anythi—?"
"I’m fine," Aren cut her off. "I’ve got experience dealing with poison before."
Stella seemed skeptical but didn’t press him any further. "Anything else?"
Miu folded her arms, still visibly unsettled. " Yeah, that wasn’t even the worst part! The entire backroom was filled with spoiled ingredients! Completely rotten!"
"There’s no way in hell anyone could mistake that for usable food," Aren chimed in.
Stella’s brows furrowed. "Then how is he still operating?"
"That’s the problem," he replied. "And he was on edge. Talking to himself about being found out and whatnot."
Stella processed the information, one hand coming up to pinch the bridge of her nose. "Even if what you’re saying is true, it’ll take too long to request a search permit or warrant an arrest."
"Since you’re already doing this off the record anyway, Stella, let’s stay in Misarck for a while longer," Aren spoke softly. "He’s panicking, so he’s bound to do something soon."
"Miu and I should stay and observe his movements. If there’s anything behind this, it’ll surface."
Stella was silent for a moment, weighing the idea before she let out a quiet sigh.
"Fine...I’ll handle things on my end and hopefully get the local branch of law enforcement to help. If anything comes up through official channels, I’ll let you know."
Aren simply nodded, his attention drawn back to the noodle shop once more.
Now...what exactly are you hiding, Shen?
***
Midnight settled over Misarck quickly, the city lights dimming just enough for the streets to feel empty without really falling into true silence.
From the rooftop of a neighboring building, Aren remained crouched near the edge, attention fixed on the noodle shop below.
Miu was beside him, hugging her knees as she peeked over the ledge, clearly bored out of her mind.
"Remind me again why we couldn’t just wait in a car like normal people..." she muttered under her breath.
"Because he’s cautious," Aren replied quietly, not taking his eyes off the building. "If anything feels off, he won’t move."
Miu exhaled softly, though she didn’t argue further. Her Domain of Silence lingered faintly around them, not fully expanded, but just enough to swallow any accidental noise.
The night stretched on, uneventful and dark, until—
The back door creaked open.
Aren’s eyes sharpened immediately. "...There."
Miu leaned forward as well, eyebrows furrowing as her gaze locked onto the figure that slipped out into the alley...Shen.
But not the same Shen they had seen earlier.
Gone was the apron and the harmless demeanor. In its place, he was wrapped in dark, unassuming clothing, his entire body covered from head to toe. Even his posture felt different, like someone trying to avoid being seen.
He paused just outside the door, scanning both ways before he moved quickly through the alley.
"...He’s heading out," Miu whispered.
Aren was already standing.
"Let’s go."
They dropped from the rooftop without a sound, Aqua Veil distorting their fall just enough to blur their forms before they landed in the alley below.
By the time Shen turned the corner, they were already moving after him, keeping just enough distance to remain unseen.
For a while, Shen stayed mostly within the city, cutting quieter streets and avoiding the main roads until he reached an intersection.
A soft crackle sounded in Aren’s ear before a voice came through the earpiece.
"You’re on him?" Stella asked from the comms.
"Yeah," Aren murmured. "He’s moving east."
There was a brief pause, followed by the faint tapping of keys. "...Got it. He should be heading toward the Misarck Woods."
Miu frowned slightly. "The forest?"
"Looks like it," Aren replied.
"What why? Is there something specific in the forest?"
But even before the words left Miu’s mouth, a horrible realization befell her. "Wait...is that how he gets his meat! That’s disgusting!"
"He’s getting away," Aren broke her out of her imagination. "You following?"
Miu sighed. "Coming..."
The moment they crossed into Misarck Woods, the ground was uneven enough for their vision to be obscured. So instead, Aren leapt up onto the branches, pulling himself onto it in one smooth motion.
Miu was a second behind, or rather—she tried to be.
"...Wait—!"
Her foot slipped the moment she landed on the branch, the bark rough and uneven beneath her shoe as her balance gave out.
She tilted unevenly, almost to the point of falling over before Aren’s hand caught the back of her shirt.
"...Careful," he murmured.
Miu swallowed, nodding quickly as she pulled herself back up onto the branch.
"...Right. Not exactly my usual stage," she muttered, forcing a weak smile.
Aren’s gaze was already on Shen, moving along the branches until he was directly above him.
"There..."
Miu followed his line of sight.
Below them, Shen had stopped. The moment he stepped into the clearing, something about him changed.
He pulled a knife from within his jacket pocket and crouched down on all fours, almost like a beast waiting for its prey.
What the hell...what is he doing?
Yet he was broken out of his thoughts immediately as a faint rustle from a nearby brush seemed to catch all of their attention.
A small shape darted between the bushes before emerging into the clearing.
A Horned Rabbit, considered a Semi-Soldier Class Magical Beast, so weak that civilians with a hint of ether in their body could defeat them.
It paused for just a second, but that was enough for Shen to pounce. He leapt onto the beast in haste, the knife in his hand plunging into the rabbit’s body quicker than it could ever react.
The small creature’s body went limp immediately.
"...That was fast," Miu’s voice came from behind Aren.
But Shen wasn’t keen on stopping here. He crouched down immediately, grabbing the small corpse before dragging it back toward the center of the clearing.
Then, almost like an instinct, he dropped down low once more, waiting in the middle of the clearing to do it all over again.
Aren drove ether into his eyes, trying to scan for any demonic ether...yet he still found none.
He’s not a Demonic Cultivator, nor is he a Mystic...and he’s not using ether to power himself.
Could it just be his pure physical strength?
By this time, Shen had almost accumulated 5 kills. But by his sixth, something was off.
Shen reached down, toward one of the rabbits, gripping it tightly before lifting the limp body up to eye level.
Then...he bit into it.
Miu gasped from behind him, covering her mouth with a hand as she witnessed the barbaric action.
Shen’s teeth sank straight through flesh, tearing through it without any attempt at precision. Blood spilled immediately, but he didn’t chew or swallow.
Aren caught it instantly, caught the thin, almost imperceptible strand of ether being pulled from the rabbit and into Shen’s body.
He’s...siphoning ether from the rabbit?
So was he a demonic cultivator after all?!